Like Blades of Fury said, I realized the transition between Catgirl and Retaliation was way too punishing. I have this bad habit, so here it is: A Yuni chapter to fill things in. Thanks for the comments, as they help me correct these sort of errors.
Sorry for the mix up.
"Did you want something?" The young devil lord had asked, getting away from the place the nekomata were using to instruct Gen.
"I need to leave." Yuzu had told him, intertwining her fingers behind her back as she eyed the slime to make sure it wasn't close.
"Again?" The devil raised an eyebrow, lips pursed into a thin line.
"Yes." Yuzu didn't elaborate. She didn't need to.
"I understand, but what will I do to train Genshirou without you?" The devil sighed, his mind still on the blond in spite of talking about something else entirely.
She didn't doubt he cared for the boy's power, but sometimes it felt like the devil lord cared a little too much about the boy. Like he was as fragile as ceramic, like he'd break if not handled with care.
It'd be counterintuitive to Gen's growth. If the young lord didn't let Gen stretch his hands and experience things on his own, it'd stunt his growth no matter how many things are taught to him.
Yuzu said none of these things.
"Deal with it yourself." She stared at the black nekomata messing around with Gen, Yuzu still didn't trust her. But at least she seemed to calm down about pushing Gen around too much.
Yuzu would have to keep an eye on her, though. Given that Kuroka had a price on her head. And she didn't want to be associated with someone that hid her, if she were to escape.
"Is this about Kuroka?" The young lord asked like he had read Yuzu's mind, but at this point she kind of expected him to at least have an idea of anything she tried to do.
A safe assumption. If she were to untangle herself from him, given the need, she'd have to take his seemingly random knowledge very present.
"Yes." Yuzu didn't try to hide this either, shrugging "It'd be bad for business if I were to become a wanted criminal too. Not like I work for devils…"
"Not until now." He added.
"This and that are different." Yuzu shook her head "Officially, I don't."
"Right, got it."
"Yes. Well, this is also different. One of the Three Factions has a wanted criminal, and said criminal is running around at my doorstep. I can't deal with that."
"If it's better, you can just skip being around her." The devil lord caressed his chin "We can work something out from there, but it should be a start."
A start. Not enough to safeguard Yuzu's livelihood, but this man would never hold all the answers in his hands.
"Clean this up." Yuzu frowned "I'll leave if I have to. Endangering my neck doesn't have to be reckless nor stupid. It should be planned, you promised a logical course of action."
"I did. I'll give you that." The devil nodded, arms crossed but his body language remained open.
Yuzu's eyes closed up with doubt.
"I promised, you're right. If you find my proposal disagreeable, then I'll hear out your demands."
"It's never this easy." Yuzu pointed out.
"We got on a rough start, but our goals are still aligned. You're looking after yourself, I get that." He blew some air from his mouth, amused "I'll repay your lack of backstabbing with the same level of trust."
Yuzu relaxed a bit, having seen this guy speak up for a few weeks already. She kept her eyes out for signs of betrayal, but at least they had always managed to come to an agreement before. Barring the slime. So, even if Kuroka fell into a similar category as the monster, Yuzu still felt confident enough in giving him the benefit of doubt.
"Can I ask for provisions then?"
"I thought you gathered your own exorcist tools." The devil tilted his head.
"I mean money, and maybe a place to crash."
"I don't think I can get you a place without raising Sona's concern, but money I can spare." The devil turned his eyes again to his Bishop.
"I can leave some exercises for him, if it's that big of a deal." Yuzu thought about it for a moment and, given that the guy seemed good enough with physical exercise, considered the idea of just letting him develop his body for now.
"No need." The devil replied instantly "I was only half-joking. I'll just let him practice with Absorption Line even more."
Yuzu frowned.
"Be careful with overextension. I have a bad feeling about the Miracle Child, and I don't think things resolved with just that group."
"Yeah. Things are never this easy." The young lord gave her a small smile "If push comes to shove, I'll try to get Rias and Sona to push back. It'll give Genshirou some experience, and it should be safe enough."
Battles were never safe, and he shouldn't drop his guard about it. But again, Yuzu didn't speak up.
It was common sense. She didn't have to say it.
"It might come to that." She replied instead.
"It always does." He added "People who think they are in the right always come back for more. Besides, that Witch Hunter didn't manage to snatch Genshirou's Sacred Gear. Ideally, we'd surround him before he activates his Balance Breaker and… I don't know. Have Genshirou sap Delete Field?"
"That's way too optimistic. I doubt it'll be that simple." She could label half a dozen ways that would go wrong before the first step, without even thinking too deeply about it. It sounded ridiculous, to the point Yuzu wondered if the young lord said it seriously at all.
"I know, I know. Still, it's enough of an idea to make plans around."
Yuzu frowned. It sounded right, but too barebones to comment on it seriously. He couldn't expect things to go that way even slightly, right?
"Now I'm getting nervous." Yuzu gave him an annoyed look "Please don't do something stupid and die on me. Gen didn't do anything to deserve that fate."
"I'd have thought your line of work saw people getting used to it." His insensibility astonished her, but not so much the confident way in which he said such outrageous things.
"Yes." Yuzu hissed "But I don't want to get used to it myself."
In a small village, mostly away from prying eyes, lived three people. The man spent a lot of time with the daughter, while the mother mostly spent said time indoors. The little girl liked playing around and enjoying nature, so not much could be done about the time they spent together.
The father covered up for the mother, however. So things mostly worked out in the end. Mostly.
"Keep the sword straight, Yuzu." The father instructed, having raised his own wooden stick to demonstrate what he meant.
The little Yuzu complied, sweating and running out of steam as she struggled to keep the weighted object in the way she was instructed.
"I… I can't…" Her hands shook so much she feared that her grip would falter, but bravely kept up with the demands as she knew her father's disappointment would hurt a lot more than the pain caused by the long sessions of training.
"Yes you can, sweetheart. C'mon. Last push."
Yuzu complied, slowly lifting the fake sword until she managed to get the thing straight. She gave her father a worried smile, pleading with her eyes for this all to be over.
Her father slowly motioned like he was going to slash her, and her smile dropped.
"Dad…"
"C'mon, honey. You can do it."
Yuzu gritted her teeth and turned the blade, trying to keep her gris as steady as physically possible, in a parrying position. Her father's blade bonked her own, and he turned to follow up.
Yuzu wanted to cry, but obediently changed stances again. Getting the position right before her father could bonk her.
He nodded and dropped his stance. Yuzu let the thing drop to the floor and took a lot of air, filling herself with relief as much as with oxygen.
"Good job, that's my girl." Her father crossed the distance and took her between his arms, letting Yuzu rest from the hellish physical exercise she had been tasked to do "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. But it's for your own good. I hope you know that."
The little Yuzu nodded, hiding her face against her father's chest. She didn't understand her parents' insistence on training. Not yet. And although she had come to resent these long sessions, eventually that's all she'd cling to when the unknown forces came to strike at her little haven. Separating her from her parents for years until she crawled back to a reunion by her own strength alone.
For now… The child would hate training, at least for a couple of years more.
Miyuzuin Yaegaki-Belial remembered her life as such.
"I'm home." In a village mostly away from civilization, stood the remnants of a small house. Weeds had overtaken it, and some farm animals walked around while eating away insects and plants.
No one took it back, for not enough people lived around to be worth the effort. Plus, Yuzu made sure to keep this place out of prying eyes through other means. Which meant that it was the perfect hiding spot to cool off and think.
In the backyard, a cross and a stone stood in the center. Right at the head of their respective rectangle of dirt, oddly clean unlike everything else around.
Yuzu approached and crouched, holding her hands in a praying position in front of the cross. Closing her eyes to mimic praying for a couple of seconds before going to the stone and simply placing her hands on her legs.
She waited, and the names carved on the center of both the cross and the stone bore holes in Yuzu's mind.
Yaegaki Masaomi.
Cleria Belial.
Their reunion hadn't been a happy one. Fingers were pointed, faults ran rampant across their mouths. Chaos reigned until those people came back.
Respite had never been in stock, and Yuzu's reunion with her parents was short lived.
At least, she supposed, she got to bury them herself.
And so she started hunting them down. Her friends, those that she met during her time away from home, helped her fulfill this purpose. Encouraged her to keep going when she drew blanks on who to pursue next, who to put the blame on.
And, when her oath was over, pushed her to keep on working. Keep on living.
Some of them were gone now, too. She supposed it came along with the kind of job she had, the kind of life her parents brought her into.
And now… The Khaos Brigade.
"Miyu-chan?" A black haired girl approached, leaving her hiding spot as easily as she made her presence disappear.
"Miyu." Yuzu stood back up and cleaned her face off before turning, giving her friend and teammate an apologetic smile "Sorry. I didn't startle you, did I?"
Kurokami Miyuki shook her head. Normally, she would be the person that kept her face straight and her emotions in check. But Yuzu had managed to land herself in an awkward spot where she alone had become the exception.
"You've been gone for quite a while. Are you sure everything's alright?" Miyuki asked. It always felt awkward when this girl gave her such a worried expression.
"Work's steady." Yuzu shrugged "And I think I'm in the middle of something important. Just… Y'know, it's hard."
"You know you can rely on us." Miyuki reminded her, and Yuzu shook her head "It's about Gielos' records, isn't it?"
Yuzu stopped herself from giving her a smile. Miyuki had always been sharp.
"Sorta. I think something's wrong, but it might be to everyone's advantage." She thought back about Diodora Astaroth and frowned "...Like that'd happen. No. There's a monster that needs hunting, but it's gone well beyond my ability to handle it."
Miyuki frowned.
"That bad?"
"It's a monster too dangerous to be left alive." Yuzu explained.
"But too strong to kill…"
"Something like that."
"Then we should talk with more people." Miyuki sounded like her usual self now. All business and zero warmth in her voice. Yuzu felt more comfortable with her like this.
"Its master is keeping it safe for now." Yuzu looked away. She had no doubt the devil lord wanted the Oblex gone, but she couldn't help think he'd get in the way of removing the creature for good "He might understand the danger better than us. That thing can probably fight us off by itself. It's capable of…"
Yuzu looked around, suddenly all too aware of Stain's ability to shapeshift and adopt any identity it wanted.
"...What?" Miyuki frowned, still in business mode.
Yuzu took a small stone and pricked her finger with it, drawing a drop of blood.
"Miyu, what the hell?"
"Your turn." Yuzu gave the other girl the stone, unsure whether it'd satisfy her or not.
"What… What kind of thing have you been fighting?" Miyuki looked weirded out, almost scared.
"Your turn." Yuzu simply repeated herself.
Miyuki sighed and did as instructed. Yuzu took the drop of blood and examined it.
She took her light sword and placed it close to it. The drop didn't react.
"Miyu, explain yourself." Miyuki insisted.
"It's… It's a long story…" Not really, but Yuzu needed a moment to calm down and feel safe again.
"We've got all day. If it's that dangerous, then we need to discuss it in length."
"Unlikely. I…" Yuzu almost choked on her own words "It's complicated."
"I still won't leave you alone until you explain yourself." Miyuki crossed her arms "If push comes to shove, we'll get the church involved. You're not alone, please remember that."
Yuzu suddenly felt unsafe again.
"Please don't do that."
Miyuki didn't relent.
"We'll see. Now, speak."
"I…" Yuzu took a lungful of air "Where do I even begin…?"
"From the beginning."
Yuzu closed her eyes. She hated lying to her friends, but she doubted that speaking about the Khaos Brigade would do her any good.
Half lies, then. She just hoped that whatever the young devil lord did wouldn't set her small world off. She'd hate for the two pieces to collide.
And please don't call the church.
Yuzu crossed her fingers. There was so much to say and so much to hide. She hated feeling vulnerable like this.
Vulnerability got her family ruined, after all.