FireFox614: Lol, that is true, though her time as a teacher is not here…not yet. No, being an Einherjar does not grant language abilities by default, so far in DxD only Gods and devils seem to have that. He used magic before to speak Greek and other languages fluently. Between not wanting to draw suspicion and to learn things himself, he has it turned off for the duration. I'll have to think on that, so far I've only seen the movies.
Wacko12: That stems from his interfering in Issei's match against Irina. On top of preventing him dress breaking her, he caused Issei to accidentally dress break HIM instead XD. In canon, Issei said several times that using dress break on a man was a sin to him…in his eyes Dorian tarnished his perfect technique.
FateBurn: Thank you!
Slayer Cross: I think I am missing a reference lol, but thank you.
fanficcyberman: It was a long road, and a longer one still, but I am going strong. Aside from the occasional recharge hiatuses, the story will continue! :D
naruto: I hope to not disappoint as I move forward.
AxelLord20: Good to hear from you again! Don't worry about it, never feel an obligation to review. I love hearing them, but only do them if you want to :). It means so much that you are still enjoying it after all this time. I miss our talks as well and would be happy to continue them if you ever have the time.
fabio mp19: Thank you, shenanigans indeed lol XD
Natalie: I am going in the order of canon with original arcs worked into them. Next would be the Born storyline, though the order of Born is still in question. In the Light Novel, Diodora's arc was first then Loki, while in the anime they flip flopped.
As a question to my fans, would you like to see the Diodora arc first then Loki, or the other way around after the Peace Summit has concluded? I have plans in place for either contingency.
And with that….ONTO THE SHOW!
"And who can tell me the answer to the equation on the board?" The professor called out to the class. "Anyone?"
Most of the students, Dorian included, kept their heads down, they were learning how to estimate derivatives and the entire course felt more Greek to him than Mount Olympus. It didn't help that his Japanese was novice at best, if worst came to worst he could resort to the translation magic, but worried that would raise suspicions. He did his best to power through, though the others were doing significantly better.
Rossweisse spoke near-perfect Japanese and was the one who gave him a rundown prior to his departure. Apparently, her college-level courses stressed the importance of multiple languages. Not only that, but she was a fan of 100 yen shops much like the discount stores in Asgard and put in extra time understanding it so she could read the labels.
Xenovia and Hecuba struggled in the language but had been in the same rushed study as Dorian, doing their best to keep up and learn. Bennia was in the same boat, but being a year younger was in a simpler class and the two studied every day. Thrud on the other hand knew almost as much as Rossweisse from their time growing up together. Being a year older, she was assigned to the third year class. Dorian made note to ask what the later year classes were like on top of their normal report covering much of the school split between the three years.
Lady Freyja and Allfather Odin had been stunned yet proud when he asked to enroll at Kuoh Academy. It solved so many issues, Dorian's own schooling and The Crossroads branching out to build bridges with the divided biblical faction. But most important of all, it was to ensure the school and surrounding town were monitored leading up to the momentous Peace Summit between angels, fallen angels and devils. The young man sighed in disappointment that Rossweisse could not attend. On top of having already graduated high school in Asgard, she was requested to remain as Odin's bodyguard leading up to the meeting as she was far more skilled at such preparations than he. Not one to be deterred, Dorian had made it a point to give her a lorgnette to ensure they kept in touch via Skilja. He would miss her, but as she said before he left she wasn't going anywhere. In the meanwhile, the Valkyrie graduates Herja, Brynda and Misty had taken up his post as retainer with Freyja during the Einherjar's absence.
In the end it had been Xenovia who volunteered and answered the equation perfectly. She and the other girls pulled off the Kuoh Academy uniforms stunningly despite how oddly designed Dorian found them. They consisted of a long-sleeved white button up shirt with a black shoulder mantle that wrapped around their waist and matching bow at the neck. Contrasting the men's pants, women had a magenta skirt with white lining that seemed FAR shorter than most standard lengths in other parts of the world. The roaming eyes of the men of the class looked her and Hecuba over, he made sure to take note of those who stared a tad too long.
As the bell rang and lunch began, Dorian pulled out a simple box containing his meal, barely noticing that he and the others were swiftly surrounded by their new classmates. The three were in isolated bubbles enclosed by curious girls asking every question that popped into their heads.
"Where are you from Held-kun?" The first girl asked.
"Um," he thought recalling the cover story. "I was born in the United States, but most recently I moved from Norway."
"I heard it's really cold there!"
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"I am quite fond of swordsmanship. I also like to play the lyre, a type of small harp," he explained at their confused looks.
"Any interests?" The questions continued, giving Dorian barely enough chance to take a bite or two between answers. Hecuba and Xenovia were under similar interrogation, their backstories and reasons for moving to Japan seemingly sufficient to assay the curiosity of their classmates.
"I've always enjoyed teaching others," he smiled. "I've been majoring in education since I started travelling. Only another semester or so and I'll have the credentials to start working experience."
"You can tutor me!" A girl in the back cried out much to the giggling approvals of those around her.
"I can tutor YOU! Your Japanese is okay but you can always improve!"
As Dorian weathered the storm of questions, Hecuba and Xenovia did the same. The two women were fawned over by the other girls with similar inquires, many begging to know how they got their hair their respective colors and keep it so immaculate. Very few seemed to believe it was natural. They were so engrossed in learning all they could of their new friends that few noticed Xenovia's glance fall on Asia for a moment. A look of regret washed over her face yet was swiftly gone as the next smiling girl stepped forward.
"Held-kun, why don't you use any honorifics?" She asked with straight long hair he vaguely recalled being named Kirita Omura from the roll call.
"Um, that part of my knowledge is lacking," he admitted as there'd been no time to go over all the various titles added to someone's name.
"It is super simple," she smiled, leaning in close. "All you need to do is add the honorific to the end of a name depending on what they mean to you. For example, you could call me…chan."
A giggle rose up across the collected girls at Dorian's ignorance to the meanings. All knew that chan was a term of familiarity towards a girl, usually reserved when denoting a closer relationship or to infer they found her cute.
"I see…Kirita-chan."
The girl's face turned a bright shade of red as steam erupted from her ears, her plan having backfired as she fell backwards, caught by her friends.
"He used her given name!" One exclaimed with a smile.
"How bold!"
"It is their custom; given names are most often used in the United States and Europe from what I've heard."
The girls turned, eyes going wide as they realized the blonde idol from the neighboring second-year class had entered the room. None had noticed due to being distracted and hearts appeared in all their eyes.
"Held-san, I come representing the Occult Research Club. If you could at your earliest convenience meet me at the old school building when you can?"
"Certainly Yuuto…san?" His use of the young knight's first name did not go unnoticed once again. "If you'll excuse me," he bowed politely as the crowd parted to allow the two blondes to stroll off together heading down the hall.
"They are so dreamy together."
"Getting new ideas?"
"Please, I can write an entire series about it, we have work to do."
"Kiryuu," the collected girls turned towards their classmate with determined expressions. "Please tell us you got a good look? That your powers can be turned for good instead of evil?"
The bespectacled student adjusted her glasses with a smug expression, beckoning her classmates in closer as she started to speak.
"His length is…width is…at peak performance…"
Dorian jumped slightly despite being far at the end of the hallway, confused beyond words why the classroom behind him suddenly exploded with joyful cheers, forcing several annoyed teachers to shush them before returning to their studies.
"This is an insult!" Matsuda muttered as they were once again completely ignored. "He's making us look as bad as Kiba does!"
"We could always…bring him down to our level," Motohama remarked with a devious gleam in his glasses. "Then he'd be forced to hang with us and add another to our ranks."
"But how do you plan to do that?"
Motohama turned to Issei who had overheard their conversation. "You seemed to be not-too fond of our new classmate from overseas. Know any juicy gossip on him we can use?"
Issei thought for a second, remembering how his ultimate technique, Dress Break, had been tarnished by being used on a man, that particular one. The warnings of a certain squirrel entered his mind.
"Well, I know he has a thing for silver-haired girls…"
Occult Research Club…
"I am pleased the transfer went off without a hitch," Rias Gremory remarked to Dorian as they walked the halls of the old school building. "My mother assured me as much, are you certain of where they want to hold this summit?"
"It's the reason we're here. Apparently the Three Factions are fond of this town and school, should all be secure they are hoping to hold it in the new school building's staff meeting room."
"So that means…my brother will be coming?" Rias looked visibly uncomfortable.
"In all likelihood," Dorian replied hesitantly. "I know at least two of the Satans are slated to be there as will Mr. Azazel and someone from Heave…"
"Do not speak his name in my presence!"
Dorian stopped, noticing the flare of her demonic aura at the mention of Azazel. He tensed up, yet relaxed as he sensed the power receding.
"That man, I only recently found out he's been sneaking around in my territory paying visits to Issei under the guise of our contracts." Dorian was well aware that, similar to the oaths of the Norse people, devil contracts were tasks or wishes made by humans fulfilled by the devil they summon. "But he was trying to get his hands on Issei; he deserves to die a thousand deaths!"
"That would most certainly upset the summit before it has a chance to begin," Dorian replied with a half-chuckle to lighten the mood. "He was fascinated with my own Sacred Gear in Asgard but he never tried anything nefarious. I am certain it's the same with his Boosted Gear."
Rias huffed but he could tell the worst of her fury had passed, he prayed to not be the cause of such a spike again.
"I am sure you are right, but I still don't like it. In any case, having an extra set of eyes I can trust will be most welcome. "If it isn't classified, could you tell me what your people did with that, for lack of a better term, man…Freed?"
"It wasn't classified," Dorian replied, remembering the reports that filed onto Freyja's desk he could not help but spot. "He may have been insane, but he was created without Asgard's knowledge from the DNA of one of their greatest heroes. He was given a proper burial by fire."
"I see, no offense is intended by that will allow me to sleep better knowing he is no longer out there. Back to more pleasant topics, have you picked your extracurricular activities?"
"My…what?" Dorian was confused. He had intended to perform patrols of the school grounds, even expand their team out into the town itself. They would be searching for traps, delayed attacks, spies or other means of sabotaging the summit before it begins. In truth he had barely considered activities outside the classroom requirements.
"If you are here for more than a single summit, then you'll need to plant roots. Even if you weren't, it'd look pretty suspicious to the other students if the new transfers didn't take part in our school's festivities considering how popular foreign exchange students can be. There are clubs, festivals, even an open house and sports event coming up not too far off. If you need some time to think, the Occult Research Club will be cleaning the pool out soon for the student council. You could lend a hand to start a reputation."
"I…suppose we could do that," Dorian acquiesced. "I'll have to find a list of potential clubs."
"The Occult Research Club is always looking for new members, though you have quite a few others to choose from."
"Akeno," Dorian turned at the familiar voice as the raven-haired idol of the school approached. "I am glad it wasn't too long before we met again."
"As am I, don't look so nervous I'm not going to eat you." She laughed serenely, clearly sensing Dorian's trepidation at how their last conversation left off regarding her father. Despite that, she did not appear hostile in the slightest, quite the opposite, she looked calmer and more at peace than the last. "I hope everyone has been welcoming though I fear our little servant may be holding a grudge against you."
"They have," Dorian replied, unable to resist a slight cringe at the memory of the dress break incident. "That won't be a problem will it?"
"Not at all, if anything it could make for quite the show." She smiled again; this time Dorian thinking he saw an almost sinister presence behind it that was swiftly gone.
Must have been my imagination.
"Classes will be starting up again; perhaps we could walk back together?"
"Go right ahead," Rias allowed. "I have a few things to take care of here. And Mr. Held…welcome to Kuoh Academy."
"Have you been well?" Dorian asked as they took their leave. He had scarcely time to look over the halls of the old school building during his last visit. Despite appearing old and dilapidated on the outside, the inside was phenomenally well kept within. No doubt with a little assistance from their magic, it was larger than the modified dormitory in Asgard.
Maybe we could find a place like this for The Crossroads someday…
"Are you asking how I've been, or if I've thought more on our last topic? The answer to both is yes." She answered calmly. "But let's not focus on such thoughts for now, not yet." Dorian hesitated, but thought it best to honor her wishes. Whatever there was between she and her father, the anger seemed less than before.
"How has Thrud been doing in your class?"
"She settled in nicely, you should have seen the class' reaction when she showed up in the uniform," she teased.
"Dorian's mind went blank, he hadn't considered Thrud wearing the Academy uniforms as she and Bennia had split off for their respective years before they were provided. Rias, Akeno and Thrud all in a single class…the Academy was not ready.
What would Rose look like in it…?
Akeno was incredibly confused as Dorian turned, slamming his head into the nearby wall before they reached the door. So focused he was on keeping his thoughts civil, he did not notice a small girl with gold eyes and a long-dress variation of the Kuoh Academy uniform watching from the tree-line. She just stared, watching Dorian with utter focus; all spells and traps to alert the Gremory team of intruders completely missing her as if she weren't even there.
Meanwhile, back in the office Rias was deep in thought, eyebrows furrowed as she pondered her options.
Things are getting more and more serious by the day, I can't afford to show any weakness. I still have an open knight and rook position to say nothing of him. She sighed heavily, knowing she would need to get in touch with her brother when he stopped by for the open house.
Back at school…
The reincarnated devil, Asia Argento, collected her books with a yawn. She was preparing for an upcoming exam having studied with Issei the night before yet always worried until it was over. She had acclimated to becoming a devil thanks largely in part to him and Rias' generosity. The two women had moved into the young dragon's room, even though he was a pervert obsessed with women's breasts, Asia owed him her literal soul. Coupled with being the kindest soul she'd met after being excommunicated from the Church and she was not about to give him up to Rias without a fight.
Maybe I'll get one last study session with Issei-kun. Rias will be busy so we may have a chance alone, she hoped as she turned, jumping at the silhouette illuminated by the hallway beyond.
"X-Xenovia-san?" She stammered, recognizing the former Church agent she hadn't seen since the battle against Kokabiel now dressed in the Kuoh Academy uniform. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Her face was stoic and neutral, no hint as to the purpose of her visit. Without a word she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, locking it.
"I've been waiting for you to be alone," she muttered, stepping towards forward.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Asia backed up, bumping into the desk which cut off her retreat as the azure-haired swordswoman approached.
"Please don't move, I've been planning this for days and don't want to make a mistake."
Asia could only stutter as Xenovia stepped up close until she was upon her, Rias' bishop closed her eyes and looked away. She tensed up completely, right up until she felt powerful arms wrap around her, Xenovia's face right up against her ear.
"I'm sorry."
Asia's eyes shot open again, glancing to the side yet refusing to move, realizing Xenovia had put her arms about her in a tight embrace. She was gripping the former saint powerfully, not moving or taking any additional actions.
"I said such awful things," her voice remained calm despite the words, her emotions concealed as she was apt at. "I threatened you in the belief I was serving a higher purpose. I don't know how I can make amends for the things I thought and said…but I am truly sorry, of that I beg you to believe."
Asia was trembling, whether she believed her words or not, Xenovia's body was screaming the sincerity of her intent far louder. With a burst of courage, she reciprocated the embrace, causing the new Einherjar to gasp; surprised that she would react so gently.
"I know what that life was like," the timid blonde explained. "What was expected of us, the guilt if we failed to live up to those expectations…" She backed up, locking her green eyes onto Xenovia's golden-brown ones. "I forgive you, we're classmates now after all," she smiled with tears in her eyes; they were of joy at her newfound friend. "You must have such stories of the Norse people! What was it like in their realm?"
"It," she hesitated. "It is a different place; I scarcely recognized buildings of the simplest purpose. I suppose while there I came to realize that the divide between people is not so great or insurmountable as before. It is my hope that this summit can make all among the Three Factions aware of this."
And that even the most difficult of situations can be overcome with friends…and family.
"That is wonderful! Maybe we could talk about what we've been doing over some food."
"I…would like that," she let the barest of smiles grace her lips before they took off to leave together.
A family, the backbone of which being a mother, father and child. Norse Tradition dictates a unity between parents to pass on these values to the child. It seems forging such a family is more complicated than simply locating someone to make a child with. Who would be strong enough to guarantee powerful children, while also making a suitable husband and father-figure?
An open pavilion…
"So, san is more proper, sensei means teacher, kouhai for underclassman and senpai for upperclassman?" Dorian asked, Aika had agreed to meet him after their last class and help with his honorifics. She was one of the few in the class he didn't feel suffocated by.
"Basically, not too bad for a foreigner. Did you study Japanese before?"
"No," he admitted. "Never traveled out this far, got a quick rundown before making the trip. Thank you again for the help."
"Don't think anything of it," she smiled mischievously behind her glasses remembering his measurements calculated by her impeccable skill. "Someone had to do it, and this way you don't have to worry about the entire class eating you alive."
A chill ran up Dorian's spine at how much joy she seemed to get from that statement.
"I swear I've never heard of so many exchange students joining at once. It's practically set the rumor mill ablaze. With your older friend Thrud, word is already spreading like wildfire that the third years have a Holy Trinity of Goddesses."
"Goddesses?" His eyebrow rose at the use of the word.
"Of course, she got in the same class as Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima; those two are superstars of the school. Already people are talking about what a looker your friend is; did you know her long before entering this program?"
If only they knew that she's a literal goddess, he had to hold in a laugh.
"Not long," he didn't lie. "We met at the Norway school before she joined the program and came along with the others."
"And Hecuba?"
"Greece," he answered quickly. "Along with Bennia, um," he tried to change the subject. "What does the one Kirita mentioned before, chan, mean?"
A flash of inspiration crossed her glasses missed by the Einherjar.
"Oh that one, nothing big, it just means a woman you…admire and respect."
Dorian nodded with an 'ah' of understanding. "In that case, I thank you for the lessons Aika-chan. I hope we can continue, learning a new language can be…problematic."
"Anytime, you might want to work on your pronunciation too. With your accent some words can come across as…"
"Kiryuu-san?" A familiar voice called from the entrance. Asia peeked her head around a corner, clearly wanting to make sure she wasn't interrupting. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"No problem at all," Kiryuu called out cheerily. "We were just wrapping up, have you met the new guy yet Asia-chan?" The two glanced at each other nervously; obviously their interactions in the battle that occurred at the school had to remain a secret.
"Not before homeroom," he bowed politely. "The pleasure is mine Asia-san."
"No, it is mine," she refuted while bowing in an identical fashion. The awkwardness over who would be the most polite was absolutely adorable to Kiryuu.
"Welp, come on Asia-chan. We can get a bite to eat before the next class. If we don't go soon poor Issei may have some competition at…"
"KIRYUU-SAN!" The poor flustered blonde screamed, ramming a hand over her mouth before ushering her away from the table.
They were moving so fast the two nearly crashed into the pair entering the unused pavilion. Kiryuu's senses flashed as she recognized the two; the perverted Duo Motohama and Matsuda. She immediately sensed foul play.
"Asia," she whispered. "Wait a moment." At the first opportunity the two ducked behind a large set up bushes only to realize she wasn't alone.
A half dozen girls stretching from first to third year girls were huddled within, quickly raising a finger of silence to the two newest additions. There was no doubt the other bushes surrounding the table held similar contents. One of them happened to be the new first-year student Bennia, waving with a big smile squished between another and Xenovia.
"What is going on here?"
"Haven't you heard the rumors?" The first whispered quietly. "Everyone is saying how the new guy is worse than the perverted trio! How did you make it out safely?"
Kiryuu's eyes narrowed at the girl as if she had just told her the moon was falling from the sky. She'd spent the better part of an hour tutoring him, clearly while under surveillance, on their language and had gotten zero lustful intent of any degree of which she was more than familiar with. Something smelled fishy, especially considering the two now approaching the student.
"Then why are YOU here?" She was referring to the exchange students.
"I just wanted to wait for Asia to retrieve you," Xenovia sighed, pointing at Bennia. "She pulled me in."
"I'm here to prove the rest wrong," Bennia asserted. "Everyone was told all the proof needed would be here, get down…look."
The pair had finally reached the table where Dorian was packing up his belongings, only then noticing their presence. As always, he greeted them with a smile, completely unaware of their reputation at Kuoh.
"We wanted to welcome you on behalf of our school for all second-year students," Matsuda started, smiling in return but with a sinister connotation behind it.
"Thank you," Dorian replied innocently. "Everyone has been quite friendly."
"And in the spirit of brotherhood, we wanted to provide a generous gift," Motohama started next, adjusting his glasses as he held out what looked like a thin paperback book.
"That is so kind, all the reading material I can work with will…"
Dorian froze, his eyes shooting open to the size of dinner plates as he realized what Motohama was offering him. He couldn't read the Kanji's very well yet, but on the cover was a beautiful woman with flowing silver hair of an impressive yet not overly muscular build. She had a voluptuous figure not quite on par with the women he knew and was scantily clad in a swimsuit, little more than strings that left nothing to the imagination. The resemblance to Rossweisse was incredible and assuredly no coincidence, the two having been advised of his clear preferences by the last member of their trio and fellow conspirator.
Those bastards! Kiryuu analyzed their plan instantly. They must have spread the word themselves like they do with everything they say about Issei. The two had started gossips about Issei forcing Asia and Rias into a relationship, even Akeno despite the fact the two had never shown anything like that between them. Whatever connections they had allowed the rumor to be all over the campus within hours. If Dorian-san is seen accepting a dirty magazine on school grounds by so many, he'll be knocked down to the same social level as the perverted trio, and they know that! Their mischievous smiles of victory were all the proof she needed, so certain that as a man he couldn't resist such an offer.
Dorian's hand finally started moving again, reaching out to grip the magazine, pushing it back towards the second-year students looking visibly shocked and confused by what they conceived as impossible.
"The offer is appreciated," the Einherjar replied without breaking his stride. "But I am afraid I do not partake of such reading material. I also believe from the academy policies that they aren't allowed on school grounds. I won't say anything, but you may want to be careful about bringing that in lest you come under fire."
At that final word, the two boys started sniffing, only then realizing their prized magazine was smoking. As the duo and collected audience had been drawn to Dorian's surprising speech denying the magazine, no one spotted a small black spark leap from his right arm onto the lewd document in their hands and starting a small fire. Within seconds, a small column of smoke had begun to billow from it. With a gasp, Motohama dropped the magazine to the ground, disintegrating into ash on impact blowing away in the wind.
Motohama and Matsuda threw their arms up in the air screaming at the top of their lungs, scrambling to see if any page or image was recoverable. All they could find were the scattered wisps of dust swiftly being lost, slipping through their fingers.
"That was a special edition with letters from fans on the last page!" Matsuda lamented, acting as if his last possession had gone up in smoke with it. "Momozono-chan had acknowledged me!"
"…Sorry for your loss," Dorian remarked awkwardly, stepping around them and heading off towards the main school building. "You should keep those in a container or something, they'll last longer."
And good riddance! Snapped a voice only Dorian heard with an added Humph!
He completely missed the bushes filled with his classmates, each looking at him with renewed interest at his declining of the magazine. Bennia held out a hand towards the others hiding with her, half of them placing various denominations into it much to Xenovia's amusement. Kiryuu chuckled internally as it appeared they had made a bet on the validity of the claims.
"Those two are terrible," one of them voiced as they all vacated their hiding place.
Kiryuu then realized the audience had been far larger than she thought as dozens more did the same scattered around. She could have sworn even Hecuba was among them, head nodding with pride at Dorian's decision though keeping her head down to avoid detection. They were all glaring at the two boys still scrambling for the cinders of their valued treasure. The playful girl could only shake her head, fully aware that the fanfiction involving the latest student at Kuoh would no doubt be spreading across the school in the days to come.
It might have been better for him to accept the magazine, gods help him.
Kuoh Academy…
Thrud traversed the track field near where they had faced Kokabiel not long ago. The third-year gym class had just ended and second-years were entering the field. She had time before needing to be anywhere so she wanted to take a peek at her young pupil's improvement when he thought she wasn't around.
It's just to see his skill and for no other reason, she told herself for the hundredth time.
"What if somebody sees you?"
She heard Dorian's voice from around a corner leading to a side alley toward the dumpsters. With all the stealth she had at her disposal, she crept closer.
"No I don't have to be back for a while, it's worth it. How have you been?"
Thrud peeked towards the voices, spotting Dorian sitting at a small table out of the way wearing the white shirt and red shorts that made up the school's gym clothes, and he was not alone. Beside him sat Rossweisse, she was wearing her grey suit and was looking at Dorian, the two chatting serenely. Much of what they were saying was inaudible but both were smiling. The silver-haired Valkyrie was see-through as if she was made out of light; no doubt a familiar raven was within projecting her appearance from the palace.
"I can actually put my skills to use," Rossweisse bragged with an almost giddy smile breaking through her proper exterior. "With the summit so close, Lady Freyja has prevented the Allfather from 'squandering my skills' on less important tasks."
"It's about time," Dorian congratulated, remembering her past grievances at being used as a glorified maid over bodyguard or attaché. "Will you be coming down for the summit?"
"Of course," her astral image nodded with a look of joy on her face. "It will still be some time, however when the summit commences, I will be there."
I…should leave them be, it is not my place to…
Suddenly, Rossweisse's image crackled and broke into static as if there were interference. "Rose, is everything okay?" She faded, replaced with Skilja whose eyes were now dark; he recognized them in an instant.
"Portal…now."
"I was talking to her!" Dorian was frustrated, summoning his gear for a heartbeat a blue portal the size of a dinner plate materialized, allowing an old friend to emerge. The young man of Asgard immediately regretted providing a lorgnette in case of emergencies.
"I heard and am shocked, dismayed, betrayed, torn and appalled!" Ratatoskr called out, running up his arm to look him dead in his grey eyes while grabbing both cheeks. "You went on a date with the silver-goddess and you didn't even think to tell your closest friend!"
"How did you hear about that!?"
"A little birch told me. Now spill, how far did you get! How many bases did you steal? Does the carpet match the drapes? Did you get within sight of home plate?" He leaned in closer with each question until the rodent of Yggdrasil's face was plastered squarely into Dorian's.
It was the most ridiculous sight, yet the daughter of thunder could not look away as Dorian countered with his polite assertions while Ratatoskr challenged them at every turn. It wasn't long before he was gripping the squirrel by the neck, the two wrestling back and forth by the table.
"Thrud-senpai!" A small crowd of girls approached, having spotted the latest idol to the school from afar. "What are you looking at?"
"N-nothing!" She shouted loudly enough for Dorian and Rat to have assuredly heard while spinning to face the group. "I was just admiring the school."
The girls let out a collected gasp as they looked around the corner behind her regardless; Thrud's heart fell as she scrambled to explain what they were seeing.
"Oh my gosh…"
"Well, you see, about those two…"
"HE'S SO CUTE!"
Thrud looked back at the exclamation, the two quarreling friends had recovered in record time at her cry to put on an act and divert suspicion. Ratatoskr was on the table, nose poking forward at a strawberry Dorian was offering him. To anyone not in the know, he appeared to be nothing more than a normal squirrel, nostrils flaring, head darting back and forth as if in curiosity at the treat being offered. Tentatively, the thespian squirrel took a bite before leaping onto Dorian's shoulder, taking a perch before claiming the rest of the fruit and chowing down.
"He really likes you!" The small crowd shuffled as close as they dared out of fear of spooking the small critter. "I didn't know there were any tree squirrels around here."
"That's not a tree squirrel, the color is all wrong."
"So we have another foreign guest?"
"Can we keep him?"
"Sssshhh, you'll scare him away."
"What is going on here?"
The girls quieted down as a young woman with black hair and glasses came upon the group, and another with longer hair walking alongside. Thrud immediately recognized them as Sona and Tsubaki from their meeting during the battle.
"Prez! Can we keep him? I'm sure it'd be okay right?"
The President of Kuoh Academy's Student Council walked up to Dorian, staring down the squirrel beside his head. The rodent continued to play the part, glancing this way and that as if fascinated by everything around him. She looked closer, her face never betraying its inner machinations save for a raised eyebrow.
"I suppose, but we'll need to take care of him. Held-san, he seems to have taken a liking to you, would you be obliged to care for him after school hours and on weekends?"
"I suppose it would be no trouble," he answered quickly upon seeing a slight wink from the Sitri heiress. She clearly recognized their tiny companion from before and his act hadn't fooled her in the slightest.
The girls pushed forward, taking turns petting his tail and stroking his fur, oblivious to the content, almost peaceful smile on the squirrel's face.
"Your friend does not seem to be aware that class pets spend the school hours in a caged pen," Tsubaki muttered to Thrud once out of earshot.
"Let's keep it a nice surprise," the Valkyrie-goddess' grin was positively frightening as she imagined the clueless denizen of Yggdrasil's reaction once he got to class. If only she could have been there, she would have paid any sum in all nine realms to see the look on his face.
In Town…
"I like it there," Hecuba asserted as they walked the streets of Kuoh. The school day had let out and the team were heading to their host family assigned to them. It had been a last minute change; all they had was the address, thankfully the walk was not too long and would be a steady commute. "I am glad we found nothing suspicious."
Thrud nodded in agreement, carrying her school bag nonchalantly over a shoulder. As Dorian feared, she looked stunning in the Kuoh Academy uniform. Trinity of Goddesses was more than accurate to describe her in the same class as Rias and Akeno, he was surprised and wary that she hadn't tried pointing it out more if only to tease him more.
"Nothing strange in the third-year classes," she reported. "Though that would have the least chance of infiltration, between the Sitri and Gremory heiress, their respective queens and myself, few could avoid detection."
"First-year was clean," Bennia raised her hand next. "I'm in the same class as her rook Koneko and Sona's pawn Ruruko."
"And plenty of us in the second years," Dorian finished. "Kiba will keep in touch with us in regards to the other classes as well as the other members of Sona's peerage."
"Then that front is secure," Xenovia muttered almost missed by the rest, obviously confident of his abilities. "We can observe the school during the day and go out into town on the weekends for further reconnaissance."
Rias' comment about blending in suddenly lit up in Dorian's head.
"We…may also want to enroll in club activities," he spoke with the voice of an Einherjar, yet internally his 17-year old self was elated at potentially taking part in normal events. "It could give us more time at the campus in case of foul play after school hours."
"Hmmm, I met a Ms. Murayama," their resident Spartan informed them. "She extended an invitation for me to join the Kendo Club." She glanced to her blue-haired counterpart, clearly hoping she would do the same.
"Excellent, I saw an opening on the Rugby Club I could…"
"THRUD!" Dorian looked horrified, imagining her freakish strength amid a rugby match. The bloodshed would be remembered for years.
"I can tone it down," she smirked with a playful wink. It was the first time she seemed to act like herself that day and even it felt restrained from the norm. "I'll keep deaths to a bare minimum."
"Good luck with not killing anyone," Bennia was next. "I…may have already joined the Manga Club. Don't look at me like that!" The young girl lowered her head, pale cheeks reddening at her secret love of cliché or over the top manga. "It was that or flower arrangement…and I think I'd rather jump into Tartarus."
"Better than my job," Ratatoskr grumbled from Dorian's shoulder. "You don't have to sit in a cage all day."
"That was your fault," Thrud poke his tail. "If you had just waited you could have been brought out in secret and stayed in the wilderness around the school, but you HAD to show off for an audience."
"I should have won an award for that acting!"
Dorian released a restrained smile; their first day had gone well save a small bump or two. They had eyes on most of the school, the numbers to patrol around town and perhaps most importantly, Xenovia already looked brighter than he had seen her since Kokabiel.
Maybe this wasn't a mistake, He thought while rounding the corner. We are here on a mission, true, but it will be nice to be in a normal environment for a change. We'll make sure this summit is a success and The Crossroads will show their worth. Nothing can stop us now!
The team stopped as they spotted the home of their host family. It was relatively large for the area at two stories, a fenced in yard and quaint-looking balcony on the second floor. It had a white and blue paint job with a brown roof to round it out. They could see why it had been selected as it was larger than the surrounding houses though they still worried it may be too small for all of them...at least until they got a better look.
Dorian's jaw dropped as he realized there was a second house built directly next to the first. Less of house upon closer inspection and more of a tower reaching four stories high connected to the humble home by an internal bridge on the first and third floor allowing access between them. The rest were equally perplexed as this strange building architecture stood out like a sore thumb compared to the other buildings, yet people were passing by as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"That is certainly not standard construction design for this area," Hecuba was the first to point out the obvious. "Perhaps they renovated for our arrival."
"In two days?" Dorian was shocked, this had been last minute and he didn't know anyone magic or otherwise who could have made such changes. He double checked the address three times, it was the right place. Pushing the gate open, the group to approach the door, with a final sigh they rapped upon it just hard enough to surely be heard within.
"Can you get that son?" They heard what sounded like an older gentleman call out, signaling the patter of feet. Finally, the door swung open and Dorian's eyes went wide for the second time that day.
"YOU!" The young Einherjar and Issei Hyoudou, the man who had answered the door screamed at each other simultaneously and pointing in the exact same fashion. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
"I live here!" Issei fired back, his eyes narrowing at Dorian but then turning red as he started grinning like an idiot at the collected beauties behind him, his thoughts clearly far from pure. Dorian gripped his face, turning it back towards his own.
"Issei, over here and up here…focus! This is where our host family is supposed to be!"
"Who is it dear?" A middle-aged woman with brown hair they recognized as Mrs. Hyoudou approached. She clearly did not recall them since her previous fainting thanks to the memory wipe, finally spotting the group outside with no sign of recollection in her eyes. "Oh my, so many guests."
"There must be a mistake," Dorian held up the letter he was to present their family upon arrival. "We were trying to find the host family we were assigned while staying in Japan to attend the Academy."
Mrs. Hyoudou took the note, reading it over thoroughly.
"Oh my, I remember this. Dear!" She called back inside to the other man, clearly her husband. "The newcomers are here!"
"Mom…what is going on?" Both Issei and Dorian had a shared look of dread as she explained.
"Well, some time ago this nice man came and offered a wonderful opportunity. He said that for some nice tax exemptions and bonuses to assist with necessities, we could sign a sheet so that if there was ever a need to host exchange students here in an official capacity that we could open our doors to them. I was so surprised when Rias' family added onto our house, I had no idea we had actually been selected."
"This man," Dorian started, his left eye twitching again. "He didn't happen to have a trench coat, blonde bangs and dark hair did he?"
"Oh yes, that is correct…you know him?"
Dorian and Issei fell to their knees, a sight clearly found amusing by the girls who could barely hold in their laughter. Already as Dorian screamed in his mind, Thrud just patted him on the back reassuringly as the others looked over their abode for the foreseeable future
Azazel you son of a bitch, just how long did you have this planned?
So it was that The Crossroads found themselves welcomed into the recently refurbished Hyoudou residence. This place would serve as their base, point of reference and safe haven while staying in the foreign land. In time, it could become known as a home…that is if the respective residents do not kill each other first.
The first day at Kuoh Academy has concluded. Friends have been made, rivals encircling each other and reputations forged. The Crossroads have faced powers threatening their very lives yet now must confront their most grueling challenge yet…high school with the Hyoudou family. As always I hope everyone Reads and Reviews…but most of all Enjoys! :D