¡Here I come with a new chapter!
Before I start, I'm going to answer a review:
Cobin Michael: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. Sorry about the translation errors, sometimes it's hard for me to find them.
With nothing more to add, it's time to begin.
¡Enjoy!
Issei was with his friends at the French twins' restaurant. A quiet silence accompanied them all, the lunch was well received after everyone had helped clean Yung Len's house.
Alan pushed the empty plate away a bit, then looked at his Korean friend.
"¿So now what are you going to do with all the stuff you broke?" The Argentinian's question made everyone look at the Korean, waiting for the answer.
"The same as always. I'll leplace it at the end of the yeal and then I'll bleak it again." Clarified Yung Len, who continued to eat the noodles leisurely.
Everyone looked at each other not knowing what to say about it.
"¿Don't you think it's time to turn the page?" Asked Rick in a soft tone, trying his best not to get Yung Len upset, something that didn't seem to work.
The Korean put down the half-slurped noodles. His cryptic gaze focused on Rick, though that interaction didn't last more than a second.
"To tun the page is to folget all about it. I don't want to foget, I want answels." The Korean clarified in a dry tone as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"I know why you do it." Rick looked at the half-finished chicken leg with conflicted eyes. "But it's been too many years. If they took your sister, chances are she's..."
"I know. Still, I'm not going to give in." Yung Len interrupted. "I'm looking fo answels, legadless of what the final outcome is." Yung Len brought the glass of water to his lips, drinking it all in one gulp.
"Not remembering anything..." Issei thought, feeling bad for his friend. "In the end, he doesn't want to get back something that's probably already lost. He just wants to know what happened that day and why it had to be his family. And most of all, why he didn't die just like his parents or disappear along with his sister." Issei remembered his own parents, and couldn't help but look down sadly.
Issei's expression changed noticeably as he watched someone place some vegetables on his empty plate. He and she exchanged glances when he raised his face.
Raynare gave him a small smile, to which Issei responded in kind.
_ CHAPTER 11: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING _
"¿How was it today?" Azazel asked Rick, who had just taken a seat in the large room inside the Tower of Hope.
"You could ask Yung Len if you want. It's not bad to show some concern in a more direct way, ¿you know?" The man stated with a smile, giving a small nod of his head to Penemue, who was sitting next to Azazel.
The Cadre didn't even answer him, she was too focused on the big paperwork to do so.
"Maybe I would if I wasn't so busy." Azazel's response caused Penemue to look at him, a dry chuckle emerging from her lips.
"¿But what the sh-?"
"I'm serious."
Rick wasn't the only one who was surprised, even Penemue herself fell silent as she noticed the glint emerging from Azazel's eyes.
"That guy is about to show up once again." Azazel turned his gaze to Rick, who was surprised after hearing it.
"¿You mean...?"
"That same one." Azazel interrupted him. "I don't know if it'll be today, or two months from now. Not that I care much either." The Cadre's unconcerned gaze focused entirely on what he was about to say. "What matters to me is what you guys will do." Those words no doubt surprised Rick even more than he already was.
"¿Why now? And definitely not, ¿what if that guy shows up near the dates where Issei has to rescue those girls?" Stated a dumbfounded Rick.
"Don't worry, that's what she's for." Azazel placed a hand on Penemue's shoulder, who watched him with great confusion. "Penemue will be in charge of distracting Raiser for about three months."
"¿¡WHAT!?" The Cadre stood up at what she heard, her displeasure more than obvious.
"Don't worry. I promise to do my share of the work as long as you do your part." Penemue's fury turned to disbelief after hearing that.
"¿Can you repeat that?" Asked the woman, who simply couldn't believe it.
"You see, this is no game." Azazel commented seriously.
"But it's still very risky." The two Cadres focused their gaze on Rick. "We're talking about a very dangerous case. I think it would be a better idea to send your other group. I doubt ours are prepared for such a mission." Rick clarified with utmost seriousness.
"I understand how you feel, but you know well that wouldn't work. First of all, they know well who the other team's people are, so an infiltration would be impossible. Secondly, the team leader would never agree to enter such an easy mission for them." Azazel replied calmly.
"I think you should talk to him. We're talking about thousands of lives that could be saved." Replied Rick disapprovingly.
"You know how he is, nothing will change his mind." Azazel bowed his shoulders to detract from that fact. "Back to the main topic, not that I want to send you guys into the lion's den. Personally, I think you guys are the only ones who can stop this once and for all." Cadre clarified with a sly look.
"¿May I know what makes you think that way?" Rick asked cautiously.
"No one knows them. Issei is dead, Raynare didn't do anything determinant enough to be known beyond Demon territory, while Yung Len, Alan and you have no records since you came to Grigori. In short, you're like ghosts, the weak bait perfect." Azazel replied sharply. "But I share your concerns." Azazel closed his eyes after what was said. "I gave them a mission to the first team. They're going to train them." That information surprised Yung Len. "They will be in charge of supervising them, and in the end, they will give a verdict when it's time to act. Depending on how they evolve they may or may not do this mission." In the end, Rick could do nothing but sigh.
"I would ask you why he agreed to do something so annoying, but the answer is obvious..." The captain stated with a half smile and closed eyes.
"If you have no further questions, then we will meet again when the time comes to decide." Azazel stated with his classic insightful smile.
"I just hope we don't end up getting killed by accident." Commented Rick, who was getting ready to leave. "Training or not, they're still monsters..."
"Rick." The man stopped in the doorway after hearing his name. "Don't waste this opportunity, because there won't be another one in the future. At least, not for all of you." The concern and seriousness Azazel expressed in those words made it clear he wasn't joking, something that surprised Rick.
"Don't worry." At last the smile returned to Rick, who finally left.
At that moment, Penemue and Azazel were left alone.
"¿So what am I supposed to do? I've never flirted with anyone before." Penemue wondered with great uncertainty.
"You don't need to flirt. Being yourself is more than enough." The woman couldn't hide that slight blush that appeared on her face after hearing what her boss thought. "The important thing is to realize an even deeper plan. Certainly Issei is going to beat him up, but maybe that fact alone won't do the trick." Azazel materialized some papers and handed them to Penemue.
"¿What's this?" the Cadre asked with interest as she flipped through the papers.
"It's everything I know about the case. With that I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a more than interesting plan to expose Raiser." Azazel replied with his typical smile.
"Well, I don't think I can expose him..." Penemue commented as she read the documents. "Rather, I'd say he's going to expose himself." Azazel smiled after listening to her.
"¿You see? I knew you were perfect for this job."
_ LINE BREAK _
Grigori
The next day...
"¡Hurry up or we'll be late!"
"¡It wasn't me who took 30 minutes to bathe!"
The usual morning grumbling between Issei and Raynare could be heard throughout the house.
The brown-haired man grabbed the toast that shot out of the toaster and devoured it in record time, unbelievable considering he was putting on a gray jacket at the same time.
The knock on the door was heard shortly after, causing Issei to choke a little, so he was forced to drink the coffee in one gulp to finish getting through the meal.
"¡They're already here!" The brown-haired man shouted, making his way to the entrance.
"¡Next time you take this long I'm going to shove a damn lightning spear in your-!" Raynare paused on the stairs, the reason was due to an unexpected visitor among his friends.
"Sorry to bother, it'll be quick." Penemue entered, and was followed shortly after by the others.
Issei shared a short glance with his friends, and they let it be understood that the thing was important.
They all sat down on the couches, the ones who were most impatient were Issei and Raynare, as they were the only ones who didn't know the reason for their visit.
"I'll cut to the chase: I'm going to cajole Raiser." Issei and Raynare couldn't help but hide their surprise after hearing those words.
"¿What do you mean?" asked a very confused Issei.
"As you know, Raiser is very interested in power. I could definitely become his most valuable wife because of what our engagement means, so he might take advantage of that to feign indecision and further delay the marriage." Penemue crossed her legs, sketching a faint smile. "To be more exact, I can give you about three months from now." This struck Issei as odd, though Raynare had a different reaction.
"¿¡Are you serious!? ¡I'm sure that idiot would fall into your clutches effortlessly!" Raynare exclaimed an excited Raynare.
"¿Why three months exactly? ¿And why do you want to help me?" Asked Issei, who felt there was a catch.
"You have a mission." Those words made both of them glare at her. "We don't know the exact date, and I can't give you the details either. What I can tell you is that the mission had the possibility of getting in the way of your engagement, that's why Azazel decided to make this decision." Penemue's explanation made Issei turn serious.
"So Azazel is behind this..." Issei settled back on the couch once more.
"¿Can you at least tell us the most basic details of the mission?" The question was asked by Raynare.
"That's already known to your friends. That said, let's get back to the subject at hand." Penemue leaned forward a bit in Issei's direction. "From what I understand, there were people who helped you the first time you tried to defeat Raiser. Among them was the knight of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuto, and Raiser's younger sister, Ravel Phoenix."
"¿What's wrong with them?" Issei asked very confused.
"I just wanted to confirm. I can do this job alone, but it would be much easier if I can enlist the help of some people Raiser wouldn't suspect. That way it would be easier to engage in conversation with the mistreating Peerage." Cadre clarified with a smile, receiving an awkward nod from Issei.
"I understand that point, but Kiba and Miss Phoenix can't do anything too far-fetched. Raiser's Peerage is very afraid of him, so none of the girls would dare speak out against him. They've already made that very clear to me." The brown explained, causing a slight chuckle to emerge from Penemue's lips.
"That was so because there was no one who could stand up to Raiser. But now they'll have me." The revelation struck both Issei and Raynare.
"¡She's right! ¡If they feel protected maybe they'll try something against Raiser!" Issei exclaimed excitedly.
"Although the plan sounds great, ¿how do you plan to relate to that idiot? Mind you Raiser has been very busy because of the small accusations that were prompted by Issei." Raynare questioned with a hand on her chin.
"We all know no one believes those accusations by now, so he must not be as busy as he seems. Surely he must still be spending his free time mistreating those poor women." Penemue clarified, the smile returning to her face as she focused her gaze on Raynare. "And as for how I can relate to him..." Penemue pointed at Raynare. "¿Don't you think you could introduce me to him? After all, we are very good friends and I've been interested in what you talked about him." Those words confused Issei immensely.
"Wait, ¿since when are you two friends?"
"We're not friends, you idiot. That's the perfect story for that proud bastard to believe." Raynare clarified simply.
"Ah, I knew that..." Issei rubbed his hair ruefully.
"Well, I'll leave you then." Penemue stood up after her words. "I must still prepare myself for three months away from Grigori." The Cadre took her leave with a slight smile, something that earned a nod from all present.
"¿Don't you find it strange that Penemue smiled so much?" Issei took advantage of the woman's absence to talk about her.
"Imagine having a routine like her, she's a fucking pain in the ass. It's normal for her to be happy to have the chance to do something different." Raynare was the one who answered her.
"Speaking of doing something different..." Issei focused his gaze on his friends. "¿Can they tell us what mission we should do?"
"As Penemue said, I can't tell you the details since it's a secret assignment from Azazel." Rick was the one to set the record straight, though not just for Issei and Raynare, but for everyone. "What I can tell you is that tomorrow we will start special training with another Grigori S-grade military team."
"¿There was another team besides us?" Asked a rather interested Issei.
"There were several, but many were falling by the wayside. Most of them died, while others simply decided to dedicate themselves to a more peaceful life." Replied Rick, who as a veteran remembered some of his now deceased or retired compatriots. "I have to warn you, as these people are undoubtedly much stronger than us and will not hesitate to use extreme methods in order to make us stronger. Especially you, Issei. Apparently, you caught the attention of their leader." Those words caught the brown's attention.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Ddraig's voice echoed through his wrist, something that only filled him with even more unease.
"¿Will we know more details when the time comes?" Alan asked, gaining his leader's attention.
"Azazel will let us know. First he wants to see how we evolve during special training to make sure he sends us. It's a very dangerous mission, so he won't send us if he feels we're not ready yet." Rick's answer sowed doubt in everyone, as the anxiety to know the truth was absolute, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Thus, the day went on as usual.
Morning training, lunch, more training, dinner at the restaurant, and finally, sleep.
That's where the strange part came in.
Issei gave his pillow one last shake as he watched curiously as Raynare watched out the window.
"He's already been like that for five minutes..." The brown thought, noticing the strange attitude of his roommate.
In the end, the brown decided to quietly approach until he perched next to her. The window was large enough for both of them to look at the artificial stars without much trouble.
"¿What's wrong?" Issei was blunt, though Raynare wasn't even surprised.
It wasn't easy to be surprised after they'd spent so much time together.
"Everything that happened with Yung Len yesterday made me think several things..." Commented Raynare, who lay folding her arms. "Tell me one thing, ¿what were your parents like?"
"¿My parents? Well, they were both very much like me. They had brown hair and..."
"Silly."
"¿What? I'm not good with descriptions."
"I didn't mean what they looked like. I want to know what they were like as parents." Issei looked at her silently after listening to her.
"Come to think of it, I don't know anything about your parents either..." The brown-haired man commented, turning his gaze back to the front.
"I don't know anything about my biological father either. My stepfather was a total jerk who I don't even remember his name. But my mother..." Noticing the pause, Issei looked at her, and it was easy for him to notice the emotions that covered Raynare's face.
"She was a great mother."
The words had a clear meaning, but Issei could tell that the meaning went far beyond that.
"My parents were great too." Issei replied with a sad smile. "I wish I had the chance to be able to hug them one more time."
"At least they're alive." Issei looked at her not knowing what to answer. "My mother died saving me. She was a great woman, and she raised me with all the love in the world. But I..." Raynare lowered her head, and it was easy for Issei to notice that she was very sad. "¿You know something? My mother's grave is here, but I haven't been there in over two hundred years."
"¿Why?" Issei asked, though he already had an idea of the answer.
"Because I don't have the courage to present myself in front of her." Raynare replied, without taking her eyes off the stars.
They both stood in awkward silence as they stared up at the artificial sky. The moment grew even more intense for Issei, who watched Raynare only to see small tears form under her eyes.
Finally, the brown's hesitant hand came around her shoulder to comfort her, something that surprised her a little.
"¿How long until the anniversary of her death?" Issei asked, causing Raynare to lower her head a little.
"A month..."
"We'll go." Issei's instant response notoriously startled her, but in the end she responded with a smile.
"I... I don't know if I can do it." Raynare replied somewhat hesitantly.
"I don't know either." Issei told her with a slight bow of his shoulders, something that made Raynare a little nervous.
"In these 200 years, I've never had friends, or family. I never had anyone..." Raynare replied with a shy smile. "It feels weird to be supported like this." Issei also got a little nervous at the profound comment.
"Well... it's not like we're friends either, ¿right?"
"¡Yeah, that's right! Rather, we're buddies." Raynare instantly corrected herself after noticing that because of her the atmosphere was getting weird.
"¡Yeah, that's right! ¡Buddies!" Issei exclaimed with a chagrined smile.
The silence between the two returned, but this time it didn't feel so awkward. All they did was look up at the stars. Issei watched her and decided to move a little closer to her to make her feel more supported.
He would never forget what she did to him, but the fact that they both had such a similar and tragic past made him feel an obligation to protect her.
That action made Raynare look at him, as she found it strange that he was so affectionate with her. In the end, the Fallen Angel smiled a little and laid her head on Issei's shoulder, something that didn't seem to bother him.
"You're not very warm." Raynare responded to the silence in a rather unexpected way, causing Issei to chuckle.
"If you say so..." Replied the brown with a chuckle.
"¿Are you a cold-blooded species?"
"No, no, ¿have you already forgotten that I'm a Demon?"
"Thank you."
That simple word meant a lot to Issei, who just looked at her for a few seconds, until he finally replied with a smile:
"It's a pleasure."
Silence returned to both of them, but this time it was no longer awkward.
They both seemed to be enjoying this moment together, even though Issei would never admit it.
She just felt so... close.
"I really don't think I can visit my mother." Raynare broke the silence again, causing Issei to look at her.
"Listen, I... I lost all the people who loved me, too." They both made eye contact after Issei said those words. "I lost my father, I lost my mother, I lost my two best friends... I lost my home." As painful as the words were, Issei remained serious and firm. "I know what I was, and I know why I was. I am a new Issei now." Raynare watched him silently after listening to him.
"¿Are you sure? Because you still look like a crybaby to me." Issei couldn't help but laugh at Raynare's eloquence, even she laughed too.
Apparently he had succeeded in his task of cheering her up, something that made the chestnut happy.
"But ¿what about you?" Issei's sudden question made Raynare stop laughing.
"¿Are you still what you were?"
The question sounded absurd, but Raynare's silence indicated the complete opposite.
"I don't know..." She finally answered, drawing a smile on Issei's face.
"We can still find out... Maybe you just need to say hello to your mother to check." Issei's reply brought a shared smile from both of them.
"¿Will you accompany me when that day comes?"
"Of course."
¡END OF CHAPTER!
(OR NOT)
¡I hope you enjoyed it!
Again I want to give my thanks to Rakei, thanks to his constant support is that we are having these consecutive chapters.
Remember that if you want more consecutive chapters of this story you can become a member in my Patre-on for a dollar, you can find me as: Jyanzein.
Before I say goodbye, I leave you with this last scene.
¡See you in three days!
Raynare ran past at full speed, being followed by Issei at her side. The two shared a short glance as they tightened their grip on their weapons and dodged trees.
Neither noticed how a hooded man was watching them from the top of a tree.
Issei sharpened his grin as did Raynare, and the two began to clash their weapons as they continued to run at full speed. The clashing of metal could be heard repeatedly as the two figures advanced through the trees at full speed.
"¿Don't you think they're taking a while to show up?" Issei asked, deflecting one of their attacks without stopping their run.
"Rick said they like to show up at the last minute." Raynare replied, then narrowed her eyes. "¡Besides you should be more focused on our showdown!" With that said, Raynare swung a strong flame-covered sword at him which Issei could barely contain.
Unfortunately for him, it caused him to lose some balance and in the end he ended up slamming into a tree. His body bounced in a funny way and he fell several meters backwards, his face dragged against the ground.
"Shit, that hurt." Issei brought one to his face as he half-turned around.
His expression changed completely as he watched the hooded man who was guarding them earlier hold out his hand.
Issei accepted the help, and fell silent as he watched the young stranger place the spear over his hand without a word. It didn't take the protagonist long to realize that he had also handed him a small piece of paper along with his weapon, so it didn't take him long to read it.
"Head for the interior of the forest."
Issei just looked at the writing with some surprise, then looked up.
"Hey..." Issei was left speechless as he noticed that there was no one in front of him anymore.
"¿What are you doing there wasting time?" Raynare came in, causing Issei to look at her with a smile.
"They've already arrived."