The holidays are on almost here, and however you celebrate, I hope you all are able to find a safe method to do so.
"Listen, Brother, while I do take some measure of pride in my own intellect, I do believe I'll need you to deliberate beyond the word 'dibs'." Michael suggested as he traversed the walkways, the cheerfully grinning Uriel drifting through the air in playful circles around him.
Riding the breeze and giving little more than the occasional, lackadaisical beat of his smoky white wings, Uriel rolled over onto his back, resting his head on his arms as he hummed thoughtfully.
"Our newest little dove… Shidou Irina, I believe?" He began. "We may have overreacted, it wasn't like she was in any real danger of Falling, just from feeling a little Wrathful."
"Her wings were Flickering." Michael gravely reminded. "And while I do agree there may have been better methods available, I simply chose the one with the surest chance or success."
Uriel waved a hand dismissively.
"No no, I don't think you did anything wrong, Brother. It could have all been avoided if I had been there when she was Reincarnated."
"There is no sense in assigning guilt." Michael said with a shake of his head. "Among us Seraphs, your duties have always carried you the farthest from Heaven."
"Fair enough, Brother. Regardless, the point is that I know how to deal with a little Flicker from Wrath, better than anyone in Heaven. After all, my wings Flicker all the time."
The stench of burning flesh assaulted the senses.
Those who fear the fires of Hell live and die in ignorance.
For what truly burns beyond the light of Redemption are the flames of Retribution.
Fueled by the ashes of the wicked, and stoked to ever greater heights by the Angel of Fury.
The Wrath of Heaven vanished like ash upon the wind as the still smiling Uriel rustled his wings- wings that had been flickering between shades of white and grey, before settling upon their usual smoky white as if nothing had happened.
"See?"
"... Please don't ever do that again."
Noticing Michael's expression, Uriel winced a little, saying "forgive me, perhaps I went a little too far. But don't you see, Brother? Irina's Flicker was just a warning, a reminder to keep her on the righteous path. I can give her more than a warning, I can teach her control. There is no better teacher in all of Heaven, not, at least, on the subject of Wrath."
Michael didn't question his brother's words, not even for a moment. If anyone was an expert on Wrath, it was the Flame of God himself. So instead, Michael's stern green eyes locked upon Uriel's deep dark red.
"Then do so." He commanded. "Teach our youngest Angel what she needs in order to master her Wrath, lest it master her."
With a jaunty mid air flip, Uriel landed upon one knee, hand across his heart as he bowed to the Leader of Heaven.
"But of course, dear Brother." Then the dutiful air vanished in an instant behind a jester's grin as Uriel's head rose. "I bet if you tell Irina that she's received the blessing of two Seraphim rather than one, she'll be over the moon instead of worried that she disappointed you somehow. You know how the believers get."
Michael blinked slowly and gave a long, weary sigh.
"Why is it that you make it sound like me doing all the explaining is a foregone conclusion?"
"But of course, it is you who is the wise leader among us siblings, dear Drother. Inspiring and commanding the faithful is your most sacred of duties, oh Michael." Uriel airly declared, spreading his arms wide as he rose to his feet.
"... And remind me what your 'most sacred of duties' are, oh brother mine?" Michael asked with a good-natured roll of his eyes.
Uriel tapped a finger to his chin in contemplation, before snapping his fingers and declaring proudly;
"Telling off-color jokes and lighting the wicked on fire."
Irina woke up to a laundry list of things she in no way approved of.
Firstly, her head hurt. Secondly, her scar hurt.
And thirdly and most importantly, Xen-chan was crying!
She'd woken up, yawned and groaned, and that had woken up Xenovia, who had been dozing with her head on the bed.
Actually, why was she in bed in the first place?
Nope, not important, Xen-chan was sad!
She'd thrown her arms around her the second their eyes met, and Irina could tell her shirt was getting wet!
Hey that rhymed-
No, focus, translated into Xen-chan terms she was basically bawling her eyes out, situation critical!
… On an unrelated note, Xenovia was hugging her maybe just a liiiittle too tight, but Irina wasn't going to hold it against her.
Instead, she carefully draped one arm around her crying best friend, and used the hand of the other to apply gentle patting to the top of Xen-chan's head, where it was pressed against her stomach.
Her empty stomach, she was kind of hungry right now.
She hoped Xenovia had remembered to eat.
"There, there Xen-chan, I'm okay, see? Sorry for worrying you." She whispered calmly, privately wracking her brains to figure out why she hadn't been okay, and what she'd done to worry Xenovia in the first place.
There must have been something, Xenovia wouldn't cry for herself since she was cute like that.
Well, speaking of cute things, cuddling always made Xenovia feel better even if she'd never ever admit it (further evidence of her cuteness), so Irina supposed it would be fine to just stay like they were for now.
Aside from herself and Sister Griselda, no one knew that Xenovia's all-or-nothing approach extended to just about everything in her life.
Even her emotions; when something bad happened she'd either stoically shrug it off with little change in expression… or it would crush her.
Honestly it was the thing about Xenovia that worried her the most, but it was okay because she was here.
She'd messed up big, once, taken her eyes off her best friend for a moment and boom Devil-Xenovia!
She wasn't going to mess up again.
Anyways, once Xen-chan was feeling better, she should probably get around to figuring out what exactly had happened to her.
Like how she'd all but forgotten him… the pain and the light and…
Something impossible.
She couldn't have possibly heard Issei's voice, back in the mansion.
That had been no place for miracles.
Several hours later, a quietly yawning Xenovia slipped out of the infirmary to find Rias, Asia, Kalawarner and Raynare all waiting in the hall. Rias rose first, blue eyes searching as she gently clasped Xenovia's hands in her own.
"How is she?" Rias softly inquired.
"She's doing fine now." Xenovia murmured back, tone just a little louder so that the others could hear. "With Asia around there wasn't much to worry about," she flashed the blonde a grateful smile, "but mostly Irina is just worn out. Didn't sleep very well at first, even with what the nurse gave her, but now she's feeling much better."
Rias gave a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing minutely.
"Okay then, that's good news," Rias sighed with relief. "Now, how are you?"
Xenovia winced and went still, staring down at their joined hands.
"I'm... I don't know yet. Better than before, at least."
"Is that so? Well, if you need to talk I'll always make time, okay?" Rias easily withdrew, deciding that pressing the issue would be of little help.
"Yeah, thanks-"
Movement caught Xenovia's eye as near silent, casually measured steps brought Yuuji around the corner.
Xenovia's expression fell for a moment as her gaze met his, and then she turned to Rias and gave a rueful smile.
Rias gave her hands a reassuring squeeze as Xenovia slipped from her grasp and turned to Yuuji.
"I want to apologize. I was wrong." Xenovia told the dark-eyed young man.
"Apology accepted." Rias wasn't the only one to smile as Xenovia visibly relaxed in response to Yuuji's calm reply.
"And thank you." Xenovia continued.
"You're welcome." Yuuji replied, just as readily.
"I'm going to go take a bath and get changed." Xenovia said, turning back to the others. "Could someone let me know if Irina asks for me?"
"Of course." Rias easily replied. "Take your time." Irina had been asleep almost an entire day; having refused to leave her side until she awoke, Xenovia was still in the same skin tight leotard she wore as her combat outfit.
"Oh good, we were just about to hit the baths too." Raynare cheerfully mentioned. "Mind a little company?" She rose from her seat as Kalawarner pushed herself from the wall with a composed smile, while Asia remained seated but shot the blue-haired Knight a hopeful look.
"... Please." Xenovia murmured back.
With a cheerful wink, Raynare twirled and offered a hand to Asia- grinning as she helped the little Bishop to her feet, and blatantly steered her towards Xenovia.
With a shy smile, Asia offered her hand, which Xenovia gently took in her own.
As the quartet left, Yuuji turned a curious glance towards Rias.
"I wonder what Xenovia was apologizing for?" He mused, looking at Rias expectantly.
Raynare's giggle drifted faintly around the corner as Rias sighed into her hand.
He'd expected the situation, but he also didn't have a good answer for what he was supposed to do when it came up.
"Yuuji-kun was super sneaky, you know." Irina was telling Rias as they sat by the bedside. "I didn't even realize he was behind me and then boom, night night!"
"Yuuji is very good at sneaking up on people, sometimes I imagine that the Evil Pieces I gave him were ninjas instead of pawns." Rias nodded sagely.
"Oh uhh… not that I'm complaining or anything!" Irina suddenly blurted out, shooting him a guilty look. "You really saved me, Yuuji-kun. Sorry you had to… no, what I mean is, thanks." She offered with a small smile.
"No problem." Yuuji shrugged. While maybe someone could have magicked up a gentler solution than Arsenal-spawned chloroform, they hadn't really had the luxury to wait and see. "I'll try to be gentler the next time." He added on anyways.
"... I hope there isn't a next time." Irina said after a moment. "Besides, all I ended up with was a little headache, it hurt way more when you shot me with those rubber bullets."
"When you put it like that I kind of sound like a bully."
Rias and Irina both stared flatly at him, which Yuuji thought was more than a little unreasonable.
It wasn't as if he bullied everyone, just the people he liked, or thought were attractive, or was irritated with for one reason or another.
"... Huh, I guess I am kind of a bully."
With the ghost of a smirk on her lips, Rias patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him for learning something new.
"Thanks for volunteering, Buchou." Yuuji retorted mildly.
"... Yuuji-san, Yuuji-san, pardon me, but I don't recall volunteering for anything?" Rias hesitantly replied, nervous for reasons she couldn't quite explain.
"... Anyways, Irina." Yuuji began, blatantly changing the subject and leaving Rias to fret. "You might as well ask."
Irina stiffened guiltily, before sagging with a long, slow sigh as the playful atmosphere in the room bled away.
"I'm that easy to read, huh?" She murmured with a rueful smile.
"I think anyone would be curious, given the situation."
"Okay then…" Irina took another deep breath, smiling gratefully as Rias gently took her hand. "I remember… you called me Rin, Yuuji-kun." Irina said slowly. "You did, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Why?" There was a whole litany of questions in that single word, but in the end she only settled upon one. "... Only … only Issei calls me that."
"... Issei, huh?" Yuuji repeated.
… Issei?
Is...sei?
He couldn't hear anything.
A flurry of movement as a… redhead? Reached out to him… no good, Rin was worried - "uuji!?" why was Rin worried his head hurt-
The redheaded big sis was really nice, wasn't she? Hugging him like that made everything a little less scary and confusing.
Yeah, this was part of the reason he loved Rias so much… oops, said that out loud, didn't he?
Yuuji also liked making Rias blush, so everybody won… oh.
… That's right… he was Yuuji… he belonged to her, and she belonged to him.
'Yuuji' fell back into place as the deafening silence finally began to register.
The silence was… the Arsenal holding its breath.
… What were the odds? … How long had they waited?
It was a simple, everyday sort of coincidence. An ordinary bit of good fortune.
It wasn't unreasonable to think that every single day, someone, somewhere bumped into someone they 'hadn't seen in a while'.
But it had never once happened to the beings within the Memoir. Never once had one of the living remembered the name of one of the nameless dead. Never once had one of the living remembered the face of the faceless dead.
After all, if those within the Arsenal had been 'fortunate'... they would not have been there to begin with.
"... uuji?"
Yuuji held up his (?) hand to forestall her, to ease the worries of… Rias.
|"... Rin? H-hey… h-hang on Yuuji-senpai! Rin, is that Rin!?"|
"You really do know her, huh? You're Issei, aren't you?'
|"Issei? Who's… I'm… Issei?"| The boy murmured, slowly. The Memoir held its breath, and…
|"Issei! I'm Issei! Issei is me! I've gotta be!| The child known as 'Issei' snapped into place, an ordinary Japanese boy you could find laughing and playing with his friends after any ordinary school day.
Well, if you could call someone 'ordinary' with a dragon in their shadow.
As if Yuuji noticing that was the final piece, the screech of grinding iron filled the air- and billowing from his eyes as he cried out in pain- dull, lifeless smoke tinged with the scent of blood and gunpowder.
The room fell away as the mists engulfed everything and everyone.
Cradled in Rias' arms, a gasping Yuuji had clutched at his face as lifeless grey smoke poured from his eyes and engulfed everything.
Issei had promised to be her knight.
When the smoke cleared, they were in a dim forest, watching a young boy with shaggy brown hair tug along a girl with wildly bouncing pigtails as they ran and ran.
Rin was the princess.
They had watched as a monster with the beautiful face of a woman and a long, sleek body like that of an otter or weasel had chased them, a playful sneer on her face as she prolonged a hunt she could have ended in seconds.
Issei was the Dragon.
MONSTER caught Mama, and Papa, and Rin…
… They watched as the girl screamed when its claw pierced her, and the monster laughed in delight as the little girl fell bleeding and wailing to the ground.
… promised Irina that he would protect her.
They watched the boy turn, and suddenly, he wasn't a boy anymore.
Broke his promise … never let Rin see…
The woman-beast bit and clawed at the far smaller dragon that pounced upon it, red blood upon red scales.
It hurts- protect Rin- it hurts- protect Irina- it hurts, it hurts…
Roaring and striking, the dragon fought back, even as the much larger beast pinned it to the earth, and tore into the scaly figure.
… It seemed a foregone conclusion.
But even a young dragon was a dragon still, and it kept getting back up.
Again and again until the beast lacked the strength to keep it down.
And then it was the beast that bled, until at last it laid ruined and broken upon the unseen earth.
Hey Rin?
Why are you crying?
Look, Rin.
I kept my promise.
You're safe, now.
The dream ended with the sound a heart makes when it's shattered, and a desperate hand outstretched towards a fading memory as the smoke scattered.
"... I… I can't believe I forgot… Issei… I never did deserve you, did I?"
It was common enough for him to wake up to the scent of blood and gunpowder stinging his nose and clinging to his clothes, common enough that for a moment, he couldn't quite place why it had happened this time.
Also common was waking up with his head on a pretty woman's lap, but he was pretty sure this was the first time said lap had belonged to Irina.
"Good morning, Yuuji-kun." She smiled down at him as she continued to play with his hair.
"Good morning." He offered in return, before twisting his head towards the person holding his hand in her lap, which was Rias, to no surprise. "Reporting in, Buchou." He smirked.
Rias gave an exasperated sigh, lips tugging upwards as she gave his hand a little squeeze.
"... How are you feeling, Yuuji? That was quite a lot to take in, I wasn't aware that you could do that with your Sacred Gear."
"Neither was I." He admitted. "... Actually, that might be because I don't really know what happened. Which covers how I'm feeling; my eyes sting like I was having a staring contest with the inside of a furnace."
The girls giggled half-heartedly at that, but Irina's voice was still so very tired as she began to explain.
"... You showed us." She said simply. "It was… Issei's memory, wasn't it? He's there, in your Sacred Gear."
"Yeah."
"... Thank you, Yuuji." Irina whispered softly. "I don't think I'll ever be able to express how grateful I am."
Yuuji quirked an eyebrow at that.
He didn't think he'd done all that much, he'd really just been carried along for the ride.
As Yuuji rose and helped both her and Irina to their feet, Rias took over with a soft chuckle, eyes glimmering proudly as they met his.
"Your comrades from the Sacred Gear… Lamb-san and Juno-san, I believe, filled us in while you were out, which was only a few minutes, by the way." Rias explained. "They called it the 'Gehenna Mists', and despite its ominous sounding name, what it does is project the memories of the dead."
Her smile lost some of its strain as she continued on.
"It's one of the less common abilities of the Arsenal Memoir, so we were told. But a Sacred Gear responds to the host's desire."
"It looked really painful for you, Yuuji-kun." Irina murmured in a small voice. "Why would you do that for me? I get we're comrades, but we don't really know each other all that well."
Yuuji sighed, both of them were too invested for him to skirt around the topic like he'd prefer.
"I wanted to show you, Irina."
"Show me… Issei?"
Yuuji turned to face her fully, and Irina stiffened in shock at what she saw.
"Not just that." Yuuji sighed again. "Irina."
"Y-yes?"
There was a gentleness there, in his calm monotone. To Irina, it felt like she was being eased gently into the reality that, at some point, he'd completely and utterly cornered her.
"The one you hate is gone forever." Irina shook as if he'd struck her, but Yuuji's voice didn't falter in the least. "The only one left from that day for you to hurt is yourself."
… The tense silence was broken when Irina sagged, letting out a thick, half-hearted chuckle that sounded almost like she was choking.
Without saying a word, Irina pulled up the hem of her plain white T-shirt; and there, on the left side of her body between the curve of her hip and her belly-button, was a ragged, almost circular scar, the only thing marring her soft skin.
With a weak smile, Irina turned around, showing the other side- the wound was mirrored on her back- though the scar on the back was much larger.
An entry and exit hole, Yuuji noted idly. He had a few of those too.
Whatever had given Irina that scar had gone right through her.
-He remembered how his heart stopped when 'it'-so white and sharp- went right through Rin.
"Was that from the Stray?" Rias whispered in concern as Irina turned back around.
"Mhm, here." Irina took Rias' hand and placed it against her stomach.
Blue eyes blinked in puzzlement.
"It's… warm?" The wound was several degrees warmer than the rest of Irina's skin.
"Uh huh." Irina nodded. "It's been like that ever since I was Reincarnated, I overheard Raphael-sama saying something about 'wounds of the spirit', but I dunno what that means… just that, that it... it heats up when I'm… y'know."
Now they understood why her hand always seemed to go to her side, when something bothered her.
"... Issei wouldn't want me to feel like this either." Irina admitted shamefully, staring down at her hands. "But what am I supposed to do!? There's no one left for me to resent, let alone forgive… how am I supposed to let go when my hands are empty?"
As if to answer her questions, a pair of hands slipped into her own, delicate, but just a bit larger than her own.
Irina's eyes followed those hands up, blinking slowly in confusion.
"... Sensei? Weren't you taking a bath?"
Kalawarner shook her head gently.
"I had the others go on ahead. Xenovia-san is in good hands with Raynare and Asia-san."
"So… what were you doing instead?" Irina asked, tilting her head curiously. She didn't let go of Kalawarner's hands, though. Holding hands with the tall Fallen made her feel safe somehow.
Maybe that feeling was why Sensei was so popular?
"Hesitating." Kalawarner admitted with an apologetic smile.
"... About what, Sensei?"
"It isn't an easy topic for me to speak about." Kalawarner confided with a small shrug. "But it's an important one, so my misgivings will have to wait."
Kalawarner took a deep breath, golden eyes staring deeply into Irina's own.
"It burns, does it not?" She asked, in a tone that suggested she wasn't really asking. "Your Light. More so than the other Angels… your Light burns like fire."
"Y-yeah I guess… how'd you know that?"
"My Light is the same." Kalawarner informed her. "At least sometimes, I have learned to control it to a degree."
"How'd you learn that?"
Kalawarner winced at the admittedly innocent question.
"Please don't learn the way I did." Kalawarner urged softly. "The 'trial and error' process required a good deal more 'error' than I would have liked."
"W-wait… you don't mean-!?" Paling as she realized what she was about to ask, Irina's mouth snapped shut with a muffled click of teeth.
"It's alright, Irina-san." Kalawarner said with a pained, but understanding smile. "It is as you've likely guessed..." Hesitating, Kalawarner shot a glance towards the other two, her gaze lingering on Yuuji.
Kalawarner seemed to draw strength from whatever she found in those dark eyes, giving a low sigh and squaring her shoulders as she turned back to Irina.
"Indeed, the source of my burning Light is my Sin… my Wrath made manifest."
Irina flinched in horror.
"S-Sensei!? W-why are you telling me… you don't think I'm gonna-!"
"No!" Kalawarner cut her off sharply, eyes fierce. "No, you will not…" She took a deep breath, her smile contrite but her gaze firm. "It is not my intention to frighten you, Irina-san. But you must know-"
Another deep breath… it was impossible to miss just how the topic still weighed upon her.
"I am a living, breathing example of why Wrath must be mastered, and the reason I tell you this is that I do not wish for you to learn the hard way."
Irina stared at her, dumbstruck. She hadn't been a Brave Saint for very long, but one of the things she'd learned about her Fallen kindred was that their Sin was the deepest, most painful secret of any Fallen… especially among the kindest, among those like Kalawarner and Raynare.
But the Sin of Wrath meant her gentle Sensei must have done something awful, once upon a time.
Something violent and irreversible.
Hard as that was to imagine, that wasn't what she was stuck on… she'd always wondered, always worried that…
"Don't you resent me?" She whispered, helplessly. "Because I'm… you know?" Because she'd been granted wings of white, gifted what Kalawarner had forever lost.
Thus, she felt totally, 100% justified being completely and utterly confused when Kalawarner's response was to let go of her with one hand.
That now free hand was used to smother the giggles drifting musically from Kalawarner's lips.
"... Eh?"
"Ufufu~ what a silly idea, Irina-san!" Kalawarner laughed helplessly. "Of course I don't resent you… ahaha~!"
"... Why not?" Was eventually what she settled on in reply.
Her heart took an unhealthy break from beating as Kalawarner smiled tenderly and wrapped her arms around her, gently cradling the stunned Irina against her bosom.
"Because you're my student." A simple response, spoken with such surety that there wasn't the slightest room for doubt.
Rias couldn't have kept her smile contained even if she wanted to, and from the corner of her eye, she was happy to note that Yuuji was no different.
Gently enclosed in her Sensei's embrace, Irina slowly relaxed as she returned the hug. Sensei was warm and gentle and soft, but she was also strong and steady, and Irina's eyes were stinging before she'd even registered she was hugging back.
"I'm scared." She whimpered quietly.
"It will be okay."
"... How do you know?" She didn't mean to sound so desperate.
"Because you aren't alone."
… Was that why? Was there… hadn't Sensei had anyone to keep her on the right path, to pick her up when she fell down?
… No, she was pretty sure that Sensei and Ray-chan hadn't known each other before they Fell.
She wasn't sure they would have fallen to begin with… if they'd had each other from the start.
"... I'm sorry." Irina murmured in a small voice. She didn't know if she was apologizing for her behavior, or expressing sympathy.
The way Kalawarner's arms seemed to wrap around her even more warmly and gently than before suggested that even if she wasn't sure, her Sensei was.
They stayed like that for quite some time.
When a much refreshed Xenovia returned from her bath, walking side by side with Raynare and Asia and chatting quietly, the tranquil sound of a softly sung tune was the first thing to greet her.
Eyes glimmering with wonder- and curiosity from Asia and Raynare's fond, knowing smiles- Xenovia slipped open the infirmary door to find Irina once again sleeping peacefully, curled up on one side of the bed.
The only change was the pillow she was using- Kalawarner's lap, who was both the source of the singing and the hand running itself gently through Irina's hair.
Without missing a beat, Kalawarner smiled at her, and held a single finger up to her lips.
Smiling gratefully back in return, Xenovia withdrew, closing the door behind her.
"... Kalawarner is just like a mother." Xenovia concluded after a moment, Asia nodding empathetically.
An assumption though it was, the idea was more poignant for the two of them than they cared to admit; while Xenovia at least had Sister Griselda, neither girl had ever met their real mother.
"Kala's not a mother, silly, she's a teacher." Raynare giggled quietly. "At least that's what she always says."
"What's the difference?"
"No idea!" Raynare proudly declared. She didn't have a mother to begin with, for her part.
But all three girls couldn't help but think the same thing; if they did have a mother, they would have wanted it to be someone just like Kalawarner.
Akeno had been busy all day; despite being on vacation, the work of a Queen never really stopped, and she'd taken over for Rias to an extent that day to allow her King to spend more time with Irina.
Which was why the moment she was free, she immediately went in search of Yuuji.
Wonderful man that he was, it didn't take long- he had been waiting for her.
Which was wonderful.
Less wonderful was the look in his eyes, behind the blank mask she'd worked so diligently to be able to peer through.
"Ara ara, someone's been working hard, hasn't he?"
"I guess I have."
The sheaf of papers in her hand were promptly and unceremoniously shoved through a small glowing portal, and then he was in her arms.
"Yuuji?" Akeno said softly, eyes roving searchingly across his face. "What's wrong?"
Ever so faint, there was a quiver in the arms that returned her embrace. His metal hand could barely even hold her.
"Tell me something Akeno, anything." Yuuji softly requested, the quiet rhythm of his voice disturbed by confusion and a hint of desperation. "Tell me something you would… that you would only tell 'Yuuji'."
Oh, was that it? She was worried it might have been something tricky to deal with.
Her hands slipped from his waist to cupping his cheeks, fond violet eyes seizing his dark ones.
She was rather flattered by the feeling of the tension in his body drifting away like mist before she'd spoken a single word, and even more delighted by the way his eyes focused on her and her alone as the mask crumbled.
And it would be a waste not to, so…
The small distance between them evaporated as their lips met.
As luck would have it, there was an empty room but a few short steps away from the two of them.
She didn't even bother with the lights.
There in the dark, she whispered his name again and again until he knew who it belonged to beyond all doubt.
As for the rest of what happened, there in the dark… she probably owed the maids an apology.
Since Xen-chan and Asia-chan were worried, Irina spent one more night in the infirmary.
Sensei and Ray-chan had brought her dinner, and sat with her in the evening for awhile.
It was nice. She'd never quite been sure how to deal with the two Fallen, she had always worried that they would resent her for being reincarnated as an angel.
Sensei laughing at her for thinking that way had done a lot to dispel those worries, as well as the fact that it had never crossed Raynare's mind in the first place.
With her concerns out of the way, Irina could take the time necessary to befriend them, having more friends was always nice.
That and it distracted her from wanting to ask the question she knew she shouldn't ask Yuuji; if she could see Issei again.
She would have had to blind not to see how painful it was, having magic smoke pouring out of his face.
But that was something to worry about later; now, there were more important things to worry about; the first person to greet her in the morning.
"M-Michael-sama!?" She half-shrieked, thoroughly flustered and in no position to kneel like she was supposed to.
"At ease, Irina, no need to trouble yourself with formalities." Michael gently forestalled her with a raised hand. "I'm not here on official business, I am here to visit my Brave Saint."
Any attempts at proper decorum vanished behind flushed cheeks and a proud little smile, Irina tried not to brag but being the Ace of Michael himself was kind of a super duper big deal for her.
For a moment, she could have sworn her master's gentle green eyes were twinkling, and that his smile was more amused than anything else, but that would have been silly.
"Forgive me for not being able to visit sooner." Micheal apologized. "How are you feeling?"
"W-w-wha!?" Irina burst out in a fluster, waving her arms about. "P-please L-Lord Michael, don't apologize! I-if anything I should be apologizing to you for worrying you! I-I m-mean, not worrying of course you weren't worried I'm just an Irina I mean… that-that is-!"
"No, I most certainly was worried." The Leader of Heaven himself cut her off firmly.
The furiously blushing Irina managed little more than a whimper as she covered her face with her hands.
"It warms my heart to see members of all three factions looking after one another." Michael smiled pleasantly. "I'm happy to see you've made such good friends."
Without lowering her hands from her face, Irina gave a jerky nod of agreement.
When she lowered her hands at last, peering shyly at the Archangel currently visiting her, Irina was in no way prepared for it to have gone from 'Archangel' to 'Archangels'.
The newcomer was pale of skin and dark of hair, his eyes a deep red that seemed to dance and shimmer like flames. Unlike Michael's austere, yet comfortable robes, the man wore a dark button up with the sleeves rolled, and grey jeans that reminded Irina of ash.
She didn't recognize the cheerfully smiling man seated beside Lord Michael, but he couldn't be anything but a Seraph.
The profound feeling of holiness that radiated from the slender figure in no way lost to Michael, though the way they projected it upon the world was wildly different.
Irina had always imagined Michael as a great big oak tree- calm shelter on a warm day, and unyielding bastion against even the mightiest of storms.
The second Seraph was sacred flame in the shape of a man; a merry blaze to warm the body and comfort the heart.
A flame that would dance just as playfully upon the ashes of the wicked.
The Seraph before her could only be the Flame of God himself; the one the enemies of the faith fearfully referred to as the 'Last Laugh'.
"L-Lord Uriel?" Irina murmured hesitantly.
She in no way understood how to react when the newcomer straightened up in his seat, and pointed innocently at himself as if to say 'who, me?'.
And she must have just imagined that aggrieved look Lord Michael shot his brother.
"Indeed, young Irina, the process of elimination has in fact led you to the proper conclusion." The Flame of Heaven declared with a roguish wink.
"A-ah forgive me, Lord Uriel! I-!"
Uriel wagged a finger chidingly in her direction.
"Now now, I like the formal stuff even less than my brother." The Seraph blandly admitted. "Besides, we'll never get anything done if you spend all your time going up and down and up and down. Bowing and scraping is hard on the knees."
"U-understood?"
Uriel grinned as he turned to Michael.
"Now I understand why you all like your Brave Saints so much. This is kind of fun."
Michael exhaled slowly and said "please don't bully the children too much. There's enough pressure on them as it is, being the first of the Brave Saints."
"I'm not sure that applies to Griselda." Uriel immediately replied. "I believe if we're not careful, she'll end up running Heaven and then no ears will remain unpulled, no cheeks untugged." Uriel gravely predicted. "I do believe that's the first time I've been scolded by someone who's lifespan remains well within the double digits."
The Seraphim turned suddenly at the sound of muffled giggling, and turned to find a sheepish Irina with both hands clamped over her mouth.
Kind smiles spread across the handsome faces of the two Seraphim, it did them good to see their youngest Angel regaining some of her customary good cheer.
Though his expression gave nothing away, Uriel did think it was a bit of a shame that he'd have to ruin that.
Hmm… must he? No, no he could work with this. He'd just have to shamelessly imitate his sister Gabriel.
He was good at being shameless.
Giving his brother a subtle nudge to spur the conversation forward, Uriel nevertheless decided to keep his silence for the time being.
Michael cleared his throat with a delicate cough, regaining the attention of his Ace.
"It has been some time since we've been able to speak face to face, but I've been told you've done an excellent job as the representative of Heaven, well done, Irina."
"A-ah… thank you Lord Michael!" Irina stammered back, flustered by the sudden praise.
"We've been hearing from the prayer group you began at school as well, which is most welcome." Michael confirmed. "Indeed," and there, a hint of mischief trickled into his tone, "the method of prayer you teach is quite… enthusiastic."
"Thanks!" Irina replied, enthusiastically.
They could see the question in her eyes long before it was given a voice, her hand shooting up into the air as if they were in a classroom instead of an infirmary.
"... Ooh, ooh! Do you hear when Xen-chan and Asia-chan pray as well!?"
"I do, in fact." Michael nodded with a smile. "You have made some wonderful friends, haven't you, Irina?"
Irina laughed bashfully, rubbing the back of her head.
She was pretty sure she knew what that meant- Michael knew the topic of their prayers, and at least some of the time it was her.
… Not that she didn't pray for her friends all the time, but it was kind of embarrassing (in a good way!) to know the reverse was true.
"Yeah, yeah I do, don't I?" Irina proudly mumbled.
"Well, that aside, we merely came to ensure you were alright." Michael told her, having heard Uriel's telepathic message, the two Seraphim rising to their feet, much to the girl's surprise.
"I'm not the only one hoping you'll have time to visit Heaven over your break, but don't feel like you need to force yourself."
"I-I could never feel that way!" Irina protested. "It's Heaven, you know?"
As Uriel chuckled and began heading towards the door, Michael tapped a finger to his chin in mock contemplation.
"Why yes, I do believe I was aware of that." He innocently admitted.
Then the world fell apart around Irina, obviously, because she was seeing something completely totally crazy and why was Lord Michael bowing!?
She tried to speak, she really did.
Lord Michael spoke first though, and that fragile connection between her mouth and her brain fell to pieces.
"I must beg your forgiveness, Irina. While it was done with the best intentions, we have done something terrible, which led to-"
"Is it why I couldn't remember Issei?" Irina cut him off gently, inwardly musing that the world truly must have gone mad, if she was interrupting a Seraph.
"... So you do remember now, don't you?" Michael muttered sadly, lifting his gaze but still bent at the waist. "Indeed, you are correct. We sealed away your memories in an attempt to protect you. A far crueler attempt than was needed, I must confess."
Irina shook her head, a sad smile upon her lips as she urged the Seraph to stand up straight.
"It's not your fault, Lord Michael I…" Her smile turned bitter. "I spent a long time running… and no one can run forever. If anything, I should be the one apologizing, it must have been a big shock, huh. But… but if it makes you feel better, I forgive you."
Michael gazed at her in wide-eyed silence for a moment, and right when Irina's words caught up with Irina's brain and she was ready to crawl into a hole out of embarrassment, a grateful smile, tinged with a hint of wonder bloomed across the Seraph's face.
"Thank you, Irina… I don't believe I've ever been this grateful to have had you join the ranks of Heaven."
Uriel, from his place at the door, grinned in delight as the furiously blushing girl made incoherent cute noises that were probably excuses, flailing her hands around as his proud brother smiled indulgently.
Turning his head away and placing his hand on the doorknob, Uriel called out simply with "Irina."
"Y-yes, Lord Uriel?"
"When you're done with your vacation, I'll be borrowing you from my brother for a bit from time to time." Uriel stated casually. "Don't worry though, I'll make sure to give you back."
"B-borrow me? Does that mean I'll be working for you?" Irina ventured hesitantly.
They could practically hear the 'why me' in her voice, they'd have to work on her surprisingly low self-assessment.
"Indeed, I'll be teaching you about that flame of yours." Uriel replied mildly.
Irina went rigid, eyes wide and hand flying to her covered scar.
"Enjoy yourself for now; cherish your summer and every moment you spend with those you love." Uriel softly instructed. "But if you feel yourself wavering again, I just want you to remember that the way you felt, back in the basement of that manor-"
Uriel turned, and as their eyes met, and it was as if the flames in his dark scarlet eyes burned away everything, save the words upon his lips.
"Was not wrong."
"Yuuji."
"Xenovia."
"Yesterday, when I thanked you, I left something important out." Xenovia told him seriously. "But I was also dirty, sweaty, and there may have been Stray Devil blood in my hair, so I decided to wait."
"I see." He didn't, actually, but she didn't need to know that.
"None of those things are true of me now." Evidently deciding that that was explanation enough, Xenovia took Yuuji's collar in both hands, tugging lightly to bring his head down to her level, and kissed him full on the lips.
He felt her jolt a little as Yuuji wrapped his arms around Xenovia's waist, the open mouthed kiss was a bit rough- so he felt she might have gotten a little ahead of herself.
Gently, Yuuji took control, easing off the pressure on both of them as they continued the kiss at a much slower pace, Xenovia's hands moving from his collar to throwing themselves around the back of his neck.
Her tongue poked his- and the way Xenovia flinched suggested it had been accidental- but Yuuji when Yuuji reciprocated, Xenovia moaned into the kiss, her tongue aggressively but clumsily pursuing his own.
With a muffled chuckle, Yuuji let her play for a bit before taking control, and Xenovia gave another moan as her thighs started to quiver.
Breaking the kiss, Yuuji smirked his half-smirk at the lovely sight of a flushed and moist eyed Xenovia panting up at him.
"I think I understood what you were trying to say."
"Good… because I think I forgot." Xenovia gasped.
"Still on for Saturday?"
"If I say yes will you kiss me again?"
"Well, I was planning to do that anyways."
Evidently, Xenovia liked the way he was thinking.
"There you are."
"Ara, Xenovia-chan? What's gotten you all hot and bothered?" Akeno 'innocently' questioned, placing her tea cup down.
"I need the help of the head wife." Xenovia declared succinctly.
Akeno was too much of a lady to let all that smug pride welling up inside her to bleed forth too much, settling on a pleased smile as she began her gentle enquiry.
"How can I help?"
"..." Xenovia went to speak and then caught herself, frowning pensively.
Akeno waited patiently for the brash Knight to get her thoughts in order, hands folded neatly on her lap.
"Yeah, that's it." Xenovia nodded to herself, before firmly meeting Akeno's eyes. "I don't know how dates work. Please help me."
The last three words were accompanied by a low bow, which allowed Akeno to conceal her delight behind her hand without giving anything away.
"Ufufu~"
Something about that chuckle made Xenovia just a little nervous… no, it was probably just her imagination.
… Right?
The visit from the Seraphim did the trick, it seemed. It had been understandable, if a bit surreal, given who it was, to see Irina acting introspective.
Without any warning whatsoever, while sitting with Xenovia and Asia one morning, Irina had given a long, thoughtful hum, burst out suddenly with 'nope, done!' and…
Just like that, the cheerfully exuberant Angel was back in action, as if she'd flipped a switch.
… Rias wasn't the only one worried about whether or not Irina was just trying to put on a brave front, but Xenovia's own relief did much to assuage that concern.
Perhaps the ones who reacted most significantly to the visit of the Seraphim were Raynare and Kalawarner.
… The poor duo had been utterly terrified to be in the same building as the Archangel Uriel, but that, it seemed, was to be expected. Every Fallen Angel of lesser status than a Cadre was scared to death of the Flame of God, he was essentially the Fallen Angel's version of the bogeyman.
Many a black feather had crumbled to ash beneath the gaze of the Angel of Fury.
The poor girls nearly fainted in each other's arms when Irina waltzed up to them without any warning and passed on the message that 'they shouldn't worry, burning your students and fellow faculty is poor form regardless of your species. PS: Seraphim obey the peace treaty as well.'.
Thankfully though, Asia existed, and Asia's smile was where stress went to die.
That was the last piece needed to fall into place for the members of the ORC to return to enjoying their summer break.
For the most part, at least; the Young Devil's Gathering was on its way and it was necessary to make sure that all the newest additions were up to snuff.
"Ara ara, someone's well learned, aren't they?" Venelana marvelled as Yuuji calmly took the leading role.
The two of them were in… one of the Gremory ballrooms, brushing up on the sort of dancing done in said ballroom, moving along to, of all things, the music of the kind of home stereo box you could find at just about any electronic store on Earth.
Of course the ballroom actually came equipped with the finest of musical arcana for more structured gatherings, and the Gremory's of course had their own retinue of musicians, but Venelana also thought that the humble 3200 yen stereo box was cute.
Also, the opportunities she had to use it outside of morning yoga were few and far between.
"I've worked protection detail at black tie events in the past." Yuuji admitted as he spun the Gremory matron around. "Need to be able to dance with the VIP without looking like a concealed carry grunt."
"Oh? Strange, I don't feel like I'm dancing with someone who learned merely for the sake of their duties." Venelana mused innocently, eyes smiling as she watched Yuuji's expression.
"Or I just take my duties seriously enough that it's hard to tell when you're not really trying." Yuuji blandly countered, casually signalling that he was onto her, but didn't really mind what she was doing.
"Hmm, perhaps that's why you're so popular with clients, then." Venelan guessed with a knowing smile. "Though it does concern me that you may be a bit too willing to answer the clients expectations." She told him, getting to the heart of the matter.
"... Isn't that the job?" Yuuji questioned with a confused tilt of his head. Venelana's slight smile tightened ever so slightly, a subtle shift that Yuuji couldn't quite make sense of.
"... Is that why you slept with your first client?" Venelan probed, a stern undertone to her soft inquiry. Her poor daughter had been beside herself when she thought he'd done that in order to meet her expectations of him.
"Yeah, thought that was part of the job." It had been a 'wish to grant', hadn't it? He didn't… no, he hadn't seen the issue with it, at the time.
Venelana's wince was more than just internal, this time.
"Honestly… you should value yourself more than that." Venelana whispered in sad reproach, concern glimmering in her violet eyes.
"... I'm trying." Is what eventually broke the forlorn silence.
That, it seemed, signalled a pause in the lesson, at least for the moment. He wasn't really sure why it was happening, but Yuuji found his feet stilled and his cheek cradled against the bosom of the Gremory matriarch in a warm, but oddly insistent sort of embrace.
… It was kind of nice though, so he decided to just let it be.
Eventually they quietly transitioned back into the dance, but this time, it didn't last all that long before a twinkle of mischief began to blossom in Venelana's eyes.
"Hmm, it seems I don't have anything to teach you, just a bit of practice to get the rust off." Venelana explained with a smile. "That is, after we test how proficiently you switch dance partners."
Yuuji gave a small nod, having seen what- who- Venelana was hinting towards as well.
Wordlessly the Lady of the Gremory house took the lead in their dance, and after a few steps, spun Yuuji away from herself with just a bit more force than she would usually used.
Yuuji nimbly twirled across the dance floor and came to a halt in front of their observer with his head bowed and his hand politely outstretched.
"May I have this dance?"
Smiling fondly, Rias rose from her seat and daintily placed her hand in his own.
"I would be delighted." She replied, with a lofty smile.
Her high cheeks flushed happily as Yuuji planted a formal, chaste kiss on the back of her hand, dark eyes smiling up at her as he did.
Without further delay, Yuuji swept his King up into his arms, a small smile upon his face as Rias pressed in close.
"That's the first time a kiss like that has made me happy." Rias murmured bashfully.
Venelana quietly excused herself, leaving the young lovers to dance as Yuuji replied with a subtle smirk.
"I've taken one of your firsts, have I?" Venelana's unseen smile grew ear to ear, "well then I'll have to cherish it just as much as the others you've given me."
The pretty flush on her cheeks deepened at his words, and Rias pressed against him a little tighter with a delighted hum.
Laughing with quiet satisfaction at a job well done, Venelana slipped from the room after changing the music to something just a little more romantic.
It was a cool Thursday afternoon, three days after the events of the Stray hunt and into the middle of their third week of summer vacation.
That was the day that Kalawarner confirmed what Yuuji had expected; she had revealed 'part' of her past to Irina, reassuring the young Angel that there was someone who understood the anger, the Wrath she had been struggling with.
Irina was feeling better, but…
It still weighed on Kalawarner, and could be seen in the faraway cast her vision would take around them, when no one was paying too close attention to her.
She'd been willing to bare her scars to some extent in order to help her student.
Never sparing a thought for how she might need help afterwards.
Fully aware that the thought was hypocritical coming from him, Yuuji wished she would take care of her own needs a little more.
Raynare was of the same mind, and that's why at her insistence, the three of them found themselves sitting together, in the room the two Fallen shared.
"Forgive me, Yuuji." Kalawarner muttered without looking at him, peering instead at her hand that was enfolded by both of Raynare's and resting in the lap of the younger Fallen. "I didn't… I spoke for Irina's sake it is true, but perhaps my words were just a little bit selfish, a reminder to myself of how much better my life has become, since 'that' day."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that." Yuuji admitted. "A little bit of selfishness doesn't negate what you did for Irina."
Kalawarner offered him a weak smile, not saying anything as Raynare reassuringly stroked the back of her hand with her thumb.
"So I think now's a good time as any for you to be a little more selfish, and voice what's bothering you before it ruins any more of your summer." Yuuji told her. "Please, Kala. If there's any way I can help, then tell me."
Kalawarner's eyes widened, taken aback by the calm, but earnest plea. It had always been Yuuji's way to avoid prying, which could be a blessing, but…
No, she wished for him to pry. She wished for him to know… and if she was pleased to see him taking more of an interest in others, she was flattered beyond belief every time it became apparent that one of those 'others' was her.
"Perhaps it is merely my own conceit," Kalawarner began, her smile self-depreciating, "but though I have wished to confide in you for some time, what has kept me from doing so is the desire to not add to the burdens of my 'student'. To some it may seem to be a job like any other, but for an Angel of Knowledge such as myself, it is a central pillar of my existence- I could not comprehend how profoundly the inability to 'teach' affected me until I had regained the opportunity."
Kalawarner gave a weary chuckle.
"But you are not 'just' my student, Yuuji. Putting aside that sometimes, you yourself are the teacher and I the student," Kalawarner's eyes brightened, "and how gratifying that can be, when the roles are reversed, you are also my friend, my comrade in arms, my lover-"
The next words from her lips shook the listener to the core, so deeply and profoundly that he couldn't even consider reacting.
"... And my savior." Kalawarner whispered, softly but proudly.
"I wish for you to know, Yuuji." She gently declared. "I wish for you to understand exactly what it is that makes me who I am… and for that, it is necessary to understand my Sin."
Kalawarner had belonged to a category of Angel that was never meant to be as rare as it was- that there were, at any given time, little more than a dozen Angels of Knowledge suitable for field work was a symptom of Heaven's wounds, of the lingering scars from the Great War.
It was simple enough; designed from the soul out to be lifelong scholars, those of the Knowledge Sphere were, as a rule, ill-suited for battle and hardship by the standards of their rank. It was generally understood that, barring a high aptitude for combat magic, an Angel of Knowledge with six wings was about as combat capable as an Angel of War with two.
Thus, a Sphere meant to spread knowledge and learning all across the mortal realm were largely restricted to centers of learning nestled deeply in Church territory, by the simple necessity of keeping the endangered Sphere far out of harm's way.
Kalawarner was different though. Kalawarner could run with the warriors of Heaven, truthfully, while she lacked the mindset (at the time), she at least had the physical ability necessary to be safely sent to less stable parts of the world.
"... Where?" Yuuji asked.
"Eastern Africa, early 1975." Kalawarner murmured.
"... There was a civil war somewhere around there at some point, wasn't there?" Yuuji asked, already deciding he wasn't going to like where the conversation was going.
"Ugandan Bush War of 1980." Kalawarner nodded, and, without saying a word, Raynare shifted from 'hand-holding' to 'hugging', her concern obvious. "Civil wars are always ugly, so I'm told. One spring morning, a village with nothing to its name but a school built by the members of a Catholic missions group was suspected of harboring insurgents, fleeing from a recent skirmish."
Her shoulders sagged.
"The obvious hiding place was the only building in the village with a basement, glorified cellar though it was."
… Dammit, he hadn't wanted to be right.
"What they were hoping to smoke out were violent insurgents, what they buried was a teacher, her oh so mortal assistant, and a class of 12. The only one thing to emerge from those merry flames was an Angel half-blind from smoke and pain, calling over her shoulder that class was done for the day, reminding her students as to who would lead the end of class devotions."
Kalawarner didn't seem to know if she was trying to laugh or sob.
"I remember how… puzzled I was, that no one was answering. For a single, wretched moment, I imagined my darling students were hiding on me, a cute little prank to usher in the weekend. Then the walls finished collapsing around my ears, turning a burning building into a burning tomb."
Her tone grew almost whimsical, almost cheerful as she continued.
No one was fooled.
"I'm not all that sure when my uselessly logical mind determined that the meaning of my entire existence had burned to ash around me, and concluded that the men debating whether or not to shoot me in the back were to blame." Kalawarner candidly informed.
"But I do remember that they all looked the same, they all screamed the same, and they all died the same. It wasn't until I awoke in smoldering ruins, covered only by wings charred black from the flames that it occured to me where I went wrong."
Yuuji remained silent as Kalawarner smiled helplessly at him.
He wanted to tell her to stop talking. He just wanted her to shut her mouth.
No… what he wanted was to never to see her make an expression like that, not ever again.
"It wasn't the soldiers I killed, Yuuji. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say it wasn't just the soldiers."
"..."
"I just killed the things that moved. Every single last one of them. When I left the village, only the dead were left to see me off."
Stop it.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Even the one saying it didn't seem to believe that. "I couldn't even properly avenge my students, let alone protect them. And yet, truthfully I haven't learned a thing… I would do far worse if something were to threaten my students once again."
That's enough.
"Forgive me, Yuuji. I… I should not have told you something so unpleasant. I will… I will understand if this changes-"
Kalawarner blinked several times, trying in vain to clear them.
Try as she might, her eyes could make sense of only two things.
One, a hand callused and scarred by years upon years of hard work and violence.
The second, was also a hand, this one battered, scratched and dented, and she supposed, in a way, just as 'callused' as the hand made of flesh and bone, rather than eldritch iron.
That wasn't where the similarities ended, though.
Both hands were holding her own in a grip that was far more tender than she deserved.
And, despite the metallic nature of one of them, both were…
"Warm? Your hands, they are… so very warm." Just as warm as the slim arms wrapped around her shoulders. "Perhaps I am a poor excuse for a teacher, no, I believe I've... already failed if we've come to this point."
"Teachers are people just like anyone else, Kala. No one will think less of you. Actually, I'm not sure you could get any more popular at Kuoh."
Even though she lacked the strength to lift her head, Kalawarner still managed a smile at the memory of all her precious students.
"... I don't have the right to ask this." And she wasn't quite sure if she was talking to one of them, or both of them. "But please, if even for just one moment longer, please… I beg you. Don't let go."
One, or both of them may have answered back.
She wasn't quite sure, distracted as she was by something far, far more important, something far, far more meaningful.
Whether it was the grip on her trembling hands or the embrace around her shaking shoulders.
When the moment she had so desperately begged for had come and gone, they had yet to falter.
She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing Kalawarner knew, she was laying on her side, eye to eye with Raynare, the languid rhythm of a steadily beating heart echoing softly in her ear.
Raynare gave her a gentle smile, giving a slight squeeze with the arm she'd draped over her.
Kalawarner smiled back as they both nestled in a little closer, the arm Yuuji had wrapped around their waists facilitating the movement.
"Did we wake you, Yuuji?" Kalawarner inquired in a calm, low tone, her earlier distress a now distant memory.
"No, had something on my mind."
"Oh?"
"I've been thinking," Yuuji muttered, rubbing his thumbs along their flanks as he spoke. "I've never really had a 'goal'. I thought I had found one when I started attending school, and found people I could let into my life, but, the more I think about it, the more that seems like a starting line. To what, I'm not really sure just yet, but I do have one thing I want to work towards."
"What's that, Yuuji-kun?" Raynare asked, her eyes glimmering with interest in the dim light of their room.
"I want to become a High-class Devil and gain a peerage of my own."
The two Fallen sucked in their breath at the same time, hoping that… would he?
"When I do," the note of hesitance in his voice made them both want to pinch his cheeks for some reason, it was so rare for him to actually act like he was younger than them. "Will… would the two of you be willing to become a part of it?"
"You want us to…" Raynare began.
"-Join your peerage?" Kalawarner finished.
"No, more like I'm asking you to."
Focussed on the ceiling, he didn't catch exactly what the small flurry of hand-waving from the two of them meant, but whatever it was led to Kalawarner clicking her tongue and Raynare giggling smugly.
The next thing he knew, the two Fallen were leaning over him, and Raynare closed the distance first, pressing her lips against his in a long, loving kiss.
When she broke away, it was only to let Kalawarner close the distance next, the blue-haired Fallen kissing him just as deeply and passionately.
When they were both done, their smiles were wide and their eyes shining with love and elation, and when they spoke, they spoke as one.
"We would be honored."
Yuuji gazed up at them for a moment, the words not quite sinking in. When the words did register, a subtle sort of pride seemed to tug the corner or his lips upwards.
They watched fondly and tried not to giggle as that smile gave way to an expressionless, yet remarkably innocent sort of confusion.
"Huh." He declared succinctly. "I didn't really do anything, so why do I feel like I just accomplished something monumental?"
… It was too much.
The Fallen Angels blinked in unison and burst into bright, happy laughter, limbs giving way as they fell onto Yuuji in helpless delight as their sides shook with mirth.
… The giggling pile of bodies became a good deal more intimate and comforting when the younger two realized that Kalawarner was crying just as much as she was laughing. A glistening-eyed Raynare was smiling kindly as Yuuji gently hooked his arm around Kalawarner's smoothly toned back, drawing her in against himself.
For a while, Kalawarner's quiet sobs were the only noise in the room, but no one could really say they minded- everyone keenly understood the release of hidden tension for what it was.
"... It truly doesn't change anything for you, does it?" Kalawarner murmured eventually, her voice thick. "You don't… you don't see me differently at all, do you?"
He understood it wasn't really a question, but Yuuji nonetheless had something he wanted to say in response.
"We don't really need anyone else to condemn the blood on our hands, do we?" It was something all three of them had in common. "If anything, it's part of the reason I've been able to trust both of you from the start, with Asia, I mean."
Two heads jerked up, a pair of breathtakingly beauties staring at him in unabashed surprise and curiosity.
"The world isn't a kind place." Yuuji explained without looking at them. "Sometimes you have to be willing to kill for what you want. And we all want Asia to keep smiling, don't we?"
"Well, not just Asia." Raynare admitted with a coy little grin.
"Indeed, she's far from the only loved one whom we'd rather die than leave alone."
Yuuji turned his gaze to the two Fallen to find their eyes shimmering with love and warmth.
Speaking of warm, the room was getting kind of stuffy- it couldn't have anything to do with the body-pile they were in, that would be silly- actually, it was centered around his face… Did he have a fever?
Raynare and Kalawarner slowly turned their heads to look deeply into one another's eyes, and share a single nod.
Yuuji winced as a pair of girlish squeals filled the air, suddenly finding himself pinned between two beautiful women fawning over him in a way that, just for a second, made him feel more like a small, fluffy animal than a person.
But they seemed happy, so he supposed it was alright.
Oof. Not gonna lie, while Kalawarner's backstory was always that awful, putting it into words hit harder than I expected. It wasn't all that bad though, we also get a look into what really makes Kala tick. 'Students' are a truly irreplaceable existence to her, and now she has quite a few more than she used to.
Which is why we ended off with fluff and hope, I love me some fluff and hope.
Irina's moving towards the angel she's meant to be, Uriel is dropping some wisdom to go along with that wit, and Yuuji's maybe having more trouble with his Sacred Gear than he's willing to admit.
But they've remembered… there's an Unknown Soldier who is no longer unknown. Gradually it will become important how monumental that is.
But first, more fluff!
Pretty sure I've gotten all of the nasty bits out of the way for now, so the menu for the summer is fluff and ecchi, flavored with a bit of lemon and lime.
For the record, while the Young Devil Gathering happens during the summer, I consider it the start of its own arc.