It's time for my trademark mood whiplash where shit gets super emotional out of nowhere!
Chapter Three: Profanity Filter Off
Okay, first contact with Ray-Ray went better than I thought. I actually survived. Yay! I also got to cuddle up with both Rias and Akeno. Double yay! Lewd healing is the best healing.
I was relaxing on the sofa, eating my homemade lunch. Koneko sat next to me eating some cupcakes I brought with me. Rias was taking a shower in that infuriating bath smack dab in the club room. Akeno was sitting across from me, drinking tea and eating my cookies as always, a change of clothes for Rias folded next to her. Kiba had been sent to pick up Issei since he was just a class over from him.
"You fought a Fallen last night." Koneko spoke up suddenly. "You got hurt."
I blinked, I hadn't told her yet. I glanced at Akeno, and she hid her smile in her cup. Of course she did… cheeky minx knows damn well I can barely say 'no' to Koneko, and she was the biggest worrywart next to Rias.
I sighed. "Rias and Little Miss Snitch over here were able to heal me up just fine."
The glare I sent Akeno's way had no heat in it. She looked out the window, not meeting my eyes and still obviously hiding her smile. The only thing missing was her whistling innocently.
I shook my head then went back to my food. I didn't get far as Koneko grabbed my wrist. She didn't use her Rook strength to stop me, she didn't need to.
She gave me a rare worried look. "You could've called us."
"You were out on contracts, I didn't want to be a bother."
Her grip tightened ever so slightly. "We would've canceled them and rushed over."
"I-It was sudden, I was trailing Issei cause I expected him to fuck up on his date, and then she went all Old Testament on him, I'm… I'm…" I was about to say 'it's fine', but then I realized that it really wasn't, I fucked up. "I'm sorry."
It shouldn't have been that hard. I mean for fuck's sake it was Raynare of all people, a bottom of the barrel level idiot grunt, someone I should've been able to send running just by putting up some semblance of resistance. Seriously, the bitch grovels for her life the moment shit doesn't go her way, two rubber bullets to the face should've sent her running with her tail between her - admittedly - fantastic legs! But no! Instead she turned this into fucking Dark Souls with guns!
Those light spears were no joke. Felt like I got stabbed with something coated in salt and lemon juice, burned like hell. Yes, I know, the irony isn't lost on me, but it was still better than…
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The phantom sensation of nails being driven into my hands ran through my body. For a second, I was no longer in the club room, I was in a dark place, an abandoned house. Mad laughter in my ears as a hammer banged against my palms.
"..ra… Sora!" Someone shook my shoulder, it was Akeno.
I shook my head. "Y-Yeah?"
She looked at me with sad eyes. "You were shaking."
I could feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest, but I did my best to try and calm down. "J-Just give me a few seconds."
"Here," She handed me a fresh cup of tea, I took note of the kettle on the table, I must've zoned out for a while, "Drink slowly."
I nodded, and took a long, slow sip. Peppermint tea. The good stuff.
"Thanks," I put the cup down, careful not to drop it with my less than responsive hands, "I needed that."
"Are you okay?" Koneko asked, her small hand wrapped around mine gently.
I saw red eyes filled with insanity for a split second and felt a shiver run down my spine.
"No." I couldn't even lie about it.
When it came to the Peerage of Rias Gremory, it was almost like a rite of passage that you must have some kind of tragic backstory. Except Rossweisse, she got in for vibes. Kiba could hide his survivor's guilt and hatred for everything Excalibur related behind a fake smile, the same with Akeno and her animosity towards half of her very being and her father. Koneko just shut down nearly all emotions except for those very close to her (thankfully I was on that list of close people), and Gasper just shut himself off from the world.
I took a deep breath to steady myself. "I can fake it well enough though."
"That's not what I…" Then she stopped herself, maybe she realized the hypocrisy in what she was going to say. The whole Peerage had remained tight-lipped on all of their issues despite my best efforts to get them to open up to me. I wasn't expecting to fix everything, just be an open ear for them to vent to… but I guess the whole masquerade thing put a damper on even that. "Never mind."
She let go of my hand, and immediately I missed the warmth. I felt vulnerable. I took the tea cup and this time too a big swig, almost downing the whole cup in one gulp. Warmth spread through my chest, and I calmed down after a few more deep breaths.
Akeno lost her mother. Kiba lost his family. Koneko lost her sister through a huge misunderstanding. Gasper was abused all his life and lost the one person that he felt understood him. I got crucified by Freed Sellzen and left to die, apparently my body wasn't found until the next night. Fucked stuff.
An awkward silence spread throughout the clubroom, the only sound being the mostly muted noise from the shower. Then the door opened, and Kiba walked in, Issei in tow.
"W-What kind of room is this?" Issei asked awkwardly as he entered.
I switched into Memelord Mode as if it were second nature. "The kind that makes me glad I read from my phone instead of actual books cause apparently looking like we're two steps away from ritualistically sacrificing a goat fits the club theme better."
The room was lit by candle light alone. It honestly would've looked very romantic if not for the assortment of occult nicknacks and demonic vaguely demonic imagery in the picture frames.
"Hey!" Rias yelled from the shower, immediately catching Issei's attention, especially since her silhouette was clearly shown through the white shower curtains. "My sense of decor is one of my strong suits!"
I gave her a look. "We look like a horror themed hostess club rather than an occult research club."
"Urk!" Hit right in the weak spot for massive damage!
"Is that a shower in the room?" Issei asked, followed by his expression morphing into something I could only describe as pervy. "And is that Rias-senpai?"
"Yes, that is the world's most impractical shower that only works because of magic," I spat the word out like venom… I'm petty, "And yes, that is our favorite hot as sin redhead."
"Oh?" I could hear the raised eyebrow from beyond the shower curtain. "I'm your favorite now am I~?"
"Oh don't act so surprised, as if anyone could come close to my fellow dork in crime."
"Mhmm." Cue her rolling her eyes. "Akeno, my clothes please."
"On it." Akeno gave Issei a bow, which did wonderful things to her chest. "It's good to see you again, Hyoudou-san."
"Y-Yeah, you too." He said as he blatantly ogled her, something I would not shame him for since I did that anytime I thought I could get away with it.
As she went off to hand our lovely club president her clothes, my fellow pervert turned to me.
"You said you'd explain everything?"
I nodded. "Where do you want me to start? The fallen angels, the whole devil thing-"
"Where the hell did you keep pulling those guns from!?" He cut me off with the worst question he could've asked.
Not worst as in a dumb question, but worst for me because…
Kiba and Koneko blinked, then slowed turned to me. I could already feel the sweat falling down the side of my face.
"Guns?" Kiba gave me an accusing stare.
I felt Koneko's disapproving look from beside me. "As in the Gun magic that nearly blew your hands clean off?"
"The same magic we all agree to ban you from using for your own safety?" Kiba continued.
I turned to Akeno, desperate for some back up or respite from the sheer disappointment radiating off of the two. Instead I was met with an all too innocent smile. "My my, it seems I forgot to mention that bit. My bad~"
Akeno, I love you to death, but you fucking traitor!
"You're grounded!" Both Kiba and Koneko announced.
"Fuck…" I blinked in confusion. "Wait, why the hell am I grounded? I'm an adult!"
Everyone in the room gave me the same look. A raised eyebrow all but saying, "Are you sure about that?" Rias poked her head out of the shower to give me that same look, and even my homeboy, Issei, cocked a raised eyebrow, still not tearing his gaze from the silhouette of Rias's bosom, but we all knew the look of "Is this idiot serious?" was meant for me. I felt my phone vibrate, I took it out to see I had a text from Gasper, a raised eyebrow emoji.
I've been tricked, backstabbed, and quite possibly bamboozled. "Fuck all ya'll." My head snapped to Issei. "And if you're going to look disappointed in every life choice I've ever made, then look me in the eye dammit!"
"I can't!" He exclaimed. "The sight of such magnificent boobs must be burned into my mind!"
The reactions were as expected. Kiba gave a wry smile, Akeno gave an amused giggle, Rias rolled her eyes but still gave a small smile, and Koneko…
She gave Issei a deadpan look. "Pervert."
And then went back to eating her sweets.
I put an arm over Issei's shoulder. "Homie, I understand."
That got another raised eyebrow reaction from everyone, this time the flavor was "Did he just say that?" which is to be expected since even after two years I still hadn't… fully cut loose with them.
Unfortunately, Issei and I share a brain cell when we are in the same room.
"Those breasts are beautiful, wonderful, magnificent, perfection given form and…" My mind blanked, "And where was I going with this?"
I glanced at Rias, her face was beet red. She quickly went back behind the shower curtains the moment she noticed my eyes.
I tilted my head in confusion. "What?"
I heard Akeno laugh. "My my, that was much more forward than usual."
Koneko sighed. "I should've known that his pervertedness was contagious."
There was a sharper edge to her voice than usual. I was confused, it was no secret that I was friends with the Perverted Trio. And it wasn't out of the question for me to sometimes act on my perverted side from time to time.
The sound of Rias clearing her throat got everyone's attention, she was fully dressed in her Kuoh Academy uniform and drying her still damp hair with a towel. Her face was still a little red. "Thank you, Hyoudou-san, for meeting with us on such short notice. I'm sure you have many questions, and I'll do my best to answer them for you."
I leaned back and closed my eyes, might as well take a nap while Rias gives the obligatory exposition dump.
Two years ago, May 10, Kuoh Academy
"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?" Sora yelled in disbelief, "Why didn't you tell me your Birthday was on April 9th, Gremory-san!?"
Rias was genuinely surprised by how distraught Sora was acting. They'd known him for a month and already he'd become a surprisingly close person to the ORC. While he wasn't an official member, Rias did invite him over from time to time… mostly so they could work on their manga, Chaos Rider HxH. They had finished their very first volume a few days ago and it was so good!
"I didn't think it was important, we had only just met after all." She reasoned.
She didn't understand why he cared so much.
Sora gave her a look. "You have a baker as a friend and didn't think that I wouldn't have made you a Birthday cake!?"
Rias opened her mouth, then almost immediately closed it. "Okay, I'll admit that slipped my mind."
Sora groaned. "I had the whole cake planned out too. Three layers, red velvet batter, with crimson and black marbled pattern frosting. Cute devil designs would've been on the bottom layer and…"
Rias zoned out as her mind painted the picture of a glorious cake. Crimson frosting that matched the color of her hair, the symbol of the Gremory family on the top layer, cute, chibi devil wings decorating the outside of the cake. Sora's baked goods were top class, a cake like that would've tasted… She snapped out of it as she began to feel herself drool.
Her eyes widened. "Oh maou, I've made a horrible mistake." Her mouth shut almost immediately, she looked at Sora to see if he had noticed her slip of the tongue. Nope. He was still ranting about cake.
She felt someone tug at her sleeve, it was Koneko.
Her cute little servant gave her a look of annoyance that pierced her heart. "Did we just miss out on a giant Birthday cake?"
She sighed. "Yes. Yes we did."
She really wanted that cake now.
"Whose Birthday did I miss next!?" Sora exclaimed.
"You didn't miss anyone's Birthday again, calm down."
"Kiba's Birthday is on the 30th." Koneko shamelessly supplied.
Sora looked at her in surprise. "Huh, same as me. Go figure. Guess I'm making two cakes!"
Koneko looked at Sora with stars in her eyes. "...Yes!"
The door opened, and Kiba walked in. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. Oh, hello, Kawakami-san."
"Yuuto-san," Sora waved. "Turns out we have the same Birthday!"
The blonde young man blinked, then smiled. "Oh, that's pretty cool."
"What kind of cake would you like me to bake?" Sora brought out a notepad out of nowhere. "Chocolate, vanilla, you know…"
Kiba blinked. "O-Oh, uh, chocolate. Chocolate would be nice."
As the two continued to iron out the details, Akeno walked into the room. She glanced at the two before sending a questioning look Rias's way.
She sighed. "He got upset I didn't tell him my Birthday was coming up, and is now planning to bake cakes for everyone."
Akeno's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, think he'd make me a red velvet cake?"
Rias sighed again. "Apparently he was going to make me one but…"
"Ah," A look of understanding grace her face, "More for me then!"
"Akeno! You traitor!"
And once again chaos reigned in the ORC.
Present Day
Koneko's gaze shifted to the sleeping Sora. Issei had left some hours ago after Rias's explanation and his failed attempt at awakening his Sacred Gear… mostly because he was too busy ogling Rias rather than focusing on actually awakening the Gear. Rias had given him a crash course on the supernatural and the Three Factions, Kiba had volunteered to escort him home.
She was annoyed with Sora, as such it was her sworn duty to deliver justice. As such, she dropped herself on his stomach as he napped on the loveseat.
"Oof!" Instantly the wind was knocked out of him and he was awake. Swift, easy, and she caused someone misery. All was well. "Ooooow!" Sora cried. "The hell was that for, Koneko?"
No, she wasn't just annoyed, she was outright mad. Not because he acted like a shameless pervert for a bit, but because he didn't do it more often, with them. Each and every one of them knew that there was a distance between them, that he kept the ORC at arm's length for some reason or another. He had a filter on despite most of his goofiness, it went beyond simple shyness around pretty girls. He had his walls, they all did, especially the ORC. Maou knew they had their walls, even with each other, but Sora was different, he was normal. It wasn't keeping face in school, tracking Stray Devils, and doing contracts. They actually felt like friends hanging out and having fun, and he was the one that caused that. He made them feel normal for the first time in years. And now…? Whatever walls he had built… it felt like he doubled down on them. There was more distance between them.
He blinked. "You okay, Koneko-chan?"
She looked at his blue eyes. Really looked into them. There was something missing. A spark that used to be there, a light. It was gone. She'd heard from Rias how he acted when he woke up. He was terrified, it took everything he had just not to scream. He wouldn't stop shaking and clung onto Rias like a lifeline, he cried for hours. And now he was all smiles and jokes, it was so obviously fake it hurt. Then Issei came in and his guard came down almost immediately. It almost felt like he didn't trust them.
"Me? I'm fine…" She answered. "You're not."
He gave her an odd look. "I… know? I told you I'm not alright. I got the J-man treatment two weeks ago, after all it's-"
"Sora, this isn't a joke." She said sternly. "You're pushing us away. We want to help you… I want to help you. You're hurting."
There was a flash of anger on his face. "Who the hell isn't hurting in this Peerage?"
Koneko was stunned for a moment; she'd seen Sora annoyed and frustrated before, but never actually angry.
"Since day one it felt like everyone was walking on eggshells with each other. Like everyone has some kind of crazy deep seated issue no one is willing to bring up." Koneko only just managed to avoid flinching at how on the mark he was. "Fucking hell, I brought up the sword Excalibur one time and Kiba looked like he want to put my head on a pike. Hell if I know what that was about." She was going to have words with him about that. "And that damn smile. That fake smile he and Akeno walk around all day with… fuck, I feel a knife twist in my heart every time I see it. You just shut down your emotions altogether," That time she actually did flinch. "And sometimes when Rias thinks no one is looking, she makes a face like something's eating her up inside and… and…" He cut himself off, looking contrite when he saw the look on her face. "I… I'm sorry… I-I didn't mean to snap at you like that." She flicked his nose. "Ow."
She frowned. "Stop apologizing like that all the time."
"I'm so-" She brought up her hand again, and he immediately stopped talking; he raised his hands in surrender. "Okay then."
She snorted. "Who knew Kuoh Academy's Gentle Prince actually had a mean bone in his body?"
"I have a nickname…" His face scrunched up as if he'd bitten into a lemon. "Ugh, why is it the 'Gentle Prince?' That's awful. I know I try to go out of my way to be a nice guy but that's so bad."
There we go, back to normal. "So, is that how you really feel about us?"
"Koneko-chan, I love you all to death, but sometimes you all make it hard for me." He shook his head. "So, many unspoken agreements and rules you all have with each other. Fuck, I feel like I'm navigating a mine field with you guys lest I make some idle comment that gets me the same reaction Kiba gave me." He cringed. "Jeez, and the bloodlust Akeno had when Rias and I were discussing how fallen angels would work in our manga… chills."
Oh, so that was why he felt so… neutral all these years. "She doesn't like fallen angels."
Sora gave her a condescending look. "You don't say?" She pinched him in the side. "Ow! Bitch!"
Sora motioned to pinch her side too, but she grabbed his hand before he could, stopping him completely in his tracks. "Nope."
He narrowed his eyes. "You are so lucky that Rook strength is bullshit."
"You're just jealous."
He scoffed. "Oh yes. I'm so jealous that I have to ask everyone else to reach for anything past five feet up."
Her eyes twitched, he knew damn well her height was a sore spot for her. "Do you want to get pinched again?"
He smirked. "You're already busy keeping my other hand restrained, meaning if you want to pinch me, you'll have to risk being pinched yourself."
Koneko raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
His smirk turned into a vicious grin. "Bring it!"
Their hands moved at the same time, and to her surprise he matched her speed, both of them reached each other's sides… and squeezed. Something strange happened, her Rook durability meant a Pawn like him shouldn't be able to do any damage, much less cause any pain… yet almost immediately, it became unbearably painful.
She grit her teeth, unwilling to show any sign of discomfort. "You're cheating… with magic… aren't you?"
Sora bit his lip hard, but otherwise remained expressionless. "You… don't get anywhere… in this world… without cheating!"
They continued their contest for… ten seconds until they both let go.
"Owowowowowowowowowowowo!" Sora cried as he rubbed his side.
Koneko's constant poker face at long last broke. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! The 'Gentle Prince' is such a brute, Nya!"
She immediately shot a hand over her mouth.
Sora blinked and stared at her wide-eyed. "Did… did you just… nya?"
No matter what he said, she did not pout. "I did not."
He burst out laughing. "You did! You totally did! Pffft! Are you a cat girl or somethi-" Her arm immediately shot to his side again. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Mercy! Oh good fucking Lord, mercy!"
The sudden headache at the mention of the Lord made her squeeze harder just a second longer before letting go. She stared as he rubbed his side, rather awkwardly since she was still sitting on him, but a thought ran through her head. He kept himself on a filter for so long, and now she had him without it, she doubted he even noticed it himself.
She took a deep breath. "Sora-kun?"
He kept rubbing his side in pain. "Yee?"
"What do you think about me?"
"Eh? Is this some kind of love confession event?" She put his hand on his abused side again, giving him a threatening look. "H-Hey! Okay! Jeez. It was just a joke."
"I'm being serious here. What do you think of me as a person?"
"I…" He was hesitant. "Are you sure? This could quickly become The Roast of Toujou Koneko."
She started this, she could handle this, if only to make him more comfortable with them. With her. "Go for the throat."
"You asked for it" He gave a long sigh. "Koneko, you'll always be my homie, but most of the time I can't tell the difference between you and a lamp."
She blinked. What?
"Cold, stiff, lifeless. I have to constantly check if you're still breathing to make sure you're alive and I'm not going home with a life sentence… or you start randomly emitting light. Like holy shit, I swear if I put a lampshade over your head you'd just blend into the background. Forget Gasper becoming the stealth expert of our team, you've got it covered already."
That one actually stung a bit. "O-Okay…"
"Doesn't help you have the emotional spectrum of a brick. The only times I've ever seen you emote is when sweets are involved, and even then just barely. And don't get me started on the times you just stare at me awkwardly… like a cat," he stressed, making her hand, which was still on his side, twitch, "And barely blink for what seems like hours on end. I'm half tempted to push your lips up into a smile… or just duct tape your mouth with one drawn onto the tape. Or maybe just poke you with a stick and make sure my friend is alive and not a dead body expertly propped up on the couch."
"O-Oi…" Did he really think she was that bad of a friend?
"But! Buuuuut…" He raised his hand. "I understand that school basically drains what little social energy you have. But I love it when you talk. When you join in on the conversation I do everything I can to keep you talking. You're the funniest person out of everyone here with your deadpan snarker attitude, and your comebacks…" He made a chef's kiss gesture, "Simply divine… or is it demonic in our case?"
Koneko shrugged, she turned away, hiding the growing redness in her cheeks. "I… Never asked."
He shook his head. "Whatever. You're the most observant, and by proxy, the most considerate; I doubt anyone else would be having this talk with me. Akeno and Kiba are too busy stewing in whatever crazy tragic anime backstory that has them up a wall."
Harsh… but accurate.
"Gasper is Gasper. And Rias… you all know I love her to death, but goodness, the girl loves to act like nothing's wrong."
She felt a pang of guilt at that. "...I guess we made her feel like that was the only thing she could do."
He winced in shame. "Shit, probably. We're all so bad at talking about our problems that we forced her into… complacency."
She sighed. "So, that's how you really feel about me?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes. You and the rest of our spooky little grilled-cheese bullshit club are a bunch of utter fuck ups and poor excuses for people, but I'd move mountains and brave Hell for you idiots." He began tearing up, but he smiled, it was a smile she'd never seen from him before. "You may be idiots, but you're my idiots. I love you guys. I couldn't imagine life without you all anymore."
Ba-Bump!
Her eyes widened, her face felt flush, she could've sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. She immediately turned her head so he couldn't see her face. "I-Idiot. Saying things like that so suddenly…"
He laughed. "What's with that cliché line? When did this suddenly become a dating sim? Did I trip a flag? Oh, how many affection points did I earn?" She flicked him in the nose. "Ow. Earned that one."
Killing lines like that earned him full marks… not that she'd ever admit it.
She raised an eyebrow. "So, this is what you're really like under that nice-guy act of yours?"
He met her eyes dead on. "Take it or leave it, sweetpea."
"I'll take it.," She gave him a small smile. "I like you better this way."
BGM: 「カルマ -piano ver.-」 を 歌ってみた 【Seika】
There was a comfortable silence for a little while. He had opened up to her, laid his emotions and frustrations bare. He was the first person in the ORC that let himself be… vulnerable. Whenever he found them in a rather emotional state, he always offered to be someone that could listen to their frustrations. No one ever took him up on it. Masquerade or not, one human knowing about them being devils wasn't the end of the world. Hell, there was a human mage in the school. She should've done this sooner, they all should've…
She steeled herself for the memories about to come. "I… have a sister."
"Is she hot?" Koneko glared at him and his shit eating grin, and promptly chopped him on the head. "Gah!"
"I'm being serious here."
He rubbed his head. "Bad time for jokes, got it."
She shook her head in exasperation. "We're nekoshou, a yōkai race that gets a lot of attention for our proficiency with a power called… senjutsu. My sister, she took care of me while she was part of the Peerage of a devil that took us in. She… one day, she killed her King. She went mad with power…because of senjutsu. She ran away and became an SS-Class Stray Devil." She began shivering. "They were going to execute me for her crimes, until Buchou's brother stopped it." She stared at the floor. "The rest is history."
There was silence for a few seconds, then she felt his arms wrap around her, bringing her head down to his chest.
She felt his hand gently rub her head. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
"Mm…" She could hear his heartbeat, it was soothing. "If you had power like that. Power that'd drive you mad, make you unrecognizable to your loved ones… would you use it?"
He pondered the question for a while. "I… I think I'd still use it."
She looked up into his sky-blue eyes, that missing spark was there again. Faint, but there. "Why?"
"I'm an idiot with no sense of caution. If it meant saving you all, if it meant your happiness, then I wouldn't even give it a second thought."
"What if you lost control?"
"I have you to bring me back, don't I?" He said it without any hesitation. "One good smack to the head and you'll be dragging me back to Rias for a good scolding."
She felt tears gather in her eyes. "...And what if I lost control?"
"I wouldn't stop, day and night, until I got you back." His hold tightened. "I'd use everything I had and then some, and even then I wouldn't give up on you."
The dam broke. Years of bottling up emotions spilling out into sobs against Sora's chest. She couldn't help it. She couldn't stop even if she wanted to.
"It's alright." He began rubbing her back. "Let it all out. I'm not going anywhere."
"Dumbass…" She sobbed. "I'm supposed to be the one comforting you!"
"I can handle this on my own for the moment." He argued. "If things get too much for me, you'll be the first to know."
She gripped his shirt tightly. "I better be…dammit!"
They were both completely oblivious to the redheaded observer watching them through the slightly ajar club room door.
Chapter End
