Chapter 46: Pier 16 (Part 13)

[This is your captain speaking, we're on final approach to Haneda Airport and the weather is looking to be a chilly eight degrees, make sure you're bundled up tight and have your seatbelts on, we'll be landing soon and welcome to Tokyo.]

Unable to help but squirm in excitement from where she was sitting in her seat Asia peered out of the window as the morning fog and hazy sunlight cast Tokyo into a mysterious light, checking for the hundredth time if she had her list of instructions carefully tucked away in her pocket before nodding in satisfaction that she did.

She had ridden the plane more in the past few weeks than she had in her entire life and things could be a little confusing but she had gotten better at it!

"Grab your small bag from overhead, follow the baggage claim signs, look for your bigger bag and then wait at the departures gate…okay, got it!"

Satisfied that she knew her plan Asia simply enjoyed the novelty of the flight, of the physical thump as the plane touched down and alien roar as it slowly came to a stop before a few chimes echoed through the cabin, passengers rising to their feet as the blonde remained seated, waiting for the vehicle to become a little bit more open before she rose to her feet, reaching up for her luggage…and struggled to grab the handle, getting up on her tiptoes before managing to haul the bag free, blushing at the display as one of the flight attendants seemed to take an undue amount of amusement at her predicament, waving to her with a cheerful smile.

"Maybe I should start praying to be a little taller…"

Shaking off that thought she did as the instructions said and followed the signs, arriving at a large carousel…and belatedly realized that she couldn't remember the name or number of the flight she came in on, meaning any of the several luggage racks could be hers.

"Uh oh…"

Nervously glancing about Asia eventually decided to ask one of the robots standing close by for help, electing to ignore the enormous gun in its hands as it impartially watched over the lobby.

"U-umm…excuse me?"

"Yes?"

Jumping at the deep and snarling voice the nun pressed on ahead regardless, meekly asking, "I don't know which luggage dispenser is mine, can you help me?"

"Display Boarding Pass for further assistance."

Quickly retrieving the slip of paper Asia showed it to the motionless machine, bass voice responding a moment later, "Dispenser C4. It is the same as on your Boarding Pass."

Blushing as she realized everything was nicely labeled and that the machine was right she meekly thanked the towering construct as it continued to survey the area, going to her assigned spot and waiting for the simple black bag adorned with a rosary to roll by her position, the blonde sighing with relief as it arrived without any further complication.

"Are you a woman of the faith as well?"

Blinking at the familiar cadence Asia turned around and broke out into an enormous smile, excitedly shouting, "Sister Caren~!" before engulfing her fellow believer in an enthusiastic hug.

"My my, you are quite physically intimate for a fellow woman of the cloth."

Eyes widening Asia quickly pulled away, sheepishly giggling at the remark before responding, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just nice to see one of the first friends I ever made again."

Caren merely smirked, grabbing Asia's hands in her own before soothingly rubbing her thumbs over the back of the blonde's unmarred knuckles in a motion that was surprisingly warm.

"Ahh, your innocence and earnestness are truly admirable, matched only by your cuteness."

"C-cute?"

"Naturally you should endeavor to be wary around beasts like Cayman. Men such as him no doubt dream ceaselessly of debasing innocent souls such as yourself and you would not wish to get pregnant by hugging him as well, would you?"

Familiar enough with the white-haired Exorcist to realize she was joking Asia merely pouted, informing, "I know how babies are made, sister."

A startled gasp left the other woman, hand flying to her mouth as she whispered in horror, "You have already been corrupted thus? Alas, it must have been that Surveyor and Taimanin's sinful presences that sullied you so. Alas, all things sweet and pure are doomed to fade in this accursed world."

"I also know you're teasing me!"

Smiling at the blonde's protest Caren easily stated, "Only because you are so teasable. Come along now, we had best not keep our companions waiting."

In agreement with her for the first time Asia beamed as Caren offered her arm, the nun happily looping her own limb through the proffered one as they made their way through the terminal, luggage trailing behind them.

"Have you been well, sister Caren? Your ability hasn't left you injured today, has it? If so I can easily heal you."

"Your offer is appreciated but I am well, my recent assignments have resulted in nothing worse than a few cuts and bruises."

"Well that's good to hear~!"

"Your irrepressible optimism is always a sight to behold. But on the subject of debilitating maladies I believe that is Cayman just ahead."

Excitedly switching her gaze forward the young woman did indeed see the familiar sight of the Sanctuary member, holding a sign with a simple cross on it as Till rested on his shoulder, a light blonde-haired girl dressed in a jacket and jeans standing close by and glancing over the crowd at steady intervals.

"His bodyguard? Ooh, I hope we can be friends!"

A wave from the male had them making their way over past the throngs of arriving and departing people, Asia greeting, "It's nice to see everyone again!" as the Fairy was all too happy to reciprocate the greeting, immediately swooping down to grab the nun's neck in an improvised hug before responding, "The feeling's mutual, more so for you than the other crazy woman you brought along."

"Do you see, Asia? The company this Surveyor keeps is tailor made to corrupt and destroy the sanctity of a devout woman's soul."

A grin adorned the lips of the man as he amusedly said, "It's good to see you too, Caren. I had a feeling that everyone around me as of late was being way too polite."
He affixed the blonde with a raised eyebrow, remarking, "You look like you want a hug, Asia."

While surprised at the offer the young woman was all too happy to accept, rushing forward to engulf the Surveyor in an embrace as she smiled in contentment, the sensation of his body pressed against hers highly comforting in a way that felt a bit warmer and different compared to her hug of Caren.

It was certainly enjoyable, that much was certain.

"Alas, it seems I must remain sidelined forever and for all eternity."

"I would offer you a hug as well if I wasn't worried you'd try to slip a knife between my ribs for approaching you so boldly and familiarly."

"You're trainable, that's wonderful news."

Smirking at the pale-haired girl's sass the male gently guided his companion forward, stating, "This is Yumi Kiba, a relatively recent addition to my team and bodyguard-in-training. Yumi, this is Asia Argento and Caren Hortensia, a duo I previously worked with."

Asia immediately got the sense that she wasn't among friendly company as her fellow blonde merely offered a curt nod, glaring at the religious iconography they had on hand with evident distaste.

"My my, that is quite the impressive vitriol you have at your disposal, miss Yumi."

Caren's comment left the other girl blinking in surprise before a slow and controlled sigh left her lungs, a brief nod directed their way as she calmed down a bit before explaining, "My apologies, I've had…less than pleasant experiences with the Supernatural Church."

Asia immediately felt a great deal of discomfort at the admission, wondering what could have possibly been done to the young woman that left her so bitter as Cayman was quick to intervene, stating, "Why don't we all find a place to sit for the next hour or so? The rest of the team isn't going to arrive for around that long so we may as well be comfortable in the meantime."

"A rare idea from you that is quite excellent."

Till sighed at Caren's constant belligerence, the quintet finding a relatively out of the way collection of seats that they settled into, Asia timidly asking, "Umm…if you don't mind me asking what did the Church do to you that was so bad, miss Yumi?"

"Just Yumi is fine. And…"

She glanced towards Cayman, the Surveyor shrugging as he blandly replied, "It's your story to tell and they're trustworthy in my book."

Nodding at the comment Yumi took a deep breath, blandly recalling, "I'm a survivor of the Holy Sword Project, likely the only one."

While Asia could only tilt her head in confusion as she had no context for that admission Caren had no such handicap, briefly closing her eyes before lightly stating, "Ah. Your disgust earlier makes a great deal more sense when viewed through that lens."

"I, I'm sorry…but what's the Holy Sword Project?"

Wilting at Yumi's unimpressed stare the nun hurriedly amended, "C-clearly it isn't anything good, it's just that I didn't hear much about it! Or…much of anything. At all."

Nearly folding in on herself in shame Cayman was quick to come to her rescue, stating, "Easy does it, Yumi. Are you gonna look at that face and tell me she was one of the masterminds behind that whole mess?"

Huffing out a breath the young woman met Asia's gaze head on, stating, "The Holy Sword Project - as the name implies - was an experiment whose goal was to artificially create people who could wield the remnants of Excalibur just as naturally as one who was born to do so."

A sour expression pinched the blonde's features.

"Although with the benefit of hindsight it seems far more likely that the Holy Swords were merely a passion project whose presence was just a matter of convenience. The ultimate point was to discover if normal Humans could be made more 'Holy' or 'Angelic'."

Her fingers interlaced with each other and squeezed hard enough that they went pale, the girl's voice tight as she growled, "Many of the tests and such were focused around the artificial injection of divine and pure energy, or the grafting of pure and sinless souls onto our own. All while we were bombarded with messaging and indoctrination both subliminal and blatant, a never ending stream of meaningless drivel imparted to us by men and women that believed themselves devout without ever considering that their work would have made God weep."

Asia listened with a steadily growing sense of unease as Yumi seemed to speak less and less to them and more to some unseen specter that haunted her, the tirade continuing as she recounted, "Kill the Demon, hunt the heretic, burn the witch and every other laughable slogan except we were led to believe it was right. That it was just. And that's to say nothing of how it burned. Of how nightmares of light and eyes and wings left us panicking or screaming, or how we would thrash and seize as molten metal was poured into our veins as Angelic power not our own clashed and grated against our very sense of self-"

Taking a ragged breath Yumi seemed to bring herself out of whatever haunting memories she had fallen into, Asia forcing herself to swallow before quietly asking, "Did…did any of you volunteer for it? Were you given a choice?"

A humorless snort left the bitter girl.

"If there was ever a choice involved I never saw it. We were stuck and all that was left was to do was make the best of our situation. Well, at least until someone serving in the project remembered basic Human dignity and revealed the extent of what was being tested on us to whoever was ultimately in charge. Unfortunately they were also too much of an idiot to realize that people morally bankrupt enough to torture and indoctrinate a bunch of helpless and clueless children might also be morally bankrupt enough to hide any trace of their wrongdoing."

"...What do you mean?"

Feeling as if the ground was dropping out from underneath her feet Asia nonetheless found herself sickeningly curious about what had happened to the young woman sitting across from her, Yumi tonelessly explaining, "We were erased, the lucky ones through a few bullets or blades when they weren't expecting it while the rest of us might have been able to defend ourselves, earning us the privilege of being gassed to death."

She jerked her head the Surveyor's direction, morbidly finishing the tale with, "I managed to escape and survive but those that found me had an equally unpleasant idea of what my future should be. If Cayman hadn't found and gotten me out of that situation…my friends and family would still be left without anyone to remember or avenge them."

Her throat feeling painfully dry and coarse Asia forced herself to ask, "You're…you're certain it was the Church that did this? Not, not someone pretending to be the Church?"

"I wasn't aware Valper Galilei pretended to be a high-ranking member of the Church."

With a final bout of sickening certainty Asia realized this was no mere misunderstanding, recognizing the man's name as someone who had been excommunicated, the event so momentous and notorious that it had reached even her secluded ears.

Which meant the organization that represented and carried out God's will had also gone against one of his most basic tenets in the most horrifying ways possible, marring his name and image while simultaneously sinning against people who should have been treated as heroes and martyrs for their sacrifice, willing or not.

"Hey, hey…it's alright, this wasn't something you had any part in."

Belatedly realizing her breathing had quickened and that Till was soothingly rubbing her neck Asia had to force herself to calm down, Caren calmly remarking, "The Fairy speaks truly. Every organization - especially one as sprawling and comprising as many faiths or variations of it as the Church does - will always have those unable to live up to its ideals. As much as we may tout ourselves as possessing unshakable moral alignment and virtue there are evidently those not possessing of the same moral fiber."

Hearing such a blunt and fatalistic response from the Exorcists caused Asia to wince, the admission stinging that much more since it came from a fellow woman of the cloth.

"But a more pertinent question may be this…will our loyalty to the Church be a point of unavoidable contention, Yumi?"

The pointed question had Caren and the taller blonde staring each other down, the latter tonelessly remarking, "I don't know, will it? You're an Exorcist, right? What do you think of seeing a runaway right in front of you?"

The pale-haired woman merely smiled, simply replying, "An angry and driven soul, eager for the blood of the holy."

There was a moment of tense silence, Asia barely daring to so much as breathe in the two girl's presence-"

"I approve. Justice must be meted out and heretics punished for their crimes, else why would there be any reason to fight at all?"

A slow, careful breath left Yumi as she mildly stated, "Then it seems we're on the same page. Good."

The Nun was left more than slightly surprised as Yumi turned to her and inclined her head, contritely saying, "I apologize for my earlier outburst, I didn't mean to scare you like that. Nor do I have any ill will towards you."

A hesitant, slightly awkward smile adorned the blonde's lips.

"If it's still a possibility, I'd like it if we work together without issue in the future."

"I…I believe I can do that."

Releasing a sudden sigh that startled the pair out of their moment Cayman reached into his backpack, pulling out and passing around a few sandwiches - which Asia was all too happy to accept - as he complained, "Gods above and below, you girls sure do seem to have a lot of baggage given how relatively young you are."

Caught off guard by the sudden remark the Nun glanced towards her suitcase, hesitantly saying, "It's…I didn't bring too much, did I?"

Four sets of eyes blinked at her response…and a sudden chuckle left Yumi's lips as Caren sighed, sternly commenting, "Cayman? I warn you against sinking your fangs into a lady as hapless as she, her survival instincts seem rather faulty and it would only be a short time before you devoured her whole."

"You ask the impossible, Caren. I'd wager I'm only a few points away from winning her over."

While more than a little confused at the conversation taking place Asia elected to simply savor the provided sandwich, taking a bite and sighing in bliss at the delectable combination of fresh meat, vegetables and some kind of sauce.

"More to the point who are you to speak of baggage? Do you carry some deep seated past trauma or weight around your neck, bending it ever downward to the waiting sword of judgment?"

"Flowery language aside you already mock me relentlessly and there's only so much I can take, even from a lady as pretty as you. If I told you about what I was doing when I was your age you'd never let me live it down."

"...How intriguing."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Cayman? You don't look that much older than us and you haven't said anything about having Extranatural heritage."

Caren jumped on Yumi's inquiry, adding, "You are late twenties at the most yet speak as if you have undergone more life events than someone twice your age."

Rolling with the suspicion without missing a beat Cayman amicably responded, "I'm older than I look and I know a kickass plastic surgeon."

Yumi and Caren both narrowed their eyes at the blatantly untrue statement, Till giggling at the sight as Asia felt some of the tension and worry leave her body…as well as resolve to more thoroughly investigate the matter of this 'Holy Sword Project' once she returned to the Vatican. If there truly were people within the Church that would do such cruel things then she would…would…well she had to do something, turning a blind eye to such cruelty and malice was just as bad as performing it!

And she did not like the implication that the Church was capable of performing such cruel deeds, or that the ones who carried them out had escaped without proper punishment.

"Something on your mind, Asia?"

"E-eh? No, everything's okay!"

Quickly finishing her sandwich the Nun contented herself with the company she was currently in, putting her worries aside for the moment.


"The mismatched groups under my command seem to grow ever more complex."

Watching with no shortage of amusement at the interaction playing out before him Cayman reflected that it was more or less what he'd expected. Yumi had obviously warmed up to Asia in short order as the Nun's puppy-like personality and demeanor did it's thing, the other girl reciprocating as Yumi's attempt to move past the earlier unpleasantness bore fruit.

Caren was treated with the distant politeness one might reserve for a friendly and docile tiger, the Sacred Gear wielder obviously picking up on the Exorcist's more peculiar mannerisms but not willing to just completely kick her to the curb, Till on mother hen duty as she ensured there was never a lull in the conversation for long or that Caren never had an opportunity to make anyone too uncomfortable.

"I guess circumstances have made Yumi a lot less likely to fly off the handle if anyone so much as breathes a word about the Holy Sword Project."

Which wasn't that big of a shocker, if he stopped to consider her change in environment. In DXD canon 'Yumi' had never really had a chance to get proper closure about the Holy Sword Project, immediately being whisked away to Rias' Peerage where 'her' resentment and anger had been given time to fester. In this universe he'd basically given her the chance at both peace and retribution as well as the skillset necessary from the word go, already having taken action - if indirectly - towards achieving that goal.

"Probably a hell of a lot easier to be objective and coolheaded about something if you weren't given years to stew and immediately had an outlet for your anger and resentment."

His phone chimed an alert and snapped him out of his thoughts, the Surveyor announcing, "Alright, looks like the last two of our party just arrived, let's go and pick them up."

Taking the initiative he picked up Caren and Asia's bags - the Nun predictably protesting while Exorcist didn't even bat an eye - as Asia seemed resigned to his actions, instead curiously asking Yumi, "You're going to be attending school soon? What's it like, I've never been there before!"

The other blonde indulgently smiled, replying, "Neither have I, remember? I've been talking a little bit with Mai and Rin back at base, they've been providing hints or pointers that have made it a little less intimidating."

"I wish I could go to school, it sounds like a lot of fun…"

"You should be more careful about what you wish for, Asia. Public schools are where the most unplanned pregnancies out of wedlock occur."

"Do you have a fetish or something? What's with all this talk of pregnancies and other stuff?!"

Caren merely smiled at Till's annoyance, Cayman breaking up the interplay as he said, "Look sharp, they're here. Unless you want them to be sassier than they already would have been."

That got Caren to regrettably drop the matter as Yukikaze and Jinglei marched down the steps, the latter conservatively garbed in jeans, heeled boots and a leather jacket while Yukikaze was…well he figured the term 'E-Girl in public' was an apt description. Stylish but extra.

"Asia was nice enough to pass around a bunch of hugs when she got here, feel like continuing the trend?"

Yukikaze sent him a deadpan look as they drew close, blandly remarking, "Give it a shot, see what happens."

"Chilly, and here I thought we were best of friends after we waded through literal miles of shit together."

"Oh, way to bring that up after less than a minute of talking to us."

Smirking at the Lightning Taimanin's dour reply Caren was just icing on the cake as she dramatically sighed, musing, "Of course it was the ero ninjas that kept us waiting for so long. You live within Japan, do you not? How is it that our flight was more timely than yours?"

"Oh and I have not missed you in the slightest! Did you have to bring the masochistic radar along as well?"

Jinglei's disgruntled and more than slightly draconic growl had the Surveyor's lips quirking in amusement as their dynamic resumed as if it had never been interrupted in the first place, Till and even Asia seeming resigned to the interplay while Yumi just looked bemused, tilting her head as Cayman blissfully sighed, musing, "Ahh, it's nice that everyone's back together. I can practically taste the harmony and good vibes shared between us all."

"Your sense of humor definitely hasn't improved since we've been gone, that's for certain."

"Speak for yourself, the rest of the team thinks I'm hilarious, Jinglei."

"I doubt that."

Yukikaze cleared her throat, pointedly asking, "Not to interrupt this fascinating reunion or anything but are you going to introduce miss Female Knight over there?"

Raising an eyebrow at the odd classification Yumi nonetheless took the question and labeling in stride, replying, "Yumi Kiba, the…"

She gave Cayman a questioning look that he merely shrugged at, the blonde nodding before continuing with, "Guard in training for Cayman. You're Yukikaze Mizuki and Su Jinglei, right? Mai mentioned the both of you a few times."

"Ooh, that teacher's pet talked us up, huh? I bet she only had good things to say, right~?"

Yumi kept her expression carefully blank and polite, Yukikaze narrowing her eyes while Su crossed her arms, more forcefully stating, "Right?" before Cayman decided to nip the conversation in the bud before someone got all upset.

"Either of you hungry? I've got sandwiches and we're headed straight back to the base."

Both Taimanin perked, all too happy to accept his treat as they made their way out of the airport, Asia immediately trying to draw the pair into conversation as she chirped, "It's so good to see the both of you again! Aren't you excited about all the new friends we're going to meet~?"

"Considering the initial group we fell in with I don't know how I feel about that…"

The Nun wasn't deterred in the slightest as she turned to the Surveyor, eagerly inquiring, "Right, Cayman? You said you recruited a bunch of people, right?"

Thinking back to his collection of wanted criminals, Magi, Summons and happy go lucky Demons the male let an enigmatic smile cross his lips.

"People. Sure. Friends. Riiiiight…"

Jinglei and Yukikaze didn't bother hiding their suspicious glares, the tan-skinned Taimanin warily asking, "Who did you get your hands on?"

"And spoil the surprise? Not on your life, you get to see this den of debauchery and sin with no spoilers."

"...You're kidding, right?"

Thinking back to his recent 'healing' of Natsume Cayman just shrugged.

"Eh, not really."

Caren offered a sagely nod - a contrast to the grimacing Taimanin - before thoughtfully musing, "I knew I was correct in my assessment of you."