Chapter 6 : Backbone.

By the end of lunch break, I was still regularly having laughing fits when thinking back at the flustered look on Sona's face when she realized how deep she put her foot in her mouth.

The most hilarious part to me? The fact that, had she not pretended to be Japanese-born, she obviously wouldn't have given a rat's ass that I was inked: Devils were doing far worse to themselves back in Hell.

But because she was pretending that her birth name was Shitori? Well, she had to commit to the bit, and show a proper level of disappointment mixed with distrust.

All of that, only for it to backfire on her ass when unknowingly gossiping about Rias' new friend, who just happened to be seated next to her?

I snort aloud, prompting a worried and ashamed Rias to throw me an awkward gaze as she walks next to me, but I wave her concern away.

I just can't, man: the chain of events is just too hilarious for me.

I mean, had I been a proper teenage girl, with the life experiences of one? I would probably be mortified and deeply thinking about how my social life was over and shits.

But, well, I couldn't really bring myself to even start to care, so that was that.

"Sorry," I snort another laugh, "Just: her face."

"You seem to have taken that rather well, if you're still laughing about it." Akeno offhandedly comments from above her King's shoulder.

"Ah ah…" I trail off, letting my laughter die after wiping a tear pearling at the corner of my eye, "Well, it's just, tell me: why would I even let myself be bothered by high-school drama, exactly?"

That makes her pause and tilt her head in thought.

"...Social pressure?" the half-fallen angel hazards after a beat.

"Yeah, no." I reject instantly, my two arms crossed in front of my chest in a warding X gesture, "Those girls aren't my friends, why would I care about what they think about me?"

"They could make your life difficult, I imagine."

I give her a dubious look, before shrugging.

"Well then, I'll just-" I start, just as I cross the classroom threshold-

-only to get doused under water, making me sputter, a few laughs echoing around me.

"Ah, take that, you proud-"

That's approximately as far as the ring-leader of the would-be bullying club goes as I instantly see ReD.

I whirl on the speaker, a prissy blonde with a water bottle in her hand-

Smack!

-and immediately deck her in the face, feeling something break under my knuckles, startled gasps getting heard.

I take a deep inhale, before exhaling, casting tHe VoIcEs away, and calmly turn myself back toward Rias and Akeno-

-to see the crimson haired devil is fuming, her Queen wearing a very pinched expression.

I flick my now wet hair to the side and away from my eyes.

"Then," I answer to the previously asked question, my tone biting and a bit louder than usual, "I'll just show them how much of a fucking bad idea pissing me off is."

"By Boze!" blondie articulates -or at least tries to-, her voice nasally, "You zust-"

I step into her personal space, eyes full of murder, making a few of her tag-along scatter while yelping.

"Listen, you prissy cunt," I whisper right in her ear, my voice eerily calm, "Your little bullying attempts wont work, because you'll only hurt yourself, so fucking drop it, fucking right now, or you'll end up in a shallow grave."

I'm actually lying here.

Because I'm pretty sure a controlled application of Soulfire would leave nothing for the authorities to find.

"I'm not like you, and I'll never be, and you know why?

"Because I didn't need my daddy to pay me an entry into a prestigious high-school to make me feel good about myself. Because I got in on a scholarship. Because I'm an orphan who's learnt to fight for everything she has since the age of three.

"Don't play stupid games with me, or you're going to win stupid prizes, because I won't let you win."

I step back and away, staring at the absolute tart-

-only to see her badly shaking, her eyes filled with tears, the hand covering her nose bloody, and the top part of her blazer already stained with blood drops.

My eyes slide downard, and my lips curl up as the smell of ammonia wafts around her.

She chokes, before about-facing and running away out of the classroom.

I pan my eyes around, the other girls suddenly all having a very pale complexion.

"What?" I drawl, "Got a problem? If so…"

I show my fist, my expression dangerously flat.

"I always got more where it comes from."

The statement calms them really, really quick, and they all sit themselves, expression fearful.

…Well, that could've gone better, I muse, a hand coming to scratch my chin as I make my way toward my desk, a cursory glance informing me that at least none of my stuff has been tampered with-

"Prima-chan?" I hear from behind me, a hand on my shoulder stopping me in my track, and I throw a look over my shoulder-

-my eyes landing on a very frayed Rias, her eyes misty.

"Are you alright?" she asks, a bit lamely, one hand rubbing her opposite arm.

I give her a confused look.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I answer, my voice still loud enough for everyone around to hear, "It's not like a bunch of losers-" a no small amount of my 'classmates' flinch at the qualificative "-are going to kill my mood. Now…

"If they try again, I'm going to get properly mad, and they won't like it, but as long as they don't bother me…" I trail off.

And from what I can feel in the Immaterium, the Fear most prevalent, the message has been well and truly received.

After I made their little chieftain piss herself in fright, I would have honestly started attributing them Darwin Awards in droves if they hadn't.

…The most awkward part of the whole thing is that I actually don't even know the name of that bitch, now that I think about it.

I shrug.

"Say, Gremory-san?" I ask aloud, making her perk up a little, "Wouldn't you know where I can get a towel or something?"

Her smile blossom, her mouth opens-

"I'll go fetch one, Hanako-san." Akeno demurely interrupts, actually not-quite startling me.

I lock eyes with her-

-only to see some respect and approval shining in her eyes-

-until I focus a bit on the Immaterium, getting a taste of her Glee and Arousal, and realize that the not-so closet sadist just got off on me putting that bint in her proper place.

The urge to deadpan is strong, but I bury it with all my might, giving her a thankful nod instead.

"Thank you, Himejima-san." I answer with a little smile.

The Japanese beauty nods back, her lips upturned dangerously, and she honest-to-god sashays out of the classroom, leaving her King free to chatter my ears off in a bid to comfort me.

…This little display of dominance surely won't come back later to bite me in the ass, right?

Humiliated.

Utterly humiliated.

That stupid girl just ruined her socially speaking, in the front of the whole classroom, not even two days in the year, not even having the decency to roll over like the useless, shitty orphan she-

The door of the bathroom opening jerks her out of her thoughts, making her whirl away from the leaning forward posture she had over the sink, a bloody handkerchief held over and under her nose, her other hand holding her damp -and smelly- undies at a length, eyes full of rage-

"Ufufufu~" a voice, slightly muffled by the daintily raised hand in front of its owner's mouth, makes her heart drop, as she lay her eyes on its owner, a taller than average Japanese girl, her hair a luscious black jade and eyes of amethyst staring straight at her, almost through her, with unrepentant gleefulness, "That's quite the nasty glare you're showing, Yorozoa-san."

Of course, it was just her luck that one of the two of the bitch tag-alongs would come here as she was putting herself together.

"What?" the rich heiress bites-

-only to instantly whitens as the look directed her way somehow sharpens, bringing back thoughts of an eerily calm voice, dripping with absolute certainty, talking about her death like it's nothing-

The heiress doesn't manage to hide her flinch as memories cut their way through her brain.

"Better." the jade black haired beauty smiles with approval, making the heiress scowl, "You should remember your place, worm."

The heiress stumbles backward, her undies falling on the ground next to her.

"E-Excuse me?" she not-quite shrieks, heat rushing to her face-

"You see," the purple eyed girl conversationally starts, visibly not giving a sliver of a fuck about the heiress' ire, "I've been at Gremory-san's sides for a long, long time, by now.

"And she's a kind, sweet girl, my Rias. Honestly, I'm not even sure this world truly deserves her.

"So, when she makes a new friend, one who takes her wholly, never taking offense about her quirks, well, it makes me happy.

"Especially when that same friend is also showing quite the backbone, because my Rias could use some toughening up, but I digress.

"Now," the beauty carry on, her tone turning somehow flatter, taking a step forward, prompting the heiress to take one backward and hunching on herself in reflex, something in her hind-brain telling her that she's in danger, "When a stupid girl tries to hurt my Rias' new friend, well…

"Well, that just makes me angry, but that's to be expected, really."

The beauty takes another step, stepping inside the heiress' personal space as she finds herself trapped between the taller girl and the sink.

"So," a hand ghost along the heiress' cheeks, making her shiver, "I'll trust that we won't do something stupid like that again, hmm?"

The Yorozoa eldest daughter gulps, before giving a panicked nod.

"Good." the beauty smiles, "Because I heard what Hanako-san told you.

"And let me tell you something.

"I will be worse."

The beauty inches herself forward even more, the heiress shaking-

-until she steps back and away, a towel in her hand, taken from the rack behind the scared shitless blond.

"Have a pleasant day, Yarozoa-san." the girl with amethyst pupils demurely says, before about-facing-

-only to stop herself a step away from the door, her hand extended, giving the heiress one last look over her shoulder.

"Oh, and wash your ass in the sink, I guess."

[AN: Japanese girls being bullies, everyone.

Or at least, trying to, only for it to backfire quite terribly.

My read on Akeno has always been that, beyond everything just plainly wrong with the girl, she's very deeply committed to her role as Rias' queen, because she owes her her life, and wants to repay her.

Hence this little scene with the girl Prima can't even be bother to remember the name of after punching her.

Hope you enjoy, xoxo]