I own nothing but my OC(s).
Chapter 11: A Promise
Kyoto, Japan, Yasaka's Palace
A week has passed since Keith and Kunou helped the young girl who introduced herself as Alessia Bianchi, a nun working for the Vatican ever since she turned four. When she first woke up, she thought she was kidnaped, only for Kunou to quickly melt her fears away as she hugged the trembling nun gently and promised her that she was safe.
Kuroka quickly warmed up to her because Alessia reminded her of Shirone a lot, well, of the younger Shirone at least. She didn't have the chance to talk to her sister much in the past years so she couldn't know what she was like. From the few times she managed to watch over her, she noticed that her little sister wasn't as cheerful and easy-going as she used to, making her chest hard with guilt even more than it already was.
Yasaka welcomed the young nun with open arms until someone from either Heaven or Vatican would come and pick her up. When asked why, she simply said that it was the right thing to do. She couldn't, in all conscience, let a fifteen years old to roam aimlessly around Kyoto or anywhere else for the matter. Of course, when the girl found out that she was talking to the Leader of the West Youkai Faction, she quickly became a stuttering mess, prompting Yasaka to giggle at her nervousness, the latter telling her that it was fine to call her by her name only, and not "Yasaka-sama" or "Lady Yasaka".
And as for Keith, he was by far the easiest to talk to for Alessia. Since he was a human as well, she didn't feel as intimidated as she would by others. She didn't interact much with beings other than Angels, and even then, she rarely ever talked to one. Giving the fact that she had a bubbly personality, similar to Kunou's, she became friends with Keith in no time.
Currently, Alessia and Kuroka were watching intently at the sparring matchup between Keith and Hokori, well more so the former than the latter, the Black Cat preferring to lounge on a bench and take a nap. Kunou didn't join them today because she had something to talk about with Yasaka.
"Good Keith!" Hokori praised as he had to dodge a swing from Keith. The two were at it for more than thirty minutes and neither showed any signs of exhaustion which impressed the young nun to no end seeing a normal human who was introduced to the supernatural world only for a little over a month ago hold his own against a Youkai, a very strong one at that. Sure they were only sparring, but it still was something.
The young man then materialized spears made out of holy energy which resembled the True Longinus around Hokori which without wasting a moment, they plunged forward. Hokori immediately covered himself with his tails, making the spears shatter once they collided with him.
After he evaded the spears, Hokori dove forward, making Keith block a thrust from the wolf, then he pushed against him and began his assault with a double thrust, followed quickly by a shaft strike, then by another swing.
The wolf Youkai dodged the combo, then responded to it with one of his own. He jump-attacked, bringing Gae Buidhe down with such force that it would have injured Keith quite a bit, had he not dodged. The ground was cracked instead.
"Oi! I thought we were sparring." Keith said dryly, giving his sensei a flat look. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Ahah, apologies, I got way into the moment there." Hokori rubbed his head. "Anyway, that is enough for today."
The young man nodded as he dematerialized the True Longinus.
"You are getting better, faster." The wolf said. "Once your skill with the spear will be honed enough, you will be a force to be reckoned with."
"That's good to hear." Keith said with a nod.
"Impressive Kei-kun." Kunou made her appearance. "You are getting better and better with wielding the True Longinus."
"Thank you Kunou." He offered a smile in return.
"I hope you are well today, Ale-chan." Kunou looked at the young nun. "My mom said that someone will come today to pick you up."
"Really?" The girl asked, hyped up.
"Oh jeez, I wasn't aware we were such bad hosts, nya." Kuroka joked upon seeing the relief the nun was showing.
"Ah! T-That's not what I meant!" Alessia flailed her arms around. "You are wonderful people and I am happy that you let me stay here."
"Relax." The cat chuckled. "I was merely joking, nya."
"O-Oh." The blonde girl deflated, then looked back at Kunou. "Are they from the Vatican?"
The fox shook her head.
"You will be picked up by an Angel."
Alessia was surprised to hear that, but didn't say anything.
"Speaking of, I believe we should meet up with mom."
When they reached Yasaka's meeting room, they all felt a Holy presence, a strong one at that.
"Ah there you are." Yasaka smiled at them as she took a sip of her tea.
Their attention was instantly caught by the blonde haired and green eyed young man dressed in priest clothes. He had a carefree smile on his face.
"Dulio-sama?!"
"Yo." He gave them a two finger salute. "I am pleased to see you are not hurt piccola Alessia."
"I-I told you not to call me that!" The young nun was beet red.
"Eh? But you never had a problem with me calling you that in the past." The former human teased.
"Always going "big brother Dulio" and following me everywhere." He chuckled.
"T-That…"She had no words to utter as her face exploded in embarrassment.
"Anyway, thank you for keeping her safe." The exorcist bowed in gratitude. "My name is Dulio Gesualdo, a reincarnated Angel, as well as Michael-sama's Joker." For emphasis, ten pure white wings and a halo manifested on his back, respectively above his head.
"Woah." Keith breathed out. He was staring at the white wings with such admiration that one would believe his eyes were going to pop out only to get a closer look.
"How come he never looked at my tails like that." Kunou muttered, pouting. She grabbed one with her hand and ran her fingers through it.
"You must be the one who currently wields the True Longinus." Dulio chuckled as he saw the black haired young man flinch out of his daze.
"Ah, yeah, name's Keith Nakamura." He offered Dulio a hand which the Angel shook.
"A pleasure to meet the Holy Emperor himself."
After Kunou and Kuroka introduced themselves, the young Angel made his way towards Alessia and hugged her gently.
"I am so relieved that you weren't badly hurt, or else…" He said the last part softly.
"I am fine…big brother." She said with a smile, hugging him back.
"They are so cute." Kunou squealed.
"Yeah…" Kuroka trailed off. She was content that the two were this close to one another, like sister and brother, but she couldn't shake off both the longing and the slight jealousy she was feeling right now.
"It reminds you of your sister, doesn't it?" Keith inquired softly. He didn't know everything that transpired in her past, but nobody should be away from their family, let alone be resented by it.
Kuroka merely nodded.
"If you want to talk about anything, I am always free to lend an ear." Keith whispered loud enough for her to hear.
She didn't say anything, but her ears twitched meaning she heard him.
"I want to thank the both of you for saving Alessia." Dulio grabbed Keith and Kunou's attention. "If you wouldn't have been there…" He clenched his hands into fists, but calmed down once the young nun grabbed one of his clenched fists.
"Of course Dulio-san. We are happy that we managed to get in time." Kunou said. "I don't even want to imagine what could have become of Alessia if the Astaroth heir got his hands on her."
"Astaroth…" Dulio narrowed his eyes at the name. "We might have a problem here…"
"Why?" Keith inquired curiously.
"We received reports from churches around the world that some of their nuns were disappearing."
"And you believe that he is the one behind it?" Yasaka asked.
"We do not have anything clear, but I personally do." The former human admitted. "That is why, if I may Yasaka-sama, would like to ask for your help?"
"It depends on what will you require from us." The older Kyuubi said.
"Nothing too extreme, I can assure you." Dulio chuckled. "All I am asking of you is to keep an eye open around here. Maybe you will stumble upon other nuns who need salvation."
The kitsune gave him a smile.
"Of course, Dulio-san. If we find out anything important, you will be the first to be noticed."
"I appreciate it." The blond haired man nodded.
"It's time for us to go, Alessia." He looked at her.
"Okay. Thank you all for being so nice to me! I hope we will meet each other again someday." The nun exclaimed. She was sad that she had to leave now, but was confident that their paths will cross again.
Keith waved his hand. Kunou and Yasaka smiled and said their goodbyes, but Kuroka remained silent. The exorcist and the nun then disappeared in a bright light.
"Are you fine, Kuroka-chan?" Kunou asked.
"Huh?" The cat flinched when she heard her name.
"I asked if you are fine."
"Yeah, nothing's wrong, nya." Kuroka put on a forced smile.
"If you say so…" Kunou trailed off.
The cat Youkai looked at Keith for a moment, then left the room to do whatever her business was. Little did anyone know that she was far from fine.
The few next days were very peaceful and Keith couldn't be more thankful for that, however…
"I am really worried about Kuroka-chan." Kunou said. She didn't show to the training today either.
"Did this happen before?" Keith asked as he was drying his hair with a towel. He needed to take a bath after every training session since he would sweat a lot.
"No." Kunou shook her head. "She didn't really tell us about her past all that much either. Only that she had to kill her master so she could save her little sister. She never mentioned anything else and when we would ask about it, she would either deflect the question or just straight up decline to answer."
"It means she bottled up feelings until this point and when she saw the sibling bond Dulio and Alessia had, something might have cracked inside her." Keith said.
"And it surely didn't help that Alessia probably reminded her of Shirone…" Kunou added.
"Did you talk to her?" The young man asked.
"I tried to…but she didn't allow me to come inside her room and told me to leave her alone." She answered.
"Let me try." Keith requested.
"You think you can help her?" Kunou inquired hopefully. "But don't you have lessons with my mother to attend to?"
"I hope I will be able to do something…at the very least. And I am sure Yasaka won't be too mad with me if I skip for today."
"Very well, you go and see what you can do. I will go and let mother know." She said. "Oh and Kei-kun…" She pecked him on the cheek and offered him a sweet smile. "Thank you."
The human blushed slightly at her. The smile that adorned on her face was so damn cute, not to mention that she kissed him…again! Did it mean something…?
"I didn't do anything to be thanked yet." He said, managing not to stutter.
"Even so, I hope you will succeed." She then left towards her mother's meeting room.
"Alright." He slapped his cheeks. "Let's do this.
When he reached Kuroka's room, he stopped in front of her door and took a deep breath. He wasn't the best when it came to comfort someone, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least make an effort. When he first came here, Kuroka was one of the few that welcomed him with open arms. Sure she'd tease and joke around a lot, but Keith now believed she did that only to distract herself from thinking about her younger sister.
"Hey Kuroka, may I come in?" He knocked on the door.
No answer.
"I know you probably do not want to talk with anyone, but believe me…it can make wonders."
"I do not need to talk…I just want to be alone for now…" He hard Kuroka's weak voice behind the door. "I will be fine."
"You and I both know that's not true." Keith said. "There is nothing wrong with asking others for help, you know?"
The Black Cat didn't utter a word.
The young man sighed, then he sat down and leaned against the wall.
"You know…it's not too let to make amends with your sister." Keith stated. "I think she is more confused rather than angry at you. I believe all she wants right now is to know the truth."
He heard a click from the door.
Kuroka opened the door a little and looked through it.
Keith could barely see her hazel eyes in the dark.
"Why do you think that?" Her voice was soft and he noticed that she didn't use her 'nya' at the end of the sentences anymore.
"If she truly loves you, then she will forgive you Kuroka. She cannot resent you forever because you are the only family she has left." Keith said. "All you two have to do right now is talk."
"How? The Underworld, while it doesn't consider me a wanted criminal anymore, still sees me as someone dangerous and her master wouldn't let me approach her." She scoffed.
"Then let's think about something together." He proposed as he got up.
"Why help me?" She asked.
"Well, we are friends aren't we?" Keith smiled. "While I wasn't the most popular kid in high school, nor did I have many friends, I do know that when you are friends with someone, you help them when in need."
Kuroka looked at him in surprise for a moment, then opened up the door so he could enter in.
The young man saw that her room was mostly clean, aside from the chocolate packaging which were littering the floor along with used napkins, as well as the unmade bed.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" He inquired. Seeing her giving him the sign it was fine, he sat on her bed and motioned for her to do the same.
"Tell me, how do you feel right now?"
"Sad, angry, frustrated, guilty…" She listed.
"It shows that you care."
"Of course I care!" She hissed. "Shirone is my little sister. After mother died, I took it upon myself to take care of her. I clothed her, I made food for her, I listened to any problems she had."
She then smiled as she remembered something pleasant.
"She would always run around and play, with a big radiant smile on her face, knowing that her big sister had her back." Her smile fell. "Yet I failed her."
"You didn't." Keith shook his head.
"I did." Kuroka said vehemently. "After I killed my master, Devils immediately swarmed the place and we had to run. They hunted us for Satan knows how long, until one day, they managed to catch up to us." Her breath was out of control at this point. "I tried to tell them again and again that I killed the Naberius heir because he wanted to experiment on my sister, yet they didn't budge. We were separated from each other. After I managed to kill the remaining Devils, Shirone was nowhere to be found. I searched for her all over the place until I managed to sneak inside the capital city and saw her ready to be executed." At this point, Kuroka's floodgates opened. She was sniffing and her hands were trembling.
"Thankfully, it never came to that because Sirzechs Lucifer defended her and allowed her to live with his family in the Gremory territory."
"You didn't try to take her because you thought it would be safer for her to live with this Gremory clan, didn't you?" Keith asked gently.
"Yes." Kuroka nodded, wiping her tears away with the sleeves of her kimono. "At that moment, I wasn't thinking straight. All I wanted for her was to be safe. I knew that the Gremory clan treated their servants like family so I thought it was a good idea at that moment but I began to feel guilty. I knew I betrayed her trust in me the moment I didn't return for her."
She was again surprised when Keith wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug.
"Everything will be fine Kuroka." He said gently. "You two will be reconciled with one another. I promise this to you."
"H-Huh?" She widened her eyes.
"I promise to you that I will do anything in my power to help you." He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "And not only me, but also Kunou and Yasaka will be more than happy to help you."
"I-I…" She began. "Why?"
"I told you already…we are friends, right? It doesn't sit well with me if my friend is crying herself to sleep you know?"
"B-But…we don't know each other-"
"That well? Doesn't matter. I will let you in on something: when I was little, I always wanted to be a hero." He chuckled. "So let this hero lend you a hand."
"You having anything other than a smile on your face doesn't sit well with me Kuroka. You have suffered enough, now let me, us, help you." He continued.
She sniffed one less time and returned the hug, wrapping her hands tightly around him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated as she nuzzled her head against the crook of his neck. He patted her on the back soothingly.
"No problem, that's what friends are for." He said softly. They stood like that for a few moments.
"You told me that the Underworld doesn't consider yourself a wanted criminal anymore, how did that happen?" He asked as the two broke the hug.
After she dried her tears, Kuroka looked at him.
"The Four Satans investigated the place more carefully and found traces of forbidden magic in Naberius' lab after some time of the incident. They concluded that the experiments he did were inhumane and that I was a victim. The Elder Devils didn't like that, so they didn't settle until I was given some sort of punishment: I was not to come into the Underworld, no matter what."
"So, all what the Four Satans managed to do was to at least revoke your criminal status, yet you are still to be killed on sight if they find you there?"
"Yes." Kuroka nodded. "I am grateful to be given at least that."
"Yasaka would have protected you anyway." Keith stated. "How did you find her anyway?"
"It's more like she found me." Kuroka said. "It's a long story, but the short version is that she found me when I was passing through Kyoto some years ago. She felt my presence and immediately could tell that I was a Nekoshou and giving the events that happened after the Naberius incident, she was more than open to hear me out."
"Um…what happened-"
"A story for another time." Kuroka laughed softly, then her stomach rumbled, making her blush in embarrassment.
"What do you say we eat something, huh?" Keith proposed, chuckling.
"I would like that, nya." Kuroka smiled.
'I can see why Kunou likes you.' She thought, her cheeks becoming a pink hue.
A/N: Hello people! Exiled here. So finally a new chapter! I am trying to update AT LEAST once a week. I am quite busy right now, but hopefully I will still find time and be in the mood to write. What do you say about this chapter? Did you like the scene between Kuroka and Keith? I tried to write it as best as I could. I hope it isn't that bad lol. If you have any tips on how to write an emotion scene better, do help me out! Also as a side note: the Four Satans didn't know that the experiments were about creating a Super Devil, hence why Kuroka was offered only "half" of her freedom.
Now, let's check the reviews!
Trueopulence: Nope, not Asia. I agree, Diodora is quite the idiot, huh?
lucinziel: I have considered to bring in Brynhildr and will probably do so in the future. Not quite sure yet. Also about Scathach, I do not want to add any non-DxD characters to this fanfic. But worry not! Next fanfic will have some!
TheCrimsonShout: Thanks a lot mate! Yes I agree, with what you've said about the simple and unique nicknames.
GhostlyDrew: Ah I see. Hmm let's see…Gods will be more powerful here than in canon because I really see no reason for them to be weak lol. In actual mythology, Gods are fucking OP, so the more known ones (Zeus, Amaterasu, Athena, Artemis, Freya, Thor, etc.) will be as strong as Sirzechs and Ajuka since they are major gods and goddesses and yes that means Odin as well. Like I cannot see Odin lose so easily against Zechs and Ajuka…I am sorry but I just can't lol. Ultimate class is not changed. Grayfia, Serafall and whoever pertains of this class will remain the same. The only one I changed was Yasaka, and a tiny bit Kuroka. Some Gods will be as strong as the Heavenly Dragons, some even stronger than them, while others will be shit on by Ultimate Class. I hope this makes sense…I am not really good at explaining power stuff lol. If you have any more questions, write me a DM and I will be happy to clarify! I just hope I will be able to xd.
AronMan1202: I agree. I tend to overlook that ability. I will try to use it more often.
Dante687: I still am not 100% sure I will give him one, but if I do you will definitely see it!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favoured and followed! I cannot tell you guys how much it brightens my day to see people liking what I write. It offers me a boost to continue, ya know?
I apologize if here are any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
With all these being said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It offered me an idea on what to write next.
As always, if I forgot something, I will probably remember in the next A/N.