We wrap up the training arc this chapter, so next time the cast gets to actually act like they're on vacation.
That, and Lamb proves her fluffiness to be a transcendent concept.
The silly Underworld sun had taken it upon itself to move across the sky at some point, which meant that one of her twintails was currently casting a shadow across her sketchbook.
Shuffling on her butt, Serafall shifted about to rectify the sun's nonsense; as she did, she noticed that the contents of one of those RPG-thingies had gone off course and was hurtling towards the rock she was sitting on.
Since it was the explodey kind of RPG that fired missiles and not the level grinding kind of RPG, Serafall concluded that it was totally gonna blow up her seat and get dirt all over her drawings.
Since both of those things were totally no good, Serafall sparkled at it and made it go away, along with the resulting shockwave which would have blown her sketches everywhere and maybe even messed up her hair.
Content that no more of Yuuji-chan's missile thingies were threatening her sketchbook, Serafall-
Dropped her pencil and rapidly lifted the camera hanging around her neck, to get a super awesome action-shot of Yuuji-chan in full armor punching Karma-chan right in the snoot!
Later she should probably scold Yuuji-chan for punching a girl in the face even if it was a good punch, well, after she figured out if that rule still applied to dragon-girls at their most dragony, but first she had to sketch this!
Juka-chan had made her a super-duper Magical-Girl-Action-Camera™ that could even capture a High-class Knight in motion without blurring, so the shot turned out just perfect!
"Just you wait, Yuuji-chan!" Serafall declared delightedly. "Magical Cyborg Midnight Iron is gonna look so cool when I'm done with the concept art!"
… Though, all that smoke and grey meant there wasn't a lot of color, might contrast a bit much with-
"That's perfect! Levia-tan, you're a genius!" Serafall complimented herself.
Yuuji shook the dirt out of his hair as he pulled himself partially out of the crater he was in, not for the first time wishing that the Unknown Soldier gave him a proper helmet and not a face-mask.
Rising into a shifting position, Yuuji caught sparkles out of the corner of his eyes and turned his head to find the lens of a camera pointed in his direction.
Behind that camera was the cutely grinning face of Serafall Leviathan, crouched beside the crater.
Idly, Yuuji noted that she was wearing one of her casual Magical Girl outfits and not an official one, since he wouldn't be able to see her pink panties otherwise.
|"Damn, I wish skirts like that were popular in my day."| Juno admired through his eyes. |"... Wait, were they?"|
|"I don't understand why they wouldn't be?"| Lamb replied back. |"It's not any shorter than my skirt, and surely your culture wasn't that much more conservative? Also, don't use Yuuji's eyes to peek up women's skirts."|
'Not really Juno's fault where my eyes go, is it?' Yuuji thought back at her.
It had only been about 24 hours since the voices of the Arsenal had begun interacting with him while he was awake, but Yuuji had adapted quickly, being himself.
Lamb and Juno were the ones who did the talking, less headache inducing to have designated spokespeople instead of a crowd of whispering/shouting dead people in his brain.
Turning his attention back to the Magical Girl who was currently photographing him from multiple angles, Yuuji waited for the camera to lower before letting the mask of his Balance Breaker dematerialize.
"So what's up, Levia-tan? You're usually more subtle with the picture taking." Yuuji asked.
"Yep, yep, a good Camera-Magical-Girl doesn't get in the way, but I almost forgot I was supposed to pass on a message!" Serafall chirped. "Tomorrow you're gonna be working with Zechs-chan, so this is the last day you get to play with Karma-chan!"
"Sirzechs?" Yuuji raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it kind of favoritism to have a Satan training his sister's Pawn?"
"It's not like he's training you for Rating Games, silly!"
"... Is anyone actually gonna buy that excuse?"
"Not anyone we'll listen to!" Serafall proudly smiled back, hopping to her feet.
Bending down, she offered Yuuji her hand, easily pulling him the rest of the way out of the crater.
"Ara, is our little Leviathan getting bored with simply being the audience?" Tiamat said, smiling indulgently as she sauntered out of the trees in human form, one hand resting on Ruth's back and running through his fur.
Serafall pursed her lips and put a finger against them, giving an audible 'hmmm' as she pondered.
"Kind of, yep!" She confirmed. "Could also use some new angles," she shook her camera for emphasis, "so may I?"
"Hmm, I don't see why not. Ruth and I can go visit Basmu and the little ones and return in the morning." Tiamat replied with a chuckle, smiling as she lifted her open palm up high in front of her.
"Yay! Thanks, Karma-chan!" Serafall hopped past her, a few pink and yellow sparkles bursting into the air as she slapped the dragoness' hand and enthusiastically yelled "Tag out!"
Yuuji, and the majority of almost 100 spirits of the warrior dead all simultaneously muttered "Oh fuck."
Serafall whirled to face him with hands on her hips, sparkles in her eyes and a big grin on her pretty face.
"Magical Girl Levia-tan reporting in for duty!"
Ruth, taking his role as man's best friend as seriously as always, shot a concerned look between Tiamat and Yuuji, before his gaze somewhat warily settled onto the Satan who was energetically bouncing up and down, loosening up with short hops.
{"... Errr… should I?"}
"Nah, it'll be fine." Yuuji shook his head, while Serafall gave the Fey hound an affronted pout.
"I can properly hold back, you know!"
"And more importantly, Sona would never forgive her if she killed off one of her peers, especially one with high grades."
"Right, So-tan would be super duper mad!" Serafall readily agreed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"W-w-wait, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all?" Serafall spluttered nervously, cheeks pale.
Tiamat threw back her head and laughed.
{"Huh, yeah, good point."} Ruth agreed as the Satan began to mutter worriedly to herself. {"Well, I'm not a therapy dog so try not to get traumatized."}
"Aye aye." Yuuji smirked, giving a casual salute.
With a swirl of dark water, Tiamat and Ruth disappeared.
"If it makes it any easier, I'm actually looking forward to this." Yuuji murmured softly to Serafall, who was currently crouched and drawing… something in the dirt with a lot of explosions using her finger.
"Really!?" Serafall burst out with a sparkle, head whipping up to smile happily at him.
"Yep, I've kinda figured out that I like fighting when there's nothing at stake, so it's reassuring to fight someone I couldn't kill even if I wanted to." Yuuji admitted.
"... Huh yeah that does sound kind of nice." Serafall agreed as she stood. "Well, that one's harder for me, but I do like sparring with people who aren't terrified of me!"
"... I feel like you're more ambitious than I am."
"Yep, yep!" Serafall nodded happily. "Hey, what's that supposed to-!?"
"Ready set go."
"W-wha-!" With an excited yelp, Serafall ducked away from the hail of gunfire that would have reduced an ordinary person to fine red mist, and sent a burst of sparkles in giggling retaliation.
… When was the last time she'd gotten to just play around with someone?
Yuuji, meanwhile, was wondering if he might be a reckless person after all.
She had made it clear time and time again that her precious servants didn't really need to knock on her door when they wished to speak with her, even though they did it anyways most of the time because they were polite like that.
"Rias?" Came Akeno's lovely murmur from behind the door, and it was more luck than intention that kept Rias from tumbling off the bathroom stool.
"Ah, you can come in, I'm just doing my hair." As she said that, Rias realized she still had that out.
Luckily though, being naked didn't change the fact her boobs were huge, and so Rias had the vial tucked safely out of sight as the door handle turned, and an appropriate smile on her lips.
"Don't mind if I do." Akeno slipped quietly into the spacious bathroom of Rias' bedroom, naturally moving behind her King and taking the brush from her to take over the pleasant battle that was keeping that river of crimson hair untangled.
"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Rias asked, eyeing her Queen in the mirror and picking up on the little cues, while examining Akeno to ensure she wasn't too worn out from her day of training with Grayfia.
"Yes, but nothing that can't wait until I'm done with your hair." Akeno's reflection smiled warmly back.
"Alright then." Rias relaxed after another moment of careful scrutiny, shuffling in the high stool she was seated on and enjoying being pampered.
Concluding that Akeno currently wasn't too stressed out by whatever it was occupying her thoughts, and that the distraction was serving her well, Rias let her eyes drift lightly shut as Akeno's gentle humming filled the air.
The two women enjoyed their shared moment of tranquility while it lasted, and when it was done, Rias quietly thanked her lovely Queen and ushered her from the bathroom so that she could put things away.
Choosing her moment carefully, Rias transferred the half-empty vial of Phoenix Tears from her cleavage to her magical storage space, safe from prying eyes.
… It just wouldn't do if she worried anyone over something trivial, now would it?
'You can do this Gasper, you have to be strong! Everyone believes in you except you, so don't believe yourself!'
...
'Wait…'
"Deep breaths, Gasper-kun." Came the soft whisper and the reassuring squeeze of a warm hand wrapped around his own, snapping him out of his internal monologue. "I will be with you every step of the way."
Gasper shot a nervous smile up at Grayfia, who smiled back down with a whole lot more calm and confidence.
Taking a long, shaky breath, the little Bishop took one step forward, and out the open door.
The garden made not a sound of protest as it found itself dragged back and forth, and in and out of the flow of time, but the warmth of Grayfia's hand remained unhalted, her kindness not nearly weak enough to be dissuaded by something so trivial as time's march.
Instead she watched with quiet hope as the trembling little blonde began to lift his head.
Slowly, he took one step, and then another and another, his bright pink eyes gazing upwards as he did.
"Hey, Grayfia-san?" Gasper whispered.
"Yes, Gasper-kun?"
"The morning sky is really pretty, isn't it?" The Dhampir breathed out in his quiet voice.
"Indeed it is." There was a tiny, but radiant smile on her lips as she watched the little Dhampir stare up into the open sky.
… She knew exactly how much work it had taken him to get to this point, and so she'd felt incredibly honored when the young boy, discovering she'd be free for the day, asked if she wanted to take a walk in the garden with him.
He'd spent most of the trip from the train station to the Gremory estate carried in a cardboard box by Kalawarner, and had used up all of his courage for that day making the walk through the gates on his own two feet.
Since then, he'd managed to go out into the garden a few times on cloudier days, but never alone. However, this was the first time he'd managed to catch her with the opportunity to do so, and Grayfia couldn't have been happier.
… She didn't mind in the least that his formerly frail grip was now rather strong and tight, or that her senses were hinting that Balor was doing its work.
"Would you like to go back inside, Gasper-kun?"
"... I'm terrified and my legs won't move, but yes please." Gasper said with an unusually frank and level tone of voice.
Grayfia allowed herself a quiet chuckle as she swept the small, shivering body up into her arms.
"Good work for today, Gasper-kun." She whispered quietly as she turned on her heel.
It didn't matter if it was just past breakfast, and the 'day' was still mostly ahead of them.
Gasper had achieved more than enough for one day, by her reckoning, so anything more he did was simply extra credit.
"T-thanks for coming with me, Grayfia-san."
"You are most welcome, Gasper-kun. Thank you for inviting me." He wasn't the only one who had been in need of a hand to hold, but she would keep that to herself.
… Odd that the morning was this chilly, stranger still that Gasper hadn't taken note, but she supposed he'd had other things on his mind.
"You know, the extra shininess really suits you, Irina." Xenovia told her friend.
This had the accidental consequence of the taken aback Irina being sent into an awkward tumble of wings and limbs to avoid flying into the tip of Durandal.
This was due to Xenovia casually making the observation without context or warning, in the middle of the spar.
Xenovia directed a confused look to where her friend was sprawled on the ground with her butt in the air, idly noting that Irina's halo remained hovering parallel to the ground, as if trying not to get dirty.
Irina did things she couldn't quite understand all the time, though, so Xenovia dismissed the incident and trotted over to help Irina to her feet.
"Xen-chan, why are you such a Xen-chan!?" Irina complained as she sat up in the dirt.
Irina was strange, sure, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
"It's probably weird for a Devil to feel blessed, but I'm really glad you're here, Irina." Xenovia smiled warmly at the pouting Angel.
Irina was turning red in the face and wouldn't look her way for some reason as she was helped up, but Xenovia hadn't the foggiest idea why until her friend spoke up in a quiet murmur.
"... Yeah, I'm happy too."
She was so proud of her.
She'd done it.
She'd confronted the power sleeping within, the power inherited from her father.
Akeno had gained the ability to wield her Holy Lightning.
… But she could tell that it wasn't exactly a happy achievement for her lovely Queen; learning to wield her birthright didn't bring her mother back to life, didn't fix the broken bond between Akeno and her father.
For Akeno, it was more bitter than anything else how easy it had been, and it had dragged up all those years of buried resentment and frustration, resentment and frustration that had nowhere to go.
As Akeno sat beside her on the bed in silence, Rias pondered just what she could do, just how she could help Akeno.
… Yuuji could pull it off, she was sure.
Even after Akeno had told her what he'd said a few days prior, of how he didn't feel right helping Akeno with her living parent when he'd lost his own father by killing the man himself, Rias knew that if Akeno needed his help, such things wouldn't factor into his thought processes at all.
Yuuji could help Akeno, Rias was convinced, but that wasn't fair to him, nor to Akeno.
… He had his own struggles that he should be focussing on, and both she and Akeno were fully aware that he'd never focus on helping himself if he could be helping someone else.
She relied on Yuuji too much at times, she felt.
This was her chance to prove, not to him, but to herself that she was his King, was Akeno's King for reasons greater than being in the right place at the right time.
… No one needed the princess in the tower any longer.
"Magical… Punch!"
"No thanks." Yuuji said, side-stepping the sharp right cross and trying not to wince as the wind pressure made his ear pop.
He caught Serafall's arm and flung her, and the laughing Satan twisted gracefully in the air to plant her feet against the tree trunk as she did so.
She came hurtling back towards him at velocities more befitting cannonfire than drop-kicks, and Yuuji flung himself into a long diving roll as dirt and dust flew everywhere, twisting himself into a low crouch to face-
From her perch on Yuuji's shoulder, Serafall tapped him on the top of the head and suggested in a bright voice; "Well that was super fun, but let's stop there for now!'
"... Sure, hop off my shoulder so that I can fall over properly."
Serafall did just that, and Yuuji twisted himself to fall flat on his back with an explosive sigh.
Serafall leaned over him, blocking the sun's rays with her head and staring down at him with a nervous smile.
"I didn't overdo it, did I?" She asked worriedly. "Ria-tan will scold me if she thinks I was bullying you!"
Yuuji gave a contemplative hum, considering her question for several long moments.
Quite suddenly, Yuuji smiled up at the looming Satan, a tired, but genuine smile on his face.
"Nah, that was awesome." He asserted, and Serafall fought the urge to giggle as, despite his expression, his voice remained just as toneless as ever. "Worth every sparkle and year shaved off my lifespan."
"... Your words are one thing, but I think that's the first time I've seen you smile for real."
"That so?"
"Mhm, you've practically made smirking an art form!"
"Huh. Well anyways, I don't want to move, and it's not like I've had time to properly set up a camp with a scaly apocalypse chasing me through the woods, so lend me your lap for a bit."
"Sure!" Serafall agreed with a ready nod, sitting herself beside Yuuji as he lifted his head and shoulders from the ground, and positioning his head on her lap.
"Thanks." Yuuji shuffled slightly as they both settled in more comfortably, folding his hands on top of his stomach and closing his eyes.
"... You know, you asked so naturally that it didn't even cross my mind to think your request over." Serafall replied after a moment with a puzzled expression. "Is this the true power of a natural-born playboy?"
"Ask me again in a few hours." Yuuji said with a yawn.
Serafall giggled, idly noting that Yuuji's hair seemed like the kind of hair that definitely needed a woman's hands fussing with it.
Should she though?
She should, not like she was going anywhere.
"Sleep tight, Yuuji."
A startled cry burst from Akeno's lips as her shield shattered like glass, and the resulting explosion threw her from her feet.
Her back bounced off the padded floor as she was sent end over end, and then again off the wall. She managed to reverse her remaining momentum and came up swinging in a fashion, two fistfuls of lightning hurled into the smoke in the last direction of her opponent.
A muted howl of crimson and ebony, and the smoke and lightning between them simply vanished, swept away by the arc of Destruction that followed Rias' dismissively waving hand.
"Come now, Akeno, there wasn't anything Holy about that lightning." Rias scolded. "When are you going to take this seriously?"
"I don't want to… hurt you." Akeno gasped out, far more ragged and battered compared to her King.
"But you want to hurt someone, and there aren't any better options around." Rias bluntly refuted. "So quit stalling and fight properly."
Not waiting for an answer, Rias tossed an underhanded bolt of Destruction her way, and Akeno's hasty shield cracked down the center.
Rias flung another, and another, casually hammering at the glimmering shield and driving Akeno back against the wall.
Destruction howled with greater ferocity and engulfed the faltering figure of her Queen, and it was only with monumental effort that Rias didn't scream her name, a herculean task not to rush to catch the limp figure that fell from the smoke and collapsed to the ground, shapely form clad in little more than smoke and ash.
Rias took a deep, shuddering breath as she gazed in tense worry at Akeno's limp body, lying still and silent and the ground.
… Silently, she wished with all her heart that Akeno would rise once more, that Akeno wouldn't give up.
She needed to face this, embrace the anger and acknowledge it, or it would cling to her forever.
Rias sucked in a breath as a clenched fist slammed against the ground, and Akeno began to slowly push her head up off the floor.
Her heart sunk as she realized Akeno's hair was unbound, the ribbon in honor of the first thing she herself had gifted her Queen destroyed by her own hand.
… What if that wasn't the only thing between them she'd ruined?
'Get up Akeno, please. Please, please don't give up. Hate me if you have to, but don't-'
Her senses screamed a warning as hallowed gold crackled and danced ferociously across her Queen's bare skin in the form of divine lightning.
And then Akeno lifted her snarling and lovely visage from the floor, and Rias felt her heart skip several beats that had nothing to do with fear of the Holy or fear of Akeno rejecting her.
Rias would forever mark that moment as the moment when the 'Holy Lightning' became 'Akeno's Holy Lightning'.
Each spark of dancing gold was overtaken by a clear, radiant violet, and something new and terrifying became something familiar and nostalgic as the lightning was painted over in the breathtaking hue of Akeno's eyes.
Then, as if to expel all of her fear and rage and frustration all at once, a thunderous, furious scream tore it's way from Akeno's lips.
Then the whole world seemed to color itself in that lovely violet, coloring itself even over top of Rias' awareness to leave only oblivion in its wake.
Rias couldn't quite make sense of what 'it' was, just yet, but whatever 'it' was she rather liked it and didn't want it to stop.
Thankfully her hope didn't go unanswered, and as things beyond blissful warmth began to make sense again, she realized that 'it' was Akeno's mouth, currently forcing something delightfully warm down her throat.
Unfortunately it was not meant to last, and as Rias returned fully to awareness, she found herself being cradled tightly in the arms of her Akeno, who was currently desperately calling out her name.
Well, she rather liked hearing her name spoken in Akeno's voice, actually, she rather liked anything spoken with Akeno's voice, but she didn't like the panicked expression on her Queen's beautiful face, and the tears rolling down those lovely cheeks really should learn when they weren't wanted.
"There, there, Akeno." She crooned consolingly, cupping her cheek with one hand and gently brushing the tears away with her thumb. "It's okay now, see?"
… She wasn't sure precisely what was okay, since she wasn't precisely sure what hadn't been okay, but if what she had just said was untrue, it was fine to just make it true, right?
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Akeno blubbered back, and Rias pursed her lips discontentedly as the tears she'd just finished wiping away were replaced by even more tears.
"I forgive you." That Rias knew for a fact was true, she couldn't stay mad at Akeno, even if she didn't know why she was mad at Akeno, or even if she was mad at Akeno in the first place.
Akeno's watery eyes blinked at her rapidly a few times, and at that point Rias remembered the thing Akeno was probably apologizing for.
She had been struck by lightning.
A lot of lightning, and not just any lightning but-
"See, Akeno?" Rias smiled proudly up at her. "I knew you could do it if you tried."
For a moment, Akeno didn't move at all, and then the tears were back, even wetter and louder than before, as she buried her face against Rias' chest.
Rias squirmed a bit, even as she tenderly embraced her sobbing Queen.
… The squirming was due to the fact that all of those tears were currently seeping into her cleavage, of which Rias had quite a lot of.
… But Rias liked hugging Akeno, so if wet boobs were the price she had to pay for that privilege, then that sounded like a pretty good deal to her.
"Let's get this out of the way; I don't intend to apologize." He stated bluntly. "I'm not unsympathetic, but I did what was necessary. That being said, get it out of your systems now, we still have work to do."
The two women looked at each other, and then back to Azazel.
"We aren't angry." Raynare began.
"But we are owed at least an explanation." Kalawarner continued.
"Yeah, like why it was way worse for Kala than it was for me!" Raynare exclaimed. "I just spent half a day sitting in a dark cave, while Kalawarner had to fistfight a Cadre and cry herself to sleep!"
"... Perhaps a little angry." Kalawarner amended.
"... Alright then." Azazel replied, moments later. "Well it was simple for Raynare because Raynare is simple."
"... Did I just get dissed?"
"What I mean is, in a lot of ways you're not all that different from a normal Angel of Love." Azazel explained. "I mean, sure, Angels of Love aren't really the fighting sort, and they're not nearly as kinky as your average Fallen Angel, but other than that, the pieces are still there, right?"
"... Yeah I guess." Raynare agreed after a moment. A big part of her still valued love and romance and connection and community, but she was also willing to fight and kill things that threatened those, and she also really liked sex and pleasure and all kinds of unmarried fun.
"So the only thing holding you back was admitting and embracing your new outlook fully; namely, what you were willing to do in the name of love and desire." Azazel lectured. "The more selfish and discerning side of Love, you could say."
"... So where do I differ?" Kalawarner asked softly. "The constant battle seems ill-suited to an Angel of Knowledge."
"You're right on that, an Angel of Knowledge advances by fulfilling their purpose, just like an Angel. That remains true to some degree even when we Fall." Azazel admitted. "The difference being that, aside from your ability to absorb, comprehend and pass on knowledge, you're not very much like an Angel of Knowledge at all."
"... What do you mean?" Kalawarner asked, confused but curious.
Azazel held out a hand, and a branch almost as thick as Raynare's wrist flew into his hand. In the same motion, he swung it and broke it over Kalawarner's stomach.
… Despite the audible and visible disruption of air, about the only thing that shook from the impact were her breasts, and Kalawarner merely quirked an eyebrow in response.
"That should have crippled a six wing Angel of Knowledge for life." Azazel declared bluntly.
"... No, I am aware I am… sturdy, for one of my Sphere, but-" Meanwhile, Raynare gave Azazel a little glare, but eventually decided that Kala wasn't hurt so it was fine.
"You grow another pair of wings and, at least in terms of physical strength, you'll probably be the strongest Angel of Knowledge alive." Azazel cut her off.
He thought it was pretty reasonable that it took a moment for that to sink in.
"... You must be joking!" Kalawarner burst out. "What about Lord Shemheza!?"
"He'd already have to work to take you on in an arm wrestle." Azazel claimed, shaking his head. "Angel's of Knowledge typically have the lowest physical ability on average out of any Sphere."
"Am I simply... abnormal for one of my Sphere, then?" Kalawarner asked slowly, flashing Raynare a grateful smile as the smaller girl took one of her hands in a quiet display of reassurance.
Azazel shrugged.
"More like your specs got a little mixed up. Happens with God's System sometimes, when it still manages to create new Angels." He explained. "You're an Angel of Knowledge with the body of a Power-type, you'd have done great as a Guardian Angel."
Azazel smirked then. "On a different but related note, how many schools of magic do you have a handle on?"
Kalawarner flushed in embarrassment, which was really answer enough.
"... I would say I'm at a journeyman level in Numerology and Kabbalah Ritual." Kalawarner reported hesitantly, after a moment. "Norse Runecraft I'd be hesitant to count, as there's little practical application."
"... Little practical application for Runes?" Azazel asked skeptically.
Kalawarner nodded, looking rather ashamed of herself.
"The only Runes that answer easily offer lesser effects to what I can naturally achieve with my Light, and the only augury I've succeeded in was to find Raynare."
"Huh? That's the first time I've heard of that. Why'd you need Runes to find me?" Raynare asked in confusion.
"Venice." Kalawarner replied simply.
"... Oh." The red-faced Raynare answered in a small voice, giving Azazel a guilty look as the Grigori leader quirked an eyebrow in interest.
"A mediocre Angel of Knowledge would usually be at a journeyman level with at least a dozen schools of magic, at a six-wing level." Azazel told them, taking mercy and dragging the conversation back on track. "And both the schools you mentioned are more memorization than anything else, right?"
Kalawarner gave a slow nod.
"On the other hand, how many schools of magic could you teach theory in?"
"... 18…?" Kalawarner shook her head. "17, Maori Ta Moko would be a primer at best." She answered firmly.
"Kinda figured. Magical aptitude is the problem, not intellect." Azazel nodded knowingly. "We teach you some cloning magic, and you could probably raise the GPA of Kuoh Academy by teaching every class on your own."
… It was worth noting that Kalawarner made no effort to deny, though internally, she was grateful there was no Sona present to actually consider the idea.
"So then, what you're suggesting is that it was necessary to focus on combat strength, if I was to gain my wings?"
"That and the same problem Raynare had." Azazel said softly, and this time his smile was gentle, sympathetic.
"It's common practice for a Fallen Angel to embrace their Sin in one form or another." His quiet voice made the two stiffen. "But to grow into your power, you need to at least be able to accept it."
The joined hands of the two women tightened their grips until their knuckles were white and their bones creaking.
He didn't need to tell Kalawarner why he'd needed her angry.
There was nothing unusual at all about rage and Wrath going hand-in-hand.
Silly girl that she was, Akeno had fallen asleep on top of her after crying all over her boobs, but Rias didn't mind all that much, because it was the peaceful sort of sleep that happened when you wore yourself out burning through the nastier kinds of emotions.
… Come to think of it, it had been awhile since any of them had had a breakdown like that.
The original members of her peerage, that was; Akeno, Yuuto, Koneko, and Gasper had all been through similar experiences in the past.
And afterwards, the scars would fade and the weight of the past would lighten, even if only just a little.
This time though, something told Rias that, thankfully, this would help Akeno more than 'just a little'.
Probably for the best, the fact that she couldn't remember being wounded suggested she'd been wounded quite a bit this time.
From what she did remember, though…
Rias desperately muffled a giggle as she stared down at the sleeping figure draped across her.
She couldn't prevent the bed from shaking though, since the bed was her, and Akeno began to stir as a result.
Blinking heavy lashes, Akeno lifted her head from the pair of soft round pillows they were resting on, and blearily met the pair of smiling blue eyes gazing up at her.
Guilt flashed across her lovely violet orbs as her gaze focused itself, but her apology was cut off before it could begin by a slim finger pressing against her lips.
"It's okay, Akeno." Rias smiled. "There's nothing to forgive."
Akeno's eyes widened ever so slightly as she stared back, and after a moment, Rias allowed herself an internal sigh of relief as her Queen's expression softened.
Akeno cupped the hand at her lips with one of her own and lowered it gently.
"Okay..." She whispered back, smiling gently. "Then instead; thank you, Rias."
"You're welcome, Akeno."
Akeno's smile cramped with confusion as Rias gave an innocent, thoughtful hum, and her clear blue eyes twinkled with mischief.
"It's strange though." Rias mused. "I could have sworn that when someone was administering the Phoenix Tears, they did it mouth to mouth."
Her heart leapt in her chest as Akeno's cheeks lit up in an adorable flush.
"Y-you were shaking around too much!"
"So... you administered mouth to mouth to someone having what was essentially a seizure?"
"I just p-panicked, okay!" Akeno blurted back.
"Oh Maou, you're cute when you're awkward." Rias murmured in delight.
The flustered Akeno ducked her furiously blushing face, which was good in it's own way because the only place to hide it was her cleavage, and Akeno's warm cheeks felt wonderful against her skin.
With a quiet giggle, Rias gently embraced the dark-haired beauty, rubbing her back slowly as she did.
Normally she wouldn't tease someone after something like that, but 'embarrassment' was a far lighter emotion than 'guilt', so she'd take what she could get.
Akeno lifted her head from her chest quite abruptly, and slowly got onto all fours, Rias' arms still draped lightly around her.
Expression giving nothing away, she crawled forward a bit until their eyes were level before sitting up, seating herself on her King's stomach, with a cute little wriggle of her bare ass.
As her hands slid down to rest on Akeno's wide hips, Rias had her turn flushing with heat as Akeno's lips curled into a sexy smirk.
"Hmm, come to think of it, I won our little spar, didn't I?" Akeno purred down at her, licking her lips.
"You most certainly did." Rias readily agreed, more than a little interested as to where Akeno was going with that.
"Then, I'm sure you won't mind if I indulge in the cute little prize I've found myself with." Akeno wasn't really asking, but that hardly mattered when Rias had absolutely no intention of denying her.
… It only made sense to reward her cute servant for working so hard, and being that reward sounded delightful.
With a pleased hum, Akeno leaned down, and Rias suppressed a moan at the feeling of the lewd shapes made by their plump tits molding together; quite suddenly aware that while the pain was gone, the tingling wasn't.
Slowly, Akeno gripped her arms, sliding her slim hands up smooth skin until she had taken Rias by the wrists.
Gently but firmly, Rias found her arms pinned to the floor on either side of her head, and then Akeno's pink tongue was slipping daintily from her mouth and tracing Rias' lightly parted lips.
Rias squirmed as that warm, soft tongue withdrew, only to be replaced by even warmer, even softer lips.
The kiss was slow and languid at first, but with each passing second the kiss deepened, and control was wrested further from her grasp.
A breathy sigh drifted through their joined mouths as Akeno tenderly had her way with her pinned King, exploring her mouth and rubbing their naked, supple bodies together.
Akeno was in no hurry, savoring the taste of her beautiful King and the exquisite feeling of bare skin on bare skin.
But, though she had claimed her 'prize', it wasn't herself she was looking to reward, even if she had every intention of enjoying the process.
Breaking the kiss with a wet smack and a silvery trail of saliva linking them, a honeyed giggle spilled from Akeno's lips as she gazed down at Rias' blissful, breathless face.
Those beautiful blues widened slightly in surprise, but Rias didn't resist as she was gently rolled onto her back, and then pulled up into a seated position.
Akeno stretched her lover's long legs out on the floor and then wrapped herself comfortably around Rias, tickling her lovely pale skin with warm breath.
"You know, Rias." She whispered huskily against her ear. "Lightning can do a lot more than hurt."
Her heart sang its joy as Rias stiffened, Akeno knew her well enough to recognize all the signs of anticipation.
Slowly bringing her hand around front, Akeno placed one slim finger inches above Rias' exposed womanhood and began to gently drag it up her stomach.
"Hwaah!?"...The shuddering, blissfully incoherent exclamation the motion prompted was probably from the tiny current of electricity that coursed through Akeno's finger as she did.
"Ara ara, isn't someone sensitive today?" Akeno questioned, her tone the very sound of innocence.
"A-A-Akeno!?" Rias managed to gasp out, as the tingling trail forced its way between her boobs.
"Hmm? What is it, Rias?"
"W-what are you- kya!?" Akeno playfully cut her off by carefully closing her lips around the curve of one ear, and giving Rias another tingling current.
"Hmmm? Are you having trouble speaking, Rias?"
"You're the one using l-l-lightning magic during f-foreplay!"
"How does it feel, Buchou~?"
"I-its! Good! It feels so good!"
"... I'm glad." Akeno whispered happily. "Just lay back and let me make it even better, k?"
"... Who's the one being rewarded, here?" Rias managed.
"Hmmm… both of us." Akeno answered after a moment, her hands finding their way to Rias' bare breasts, almost of their own accord. "You, because of all the wonderful things I'm going to make you feel…"
She pressed against Rias more tightly, and purred against her ear; "And me, because I love to make you squirm."
Rias wasn't granted the luxury of a coherent answer; the stiff tips of her nipples were captured and rolled between thin, nimble fingers, and then that blissful current was coursing through them.
Akeno giggled joyfully as her gasping King writhed against her, pressing her bountiful breasts more firmly against her hands.
Happily she obliged, pillowy flesh overflowing in her hands as she cupped those delightful tits in them, kneading and teasing and sending pleasurable little electric jolts from her fingertips at random.
Akeno hefted Rias' boobs and let them fall bouncing back into place as the redhead moaned open-mouthed, when she brought a hand up to that slack mouth and slipped a pair of fingers in, it was her turn to shiver as Rias began to obligingly suck on the slender digits.
Her other hand extended two fingers as well; tracing a shivering electric trail up her King's silky skin, from just above her clit all the way to the soft indent where her ribs met, withdrawing her hand before repeating the trail over and over.
A flash of insight struck as Akeno was thinking to herself that she'd love to see the kind of faces Rias was making right now; teasingly running them across her tongue as she did, Akeno withdrew her fingers from her mouth and extended them before her.
Rias stiffened against her, even as Akeno continued stroking her; a large, clear mirror of ice had sprung into being, some distance before the entangled lovers, exposing them in all their salacious glory.
Akeno's delighted giggles filled the air as the gasping Rias flushed and squirmed; she'd been a little worried that Rias might not enjoy the exposure as much as she would, but those worries vanished in an instant with the way Rias gazed in wonder at the mirror.
Worries assuaged; Akeno took in the lovely, slovenly sight of the heart-stopping beauty that was limp and breathless in her embrace.
Rias' skin was glistening erotically with a thin sheen of sweat, her heaving breasts emphasized by the slim arm hugging her body from behind and forcing them up ever so slightly, and a thin line of drool tracing enticingly from her pink, parted lips.
Rias, on the other hand, had eyes only for the beautiful reflection of the violet-eyed seductress that was peering into the mirror from over her shoulder with a small, almost reverent smile on her lips.
And then those lips curled into another sultry, playful wicked smirk, and Rias held her breath as that sinful voice whispered hotly against her ear, in time with the slender finger traced her nether lips.
"Ara, ara… it seems these aren't the only lips of yours that are drooling for me…" Akeno cooed seductively. "Do I excite you that much, my lovely Rias?"
"Hah… hah… of course you do, my darling Akeno."
"... You have no idea how happy that makes me." Akeno whispered. "Well, actually you might, you're certainly not the only woman who's incredibly wet right now."
Rias shared a tender smile with the reflection in the ice.
Akeno slowly cupped her cheek with one hand, and slid her other lower, and lower, along Rias' supple, shivering form.
Her vision turned white for a blissful second as Akeno's finger slipped inside her as far as it would go.
Akeno's voice was little more than a whisper, but it didn't matter at all when Rias could feel every syllable as it rolled off her tongue.
"Now that I've got you all wound up," she began, each word painfully, achingly slow, "let me see what kind of expression you make when you come undone."
It was artful in the way that invading digit sent lightning clad bliss rampaging against her needy folds, without the slightest pain or discomfort; it was simply erotic the way her walls clenched greedily around that slim finger as ecstasy shook her awareness to pieces.
Rias convulsed wildly in her arms as hot, womanly fluid drenched her hand, head thrown back as euphoric cries filled echoed obscenely through the room.
Even as she deftly teased out and extended the orgasm of the naked beauty in her arms, Akeno found herself on her back as her King's orgasmic shudders unbalanced her; gritting her teeth as Rias gyrating against her pushed her closer to the edge than she thought possible.
Rias slumped, draped breathlessly across her as Akeno withdrew the finger from her shopping wet core, and they both laid there in a limp, satisfied heap as she grinned proudly up at the ceiling.
It might have been minutes, it might have been blissful hours, but nonetheless it still caught her by surprise as Rias lifted herself, only to flip herself over and lie atop her breast to breast.
Rias ducked her head for an eager, passionate kiss, and her sweet breath washed across Akeno's lips as she murmured down at her with eyes bright.
"That was… that was lovely, Akeno."
"Mm… glad you approve." Akeno smiled back. "Fun as it was to play with your body, I also wanted to show how grateful I was."
That quiet little voice within Rias that denied her achievement was, to her in-no-way-unwelcome surprise, silenced by the surge of pride Akeno's smile brought welling up within her.
"You're very welcome, Akeno." Rias murmured fondly. "Now," Rias pressed down against her, bringing her lips to Akeno's ear even as she untangled their hips.
Akeno arched her back with a startled moan as quiet suddenly, it was her inner walls being invaded by slim fingers.
Rias chuckled and whispered hotly "my turn."
In moments, it was the blissful wails and screams of a different voice that echoed off the battered walls of the magic-scarred training hall.
Yuuji woke up in the middle of a much-abused forest as the dawn light warmed his skin.
Nothing else about the situation was particularly out of the ordinary, except for the fact that he was currently lying beneath the pink covers and pink canopy of a four poster bed.
After a moment's thought, he concluded that the bed probably wasn't all that strange, since he'd gone to sleep with his head on a Magical Girl's lap.
Speaking of Magical Girls, that explained the cute little snores that were currently tickling his chest.
Casually glancing towards the source of the sound, Yuuji concluded that Serafall looked pretty good with her hair down.
Curiosity satisfied, Yuuji settled in against the pink pillows and stared up at the canopy.
A few moments later, the snoring cut out as Serafall began to stir, slowly lifting her head from his chest with a long, easy yawn.
"Morning, Yuuji-chan." She smiled sleepily.
"Morning."
Serafall sat up with a rustle of blankets, stretching above her head and straining against the fabric of her baby-blue nightie.
"Huh, they're bigger than I thought." Yuuji observed idly.
"I get that a lot." Serafall yawned as she dropped her hands and peered speculatively down her neckline.
Yuuji sat up as well, pushing off the covers and finding himself wearing just a pair of dark grey sweatpants.
"Dressed you." Serafall told him, casually. "Didn't think you'd mind, dusty beds are no good."
"Nah, thanks for that. Sleeping in the clothes you fight in sucks."
"That's because you're not a Magical Girl yet, Yuuji-chan." Serafall declared confidently.
"Or ever."
"That too." Serafall readily agreed. "Anyways Yuuji-chan, has anyone told you your chest is super comfy?"
"It's been brought up once or twice."
Serafall gave a knowing nod, crossing her arms beneath her bust as she did.
"Anyways, Yuuji-chan, let's grab breakfast before we pop over to visit Zechs-chan." Serafall suggested. "Karma-chan and Grim-chan are gonna do some one-on-one training; nothing for Grim-chan to do during this part anyways."
"Understood." Yuuji turned his attention inwards with that, thinking he may as well give the Arsenal spirits, what did they call themselves again…?
Echoes. That was it, the ones who could still remember enough to 'retain a sense of self' as they put it, called themselves Echoes.
'Morning.'
|"Oh hey, morning, kid."| Juno's friendly, casual greeting returned.
|"Good morning, Yuuji, did you rest well?"| Chimed in Lamb, her quiet tone warm and soft.
'Yeah, apparently Magical Girls have the power to make beds appear out of thin air.'
|"... Magical Girls?"|
|"Hey, don't look at me, I'm not that modern."|
Yuuji chuckled and decided to leave them to it.
He liked both Lamb and Juno, and they seemed to get along with each other as well, so talking to them was easy.
It didn't hurt that Juno's usual tone made it seem like the very act of talking to you was enough to make him smile, or that Lamb, as best as Yuuji could describe it, sounded like the cozy sort of hug.
"... Are you talking to your Sacred Gear?" Serafall suddenly asked, leaning in towards him.
"I guess so, huh?"
"You seem happy, so I bet if you turned into a ghost you'd have a really easy time making friends." Serafall chirped. "But don't turn into a ghost because that would make people sad."
"... Noted."
"Anyways, get dressed!" Serafall snapped her fingers, and a fresh Kuoh Academy uniform, complete with underwear, socks and loafers, appeared on the bed.
As he got dressed, he turned his head to Serafall, looked her up and down and said; "I've never seen a Magical Girl transformation in person, so I hope you put your best sparkle forward."
Serafall laughed at that, and made sure to put in an extra sparkle and twirl when she answered his request.
Yuuji-chan made for a pretty good audience member, she decided.
"I'll be honest, while tasteful, the minimalist decor is a little disappointing when I take into account the fact that this is Lucifer's office."
Sirzechs Lucifer blinked slowly, and met the gaze of Serafall Leviathan.
She blinked slowly back, and, moving as one, they turned their heads to the person who had chosen those to be his first words after being personally escorted to the office of Lucifer himself by none other than Leviathan herself.
This person was of course one Kazami Yuuji.
Slowly, Serafall and Sirzechs turned their gazes away from the faintly disappointed expression of the dark-eyed teen, and back to each other.
And then, in perfect harmony once more, they burst out laughing.
Yuuji turned his confused gaze to them, wondering what was so funny.
After she'd gotten the last of the giggling out of her system, Serafall recast her teleportation and left the two men alone after a cheerful goodbye.
Smiling as he moved out from behind his desk, Sirzechs took the couch across from Yuuji.
"I suppose you're wondering why I called you here?"
"That too." Yuuji agreed.
"... If I may, what else is on your mind?" Sirzechs asked, settling in more comfortably.
"There's less decorations here, but the lay-out of the ORC club room is identical to your office." Yuuji observed.
"Rias always insists it was a coincidence," Sirzechs chuckled, "but she hasn't managed to convince anyone yet."
"Buchou is cute like that." Yuuji nodded.
"Pleasant though it may be, I haven't just brought you here to discuss the many good points of my younger sister."
Yuuji remained silent, noting the shift into a more serious tone.
"The primary issue for today will be Mistilteinn." Sirzechs informed him. "I'll have you confirm my suspicions, but I may very well be the only individual in the Underworld you can safely wield it against."
Yuuji lifted an eyebrow slightly at that.
"Firstly, the reason I can justify aiding you in this matter without displaying favoritism; you will not be allowed to use Mistilteinn during Rating Games." Sirzechs said. "We've received reports of a recent sighting of Vali Lucifer, and have it on good authority that the wounds inflicted by you have yet to heal. Thus, there are suspicions that the usual safety procedures may not be enough to deal with the weapon, and no way to test that theory that won't run the risk of ending in tragedy."
"Understood." Yuuji nodded.
Sirzechs blinked, somewhat surprised at the immediate acceptance.
Well, Yuuji was a soldier, after all.
"Your King has, of course, already been informed." Lucifer declared formally. "The second reason is this."
Sirzechs extended his left arm out to the side, and presented his palm facing Yuuji.
A dimly glowing, densely-patterned shielding circle appeared over it.
… On the back of his hand.
"Fire Mistilteinn." He ordered softly.
There was a blaze of verdant, savage green, and sharp crack of a single gunshot echoed through the room.
Sirzechs blinked slowly and said; "not even a moment's hesitation? I can't say I'm all that surprised, to be honest."
"You did give the order." Yuuji said, lowering the smoking handgun in his grasp.
"That I did." Srizechs let his eyes drift over to the palm Yuuji had shot; uninjured and unblemished, and sighed. "If I'm being honest, I was hoping that would hurt. Strange, is it not?"
"No, not really." Yuuji disagreed, to his surprise.
"... And what makes you say that?" Sirzechs asked softly, staring at Yuuji in intent curiosity.
"Being different all the time sounds tiring."
Sirzechs chuckled knowingly, just a hint of bitterness in his smile.
"Indeed it does. As you can see, Mistilteinn won't have a particular effect on me, and thus, I am most suited for you to train using it against. We've decided it is something that will be necessary, if you must challenge the White Dragon, or similar opposition of the treaty." He stated. "Now, I find myself curious. Do you have theories as to why Mistelteinn might not affect me, when even the Scale Mail could not resist it?"
Looking out the window towards empty skies, Yuuji gave a thoughtful hum. Well, he'd already been discussing it mentally with Lamb and Juno, and they seemed to agree, shocked though they were at the sight.
"Mistilteinn takes on the property of the weapon used as a medium." Yuuji reported. "Bullets aren't much good if the target isn't a solid object."
Sirzechs didn't answer, but the interest in his eyes was clear as Yuuji continued on.
"It was Buchou's mother that told me that when a Devil's Bloodline Power is truly mastered, it takes on a form unique to that Devil, if their affinity is high enough."
Yuuji's eyes met Sirzechs'.
"The 'unique form' of your Power of Destruction. It's you, isn't it?"
Sirzechs smiled, and ran a finger over the buttons of his vest and shirt.
As the buttons undid themselves, they revealed a magical seal tattooed across the entirety of his chest, labyrinthine in its construction.
"Does any of this look familiar, Yuuji?"
Yuuji's eyes ran over the seal for a moment before he lifted his metal hand, displaying the seal engraved on the back.
"It's like the illusion that makes my arm look flesh-and-blood," he began, "but with a lot of extra I don't recognize."
Sirzechs gave an approving nod. "Indeed, the basis is the same, though my glamer is more advanced. The rest of it as a fortress-class shielding spell… directed inwards." He explained. "You were correct, of course; my Bloodline Mastery is the 'Aspect of Annihilation'; I physically embody the Power of Destruction. My control is high by necessity, but the shield protects everything from the couch I'm sitting on to the air I'm pretending to breath from any lapses in concentration."
"You're being awfully frank about this." Came the monotone observation.
"Speaking as Lucifer; just like my fellow Satans, I mastered my Bloodline during the civil war. My Aspect is well-documented, it's only the seal that I've shown you that could be considered 'insider information', and not particularly sensitive information at that." Sirzechs said as he redid his buttons. "Speaking as Sirzechs, this is my way of acting like a proper Gremory."
"How so?"
"'Peerage members being family' isn't something limited to our own individual peerages, the same feeling extends to the peerages of our families." He explained. "Rias had quite the happy childhood, surrounded by siblings like that. So I suppose that feeling is one part of my motivation. The other is that I know a kindred spirit when I see one."
Yuuji had expected the first part, but the second was a bit more of a…
No, no it wasn't.
He was pretty confident he knew exactly what Sirzechs was about to say.
"After all, I'm not the only member of the Gremory household who had to relearn his emotions from scratch, am I?" Sirzechs asked softly, his blue eyes kind and understanding. "For me, it was during the war; Ajuka theorizes that when the Power of Destruction overtook my body, it did away with a few unessentials. I won't pry into your own circumstances, but I did want you to know that it will get easier with time."
"... Thanks."
"Though, I suppose I am just the tiniest bit envious." Sirzechs smiled easily. "You're quite the lady-killer, and while I can play that game as well, the reason I don't is because a game is all I can make it. It took the birth of Rias for 'familial love' to make sense, the romantic kind still eludes me. Perhaps it's due to growing up during a civil war; I didn't have a chance to try my hand at that before it was too late."
"Yeah, that one's still a lot of work." Yuuji admitted. "Helps that I used up most of my luck meeting good women."
"Indeed, and speaking of which;" Sirzechs smile took on a more mischievous air. "It seems you've been doing well for yourself with your time at the mansion; our feline houseguest seems rather smitten, and my Queen displays quite the fascinating little smile when she thinks no one is watching."
"It's a mansion though; the maids are always watching." Yuuji pointed out in confusion.
"And gossiping?"
"And gossiping." Yuuji agreed. "I'm not stepping on any toes there, am I?"
"Oh no no, quite the opposite, Fia is like the older sister I never had." Sirzechs was quick to assure. "Rather, I'm quite pleased that Fia has such things distracting her from keeping me on task, and I hope the distraction grows more prevalent in time."
Yuuji gave him a speculative look.
"... So it's like that, huh?"
"Indeed it is, Yuuji."
It was obvious that Sirzechs cared deeply for Grayfia, and Yuuji was confident that the reverse was true.
But if Grayfia wished for someone to love her the way a man loved a woman, then she would have to look elsewhere, because Sirzechs, by his own admission, could never give her what she wanted.
Yuuji and Sirzechs both lived as proof that emotion was a skill.
… Not every skill could be mastered.
"Ah, actually, please don't let Fia find out about the 'older' sister part, I'm actually the elder there."
… Sirzechs had never truly rediscovered fear, at least not fear on his own behalf.
But he would have to admit, there was something about Yuuji's smirk that was rather worrying.
"I've come seeking your permission; I wish to mate with your lover."
Oh dear, it seemed the heat was getting to her… and she'd slept so well with Rias last night.
… No, no, her skin hadn't even finished being warmed by the bathroom air, let alone touched water of any kind yet.
Thus, Akeno was forced to conclude that the Dragon King… er, Queen who was sitting there with her boobs floating atop the bathwater really was real, and really had just politely requested to have sex with her boyfriend.
Well, she'd never received a polite request from a dragon, so since things were already weird...
"Very well, if you wish to speak about that let me rinse off so that I can sit in the tub with you."
"Acceptable." Tiamat nodded.
Akeno calmly not-calmly sat down on the little bathroom stool and began to rinse herself off, but when she finished dumping the washbucket over her head and reached for the scrubbie, she found it had misplaced itself.
"Allow me."
"Please."
Politeness seemed like proper refuge, something she could hide behind instead of processing the fact that Tiamat herself was currently washing her back.
She just knew this was Yuuji's fault, somehow…
Oh wait, it absolutely was his fault.
Tiamat was gentle enough that you'd never know her true form was actually as tall as the Gremory mansion, in unrelated news, when she'd moved on to Akeno's hair, she'd certainly proved she was good with her hands.
… Yuuji would like that, wouldn't he?
The dragoness didn't breathe another word of him, coincidentally, simply following Akeno into the bath and patiently taking a seat across from her.
… This was about the point when the veil of normalcy failed her, and it occurred to her that the Chaos Karma Dragon was currently sharing a bathtub with her.
Then that thought was brushed aside as inconsequential, because that Chaos Karma Dragon was also a woman interested in her man.
Akeno liked to think she had her priorities straight.
"So why is it you wish to… 'mate' with Yuuji?" She began.
"Strong offspring?" Tiamat suggested, as if she didn't understand why Akeno had asked her that.
"Oh, I see!" Akeno smiled brightly. "Then it's completely out of the question."
"... Pardon?"
Akeno bulled on before she could finish processing that she was alone with an Ultimate-class dragoness whose wishes she had bluntly denied.
"Children themselves aren't an issue, eventually, when, or if, Yuuji is ready for children and you're willing to wait your turn." Akeno explained. "But if that's the only thing you want from Yuuji then there's no way I'll accept that."
"And why is that?" Tiamat asked slowly, her voice calmly, almost coldly neutral.
"Because Yuuji deserves better." Akeno immediately and resolutely replied.
The dragon's answer was silence.
Unblinking pink orbs stared deeply into violet eyes, which stared back without falter.
Okay, so she was in over her head, but that didn't mean she was going to back down.
Just like she'd told Tiamat, Yuuji deserved better, and if she had to stake her life to ensure that, Akeno would think it a cheap price indeed.
It seemed it was going to be a trend of being just a little slow to process any ongoing developments, though, as Akeno found herself unprepared to be confronted by warmly glowing pink eyes and an approving smile on lips she'd just noticed were rather pretty.
"So that is why he loves you so dearly." Tiamat said, absolute, total certainty clear in her tone.
"Pardon my deception, Daughter of Lightning; the crude nature of the request was to satisfy my curiosity towards you, rather than the appeal I wished to make in regards to Yuuji." The dragoness' hands slipped from the water as she shrugged, her breasts bobbing and swaying slightly atop the waves that motion created.
"So then, how much of it was true?" Akeno asked with a soft frown.
This only seemed to please the dragoness further, her smile widening as she readily replied.
"All of it. I do wish to mate with your lover, and I do wish for strong children to result from the union." Tiamat but a hand to her cheek and leaned into it. "I would prefer to try my hand once more at the courtship rituals you smaller races engage in, rather than of my own kind, that's all. Less stepping over the corpses of rivals, that way."
"So you… want a chance to try… dating Yuuji?" Akeno wasn't sure if she should be particularly happy about being right, at least not in regards to how little sense the world made.
"Indeed, I believe that is the current era's term for the process." Tiamat agreed. "Time is something I have in excess, it isn't as if I'm in a hurry. What is a decade or ten to one such as I?"
Akeno blinked, slowly.
This was really happening.
The Chaos Karma Dragon herself wanted to date her boyfriend.
Did that mean Tiamat was on the list? Wait, how did Yuuji feel about this? Wait, how did she herself feel about this?
'No, more importantly, she hasn't really answered your question. Xenovia didn't know any better when she seized on the idea of 'succeeding as a woman', but Tiamat doesn't have that excuse… or does she? She's a dragon, for Satan's sake, who knows how her thought process works!?'
"Then I'll ask you again." Akeno began slowly. "Why the interest in Yuuji specifically?"
"Hmm, well, aside from how charming and courageous he is," of course a dragoness would have good eyes, Akeno found herself thinking, "and how well he gets along with dear Ruth, I would say it is the strangeness of the young man that catches my eye the most."
She wanted to deny Yuuji being strange.
Really, she did.
Really.
"Strange in what way?" Is what came out instead.
"I believe if he was forced to summarize the events of the past week, 'dragons are bullshit' would be the obvious choice." Tiamat grinned. "He certainly muttered it under his breath often enough."
… Why was she not surprised, and why did Tiamat sound so smug about that?
"But even still, that strange boy looks at me in a way I can scarcely remember."
… Okay, she definitely understood that smile, and it was only natural her own would appear in response.
"And what way is that?" Akeno prompted, more than a little eagerly.
"As a woman." Tiamat whispered.
… Note to self, make the list water-proof so she could add to it in the bath.
"Oh, I'm certainly used to being seen as a female, and a desirable one at that." The dragoness scoffed. "It's almost tiresomely common to have one interested in my gender to view at least one of my forms as highly attractive."
… But only that, right?
Akeno knew exactly what the dragoness was talking about, even if she only had to deal with it for a fraction of the time.
"That isn't to say he doesn't find my more… fleshly form desirable, I've certainly noticed his interest, just as I've noticed yours." Tiamat smirked as Akeno flushed awkwardly.
"And it is flattering, in its own way, perhaps more so due to the fact that that is not all he sees." Tiamat continued on, leaving Akeno to fidget. "Why, beyond when we fought, I don't believe my status as a dragon, and a Dragon Queen no less, even factors into how he approaches dealings with me. You must understand, when you have lived as long as I, having someone look at you in a refreshing manner is captivating enough on its own."
… It wasn't all that different, was it?
Yuuji hadn't idolized her, but he'd respected her.
He hadn't seen her as just a pretty face, though he'd certainly noticed how pretty she was.
… He'd seen her scars, but hadn't thought her broken.
Everything he'd seen of her was Akeno.
No more, and no less.
… She decided not to ask about why Tiamat was so insistent on having strong children.
Because she could guess; there were more than enough people in the supernatural world who would view the children of one of the most powerful Dragons alive as a grave threat… or a stepping stone.
To glory, to greater power, it could be either of those reasons, or neither of them.
Akeno didn't care much as to what the reasons were, she just doubted she'd ever want to hear how many children Tiamat had lost through the centuries over such useless things.
She shouldn't get her hopes up.
It was the last day, but that didn't mean he would be back on it, especially not this early.
… And then he walked around the corner like it was the most natural thing in the world, and her heart flip-flopped and her smile tried to stretch itself past her cheeks when those lovely dark eyes met hers and brightened.
Then she was airborne as her legs did their proper duty of flinging her into his arms, and her lips did their proper duty of reacquainting themselves with his.
Eventually, she was forced into a brief interlude as she ran out of air, but that didn't last long when the first thing he did, upon her breaking the kiss, was smile, really smile at her and whisper;
"Yeah, I missed you too, Akeno."
Seems like a good place to end off, I need to start bringing cast members back together before I can get into the next stuff I want to deal with, so let's not drag things on too much.
We've finally discovered the secret identity of Magical Cyborg Midnight Iron (did I get the order of events right?), and had a little bit of the Serafall fanservice we all needed.
Kalawarner was basically born into a group of Angels that were archetypal Bishops, but she ended up with the stat-spread of a Rook.
A scary smart Rook.
Raynare would be a Knight by the way, though swords aren't really her thing.
Mama Rias shows off some tough love and definitely isn't working too hard behind the scenes, and we had our second unplanned yuri scene this arc.
Good times all around.
And yeah, Sirzechs and Yuuji are actually pretty damn similar… and though it's not in a good way, Sirzechs is an example of someone farther along the path of figuring out how to be a person, so there's some hopefulness there.