Chapter Thirty-Nine – Oh Sister of Mine…
Jafar poked and prodded at a campfire, relishing the sanctuary that the flames provided from the frigid air that swept through the myriad of great elms that dotted the landscape.
A stray breeze swooshed through his frame, causing him to clench up from the sudden chill.
Sure, Jafar had assumed that the dogma the church fed them about the underworld wasn't a hundred-percent accurate, but c'mon.
He thought for sure that hell was at least supposed to be hot. The young man tugged his fur-lined jacket tighter around his body, desperately wishing for some more relief from the cold.
Turns out, his wish hadn't fallen on deaf ears, because Jafar was suddenly surprised as a large mass practically flopped over him from behind.
"What're you still doing up, Kuroka?" Jafar continued to gaze into the fire, pointedly ignoring how the Nekomata had managed to sandwich his head with her… endowment.
"Not even going to give me a reaction~?" Kuroka's fingers began to gently stroke through the man's hair.
"Sorry to disappoint." He replied. "Your watch doesn't start for another… what, three hours? You should get some rest."
"I couldn't rest, even if I wanted to." Kuroka peeled herself off of him, instead opting to take a seat beside him.
Jafar looked over at his new ally as she gave him another smile. "Although, the promise of being all alone with a specimen like you certainly didn't help~"
Ignoring the blatant undertone, Jafar continued to stare at Kuroka; before he finally decided to open his mouth.
"You're scared, aren't you?" Jafar interjected.
All at once, the boisterous energy poured out of Kuroka; her smile turning weak.
"You have to stop doing that." She replied. "Ladies usually don't like when a man can look right through them, nya~"
Jafar turned back to the campfire. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not… Not really…" Kuroka attempted to laugh. "I don't even know what I'm so upset about anyway, so…"
"That's fine." Jafar reassured. "You haven't seen her in a long time, you're bound to be anxious; anyone would be.
"Mhm…" Kuroka hummed.
"Just know that whatever happens tomorrow night, I'll be here, okay?" Jafar smiled. "I'll be whatever sounding-board you need."
The two stared at each other for a moment. Jafar soaked in the sight of the Nekomata before him: the soft glow of the fire dancing off her gorgeous features in the most miraculous ways, her golden eyes seemingly softer than ever before. Her supple lips drawn into a smile that – while small – was no less content.
It truly struck him at that moment: this was the real Kuroka. Not some perpetually-seductive vixen, but a poor, scared girl on the run, a sister who only wanted the best for her family. A woman who had given everything, and was now trying desperately to pick up the pieces.
He liked the real Kuroka.
The sound of their crackling fire and the faint hiss of the wind whipping through the trees carrying out for miles upon miles.
Kuroka shifted around in her seat, eventually leaning her head against his shoulder.
Jafar glanced down at her, watching as she looked up at him with those big, golden eyes. He tried to ignore how it made his heart do somersaults when she looked at him like that: ears flattened against her head, and a stare that could get him lost in those eyes for hours.
"Thanks." Kuroka finally broke the silence. "You're surprisingly reliable, nya~"
"Well someone had to be." Jafar let out a humorous huff. "I mean, who else could you go to for emotional support, Vali?"
"Hahaha~!" Kuroka reared back as she barked out a laugh. "Oh, could you imagine? Hah!~ You're killing me here!"
"Yeah, it's a pretty bleak picture." Jafar smiled.
"Yep." Kuroka slowly stood up, and dusted herself off. "I should probably try and get some beauty sleep."
"Good, you deserve it. If it gets time for your watch, don't worry about waking up. I'll have Bikou cover it."
"My, you sure know how to treat a lady." Kuroka winked.
Jafar just rolled his eyes playfully.
"Anyway, you have a good one~" Kuroka began to walk towards her tent.
"Yeah, you too." Jafar offered a lazy wave back, before raising a brow when Kuroka froze in place.
Slowly, she turned back around and walked back to the fire.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah." She whispered. Bending over, she rested a hand on Jafar's cheek, before…
"!"
Kuroka stood up once more, a faint dusting of pink in her cheeks. "Consider that thanks for giving me some comfort."
"Sweet dreams, nya~" She winked.
As the promiscuous Nekomata slowly vanished into her tent, Jafar simply sat there.
Suddenly, he didn't feel all too cold anymore…
Vin tugged at his shirt's collar for what must have been the fourth or fifth time since putting on this whole damn ensemble. While it might have seemed ridiculous, the boy actually hadn't expected to be in attendance for this thing, on account of not actually being a devil, nor a member of Rias Gremory's peerage.
But then yesterday, Azazel had informed him that yes, he was in fact going to be going, and as a direct representative of the Grigori. So yeah… No pressure there…
When he had – justifiably – tried to argue that he couldn't attend because he didn't own a suit, Azazel simply raised a brow and pointed to Rias.
"She can get you one, no problem."
And 'get him one' she had. Vin spent the better part of yesterday being dragged along by the whims of every Gremory tailor they had on staff, being assaulted by measuring tape, fabric, stitches, the works…
The end result was the outfit he'd been fighting against for the better part of an hour and a half. They'd packed him into a form-fitting suit, a white dress shirt underneath a dark, satin-green blazer and slacks. As if that wasn't enough, the tailors seemed hell bent on completing the look with a long, tan coat draped over his shoulders.
When he'd initially seen the outfit, he balked. It looked like some leprechaun getup, for crying out loud. But apparently, the general consensus amongst the tailors was that the outfit cut him a good figure. Plus, green was in for men this season; whatever that meant.
Vin was pulled from his thoughts when the car slowly skidded to a halt.
"Alrighty, you ready to go kiddo?" Azazel tugged the collar of his dress shirt, before licking the tip of his finger to smooth down his eyebrows. "We're going to be rubbing shoulders with the top echelon of devil society here."
"You'll be fine." Barakiel reassured as the trio stepped out of the vehicle. "Azazel and I will be handling the majority of the interactions."
"Exactly, so all you'll have to do is stand there and look pretty. Oh, and maybe shake a few hands."
The three stepped through the security at the front of the building, and shuffled into an elevator to take them to the fifteenth story ballroom of the massive entertainment hall. As the slow, groovy chime of the elevator's music played, Vin desperately fought with his styled hair to have it maintain shape. Gone was his usual hair-band and ponytail, instead his brunette locks were free to cascade down his back.
"What kind of guests are we expecting here?"
"Mostly people you already know." Azazel supplied. "Micheal is here representing Heaven, the Devil Kings will be here, so that means Serafall and Sirzechs from the Peace Summit are here too."
Vin rubbed his hands together as the elevator slowly came to a halt.
"You'll be okay, kid. Don't forget to breathe." Azazel teased. "Rias and her whole posse will be arriving in a bit, so you got that to look forward to."
That was all well and good, except for the fact that left Vin with some indiscernible amount of time without really anyone he knew to bounce off of, in a place with some of the underworld's biggest and strongest. He could feel a layer of clammy sweat slowly beginning to form underneath his collar.
But alas, Vin didn't have time to dwell any longer in his insecurities, as the doors to the elevator slid open with a dull hiss, leaving the trio of Fallen to slowly shuffle out into yet another long, gilded corridor.
The soles of dress shoes padded along luxurious carpeted flooring as they eventually made their way to a grand set of double-doors, flanked on each end by a set of stern-faced guards clad in armor. Without wasting a beat, Azazel flashed one of them a cheeky smile and a mock-salute. The guard simply stared right back, before they pushed open the doors for the group without any reaction whatsoever.
"Really cheery folks they employ here, huh?" Azazel ribbed as they made their way into the ballroom.
Speaking of the ballroom, it was unlike anything Vin had ever seen. Every wall was decorated in artwork and fine wallpaper, each pillar or piece of support in the room shining golden, carved in all manner of regalia, it was like a Disney castle brought to life. Servants shuffled around, armed with trays and carts of refreshments and drinks. Off in a far corner of the room, a small band of musicians filled the air with the sounds of a classical movement that Vin had never heard before.
Despite the fact that they'd arrived before Rias and her peerage, Vin was frankly astonished at the crowd already formed in the room. Easily over sixty people already milled about the expansive floors, conversing with one another, creating a dull hum underlying the band's performance.
Somewhere along the way, Barakiel separated from the group, heading in through the crowds towards a far end of the room.
"Well, well, well!" A voice called out from the crowd. "I was wondering when you were going to show up! You shouldn't keep an old man waiting!"
Said old man strode out of the crowd with all the confidence of a man a quarter of his age. Dressed in whites and dark greens, his long, wispy beard and hair flowed behind him as he moved. Before coming to a halt right in front of the trio.
Vin felt himself slowly freeze as the old man peered at him intently from behind his monocle-clad stare.
"Is this the red dragon brat the devils have been flaunting?"
"Not quite. He's coming later." Azazel stepped forward, "But, this is as good a chance as ever for introductions."
Vin quickly caught on, and initiated; stepping forward and extending his hand. "Hello there, I'm Vincenzo Corsetti. It's nice to meet you, sir."
The old man clasped his hand, and shook in one affirmative manner. "Name's Odin. Nice to meetcha, brat."
…
…
WHAT.
Vin froze up once again, every muscle tensing like a bear trap in his body as he realized exactly what kind of situation he was in. This was Odin. Like, actually fucking ODIN. For the sake of appearances, Vin kept his smile as casual as he could manage.
"Mhm, you've got a good grip there son." Odin commented.
"T-Thanks… You too." Vin struggled to hold his smile, at least until he was finally free from Odin's handshake.
"Odin, sir!" A woman soon burst from the crowd, jogging up to Odin's side. "Please don't start walking away in the middle of talking to the Devil Kings, it sets a bad prece-"
"Anyway, how've you been, Azazel?" Odin turned to the Governor-General, pointedly ignoring the silver-haired woman trying to speak to him. "You got yourself a new hand?"
"Oh, this?" Azazel raised up his prosthetic, clenching and unclenching his artificial fingers. "I made a dumb mistake a few weeks back."
"Lady troubles, I assume?" Odin smirked wryly, nudging Azazel with his elbow.
"Something like that." Azazel hummed, as he finally looked over to the silver-haired woman hanging her head. "You got a new valkyrie with you?"
The woman raised her head, seemingly remembering her professionalism.
"Ah, where are my manners?" The woman stammered, before sinking into a bow. "My name is Rossweisse, a valkyrie and bodyguard for Lord Odin during this visit. It's an honor to meet you, Governor-General Azazel."
"The honor's all mine." Azazel shook her hand.
"Trust me, Azazel, she may seem nice, but boy, can she yap. She's been in my ear all evening." Odin ribbed. "All etiquette this and formalities that."
"Lord Odin, I hardly think that's appropriate!" Rossweisse sputtered indignantly. "This isn't a party, it's negotiations!"
"See what I mean?" Odin smirked. "Rossweisse dear, you're never gonna get a man if you're this high-strung all the time."
The valkyrie flushed. "W-W-Why..! No- I- er…"
"Oi, oi, give her some credit." Azazel planted a friendly fist into Odin's shoulder. "I'd be that high-strung too if I had to watch you, you crazy old bastard."
Rossweisse's head shot back up, staring at Azazel in astonishment. The governor-general just shot her back a smile and a wink.
"Say, Odin, how about we get some drinks and meet up with the other bigwigs, eh?" Azazel grimaced. "After all, I don't think I can get through this sober."
Odin barked out a laugh. "Now you're speaking my language! Lead the way!"
With that, Odin and Azazel proceeded ahead, practically hand-in-hand, leaving Vin and Rossweisse standing stock still in their wake.
"Soooo…. That's Odin, huh..?"
Rossweisse sighed. "Yes."
"Is he always like that?"
"Yes."
"You poor soul."
"Hey Vin, come on over!" Azazel called from across the room, as he scooped a flute of champagne off of a passing serving tray. "There's someone here I want you to meet!"
"Well, that's my signal." Vin turned on his heels. "It was good to meet you, Rossweisse; and best of luck with… that."
The valkyrie gave him a smile. A slightly-defeated, yet still genuine smile. "Thanks, you too."
With a nod, Vin took off; his tan overcoat kicking up in the air as he briskly moved to catch up with his boss. A brief moment of navigating through a more densely packed area, and Vin found himself near some sort of long round-table. All sorts of figures stood around, each wearing their own dress and regalia. Scanning around, Vin briefly caught a glimpse of long, scarlet hair before landing on the signature sight of Azazel's black-on-blonde locks.
"Hey, Azazel!" Vin walked up to his boss's side. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yep, I wanted to introduce you two." Azazel gestured over to the third man in their conversation. "Vin, I want you to meet Ajuka Beelzebub; he's one of the Devil Kings, and most importantly, the inventor of the Devil's Evil Piece system."
Before Vin could get a word of greeting out, the green-haired Devil King leaned right into his face, scanning him over with a piercing, calculating gaze.
"Hmmm…" Ajuka hummed, stroking his chin absentmindedly. "This is quality work. Not bad for a bootleg."
Azazel feigned clutching his chest in pain. "Oh come on now, that hurts! I prefer the term 'adaptation' myself."
"Yes, yes, well you've done an adequate job regardless." Ajuka finally got out of Vin's face, only to begin slowly circling him, looking up and down his body as he went. "When you used a piece on him, did you observe any peculiarities?"
"I mean, I struggled with my wings for a while." Vin supplied. "That, and I've been struggling with concentrating my magical circuits."
Ajuka snapped his fingers, causing a small notebook to appear in his hands.
"I see… So a lot of the same symptoms that we see in reincarnated devils then." Ajuka scribbled something down, before looking back up at Vin. "And were you using magic at all prior to your reincarnation?"
"I mean, I don't think so?"
"He could use his Sacred Gear beforehand." Azazel interjected. "He'd awoken it, and then it evolved too, all before he became a Fallen Angel."
"How interesting…" Ajuka closed his notebook and warped it away in a flash. "Thank you for lending me your time, Mr. Corsetti. It was good to meet you."
Vin awkwardly took Ajuka's hand. "Uh… You too."
Without a moment more, Ajuka broke the handshake and briskly walked away, leaving Vin and Azazel standing around.
"Eccentric, isn't he?" Azazel remarked.
"That's one way to put it."
The sound of the double doors opening caused all conversations in the ballroom to die down. Every set of eyes flicked over to the entrance as a set of three figures stepped beyond the threshold.
Every individual in the room gazed on as none other than Lord Michael himself set foot into the gala. Beset on both sides by two young, rather familiar teens.
"Irina? Zeke?" Vin gawked.
The church-aligned teens were each done up to the nines. Irina looked around in gobsmacked awe at her surroundings while dressed in a shimmering silver party dress, complete with a set of fine heels; a white fur draped over her shoulders.
Unlike Irina, Ezekiel kept his gaze locked straight ahead, while his eyes slowly scanned the area with deliberate precision. He stood with his usual impeccable posture, sporting a double-breasted suit in a dark lavender, gold trim around every edge. A flowing cape pinned with a gold chain flowed off of his left shoulder. Finally, his typical prosthetic hand was swapped out for his dual-purpose arm-cannon and sheath – the Judgement Sabre sitting comfortably in its confinement.
As the three made their way further into the hall, Sirzechs stepped forward, the crowds of young devils, families and peerages alike splitting like the red sea to allow their Devil King passage.
"Welcome Michael, I'm glad to see you're in good health." Sirzechs spread his arms open with a smile.
"Thank you, Sirzechs." Michael smiled back. "I must say, your people do wonders when it comes to spectacle."
"We strive to." Sirzechs grinned. "Now come, I have so many people to introduce you to."
Michael began to follow Sirzechs, dismissing his two escorts with a simple wave of the hand.
"Oh. My. Goodness!" Irina's head snapped all around the hall. "Look at this place, Zeke! It's like a real princess' castle!"
"They spare no expense when it comes to aesthetics." Ezekiel nodded. "But Irina, do try to exercise restraint. We're here as guests."
"Yeah, but this is a party, right? So why not have a little fun, ri-" Irina's gaze locked on to something across the room. "VINNY! IS THAT YOU!? OVER HERE!"
Vin cringed as Irina's voice completely overshadowed everyone else in the room. As quickly as he could, Vin trudged through the crowds, making his way over to his two friends.
"Ah! Vinny, you look great! I love the hair!" Irina ran forward, and grabbed Vin in a bear hug. "It's great to see you again!"
"Likewise. I missed you." Vin smiled, and patted his friend's back until she let go. "You don't look half bad yourself."
"Right!?" Irina twirled around. "This dress is so pretty~! I totally feel like a princess right now!"
Not a moment later, the Chuunibyou Exorcist followed suit. Stepping forward, he extended his good hand out to Vin.
"I trust you've been well, my friend?"
Vin gave a self-deprecating laugh. "As best as I can be. You know how it is. Now bring it in, man."
Vin grabbed Ezekiel's hand and tugged him into a quick hug.
"I thought Xenovia would've been with you." Irina remarked.
"Nah, she'll be here with the others in a bit." Vin replied, before forking a thumb behind him. "Say, do you guys want to step out onto the balcony for a bit? Just get some air and chat?"
"A fine plan to me." Ezekiel tugged at his collar.
Issei didn't exactly consider himself someone who was all too socially-anxious. After all, when you're known by your entire school as a pervert, you have to both grow some thicker skin and throw away any sense of shame.
Yet despite that, Issei couldn't help the sensation of butterflies churning around in the pits of his stomach. He could count the number of times he'd attended a formal event on a single hand after all – not counting graduations, there was… the Gremory-Phenex wedding? And if he wanted to be technical, he didn't really attend that one as much as he crashed it, so…
Yeah. He was pretty thoroughly out of his element. Not to mention, Buchou had made it clear to everyone that they all needed to be on their best behavior; seeing as they'd be mixing with not only the youngest generation of Devils, but also several high class figures, including the four Devil Kings.
The more he thought about it, the worse the butterflies got…
Issei tugged at his shirt's collar, desperate to put some slack on his tie. It was a nice suit, no doubt; a wide-notched designed suit blazer in a deep, dark crimson over top of an all-black ensemble which cut him a nicer figure than he'd even thought himself capable of. But still, he could do without his tie choking him like a noose.
He'd never thought he'd miss the mountains, but suddenly the company of that shitty dragon Tannin was looking real appealing.
[Show some spine, Partner. You can't go slinking off now, you're the Sekiryuutei, for crying out loud.] Ddraig's grunts reverberated throughout the inside of his mind.
That's right. He couldn't turn tail right now, he was a pawn of Rias Gremory! Issei stood up just a little taller as he continued to walk alongside his teammates towards the ballroom entrance. He may have butterflies, but he also had his pride, dammit!
Not to mention…
Issei's eyes drifted to his right, where Rias and Asia walked side by side. Rias donned a flowing, open-back dress in a similar shade of red to Issei's blazer, the shade playing off her hair and the fabric playing off her body in ways that set the young Red Dragon's mind alight. The heiress was currently at work trying to soothe the worries of her blond bishop.
Speaking of which, Asia looked nothing short of spectacular. An off-the-shoulder party gown layered with transparent white overtop a soft sky blue undertone; combined with her hair, which had been styled to practically perfection.
"Ah, Issei." Asia caught his gaze, giving him a small and nervous smile as she fidgeted with a lock of her hair. "I-Is everything alright..? You're staring."
"Y-Yeah. I'm good!" The pawn shot up ramrod straight; anything less, and he'd have melted right there on the spot.
"Now, now you two," Rias giggled softly. "You'll both be fine, okay? Let's enjoy ourselves tonight, okay?"
"Right!" Issei pounded a fist against his chest to steel himself.
Not a moment later, the group had reached the set of double doors. The guards took a glance at the group, before giving them a deep bow and setting to work opening the doors.
Stepping inside, the gala hit Issei all at once. The smell of fine wine drifting on the air, the low rumble of chatter accompanied under the melodies of classical music. The entire aura of the celebration was so distinctly different from that of the wedding he'd previously crashed. The only thing that could come to his mind was-
"Wow…"
"No kidding." Xenovia chimed in as she scanned the area.
"Huh?" Issei spotted a head of white hair walk past him briskly. "Koneko? Where're you going?"
"Getting food. I'm hungry." Was Koneko's curt response as she strode off into the crowd and out of sight.
"Is she going to be..?" Issei asked no one in particular.
"She'll be fine." Kiba put a hand on his shoulder. "But she does have the right idea; I'm a bit thirsty too. Do you guys want anything?"
"I'm good, but thank you Kiba." Rias politely declined.
"Anyone else?" Kiba offered.
"I'll join you; if they have some white wine, then I wouldn't mind a glass." Akeno smiled.
"Sounds good." Kiba smiled before heading off into the party, Akeno by his side.
Well great, now there were three of them gone. Issei could only imagine how things were going. Everyone will dissipate and then he'd be all alone here… Then, it'd only be a matter of time 'till he said something to someone, and then Buchou's name would be slandered, and…
He shifted his weight from side to side as he tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat.
As if sensing his discomfort, Rias looked over her shoulder and smiled.
"Don't you guys worry, you can just stick with me."
"Thanks…" Gasper practically croaked out.
Frankly, Issei was surprised the daywalker could even speak at all; especially given his track record.
Maybe Azazel's training regiment actually did something for Gasper. But if that was the case, then surely he'd also be seeing the fruits of his labor; surely…
Issei was pulled out of his head, as a loud call drew their dwindling group's attention.
"Goodness! Rias, is that you?"
A young man stepped out from the crowd, dressed in a suit of fine purple velvets, complimenting his soft lilac hair, which fell in fluffy waves down past his shoulders. The young man made his way towards the Gremory, arms outstretched.
"Percival?" Rias's face lit up as she quickly wrapped the man in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Indeed, it's been far too long, dear." Percival smiled.
"Buchou, who the hell is this guy?" Issei bristled.
The two separated from their hug, both gazing at the pawn.
"You didn't tell your new peerage members about me?" Percival laid his hand over his heart dramatically, "Oh Rias, darling, you wound me~!"
The lilac-haired devil stepped forward, offering a deep, theatrical bow to the still-present members of the peerage. "My name is Percival Rodrik Forneus, heir to the House of Forneus; a true honor to meet you all."
"Percival is a childhood friend of mine." Rias explained. "We haven't seen each other in… goodness, probably four years now?"
"I believe so." Percival nodded, "I see your peerage has grown some since last time."
"I could say the same." Rias looked over to the two figures flanking Percival on either side, "Ah, Angelo, it's great to see you again as well! Have you been well?"
Issei balked as a tall man, dressed in a butler's garb stepped forward. Nothing out of the ordinary, that was, until you looked at his head; where in its place sat the expressionless helm of a knight.
"I've been well, my Lady." The butler, Angelo bowed for Rias. "It's wonderful to see that you're in good health as well."
"And this one?" Rias pointed to the other figure by Percival's side.
Issei paused as his eyes fell onto the figure who stepped forward. Auburn hair flowing down her head in flawlessly gorgeous waves; a cut figure put in a red cocktail dress which showed off every single alluring curve of her body. To top it off, her gaze; which froze even the most iron-willed in their tracks.
She was, without any possible room for debate, drop-dead gorgeous. Like a roman statue brought to flesh.
"Ah yes, this is Carmelita, my newest Knight." Percival smiled, "Come say hello, darling."
"Greetings, it's an honor to meet you all." Carmelita gazed over the group, a small smile gracing her luscious lips as her eyes met those of the Gremory's young Bishop.
"And what's your name, beautiful?" Carmelita sauntered up to Asia, extending her hand towards the Bishop.
"I-I- Uh…" A blush broke out across Asia's cheeks, as she stumbled to find her words.
"Come now, I won't bite." Carmelita reassured, before pressing her lips to Asia's hand. "Although I can always make exceptions for a goddess like you~"
"O-Oh!" Asia's blush doubled as she stepped back under the unflinching pressure of this stranger's flirting.
Issei furrowed his brow, stepping forward and offering his hand. "Hyoudou Issei; it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hmm, are you with her?" Carmelita gripped his hand tightly, causing Issei to meet her piercing gaze dead-on.
"Something like that." Issei staunchly replied.
"I see… Could have sworn that you were with your King."
"Can't it be both?" Issei challenged.
"I suppose not." Carmelita raised a brow. "But that's a whole lot of woman for one man, don't you think?"
"I'm not any ordinary man." Issei shot back.
The two stared each other down for a moment, before Carmelita gave a small nod, and broke the handshake.
"I'm gonna go get a drink, maybe try to find where Oliver wandered off to." Carmelita spun on her heels, before disappearing off into the crowd. But not before peering over at Asia one more time. "See you around, gorgeous~"
"It was great catching up with you Rias! Are you staying in the Underworld for a time after this?"
"Yes, we'll be here for about a week more."
Percival's face lit up, as he clapped his hands together. "Perfect! We simply must catch up over a cup of tea, darling! Now, I think I'm going to go find your Queen."
"Sounds great. Let's keep in touch." Rias gave Percival one final hug before departing into the crowds, his butler by his side.
The four remaining members of the Gremory peerage stood around for a moment, before Rias turned around to address the group.
"We should probably head over and greet the Devil Kings," Rias considered, "But I believe that grabbing a bite to eat is in order, no?"
Koneko gently shook her glass of red wine, watching the rippling liquid splash around the glass in a so-far unsuccessful attempt to soothe her nerves.
Of all the places she wanted to be, here wasn't one of them. She should be training to get stronger…
She'd seen results, sure. But those results came at the cost of her other side being all the more potent. It was a double-edged sword; a constant struggle between improvement and the task of keeping her true self hidden.
Even now, she could feel it; feel it burning right under her skin, smoldering with a ferocity that could take only the smallest push to explode.
The very same power that pushed her sister to…
…
That was the core of it. While finding acceptance was no easy feat, it could be done. Hell, half the group already knew her true identity.
But with every passing week, she could feel that fire getting hotter and hotter. She could feel her sense of control begging to erode away.
How long did 'Koneko' even have left? A month? A year?
A matter of days..?
If she gave into that power that she'd been restraining so fiercely, through every waking moment of her days, would there even be anything of her left?
Or would she be like her sister? Ravenous, uncontrollable. Would she end up lashing out, hurting others..?
Koneko's gaze tightened even further.
"?"
That was, until that constant sting, that itch paused for a moment. Only to immediately double in intensity, like the hissing throb of a fresh wound sending sparks throughout every nerve of her body at once.
It took every ounce of willpower the Rook had to hold herself together in that moment. Stumbling forward until she hit one of the stone pillars, the cool touch of the stone against her bare arms helping ground her just enough to set her drink down and look around.
Slowly scanning her surroundings, Koneko began to take in deep, labored breaths. She needed air, she needed space. Stumbling ahead, she quickly stepped out onto one of the balconies, practically crashing into the bannister as she leaned over the edge to heave.
"H-Hey, are you feeling alright?"
Koneko looked up with hazy vision, to meet the concerned gaze of a girl with blonde, drilled twintails. That Phenex bastard's little sister, her mind slowly pieced together. With much effort, Koneko opened her mouth, finding her tongue tacky and her throat dry.
Slowly, Koneko finally managed to rasp out something along the lines of 'I'm fine, leave me alone'; or at least she thought she did. Honestly, she couldn't even recall what she had just said, but it seemed to have worked, because after a final scrutinizing glare from the Phenex girl, she walked away, heading back inside the ballroom; allowing Koneko to slowly try to recompose herself.
The nighttime breeze felt like needles against her skin, causing her to wince from even the smallest of sensations. Her muscles tensing up and relaxing erratically as she fought with herself, desperate to reclaim herself.
And that was when something caught her attention, right out of the corner of her eye.
Turning around, Koneko's large, fearful eyes met the hazel-gold irises of a black cat, which sat perched on the bannister a few steps away. The animal sized her up for a moment, its twin tails swishing through the air.
Koneko was practically paralyzed by its gaze, all the color draining from her face. As a single dry, hoarse whisper fell from her lips.
"K-Kuroka..?"
"Ah, Rias, there you are!"
Issei looked up, having just tucked into a frankly delicious side of calamari; as a familiar face scurried up to their table.
Now, by no means did Issei have a ton of connections or hell, even experiences in the underworld, but even so, he recognized that hairdo anywhere.
"Hey, you're…" Issei racked his brain for a name to put to the face, yet he turned up empty. "You're the fried chicken's little sister, right?"
The Phenex girl rounded on Issei, her face puffed out into an equally indignant and adorable pout. "My name is Ravel Phenex, excuse you."
"Right, sorry about that, I'm not great with names." Issei scratched the back of his head, "How's he doing, by the way?"
"To say he's coping with it would be an insult to the concept." Ravel scowled. "My brother's holed himself up in his room like some sort of hermit. It's pathetic."
"Yeah, that sounds rough." Issei chuckled. He hated to admit, there was a tiny bit of grim satisfaction there – he'd done that to him, he knocked that cocky bastard down a peg.
"It truly is. Thank goodness my mother traded for me, if I had to spend another minute in that group, I swear…"
"So I assume that means you're here on behalf of Lady Phenex?" Rias chimed in.
"Precisely! I'm a free piece in all but name." Ravel paused for a moment, before perking up. "Oh, goodness, I got off track! Rias, I just wanted to let you know that I think your Rook may be under the weather right now. She practically fell into me when I was standing on the balcony over there."
Rias' smile dropped. "I see…"
"Yes, and when she looked up at me, goodness, it was like looking at a ghoul! She was as white as a sheet, poor girl. And she sounded even worse!"
"Thank you so much for letting us know, Ravel." Rias gave the girl a smile and a brief hug. "I'll go have a look. Is she still out there?"
"As far as I know, yes."
"Wonderful." Rias stood up. "She must have eaten something that didn't agree with her. Issei, could you come with me? I might need you if we need to carry her somewhere."
"Of course, Buchou!" Issei quickly set his food down and dusted himself off. "But are Gasper and Asia going to be-"
"That's a good point." Rias turned to the youngest Phenex. "Ravel, could I ask you to keep an eye on those two while I'm gone? They both are new to this sort of event."
"Oh, of course!" Ravel reassured. "I've been meaning to chat with your Bishop for a while now."
"Though do hurry." Ravel warned, glancing down at her cell phone. "It's already 8:36, and the main event is set to start in under an hour."
"We'll keep that in mind, thank you." Rias turned and began to head off, Issei taking up a file at her side.
"..."
"..."
"So wait, Koneko can get sick?" Issei finally broke the silence.
"No, of course not. You've seen how much that girl can eat." Rias shook her head. "Remember what I told you back at my place? About how Koneko's been working herself ragged recently?"
"Sure, I mean…" Issei connected the dots, "Oh! Do… Do you think it has something to do with her cat powers?"
"I don't doubt it." Rias shook her head as they reached the entrance to the balcony. "Just let me handle this."
"Sure thing." Issei nodded as the two stepped out into the summer night.
"Koneko, are you feeling alri-"
Rias' words died in her mouth as she took in the sight before her.
Her Rook stood, rooted in place while shaking and quivering like a tree. Sweat dripped down her face, which remained contorted into a fearful state of shock. Trembling eyes firmly locked on to the stare of a black, twin-tailed feline.
The cat itself finally moved, turning its frigid gaze to the Gremory, causing a horrific shiver to run down Rias's spine.
As if moving in slow-motion, Koneko slowly turned her head to the two, the utter desperation and fear etched into her features so unlike the Koneko they usually knew.
"...R-R-Rias…"
"...Koneko, listen to me," Rias firmly instructed, her gaze refusing to shy away from the cat's furrowed stare. "Step away from her, slowly."
"... I-I- AUGH!" Koneko yelped, as a fresh wave of ferocious pain ebbed through her body, "I can't, stay away from me!"
"Koneko, take deep breaths." Rias instructed.
"Don't call her that…" The cat hissed.
"You." Rias' tone turned frosty. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Aaah!" Koneko screamed, her legs suddenly giving out on her, causing her to fall to her knees.
"Koneko!" Issei stepped forward.
"Don't touch her!" The black cat snarled as it pounced from the bannister, shifting rapidly into the form of a woman. Hackles raised, Kuroka fiercely stared down the Red Dragon as she stood between him and Koneko's writhing form.
"Get out of my way!" Issei shouted.
"Issei, don't-!" Rias cried, but it was already too late. In a flash, Kuroka fell to the ground, and swept Issei's legs out from under him, hissing at his downed form. Ears perking up, Kuroka darted to the side as a dark red orb of pure destruction blasted its way through the stone of the bannister.
Thinking quickly, Kuroka swept Koneko's groaning form into her arms, and with a final hiss, leapt from the bannister, falling further and further down into the dark treeline below.
"Shit!" Issei quickly got to his feet, "Who the hell was that?"
"That was Koneko's sister." Rias admitted. "One of the underworld's most wanted criminals…"
"Fuck…" Issei ran a hand through his hair. "What should we do, Buchou?"
"We have to go after them." Rias directed, before leaping off the balcony, her Pawn following after her.
Kuroka landed on the garden floor with unparalleled grace, carefully lowering her sister to the ground before her.
Kneeling down, Kuroka brushed a strand of her sister's silver bangs from her sweat-drenched forehead. "It's okay, Shirone, I'm here…"
"...You! Get away from me!" Koneko bristled, thrashing around in between yelps and gasps of pain. "N-No, no, no, no… S-Stay away, don't touch me!"
"Shirone…" Kuroka shied away, wounded. "I can sense your pain, all that Ki you've been bottling up inside yourself… Why, why would you do that to yourself?!"
Koneko snarled, despite her pitiful state. "I-I'm NOT Shirone!"
"What brainwashing has that Gremory girl done to you?!" Kuroka balked. "You need to let go, transform, let all that Ki flow out of you!"
"I-I'm not- AUAAGHHHGHHGH!" Koneko spasmed.
"Shirone!" Kuroka screamed. "Please, you need to embrace it! Let it flow through you! You're going to hurt yourself even more if you keep this up!"
"Kuroka." The Nekoshou looked up at the former exorcist who stepped out from the treeline. "They caught up to us."
"Right, just… I need more time!" Kuroka stammered. "Fuck, and here I thought I'd be able to talk to her… No, she has to be killing herself…"
"Hey," Jafar knelt down and placed a hand on Kuroka's shoulder. "Breathe okay?"
"Breathe?!" Kuroka hissed. "My sister is killing herself and you want me to-"
"Kuroka." Jafar cut her off. "Focus, you're rambling, you're letting yourself get all worked up. Keep a level head, or you might make mistakes."
Slowly, the heaving of Kuroka's shoulders slowed down.
"There you go." Jafar smiled softly. "Now, how can I help?"
"I need time." Kuroka replied. "I can try and dissipate some of this energy, force open some of the Ki flow she's keeping closed up in her body."
Koneko paled. "N-No, you… you wouldn't…"
"Sorry, Shirone." Kuroka grimaced. "But I'm not going to let my sister kill herself. So if you won't open them yourself, then I'm going to do it for you."
Kuroka put her hands to Koneko's writhing body. As the elder Nekoshou's hands began to glow a faint amber, Koneko weakly tried to swat them away. "No, stay aw- AAAAARRGGHHH!"
"I'm sorry Shirone. This is going to hurt."
Suddenly, two distinct gusts of wind swept through the garden's plantlife; as Rias and Issei made their way down from the balcony. The two looked downright livid as they advanced on the two members of the Vali team.
"Time to go to work, I suppose." Jafar grumbled to himself as he cracked his knuckles, stepping out into the path of the Devil's advance.
"Give Koneko back!" Issei loudly declared. "She doesn't want to go with you, so give it up!"
"Indeed. Koneko is a beloved member of my family, and I'd go to hell and back for her…" Strands of Rias' hair floated into the air. "So consider this your only warning."
"Well, given the circumstances…" Jafar tossed a glance over at the sisters, Koneko's screams of pain and protest echoing through the clearing. "Yeah, sorry, that's not gonna happen."
"Then I'm sorry that it's coming to this." Rias's body flashed with a red aura, before…
*BSHAM!*
"!"
Jafar looked down at his torso; as in a flash, the Gremory heiress blasted a hole the size of a beach ball through his flesh. With only a gurgle, Jafar fell backward, landing onto the grass.
Issei looked down at the corpse with wide eyes. "B-Buchou?"
"Koneko is my dear family. If it's between him or her, my choice is obvious." Rias simply stated. "Now let's save Koneko."
"R-Right…" Issei shook it off, before joining Rias as they marched past Jafar's dead body and towards the two Nekoshou.
"Shit!" Kuroka bit back as she felt her own Ki flow become strangled by the vice grip her sister's flow was being kept under. "Jafar, I need more ti- Jafar!"
"What did you do?!" Kuroka got up from her sister, bearing down on the two Devils.
"I made good on my word." Rias simply replied. "I warned him to step aside, and he refused."
"You monster." Kuroka hissed.
"I'll be as much of a monster as I need to for my family."
"You're not her family, I am!" Kuroka screamed. "You… You turned her into this!"
"Release her." Rias' hand crackled with energy. "Now."
Kuroka snarled in the face of her imminent unmaking, as Rias slowly raised her hand…
*WH-PLSH!*
"HUH?!" "What the..?!"
Rias and Issei looked down as they suddenly found their torsos ensnared by a pair of large tendrils, each one seemingly made of up some sort of glowing blue liquid made solid.
"I promised I'd give you more time."
Suddenly, the two devils were yanked from their feet, and tossed back across the garden as if launched from a catapult. Being flung from the tendril's grasp in an unruly manner onto the ground, the duo looked up to watch the liquidus tendrils shrink back to Jafar's now standing form, swirling around themselves as they reformed into his left arm.
"You know, you should be more careful tossing that sort of power around, Missy." Jafar snarked, the hole in his torso slowly reforming with the same glowing liquid, before shifting back to his typical appearance, clothing and all. "After all, if I were anyone else; they would've been dead."
"Now," Jafar's eyes glowed a bright blue in the darkness of the garden, "Let's dance."
"Fine by me!" Issei yelled out, the Boosted Gear materializing onto his arm as he charged forward at an astonishing speed.
[[BOOST!]]
The Devil tossed out a haymaker that Jafar leaned back to avoid by mere inches. Not wasting his chance, Jafar's leg snapped out into a fierce kick to Issei's now-exposed side, causing the teen to wince, but still hold his ground; using the chance to wrap his left hand around Jafar's leg.
"Keep him busy, Issei!" Rias called, her wings unfurling from her back. "I'm going after Kuroka."
"Right!" Issei cheered back as his master took to the air.
"Not happening!" Jafar used his height to push himself into Issei's hold, grabbing at the Red Dragon's face with his hand, and forcing the boy into the dirt in a vicious pin. Tossing his free hand forward like one would with a whip, the limb flung far away, stretching out to a tendril which shot across the glade like a rocket, grabbing itself onto Rias' ankle before dragging her back towards Jafar's position.
Twisting in the air as she was drawn back, Rias charged up to unleash a blast to disintegrate her assailant, but was thoroughly interrupted when Jafar swiped his arm, causing Rias to be slammed against the ground like a rag doll.
"Bouchou!" Issei hissed under Jafar's hold. "You'll pay, you bastard!"
[[BOOST!]]
Issei grabbed Jafar's arm with one of his hands, and the scruff of the man's shirt with the other, using his increased strength to wrestle the man off of him. Both men getting up, before charging at one another, Issei swinging devastating punch after punch, while Jafar took up a defense, parrying and redirecting the Red Dragon's blows, laying on the counterattacks wherever he could see an opening.
[[BOOST!]]
Finally, Issei reared back, fist clenched and ready to strike. "Dragon…"
A small red orb materialized in the air.
"SHO-"
Jafar moved swiftly, kicking Issei's punch off course, before snapping out with his other foot, nailing Issei in the back of the neck as he stumbled.
The former exorcist stood over the Red Dragon's downed form for only a moment, before all the hairs on his head began to stand on end, quickly, he leapt forward, and out of the way of another blast of Rias' Powers of Destruction.
Locking eyes with the scarlet-haired devil, Jafar and Rias began to circle one another. One beat passed. Then another. Then another.
Then all hell broke loose.
Blast after blast of destructive energy fired at Jafar as he ducked, dodged and weaved through the assault, laying on his own flurry of blows, courtesy of his liquidus tendrils, which he lashed out out like countless whips at the heiress. Both slowly trying to wear the other down, while maintaining a vital distance from one another.
"Kuroka!" Jafar cried out. "How much longer do you need? I'm losing ground here!"
"I'm nearly there! Just a minute!" Kuroka bellowed over the increasingly loud screams of her little sister.
"Koneko!" Rias turned around in a panic. Which allowed for Jafar to quickly jet forward, slamming Rias with a tendril before delivering a devastating axe kick to the devil, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"ALMOST THERE!" Kuroka cried, as Koneko's screams reached a fever-pitch, and a bright cyan light began to consume the area.
"GGGYYYYYAAAAAAAOOAOAOOAOOAOOOOOOOOOOO!"
*BOOM!*
All at once, the cyan light filled the garden, before a massive, harrowing explosion shot across the area. Kuroka was shot backward towards the other three combatants, skidding to a halt.
"Kuroka, did you do it?" Jafar raced up to her side; Rias and Issei slowly getting to their feet behind them.
"Y-Yeah, I did. Shirone's Ki flow's been forced open." Kuroka shook her head. "The only problem is…"
The cyan lights began to dissipate, and an almost-ethereal mist started to dance around the glade. From deep within the mist, the shadow of a figure drifted through the air. Slowly, the creature entered their view.
"...Now we have to deal with all that stored Ki flowing out of her at once." Kuroka finished.
Dressed in a flowing white kimono, Koneko looked far different from the blunt, stoic girl that people had referred to as the 'School Mascot'. Her silver hair now flowed almost endlessly down her back, disappearing into the fog that wreathed her entire form. Her body grew significantly, now towering over everyone else in the grove, nearly three-quarters of Tannin's size.
Long, slender fingers decorated with razor-sharp nails which danced with a ghostly cyan energy with every movement. Gone were her golden irises, now replaced with vacant eyes which glowed that same ghostly blue.
It was as if a deity had been ripped straight out of the pages of legend and placed right before them. And with her hackles raised and an animalistic snarl spilling past sharp canines, it was clear that this figure was anything but passive.
"I-Is that Koneko?!" Issei balked.
"Gremory!" Kuroka called. "How long has it been since Shirone last used her true form?"
"Not for years." Rias stood, enraptured by the sight of her Rook. "Why?"
"That's what this is caused by. When she seals up her Ki flow to hide her Nekoshou features, she's bottling up all that energy. What were you thinking? That could've killed her from the inside out!"
"You think I would've known that?!" Rias shouted back. "She was scared she'd become like you if she ever used it again!"
"GYAAAAOOOOOOO!" Koneko wailed out, charging and slashing at the group, causing them to scatter.
"Ladies! Not the time!" Jafar yanked one of Koneko's claws out of the way. "What are we supposed to do now?!"
"We need to get her to burn through that Ki energy!" Kuroka turned to the two Devils. "We need to get through to her… So… I need your help, please. If there's anyone she might listen to, it's you guys."
"You're still a criminal. But for Koneko's sake, we can make a truce." Rias conceded. "What do we need to do?"
"Tire her out, keep calling out to her subconscious. We need her to release all that energy." Kuroka instructed.
[[BOOST!]]
"Sounds good to me!" Issei roared, punching an oncoming swipe out of the way, before racing forward towards the towering form that was Koneko.
"Koneko, listen to me!" Rias called out.
"GYYYYYAAAAHAHHAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Koneko sent a barrage of ghostly fireballs heading towards Rias, causing the heiress to use her wings to flap herself out of the way at the last second. "Koneko, please I know you're in there!"
Issei dashed around the titanic Nekoshou's legs, before leaping up to the inside of her left knee. "Take this!"
[[BOOST!]]
*BAM!*
The blow connected, sending Koneko to one knee, Jafar racing around to try and bind one of her arms with his tendrils. Kuroka spread her hands, casting an entire hex system of magical circles to bind her sister's other arm in place.
"Now, while we have the chance!" Kuroka cried.
"Koneko, please, it's me, Rias." The redhead stepped forward, locking eyes with the growling Nekoshou. "I know you're in there, you're stronger than this."
"GYYYAYYAAAHHHHHH!" Koneko hissed, leaping into a flip, shattered the hexes cast around her, sending Jafar spiraling deep into the surrounding treeline. Koneko's eyes locked onto Rias, narrowing dangerously, before leaping towards the heiress full-tilt.
"BUCHOU!" Issei screamed, as Rias failed to fully retreat, getting her legs grabbed by Koneko's massive hand. After another feral roar, the titan squeezed her tight, before tossing Rias aside, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Dammit! Issei looked around, with Jafar and Rias out of the way, they were at a severe disadvantage. But what would happen then? Here was an entire congregation of some of the underworld's strongest just a few scant miles away from here.
But a horrifying thought crossed his mind. They'd just see it as a beast, a stray devil. They'd put Koneko down without a second thought if they believed her to be a threat.
Issei shivered. So it was up to them then. If they failed… Well who knows what could happen?
Issei got to his feet, tearing his blazer and tie off his body. He had to get through to Koneko. No, he would get through to Koneko, no matter how much punishment he'd have to take for it.
"How much left do we have in the tank, Ddraig?"
[Do you even have to ask, brat? I'm as ready to do this as you are.] Ddraig's voice emanated from the scarlet gauntlet.
"Hah… This is going to suck, isn't it?" Issei bitterly chuckled.
[You'll be fine… After all, didn't we just get off of a month of doing this exact same thing with Tannin?]
"Yeah, you're right." Issei's gaze hardened.
"HEY, KONEKO!" Issei yelled, the titanic creature turning slowly to face him.
"Yeah, it's me! You know, ol' Issei Hyudo- WHOA!" Issei dashed out of the way of a fireball at the last second.
"C'mon, you remember me! The perverted trio, right? You called me Cock-Muppet once! That one kinda hurt, not going to lie, but still! You remember my face!"
"GYYYYYYAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!" Koneko roared, swiping to grab Issei before faking him out and opting to backhand him instead.
"OH SHIT!" Issei braced at the last second, being knocked away like a baseball. Closing his eyes as he sailed through the air, Issei prepared to eat the impact.
An impact that never came.
"There you go, almost missed ya." Jafar called from the ground. A network of tendrils extending from both of his arms to catch Issei like a basket.
"I have a plan." Issei called down.
"I'd love to hear it!" Jafar shot back.
"Can you toss me towards her head?"
"I take it back: you suck at making plans, man!"
"Just do it!"
"Fine!" Jafar reared back. "YOUR. FUNERAL!"
Like a bullet, Issei launched through the air, quickly latching onto a strand of Koneko's front bangs, dangling right in front of one of her eyes.
"Bind her arms!" Issei ordered.
"On it!" Kuroka quickly secured down her sibling's wrists.
"Koneko, Shirone, whatever the hell you want to be called! Are you really this scared to embrace who you are? Did you think any of us would hate you for it?!" Issei shouted.
"Because NO, we wouldn't! Even if we did, the Koneko I know would've never put up with shit like that anyway!" Issei raised his legs as Koneko's jaws tried to snap around them.
"NO, it's my turn to talk, dammit!" Issei cocked back and punched the Nekoshou square in the forehead.
"GYYYYYAAAAAOOOOOHHHHH!"
"Don't you realize that you have to accept that your past happened? The only thing trying to run away and hide from everything is hurting you! Don't you fucking realize that? You're becoming the thing you're the most scared of being BECAUSE you keep trying to pretend your past never happened." Another punch.
"GRRRRAAAAAAOOOGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
"You'll always be Shirone, but you can still be Koneko! You don't have to LIKE your past, but you do have to accept it happened! That's the only way you can actually move on!" Issei clenched his fist.
[[BOOST!]]
"We'll all love you regardless! So get that through your THICK…"
[[BOOST!]]
"...FUCKING…"
[[BOOST!]]
"... SKULL!"
*KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!*
Koneko tumbled backward from the blow to the head, Issei holding onto her head all the way down. As the titanic Nekoshou hit the ground a massive cloud of mist hissed out, enveloping the entire area in a thick blanket of fog.
"Shirone?!" Kuroka cried out into the fog bank.
Slowly, a figure rose up from the fog bank. The mist rolled away into the endless reaches of the night, all that remained was Issei, standing tall, the small, slumbering form of a certain white-haired rook resting in his arms. Her breaths labored, her body covered in sweat, but a newfound look of relief on her face which hadn't been there before.
"S-Shirone…" Kuroka sank to her knees. "Thank goodness…"
"Listen lady." Issei drew Kuroka's attention. "I don't know what you originally wanted from your sister, but I can't just let you take her. She may be your family, but she's ours too."
"That being said…" Issei continued. "If she does ever want to reach out, is there a way she can reach you?"
Koneko reached into her pocket, before pulling out a blank strip of paper, passing it to Issei's free hand.
Issei raised a brow. "It's blank."
Rolling her eyes, Kuroka snapped her fingers. "How about now?"
With a bright purple flash of light, the slip of paper quickly filled out, a small magical circle etched into its surface.
"If she ever wants to talk, no matter what time, she can reach me with that." Kuroka offered a weak smile. "It's the least I can do to try and make amends."
"I'll make sure she gets all of that." Issei smiled. "But, Um…You two should probably get going, right? Because we are going to call security."
"Fair enough. But thanks for everything, Dragon Boy~" Kuroka's seductive smile returned in full force, a finger tracing down Issei's chin. "I'll tell Vali you said hello, nya~"
"... Wait, what?!" Kuroka's words finally registered.
"Oh Jafar~ Time to get going, nya!" Kuroka bounced off towards the former exorcist, who was dusting himself off.
"Right." Jafar nodded. "That was a good fight, and again, thanks for all the help."
Issei watched the two slowly disappear into the darkness of the garden, before looking down at the girl in his arms; a small smile stretching across his cheeks.
"I'm surprised you humored Kuroka like that." Rias walked up behind Issei. "How's she doing?"
"Other than super worn out, she seems fine to me." Issei replied. "Also, I didn't do it to humor her… Koneko… She deserves to at least have the option of reconnecting."
"You're a good man, Hyoudou." Rias smiled. "Now, we really should get back to the gala. The main event started twelve minutes ago."
"Oh shit, we didn't miss anything, did we?"
Rias let out a guilty smile while holding up her phone to show her texts with Akeno.
Akeno:
[Where are you, Rias?]
[Are you okay?]
[Rias, we need you over here.]
[We're getting called up. Any minute now…]
[The crow got us chosen for the exhibition Rating Game. We're up against Percival tomorrow night.]
"We should definitely get back to that party, huh?" Issei shrugged.
"Yeah, probably." Rias giggled.
Hey guys, how's it going? I'm super glad I've finally been able to get this chapter all finished for you guys, because this chapter was a blast to write! I ended up writing it in two major sessions, and in that second session, this entire chapter got REALLY expanded beyond the original scope.
Part of that is because I realized that there's not really much of a reason for Koneko to act so despondent during the Underworld Training arc in canon aside from when she senses Kuroka. Because, like half the peerage already knows she's a nekomata, so that really doesn't check out. So I figured that her nature could stem from her constant repression of her nature as a Nekoshou reaching a boiling point. More symbolically, Koneko is someone who – much like Akeno – has a complex relationship with her own past. But rather than Akeno's outward hatred, Koneko actively tries to hide her own past from everyone, herself included.
The result of making the choice to build her entire self on a denial of her past, right down to her original name creates this situation where, when presented with undeniable, present parts of her past (be that her Ki bottling up, or her sister), she's put in a position where the very person that is 'Koneko' is threatened to be lost forever.
In this way, Koneko's struggle as a character in this story comes from the choice to accept or deny your past in an attempt to move forward. Obviously, the best result is for you to accept your past and find ways to move on regardless, and that's something that Koneko's going to have to learn to do going forward. Embrace her true nature as a Nekoshou, slowly try to rebuild her relationship with her sister, etc.
I hope that came through in this chapter, because I think this angle for Koneko's struggles as a character is super interesting.
Aside from that, we also had a few members of a brand new peerage introduced; the devil family of Forneus! In canon, they aren't elaborated on a whole bunch, but they are still an active pillar in the post-Great War underworld. In this story, I'm envisioning them as a family that often produces much of the culture and arts in the underworld. The family of Forneus – a demon who originally taught human rhetoric and language – is responsible for producing several generations of famous artists, authors, actors, poets and fashion designers in the underworld. Where there's a big cultural shift in the underworld, chances are there's a Forneus at the center of it.
Don't you worry, you'll be seeing them all a lot more in the next chapter or two. Especially since they're going to be going toe-to-toe against the Gremory peerage in the first Rating Game I'm going to be writing for this fic! Can't way to try tackling that!
Anyway, I don't want to keep you all too long. I hope that you've all been well, and if you liked what you read, do consider dropping a follow and favorite on this story (it really helps!). Plus, if there's a question you'd like to ask me, or you want to let me know your thoughts on the story, let me know through a review! To this day, I still have read every single review I've ever gotten on this story! So, if you want to let me know something, go right ahead!
That's all for now. Best of luck to any fell University/College friends who are struggling through the last of their exams right now!
Until next time friends…
ROCK ON!