The Dim Star: Magic X Myth

by greenarrow679

Caelum Seren, a boy of mysterious lineage, possessing mysterious knowledge and even more mysterious powers. After a brush with Death opens his eyes, Caelum finds himself thrown into a position he never expected. Follow his journey into the world hidden behind the curtain. A world where the supernatural meets the divine, fantasy meets reality, and magic meets myth. OC-Insert, AU

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the intellectual properties referenced in this fanmade work, nor is this being written for profit or any sort of monetary gain. In all cases (PJO, HS:DXD, Naruto, etc) please support the official release. Like the new PJO series on Disney Plus!

Chapter 1: A Chiseled Base

"Keep your footing steady, Caelum! Focus on your surroundings and the fight at hand!"

I almost rolled my eyes at her advice, but it would have given away my plan. Instead, I pretended to slip on a patch of mud, seemingly over adjusting due to her warning. Everything became sharper to me as I fell backwards. I could make out the disappointed yet relieved look in my mother's eyes. I could see her exposed muscles tense before she rushed forward to swing her sword at my airborne frame. Even the slight movements of the wispy white aura coating her body were clear to me.

I waited for my opportunity, and then, as she closed the gap, I enacted my plan. Just as she stepped forward to swing into my open guard, I reached out to steady myself on the ground and twisted my hips. My right foot slammed into her side, and a loud crack filled the air as the white aura covering her body dissipated in a flash of light. I knew that wouldn't be enough, so I pushed forward into the next step. I stabbed my sword into the ground, using it as leverage to launch myself after her. I pulled my legs tight to my body as I flipped in the air, then ax-kicked downwards. My foot slammed down into her hand, smashing it against the ground and forcing her to release her sword. Digging my heel into her wrist to use her hand as a stepping stool, I ignored the loud snap that sounded off as I jumped at her.

"Got you!" I cheered as I slammed into her, tackling her down to the ground.

She groaned from the impact, which knocked the air out of her lungs, but I knew she would be fine. Especially since she hated when I lost my focus during our spars due to concern for someone who I was supposed to see as an opponent. Of course, she always found it hard to blindside me in those sorts of moments to make the lesson stick, but I understood the point she was making. So, I continued to hold her down until she tapped my wrist, signaling her surrender.

It took her a few moments to catch her breath, during which her eyes flicked about the area. Recognizing the signs of her usual mental fight recaps, I stayed quiet for the moment so she could focus. Though, I couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time, how she was able to stay calm and think clearly with a broken wrist.

"You pretended to stumble, didn't you?" She finally asked.

I just smirked back at her and held out a hand to help her up. Her eyes narrowed at my smug look, but she accepted the offer. Of course, it wasn't like her to let me off without some sort of criticism, which came sooner than I hoped.

"You still need to work on your swordsmanship. Relying on trickery, or enhanced strength won't be enough to win every battle. Skill will be the equalizer in matchups where you will one day find yourself similarly outclassed," She chastised as I pulled her up.

I rolled my eyes at her rebuke, since it was an age old argument between us, but responded as I always did. "Give me a break, Mom. You already limited me from using everything else. That was all skill in comparison to how I usually fight. And like I've already told you, swords just aren't my thing. Maybe if you would let me try another weapon…" I trailed off with an expectant look, but she just stuck her nose up at me and turned away.

Seeing her wince at how the motion joseled limp wrist, I reached out and grabbed her shoulder. I focused for a moment, then summoned some of my physical energy and pushed it into her body. A yellow shroud of energy covered her from head to toe, similar to the wispy white one she had during our fight. She relaxed as my energy healed her wounds and soothed her fatigue, but I kept a steady eye on her just in case.

"And like I have already told you, swords are part of your heritage! You have no need for any other weapon! Except, perhaps, a bow," She weakly finished.

Her shoulders slumped as she wrapped her arms around herself, and I could practically feel the rising tension. Every reminder of my father put her into this sort of mood. A mixture of sadness, grief, anger, fear, and a dozen other emotions I couldn't hope to pick out from the writhing bundle running rampant through her ki.

Looking over at her, I couldn't help but feel guilty over my role in leaving her in such a state. I could waste time pointing fingers at others, but in the end I knew I was responsible for most of the pain that she carried to this day. So, I prepared myself to do the only thing I could to drag her out of it, something I should have done a long time ago.

This had been a long time coming, especially considering how much she's had to give up to be able to train me into the ground day in and day out. It had been several months at this point, and I still hadn't been able to muster the nerve to say what needed to be said, but I couldn't just let things continue as they were. So, I took a deep breath and let the truth I had spent years denying spill from my lips.

"He's dead," I firmly stated.

My mother spun around in shock at the short statement, gaping at me in pure disbelief. The dark shadow over her eyes disappeared, and in its place I saw a budding spark of hope. Rather than being emboldened, I felt sick to my stomach, but I didn't let that stop me. I could drown in guilt another day, right now my mother needed me.

"Surprising to hear from me, right? I spent years vehemently arguing with you and Tsubaki over it. Running off in tears and causing you both pain because I couldn't accept the truth, but enough is enough." I sighed and looked down past my mother at a tree deeper in the clearing.

Over time I had done my best to ensure it stayed whole and healthy. Even now, just looking at it caused a shiver to run down my spine. The knowledge of how close to death I had been the first time I laid underneath that tree still chilled me to my core. It was as if the reaper himself was whispering in my ear, reminding me that he was watching and waiting.

I used to dream of living in a world like this. Well, he used to. He used to fantasize day in and day out about the chance to make fantasy his reality. A chance to right wrongs, to cherish what he had taken for granted, to escape from the pain life continuously dealt to him. A chance to become someone new, someone different, someone better. Yet here I am, living his dream while still facing the same mundane struggles he did. Worse still, I hadn't been handling them nearly as well as he did.

"You know about the wake-up call I got in this clearing. Well, several months of terror-induced clarity gave me plenty of time to think, but I always found myself coming back to Tsubaki's last words to me. Yeah, they were ill-intentioned, but sometimes the words that hurt the most are ones that carry the most truth," I admitted.

I could still see the gravesite he used to visit. The flowers he reverently placed on her name every week. The hours he spent telling her about his day. Even the numerous times he broke down and asked why God had to take her away from him, pleading for just one more day to enjoy what he had taken for granted. It was still hard to separate that image from my reality, and the sense of urgency it filled me with practically caused the words to flood out of my mouth.

"So, I decided to make a change. No longer would I waste away the time I have been given. No longer would I allow myself to add onto the weight my family had been forced to bear due to my own weakness. I promised myself that I would become a warrior that my father would have been proud to fight beside, a man that he would have been proud to have raised, and a son he would have found peace in leaving to step up in his absence." I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, then I pulled her into a tight hug. I could feel her tears soaking into my shirt, but I pushed on.

"He's dead, Mom, and it's well past time I accepted that. He sacrificed himself so we would have the chance to live. Not so I could spend years wasting away in grief, or for you to grow to doubt the love you had for him. Dad would have wanted you to move on, and for us to be there for each other. I'm sorry it took so long for me to understand that, and I'm sorry it took even longer to admit it," I finished, choking out the last words through the shame that filled my chest.

My mother's sobs filled the clearing as I held her close, and I tried my best to hold back my own pooling tears. I only wished that the other member of our little family was there with us, regardless of the apology she owed us in turn. Still, the gut-wrenching guilt and grief that filled me slowly dissipated. A weight that had been on my shoulders since the day I woke up with these unfamiliar memories lessened, and for once I felt like I had truly made some real progress towards my goals.

What I told my mother fulfilled only two of the many promises I had made to myself. There was still much more for me to do, to strive towards, and to achieve. Thankfully, I had been blessed with the power to pull off what I would need to do. For her, for my sister, for my father, and maybe one day, I could find it in me to do it for myself.

"Come on, Mom, let's get back home. I still need to study for that stupid entrance exam. Then we'll be one step closer to completing our little family!" I promised as I pulled away from her.

She took a moment to wipe away her tears, and I was happy to see a fire return to her eyes.

"R-Right. Well, just this once, I will allow you to transport us in an expedient manner. Do not take that as permission to teleport wherever and whenever you wish!" She stuttered out, slapping me on the back of my head when I laughed at her.

Ignoring the angry glare she was giving me, I summoned some more of my physical energy and wrapped it around us. With a twist of my power, we were displaced from our little practice area in the forest nearby and appeared back inside of our home.

-Break-

Second chances are a rare opportunity. They're seldom given to those who deserve them. Me? Well, I knew which side of the scales would fall if I were to be judged against those deserving. I was never under any illusion as to whether I was worthy of my second chance.

My life hadn't started all that much differently from anyone else's. Hell, I'd be the first to admit that I was more fortunate than a lot of other kids like me. I had been blessed to be born to an amazing family. I had a stern but loving mother, a lazy but present father, and a bossy but doting older sister. What more could anyone ask for?

We lived in a small house down in the sunshine state of America, or Florida for anyone who isn't familiar. My dad used to crack jokes about it being our side of the family's true ancestral home, but the reference flew over my little head at the time. I was lucky enough to spend most of my childhood there, but,for kids like me, tragedy is a matter of when rather than if.

Things had been going great, when suddenly they weren't. Practically overnight, we went from a picture perfect family to a shattered mess missing one of its most important pieces. We all had our own ways of coping in the wake of my father's death. My sister threw herself into her studies, my mother into doing whatever work she could to care for us, and me? Well, I fell into a little pitfall called depression.

As if that wasn't enough, my mother quickly found herself running out of options to support our family on her own. Who knew it would be hard for a distinctly traditional Japanese woman to find worthwhile work in Southern America? Before long, we had no choice but to move back to our mother's former home, or, well, we tried to. Instead, we found ourselves turned away.

Thankfully, it was at that point the dark clouds which had overshadowed our family finally showed their silver lining. Unlike America, my mother had spent most of her life in Japan. Regardless of the loss of connections through her former clan, my mother still knew of a few other options she could try reaching out to in order to help us. Thanks to a lucky encounter, my mother found a job that enabled us to finally settle down in a new home. After which, we immediately moved into a quaint little house near the outskirts of Kyoto and began to adjust to our new lives in Japan.

Well, most of us did. My mother kept busy in any way she could, juggling homeschooling us, working for her new boss, and keeping up with the house. My sister also thrived, easily adjusting to the new style of education and quickly moving on to a school in the area. I, um, didn't adapt quite as easily, or at all, really. Unlike my mother or my sister, I never got better.

As the years went by, our family grew distant rather than closer in the aftermath of our struggles. My sister's success in her studies afforded her the opportunity to enroll at a prestigious all-girls school in another ward. My mother rapidly moved up the ranks at her new job, until she grew to be one of her bosses' closest confidants.

All the while, I was stuck in a depressed rut. I barely ate, left the house, or even interacted with them, let alone anyone else. My sister tried her best to bring us all together, but what little time together we spent ended poorly. Our relationship soured, until the few worthwhile conversations we had turned into bitter arguments. Things progressively got worse until a few months ago, in which it all finally came to a head.

Like I said before, when it rains, it pours. What seemed like a perfect storm of terrible luck hit our family for the second time, and in the aftermath things changed for the worse once again. I was left on death's door, and my sister had disappeared in the crossfire. Yet, once again, a silver lining had come about.

My brush with death hadn't left me empty handed. To this day, I still don't quite understand what happened, or what it was I had really seen. Was it a vision of an alternate me? A future reincarnation? Awakened memories of a past life? Some random guy who I just happened to share some similarities to?

Regardless of the truth, seeing his experiences struggling in a world starkly different from my own was enlightening. I'd like to think it gave me some perspective, or even maturity. In reality, all it did was mislead me at every turn. Still, it was the wake-up call I needed to turn my life around.

And that's about it. Not really the most entertaining origin story, I know. A few of my friends have way better ones. A princess of a society of animal and nature spirits, ghosts, and demons destined to guide her people into a modern golden age, a human turned devil with a wonky reincarnation situation of her own to deal with blessed with a power straight from Goddess herself, a little mini-me with some sister trouble of his own who got uprooted into the future, and the list goes on. Though I will say, in my humble opinion, my life definitely went on to be the most interesting of the lot! Oh come on! If you didn't agree then you would be interviewing them, not me!

Anyway, my name is Caelum Seren, son of the son of the sun. I'm a proud brother, son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, rival, student, teacher, tutor, mentor, comrade, warrior, sage, and hero. Above all of that, I am the chisel which carved a legend regaled by the stars themselves! I am the distant star whose light burns bright enough to outshine the sun! I am the- hey, you were the one who said you wanted more dramatics! Whatever. Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Well…

-Tsukika Shinra-

"I'm going in the shower first, Mom! When I'm done I'll be heading off to see Kunou! Don't wait up, since knowing her she'll force me to study until midnight!" Caelum called over his shoulder as he rushed down the hall to the bathroom.

Tsukika shook her head at her son's retreating form, having seen him sneak his things into the bathroom before they left to train for the day. She decided to let her son have his fun while she headed into her room for a meeting of her own. She slowly walked down the hallway, making sure Caelum had already turned on the water as she went, then headed straight into her room. As she shut and locked the door behind her, she wasn't surprised to hear a voice speak up from within the room.

"How was his training? Has he made any more interesting advancements?"

Tsukika calmly turned to face the speaker, having already recognized who it was. She wasn't surprised to see her boss-turned-friend was already there waiting for her, even if she wished they would at least attempt to enter her house in a more traditional manner. Though, she knew how much her friend hated pleasantries, which is why she jumped right into answering rather than needlessly attempting to exchange the expected platitudes.

"He has continued to make large strides, though it may be time to have him tested for aptitude in utilizing other forms of weaponry. His skill in wielding a sword has only seen marginal increases during our past few sessions. Perhaps there is some truth to his asinine claims," Tsukika reluctantly conceded. She watched as her friend stretched across the bed, splaying their tails out and making themselves comfortable.

Even after years of service, she still took amusement in the situation she had found herself in. Someone of her lineage serving the right hand of her families' most hated enemies? It was unheard of, but sacrifices needed to be made in favor of her most precious treasure. For her children, Tsukika knew there was nothing she wouldn't do to ensure their wellbeing. It certainly helped that she never fully agreed with her clan's rhetoric in the first place. It also wasn't as if she received no personal benefits in return for her faithful service.

"Bah, you put too much stock into your family's history of sword usage. Did you not say his father used a bow of all things as his primary weapon? Why, I wouldn't be caught dead using such, even if I were blessed to have one of Goddess' Sterling Clear sacred gears!"

Tsukika shook her head at her friend's terrible joke and continued her report, putting emphasis on her son's increased dexterity, physical strength, and situational awareness as she went.

"...and continues to display a high level of proficiency in combat without the usage of his powers to further enhance his natural ability. With them, he has long surpassed any force I could muster in an attempt to challenge him. By now, the only area I would say he is lacking in would be experience!" Tsukika finished with a proud smile.

She knew that not many could claim to have trained an individual to reach at least low B Rank, or low High Class if she were to use the Devil's system of measurement, status within just a few months. That was only including the most basic of her son's capabilities.

There were some extenuating circumstances to consider, but whether his ability was derived from his strange inborn talents, combined heritage, or relentless work ethic didn't matter in the field of battle. All that mattered was that her baby boy was strong enough to stand on his own two feet. Yet, that didn't mean she wouldn't do her best to ensure he would never have to stand alone.

"Good. Then that means you finally believe he is ready?" The tailed figure asked, breaking Tsukika from her thoughts.

"Yes, Lady Magari. Caelum should be sufficiently prepared for anything you throw his way!" Tsukika confidently promised, instinctually straightening up at the serious tone of her friend's words. She suppressed a shiver at the bloodthirsty grin that stretched across the seven-tailed calico cat's face as they rose up from her bed.

"Then let us make haste. I'm sure you would enjoy the chance to see your son in action, no?" Another voice chimed in.

Tsukika turned in time to see a short elderly man step forward from the shadowed corner of her room, along with a tall blonde woman dressed in a shrine maiden's garments. Tsukika didn't know whether to bow or kneel at the sight of the nine tails that swayed behind the other woman, and settled for gaping at the duo.

"I told you that she would be unprepared for your dramatics, Lord Nurarihyon. Perhaps next time we could do things my way?" The blonde woman offered with a giggle.

"Bah, you women and your need to play house. A boy is about to become a man and you want to discuss it over a tea party!" Nurarihyon grunted in disbelief as he walked over to Tsukika. A large magic circle appeared on the ground underneath his feet and he gestured for the others to join him.

"We'll see about allowing him to become a man after the test. And don't think that just because he's study-buddies with your daughter means that the East won't be the ones to do it, Yasaka!" Magari challenged with a grin, baring her sharp teeth at her rival.

Tsukika gulped at the thought of being caught in the midst of an argument between the two, but relaxed when Yasaka seemed to take the challenge in good humor.

"I guess we may just have to see about that. Good luck producing anyone who can top my daughter's pedigree," Yasaka teased back, clearly taking delight in the way Magari's tails flailed in dissatisfaction.

Tsukika sighed at the debate, but chose to silently join them in the magic circle rather than correct them in their thinking. She knew that her son would never jump to sleep with some random youkai hussy, even if it meant that she could have some grandchildren to spoil even earlier than she expected.

'No! Caelum will hold to our family's traditions! A minimum of a 3 year period of courting, then a shared first kiss underneath the moonlight on their wedding day!' Tsukika thought in satisfaction, ignoring how she never held herself to the same standard.

None of the three women noticed the exasperated expression Nurarihyon wore as he teleported them away.

-Later, Caelum Seren-

I slowly navigated through the streets of Kyoto as I headed towards my destination. Normally I would take a more direct way, such as teleporting without my mother's permission, but for once I was in the mood to take the scenic route. After the heavy conversation I had with my mother, I wanted to enjoy the blissful feeling that filled me.

Yet, even with the weight of my guilt easing from my shoulders, I was still firmly grounded by my renewed motivation. This wasn't the time to fully relax. I needed to keep pushing and continue studying so I could finish what I started. The next step of which was to confront my wayward sister.

"Hopefully she won't just brush me off," I muttered to myself as I turned off the beaten path and walked down a sidestreet.

I left the crowded main roads behind to cut through the back alleys of the outer edge of the city. The prospect of going through such shady areas alone should have frightened me, but I knew differently. While the new streets I was walking through seemed downtrodden, they weren't empty.

As I progressed further, more and more establishments and residents appeared. From the odd bar, to small hotels, to even a few stands scattered about, there were more than a few people to be seen. Yet the surprising part to most people would be the identities of these people. See, every person I passed was a youkai.

Some were wearing large hats or long flowing robes, but each of them still had distinctive features that identified them as differing from the norm. Exposed canines, slit pupils, hell, I could even spot the odd tail peaking through the bottom of some of their robes. This section of the city was close to where the entrance to Urakyoto, or the home of the West Youkai Faction, was placed. So, the youkai set up shop to guard the area. There was an assortment of shops scattered about to disguise the true nature of the area, but it was still vastly deserted in comparison to the rest of the city.

Most of the youkai I passed offered me a nod or a wave. I was friendly with most of the shopkeepers and denizens I passed, having frequented the area over the past few months. I had even helped more than a few of them out from time to time. Whether it was something as small as helping them move packages, or something bigger like handling the odd unwanted patron, I had done my best to give them some assistance. I liked to think that the youkai here had come to see me as a reliable individual, maybe even a friend.

'Oh who am I kidding, they probably see me as free labor...' I thought as I made it to the end of the street. I smiled at the sight of several large armored guards standing outside of a small bakery at the end of the road. I was surprised that there were only a handful of them, considering who I was going to meet. Still, I took my time in heading over to avoid alarming them. The last thing I wanted to do was needlessly waste more time in a jail cell, again.

"Hey, I'm here to meet Princess. I'm assuming she's already inside?" I asked as I came to a stop in front of the small contingent.

I waited for the guards to finish their visual inspection. One of the armored guards leaned closer to smell me, while another raised their hand and pointed a magic circle at me. As they focused on the holographic readout projected by the circle, I tried to ignore the chills that ran down my spine from the feeling of the guard's youki washing over my body.

Luckily, the sound of the other guard's panting was enough to distract me from my discomfort. Unluckily, I realized that the guard who was panting was the one who sniffed me. Still, I raised my hand up just in time to catch them by their helmet before they could rush forward to embrace me.

"Nekomata?" I asked as I calmly held the guard back.

I've already had several odd experiences with the few nekomata that I'd run into over the past few months. Apparently, I smelled interesting to them. One had even described me as good enough to eat, literally!

I assumed it was a carryover from my dad's side of the family. That, or it was just another quirk of the unique flavor of my powers interacting with their instincts. I wasn't completely sure, but I vaguely remembered something about nekomata mating with compatible races who had strong abilities. Or maybe that was a nekoshou thing?

"Another prank from Lady Magari. You're clear, kid. Oh, and good luck," The guard who was holding up the magic circle said as they waved their hand, dissipating the holographic readout.

"I can lead him to little Kunou! This way, handsome!" The frisky guard stepped forward and opened the door to the bakery.

For a brief moment, I hesitated instead of instantly following behind her. My instincts were blaring in warning at me, and the danger seemed real in comparison to the minor annoyances that set it off when I sparred with my mother. The offer of luck from the other guard ran through my mind, so I decided to take a gamble.

I took a deep breath, pretending as if I was trying to settle my nerves. In reality, I was opening up my senses to the world around me. My spiritual energy readily answered to my call, and I slowly circulated it through my body as I exhaled. As I relaxed, I took note of the emotions and life forces I could feel nearby.

The nekomata guard, who was currently waiting for me at the door, and the guard who warned me immediately stood out as outliers. The guard who warned me was strong, yet at the same time I could also feel slight amounts of guilt and amusement flowing through them. The nekomata guard, on the other hand, was a rolling ball of conflicting emotions. Wariness, lust, sadness, and anger were just a few of the things I could pick out, but those emotions were dampened by the strength of her life force. If the other guard's life force roared like the flames of a furnace, controlled and focused, her life force blazed like an out of control forest fire, undirected and prepared to run rampant over anything in its path.

'This must be some sort of test. But why here? Why now?' I thought as I followed behind the mischievous nekomata and let her lead me toward Kunou.

I kept a close eye on her emotions in preparation for any sign of aggression, but she seemed content to ramble about how I smelled interesting and her theories as to why that was. As we approached the private booth, which Kunou had demanded be added to what had quickly become her favorite bakery, I was surprised to feel two life force signatures inside of it rather than one.

Even more concerning, one of those signatures felt extremely similar to the one the guard currently guiding me possessed. My suspicions were confirmed when the guard opened the door, and I was greeted with the sight of Kunou feeding a short white-haired girl candy. I only had a moment to take in the cat ears peeking out of her hair, along with the tail that was lazily swaying behind her, before the guard's exaggerated groaning drew my attention.

"Well, I guess the jig is up. Ugh, damnit Shirone, this wasn't part of the plan!" The guard exclaimed as they pulled their helmet off and tossed it onto the floor.

"Candy. Good," The white haired girl simply replied, but I was a bit more focused on the black-haired beauty that was stripping out of her armor. Mostly because of the spikes of aggression I could feel her letting out, which strangely enough were directed at me rather than the other nekomata sitting in Kunou's lap.

"Well, I guess that means I can skip straight to the fun part!" The guard cheered as she pulled off the rest of the armor, revealing a kimono that hung loosely from her curvy figure. It didn't take me long to place who they were, but it was still surprising to see them so soon.

'Or at all…' I thought as I blankly stared at Kuroka. 'Isn't she supposed to be a criminal on the run at the moment?' I glanced back over at her sister, who was also supposed to be somewhere else at the moment, realizing what was probably going on. The guard's warning, Kunou's nonchalance at seeing the cat-girl duo, how comfortable she seemed to be with Koneko- no, Shirone, and the mention of a prank by Magari, all of the pieces came together to present an annoying picture.

"Whatever this is, can we make this quick? I actually do need to study for my exa- woah!" I ducked as Kuroka dashed at me and swiped at my head.

Her claws hissed through the air and barely missed my hair, but she was quick to readjust. She kept the pressure up, staying up close and personal while continuously swiping at me from multiple angles. Her flexibility was both awe-inspiring and quite distracting, especially when she purposely moved in a way that shifted her kimono.

I almost slipped up a few times, finding that my eyes were instinctively drawn to the way the garment slipped down her shoulders or rode up her thighs rather than the sharp claws aiming to slice me to ribbons. Yet, as her strikes sped up, I grew more and more used to her sensual distractions. Not that I didn't allow my eyes to drift every now and then. While I wasn't interested in actually accepting what she was pretending to offer, I wasn't going to say no to a free show.

"Hey! Don't fight inside my favorite restaurant! Take it outside you two!" Kunou chastised as she fed Shirone another piece of candy.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about this?" I asked in turn. Kunou winced at my question, but a close shave from my opponent's sharp claws forced my attention away from her and back onto the fight.

"When you're engaged in combat, you should keep your attention on your opponent!" Kuroka warned as she sped towards me again, completely ignoring Kunou's demand.

I just rolled my eyes and continued to dodge her attacks. While she had a point, I knew she was just trying to distract me from the real battlefield. Throughout the entire fight, I could feel a foreign energy source constantly trying to invade my body. Knowing who I was fighting, it was easy for me to figure out what she was planning on doing. Unluckily for her, I was one of her worst counters. At least, for this sort of fight I was.

"If you want to catch me in an illusion, you're going to have to use something a bit stronger than that," I calmly said as I weaved through her blows. We hadn't moved from our starting point right outside of the private booth, but that was mainly because I barely needed to move to dodge her attacks. She was clearly putting more effort into trying to capture me in an illusion rather than focusing on her physical attacks, though she did seem to be getting increasingly frustrated by how my wandering eyes hadn't been enough to earn her a clean blow.

"Oh really?" She challenged, and I could immediately feel her attempts intensify. So I decided to prove my point.

I allowed her youki to settle within my body, and calmly watched as my surroundings morphed. The environment changed to a familiar graveyard, and I found myself standing underneath a large sakura tree. A headstone greeted me, and I couldn't help but reminisce over the time I had spent through the years coming here.

'No, the time he spent through the years coming here in the search for answers. For contentment. For reassurance. For a release from the hell he found himself in,' I mentally amended. Sometimes it grew hard for me to disassociate myself from his memories, but I remained stalwart all the same. Now wasn't the time for another existential crisis.

As I pretended to be distracted by the headstone, the limbs of the sakura tree morphed and elongated. They reached down and wrapped around me, trapping me inside their embrace. Kuroka rose from out of the tree, pressing her sharp nails against my neck as she leaned over my shoulder.

"Hmph. What was it you were saying earlier? Something about me needing to try harder?" Kuroka teased, softly whispering into my ear. Yet her sensual tone had disappeared. In its stead was a steely tone filled with the intent to kill.

Even then, all I could feel was irritation. I wasn't sure what Magari was up to this time, but I knew that this couldn't be it. My intuition was screaming that this was some sort of test, but for what? I had a few ideas, but none of which boded well for the future of my free-time. Regardless of how annoying this situation was, I also recognized the opportunity available to me. This was a chance to test some things I had been working on against an opponent that I didn't care about, and that was something I couldn't pass up.

My mother was an excellent sparring partner, but neither of us could ever truly draw up the intent to kill when fighting each other. Maim, grievously harm, sure, with my healing abilities we were able to beat each other senseless to our hearts content, but we could never push ourselves to enact true conflict. My heart began to race at the idea of letting loose for once, so I decided to let things go for the moment. I could worry about the whys later. For now, I had a new test subject to enjoy to the fullest, and plenty of frustration to unload.

'Sorry Kuroka, but I'm sure you'll be fine!'

-Kuroka-

'Another brat with a big head. I wonder what Mistress saw in this one?' Kuroka thought in disappointment.

She took a moment to look over the trapped boy, but didn't see anything that stood out. Sure, he was a little tall for his age, and his features were pleasing to the eye, but there wasn't anything that really stood out about him. Tall and muscled, but a bit more on the slender side, thick blond streaks which he probably dyed throughout his hair, olive toned skin, and bright blue eyes. He looked more like a gaijin than anything else, which explained some of his arrogant behavior.

She was impressed by his speed and dexterity, but it's not like she was going for broke in their relatively short close-range engagement. Though, she was momentarily surprised by how resistant he seemed to be to her illusions, but that strange resistance had crumbled the moment she started to put real effort into it.

Even if the illusion she currently had him in was different than what she had been planning, she wrote that off as his mind's interpretation of what her implanted ki forced him to envision. Overall, he was nothing special. Which was why Kuroka decided to finish things, rather than toy with him any longer. She went to knock the boy out, when suddenly, an intense chill ran down her spine. She listened to her blaring instincts and tried to jump back, but realized that she wasn't able to move.

'How?! When did he-' Kuroka's eyes widened at the sight of the gnarled roots of the sakura tree wrapped around her arms and legs. Suddenly, his neck creaked as his head twisted around to face her. Yet he spoke as if he hadn't just snapped his own neck.

"That if you want to catch me in an illusion, you're going to have to use something a bit better than those paltry parlor tricks, but perhaps I overestimated your capabilities if this is all you could manage," he said before his body burst into a murder of crows.

Kuroka blinked in disbelief. She tried to regain control of the situation, but she couldn't sense what had gone wrong. Her youki was still suffusing his body, and the illusion was still holding strong. Still, she couldn't control what was going on anymore. She quickly found herself surrounded by a tornado of black feathers, the world going dark as the only light she could see came from the glowing eyes of the crows surrounding her. As the flock of birds slowly dissipated, she blinked again and everything changed.

She was now binded to a large cross, and the graveyard her technique had crafted disappeared. The sky had changed from gloomy and overcast into a cloudless, blood-red setting, like something straight out of a nightmare. The matching crimson moon that hung in the sky was even larger than normal, and it glowed with a sinister scarlet light. She tried to break the illusion by releasing a pulse of her youki but was surprised to feel no difference.

'H-Huh? Impossible! How the hell is he-' She was cut off from her introspection as she felt something brush against her feet. She looked down to see the kid brushing a large feather against her naked soles.

"72 Hours. For the next 72 hours, you will suffer at my whim. Prepare yourself!" The boy warned as he continued to brush the feather against her bare feet. He was even still giving her the same calm look he had held for their entire fight.

"This is your big plan? Reverse my illusion, then what? Tickle me to death?!" Kuroka asked in disbelief.

She couldn't help but laugh at the idiocy on display, but when she started laughing she realized that she wasn't able to stop. Her stomach contracted, and her lungs began to burn as her laughs turned hysterical, and yet she couldn't control it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her entire body tensed as she laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. Her laughter was unending, and the intensity of her contractions grew the longer she laughed. Even when her breath should have run out, and she should have been left gasping for air, she continued to laugh.

'W-Why can't I control my body? What sort of illusion is this?!' She thought in disbelief.

She tried again and again to break the illusion, but nothing seemed to work. Pulsing her youki. Circulating it. Compressing it. Nothing. Her attempts to manipulate her energy in different ways all ended in failure. She even tried to utilize her ki instead, but the connection felt muffled, or muted in a sense.

Throughout it all, for what felt like hours on end, she continued to laugh like a madwoman. Her throat became sore, and her voice was strained from her screams of delight, yet she continued to laugh like there was no tomorrow. Suddenly, he stopped. Kuroka gasped in relief as her body finally began to relax.

"71 Hours, 59 Minutes, and 59 Seconds to go," A voice whispered into her ear. She slowly looked around and was shocked to see dozens of copies of the kid surrounding her with large feathers.

"No… p-please, don't…" She weakly begged, feeling her stomach begin to contract again. Yet her mind was racing in an attempt to figure some way out of her situation.

'Impossible! For all of that to only have lasted an instant? What sort of illusionary mastery has he gained?! Did Mistress set me up?!' Her lungs strained with each wheezing breath, and her vision began to swim due to the tears flowing down her face. Her throat became dry, and the sweet relief that had formerly filled her tense body was replaced with a bone deep weariness as her laughing fit started back up.

"NO!" Kuroka screamed as her laughter increased. She could feel the feathers of his clones closing in on her. Her screams reached a fever pitch, but just as she thought her restraint was going to give out on her everything came to a stop.

She blinked and found herself back in the bakery, rolling around on the ground. She gasped in surprise from the sudden feeling of her awareness returning, but winced at how her body screamed in fatigue. Her lungs were on fire, and her face was wet with tears.

Her little sister was kneeling over her, trying to hold her down with a look of concern. What really set her off was the conceited little brat off to the side, looking at her with that same damn blank look on his face. Yet, as she looked closer, she could make out a smug gleam in his eyes.

"You!" Kuroka angrily bit out, pushing her sister to the side as she got up and raced towards the little brat. She initially stumbled, but a quick burst of her ki spread throughout her body was enough to stifle the pain from her aching muscles.

"Me! Though you could just call me by my name instead. It's Caelum, by the way. No wait, you guys say things backwards here, right? So it's Seren, but you could just call me Caelum," He cheerily offered as he jumped back out of her reach.

Kuroka ignored his teasing and continued to chase him down. Her eyes narrowed when he dashed through the lobby of the bakery and out of the front door. She rushed off behind him, ignoring the sounds of the people she could hear following them.

"Quit running, coward! I only want to talk!" Kuroka demanded as she dropped onto all fours and tried to pounce on him.

"No way! Though, I'm surprised you want to talk. I thought you preferred to laugh?" Seren innocently asked as he narrowly dodged her attempt to jump on him.

Kuroka frowned at his retreating frame, realizing he was leading her into the forest that surrounded the outskirts of the city. She hurried to follow him before he could lose her in the woods, but instead found him waiting for her in a large and open clearing.

"Now that the first test is finished, how about we move on to the second? I think we can count the illusionary arts as a pass, or the mental portion at least. Maybe we should go for weapons-based combat next? Or do you want to jump straight into hand-to-hand? Unless you would prefer hand-in-hand?" Seren offered, but Kuroka was done playing his games.

She launched herself at him with a deafening screech. Her nails extended to the size of small daggers, but he was still able to dodge her attacks with the same ease in which he had back in the cafe. She growled at how easily he continued to weave through her strikes, but no matter how hard she tried to corner him, he continued to weasel his way out of every blow that came his way. Even worse, he was steadily chattering as he dodged.

"Weapons it is! Though, and I'm going to be honest here, I kind of only have experience with a sword. Which I'm also pretty uncomfortable using," Seren rambled, flicking his arm and grasping the air with his hand as if he was pulling something out of it.

Kuroka's instincts blared. Having learned her lesson, she instantly jumped back this time, but her caution proved unnecessary. A gleaming silver gauntlet manifested itself on his right arm, but it didn't stay for long. A katana appeared in his grasp and the gauntlet disappeared in its stead. Rather than moving to engage her, he took a loose stance and made a come hither gesture with his off hand.

"Here kitty-kitty!" He taunted.

"With pleasure!" Kuroka hissed, more than happy to oblige his raced towards the boy to continue their engagement, but found herself surprised by how easily he was able to match her.

As the fight progressed, he rapidly jumped back and forth between sword styles like they were going out of style. Sometimes he held back, holding one arm behind his back as he fenced her. Other times he pressured her, gripping his katana in both hands and rapidly crashing his blade against her lengthy claws with a whirlwind of wild slashes.

Regardless, the entire time that he had been fighting her not once did he actively attempt to harm her. Sure, he swung at her nails, but that was it. He never pressed her openings or pushed past her guard. Instead, he seemed content to continuously match her as he moved from style to style.

"See what I mean? So many different styles, but none of them really feel right, you know? It's like they're all lacking, well, something? I guess?" He even had the nerve to shrug, as if he wasn't currently holding her crossed claws back with a single-handed grip on his blade.

"Shut the hell up and fight me, you arrogant brat!" Kuroka demanded.

She tried to disengage from their blade lock and stab her nails into his torso, but he easily deflected her jabs. Having enough, she let out a wordless scream as she let her ki enshroud her. A white aura manifested around her body, and she manipulated it to extend over her elongated claws. With a malicious grin, Kuroka dashed forward and swiped at Seren's sword.

'Let's see how smug he is when I cut him to ribbons! First I'll get rid of his- what?' She paused at the sound of her claws clashing against his sword.

An odd screeching noise echoed around the clearing, as if something was grinding into something else. At first, she thought her Touki enhanced nails were finally cutting through his blade, but instead she was surprised to see his sword cutting into her nails! She moved to disengage from the blade lock, but it was already too late. His sword chopped her extended claws off of her right hand.

"Impossible! How the heck did you- GAH!" Kuroka hurried to raise her left arm to block the sudden strike, but the smirk on Seren's face only hammered in her realization.

'Shit! I forgot that he's only been fighting defensively! This is exactly what he wanted!' Kuroka thought, disappointed in herself for losing her head and falling for his trick, again.

She had instinctively reacted, thinking that he was taking advantage of her surprise in an attempt to kill her. Instead, he read her reaction and was pushing to disarm her. She gazed forlornly at her severed claws, both sets of them now, then glared up at Seren. As she looked up, she was able to catch sight of the odd phenomenon happening to his sword.

'It's dripping water onto the ground? Is he using the water to enhance its cutting potential? But how?!' She thought in disbelief. It was a strange idea, since wind was commonly known as the element used to enhance the cutting potential of weaponry. Water flowed around opposition, seeping through weak points and striking from unpredictable angles. It didn't cut.

"So, I guess that's bladed or weapons based combat down. How about some more good ol' hand-to-hand, close quarters combat? Or maybe you could cut the bullshit and we can really cut loose?" Seren challenged as he stabbed his sword into the ground.

Kuroka growled at his arrogant words, and decided to hell with the original plan. "Fine! I'm going to enjoy showing you your place!" She angrily spat out.

With an errant thought, her aura of Touki reignited, blazing even brighter than before. She started things off this time by taking a deep breath. With a long exhale, she blew out a purple mist that rapidly covered the battlefield.

She followed up on her opener by crouching to touch the ground, which instantly shifted. Large amounts of mud rose up to replace the grass around the clearing, but she paid the patches near her no mind. She continued her combination by rapidly punching the air, letting off blasts of ki towards where she could sense Seren's life force standing stationary across the battlefield.

'Lets see that little shit compete with this! One breath of my poison mist, or one hit from these, and he'll be out like a light!' Kuroka thought in satisfaction, but was surprised when she heard her blasts connect with something yet felt no change in her enemy's aura.

Suddenly, an explosion of sound slammed into her sensitive ears, followed by a burst of wind that washed over her. She was unprepared for the attack and went flying towards the edge of the clearing. She was able to catch herself on the trunk of a tree before she slammed into it, but froze before she could attempt to re-engage.

A heavy aura filled the air and weighed down on her shoulders. It was as if she was stuck back in the illusion, and her body once again refused to respond to her mental commands. She shivered at the feeling of a cold chill running down her spine, and her carefully suppressed nekomata instincts perked up at the feeling of an apex predator nearby. She couldn't help the trembling that filled her legs as she took in the massive crater that filled the clearing, along with the opening in the clouds above. Even the trees surrounding her were still waving around, caught in the whirlwind that swirled around the clearing.

In the middle of the crater stood the strong frame of her opponent, glaring at her as if she were beneath him. Her will to fight gave out in the face of his strength. It was as if he was pressing on her with a manifestation of his determination given form. Even worse, there was an odd tinge of power backing up the heavy presence. As if it was only natural for her to kneel before him, to honor him, to worship him. She unconsciously dropped down onto her knees and let go of her ki, allowing her Touki to dissipate.

She couldn't help but stare at his arm, still raised as if all it had taken was a simple punch to devastate the area. She hungrily took in the way his tensed muscles gleamed under the beam of sunlight that was focused onto him. Her eyes were drawn to the torn sleeve that drifted in the wind, slowly breaking apart with each passing moment until only dust remained. Clouded thoughts of desire filled her mind, but she was broken from her trance when several figures approached from behind her.

"Now do you see why I saw fit to teach him how to fight with a modicum of skill, rather than focusing on this?"

"Now, now, Tsukika, I was only saying that if I knew he had progressed to this point, then I would have handled things differently."

"By doing what? Copying your little protege over there? And don't try to lie, woman, I could practically smell the desire from here."

"Quiet, you doddering old fool! The help isn't meant to speak!"

"My, my, such biting words for the leader of your faction. Perhaps I should have been negotiating with you rather than him, Magari. Now where is my little darling? Commander Daiki said they followed Kuroka and young Seren into the forest."

Kuroka slowly looked behind her and felt her cheeks darken in embarrassment. She hurried to compose herself in the face of her mistress, along with the leaders of the two Youkai Factions and their guest. Unfortunately, from the look her boss was giving her, she knew it was already too late to save any face.

"M-Mission complete, Lady Magari. I-I'm happy to report that-" Kuroka began, but was cut off by a tail that slapped against the back of her head. She took a deep breath, relaxing from the feeling of her instincts being forcibly suppressed. She grit her teeth as the reality of her humiliation hit her, and she angrily turned to glare at Seren. Not only did he thoroughly trounce her, but he embarrassed her in front of her mistress and their allies!

"It is fine. We were monitoring the entire encounter from start to finish. You have my apologies for not informing you of the true threat level of your opponent, not that I was fully aware of his true capabilities," Magari said, before muttering under her breath, "and to think, he can still push himself even further."

Kuroka's spine stiffened at her mistress' words, but she couldn't help but accept them as the truth. She could only imagine what else the boy was hiding up his sleeve. 'Next time I swear I'll crush that smug look off his face!' She thought in irritation, angrily clenching her fist as she watched the others move to speak with him.

-Caelum Seren-

"...and you blew the entire cloud of poison away, along with the actual clouds!"

I sighed as Kunou gushed about the fight and mostly ignored her words in favor of massaging my sore arm. I had severely strained, if not torn, all of the muscles in it when I tried to pull off that last move. A bit of a slight miscalculation on my part. It's not like I didn't have a way around it, considering how easy it was for me to heal my injuries using my physical energy, but it still sucked either way.

On the other hand, I was more than satisfied with my performance. Not only did I get to indulge in a few childish whims I had been suppressing, but I had proven their culpability in a fight against an actual opponent. I would need to confirm Kuroka's so-called standing in this world, but from my- his memories, she had been an Ultimate Class Devil. Alongside that, she had been branded as an SS-Ranked criminal. Sure, most of my abilities seemed to counter her own, but a win was a win.

'Well, it's not like she went anywhere close to giving me her all, but frankly, neither did I.' I was pulled from my introspection by the feeling of several familiar life forces approaching us, so I turned around from Kunou to face the other approaching group.

While I was pretty sure of my deduction, that this was some sort of test, it didn't hurt to have confirmation. Though, it would be pretty funny if I had just randomly stumbled upon some nefarious plot to kidnap Kunou, or something else of the sort, instead. Not that anything pointed towards that being a remote possibility, put it paid to be prepared in anycase.

"Hey, maybe next time a little heads up would be appreciated, yeah? What if I thought she was a threat to little Miss Princess over here?" I asked with an errant gesture towards Kunou, who was pouting at how I ignored her.

"That would take the fun out of it! You've been holding out on us, boy. Good! Always keep a few cards close to your chest," Nurarihyon said as he shuffled closer. He had already picked up my sword from where I had stabbed it in the ground and was closely inspecting it, which I knew would leave him preoccupied as he puzzled over what I did to cut through Kuroka's Touki enhanced claws. I didn't care too much about reclaiming it, considering I had dozens more just like it stored and ready to be used.

"Nah, Mom already knew I could do most of that. That, or she knew I could push myself to pull off similar feats. Like she's always pounded in my head, it's not about power alone, but how you apply it," I replied, ignoring Magari's snickering at my completely unintended innuendo.

"Such as that odd illusion you trapped her in?" Yasaka asked me before turning to address Kuroka, "What exactly did he make you see? One moment, you were charging him, and the next, you collapsed in an uncontrolled fit of laughter."

They all turned to face Kuroka, who had began to tremble at the reminder of her torture. She angrily glared at me, but I only winked at her in turn. I controlled the lingering bits of spiritual energy left behind in her system to cast another illusion on her. I waved my hand as if I was holding something up for her to see. From the way she paled, I knew my trick had worked.

"I-It was nothing! He just got lucky and reversed my illusion, t-that was it!" She stuttered out as she turned away and crossed her arms over her chest. Nurarihyon turned back to me and gave me a knowing look, but I just smirked back at him and dispelled my little illusion. After all, turnabout is fair play.

"So, what was the point of all that? Who exactly is this? I'm assuming the other girl is her sister, or something?" I asked, wanting to get the ball rolling. I already knew them both, and I was pretty sure Kuroka had said her sister's name at some point, but I decided to let them explain instead.

"For the moment, all you need to know is that Kuroka and Shirone are both stray cats I took under my wing. What is more important is the opportunity you have ahead of you," Magari answered as she slowly prowled her way over to me. I raised an eyebrow at her non-answer, but thankfully Yasaka stepped up to explain.

"We, the West Youkai Faction, would like to formally request your assistance in-" Yasaka began, but was unexpectedly cut off by her daughter of all people.

"Wait! C-Can I explain it to him?" Kunou stammered in askance.

I turned around to see Kunou hesitantly walking closer to me. She shyly refused to meet my gaze, and I could practically taste the embarrassment wafting off of her. Her mother smiled at her, then nodded and took a step back.

"W-Well, I've been having a lot of fun helping you study for your exam, a-and you know that I've been pestering my mother about allowing me to go to a human school, s-so we decided- well- um…" She took a moment to compose herself, then dropped into a stiff bow, "Would you please consider accepting an arrangement to guard me so I could go to school with you?!"

I looked at her for a moment, which turned into almost a minute of dead silence. She continued to hold the stiff bow, but I could spot slight trembles in usually perfect posture. I could tell that she was dying to look up and gauge my reaction but was too scared of rejection. Still…

"I thought we were doing that already? You know, going to school together? That was my whole point of asking you to help me study?" I asked in confusion. She robotically leaned back and gave me an odd look, as if I was the one who wasn't making sense, but I was already turning to direct my next words to Yasaka.

"Though, I thought it would be a bit of a hard sell, considering the school I was planning to attend was all the way in Kanto. Also, it might be run by a rival faction?" I left out the point about the rival faction being the same one who might have screwed over the nekoshou sisters, but that was information that I both wasn't supposed to know and wasn't even sure if it was completely true.

"Well, we were going to inform you of all the relevant facts concerning the political landscape of the surrounding factions if you accepted our offer, but it looks like you were already planning to do something similar? Interesting," Yasaka said before pausing, seemingly taking the time to consider something. After a few moments, she finally nodded to herself and looked back toward me.

"Come along, then. We can discuss this back in the bakery. Lord Nurarihyon, if you would?" Yasaka asked, causing us all to turn to the elderly youkai.

"To be relegated to transportation. The disrespect of today's youth, I tell you. Well? Hurry it up!" Nurarihyon demanded.

We all bunched in around him, and I had to hold in a smirk at the sharp glare Kuroka gave me when I ended up standing next to her. Shirone seemed undecided between vacantly staring at me, or shooting looks of concern towards her sister. She seemed to settle on ignoring our byplay in favor of stepping closer to Kuroka as we were transported back to the bakery.

We filled into the small back room, which thankfully had enough chairs to seat us all. I ended up at the far right corner of the table next to Shirone and across from Kunou. Down the rest of my side of the table was Kuroka and Magari, while my mother, Yasaka, and Nurarihyon filled the rest of the seats on the other side.

"To start things off, your responsibilities would be as follows," Magari began. I had to hold back a laugh at the sight of her stretching out on the table, looking as if she were one of our pampered pets rather than the second-in-command of one the leaders in our group.

"Your job would be to shadow the princess and serve as her secondary protection. An agreement has already been made with the primary supernatural inhabitants of the town who currently oversee the area, so you would also need to ensure that both sides hold to their side of the bargain. You would watch to ensure nothing untoward is going on, and keep the princess from being involved in anything she should stay well away from. Other than that, you would be free to do as you please," Magari explained.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to be, what, her backup bodyguard? If she already has some sort of primary bodyguard, why go through all the trouble of asking me?" I asked in confusion.

Things just weren't adding up. Beyond the staggering amount of trust they were seemingly putting in me to leave Kunou's safety in my hands, there were dozens of other warning flags popping up in my mind. Youkai asking a human to look after the daughter of their leader?

It just wasn't something I expected them to be even capable of considering. Hell, she had a dedicated guard detail that had followed her to our study session at a shop right outside of their capital city! Just the idea that they would allow me, let alone another faction, to take the lead in looking after her seemed incredibly farfetched. Thankfully, Yasaka seemed up to the task of elaborating.

"Due to extenuating circumstances, we have entered into an extremely tenuous agreement with the Devils. Part of that agreement was that the two devils currently overseeing Kuoh would be in charge of my daughter's safety and well being in accordance with the agreement they have with their faction's leadership. Obviously, that wasn't something that I could allow, but my hands were tied. Then, when all hope seemed lost, my intelligent little sweetheart-"

"Mom!" Kunou complained, but was summarily ignored.

"...reminded me of a certain friend, who was already enrolling at the same academy and would be more than happy to look out for her! Of course, the position comes with its own benefits. Such as protection, some extra training with Lady Magari to get you to snuff, along with-"

"No," I denied.

Yasaka paused and gave me a sharp look, and I felt not only her aura shift, but the entire aura of the room change as well. It was as if I were an invader in a foreign land, and I could feel the environment itself bearing down on me. Yet I still remained unbothered. I hadn't come this far just to bow down from some feeble attempts at intimidation, nor to set my duty to my family aside in favor of serving the whims of others.

"As great as the opportunity sounds, I have my own, personal, reasons for enrolling in Kuoh Academy," I began, and could feel the heady weight on my shoulders relax just a tad.

"I wouldn't want to be the reason the Devil's attempt to use as justification for short changing you. That, and I already told you that I was planning on doing most of that anyway. There's no need to make it official. Let's just leave things as they are. Instead, I would recommend you use your plan to insert an actual bodyguard as a student, and maybe you should consider someone already trained in diplomacy as well?" I advised, hoping they would take what I said at face value.

Yasaka seemed to be considering my words, while Nurarihyon was busy laughing himself silly on the floor, but Magari was the one who had my attention. She gave me a searching look, and seemed unimpressed by my logic.

"You waited to deny the offer until the benefits were listed, specifically training under me. Is there something you would like to say?"

I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes at her accusation. I could have always played it off as if she was reading too deeply into things, but she was also extremely stubborn. Once she got an idea in her head it would be hard to discourage her from pursuing it. For all they should have known, I genuinely didn't want to be involved in their politics, which was true, but of course she focused on the part that involved her instead. Even worse, for once she wasn't wrong. Which made it all the more annoying to address.

It was easy to understand where she was coming from. Magari was a simple woman, or cat, most of the time. She was blunt, straight to the point, and didn't mind lending a helping hand. At the same time, she didn't like to be spurned, nor did she like having her good will thrown back into her face.

It would be all too easy for her to misunderstand my reasons as arrogance, dislike for her, or whatever negative thing she could dream up. I would need to be cautious in how I worded my response in order to avoid upsetting her anymore than she already was, because an upset Magari was one who tried to get even. Her version of getting even usually involved irritating pranks and attempts at publicly humiliating her targets, which I wanted no part of.

"Well, I'm sure a better investment of your time would be to train Kunou and her bodyguard to ensure that they are prepared anyway, no? Since I would prefer not to take the position, there's no point in wasting your time. I wouldn't mind joining in for a lesson or two, but for now I think your focus should be on them. Like I already said, I have my own priorities that would come before your expectations. I would be happy to unofficially lend a hand, but sending me as your official liaison may not be the best idea," I carefully explained, yet that only seemed to further incense her.

"Then why should we allow a loose cannon into the mix, closely affiliated with us or not? It would be even more dangerous to allow a rogue element to involve themselves. Especially one who clearly has their own schemes that may prove detrimental to the agreements we were barely able to secure between our factions," Magari said as she rose up to pad down the table and sit directly in front of me.

This time I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her accusation. While I would have been worried if Yasaka had asked me the same thing, I wasn't shaken hearing it from her instead. Magari wasn't one to get wrapped up in petty politics, and she hated playing political games. It was part of the reason why Nurarihyon was the leader of the East Youkai Faction. If Magari was the one in power, nothing would ever get done.

It was clear to me that she was only regurgitating questions to test my resolve, or whatever odd motivation she had along those lines. I wasn't even considering the idea that she actually believed the garbage she was spewing from her mouth, since she was the type of person to encourage the same sort of behavior she was deriding me for. Magari was practically the poster child for subverting the rules in favor of personal gain. Even the guard who had warned me knew her for just that!

Sadly for her, she was asking the wrong things to the wrong person. While I didn't want her to get the wrong idea due to a misunderstanding, that didn't mean I was going to keep coming up with excuses to appease her. I was under no compulsion to go along with people attempting to impede me from my goals.

I didn't care whether it was hypothetically or actively, my response would be the same either way. Call it selfish, idiotic, or hypocritical, but I'm only human after all. On top of that, I wasn't going to let her sit there and speak as if she or the others had any say in what I decided to do. This wasn't a forum to discuss my next steps. My business in Kuoh was between me, my mother, and my target, end of story.

"First off, I'm the one practically volunteering to still do you all a favor. Just because I don't want a bunch of extra responsibilities weighing me down as I go about my business doesn't mean I'm planning on causing a ruckus, or anything that would negatively impact whatever agreements you all have made with the Devils. Even if I was, you make it sound like any of you are allowing anything. Ichose to go to Kuoh for my own reasons. Your so-called approval isn't a factor in the situation," I firmly said, ignoring Kuroka's growling from a seat over. Magari scoffed at my words, but I continued as if they were both silent.

"My mother came to you all those years ago to ask you for your assistance and faithfully served to honor her debt. She has bowed to your countless whims no matter the detriment to her and our family, and would continue to do so. Regardless of the effect they had and will continue to have on her own desires or ambitions, she remains loyal to your aims. Me? I owe you nothing. We're friends, allies even, but don't confuse me for an underling."

"Caelum, wait-" My mother tried to interject, but it was already too late for that. This was something I needed to make clear, both to her and to them.

"My mother was the one who signed up for your faction, not me. You don't own me, nor do you have any claim over me. Don't presume that you allow me to do a damned thing, especially when we all know that it was what you all originally allowed that screwed my family over in the first place! You should be grateful that I still allow my mother to work for you, oathbreaker!" I angrily said as I leaned in to glare directly into Magari's slitted pupils.

I didn't care that I was challenging them. All I could think about was the nerve she had to even suggest that they had the power to stop me from seeing my sister again. Maybe it was my fear of what could have already happened to her pushing me off kilter. Maybe it was the uncaring look in Magari's feline eyes. Maybe it was the anger I still had at them for using my mother without keeping their side of the bargain. Maybe it was the fact that I still blamed them for what had almost killed me all those months ago. Either way, the whys didn't matter to me. All I cared about was drawing my line in the sand. I glared at Magari one last time before standing up and walking around the table. The room was silent as I moved to my mother and grabbed her shoulder.

"I'll see you on Monday for the exam, Princess," I said as I teleported my mother out. The last thing I heard was Nurarihyon's howling laughter, but even that couldn't bring a smile to my face.

-Kuroka-

"Arrogant, disrespectful brat! How dare he bite the hand that feeds him! Does he truly believe he can challenge you all then walk away without so much as a by your leave?! Please, Lady Magari, allow me to put that insufferable brat in his place!" Kuroka ranted, but was stunned to see her mistress wave her off.

"Hah! He played you like a fiddle, Magari!" Nurarihyon exclaimed in between his laughter. "Didn't I tell you? Did you really think I would invest in a brat without a spine?"

"S-So, you guys aren't mad?" Kunou hesitantly asked. She nervously looked up at her mother, but Yasaka's blank expression didn't seem to offer her any comfort.

"Aren't mad?! Did you not hear what that little leech dared to say to your faces? A brat like him benefiting from your favor, waltzing around your territory, related to that outcast you took in, acting with such impudence! I wouldn't be surprised if he's already gotten back into contact with the Shinra Cla-" Kuroka angrily ranted, but froze at the harsh weight that suddenly dropped onto her shoulders. She slowly locked eyes with her mistress, and her heart skipped a beat from the glare Magari directed towards her.

"Silence," Magari commanded, then turned to face Yasaka. "So we move ahead with Plan B? I believe that display should have been sufficient to assuage any of your worries. It's nice to see that he has the spine to back up his power, even if he still has plenty to learn when it comes to managing both."

"Huh? That was another test? So, did you not want him to accept the position?" Kunou asked in disappointment.

"Hmph, seems this one also still has much to learn," Nurarihyon said, finally recovering from his fit of amusement. "As inspired as your idea was, Princess, it was amateur at best. You must not let your fondness for your friends compromise your decisions. Entrusting your safety into the hands of someone with their own priorities would leave us back where we started."

Kuroka remained silent, watching as Kunou looked over at the elder youkai in shock. The princess looked around to see if the others supported his words, but found no disagreement. When Kunou's eyes finally met her mother's, Yasaka nodded and motioned for her to listen closely to Nurarihyon.

"Even if he did accept the offer, it would only prove his incompetence, disinterest in truly ascertaining your safety throughout your stay in foreign territory, and mental weakness. If he would sacrifice his priorities in favor of following the whims of an outside faction, then who says he wouldn't do the same when another comes along? While we wouldn't turn him away, it would be an indication that he would require remedial training in several key areas to ensure he met just our mental and moral standards."

"Then why ask him in the first place? Why go along with my idea if it wasn't viable?" Kunou questioned.

"To get a measure of where he stood," Yasaka finally said. Kunou's head snapped back to her mother, and Kuroka couldn't help but giggle at the deference the princess showed to Yasaka. It was clear to anyone who watched how much she adored her mother, hanging onto every word and even looking to see whether she approved before listening to Nurarihyon.

"Your proposal may not have been reliable on its own, but it showed potential. Truthfully, we already planned to do something along the lines of what your friend suggested, but that doesn't mean none of us saw the merit in having an ally on the inside who was agreeable to our sentiments," Yasaka finished with a small smile aimed at her daughter, who relaxed at her reassurance.

"Which is why you pressured him," Kunou realized.

"Correct," Magari cut in. "Your friend is cut from the same cloth as how I prefer my underlings. Blunt, and unlikely to hold their tongue. We expected him to deny the offer in the same manner he initially displayed. A direct confrontation was all we needed to follow up with to gain insight into his loyalties and character. All we needed was an opportunity, and what better than one such as I pretending to be slighted by his rejection of my tutelage."

"Hah! More like you jumped the gun because you thought he really had a grudge against you! You aren't fooling anyone, you thirsty old cougar- AGH!" Nurarihyon grunted in pain from the feeling of Magari's claws scraping at his weathered skin.

Yet while the others were amused by the distraction, Kuroka was still pissed at how no one seemed to recognize the problem with giving the arrogant outsider so much trust. She angrily slammed her fist on the table as her temper boiled over, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"But what about his reasoning for being in Kuoh in the first place? He's a loose cannon! Who knows how his machinations could draw the princess into needless conflict! Look at how blatantly he disrespected all of you, do you truly believe he won't do the same to the town's overseers at the first sign of trouble? For all we know-" Kuroka loudly complained, but was cut off again by her mistress before she could really get rolling.

"Enough. Your concerns have already been taken into account. Shirone!" Magari called as she finally jumped off of Nurarihyon's head and turned to face Kuroka's sister.

"Hai." Shirone responded, looking up from the small platter of cookies she had been devouring.

"I believe you mentioned an interest in going to school?" Magari asked, her eyes gleaming with a distinctly devious light.

"What?! No way! You can't send her off and expect me to stay behind! Especially to a place overseen by them!" Kuroka whined, but wasn't prepared for Magari to fix her with the same look.

"Don't worry. Since you're so concerned about the boy and how his actions could potentially affect the agreement, you'll be going with her to keep an eye on things."

-Earlier, Tsukika Shinra-

"Caelum, wait!" Tsukika called out to her son's back. He had already gone stomping down the hallway from the moment he had teleported them back into their house, but she couldn't just let things go on as they were. Not after all of the progress they had made earlier that morning.

"Can't this wait, Mom?" Caelum tiredly responded, stopping in his stride, but not even turning to face her.

"Seren Caelum, you will turn around this instant!" Tsukika demanded, She held back a smile at the way her son whipped around in surprise, but suppressed it in favor of holding her stern look.

She gestured with a finger for him to follow her and led him back towards their living room. Ignoring his groan of dissatisfaction when she sat seiza in front of a small table in the far corner of the room, she patiently waited for him to stop pouting and sit down. He reluctantly followed suit, taking his own position on the other side of the table. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of his slouched position. After some grumbling he pulled his shoulders back, spread his legs apart, and sat up straight.

"Good. Now, let us clear the air. I understand your dissatisfaction with Lady Magari, but showing such disrespect in front of an honored figure like Lady Yasaka is intolerable. Regardless of your past difficulties in social settings, I thought I raised you better than that," Tsukika said, disappointment practically dripping from her words.

"And I thought that you knew how I felt about stepping up to do things by myself, for myself. Clearly, we were both wrong," Caelum retorted, but wilted at the sharp look she gave him in turn.

Tsukika sighed at her son's stubborn nature rearing its head again. Even if she was still happy to see her son had gained such an astounding amount of confidence in himself, she would hate for it to turn into the youthful arrogance which tended to affect those entering his stage of life. She took a moment to gather her words, before deciding that perhaps being blunt with him would serve her best in ensuring he paid heed to her advice.

"I am sorry if I overstepped, but you must understand, people like you don't survive on their own without backing. The Youkai Factions would happily-"

"People like me, huh?" Caelum interjected.

Tsukika looked at him in surprise, and couldn't help but grow concerned by the knowing look in her son's eye. Her heart skipped a beat at the implication of the words he had repeated to her, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had realized the true meaning of them. Before she could start to panic, her son seemed content to let the point go.

"But that doesn't matter. I'm sorry, Mom, but I'm not joining up to be anyone's pawn. Not Magari's, not Nurarihyon's, not Yasaka's, and certainly not Kunou's. How can I ever expect to be able to fulfill my own dreams if I'm stuck trying to fulfill someone else's?" Caelum loudly complained.

Tsukika tried not to let that get to her, but couldn't help but wince at how his words could easily explain her own situation. Unfortunately, she wasn't very successful in hiding her reaction to his words.

"No! Wait, Mom, I didn't mean-" Caelum babbled, but quickly quieted down as Tsukika raised her hand to cut him off.

"It's alright. I understand your point, but I also hope you understand mine. You know the history of our family. You've experienced for yourself how tough this world can be for those who find themselves alone without any support."

"Mom…" Caelum whispered, but Tsukika only looked away and continued.

"Please, don't judge your mother too harshly. In this world of ours backing is everything. I didn't want you to find yourself in a position where you may need support, but don't have someone trustworthy to rely on. Or worse, be forced to settle with putting your faith in an unreliable or disingenuous faction out of necessity."

They both quietted for a few moments, in which Tsukika braced herself for her son's reaction. Feeling the heavy silence settle in, Tsukika finally turned back to face her son. She was relieved to see that he was taking the time to think on her words instead of brooding in dissatisfaction.

"I- I understand. But you have to realize that this is what I was training for. If I can't even try to follow my dreams without kneeling to someone to get things done, then why put some much effort into bettering myself in the first place? Even after…" He trailed off with a pained expression, but Tsukika was surprised to see how quickly the grief seemed to melt away from his face. A melancholic look entered his eyes as he continued, "After Dad died, you did your best to make things work for us until you had no choice but to move us back here to get some help. You tried, Mom! It wouldn't be right for me to not even attempt to do the same!"

Tsukika's eyes watered from his heartfelt words. Still, as proud as she felt to have set such an example that her son wanted to follow, she couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing that her daughter hadn't seen things in the same way. She could only hope that Caelum wouldn't take it to heart when he discovered the truth.

It still weighed heavily on her mind to know that she had run her own daughter into another's embrace. To know that Tsubaki saw her actions, taken to enrich their family, as a way her daughter could use to escape what should have been home. It was enough to break her heart all over again. Now, all she could do is place her faith in her son, and hope that he could do what she couldn't, or even had the right, to do anymore.

Tsukika smiled at her son and gave him an encouraging look, "As long as you remember that you aren't alone, Caelum. And no matter what, there will always be others ready and willing to come to your aid. Mistress may not say it, but she is fond of you. Both she and Lord Nurarihyon favor you."

"More like fond of messing with me," Caelum mumbled, then frowned as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "And don't get me started on that creepy old bag of bones! He's just interested in my powers and what they mean for their faction anyway."

"Your abilities do not define you! As I've heard him state several times, they would be wasted without the intelligence needed to properly utilize them. Regardless of their intentions, they've both seen your potential, and even Lady Yasaka was convinced of the same. Don't be hasty in alienating those who have proven to be supportive of you and your efforts," Tsukika pleaded.

"Alright! Fine! I'll try to be less, ugh, stubborn. But only if that cow-cat Mistress of yours quits messing with me!" Caelum demanded, but Tsukika was too busy suppressing her giggles at his demeaning nickname for her friend.

"I will be sure to inform Lady Magari of your words. Now, off to bed with you. You will need your rest in preparation for your examinations," Tsukika advised. Her eyes narrowed at the way Caelum rolled his eyes.

Seemingly sensing her growing displeasure, Caelum tried to cough it off, "Ahem, um, Mom, I'm about to be starting highschool. I think we can leave stuff like a curfew in the past, right? Plus, those aren't even until Monday!"

Tsukika's eyes narrowed even further, "A discussion to be had after your examinations are complete. Now, go clean up, and don't think I won't notice if you try to sneak out for some late night training, again." She watched as her son groaned and rose up to walk away from the table. As he slowly marched down the hall, Tsukika couldn't help but smile at his back. Regardless of her worries, it was heartening to see her son grow so much.

'If only you could see him now, love,' She thought, but the reminder of her late husband only turned her mind back towards her main worries.

She hadn't been lying when she reminded her son of how things worked in this twisted world of theirs. Backing was everything, and any pieces found to be unaligned were usually swept into a wave of conflict until their allegiances were forcibly secured. While she had been disingenuous in how she framed it, she knew her son was in a unique position. She could only hope that he could find a powerful faction to tie himself to before it was too late. Unfortunately, she knew he would never have the luxury of staying on his own. One day, both sides of his extended family would be coming for him.

Tsukika wasn't sure which would be worse. There were plenty of factions active in Japan, and not many were of the friendly sort. The Devils, Grigori, the Church, the Principal Clans, the Youkai, and while she was sure her son would be successful in fending off the interests of the others, she didn't want to see him struggle against the whims of the Divine.

The life of a hero was often tragic. It certainly was not a life she wanted for her child, but what choice did she have? As her husband had said, the Fates clearly had their own plan for her child. All she could do was prepare him for the inevitable, as it was only a matter of time until the draw of his homeland pulled him in.

A/N: Ok, so I originally meant to just replace all of the other chapters with the reworked ones, but I kept jumping between wanting to rewrite this as two different fics, or just stick it out since I've gotten so attached to this version anyway. In the end, I impulsively decided to just delete the old version and post the reworked chapters with a fresh start. So anyone who sees this and thinks it's familiar, no, this isn't stolen lmfao.

To restate the original notices here, this is an OC-Insert in a crossover PJO/DXD AU. By OC-Insert, well, you'll get what I mean as the story goes on. By PJO/DXD AU, I mean that you can expect a lot of continuity changes. A lot of things WILL NOT be fully or even mostly canon compliant, which you will see as the story goes on. You've been warned. I'm also going to be pulling abilities and stuff from other universes like Naruto, Bleach, the Fate/Stay universe, etc, but don't expect those characters to make actual appearances (unless? Hehe). Speaking of Fate, FGO rocks and I can't believe I never played it!

Anyway, so far I haven't chosen anything like endgame love interests, and if there are any lemon scenes down the line they won't be posted here. Sorry, but I've already had several fics get taken down back to back. I'd rather not get banned off my favorite fanfiction site. The mobile app alone tops everywhere else I've browsed. If I do make an adult content for this fic, it will probably be on another site like A0Tres or tossed up on my hntai foundry. Don't worry, if it comes up then I'll just add a notice in the relevant chapters.

No beta, so feel free to point out any errors you see. Any other pressing concerns should be addressed as the fic progresses. I'll try to respond to reviews, but feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions! Thanks again for giving this work a chance!