CHAPTER 20:

SHADOW OF THE PAST

Harry knew, at least intellectually, why Rossweisse had asked him to come along with her for Akeno's little counselling session. But he still felt a little uncomfortable. After all, neither were trained or qualified psychologists or psychiatrists.

Still, during the lunch break the next day, they had asked to speak with Akeno alone. It said a lot for how seriously that Akeno was taking this that she didn't make any innuendoes. Or maybe Rias simply told her what was happening, and Akeno was taking it seriously.

"Rias told me you needed to speak with me about…my lineage," Akeno said.

Rossweisse nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry if this will dig up unpleasant memories, I really am, but my brief is to ensure you're all fighting optimally. Kiba's past doesn't seem to be affecting his fighting, as of yet, and Koneko has some genuine fears about her ki-based powers due to the rampage of her sister. Hence why you were first. Akeno, Harry and I are already well aware of your lineage, the daughter of Baraquiel and Shuri Himejima. We do not judge you for being part-Fallen, any more than we have issues with you being part-human, or a reincarnated Devil."

Akeno, after a moment, said, "Thanks. I…all that could easily have been so condescending, but…it's hard to admit, even to myself, that the blood of that man runs through my veins. Please don't refer to Baraquiel as my father, though. As far as I am concerned, that damned Cadre is just the sperm-donor."

Harry was struck by the bitterness in her tone, but kept quiet for now. Rossweisse looked down at a notebook. "I have to admit, you're making considerable progress, Akeno. While you still tend towards magical combat, you've picked up the essentials of the martial arts style I have been teaching you. Only Koneko has been faster in that regard. That will be vital in the Rating Game. Remember, you're more than just an amped-up Bishop. You have the traits of a Knight and a Rook too. Use that speed, strength, and endurance to your advantage. Even then, your mastery of magic is actually excellent. Honestly, once you were sufficiently physically trained, you'd be a worthy candidate to the Valkyries."

Akeno chuckled, albeit a little mirthlessly. "Rossweisse, while I know you're well-meaning, I know you're buttering me up for the inevitable bad news, so to speak. So please, get on with it. Tear that bandage off."

"…Very well," Rossweisse said. "After learning of your lineage and your abilities, I learned you have a particular affinity for lightning magic. And Baraquiel was known for using Holy Lightning. So, if you want me to rip off that bandage as you put it, I need to ask…are you capable and willing to use it?"

Akeno sighed resignedly. "…I called it. Capable…I used to be, long ago, before that bastard abandoned us, and the Himejima clan murdered my mother. They would have killed me if Rias hadn't stepped in." She looked up at them with her violet eyes. "…Rossweisse…Harry…do you know what it is like, to be a Nephilim turned Reincarnated Devil?"

"…I can imagine," Harry said. "If only a little."

"Oh, right, you were a Halfblood wizard, and of course, you were famous until that incident at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament made you infamous," Akeno said. "And famous for being orphaned by that warlock terrorist Voldemort. I'm sure the former Death Eaters hated you." She leaned forward. "…Did you ever hate your own magic, Harry? Even if only part of it?"

"…A few times, I wished I was normal," Harry confessed quietly. "The Dursleys, my relatives, called me a freak, all because I had magic and they did not. And sometimes, I hated my fame, I hated the way Voldemort and his followers seemed drawn to me, like filings to a magnet. And…even now, I know what it's like to have a father I hate, and yet have powers from him."

Akeno blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Rias knows, but…James Potter, apparently, was Loki in disguise as a human," Harry said with a shrug. "Through him, I have Jotunn abilities, mostly over ice magic and illusion. Look…I won't pretend to know everything about what you've been through, Akeno. Our lives have some parallels, but they don't match up completely. But even if I hate Loki for what he did to my mother, I still use the magic his blood gave me. Because I need to, given how dangerous the world is for me. Anyway, it's not like ice magic or illusion magic are inherently evil magical abilities. Same with your Holy Lightning. If anything, it could be a boon in the Rating Game."

"Hence why we are discussing this. It's too little time to try and work Gasper through his issues, given what I know of him, and Koneko, if reports about Kuroka's rampage are true, has every reason to fear her innate power," Rossweisse said. "But…the only thing stopping you from using your Holy Lightning is your spite towards Baraquiel, your hatred over what is truly a gift he gave you."

"…You're trying to manipulate me," Akeno said, though there was little heat in the words.

"No, if I wanted to do that, I would point out that, unless you give it your all, your King is going to end up a trophy wife to Riser Phenex at best, and you and the other girls in Rias' Peerage are going to end up as his concubines," Rossweisse said bluntly. "Whereas Holy Lightning can be a potent trump card, even against a Phenex. That would be trying to manipulate you, or at least guilt-trip you. I was trying to be gentle."

"I don't call this gentle," Akeno said, albeit with a sad and yet flirtatious smirk on her lips. "Have you ever considered being a dominatrix?"

As Rossweisse blushed, Harry facepalmed. "Akeno…we're trying to help you, and Rias."

"I know. I know. It's the only reason I am considering this, and I'm grateful for you telling me about your past and lineage, Harry," Akeno said solemnly. "Loki is notorious even outside the Norse Faction. For all that I have issues with Baraquiel, Loki is far worse, from what I have heard. And I don't hold that against you. Nobody sane should, as long as you're a good person. But it's not easy, getting rid of all that baggage."

Rossweisse nodded. "No, it's not, and I'm not a counsellor. I'm just trying to do what I can. In truth, I want to talk with you, Kiba and Koneko about your issues. Issei and Asia are coping well enough with their own issues, as far as I can tell, but you three have gone through some bad things in life, and I want to help resolve them before they do become a serious problem that will affect you and your friends. I do intend to become a teacher, and helping students with their problems should be one of the foundations of being a good teacher. If you want…I can help you learn how to wield Holy Lightning. I may not be able to use it properly myself, but I know some tricks to using lightning and holy magic that can be helpful."

After a moment, Akeno, who was looking pensive, eventually looked to Harry. "…I do have a question, Harry. I'm not sure whether I can do this yet, but I want to know in advance. Your illusion magic, can you make any training dummies look like anyone I want them to?"

"As long as I've seen them, even if only in a photo. Why?"

"Hmm…I think we actually have a Pensieve here, believe it or not," Akeno mused. "If I show you a memory of my father, can you make the dummies look like him?"

"Only if I can turn some of the dummies into Voldemort," Harry said.

Akeno chortled. "Oh my, if I do begin training in Holy Lightning, you have yourselves a deal…"

"Dude, Akeno's scary like that."

Harry chuckled as he and Issei watched Akeno attack the training dummies. Not with her Holy Lightning, she hadn't gained the confidence yet, but she was laughing her deceptively demure but heavily sadistic laugh as she annihilated the dummies who'd been changed by illusion to resemble Voldemort at least. "And you're only figuring this out now?"

"I saw her zapping a Stray Devil with her spells and laughing that noblewoman's laugh while doing it, so no, I figured it out earlier." Issei, who was taking a break from his training, looked to Harry. "Hey, by the way, Rias has another Bishop, doesn't she? She mentioned him in passing. He's not another pretty boy, is he?"

"Ehh, define pretty boy," Harry said.

"I mean like Kiba!"

"Oh, umm, no, but…well, I saw a picture with the dossier we got from Sirzechs Lucifer." Harry formed an illusion of Gasper Vladi, at least from the shoulders up.

"…Dude, that's a girl," Issei said deadpan.

"Nope," Harry said, indicating the rather effeminate-looking boy with short blonde hair and pointed ears. He also looked timid as anything. "Believe it or not, Gasper's a shut-in, and a transvestite."

"…He's a trap?" Issei asked, his tone flat and dead.

"If by that, you mean a ridiculously convincing crossdresser, then yes," Harry said.

"…There's no justice in the world. He's too cute to be a trap," Issei said flatly, before shaking his head. "Oh well, I guess I've seen weirder shit since just before I became a Devil. I never truly believed all this could exist, you know?" He waved his arm at the rest of the Peerage, and Rossweisse, who was currently showing Asia how to use Aikido as Rias and Kiba looked on. "Fallen Angels, Devils, wizards, Sacred Gears, gods from all pantheons…well, my life isn't boring these days, I'll tell you that much."

"Oh, believe me, you'll wish for boring sometimes, Issei," Harry said. "I speak from experience."

"Hey, I don't mean my life is interesting in the cursed sense of the term, Harry!" Issei said. "Well, Fallen Angels aside…but…it's like the world's better with these things in it, magic and Devils and Angels and shit…I mean, do you have any interesting tales?"

"Quite a few, actually. I could probably write books about my misadventures at Hogwarts if the wizarding world didn't come down on me like a ton of bricks," Harry said. "But…half the time, I ended up in those scrapes because I was an impulsive idiot. Like that time I saved a girl from a Basilisk…and before you ask, Issei, she was eleven, I was twelve, and she was also my friend's little sister."

"Got it!" Issei said, holding up his hands. "But seriously, a Basilisk? Like, a lizard thing with a petrifying stare like in those RPGs?"

"…Well, more of a huge snake with ridiculously lethal venom, but yes. Though the stare would kill you with direct eye contact, and petrified you indirectly. So I had to fight blind. That I won was more down to luck than anything else. I learned a few handy tips that day. Firstly, if you're fighting something poisonous, it helps if you have a Phoenix on standby. Their tears can heal anything, though I'm not sure how they're related to that arse Riser and his sister. Secondly, never trust something if you're not sure where its brain is." On Issei's puzzled look, he said, "My friend's sister? She was possessed by Voldemort's old diary, which had a memory or a fragment of him or something. It was taking her over."

"…Shit, really?"

"Yeah, but if it's any consolation, I found out that day why Voldemort called himself such. He derived that name from an anagram of his full name: Tom Marvolo Riddle. Shuffle around the English letters, and you get 'I am Lord Voldemort'."

Issei snorted. "Really? That chuunibyou turned his real name into an anagram that was such an edgy name?"

"Yeah, but keep in mind, he was a dangerous bastard. To him, you'd be livestock at best, at least before Rias turned you into a Devil. Remember, wizarding Nazi."

"Yeah, got it, not like Japan was much better in the Second World War, from what I heard," Issei said solemnly. "But he's gone for good now?"

"Hopefully. But he managed to come back once. Dumbledore seemed to think he knows how he survived, and was trying to deal with that, last I heard. Hopefully, the White Dragon Emperor will be more reasonable than him as a nemesis or rival…"

In the Grigori HQ, a silver-haired young man sneezed, before scowling. "…Is there someone talking about me behind my back?" Vali Lucifer mused.

"Maybe. Honestly, I'm hoping so too." He looked over to the mountains, his expression becoming solemn. "…That bitch Raynare was enough for me when it comes to a nemesis. In hindsight, I got suckered in by her, played like a fiddle, no, a kazoo. I was so overjoyed to have a girlfriend that I didn't realise what was going on until she turned into a winged dominatrix and then shanked me." He closed his eyes, and muttered, "Would you die for me, Issei? Those were her words just before she transformed and then killed me. And let me tell you, dying like that was not fun, even without her taunting me before she fucked off and let me bleed out."

"Yeah. I came close with the Basilisk biting me, as well as Dementors swarming me trying to eat my soul, but I never actually died, thankfully. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Hey, it's not your fault, it was Raynare's. That, and I got suckered in," Issei said with a wave of his hand. "But I appreciate it, dude. It's not like I can talk to my parents about it, they're not in the know, and Rias and the others know about it already."

"…But do they know what you felt like when you died, Issei?"

"I…uhh…ahhh…" Issei blinked, before he winced. "I…I haven't exactly talked about it. I guess I was too excited about being resurrected and all."

"Well, talk to Rias at the bare minimum. And maybe talk to the others. I mean, Kiba was dead himself before he was recruited into the Peerage, according to the file."

"Yeah. I mean…I hated him, that pretty boy prince, winning the attention of the ladies, but after what he said…" Issei shook his head. "I mean, I still hate him a little, he's got the looks and the brains to be the perfect student, but…bloody hell, seeing your friends being gassed like that…it's fucked up. I mean, he hasn't spoken much about this Holy Swords Project thing, but I wouldn't have wished whatever he went through on him. And I already know Asia's story. As for Akeno and Koneko…I haven't heard much about their pasts, but what I do know…well, they deserve better than to be that fried chicken douchebag's sex slaves! And Rias…she deserves better than Riser."

"Don't worry, we'll help her win," Harry said. "I hope so, anyway…"

CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:

So, here you have it. Akeno's been confronted, albeit gently, and Issei's confessed some feelings.

Now, a common criticism in many fanfics relating to High School DxD is why Akeno and Koneko, with Rias' freedom and their own on the line, do nothing to train up their particular abilities. Koneko's recalcitrance, to my knowledge, is perfectly understandable and reasonable: as far as anyone knows, Kuroka went berserk thanks to Senjutsu, and Koneko and everyone else around her are worried about the same thing. Of course, this turns out to be untrue, but given the information they have at the time, it's understandable.

Akeno, on the other hand, is basically emulating Shouto Todoroki from My Hero Academia. While I think what Izuku does to Shouto in canon and a lot of fanfics is a dick move, given the trauma involved, he has a point. Just because the power comes from the hated parental figure doesn't necessarily make it bad.

Now, Rossweisse, genius though she is, is no shrink. She's trying to muddle her way through counselling. I wanted to do this in a way where she's not shown to be incompetent or lacking in compassion, but also for her to put some hard truths to Akeno. But she also brought Harry in, who has every reason to hate the abilities given to him by Loki. That helped get through to Akeno, and while it won't be until towards the end of their training that she does bite the bullet and try to use Holy Lightning, they've made a good start.

As for Issei, I wanted to reconstruct his character somewhat. For all his perversion, one thing he shares with Harry is empathy, even if it takes a bit for Issei's empathy to get into gear. I also wanted to show how badly Raynare's attack on him affected him, and how learning something of Kiba's past early has helped reshape his opinion of Kiba.

In some ways, Harry is Issei's senpai to the rest of the supernatural world, a mentor of sorts. Harry's been where Issei is, dropped into the deep end, and made to sink or swim. And as Harry is clearly in a relationship with Rossweisse, Issei doesn't view him as a threat to any potential haremettes. So their relationship is growing stronger.

I had considered having Koneko discuss her past with Harry and Rossweisse, but felt it was a touch forced here. I'm doing a time-skip to the Rating Game for the next chapter, so that will have to wait…

Review-answering time! I'm glad my solution to the Riser problem was so well received. I was originally saving it for the Harry/Rias story I've been working on, but my latest efforts have gone belly-up, and I need to rest the concept for now, as I'm burnt out on it.

Nathair1: Yes, he still has Parseltongue, but he won't be going anywhere near Jormungandr for now. No, he won't be reuniting with Loki anytime soon.

No numbered annotations this time.