Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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91- Visitors and Idols

….

Upon returning to her room in Fuyuki, Medusa felt there was something amiss. "Hmm…" The goddess had no idea what was wrong and a day went by without her figuring it out. "Did I forget anything in the Underworld?" She questioned herself while reaching for one of her favorite books only to notice an instant later she went too far on the bookcase. "Hmm."

Getting used to her new size wasn't a new experience. She remembered having similar problems with her sisters back on the island. Back then being bigger was bothersome but had several advantages; she got better at fishing and repelling their enemies.

Same couldn't be said in the modern day or how she moved around her room which, while spacious, used to have everything on reach for someone of a smaller stature. Her size change hadn't been dramatic enough that they needed to reform everything but it was noticeable.

Regardless, adapting to those changes was another thing she had to deal with after returning to Fuyuki and one she pushed back for hours while contacting her followers in the city for updates.

Followers like some of the Watchers who gladly treated her like they would the Heiresses not out of duty but devotion. They gave her news of her temple and the progress on her statue, the former completed and staffed while the latter still had a few years to go.

To be fair she did demand a giant statue of gold.

'What am I missing?' Medusa looked around her room as her snakes also searched for whatever their mother desired. Only they didn't know so the best they could do was get out of the way as the goddess grew increasingly frustrated. "Gah! I am not in the mood to do this today. I need to check the temple, spread my word in the city proper, get in contact with more authorities… Rias can do that for me, right? Wait, what I am talking about, she is the authority!"

Not just her since Fuyuki had another Owner, one that the redhead devil was going to meet that day. Yes, that Sunday was going to be busy for everyone and they even went to Kuoh on Friday to get back to their normal pace.

Only to discover they would have to do a test which they didn't study but the Watchers did so there was a run to get the replacements back in the school for the test so their grades could be 'fair' because they had been busy in the Underworld.

Remembering that made Medusa laugh as she sat in a padded chair and searched for a random book to read. "Heh. Rias shouldn't want to hurry up back to school. Nor should Shirou. Serve them both right for trying to rush things." Opening the book she debated procrastinating her responsibilities before throwing it away. "What am I forgetting? And why am I trying to remember it so much?"

Her Core was nudging the Divinity towards something intangible but all too real. Something she needed to do as a goddess. And unless she figured out what it was, the purple haired woman would have no peace.

Taking a very much necessary breath, Medusa closed her eyes and began to think. "What am I missing? All my books are here. I had to buy some new clothes yesterday because fashion in the Underworld is considerably behind and I fixed my hair this morning.' After that she broke down her routine since waking up and reviewed what she would do later in the day. '-since things in the Underworld are going well, I can focus on Earth without worries… and that was it. Everything else is banal or irrelevant to a goddess.'

Yet the itch in her brain didn't stop even though she tried to dismiss it forcefully after giving up searching for whatever she was forgetting. After a few more minutes she realized that she really couldn't, her Authorities and Domains were responsible for the itch which would only leave once she satisfied them.

'Wonder how Gods of War deal with this…' The Goddess of Snakes mused before dismissing the feeling again. "Whatever it is, I can remember later. For now I have other stuff to do besides spreading my religion; after buying more new clothes because of my growth spurt…" And she hated saying those words. "There is also taking care of my children in Fuyuki. I have been gone for a while and some of them are still worried. Also Akeno's lessons…" Suddenly something clicked in her head. "Her lessons… Akeno's dancing lessons…"

Everytime Medusa said those words it was as if something was dug out of her brain and into the light of her consciousness yet she was unable to grasp what it was. However it was urgent, her very identity as a goddess said it was urgent and everything that made her agreed with her Core.

Fortunately the goddess was a smart individual and with eyes going wide she commanded her hair to extend around the room until she found her phone. Most of the time that thing was laid forgotten somewhere and more than once Akeno or Shirou had to remind the purple haired girl to charge it.

Especially considering why she had that phone in the first place. 'Please tell me I didn't forget. Please tell me I didn't forget. Please tell me I didn't forget. Please. Please…' Grabbing the purple device, she turned it on and found exactly what was bugging her. "Oh my me…"

Safe to say she would definitively no longer mute her phone's alarm.

…

"So could you make a few extra bentos?" Rias asked her lover as she, him and Akeno worked in the kitchen.

"Way ahead of you." Shirou pointed to a stack of vegetables ready to be put into boxes together with some meat and miso soup. Rice was also being prepped in an extra larger portion that also would be separated for dinner. "Say, you sure she likes beef? She doesn't look like a beef type person…"

Rias kissed his cheek. "Not her but her Queen." The Heiress moved to set everything up as Akeno prepared several thermos with her special blend of tea. "And even if neither wasn't, nobody can resist your food."
"That is the Shirou-kun Standard for you." Akeno jested before grabbing another pack of tea leaves. A frown appeared in her beautiful face when she realized, "We are starting to run out of a couple of things. Maybe we should drop by the market later?"

Shirou hummed in thought. "How long is the meeting going to take?"

The King and Queen of Gremory paused to look at each other. "I am… not sure." The former confessed after a second. "Things may not go well today."
The knife on the magus' hand stopped and he stared at his lover. "You think she will be holding a grudge?"
"Odds aren't zero." The ravenhead commented. "There is a reason why we are avoiding a meeting of full peerages and not just to be amicable."

Because a member of Rias Peerage had gravely wounded the temporary Second Owner once and their presence could increase the tension between both parties. There was no point in denying there was already some tension. Ignoring it also wasn't going to help which was why the Heiress wanted to take extra food.

It was a peace offering.

"Hmm, either will it go really fast to get it over with or it will take a while." Shirou deduced, the Queen nodding in agreement even as his first lover looked hesitant. Since he was also going to that meeting for support, it was a good thing he was already prepping dinner. "In that case, I am going to ask Xenovia to drop by the grocery store. Do you girls want anything on the list?"

"We also need more sugar." Akeno informed him immediately. "Beans, lettuce, I also think we used the last of our meat today." A quick check later. "Yes, that was the last of it."

"Huu, maybe I should have asked the Watchers to keep the pantry full. Or to deliver some goods after our return." Rias commented with a pout.

Which was quickly lost when Shirou embraced her side. "Nah. It isn't half as fun if we didn't do groceries ourselves."

"… You are worried they will over react, aren't you?"
"Want to talk about how they reconstructed the house instead of just adding a couple of things? We have ten underground floors, Rias. Ten!"

"Oh, it isn't that much-"

"We have an underground pool nobody uses!"

Akeno watched the banter a little more but soon turned around since she couldn't stop herself from biting her lip in displeasure. A part of her was jealous of how she couldn't share the same intimacy as the redheads but another was frustrated because the guy she liked was a better pair for her.

Of that the ravenhead had no doubt thanks to that time back in Runeas' Underground Arena where she learned much about herself and him. But he also revealed why he wouldn't date her despite how good of a match they were. His fear they would rush and do things she would regret because of the scars on her heart.

Slowly her hand went to her neck and Noble Gear; a gift from many people she considered important. Serpent Eye was made by her goddess and the Mage's efforts but also thanks to her father who she hadn't properly talked to in years.

Thanks to all their efforts the Noble Gear held an extreme sentimental value to Akeno. Better yet it was a priceless treasure and a source of strength she was starting to rely on. That strength didn't come from its power but from her belief in Medusa and the love she felt for the people who made it.

Including her father which took the hybrid into several moments of deep contemplation when thinking about the man from time to time.

"You need to talk with her." Unfortunately not deep enough that she couldn't hear Rias whispering. "Maybe just a date or two."

"She isn't ready yet." Shirou whispered more loudly which had the ravenhead chuckling despite her irritation with his words. "Let her be. Those things take time."

The two were obviously moving away but, 'I can still hear you~' Didn't help that Akeno was pretending to be busy.

"Is that what you did for Setsuna? She isn't talking with you anymore, is she?" The Heiress suddenly said with a hiss.

"We still talk… but she is moving on." The Mage pointed to herself and his first lover. "This sort of relationship isn't one she is comfortable with. It isn't for everyone." There was a mix of joy and sadness in his tone. "It is fine if she doesn't find happiness with me, so long she is happy."

Rias hummed but clearly didn't really like what her lover had said. "She can be happy with us."
Unable to hide his surprise, the magus' ended up speaking a little louder than intended. "Are you that interested in her?"
The pureblood devil avoided his eyes for a few moments. "I just want to keep our friends close, our group close."
"Sounded like it was more than that." Shirou let out a sigh before adding, "It is her decision, Rias. It is any of their decisions. I just want everyone to be happy and if Akeno and Setsuna can find their happiness with someone else-"

"Do I make extra tea for tonight?!" Akeno suddenly said out loud, not liking what the Mage was about to say. She turned with her usual smile and a pot in her hand, watching as the redheads separated. "There are enough leaves for it."

It was Rias who managed to reply, "No, it is better to drink your tea warm…"
"Great!" The hybrid replied overly excitedly. 'Damn it! Great job trying to not sound suspicious, Akeno.' Looking at their faces it was clear they suspected being heard. 'Shirou-kun is right. I am not ready for this conversation. Especially because unlike Setsuna I am not ready to quit.'

Although the ravenhead didn't know if her friend had truly given up pursuing the Mage of Swords, she could agree with his observations that the Princess of Kyoto was growing more distant from him.

But the same wasn't happening to the ravenhead.

Her heart still beat faster with him around.

An uncomfortable silence followed where everyone could hear the bubbles from the meat cooking and little else. Rias approached the help of her best friend with a look of anxiety which the hybrid could relate to but refused to acknowledge. She could guess the reason for it rather easily as well, all tied with Shirou's happiness.

'Love of Gremory strikes again…' Akeno thought while closing the lid of the last thermo rather quickly. 'By the love of anything merciful, can someone say something-'

"Akeno… do you want to talk?" Shirou offered after a beat that made the ravenhead grow nervous.

"About what? The invasion?" It was her attempt at deflection.

A poor one at that. "We already agree to move on from that." A week had almost passed and nobody in his home lost anyone. If anything Shirou was the person most bothered by the deaths of strangers and they were there for him already. "Do you want-"

"Want to go on a date?" Akeno suddenly said, surprising both redheads. Rias offered an smug expression of pleasure while Shirou looked a bit nervous. "I mean, I know you think I am not ready but-"

"Do you think you are ready?" The Mage surprised her again. "Look, I know you haven't tried to confront your past but… do you think you can move on without doing it?"

The True Hybrid shifted in place nervously. "Not like I had many chances. I don't know where my father is-"
"Oh, that is just an excuse." Rias shot her down with a grin. "If you ask Azazel, Baraqiel will drop by faster than Lightning. Even if he is too busy, the Governor General will do everything for his favorite niece."

Akeno gave her best friend a look of disbelief. 'Which side are you on?'

Rias' smile continued to be smug. 'The side that gets you moving!' She was happy with Shirou and wanted her best friend to share it as well. More than anything she wanted the awkward atmosphere gone. "In fact, since Azazel is going to be at the meeting, we can get the call today."

Fear, and a good amount of it, began growing on the ravenhead's heart. 'Good grief, someone please eject me out of this conversation-'

"My High Priestess! My Champion!" Medusa barged in the kitchen with the sound of loud steps and a door almost being ejected from its hinges.

"Thank Medusa- I mean, Medusa, what is wrong?" Akeno immediately asked, trying to end the previous discussion.

She was successful because the goddess' demeanor screamed panic which had Shirou approaching rapidly to ask, "Did something happen? Something wrong in town?"

"I am going to call the Watchers!" Rias quickly whipped out a phone from her magic circle and prepared to dial.

Just before Medusa shoved her own phone on Shirou's face. "I completely forgot about the amateur competition!"

All three in the kitchen, and a few eavesdropping outside like Xenovia, Kiba, Ravel, Gasper and Luvia, paused to check if they heard right. "'Amateur… competition'?" It was the Mage who asked as Akeno grew pale. Slowly he read the calendar's notes on the phone and saw there was an appointment for the day. "Wait a second… wasn't that the one Akeno was training for?"

'Forget the gratitude! My life is over!' The hybrid barely held back a scream of panic. Yet she had a duty to fulfill so the best she could offer was a nervous smile. "Was it true today, Medusa-sama? Are you sure? Because with the time we lost in the Underworld, maybe you are mistaken."
"Oh but I am not my High Priestess!" Medusa focused on the ravenhead as panic gave way to pride. "My Domains themselves warned me the time has come. Today shall be the first day that my priestess will start her journey into becoming an idol!"

Which was what Akeno feared since she began her dancing classes, since she first swore herself to the goddess in fact. The smaller woman had made it pretty clear that she would have to become an idol sooner or later. One of considerable success to complement whatever Authority Medusa gained from her sisters.

That part of her demanded her followers, or her main followers at least, grew into something the masses could admire and strive to become. An example of womanhood not for family but for fame, glory, song and dance. It was also non negotiable and if Akeno was to retain her position as High Priestess, an idol she would also have to become.

Also it would have to be in Medusa's terms since the ravenhead already was an idol in the Underworld on a technicality. People there admired her for power and grace, true, but what the deity required was more traditional forms of entertainment that a woman could partake in like song and dance.

With that in mind, Akeno could only keep smiling nervously. "Well… Since I have to do it…"

"Does it need to be today?" Rias questioned what was on everyone's mind.

"The sooner the better. We were rehearsing for it!" Medusa replied with confidence. Clearly she wouldn't be dissuaded by the idea.
Didn't mean a few of them weren't going to try. "Isn't amateur hour an avenue too small to introduce Medusa's High Priestess?" Ravel questioned out loud.

Which prompted Luvia to glance at the phone from Shirou's shoulder. "I can't help but concur. The avenue is too small, the competition unnecessary." The former Heiress of Edelfelt placed a hand on her chest and raised another hand high like an actress on a stage. "For a bigger impact and larger audience, a greater stage would be better. With the Gremory's support it wouldn't be hard to-"

"Denied!" Medusa interrupted, her arms crossed in front of her face like an 'X'. "That would be cheating." Everyone paused as Akeno let out a sigh since she knew exactly what her goddess was talking about.

"'Cheating'? How is that cheating?" Luvia asked with an expression of disbelief. "Utilizing one's resources for the most impact is natural in anything, including on the showbiz."

"Especially on the showbiz." Rias argued in support.

"Maybe later when my agency is well established." The goddess replied while folding her arms and nodding with wisdom. "Then we can use our influence some more… But my High Priestess shall have no advantages other than her skill and beauty!" The decree, somehow, carried enough power that even the boundary fields around the house acknowledged it. "This isn't just her first step into the World of Idols but also mine! She must enchant the judges with her abilities which I helped her cultivate for months."

Gasper nodded in agreement. "Also with the Internet everybody can get a false start. Better to start small." His eyes began to shine with stars. "It will make Akeno-san more genuine. Besides, she didn't need our help, she can do this!"
Nobody could disagree with him, not even Akeno herself who was fairly confident in her abilities and appearance. Yes, she knew she was beautiful and her lack of urgency was more due to nerves than anything else.

For his part, Shirou couldn't help but think, 'I wouldn't call it fair having Akeno compete in any way. She is far more beautiful than any normal woman. Hell, she is definitively more beautiful than 99% of the women on the planet, even those from the moonlit world.' Objectively speaking he could say that with confidence but chose not to. It felt wrong to pop Medusa's balloon of excitement with logic. "Can't really disagree with Gasper. Even if you haven't rehearsed for a week, I bet you remember all the steps."
"She better do or else…" A shadow grew around Medusa as her hair danced around menacingly making several of the present shiver.

Not Rias who, after hearing all that, could only shrug. "I doubt there is going a problem if Akeno leaves the meeting early-"

Suddenly the purple haired goddess grew meek as her initial panic returned. "No! She can't go! We must go and prepare! Now!"
"Prepare what?"

"Clothes, make up, her hair has to be stylized- I can do that myself, but we must get the rest ready!" Medusa informed in a hurry.

Which made her priestess say gently, "Medusa-sama, I think the clothes that I have are more than serviceable."

"We can't go for serviceable, we have to go for flashy and attractive!" She began biting her lip. "Most of your outfits are too common and only look good on you because of how pretty you are."

"Thank you?" Akeno didn't know if that was a dig to her taste or not. Every outfit she had looked gorgeous on her regardless.

But clearly the goddess wanted something more. "Besides, this is a special occasion. Your debut as an artist."
"Pretty sure debuts involve big productions… or an actual show." Ravel pointed out.

"But it is a show, only a small one." Kiba rebutted with a grin. "Say, Buchou, would be a problem if we all go to watch."
"Absolutely not!" It was the Queen of Gremory who shot down those notions. "I am already way too nervous for this. Also, you promised to meet with Ise-kun and Setsuna today. Not a good idea to break promises, is it?"
Medusa gave the Knight a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I am pretty sure my Champion is going to get everything recorded even if the venue doesn't have the means."

"Me?" Shirou really wanted to know what he had to do with any sort of show. "Need I remind everyone that I suck at singing?"

Rias chuckled. "You aren't that bad."

"And won't be singing anyway. You are going to drive us to get some clothes then," the divinity got her phone back, "this theater. We also are going to need a decent car to run around, not that bulky minivan."
"Want me to take out the lancer?" Shirou offered and the goddess shook her head.

"Something a bit more simple that doesn't distract or take away the attention from our star." Medusa commented while grabbing Akeno's hand. "So we must use a decent car, nothing too ostentatious, average would be better."

"...Then the minivan?" She threw him a glare that had the magus raising his arms defensively. "Gives us space to throw in whatever you buy while also being simple and safe. I mean, only families have minivans, can't that be the angle?"At least the goddess paused to think so the Mage took that as a win.

But while she made plans, Rias had to deal with another issue. "So I am losing my second for the meeting. Hmm…" Not the first time she dealt with that situation, she had plenty of replacements. There wasn't even a question on who to take, all things considered. "Luvia, are you willing to come with me for today?"

"A very tiresome meeting between two nobles trying to not pour gasoline on the fire? Sign me up." The blonde was pretty cheerful at the idea. "Let me get my battledress and I will be ready to go."

Once the tall Rook left, Kiba asked, "Did anyone know she also used that dress for meetings? Aren't they the sort of events where you shouldn't walk around armed?"

"She's a magus." Liz commented from the main room, her butt on the couch and eyes on TV. "Shirou, going to need me?"

Instead of replying immediately he turned to Medusa who was mumbling to herself. Not finding any answers there he turned to Akeno who still looked considerably nervous.

Out of respect for her, he said, "No, no. You can take a break for today."

"Keep your phone on standby." His maid reminded him and everyone instinctively knew she was out of the conversation.

Which gave Xenovia a turn. "Well, I suppose I should change clothes."

"Actually, do you mind dropping you by the grocery store?"

"Oh, I can do that." The former Exorcist shifted gears and looked a little bored.

She really didn't like to go shopping however nobody knew for sure when Akeno's competition would end nor how long Rias' meeting would last so she was one of the few who could do it without issues.

Unlike Ravel which didn't stop her from volunteering. "I can go shopping if you want, Onee-sama." The Daughter of Phenex offered, knowing she wouldn't be welcomed in the meeting. "If you want, I would be happy to buy whatever supplies we need."

"Why don't you two go together then?" Shirou offered and was completely ignored.

Rias giggled a little before petting Ravel's head. "Why don't you two go together then?"
"Yes, Onee-sama!"
"Stupid bird." Xenovia mumbled while watching how the Knight treated her lover. From the corner of her eye she could see Koneko nodding in agreement to her statement.

Glancing at a clock on the wall, Medusa declared. "We must depart soon! There is no time to waste."

"The competition starts at one." Shirou pointed out since they still have a couple of hours. "And there are no stores open right now." Suddenly the goddess deflated as her plans suddenly grew full of holes.

Only for Akeno to decide to save them, more out of duty than anything. "Kiba has a couple of contracts with a few store owners in Fuyuki." The divinity's head shot up faster than lightning. "Maybe we can send a few messages?"
"I am sure they wouldn't mind doing a favor or two." His clients were, after all, some of the richest women in the city who just wanted somebody to hear about their troubles. More than one offered to help him start a modeling career if he was interested so they wouldn't mind a request. "But that would be considerate cheating, right?"
Medusa closed her fist with determination. "Since much of our time during the week was on important matters, I shall make an exception this time." Nobody wanted to remember the invasion or its aftermath so they just rolled with it. "My Champion… prepare the van." She frowned. "It sounds wrong to take an idol around in a minivan."
"Maybe but it is for the best." Shirou commented before turning to his fellow swordsman. "You better come with us just in case your clients want something for the favor. Maybe they will want a contract then or better prices on the next one and…"
"And nobody but you should negotiate those rates." Rias added, agreeing with the idea.

"Sure. I suppose there is no trouble. It isn't like I can help Ise with training right now." Yet he threw the only Bishop present a stern look. "However I still don't like the idea of Gasper training with Setsuna without supervision."

"Relax Senpai, it is going to be fine." Was the dhampir's response and to be fair it was so earnest that nobody believed him.

Therefore adjustments were required. "Keep your phone at hand." Shirou suggested a second later. "Anything happens, we give a call."

"Same here." Knight and magus shook hands in agreement while the dhampir pouted.

Medusa glanced at the clock again. "Move, move, move. We have to get moving."
"But Medusa-sama," Akeno started in a sweet tone, "we still didn't eat breakfast. Also, we need to finish making everyone's lunches." She was stalling but in a way nobody could call her out. "You don't want to deny everybody Shirou-kun's food, right? Right?"
"I mean-" Goddess or not the purple haired divinity could feel how half of the house was ready to fight her if she tried to speed things up more than she should. Then her stomach growled. 'Curse my weakness.' "Let me help! We need to rush! Also, we can eat on the road! Go, go, go!"

At least everyone agreed that Medusa already had the chops to be a manager for an idol.

…

"Bye Okaa-san, Otou-san! We will see you later!" The former nun waved as she sat on the front of Ise's bike.

"Bye Asia-chan. Careful out there!"
"Tell your club they are welcome here anytime!"
Ise watched his parents waving with a forced smile. 'Can't believe our those guys had the ORC meeting in my house!' It was the Watchers attempting to make their covers more natural by showing what their club did. Most of those meetings consisted of screening fabricated reports and writing the History of haunted places to give the impression of being a real club. 'I should be thankful but I sorta wanted them to notice something was off about the 'other me'.'

When everybody got back from the Underworld their replacements made sure to report everything they did while in disguise. For most of them there was little since during school hours they could use the club as an excuse to spend the least amount of time possible with normal students.

Ise and Asia got several pages long reports of what their replacements did since they had to act pretty much 24/7 for several days to fool his parents. When push came to shove some deliberate use of hypnosis was implemented but not enough to cause any damage. Basically it was just to make them forget the disparities in behavior.

The Pawn came to learn that his substitute tried to play the dutiful son that didn't mind chores and that alone made his parents suspicious. 'I'm not that bad…' Fortunately the small change in their memories didn't affect them much. Considerations aside, too much hypnosis couldn't be good and could lead to problems down the line. 'Maybe I should start doing more things around the house. Mom and dad put up with a lot because of me…' One of his hands moved to clean his forehead. The pedal towards Kuoh had barely started, he was already feeling it. 'Damn it.'

"Ise-san," Asia's voice snapped him out of his musing, "do you want me to walk?"

"No, no. Didn't I tell you that this is helping my training?" He did his best to smile honestly. "I need to shake off the rust and get my body back into shape. Sleeping too much is for the dead!"

The blonde nodded with a smile of her own. "I see. Then I will make sure to support Ise-san!"

When the Bishop turned back to look forward, the Pawn allowed his expression to drop. 'Don't show weakness, Hyoudou! Are you a man or a weakling?!" Shaking his head, the brown haired man began to pedal faster. Asia's laughter soon reached his ears. 'Keep going forward! You need to get stronger! Don't let that thing get out again!'

Memories of the destruction he unleashed on Lilith crossed his mind unimpeded. The voices of his predecessors demanding vengeance, his friends bleeding by his hand, the smell of ash, all of it assaulted him at once. The Pawn brushed all of that aside, ignoring them all while pedaling forward.

'It's all in my head. It's all in my head. It is all in my head.' Ise repeated in his head like a mantra several times over. A familiar blaze lit in his heart as his determination began to shine. 'It won't happen again. I won't let it!'

"If you want to talk about you letting your more savage side out." A familiar baritone filled his head. "The House of God is always open."

"Fucking, Kotomine." The Pawn couldn't help but mumbling.

"Ise-san?" Almost loud enough for his companion to hear.

The brown haired boy almost grew flustered but recovered quickly. "I'm just thinking of visiting the church today. Nothing much."
She couldn't help but grow stiff. "Are you sure? Didn't you go yesterday?" Interrogating someone about going to the church wasn't something she was used to. Her concern was warranted, they were devils after all. "Is Father Kotomine helping?"

Not knowing how to answer, Ise decided to say, "... He is doing something alright…"

At least he could claim that talking about Raynare and understanding what was happening in his own head helped in the past. However he hadn't touched on the subject of Juggernaut Drive with the priest yet. Nevertheless the man had poked that part of Ise's conscience mercilessly, trying to coach him into talking about the experience.

However the Pawn wasn't ready to do so again. 'Talking with Azazel-sensei was easy…' Mostly because the fallen angel already knew all the bad parts. Kotomine wanted to hear his perspective from scratch. 'Yeah, maybe it's good for me but…'

Once he fell silent again, Asia turned and saw the Pawn's conflicted expression. "Ise-san… you know you can talk to me as well, right?" Her inquiry made the brown haired devil hard stop the back, almost dropping the girl. However she held on to her seat and stared at him with kind eyes. "I know that you… transformed because of me but…"

Despite her wish to reassure the young man, the girl didn't know what to say. Not when she easily understood that the wrong word could finish him off.

And Ise knew that. "Because that Diodora was a bastard!" He said with a brave smile and a confident look. "If it wasn't for him, none of that had to happen."

"But I also am guilty-"

"No way in hell you did anything wrong, Asia. If you did, everybody else's a criminal." His interruption was both for her sake and his. "All that happened because those guys were a bunch of dicks. Forget about it."
"A bunch of 'dicks'?" Just the way she said it was enough to make the Pawn feel guilty for tarnishing her innocence.

However he was going to let it slide on that occasion. "Yeah, a bunch of no good-" 'What would Luvia say?' "-scoundrels without notion!" 'Nailed it!' "If they weren't bad people, nothing bad would have happened."
"I know but-"
"Now hold on! We are getting late so I'm going to speed up a notch!" He announced while standing up on the bike.

"Eh?" Asia barely had time to hold firm in her seat before the brown haired devil pushed his legs as fast as he could.

'Thank you Buchou for the reinforced bike!' Ise thought while accelerating further to dodge any and all questions.

Unfortunately for him the ride lasted just a few short minutes despite how slow they were rushing compared to his past self. A comparison he didn't dare to make out loud, trying to avoid mentioning the side effects of his berserk rage not only for his own sake but for Asia's as well.

By the time they were getting close to Kuoh the brown haired devil was already feeling his limbs growing heavy and his shoulders arching from how he was holding the bike.

Fairly enough part of it was because his technique while riding a bicycle wasn't the best but before Juggernaut Drive it wouldn't have been a problem. In fact it wasn't a problem for human standards as only professional cyclists needed to bother how to position themselves to gain speed for longer periods of time.

Most people could pedal however they wanted, that was how great a bicycle could be as a means of transportation but despite that a devil was feeling his body hurt from just accelerating a little.

A little relative to devils but nonetheless the Ise from a week prior could have kept going for longer without issues. 'Shit.'

Relief poured over Ise as they approached the gates, the security guard stationed throwing them a look before snapping his fingers to open the gate before returning to his TV and only snapping his fingers again once the younger devils were inside.

"Ise-san? Aren't you stopping?" Asia asked upon noticing they weren't slowing down.

"Nah! Nobody's around and I'm trying to have a good time!" He managed to say with a grin as he kept pushing himself further. "There!" The Pawn stopped his bike a few meters from the old school building, panting harder but nevertheless smiling. "Looks like… we are the first ones to arrive."
"You are late, peasant." A rasp tone warned the devils someone else was around who revealed himself to be a bald man of low stature. As he walked out of the club with his cane, which was taller than he was, his body grew green and a beak replaced his mouth. "Here I was thinking your delay was because your King was here to entertain us and foster bonds."

"Stop it, Jaken." Setsuna exited the building wearing jeans, a black shirt and a new naginata over her shoulder. Unlike everyone else, the Pawn and Bishop needed to be seen leaving their home so their delays were inevitable. "Good morning, you two."

"Morning Setsuna." Ise replied while pulling his bike close to the club to tie it up with a chain.
Asia took that as a chance to jump off the vehicle and bow towards her friend. "Good morning, Setsuna-san, Jaken-dono."

"Hmph. Still using the wrong way to address us. If anything, Setsuna-sama should be addressed as-" The hanyou was quick to close her retainer's beak.

"Stop being annoying or I will send you back to my father." Her harsh words silent the small man who shivered thinking what sort of punishments he would receive if dismissed like that. And seeing her threat was well received, Setsuna focused on the others. "You two are here early. Nobody else arrived yet."
Ise did his best to hide a frown. "That's because I'm the one training with the imp here."
"I am the great Jaken, peasant!"
"My name 's Ise! Get it right! Ise!"
"Peasant!"
"Imp!"
"Enough you two!" Setsuna ordered and while both sides stood down, neither was satisfied. "Jaken, if you don't want to teach him, you may return to the apartment."
The kappa shook his head and slammed the staff with the woman and old man's head on the ground. "And let that little nekomata botch the ancient arts so the devils can claim our negligence later? No, the house of Sesshoumaru-sama shall not have its name tarnished, not on my watch."
"Buchou wouldn't do something like that." Asia was quick to defend her older sister figure.

Only for the kappa to shake his head. "Don't underestimate politics or politicians, girl." With a frown, he directed his attention to the Pawn. "Any success in generating Ki of your own?"
"I was back home with, you know, my very normal parents! It ain't like I could train like that."
"All I hear are excuses!" The green yokai retorted before his charge flicked his forehead.

She threw him an angry glance to silence him before asking, "Have you tried meditation?"
"Hmm." Ise massaged his neck while scratching his leg with the other, trying to avoid the black haired maiden's eyes.

Setsuna couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. "Ise, you are the one who wanted to learn Touki…"
"I know. I know. I tried but…" The brown haired man closed his eyes in anger before letting go of it with a sigh of his own. "I just… can't meditate right now…"
"Ise-san…" Asia took his hand to calm him down.

He slowly disengaged and stepped around while messing with his hair. "I always sucked at meditating, alright? Ddraig always… he always helped me…" Boosted Gear enveloped his arm and while they all heard [Boost] it sounded a bit too mechanical.

The lights were on but it was like there was nobody home.

"Well, then you may as well quit. Touki is all about self reflection." Jaken reminded him coldly. He was pretty much just repeating himself and while the Pawn appreciated it, clearly he had other things in his mind. "If you can't figure out the problems in your head, in your heart, then my lessons are for naught."
"Hey! I can still learn to use Ki, right? Not like Touki-"
"Touki is the best you can learn! You don't have the right blood, nor any sort of talent, to develop Senjutsu or Youjutsu!" The yokai pointed out while slamming his staff on the group. The weapon began to shine slightly before its aura moved to Ise. "If you had anything," the woman's head in the staff began to shriek, hurting everyone's ears, "then the old man would be laughing." Power left the staff which grew silent. "You don't have any special bloodline, no skill, not the mentality, nor the grit to learn any aspect of Ki! This training is pointless."
"But I need it, alright?!" Ise replied with fury. "I know this fucking thing is hard but I need this! I need to get Ki because…" The Pawn suddenly grew silent.

"Feh. Then you need to adjust your attitude and face yourself." His cane tapped the sacred gear on the boy's arm. "Better to lean on the dragon's power anyway. If I was you I would get him talking again," he then pointed his staff towards the frowning Pawn, "because you are the Red Dragon Emperor. Act like it."
"Look," Setsuna pulled her father's retainer back, "this is getting us nowhere. Clearly Ise needs a new approach and if the thing is to discover himself, maybe a couple of fights is what he needs." The hanyou pointed out with a smile. "Besides, I know one thing or two about Touki… even though I am not good with it."
"You want to spar with me?" Her suggestion made Ise curious. "Like what you are doing with Gasper?"
"Pretty much. Asia is here already and you always were… the sort of guy who learns by doing." She turned to the green yokai with an inquisitive expression. "Would that work?"
"Bah! How would it work, Setsuna-sama? He doesn't have the right instincts. He isn't like you or I." Jaken looked at the devil with disinterest. "He was just a human."
"Hey!" Devil or not, Ise grew offended for his parents, his friends and anybody he could care for which could be classified as human.
The yokai turned around dismissively. "It isn't that humans are weak but you lack the instincts, the fight, that all yokais have!" He turned around and pointed at the Pawn with his free claw. "You don't fight like us. You use technology, weaponry and magic to compensate-"
"Uh, but doesn't Setsuna-san also use weapons?" Asia interrupted as gently as she could.

And Jaken found himself in a corner before grumbling something and focusing on Ise again. "Fine, we can try!"
"We can?" The Pawn was surprised by the change of attitude. When he got a glare from the yokai he just pumped his fist up. "Hell yeah! I'm gonna take anything at this point."

"Jaken, what exactly does he need to do?" Setsuna asked while marching towards the clearing where their group usually spars. Ise and Asia were right behind as her retainer walked beside her.

Giving the matter some real thought, Jaken reached a conclusion. "He must find himself without the dragon."

Ise found that easy. "Not like Ddraig is-"

"I mean also without your sacred gear!" The kappa interrupted with a glare. "Have you ever thought about how much you use that thing in the first place?" He could see how the Pawn grew pensive at his words. 'Maybe he isn't as stupid as I thought.' After giving credit where it was due, he motioned to the gauntlet on the boy's hand. "Take it off. Try to fight without your sacred gear and see how you do. Or are you so dependent on it that you can't even do as much?"

Looking at the sacred gear, Ise couldn't help but question. 'Is it that bad? Ddraig has always been with me… Buchou said he has been around since I was born…' Ever since their first contact, the Original Red Dragon Emperor's presence was always in the back of his head. However the dragon was no longer there and the devil felt like a void had taken his place. 'All this time we have been fighting together… and I can still use his power…'

Suddenly the Pawn felt something tickle his ear. 'Not all of it.' The voice of an older man reached him.

He turned around and found nobody. 'Am I going crazy?'

"So, what will it be?" Jaken's voice had him turning back to the yokai. "Want to try it or not? Just remember what Touki is all about: if you are afraid of standing alone, on your own two feet then you will never give life to your fighting spirit." His staff hit the ground twice to emphasize his point.

[Reset!]

Point taken Ise allowed the power accumulated into the Boosted Gear to vanish before dismissing it. "I am ready, Jaken-sensei."
Noticing the respect in the younger man's tone, the yokai felt satisfied. "You better be, Pupil." He then turned towards the Princess of Kyoto. "Setsuna-sama, this humble servant requests to hold your weapon while you teach his Pupil how to fight with his hands."

'I can fight with my hands…' Yet Ise chose to say, "Way too formal, ain't he? Ow!"

Everyone watched the young man massaging his head, the point where the two headed staff had hit. "As it is expected from my position, Pupil!" The green yokai shook his weapon in warning, making the devil back down. "It is only proper considering Setsuna-sama's position. You don't go around treating your King like any normal girl, do you?"
"Weeeeeell…"
"I see I have a lot to teach you."

"You two can settle that later." Setsuna raised her naginata close to the kappa who took it from her hands carefully, holding it close to his chest.

Noticing that the woman was prepared, Ise began growing nervous. "Right, so, about the rules…"
"Let's just trade a few blows for a bit and work something from there.." Ordered the hanyou while moving away from the Bishop and the kappa. "Say, is this the first time you are sparring without your Boosted Gear?"

"No- I mean, it is the first time since I woke it up." Back then he had never even thrown a proper punch. "After that…"
"So you never developed yourself as a fighter?" Setsuna commented with wonder, almost as if she couldn't believe him.

"That explains a lot…" Jaken commented with a shake of his head.

"But Ise is strong." Asia was quick to say and with plenty of confidence. "In Rating Games, I don't think he has lost a fight."
Which he didn't but not the point the Kyoto natives wanted to make. "But it wasn't him fighting. It was the Red Dragon Emperor."

Ise glared at Jaken before grunting. "Hey, I'm the Red Dragon Emperor." He declared with pride. "I worked hard to earn that name. Lived with dragons for a month and got burned alive every day. Every day!" After a bit he stopped and took a few deep breaths.

"And you would have been someone's lunch if Ddraig wasn't there." The kappa pointed out. "Make no mistake, you are probably one of the strongest Red Dragon Emperors who ever lived. Both because of your training and because you are a devil. But is that the extent of who you are, pupil?" His yellow eyes bore into Ise's who tried to glare back. "All of that you did was with the mantle of the Red Dragon Emperor, of Ddraig's Host. But who are you without it? Who is Hyoudou Issei as a fighter? Not as Ddraig's Host or even a devil of Gremory but him and him alone." The green yokai was smiling. "Who are you when everything else is taken away? Who are you as a fighter, Hyoudou Issei?"

"Who am I… as a fighter?" Ise could admit he never thought of that. Looking at his left hand, he began to understand the distinction. "Right. I'm going to do it."

Seeing his resolve, the former nun could only say, "Good luck, Ise." He barely noticed the love in her tone.

All he had was the fight and so the brown haired man stepped to the side until he was in front of Setsuna before going backwards. Only when he was five or so meters away from her did he raise his arms in a boxing stance.

The same posture that Shirou had taught him all those months ago, his right hand protecting his face while his left stood ready to throw punches. Even without his sacred gear, his left arm was the best choice for offense. It was ingrained in him to use it like that to the point it was instinctual.

Setsuna took a moment to study his posture before nodding. 'Firm but not impregnable. Full of openings.' The young woman shifted her feet to lean more on her right side. "Attack whenever you are ready."
That made Ise frown. "Aren't we sparing?"

"Maybe before but this is for your benefit." She replied with a confident smirk. "Come on, show me what you got."

Usually his opponent standing back and letting him do his thing would be the best. In that sort of situation Ise only had to wait and then overpower the enemy. However Boosted Gear remained in his soul and time lost its meaning. Except it didn't, not for him whose life was cut short by a mistake.

Since time was no longer his ally, Ise decided to throw caution to the wind and dash towards Setsuna as fast as his legs could carry him. It wasn't his best dash and neither was the first time he felt really slow since using Juggernaut Drive but it was the best he could do given the situation.

He saw Setsuna's eyes wide in surprise but didn't see Jaken frown nor Asia's concern.

He was too busy getting his arm grabbed and flipped on the floor. "That was-"

Not over yet because the devil threw another punch from the awkward angle which surprised the hanyou enough that she let go and retreated giving him a chance to turn on his belly while pressing his leg firmly on the ground.

His follow up was a bit faster and more cautious since instead of throwing his body the man advanced enough to force the hanyou to raise her guard before suddenly stopping to throw a strong left in her direction.

Which Setsuna dodged because while fast it wasn't fast enough. The motion was also a bit too clumsy, telegraphing the blow for one second. One second too much for the Princess of Kyoto which made the devil angry, embers he forgot he had litting up in his chest.

Before he put them down while taking a few steps back to reset which the woman allowed him to do. 'Shit.' Ise could already feel the muscles of his arms and the sweat beginning to drip but refused to acknowledge them. 'Come on! Come on! Keep it together, Ise. Get into the game!'

After a few instants the brown haired devil began moving his feet left and right, dancing as a boxer would. Only to stop a second after because Setsuna was making no motion to attack him, choosing instead to remain in place. The movement also weighted more in his legs than he expected, because he was out of practice and his new weakened state.

Yet it didn't take long for him to push through and advance once more in a mad charge.

Repeating his previous trick, Ise stopped just shy of reaching Setsuna and threw a hard punch towards her face. The hanyou sidestepped the hit which was frustrating so he shifted his posture to position his right back giving more space to his left side. In the blink of an eye the devil began throwing a fast succession of jabs towards his adversary.

All of which she dealt with calmly and unmoving, allowing most of them to miss while redirecting the few close hits away from most of her body.

"He is used to being faster, isn't he?" Jaken asked Asia while watching his charge deal with a flurry of jabs.

The Bishop looked at him with curiosity. "Jaken-dono…" Sensing his annoyance, she amended. "Jaken-san, didn't you watch our Rating Games?"
"Why should I? I have witnessed some of the greatest fighters and wars of our country. Including my Lord, the great Sesshomaru-sama himself." The kappa retorted proudly. "Compared to it, every other fight is just small. Do you understand what I mean?"
"No, I don't think I do." Compared to everyone else in her team, Asia wasn't a fighter so she was always watching from an outsider's perspective.

Jaken, on the other hand, had been on the thick of some gruesome battles. "I can't blame you. You haven't seen a real war yet. But back to the matter at hand," he added before she could ask anything else, "Issei is overreaching with every movement and his punches… he is pulling back before they can have the proper impact."
While not a proper fighter like his master and his daughters, Jaken wasn't kidding when saying he had witnessed some of the best in Japan through the years. Not only yokais but he also watched several heroes and villains whose names were enshrined in History fight to their last breath.

Because of that while the kappa wasn't physically imposing or capable, he knew how a warrior should fight armed or unarmed. Not just the theory either, the small man had survived several things over the years, a couple of very strong punches among them.

So he could confidently say that Ise wasn't fighting as he should.

More precisely he wasn't moving as he should.

As he wanted.

His jabs started to slow down so the boy took several steps to reset again while recovering his breath. "Ise likes to use his Balance Breaker." Asia whispered to the yokai as she watched her love with sadness. "He is really strong with it."

"Hmm, like a swordsman who only practiced his weapon at the detriment of everything else." Jaken saw plenty of those who focused so much on a thing at the detriment of the rest. Yet that wasn't the only problem, he could tell. "However, that isn't the only issue, is it?"
"... He doesn't like talking about it." It hurt saying that because she knew it was for her sake. Her and others but she knew the young man cared for her more than most.

"Avoiding a problem isn't going to make it vanish. Clearly he is used to having more stamina… a body full of energy."

The brown haired man suddenly exploded into movement again, running around Setsuna in a circle to either find a weakness or gauge a reaction. He found none, the hanyou's posture was rock solid and her eyes never lost him.

Speed never was his thing without Scale Mail so Ise didn't bother stalling anymore and threw a wide swing on Setsuna's back and was kicked on the chest. He lost his balance and fell on his back but only for a moment where he rolled on the floor and threw himself at the woman again.

Who had already turned around and raised an arm to block his renewed flurry. 'What is he planning?' Setsuna questioned while observing her friend's posture change. 'A feint…'

From her perspective she could clearly see that the brown haired man was turning his waist more than before while pulling his left arm back, pretty much abandoning defense in favor of a future stronger punch.

Obviously in those conditions it was highly telegraphed and Setsuna had to make an effort to hide her disappointment. Instead of expressing herself, she focused on parrying several blows as possible while watching for the moment where her adversary would try to break through her defense.

It came after five more punches, Ise suddenly stepped close to her while twisting his body into the expected counterclockwise motion which would maximize his strike thanks to extra leverage.

However her eyes were already locked on his left so when the fist advanced towards her face, she set her right palm out to meet it in the middle. However her parry missed by a few centimeters as his attack continued far away from her.

'What the-' Setsuna quickly pulled back and raised her left arm in a hasty defense.

Right on time to halt a blow which would definitively break her nose by the loud shockwave that was unleashed when Ise's fist hit her arm. In fact the hanyou had to bite back a wince due to how strong the blow actually was.

"What happened?" Asia questioned while holding her hair because of the shockwave.

"He used his left as bait?" Jaken half answered, half asked. Even he wasn't completely sure because the movement had been fast and far smoother than he expected from Ise's previous showing. "He used his strong side as a feint while using the force from it to put his back on his right!"

And Ise wasn't done as he noticed how Setsuna's arm was stuck in place for a few moments, her expression showing clear signs of pain. 'I got her!' Pushing forward, he brought his left hand for a new and faster flurry of jabs. 'I got you!'

The shift in tempo was enough to force Setsuna into finally leaving his position while she brought back her right arm to block his left. However, as Jaken pointed out, that was his strong side making his attacks painful every time she failed deflecting a hit. Two straight blows in her arm had her gritting her teeth before she jumped back to force a reset.

However Ise started to get in the zone and dashed after her faster than the hanyou expected. He also shifted his stance for a more aggressive one, letting loose both of his fists on her.

That sort of tactic wasn't just aggressive but also suicidal since the young man completely forgot about defense and focused on just beating Setsuna up. It was the sort of strategy worthless on the battlefield, not even fitting to be used for training dummies.

Nevertheless it was Ise's choice and Setsuna would make him pay for that. "Ahhhh!" Suddenly she unleashed his claws on his shoulders, his school uniform falling from blocking the counter. It wasn't enough to make him stop so she pushed both his arms to the side and pushed him back with all her strength. "Think that I am just going to let you beat me like that?"

Only after his feet returned to the ground a few seconds and several meters later did the young man reply. "If it works…" Red mana enveloped his body, a familiar sensation albeit more cumbersome than he remembered. "It works!"

Upon seeing the boy start to use mana, the young woman did the same, allowing her youki to focus on her hands instead of the whole body like him. She didn't need more than that, her hybrid status making her stronger than most of Creation even if she wasn't a True Hybrid.

Their clash unleashed another shockwave, not from a block but from the ravenhead meeting her opponent with her own power. She grinned as he frowned before he began punching again, faster than before but still falling short as his flurry of punches grew ineffective.

Because the hanyou was meeting every blow with equal force while no longer remaining stationary, for every step he took to close the distance she took one back while adding an equal amount to force him to commit more.

Eventually he did, opening his wings and dashing on a tackle with his left arm open; a lariat if she had ever seen any.

Also easy to dodge which she did by jumping over his head, "Predictable," while kicking it for good measure.

Losing control of his body, the Pawn could only raise his arms to soften the blow when he met one of the many trees around the old school building

The crunching sound from the crash was both loud and unsettling. "Ise!" At least to Asia since Jaken could only laugh.
"That is what you get for trying to force things, Pupil! Learn restraint!"

Climbing out from beneath the trees he got stuck, Ise grunted. "I'm going to shove restraint up your ass." He was tempted to call Boosted Gear to escape his predicament. So tempted he could almost see the sacred gear around his arm already.

"Are you giving up?" Setsuna's voice reminded him why he was there, why he needed to fight a certain way.

"No, just laying down for a bit." Getting rid of the pieces of bark around his body, the Pawn retracted his wings before shaking his head and slapping his cheeks. "Right! Let's go-"
"Aren't you going to use magic?" The hanyou suddenly interrupted him, almost making him stumble in place. He looked at her with confusion, the woman rolling her eyes before speaking again. "Ise, you are a devil. Magic is part of you." Showing her hand enveloped in a dark green aura, she added, "Look at everything you can use. Not just your wings and your muscles. What else can Hyoudou Issei do besides using his sacred gear?"

"You're right!" He replied confidently at being reminded of the other tools in his arsenal. Looking at his right hand, he began channeling his in front of his fist. "Shit. This is hard…"

Asia watched how the flux of energy looked wrong compared to the previous times he used it. "Ise-san is doing it wrong."
"He is?" Questioned the kappa. He didn't doubt her as he could sense how the build up of energy was too irregular for something he should know how to do already. "That is one of the few things having less life force wouldn't affect."

"I am sorry but he is just…" The Bishop was extremely familiar with the Pawn's techniques and knew there was something wrong.

Which confused Jaken. "What is wrong, Pupil?

"I don't know!" Admitted Ise as he tried and failed to build up a Dragon Shot, the mana fizzling after a few seconds. "Damn it. What the fuck is wrong?" He wasn't even caring Asia was in his earshot, frustration filling his every thought. "Come on! Work! Why aren't you working?"

Meanwhile he watched his newly acquired pupil struggle and fail at such a simple task, Jaken's mind began piecing together what exactly was happening. "Asia-san, tell me something: have you ever witnessed my pupil using magic without his sacred gear?"
The blond forced herself to pause and think for a bit. "No sir, I don't think I have."
"Figures." Louder he said, "Listen to me, Pupil! Sacred gears facilitate the use of mana!"
Both Ise and Setsuna paused to look at the kappa with the latter asking. "What are you implying, Jaken?"
"Setsuna-sama, for most people, even those with potential or circuits, learning to channel mana can be a daunting task." The yokai started explaining. "While sacred gears use stamina for most of their functions, it is safe to say their capabilities and potential can be amplified with mana. But the average human doesn't have the knowledge of how to access that energy source. It isn't like Touki which may awake in situations of stress or discipline in things like martial arts and such." Narrative constructed, he elaborated further. "However sacred gears act like a conduit, a focus that can allow the most bumbling fool to have some basic access to mana." Turning to Ise, he concluded. "It stands to reason then that my Pupil never developed much control of his own, not when the sacred gear could compensate for any flaws in his concentration."
The hanyou nodded in understanding. "So Boosted Gear was acting more like a crutch."

"A 'crutch'?" Ise couldn't believe what he was hearing, that his sacred gear was making his job so easy that most of his efforts were pretty much invalid without it.

However Asia disagreed. "Training wheels! God made sacred gears like training wheels!" Her eyes shone with hope while focusing on her beloved Pawn. "That means you can use mana without it as well, Ise-san. God wouldn't deny us the opportunity to learn by ourselves! He only guides!"

'A devil speaking about any god with such devotion… why isn't she cowering in pain?' Jaken held the question to himself since her observation wasn't wrong.

Ise could still use mana, it was just slightly harder, the build up was slow and inconsistent compared to when he used the Boosted Gear. But it was building up and Asia was sure he could do it, her faith in him relighting the fire of his determination. He wouldn't want to make a liar out of her, after all.

Ten seconds later the Pawn found enough focus to make a marble of red mana. 'It looks like how I did the first time.' Deep down the devil knew he had power to make something bigger but refrained from doing so. He understood his control wasn't that good. 'At least I still can…' His focus shifted back to Setsuna. "Let's keep going."
"Are you sure? Because it looks like you are on to something…" She commented while evaluating the small sphere of mana floating in front of the boy. 'That is some strong energy… Ddraig isn't the only reason he is powerful.'

Setsuna remembered the normal high schooler Ise used to be; perverted, excitable, a little stupid but with enough enthusiasm about his passions to compensate for his foolishness to the point he would take a beating without shame just to make things fair.

Despite much of that energy being gone he was still a passionate pervert. When he wanted something, few people could stop him. Even himself wasn't an obstacle as the brown haired devil demonstrated by quickly adapting to not using his sacred gear.

"Yeah. I'm almost getting something here. I need to keep going." His eyes shone with a resolve the hanyou found familiar.

A resolve always present in those dedicated to the path of a warrior.

Because that was what Ise was growing to be. "Fine but I will start attacking now." It was time for the spar to start for real. "Remember, you asked for this."

"Hehe." Pulling his fist back, he punched the marble in front of his body. "Dragon Shot!"

The beam of mana was slightly bigger than his arm and packing enough power to harm Setsuna so she dodged to the right before dashing in his direction, claws pulsing with youki.

Something exploded behind the ravenhead but she ignored it in favor of striking towards Ise's left side with a swipe which he dodge just in time. The woman quickly pulled back enough to throw a high kick which the devil blocked before countering with a hard punch with his right.

Unfortunately his mana wasn't a match for her youki and when she deflected his arm the man felt his uniform melting. Not that he had time to worry about it because Setsuna aimed for his shoulder in a follow up. He tried to dodge by leaning his body to the side but the hit connected either way.

Followed by another one when she brought her other leg to hit his calves and got rid of his balance. Something the Pawn fixed by opening his wings to fly backwards just as threw another kick that hit his waist. To his credit Hyoudou didn't even wince as he let the strength of the hit carry him away while mana gathered around his left hand.

However Setsuna wasn't going to give him time to shoot anything else and threw a crude slash of poisonous youki in his direction. Reacting on instinct the devil flared his aura and used his arms to destroy the attack but he wasn't far so the hanyou quickly closed the distance between them.

Empowered by his aura, Ise channeled it on his left hand for a quick blast. "Dragon Shot!"

Setsuna avoided the beam with a flip and used the explosion it generated to propel herself even closer, her claws aimed towards her adversary's face. "Got you-"
Fire burst from Ise's throat, hitting the hanyou mid-air which broke her flight path and blinded her, giving the brown haired man the chance to slip around the black haired beauty who eventually crashed on the ground.

"That was cool!" The Red Dragon Emperor praised himself while watching the Princess of Kyoto standing from the hole she made. "Did you like that? Learned that from the dragons!" Taking a deep breath, he let out a huge fireball towards the sky before announcing. "I'm a dragon!" His words also made his aura grow stronger which in turn made aches on his body disappear albeit temporarily. "I am a DRAGON!"
A stream of Fire flew in Setsuna's direction and the woman used all of her limbs to jump over the attack before noticing it was the wrong approach when Ise kept the flames going for longer than she anticipated.

Covering herself with her power, the hanyou dropped on the inferno which kept going for a few more seconds before the dragon ran out of breath. Nevertheless the damage was already done, the Daughter of Sesshomaru had burns present on her arms and face. Had she not been a half yokai then the girl would have been dead.

But she was a hanyou and so she glared at him before dropping on all fours and sped at him fast enough that Nascar's cars would grow envious. In an instant she was back on his face with claws out and ready for blood. Their auras flared and clashed, hers breaking through his by a tiny margin.

So tiny in fact that Ise had enough time to throw a punch on her face to break her pace. Only his punch did much more than that, smashing Setsuna on the ground so hard she flew away.

Because no matter how weakened he grew with his life force reduced or avoided using his sacred gear there was a simple reality about Ise that most people forgot to consider: he was already one of the strongest devils of his generation.

Of course being the Red Dragon Emperor gave him a lot of perks by playing the part of Ddraig's Host but that would be worthless if the man himself didn't dedicate some considerable amount of time into growing strong.

He trained with dragons, giant creatures that at their peak can crush towns by accidents, surviving a whole month among their number, eating what they ate and fighting whoever was in the mood.

Eating the Dragon Apples in particular reinforced the dragon aspect of Ise's existence which allowed him to grow more in that direction if he was willing. And the Pawn had been more than willing both for the power and because of what it represented. It could even be said he was more dragon than devil thanks to his disposition.
Ddraig's presence just took his Hosts to the starting line of becoming a dragon, it took someone with the right mentality, one full of passion and determination, to take the plunge to be called such.

That made Ise physically strong and his reduced life force couldn't take that from him. His body was lethargic from lack of energy but he was still a young devil.

Or a young dragon breed for combat.
"Hah! Did you like that?!" Ise asked while watching Setsuna's back slamming a tree. He knew she wasn't done and for the first time since Juggernaut Drive his body felt full of energy. "Here are a few more coming!" Mana flowed around both his fists creating two balls of marble. "Double Dragon Shot!"

The blasts were unleashed at the same time to get Setsuna just as she was getting up. They were too fast for her to dodge so the woman raised her arms and withstood the assault.

"Setsuna-sama!" Concerning her retainer who watched the explosion with great worry. "Oh no! I must stop this-"
"No! Let them keep going." A new voice caught his and Asia's attention, both turning to greet three more from Rias Peerage who were attracted to that spot by a previous explosion. Gasper was watching the spar with shining eyes. "Ise-senpai… is glowing."
"Yes, he is." Kiba commented. "And not just his aura. What do you think, Koneko?"
The white haired nekomata observed the spar with sharp eyes but ignored the rising Setsuna, who bled from her arms and forehead, to focus all her senses on Ise. The Red Dragon Emperor hadn't fully returned to his previous form and without his sacred gear he was much weaker.

However that didn't mean he was weak by any means. "This is good." She said before licking her lollipop.

Jaken didn't like that but remained still. "Setsuna-sama shall win."
"I just hope they don't harm each other too much." Asia expressed her concerns but didn't move either.

Meanwhile the audience grew, Setsuna gritted her teeth before steading her breathing as she had to unleash a lot of her youki to mitigate the damage from Ise's attack. Her ponytail was undone as claw marks expanded on her cheeks. She could feel it acting out, her yokai bloodlust.

'That would be a little too much for him.' Yet that was a spar and the hanyou remembered it well. If she allowed her more feral side to take control, she could rip off a limb or two. 'Unless Ddraig decides to make an appearance it will be better if I don't let my inner beast loose…'

When the smoke settled everybody saw the wounded Setsuna with her loose hair but not much else since she took control of her youki. The green energy still surrounded her form and was a little taller than before but not much had changed in the aura.

Unlike Ise's who was starting to grow smaller because of his fading adrenaline. 'Oh come on. You gotta be kidding me.' He ended up dropping on a knee for a few seconds before forcing his power output up. 'Just a little more. I can feel it. I'm about to get something. I can't stop now.' His red aura began diminishing again but with another push it stabilized at a reasonable level. "What's wrong, Dogbreath? Need a nap?"
Every single fiber of her body demanded she paid him back for the insult. "You think petty taunts are going to work on me?" Instead the provocation was met with suspicion which soon turned into understanding. 'He wants to rush things up. Despite managing to pull himself together, it is pretty obvious that his pacing is all over the place.'

From a rush of blows depending on power to a sudden shift into boxing technique and then starting to use energy, Ise had changed his fighting style several times in the last few minutes trying to adapt to his new lethargy.

His body may have been in its prime, realistically it hadn't even reached its peak, but his short life span was new and he didn't know how to fight with it. There was too much imbalance, too much overreach and wasted energy for him to fight anywhere close to anything that could be called efficient.

In a proper fight an enemy could take advantage of that weakness to prolong the combat to its max and force Ise to submit by just running out of fuel.

'If he wants to hurry things up… I am going to finish it on the next charge.' Yet that was a spar to help the Pawn exactly with that so the hanyou decided to match his pace. "Here I go!"

Youki enveloped Setsuna's form completely and her wounds stopped arching as she dropped into all fours before dashing towards her adversary like a hunting dog would.

"Bring it!" His aura shifted and focused on a volleyball of mana in front of his chest. Pushing his control to its limits. A demonstration of Hyoudou Issei's resolve to surpass his limitations. "Dragon Shot!"

The red beam of energy was taller than Setsuna by a couple of meters and was faster than the previous attack that threw her on the ground. Yet the girl had more distance to work with so she bent her arms and legs to launch her whole body right, evading the attack.

Her success didn't stop a huge explosion that followed the Pawn's attack that raised a huge cloud of dust and sent her flying uncontrollably. Or not as uncontrollably since she predicted that attack would release a massive shockwave and rode it on to direct herself towards the forest, away from her adversary's view.

Ise couldn't let that happen but he was already preparing for something like it, another Dragon Shot, again the size of a marble, was already prepared and after a punch it flew towards the hanyou in a trajectory that left no more room for escape.

At least that was what he thought since his friend couldn't fly. A fair assumption because she never showed the ability nor had wings of her own. Also the shockwave from his attack threw her farther above the floor than she could reach. A moving target but one he should hit easily.

"Light Whip!" So he was fairly caught off guard when the Princess created a whip of energy from her fingertips and tied itself around a tree which she used to pull herself, escaping his attack.

Another explosion and a couple of trees fell, including the one Setsuna used to save herself as her whip, a strand made of youki that moved like silk and could cut like a sword, brought it down by accident.

Because that wasn't a skill anyone could learn, it was a technique from her father, one that was at its strongest when her bloodline sang its song of violence and she allowed the yokai in her to take over.

However Gasper wasn't the only one looking to understand his hybrid nature more, in fact Setsuna had been working on it for months and the invasion of the Underworld only had her expressing what opinions she made about those with a dual nature.

For the blood mattered, be from a yokai, a vampire, a devil or an angel.

Running from one's self was the same as living a half life.

And thanks to her efforts she managed to use Light Whip while keeping her reason, her feet on whatever was left of the tree before she kicked it to catapult herself towards her opponent who could no longer disguise his exhaustion.

Despite the aura around his body. "Not done yet… I ain't done yet!" A dragon made of energy made itself known behind Ise before joining with his body making his power flare anew. "Aaaaahhhh!"

Once more a stream of Fire left his throat but Setsuna expected something like that and swiped her claws forward to unleash a huge wave of youki to counter the flames. Her attack wasn't strong enough, nor stable enough, to reach the dragon but it gave her a tunnel of sorts to cut the distance herself.

Which she did by returning to all fours and dashing behind her attack until it fell apart letting Ise's Fire hit her once again. Nevertheless she ignored any new burns because of how close she was from her opponent, close enough to throw a palm strike at his throat. With his own fire on the way the Pawn failed to see the attack coming and took the hit.

For a couple of seconds he was stunned as his body began reacting to the blow with coughing and the instinctive movement of his hand towards his neck to relieve the phantom pressure.

Leaving him open for Setsuna whose claws hit his shoulder before a punch made its way to his face followed up by an elbow from her other arm and a kick on his chest. Ise's aura flickered while his body recovered from the initial blow so he felt all subsequent hits in their entirety.

Blood from his shoulder, nose and lip were just a few of the bruises Setsuna inflicted on him as she kept the pressure up by stabbing her claws on his sides. Without the poison, that was still a spar after all. In any case her sharp nails stabbed through his muscles and made the dragon roar in pain.

She wasn't done yet as his aura kept trying to push her back and there was no surrender in the Pawn's eyes. Instead they greeted her with determination and an unwillingness to lose that made clear he was taking the fight seriously.

He soon proved that by delivering a punch so powerful that her face began bruising immediately while forcing Setsuna to disengage which had her claws ripping some more of his flesh as they were dragged out.

Still the Pawn got some distance and tried to use it to spit more fire in her direction only to notice a new difficulty in doing so. Funnily enough it wasn't because of the lack of energy but his throat which refused to allow enough flames to build up in a steadily leaving the dragon to spit a small cloud of smoke.

Giving Setsuna time to recover and counter with a kick to his legs that forced him down, his right knee hitting the ground as his left arm was raised in time to block a second kick. He still failed to stop a third which the Princess used to push herself up with a flip before aiming a punch to his face.

Ise tried to counter with a kick of his own but it was clumsy, so much so that she shoved the limb to the side and hit his face. Evidently he didn't use his legs for combat but was still skilled enough to use the force of her punch to help himself get up. Even if just to get another punch in the face and a knee to the stomach.

But his legs weren't weak by any means and he planted himself in place long enough to get his bearings and throw another punch that Setsuna dodged, counter attacking with his fist, missing her head by a mile which left him open for a body shot that almost made him vomit.

Nevertheless he both coughed blood and realized, 'She's destroying me…' The Pawn managed to think despite the constant assault. He was getting dizzy by the second, his legs about to crumble. 'I need to-'

His thought process was cut short because of fast hits, three on his head, a kick to the side that had him leaning forward and a spilling kick on his right temple that almost knocked him out cold.

Ise's aura flickered and died which had Setsuna stopping to catch her breath. 'It is over.'

Her conclusion wasn't without merit; despite how much tougher Ise was, his body was ready to just crash somewhere and not get up. Even if he had energy, his life force, the glue that kept him together, was too dry. His exhaustion was real and his erratic pace during the match just accentuated it.

Almost falling where he was standing, Ise didn't even feel when his arms dropped to his sides. 'I'm going to lose…' The thought alone stirred something inside him. 'Am I really nothing without Ddraig? Without the Boosted Gear?'

Every moment during the fight his sacred gear had been at his reach to the point he almost called it out involuntarily because of how much he trained with it. Since his Reincarnation, that had been his focus and the steps which carried him from far below average Low Class devil to Ultimate Class at his best.

If called, the sacred gear would appear even with his body half unconscious, the training with dragons made sure he would have enough gas to fight even in the most extreme situations so victory was possible.

Just not the victory he wanted.

"Who are you as a fighter, Hyoudou Issei?" Jaken had asked and he could tell the answer was close.

Between pain and dizziness, he managed to find an answer.

'The guys back in the forest would be laughing right now…' It reminded him that someone else was gone but he couldn't focus on that dragon.

He couldn't focus on Tannin because that was a journey he had to take for himself and no one else. Sure his friends could help him but the actual deed was his to execute and couldn't use nobody as an excuse.

Neither for his actions when insane, nor for every action henceforth.

"I am…" His voice was rough because of the blow to his throat and his tone was low. However everyone could hear him while the brown haired devil started to get up slowly from, his hands pushing him upwards. "I am…"

Red aura flowed from the Pawn again like a huge bonfire that suddenly gained a second life.

It was so strong that the hanyou and the audience all found themselves taking a step back as the heat in the area began growing more intense. Many leaves, which had fallen due to the explosions or whenever one of them hit a tree, began to disappear as Ise's Fire, which he had unleashed before, started growing taller.

"I am…" Fear began to settle in Kiba, Asia, Gasper and Jaken as the words had a different meaning.

"Is he going into Juggernaut Drive?" The Knight asked with fear while summoning a sword. Yet someone's arm stopped him. "Koneko, we can't let-"

The white haired nekomata shook her head. "His smell is different…"

"His smell?" The kappa couldn't feel it nor could he identify the lack of outright rage in his new pupil's presence. He knew little about Juggernaut Drive and was only cautious of its Chant. "He isn't chanting."
After a bit of a panic, someone else realized, "His sacred gear isn't out." Gasper realized once dismissing his fear and noticing that Setsuna didn't look troubled from Ise's power up. "Senpai… this is his last attack. He is going to put everything he has left into it."

Something the hanyou could also see and have plenty of opportunities of stopping. However that was still a spar for his sake which was why retreated several steps back. The extra space was both for her piece of mind to also give Ise room for what he wanted to do.

'I feel… that I am about to witness a rebirth…' Setsuna pondered while raising her arms defensively again. "Come at me, Ise. Show me what you got!"
Her challenge was met with nothing because Ise could only hear the sound of fire dancing, both inside and outside his soul. While the dragon was aware of the division, he focused himself on Reality and the Fire he had been spitting out since the spar began.

That Fire was still his and the Red Dragon Emperor demanded obedience from it. Sure the Element couldn't answer but his magic knew he was the dragon who created them. A connection was established, one that the Pawn was somewhat familiar with.

In hindsight he had felt that sort of connection before, a link between his soul and his magic, one of the things his life force was responsible for. But he hadn't been aware of that in the past because someone else had been guiding him and his mana in a more efficient fashion he wasn't capable of.

Ddraig had guided his magic as much as his sacred gear did but for the first time Ise was manipulating everything by himself. The mana outside his body linked itself to the source inside him, allowing the young man to manipulate it in its entirety.

The flames in the battlefield danced towards their creator as he raised his arms to the air with an expression of determination. Heat raised around him and pain shot through his nervous system when the Fire touched his leg but despite that there wasn't a single scream of pain.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Instead there was a roar of pride worthy of a dragon. "I AM HYOUDOU ISSEI! THE RED DRAGON EMPEROR!"

Memories from his struggles, his battles, his mistakes, played back on Issei's mind and he plunged his spirit towards every single one of them. Even when the Red Dragon of Domination went berserk, the young man stayed firm as he felt his own Fire trying to consume him.

Instead of running, he embraced some Fire around his chest, the rest running freely.

His shout had carried so many feelings that the audience stood there in shock without understanding what was going on. For a few seconds they could only watch as Ise did something many would call insane.

Fire consumed his form, surrounding him everywhere to the point nobody could see the dragon. All they saw was the dancing flames that weren't moving like fire should and instead consolidating themselves around their owner.

"Madness." Jaken couldn't help but say and the devils didn't blame him.

He never watched their Rating Games. "No, that is Senpai technique!" Gasper commented with excitement.
"But I thought he could only use it in his Balance Breaker. In fact, I am pretty sure that was always the case. This can't be safe." Kiba said next as Asia held her hands together nervously.

Koneko frowned. "It's taking too long."

"You are right, this isn't safe." The kappa felt throat and skin going dry so he took a few more steps back. "Probably because Ddraig, he had always managed to pull this off successfully. Perhaps we should stop him before he cooks himself alive."

But before anyone could make a move they all felt a shift in the air as the temperature started going down as the flames surrounding the Red Dragon Emperor diminished, concentrating only in his form while taking a somewhat familiar shape.

"Is that…" Asia started before losing her words.

"No, it isn't…" Nevertheless Kiba didn't know how to explain. It was Ise's magic and he wasn't great at it.

Gasper at least understood the basics. "Senpai did it! He managed to use Scarlet Mail by himself. His strongest armor!"

"Calling it an armor of any sort… is definitively generous." It was Jaken who said it but by how Koneko was nodding, she agreed. Didn't take long for everyone else to also reach such silent agreement.

Crude couldn't even begin to describe how much that armor was lacking or if it should be called an armor at all. Maybe even the name Scarlet Mail would be wrong because of how exposed Ise was compared to his spell when using Balance Breaker.

For starters there was not even an impression of mass, Ise's body was pretty much covered in flames that didn't burn with his arms and legs hidden in the Element. But not everything was covered, just a few parts that varied dependending on the Fire's humor if it had such a thing.

His left arm was completely exposed, so was the right side of his waist, his abdomen, his knees and his head. Everywhere else there was Fire dancing without burning which created a thin veil of protection that could easily be called inconsistent as the flames didn't stop anywhere for long.

However Ise wasn't disappointed by how exposed his spell left him. When training with Tannin, when imitating the bigger dragon, the younger one wasn't looking for defense. Even the Blaze Meteor Dragon's technique wasn't about defense either, instead focusing on consistent damage.

Ise also wanted to inflict damage with his spell. To burn his enemies to ashes.
To show his passion.

Where Tannin's technique was about consistent damage that melted everything around him, Ise's was about explosive damage that followed everywhere on his wake while punishing everyone stopped enough to get in his path.

Despite not being complete without Ddraig's help, the young dragon could safely say, "Scarlet… Mail…" because he really managed to do it on his own. Bending forward the Pawn dropped in a runner position with a growl in his throat which was still hurting. His eyes were locked on his friend, the picture of concentration. "Get ready, Setsuna…"

The hanyou did as the dragon suggested because one thing was clear. "It is going to be his final blow." Kiba commented with wonder as the Princess took a step forward and enveloped herself with youki. "This is it…"
"Who is going to win?" Gasper asked anyone.

"Obviously Setsuna-sama." Jaken affirmed.

Koneko shook her head. "The perv."

"What? How dare you?!"

"Does it matter? Ise did it. He is fighting by himself… for himself." Asia raised the point and nobody could really disagree.

Victory or defeat, the Red Dragon Emperor of Gremory managed to make a comeback.

Wasting no more time both combatants charged at each other with their auras pulsing brightly. If not for the color nobody would be able to tell who was the one surrounded by fire even if the green aura was less erratic if just because the flames were moving less thanks to movement.

Just as the two sides were four or so meters from each other Ise surprised everyone again by suddenly stopping and making a hard spin with his whole body but mostly focused on his waist.

Since his armor was incomplete the devil had to improvise for his next attack, one that came from his worst memories. Yet he wouldn't shy away so he took a risk by stopping far enough to prepare that trick, starting by turning his body at high speed to not only accumulate Fire but also to accelerate his fist.

His goal was to channel as much energy as he could in an extremely short period of time before redirecting it somewhere else. Mana and flame flowed around his fist as he finished the turn bringing it close to his head before slamming it down which unleashed a wave of his Element.

Setsuna was already mid-motion to get him so found herself without time to react and her body ended up enveloped in flames which spread around an area five meters wide without touching anything else.

A pathetic display all things considered but another reason for why Ise waited until the last moment possible to gather and unleash the energy was because that technique wasn't his own.

It was from one of his predecessors as the Red Dragon Emperor but the man didn't know that since he couldn't remember everything that happened during Juggernaut Drive. He certainly couldn't recall the cloaked figures inside his sacred gear and even if he did, it would be a 'bad dream'.

But he remembered his body going completely out of control and using an attack like that but on a greater scale which made his attempt quite pathetic. It wasn't even close to the real thing, neither from the creator of the technique and certainly not when compared with the overcharged attack from the Raging Dragon.

However he still made his best attempt as a statement for himself that he wouldn't run away.

Ise took the name Red Dragon Emperor once more and was determined to not fall in the pitfalls that transformed him into the modern terror of the Underworld. Rage and fear no longer had any hold on his heart, at least when it came to himself.

With that resolve burning brightly he tried to prove to himself that he could move past the damage Juggernaut Drive did by utilizing its power however indirectly. That he would be him and that he also was the Red Dragon Emperor.

Not just because he was born with Ddraig but because he was worthy of the Title.

Fire exploded before vanishing from the area, suddenly all traces of it disappearing after the last blow leaving a small patch of black land. There Ise stood with his fist still on the floor and a triumphant grin. He was satisfied with himself and the results of the match even if they showed how dependent he was of Ddraig.

Yet he didn't see that dependence as a weakness and for a brief moment turned his focus inwards. 'Come on Partner. The Red Dragon Emperor isn't complete without you…'

While not getting any response, the young man still felt satisfied enough with himself to raise his head and look at the sky knowing that whatever problem Ddraig had he would find some way to solve it not because he was a source of power but because he missed the Original Red Dragon Emperor.

"Well done…" Setsuna's voice reached him and had him look down, his eyes going wide as he stared at her. "Not the best work but… Why are you smiling like that?" Before Ise could respond his exhaustion finally caught up with him, his body leaning back as he fell into a sweet dream. "Hey-"
"Setsuna, don't touch him!" Koneko's voice stopped her from just grabbing the devil and he crashed on the floor with a goofy smile on his face.

Only for it to suffer under Jaken's wrath as the kappa began kicking and poking the Pawn with his staff while holding the hanyou's naginata above his head. "You miserable mongrel, ingrate devil, excuse of a-"
"Jaken, why are you hitting him?"

Much to her surprise her guardian didn't stop nor looked at her. "Apologies, Setsuna-sama but I must punish this degenerate! By Sesshomaru-sama's honor, this filth must know pain!"
"Jaken-san, it isn't Ise-san's fault." Asia tried to defend the boy but her pleas went unheard.

Still confused, Setsuna looked at the others for an explanation only to find Kiba rooted in place with his back turned and Gasper in a similar position but also with his hands covering his eyes.

Everything became clear when Koneko said, "Setsuna, clothes."

Looking down, the Princess of Kyoto understood why Ise was smiling like an idiot at the end; despite a few burns she was naked as the day she was born. Although her youki managed to parry Ise's last strike it wasn't enough to detain it completely. Her aura broke and only her constitution stopped any serious harm.

However something was clear: it was her defeat.

'If he had started the fight at that pace, the only way I could win was with my naginata or going all out… it is worthless to think about that. Per the rules of our match, I lost.' Still, her pride demanded that she hit the devil some more for seeing her naked. 'I will let Jaken handle it.' Eventually she decided. "Hey, Koneko, can you tell Rias I am taking one of the uniforms from the club?"
"Sure thing." The Gremory bought them in bulk just for accidents or damage during battle so giving one or ten wasn't the problem.

For Setsuna it was just annoying that her clothes were turned to cinders but she would cope with it.

…

On the other side of Fuyuki, inside Gremory's most luxurious hotel which doubled as Fuyuki Watcher's headquarters, Rias and Luvia moved towards the site of the reunion with purposeful steps.

Most onlookers would stop and look at the pair of beauties striding in the place as if they owned it. In a sense they did, literally and metaphorically because the building was from Rias' family while their noble bearings allowed them to captivate anyone who laid eyes on them.

Nevertheless most of the tourists soon returned to their day and the staff knew better than to question or stop the future Lady of Gremory. Especially when she wore a business-like expression and a similar inclined outfit, all in black with a short skirt and a red dress shirt fully buttoned up.

Besides her Luvia walked only a single step behind her King wearing her combat dress which anyone who watched their Rating Games would know. She was there both as an advisor and bodyguard who nevertheless looked ready to take over a ballroom.

If one ignored the boots on her feet which were always ready to break someone's spine.

Two guards watched Rias approach and lowered their heads before opening the room. She nodded to them with warm eyes before growing cold again once she entered. That meeting really promised to not be pleasing.

"Seek-chan." Mostly because of who she was meeting with.

"Agares." Seekvaira reapplied with the demeanor and wardrobe worthy of a noble, her left eye covered with a proper eyepatch and a cold expression she never used with her friends. "You will call me as such, Gremory."

"Milady-"
"Is that how we are doing things?" Rias interrupted Alivian, the Agares Queen.

The disguised Reincarnated dragon frowned but chose to remain in place as his King replied, "Yes, it is."

From a practical point of view there were few better than Seekvaira Agares to send as a replacement for Sona because the older Heiress had prior experience as a Second Owner and was familiar with Fuyuki which was where she gained that experience in the first place.

However practical that decision was, it wasn't the best one on the personal side of things.

Once upon a time the Heiresses of Gremory and Agares were friends, not best friends but good friends nonetheless. The sort of friends that had each other's back and were willing to help each other whenever. Calling them allies wouldn't be much of a stretch, including in the political arena.

Such no longer was the case as Rias made several decisions Seekvaira didn't approve of, ones she couldn't nor would take back.

"Is this really necessary?" The Heiress of Gremory changed her question as she approached her side of the table sitting down directly opposite to her former friend. If the older woman's face was any indication of mood, that friendship was killed in an alleyway and left for the rats. "Maybe we can talk a little more after this meeting? At lunch?"

"I refuse." Seekvaira said in a definitive tone which left no room for argument.

Didn't stop Rias from trying. "Are you sure? Shiro made some-"

"I refuse." Both Rias and Luvia blinked with surprise.

Surprise and concern in the King's case. "Maybe you don't remember but my Shiro's food is really good. He has a whole standard named after him."

"I care not about the delicacies that your Mage produced." The attempt of banter died a cold death via blizzard. "I am not here as your friend, Rias. If I had a choice I wouldn't step foot inside of Fuyuki while you and Ravel are around."

"Now, calm down a little. I know you are mad-"

"She took my EYE!" The eyepatch began to shine with Agares' emblem before the magic circle died as Seekvaira calmed down. Fixing her glasses, she mumbled, "My apologies. I lost control for a moment." Her tone revealed no regrets.
"Milady, would you like anything?" Alivian was quick to offer, in his hands already a tray holding several bottles.
"We are in Japan. Sake will do."
"And you won't offer us any?" Luvia, not liking the older woman's attitude, went into the offensive. Seekvaira glared but just took the cup her Queen had prepared and took a loud sip. "Rude."
Clicking her tongue, Rias made her choice. "Can't exactly disagree with Luvia. You are being quite rude, Seekvaira." Platitudes wouldn't solve the current issue, actions would. And her action was to start a discussion. "Like I was saying before you rudely interrupted; I know you are mad, I am sorry. But you were the one who said 'an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind'. I dealt with the problem."
"Did you?" The Heiress of Agares asked coldly. "Oh, it must look like that. From the start it certainly did. You were humiliating Ravel during your Rating Game, she was practically dancing in the palm of your hand. And then… and then you had the audacity to give her exactly what she wanted. Your acknowledgement."

It was something obvious for everyone watching and a fact that turned Seekvaira's feelings for Rias sour as she watched the person who maimed her joining her supposed friend's peerage not really as a compensation but a reward for a fight well fought.

That day Seekvaira's blood came really close to boiling. She almost lost her composure in front of her Clan but managed to hold back until returning to her room. Only Alivian saw the damage the pureblood did on one of her walls when letting her rage out. They fixed the place but the anger stayed.

There was nowhere for it to go but her heart, growing further until she began to feel disdain towards Rias. "So much for our so-called 'friendship'… You practically are sleeping with my enemy."

"Fufu. She certainly wanted that."
"What? Are you going to say this is all an elaborate revenge? That you are dangling yourself in front of her while having no intention to return her feelings? That you are giving her false hope?"
"Whoa… you have been reading too many novels."
"Pity. Maybe I would have forgiven you if that was the case." A raised finger had Alivian refilling her cup. Nobody minded, not like a devil like her could get drunk by the time the meeting started unless that was some magic sake.

A possibility Rias discarded since, angry or not, Seekaira wasn't careless. "It was an accident."
"I know that." Admitted the King of Agares with distaste. "But she still baited me into a fight, humiliated me with a trick and took my bloody eye!" She pointed at her eyepatch for emphasis. "Accidents that happen when there is intent behind them are called 'purpose'!"

"Correction." Rias didn't raise her voice but her tone was firm. "Truly Ravel purposefully challenged you and she harmed you but your eye-"
"Wouldn't have been lost if she hadn't challenged me-"
"You accepted the challenge…" It was a conversation the two should have had back when Seekvaira first returned to Kuoh with an eyepatch and the desire of teaching Ravel a lesson.

However back then Rias had been more sympathetic because she had believed the Daughter of Phenex had truly maimed her friend as some form of vengeance. That wasn't the case and the younger pureblood devil was honestly remorseful for her action and worked on reparations once she knew the damage she caused.

"The Phenex Clan is cowed." Rias began again while folding her hands behind her chin and ignoring Seekvaira and Alivian's scowl. "They also are paying for your wound. Don't think I don't know it; the contracts Ravel offered became yours and that Pillar offered you a huge supply of Phoenix Tears."
For a second the Heiress of Agares looked taken back. "Seems like you did your homework."
"Ravel is my Knight, under my protection. Besides, who do you think 'negotiated' with the Phenex on your behalf." There was no negotiation, either they did as Rias wanted or she would crush that Clan once and for all.

"Yet the Phenex is stronger than ever!" Seekvaira pointed out. "Their third son? Back on his feet. Their fortune? Getting back up with the new deals they are making, including a return of positive relationships with the Gremory." Her eyes held a sort of passionate anger that made Rias sweat a little. "All they lost was a daughter. But wait, they didn't. She is exactly where she wants to be!"
"Wouldn't it have been better if I haven't taken Ravel-"

"Yes it would!" At that point her wound wasn't really the point of her anger. "You betrayed me, Rias. You swore friendship but the first chance you had, you threw it aside to recruit a new Piece. Hah, what a friend!"
A look of sadness crossed the Heiress of Gremory's features. "Seek-chan-"
"Agares!"

A sigh left Rias' lips before her expression shifted and her stance grew more aggressive. "Agares…" She barely had moved, her aura wasn't out, yet Seekvaira knew there was a shift. The Princess of Ruin had taken the stage. "While you are angry, and you have every right to be angry, Ravel is working under me to not only compensate you but also to not make a mistake like that again."

When the older pureblood was about to protest the Princess of Ruin raised a hand and allowed a little of her power slip. Immediately Alivian moved to protect his King but Luvia suddenly jumped on the table and held him in place by the shoulder. The Queen was about to transform in his dragon form but the magus grip kept him in place.

Something in her gloves was weakening him. 'Those are-'

"Wyvern leather gloves. Minor dragon slayer weapons but ideal to contain rude dragons." Luvia commented in jest.

"Luvia, come back." The Princess of Ruin ordered and the Rook obeyed without hesitation. "Apologies, I just didn't want to be interrupted. We are talking business, after all, and it was my turn to talk." Seekvaira felt a shiver run in her spine upon realizing wasn't treating her like a friend but a hostile entity. Not a good position to be in when in an enclosed space. "Now, as I was saying, Ravel is doing her best to right her wrongs in the proper fashion…"
Noticing Rias was offering her some space, Seekvaira replied calmly. "There is no 'proper fashion' for this."
"True, she can't grow your eye back, but most of her funds are being directly sent to Grigori's research, specifically the eye department and prosthetics research." A couple of branches of the Vault of Prosperity and the two she personally called upon learning of her friend's injury.

Both were known by Seekvaira who had no choice but to nod in acceptance. "Fine, it is a start-"
"What else could you want?" The Princess of Ruin interrupted sharply. "You can't demand Justice. The Maous, the Elders, even your Lord father will judge it was an accident… Because it was an accident."

"During a challenge made with malice." While that was the truth, it wasn't enough.

Not even close if Rias' chuckle was any indication. "Every spell or mystic code geared towards detecting lies will tell you that Ravel had no intention of permanently harming you, that at worst she just wanted to take your place in the Youth Gathering Tournament after a little humiliation."
"Because of my association with you." Seekvaira logically pointed out but her argument wasn't without fallacy.

"If not you, who then? Sona, who was here? Or perhaps Sairaorg? Riser Peerage would be minced meat before my cousin even took the battlefield." She hummed a little, pretending to think about the possibility. "Ravel was confident she could beat us, not the Young Lion of Bael."
There were of course two more possibilities but Rias refused to acknowledge them. One was a traitor and the other was a spare who was hiding in his Clan's Territory since his defeat.

Seekvaira also knew talking about them was worthless and bit her lip in frustration because logic was failing her. There was little to nothing she could say that could get her way, it was just a matter of her admitting such a fact.

Yet she refused. "Despite that-"
"I ask again…" The Princess of Ruin interrupted once more. "What do you want? What sort of compensation could I give you that would help you let go of this grudge?" After a brief pause where she saw her fellow Heiress falling silent, she added, "Even if I was insane enough to, let's say, let you take Ravel's eye, she will just regenerate." Seekvaira's scowl vanished and her shoulders fell. "So, what do you want? Because I am having repairs paid, I have the Phenex Clan on a leash, we have researchers working to get you a new eye and anything else you could demand would be extreme enough to just make more bad blood. So stop making me repeat myself and just say what I can give to you to settle this matter once for all without making the situation effectively worse!"

The room grew quiet as the three devils waited for the Heiress of Agares to say anything or even do something to get things moving again. Perhaps even present a course of action they could take so she could let go of her anger and frustration.

"I want her to suffer." However Seekvaira didn't want to give up that anger.

Logic no longer was the issue, the Heiress of Agares didn't want compensation.

She wanted revenge.

"Milady, perhaps we should postpone the meeting." Alivian offered while throwing Rias a glare that definitively would be scarier in his dragon form.

It still wouldn't be enough to intimidate the members of Gremory. "The meeting hasn't even started. Actually, our roster isn't even complete." Luvia pointed out. "In fact, it is already getting late." From a magic circle she took out an elegant pocket watch of pure gold. "Ah, my mistake. We are still on time."
"But cutting close." Rias relaxed on her seat while staring at Seekvaira, waiting for the woman to raise her head. Since she wasn't moving, the redhead kept speaking. "Ravel bathed into Holy Water, torturing herself to amplify her Regeneration to its limits." There was a twitch but no further reaction. "She did that because I broke her brother so badly that it took Shiro going there to kick his ass into gear to get him back into shape."

How exactly he did it wasn't something she approved of but accepted regardless since she was quite happy to have more people knowing their relationship. If anything the fact that it snapped her former fiance from his funk was secondary. At least he proved himself honorable by not spreading the news when they were trying to keep it a secret.

Which they wouldn't anyway because then Rias would bury that Pillar so deep in the earth that when somebody asked about 'Phenex' the only acceptable reply would be 'Phenex who?' before a bunch of awkward looks.

Just thinking about all that had her flushing in anticipation but the Heiress of Gremory quickly refocused on the conversation after a few seconds. "She too was traumatized by what happened to her brother. There was admiration there but also a real thirst for revenge." Her blue eyes began to shine as she stared into Seekvaria's pink ones. "If we go for a real 'eye for an eye' you shouldn't have asked anything and I should have rolled over when Ravel first challenged me." Another sigh left her lips. "Or are you suggesting I give her revenge now?"
"Like she would do anything to harm you at this point." Seekvaira stressed sarcastically.

"If I take a bath in Holy Water it would be fair for all parties, don't you think?" Rias offered with a radiant smile even as the atmosphere in the room grew darker as Seekvaira, Luvia and Alivian looked at her as if the redhead was mad. "Pain for pain, suffering for suffering. You still wouldn't get her eye to stay outside her head though."

Seekvaira's mouth opened and closed several times as she didn't know what to say. "Buchou…" Luvia, on the other hand, had something. "Please don't suggest something like that so casually. That sort of dark humor isn't good for my heart."

Her smirk said otherwise but Rias played along. "Sorry, sorry. Just explaining how ridiculous any sort of revenge for Ravel would be at this point. Especially since she knew both her Clan and my parents wronged me first by pushing for a marriage with Riser." Most of the fight was on Riser himself who didn't even bother to try and know her. "So, go ahead, Seekvaira. Make a suggestion. Ravel isn't here out of respect for you but," she quickly grabbed and unlocked her cell, "we can just make a call and have a meeting before a meeting. We are going to have to speedrun it a little."
"Enough!" Seekvaira shouted at the younger Heiress before letting out a huge sigh of exhaustion. "Fine, fine. You win, Rias."
"Win what? Your enmity?" She questioned while putting her phone back into a magic circle. "Or your friendship back? That last one I want." Another moment of silence fell between the two and the Queen of Agares looked at his King with concern. "At least I figure we can work together like before? Will you give me that much?"
"... I am no longer a Second Owner of Fuyuki. Just a replacement." Seekvaira reminded the younger devil with a huff. "Most responsibilities are yours and most of my actions… should have your direction."
"That isn't needed."
"I am trying to bury the hatchet, Gremory. Trying to be the bigger person in this 'conversation'." Even if she was pointing out a technicality, the Heiress of Agares was still telling the younger pureblood she would try to help while staying out of the way. "With that in mind; how do you suggest I contribute?"
Happy for making progress, Rias shrugged. "What do you suggest?"
At that point Seekvaira was losing her patience. "Please, stop with the games."

"It is no game. You don't want to be my friend but I am still yours. A little bad blood won't change that." Rias retorted with a confident smile which surprised her fellow Heiress.

And made Luvia laugh. "Hohoho! As expected of my King. She is the face of benevolence."

"Or a tyrant pretending to be benevolent." Alivian whispered. "Those gloves, Ravel… maybe she is getting ready to take us out, Milady."
When he was finished, Rias spoke again. "Please, share with the class. What are you up to? And no, I didn't hear anything."

'Like we will believe that!' The butler Queen thought while throwing his King another look.

"If she wants to do anything with us, she has enough firepower to not need any tricks." Between herself, the High Priestess of a goddess, a Mage and the Red Dragon Emperor, Rias outgunned Seekvaira ten times out of ten. That in mind, she decided to test the redhead. "About my recommendation; I recommend an administrative role with just a few subordinates to keep an eye on things while letting you deal with Fuyuki overall." Presented as a minor role, it was anything but. With enough eyes around the city, she would be able to know her fellow Heiress' every move and even influence her contracts if she saw fit. 'Your move, Rias.'

A smirk grew in Rias' lips as she nodded calmly. "Of course but can I make a few adjustments?" Her question didn't surprise Seekvaira who expected limitations. She didn't get any. "Can you coordinate Sona Peerage while she is out?" The blonde's eyes grew wide as her Queen looked like he swallowed a lemon. Instead of taking power, she was arguably offering the second greatest resource in the city. "I have a lot on my plate right now and don't have time to order them to do anything. Sure for now they were doing their contracts just nicely but their patrol routes got a little messy."

While Sona staying in the Underworld diminished her peerage's capacity, they still held some power. Despite their King and Queen abstinence, who stayed back for the former's sake, the group still had a lot of freedom and privileges. Privileges that Rias was offering on a silver platter.

She was giving the keys to the other group who could get into contact with Fuyuki's authorities without trouble. A group that much like Rias Peerage had jurisdiction in the city as representatives of the Second Owner. There were some caveats; more work, Rias could ask what she was doing with Sona's team and pass it off as just concern or to write a report.

In other words they would answer to Rias first and Seekvaira second anyway, she would only manage Sona Peerage in their King abstinence; an administrative job just like she proposed, even if an extremely powerful one.

"If that is what you want." The green haired woman commented with a shrug. 'Fine. You got me into check, Rias. I will recognize that much.' Seekvaira thought, sensing a trap.

There wasn't any but the redhead knew her friend would overthink anyway. "Thank you, Seek-chan." It was a chance to mend fences so Rias approached it with honesty for the sake of their friendship. "It is a relief that you can watch over them. Many were rushing to come back home and see their families after the invasion…"

Seekvaira flinched as the younger devil's words were a reminder the people she saw as a trap or just Pieces were actually people. Not only that but they were Sona's team and her friend, who she had no problems with at the moment, loved them with all her heart.

It was enough to make the older woman feel a wave of guilt. "Yes, I will take care of them. Is that all?"

Exactly what Rias wanted. 'Vengeance is not easy when the people you care about are in the line of fire.' With a smile, she added. "No, it is enough. You can ask the Watchers if there is anything you can help if you want but I can take care of our contacts and properties. It will be like old times with me taking care of the boring meeting and you enjoying your youth."
With that the Gremory Heiress maneuver was finished and her friend would have no choice but play nice while helping Sona Peerage to keep up with their work. Too many of them were either concerned for their King or felt guilty because they had families to return to while Serafall remained unconscious.

Considering that Rias was still dealing with the repercussions from the Juggernaut Drive, and she was forever grateful that Ise was already on therapy after that disaster, she barely had any time to check on Sona's team.

Shirou did tell her some things he heard from Olga but besides that the pureblood had been juggling her peerage's problems, Sona's responsibilities piling up with her own and the lack of Seekvaira's communication.

If anything else failed that day, at least Rias could be happy with being able to trust Seekvaira again.

Even if just barely. "Now, we can discuss more details after the meeting." Said meeting, she was sure, should have started already. "This is odd… Where the hell is Azazel?"

"... Maybe he got lost in some research." The King of Agares suggested, willing to start some small talk so long it was relevant.

Pleasing Rias immensely. "No, he isn't the type. If anything he likes to get them over with to get back in the lab as fast as possible."

Suddenly the doors bursted open, surprising all present as they saw the usually composed Governor General of Grigori arrive at the meeting with a very messy look that didn't suit him at all.

Whenever Azazel wanted to look a little more unkempt it was always to give himself a more rugged air or bad boy look, more of a rogue really. But his hair was too messy, his clothes a mismatch of colors without style and his eyes had a sort of mania reserved to the desperate or insane.

Most people wouldn't notice all those signs, Azazel was a Cadre and even when looking his worst he still looked better than 99% of the world's population in their best day and then some.

That allure was completely absent and such a thing was concerning. "Azazel, did something happen?" Rias asked carefully. 'Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.'

A couple of heartbeats later the fallen angel fixed his hair, fixed his shirt, adjusted his suit and took a deep breath. Every moment was agony as they all could tell the Cadre was preparing them and himself for some concerning news.

Finally, after a whole minute making himself presentable, the man talked. "We have a situation."

"'A situation'? Why the vagueness?" Seekvaira asked immediately.

"Well…"
Rias began massaging her temples. "Is it complicated?"

"What exactly do you define as complicated?"
'That doesn't sound good.' Was the prevalent thought of those in the room.

"Is it a problem?" The Heiress of Gremory asked and once again she saw conflict in Azazel's expression. "Azazel, if you are hesitating, I can only think-

"It is less of a problem and more problematic? Honestly," he facepalmed in frustration, "I was just caught without my pants when I heard one of my subordinates wanted to drop by Fuyuki for…"

"'For?'" Rias tried to coach an answer out but the man only grew mute. "Please tell me it isn't another Kokabiel situation." Luvia flinched while Seekvaira and Alivian looked ready to run for the hills.

The Cadre began to shake him in a panic. "No, no. Of course not. He didn't do anything that would cause an International disaster… I mean, probably…"
"Of for the love of Goetia!" Seekvaira, after the rollercoaster of emotions she had to deal with over the last hour, finally lost her patience. "Enough with the vagueness. Speak plain already so we can get this over with!"

Feeling cornered, Azazel turned to Rias before shaking his head. "Yeah, sure. I can do that… After making sure my guy won't get into any trouble because…"

Still impatient, the Heiress of Agares slammed her hand on the table. "What did this subordinate of yours do that was this bad for the fallen angels?!"

After a pause he said, "Technically nothing. It is his company that may or may not be a problem.

"Good or bad?" Rias asked, trying to get on top of the situation again.

"I don't know." Everyone else in the room paled and Azazel didn't blame them. Usually he was the one with the information, the wise mentor and annoying trickster.

Yet his part in the play was apparently ripped from his hands and the fallen angel found himself not knowing something. The script had changed, uncertainty took over the room and Rias couldn't help but gulp only to notice her throat was dry.

"Azazel, unless your subordinate committed a war crime or something, we can let it go." Because the redhead was pretty much desperate for closure by that point. "Just tell us… what sort of mess we are getting into."

"It isn't his fault- okay, that is a lie. He wanted to come to Fuyuki today and was taken advantage of-"
"Why are you insisting on defending that person so much?" Rias asked suddenly to try and break Azazel's pace.
In that situation the fallen angel could only let out a sigh. "Because you are going to be mad." The redhead only raised an eyebrow in response. "And Akeno is going to be mad. Maybe." That was enough for the King of Gremory to know who he was talking about. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is who manipulated him!"
"Who?" Seekvaira asked with dread.

"There is another god in Fuyuki."

…

Akeno couldn't help but feel anxious. 'The almighty Queen of Gremory, High Priestess of Medusa… is afraid of a little competition." She thought while leaving the dressing room with a shoulderless black top which only had one sleeve. She also wore black gloves, purple shorts and long violet leggings. 'If people on the Underworld just know how I am right now they probably would laugh me into an early grave.'

Looking around the ravenhead could see several girls with more stylish and eye-catching outfits finishing their make-up or adding some extra touches to their hair. A few of them were to the side practicing their singing and a quartet was going over their steps one last time before the competition proper.

Regardless, compared to them, Akeno felt quite naked. Her clothes were simple in contrast to the colorful dresses or the shining make-up. Even her usual hairstyle felt out of place in comparison with a few others, a younger woman had her hair tied with twenty or so ribbons.

Akeno tried to count before the girl turned to her, making the hybrid lose her nerve. 'What is wrong with me? I am the teaser! Not the one who gets teased!' She turned around to either keep counting or just ask the girl when she noticed the several eyes on her. Losing her nerve again, she began walking towards the other side of the dressing room where several mirrors and products waited for the girls. 'This isn't working. I don't belong here!'

Because she could see clearly how, even those aspiring idols without a group, knew a few of the other girls around. Overhearing one of their conversations the ravenhead learned they practiced at the same studio and were in their first competition as well. Didn't look like it in her eyes, to her they were already full fledged idols.

At least when comparing herself to any of them. 'Some of those outfits had to be tailor-made while mine…' A simple top with long sleeves that had its left arm perfectly cut off, a pair of random sneakers from a random store open on a Sunday morning and simple leggings beneath a more simple short. 'Medusa-sama, you are too cruel! This outfit isn't good enough! If anything, only the belt looks like something an idol would use!'

A white belt with a fake diamond heart which was completely unnecessary but still cheap both literally, over how little it cost, and figuratively, as a random accessory they found at a corner street shop selling random trinkets.

Worst of all things was how isolated Akeno was feeling during the whole experience. These girls, amateurs or not, knew each other from other competitions or somewhere else.

From time to time the ravenhead caught one of them staring at her, either with a glance or through the mirror. Thanks to her combat experience she was aware of everybody in the room and what they were doing at all times.

Unfortunately that skill was being used against her because there were too many eyes.

She still did her best to retain her usual smile while striding towards one of the mirrors. 'Please stop staring!' The Queen wanted to scream but held back. It wasn't proper for an idol to do so and she wouldn't. 'Go do your own thing. I still have to put on some make-up. Do I use make-up? Medusa-sama never said anything about it.'

Another unfortunate thing was that since the competition was amateur level there weren't enough mirrors for everyone. With thirty one competitors the dressing room was basically full and there was little space for anything. There was stuff thrown around, the place was loud and she was still being stared at.

'Get me back into the arena, give me someone to punch!' The hybrid demanded while finally finding somewhere to sit down and adjust her appearance. But she didn't do it and instead ended up staring at herself, noticing the looks she was getting. 'They must think I am weird…'

It was so strange for her to feel like that but absolutely normal. Life experience, and power to destroy cities aside, Akeno was a normal young woman at heart. She could feel embarrassment like anyone. In combat she was unmatched, a Queen like her Evil Piece with a building legend in the Underworld.

However dancing wasn't combat, no matter how similar both could be.

'Okay Akeno. Calm yourself down. You have dealt with worse. Survived worse.' She took a deep breath but some girls were still staring. Turning on her 'Onee-sama aura' she turned to them. "Can I help you with anything?"
Another potential idol, a girl with long bright pink hair, responded before the others. "No, sorry. We just… we better get going." The girls behind her, her group, retreated first. She did the same after but not before one last look. "First time, right?"
The ravenhead nodded first. "Right…"

"Right… Well, good luck." When she left, every other girl stopped staring.

'Is really that obvious that this is my first competition?' Akeno looked at herself in the mirror before letting out a sigh. Then she slapped the sides of her face. 'Cheer up, Himejima Akeno! You have a job to do. Your goddess is counting on you. Don't let all those hours of practice go to waste.'

Even with her resolve hardened, she still felt insecure when looking at herself and then at everyone else. She looked her usual normal self while everybody else was dressed to impress.

Noticing the make-up in front of the mirror, leftovers or sponsors for the event, Akeno debated trying to apply some. 'A little wouldn't hurt.'

Just as her hand was about to touch some lipstick, a familiar voice interrupted her actions. "You better not be thinking about using that." It was a miracle the ravenhead managed to hold back her reaction as she noticed Medusa standing by her side with a frown in her face. "It goes completely against the look we are going for."

"What are you doing here?" Akeno hissed, looking around to make sure no one noticed the goddess. With so many pretty girls around, one more wasn't necessarily strange.

However her concerns were unnecessary. "Don't worry. I am invisible to everyone but you." The goddess revealed casually while slapping the hybrid's hand away from the make up. She noticed the slap made some noise and added. "They also can't hear me but can hear you so you better pretend I am not here."
With her usual smile, Akeno retorted. "Hard to do when you are by my side."
"I am your goddess. I am always by your side." Only for Medusa to shoot back without hesitation while looking around.

"You know what I mean. By the way, since when can you turn invisible?" The Queen questioned in an attempt to distract herself. "I doubt it is a simple spell. You make it sound like I should see you regardless of my abilities."

"Correct. That is tied to my Authority!" Medusa announced loudly and Akeno could only notice with wonder that nobody noticed the purple haired woman practically dancing in the middle of the dressing room. "An idol must captivate but also must know the best times for when to do it. This isn't my show, it is theirs and yours. So cheer up, Akeno, for you are-"
"'About to take my first step as an idol'. I know." The ravenhead was careful not to speak with as little movement as possible. Once again trying to avoid attention she went to get another piece of make-up only for strands of purple hair to whip them away from her. "Stop it. I need to get ready."
"You are ready. Or do you think a goddess wouldn't know a thing or two about presentation?" The goddess in question asked with a raised eyebrow.

However Akeno remained insecure. "Look at them. They all are wearing bright colors and using make-up while I just…"

Medusa hugged her priestess from behind whispering "That isn't the problem and you know it. You are beautiful, Akeno. I dare to say you are the most beautiful woman in the world." It was the ravenhead's turn to raise her eyebrows and the divinity giggled. "Fine, maybe we should have a competition someday but trust me; make-up or no make-up, you are the most beautiful woman in the city uncontested."

"Rias would like to say a thing or two about it."
"Stop comparing yourself to others. You know you are beautiful and you know you are ready. We practiced for this. You poured your blood and sweat in your dancing and singing. I will curse anyone who denies it."
"... But not as much as them…"

"But you have a goddess in your corner." Their eyes met through their reflection, Medusa's dancing with mirth. "And yourself as well. Few people could have survived the grinding you went through to become an idol. Now go there and kill it."
"Can it be literally?" Akeno would feel better if that was a real battlefield.
"Metaphorically. We need the judges to judge, after all." Moving backwards, Medusa began brushing the raven hair with a smile. "When it comes to appearance, you know you are more pretty, don't you?" Akeno nodded once. "And when it comes to skill, you know you have talent as well. Also, even if you think your advantages are unfair, you aren't cheating." Once more Akeno nodded. "You were born this way and instead of putting people down, you are trying to raise them up. That is what an idol does."

Elevating people's spirits with song and dance: that was Medusa's belief born from her sisters' Cores pulsing inside hers. So long her priestess stayed true to that tennant, the goddess knew she would be fine.

"And I shouldn't use anything?" Akeno asked while gesturing to some things. "No lipstick? No eye shadow? Nothing?"

Another giggle escaped Medusa. "First; you are awful at using make-up." Not her fault since everybody around her didn't bother to use it nor. Almost everyone she knew who would probably bother with make-up of any kind didn't need it so she never had anyone to teach her how to put some on. "Second; when I say you are beautiful, I mean it. Even your outfit is simple to give more attention to her face and body while giving you more freedom of movement."
"... So I am not wearing this because you forgot there was a competition today?" Akeno's skepticism was so strong that some of the girls looking at her felt it.

"Meh, probably it was going to be something like that either way. At least for your first show."

"Why?"
"Because out there it is just going to be you, your talent and the effort you put honing it." Medusa declared with shining eyes. A Divine decree. "A true idol uses gimmicks to elevate herself. Use them for wonder, sure, but never leaning on them to make their audience static."

Akeno lowered her hand and took a deep breath. "Okay then. Let's do this au naturel."
"That is the spirit!"

"... I could have meant without clothes…"
"We both know you aren't that bold." The goddess fixed Akeno's hair some more before saying. "And you are going to be fine. Trust me."
With a small smile, the ravenhead replied. "I trust you." The goddess offered her a last smile of her own before casually walking out without anyone noticing. Just as her priestess came to a realization. "Wait. How am I supposed to get my song if I can't use-"

Unfortunately the deity was gone and she was left with the other women looking at her as if she had grown a second head. Fortunately she managed to censor herself before saying the word 'magic' but with how loud she was and because some were still staring at her, most knew she wasn't talking to anyone.

"Heh, heh, heh… Sorry, just nerves…"

"Didn't you give your song to the DJ?" A blond, or fake blond because the Queen could see the black roots of her hair, asked.

"Oh…" No, she didn't. She didn't even know there was a DJ who would play all the idols' songs so they could perform without worrying about instruments.

Unless they wanted to as Akeno could see a band of four dressed in color coordinated dresses and while two held nothing the other two were carrying an electric guitar and a bass on their backs.

"Well… Thank you. I just… am not ready for this." Akeno admitted and a few girls scoffed at her attitude.

"Hey, it's alright." The 'blond' commented while holding her hand. "Everyone has to have a first time."
"Right. Thank you again." Still the whole debacle reminded the hybrid of how unprepared she was for the competition. And she didn't even have any songs ready, most of her stuff was ad libbing.

Divine Inspiration, Medusa called and in combat Akeno could admit to understanding what she meant.

Didn't change the fact that she had no idea what she was going to sing, what sort of choreography she was going to use and knew nothing about the competition, lacking any notion of the rules or anything about it in general.

All she had was what Medusa told her: that she had to go out there and inspire.

While she had used her songs as a weapon, she had to admit, 'I have no idea how to inspire someone!' Her training flashbacked on her head but the ravenhead found herself lacking. 'Nope, nada, zero, nothing… I have the most cruel goddess in the World!'

Akeno wanted to crawl into a ball and cry but she wouldn't do it in public. Instead she rested her head on the table in front of her, the 'bang' loud enough to scare some girls.

Suddenly she sat up as an idea began taking shape. 'Maybe I can skip this competition… Say that I feel sick or something-'

Suddenly the dressing room door opened to reveal a short woman wearing a beige sweatshirt, a pencil long skirt and headphones with a mic on her head. "Good afternoon. Please pay attention, when I call your group's name, you go in! Please remain backstage otherwise!"

'Group? Does that mean-'

"We have nine acts to go through and the show must be over before it gets dark! You better be ready or you will miss your chance!" The woman concluded and many of the girls stepped forward with excitement.

Not Akeno who realized, 'Oh, no. No no no nononono! I am the only solo act, aren't I?' Suddenly it began to make sense why so many of the girls were hanging around together chatting so casually. Most of them didn't just practice together, they were there to play together. 'This really isn't good. I need to get out-'

However it wasn't to be for several future idols were looking forward to their chance of glory and pushed the hybrid out of her chair. More precisely she allowed herself to be pushed because with her power it would be far too easy to kill someone accidentally if she didn't move then and there.

Which resulted in the ravenhead getting dragged by a wave of thirty excited girls pushing her forward. Not that she could escape because if the wave of idols didn't get her then Medusa definitively would drag her to the stage by her ponytail.

'I suppose it is time to face the music.' Accepting her face, Akeno joined the stampede with a resolute if nervous expression.

Funnily enough the others also started getting nervous as they approached the stage with only one group keeping their composure and for good reason. They were a quartet composed of the oldest girls around. They were color coordinating completely, four dresses of red, blue green and yellow with pink stockings marked them as a team.

"Rainbow Spark." The four took a step forth in sync which was surprisingly intimidating to most of the others. "You girls are first. Once you start, your music is going to play. You will have one performance for the judges and the audience, one music with its own choreography." The older woman's eyes moved from the tablet to the girls. "Once it is done you will have a few moments for the public's reaction before the judges give out their opinions. After that I will call the next group and so on and forth until we are done."

Basically the scores wouldn't be said out loud and instead the judges would take into account every performance until everybody was done before announcing the winner. Such a method wasn't completely reliable and benefited the last participant more than the rest. Their performance would be the freshest one in everyone's mind, after all.

Regardless it was a decent system to use since the competition was small and supposedly to last only a day. An afternoon if everything went to plan which it would since everyone who would play already had their instruments ready.

Approaching the main stage, Akeno saw several chairs besides a large velvet curtain which had a drum set behind it. There were also some prompts with pictures of stars and famous idols standing around as if to inspire the competitors or give them the impression they already reached stardon.

Akeno didn't fall for it. 'This is just the first step.' Funnily enough she found herself not dreading the stage as much as before. 'If I don't do this, I don't deserve to be called High Priestess of Medusa. This is also for my pride.' She smiled at the thought, finding herself fascinated by it. "Hmm…"

Her hand moved to the Gift on her neck, reminiscing the promises she had to keep and the effort that had already gone on them. A few months ago the ravenhead knew nothing of song and dancing but learned both from a goddess and was about to step on the stage to make her proud.

To make herself proud, to prove all that effort wasn't just for power.

It was also a manner to give Medusa something back for all she did for her.

Yes, Akeno knew that the goddess already had gained much, her position as High Priestess was a two way street of rewards. Nevertheless the hybrid wanted to try and become an idol to help the purple haired deity to grow further.

Knowing that gave Himejima the strength to stay in place, waiting for her name to be called. 'Okay, just a few more minutes to go… Maybe half an hour. Depends how long the other girls take to sing-'

"Himejima Akeno-san?" Suddenly Akeno noticed that the first group had already returned. The second group, one with their own instruments, was already playing. "Huh. Seems like we have a solo act today…" Akeno's senses shifted to focus on the woman, who sounded half surprised. All the other girls suddenly step aside leaving the hybrid by herself. "First time?"
"Is that really obvious?" Some giggled as the ravenhead finally managed to hear the song.

The older woman threw one last look at the hastily put together outfit before advising good naturedly, "Just try to not fumble." Pointed to the stage, she added. "And make a good show."

"Right… Thank you for the kind words-"

"Move along." The woman cut the ravenhead off, rushing her to the stable. "We don't have time to waste!"
With that Akeno was thrust into the literal spotlight where she needed a second to process what happened. Fortunately for her it was enough time to take everything into account which was actually quite unfortunate.

First she found the judges, three people sitting closest to the stage than anyone else, all wearing various expressions ranging from seriousness to apathy. One of them was an aged actress who showed up on TV in several dramas, a young man in a suit playing with his phone who was a mildly famous agent and a professional idol already in the industry.

Yet none of them were really famous or warranted the sort of attention which would fill a venue. The competition was for amateurs after all and at least two out of the three judges were there only for a paycheck. Including the idol which had Akeno hoping Medusa didn't notice her disinterest.

Only the actress kept a serious composure while evaluating the ravenhead's every move. 'To be fair, the other two can be waiting for me to start singing.' Yet the agent looked less ready to drop his phone than the idol who paid attention more to the audience than the competitors. She had to be somewhat famous as there were boys and girls of various ages asking for photographs. 'And then there is the public…'

The place wasn't full by any means despite only being big enough to hold a few hundred people. Only a dozen or so chairs were occupied all over the place as everybody was allowed to sit wherever they wanted. Some were talking with each other while a good number paid attention to her.

Which made Akeno freeze once she remembered, 'Oh dear, am I really doing this?'

"Name…" A voice not bereft of kindness called to her. "You need to introduce yourself, dear."

It was the actress and she did her best to offer Akeno a kind smile, fake as it was. Sure the woman was acting professionally but clearly she didn't want to be there.

"Without a name we can't have your music."
Falling back to what she knew, the hybrid also offered her most practiced smile. "Right, sorry, sorry. My name is Himejima Akeno. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Don't you mean to sing to you all?" Suddenly the supposed professional idol spoke with a little snide. Enough so that the agent put away his phone for a moment to check Akeno out as the woman who had a ivory-like long hair half of Akeno's length said, "Aren't you trying to be an idol? Smile! Smile!"
It sounded like she was trying to advise Akeno yet the slightly older woman was actually trying to put her down by passing her as incompetent. She saw the ravenhead improvised outfit combined with her natural beauty and couldn't help but feel a wave of irritation. She had already realized the hybrid was a potential adversary, at least in beauty.

To be fair the agent realized the same thing too, completely putting down his cellphone to stare at Akeno with a look of interest. 'Hmm, she looks a little older than most here… a real woman…' His smile made the ravenhead slightly uncomfortable. 'Does she have a boyfriend? Nah, doesn't matter…'

Meanwhile her temporary colleagues began picking themselves up after their first impressions, the actress pointed towards the mic stand in the center of the stage. "Get ready to start." The woman didn't want to be there at all but did her best to remain professional.

'Either way her patience is wearing thin.' It clicked in Akeno's mind before she quickly grabbed the mic. Her hand accidentally slammed on the metal and almost brought it down but her Knight speed and agility allowed her to save both mic and stand. "Right, sorry." The agent had an eyebrow raised, noticing her agility while the other two just watched the event unfold. "I am ready."

Barely had she said those words, the hybrid began to hear a familiar tune from the speakers around the stage, one she thought impossible to be heard without her magic since it only came when she practiced using her voice in combat.

Yet there it was, the music Medusa 'gave' to her by starting the ravenhead in the path of an priestess who was also an idol; a prayer and a war song in one. Instinctively she quickly kicked her left foot and did a fast swipe while jumping on her right before starting skipping in place.

The choreography came flawlessly thanks to her for hours upon hours of practice without end, as the melody started to spread in the theater and people began paying more attention to the stage.

Her stage.

Her movements were conservative, simple and nothing uncanny; a slight tilt of her head, a shake of her arms that transitioned into her clapping with the song's rhythm prompting the audience to join her.

Some did but not many, which was fine, 'I need to earn their attention-' Suddenly Akeno caught sight of someone in the back row seat, someone she hadn't seen in quite some time. Someone who she feared to see and yet when she caught sight of him, her smile grew more radiant. 'Is this divine intervention, Medusa-sama?'

The hybrid then understood that the show wasn't just her first step into becoming an idol.

It was also a chance for her to heal an old wound.

'First you hear me and then I hear you… To-chan.' Taking a deep breath she began. "Let your shoulders go loose~ Don't let the moment pass you by~ Get into the groove and smile~" She began dancing more excitedly before giving a spin, raising her free hand and voice. "Let the world see you shine!~ Open your heart and shout!~ Shout!~ Shout brave new star!"

When she began clapping again there were more people following her rhythm. Her voice, her moves and smile all combined with her symphony to create a perfect combination able to capture people's hearts. And there was no magic involved either, that was all hard work and cheer talent at play.

Which was still unfair for all intents of purposes and some of the judges could acknowledge it. "Is she really an amateur?" The agent asked, all plans of trying to get laid forgotten as he thought about giving Akeno his number for the sake of his agency. "That can't be, right? Is she the daughter of someone famous or something?"
"Not that I know of." The actress, whose eyes were shining and never leaving Akeno, still passed a document to her colleague. "There is nobody named Himejima in our line of business. I am sure of it. Maybe an alias?"
Hearing that the profissional idol noticed she was clapping together with the song and slammed her hands on the table. "I mean…" Then she began clapping again. "She is good. Very good. Think she would join my group?"
"With a face like that she is better on TV. Better, cinema!" The actress replied, knowing it was true.
"Why not both? With a good agent…"
Despite not hearing the other groups, the three already knew the winner of the competition, the audience too, if how some were singing and dancing as they learned the lyrics was any indication.

Yet Akeno kept singing her heart out, letting the song take hold and dancing her choreography without thinking about anything. All she had was her music and her efforts as she stopped being a priestess or a Queen or whatever other titles she held.

For a few minutes, four minutes and thirty four seconds exactly, she was just a woman who wanted to sing and dance to her heart's content which made the audience resonate with the music and share in her reverie.

Some still managed to keep themselves grounded enough to record her performance and the video, 'Newbie Idol Rising Star' would have hundreds of clicks and shares before the day was out.

By the end of next week it would be hundreds of thousands from all over the globe, breaking a million easily.

Which would certainly make Akeno embarrassed at a later date but not something she thought while singing and dancing. In fact she didn't think about anything, losing herself in the moment and her song.

Making her shine even more.

…

Shirou couldn't say that day was the most strange of his life but certainly it was one of firsts.

He never had driven his van so fast to find the stores Medusa wanted for Akeno's outfit as he did that day nor had he ever thought he would allow the goddess to Charm a couple police officers to escort them to the theater.

Nor he expected being pretty much ordered to sneak inside the backstage to deliver the music Akeno would use for her presentation. Apparently that sort of thing had to be delivered the day before so the organization could make sure there weren't lyrics and was composed by the competitors.

The second point, Shirou knew, could technically be contested. "You never told me you were that good with music."

A very pleased Medusa turned to him with a grin as she felt her Core sing with her priestess. "What do you think me and my sisters did back on our island? Just play with our hair?"

"Yes." He replied playfully.

"Hmph." Medusa did her best to look insulted before looking back to the presentation. "Took me days to get the right instruments to play her battle music the old fashioned way but it was worth it."
"And how did you do it without me noticing? Or Akeno noticing at least? Actually, when did you have time to do all that?" Shirou questioned rapidly even if he could guess who helped her.

"Azazel gave me a hand or two." The divine woman confirmed his thoughts with a cheeky grin. "As for when; whenever you were at school. A good thing I finished the song before the last Rating Game or I would have completely failed as a goddess."
Because the competition itself was tickling her Authority over idols the right way. Since idols were supposed to inspire, having people competing to become one was a proper answer to any inspiration. Imitation was, after all, the greatest form of flattery. Especially when it led to one's own originality.

So the goddess was more than happy for gracing the competition with her presence and even happier that hers and Akeno's efforts were bearing fruits. The ravenhead had already won and Medusa knew it as fact, her Divine instincts told her as much.

But she wouldn't celebrate during the competition, she was too busy basking in the atmosphere. "So many idols. So much inspiration. Can you feel it, my Champion?"

Shirou chuckled. "Yeah, there is a sort of electricity in the air." He watched Akeno perform with a gentle smile, happy she brushed aside her nerves and was having some fun. "You wouldn't have anything to do with it, would you?"
"No. That is just passion and music at work." Medusa wasn't kidding nor being metaphorical.

When enough people had fun together it was possible for a wave of positive energy to begin spreading over a place. It was a mix of happy thoughts, euphoria and a sense of community easier to find in parties or events where the people gather with the express thought of having fun.

A competition that may be, most of the audience went inside to hear good music and perhaps see a potential new idol's ascension. Sure one or two people bought their tickets to pass the time so it wasn't hard to coach a few smiles from the public. However it took something special to charge the air and make things more exciting for everyone.

In an amateur competition it wouldn't be surprising if boredom started taking over; nobody there was really waiting to sing and dance with potential stars, their attention was reserved to the real ones.

Yet Akeno managed to take over the theater with her song and dance to the point boredom was the last thing in anyone's minds. They wanted to learn her songs, replicate her moves and watch her dance her heart out. All that was thanks to the hybrid's talents and disposition as she was sincerely trying to draw out everyone's smiles.

Of course she wouldn't be able to pull that off if she was incompetent. In the end all that practice helped. Not many could have endured the training from a goddess and managed to execute their moves as flawlessly as Akeno could.

Proof of that was that many in the audience were doing their best to keep up with her pace and strike similar poses after a few steps. Even the profissional idol wasn't being successful, she was better than most but her dexterity wasn't up to par.

Still their attempts pleased Medusa. "Yes. Yes. Admire her. Cheer for her. Join in her song so she can raise us higher!"
Quickly throwing a look around to make sure nobody heard the purple haired deity, the redhead commented. "You know you sound like a supervillain right now, don't you?"
"And our glory shall tinge this dull world with color as we take over it like a storm! For in the place of a Queen they shall have a Goddess! And there shall be much rejoicing!" A fit of giggles followed her declaration.
"...Are you messing with me?"
Suddenly the purple haired woman shifted her posture and looked at him with a serious expression. "What are you talking about my Champion?"

"... You know what? Better if I don't know." Shirou doubted they really would try to conquer the world in any case. However he knew for sure that Akeno's job was far from done by the way the goddess returned her gaze towards her priestess. 'Hope you are ready for this, Akeno, because I think Medusa is going to work you to the bone.'

Nevertheless the redhead smiled and tried to relax as the deity joined the ravenhead in music, the only person capable of keeping up with the hybrid's song and dance while everybody else failed.

As the presentation died down and the symphony began to approach its end, he couldn't help but feel proud of Akeno as she did a final spin in place ending with an elegant bow.

Applause came soon after and his sharp eyes caught the blush in the ravenhead's face as her smile grew slightly upon seeing them before she glanced somewhere else. Then her features shifted, not enough that just anyone would notice but both Shirou and Medusa could see a strain in her smile.

"Akeno!" A proud booming voice managed to reach both the redhead and the goddess' ears. The tone of a father who couldn't help but shout his daughter's name. "That is my daughter! That is my daughter right there!" The Cadre shouted with so much strength that many turned to look his way.

Immediately Akeno's blush grew even more pronounced as some laughed and others looked at her with pity. She wasn't the first daughter embarrassed because of her parents' actions and neither would she be the last.
For in the venue was Baraqiel of Grigori, Fallen Lightning and one of the most powerful beings in the World, exercising the right all parents had of bragging about his child while taking pictures with a hightech phone that his brother gave as a gift.

The man had come prepared which meant, "Did you invite him?"

The magus question had Medusa smiling playfully. "Well, he was supposed to be more discreet since he and his daughter haven't talked yet but…"
"So that is a 'yes'." Shirou honestly didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing but he could see that Akeno wasn't angry at Baraqiel's presence. Embarrassed for sure but not angry. "Maybe the timing is right… even if he could be a bit more subtle."

"Fufufu. Of course, my Champion. For an idol is capable of inspiring anyone, including her own parents." Medusa laughed again before adding. "Besides, my High Priestess sure isn't going to lose herself to anger. At least not about things she understood neither had any control of." Her expression softened, growing more gentle. "Perhaps it is a bit early but… I am happy Baraqiel managed to make it…"
Realization dawned on the Mage. "Was that why this competition was so important?" Because while Akeno's first step on the stage was important by itself, the 'when and where' weren't. It could have been any amateur competition or even a talent show somewhere else, she would shine regardless. "How long have you been plotting this?"
"Since he delivered the snake skins necessary to make Serpent Eye." Medusa revealed with a proud expression, one that almost could be called smug if not for her cute face. "I believe that since he was willing to risk his life for his daughter and both pretty much agreed that neither was at fault for their plight-"
"Silently but I get your drift."
"-I asked one of my followers on the Grigori to send him due notice when my priestess was about to perform." She tapped her own head. "Even if I forgot for a moment, she wouldn't. She is one of his nieces, after all." The goddess focused on the stage again, watching as Akeno composed herself. Or at least tried to. "Losing this show… it would have been bad, for both my priestess and her father. Obviously I wouldn't allow that to happen…" Medusa looked at the excited Baraqiel with a melancholic look. "I wonder… are all fathers like that?"

"... From experience I know they can support you even when you are going to do something stupid." Kiritsugu helping him rescue Medusa was a perfect example. They had no idea if she was going to become the Gorgon again and yet the Magus Killer accepted his son's decision just because it was his decision. "Anyway, I am glad he managed to make it, even if Akeno ended up a little more embarrassed then she would otherwise."
Both watched the ravenhead giving a small bow to the theater before throwing them a meaningful look. It was a look of apprehension, of warning, carrying a small dose of terror.

Certainly not a look warranted by her first experience on the stage or by her father's presence alone. "What is up with that?" Shirou questioned, knowing the hybrid was trying to tell him something. Warning him of something. "Hey, Medusa-"
"My Champion," the goddess interrupted him with a look of irritation, "I believe this spectacle has attracted a… more than esteemed company…" There was sarcasm and caution in her words but the Mage had no time to think since the deity was already moving. "Come along. As the goddess of Fuyuki it is just proper that I welcome them."
"Wait, what?" He immediately fell in step with her as they moved swiftly towards Baraqiel's direction. "Medusa, what is wrong?"
The goddess looked at her Champion and protector with understanding before proceeding to march all the way to the other side of the theater. She wasn't surprised that he hadn't detected anything since the person disguising their presence was also a god.

Had the Goddess of Snakes not been skilled in the manners of the hunt or sensitive to the shifts in the air then she would be as blind as he even with her Divine senses. Fact was that she also had not noticed the other divinity present until she paid attention to where Akeno was looking.

'Sure enough that man isn't even trying to hide. If anything that is mostly just a poor attempt at a disguise and yet… surprisingly effective even if all he did was hide his aura… No, I refuse to believe it was something so simple.'

As they got closer to Akeno's father Shirou noticed how several people were moving from that particular area due to second hand embarrassment or to avoid hearing how the man kept praising his daughter, comparing her to stars and such.

However there were two who didn't move and when his eyes fell on them the Mage of Swords understood why only someone like Medusa could perceive their presence.

After all, before him was a god of great skill in trickery. "Well, well, well. So, how are you doing, my so-called student?"

"Odin…" Shirou greeted him with a sharp nod before looking at a certain Valkyrie who was waving her hand nervously. "Rossweisse, it is good to see you."

"Cold…" The Aesir retorted good naturally while taking a sip of his mead.
While his bodyguard replied to the Mage with a smile. "It is good to see you too…" Then she quickly stood up and offered the goddess by his side a small bow. "And a pleasure to see you as well, lady Medusa. I am happy you are well…"
Taking a moment to regard the Valkyrie with a nod, the goddess' attention was back on her god who refused to bulge from his seat even ignoring Baraqiel to his side who also bowed to her with absolute respect and gratitude.

"May I ask why you are here, Old Man of the North?"
"My, my. What a rude little goddess. Didn't we share a moment last time we met? Fighting together on the same battlefield to stop a catastrophe?" Odin laughed before taking another sip of his mead. His eyes went to the next group of idols who had to perform after Akeno. "Such cruelty unleashes your priestess on these mortals. They have no chance of outperforming her and they know it."

Medusa scoffed at the god. "An idol shouldn't bother to try to outperform her peers but to deliver her best performance to the masses. If they can't do that, they aren't worthy of being idols."
Seeing how that declaration made Baraqiel and Rossweisse nervous, Shirou intervened. "Medusa, no need to be harsh. Everyone here is just starting out-"
"No, no, Mage of Swords. Let her not give those girls her grace. It will be amusing seeing them stubble over nothing." Odin commented after a chuckle like if people's misery gave him pleasure.

That wasn't true, he was just daring to call Medusa's bluff because he knew she wasn't so clueless as to throw the equivalent of a small plague in a bunch of random girls. However that was what would essentially happen if they manage to displease her and attempt to work with her Domain.

Whenever a deity offers scorn instead of attention to whoever was trying to practice their craft everything would be bound to turn against them, literally everything. An example would be if a God of War disliked a particular warrior their weapon would break at the most inconvenient times in every battle.

Similar situations happened in the past, Hera's dislike of Heracles was the reason why most of his marriages ended in tragedy even when she ceased hostilities. That was one of the reasons why it was his latest mortal wife who doomed the most famous Bastard of Zeus. That and she was surprisingly naive to believe in a centaur.

Medusa ended up huffing in response. "They will learn and improve."
"See, she isn't that cruel."
"Lord Odin, please stop provoking Lady Medusa. I beg you." Rossweisse looked between the deities nervously before her eyes settled on her amused god.

Who was laughing. "Oh, chill out, No Boyfriend Valkyrie," the image of a spear impaling her silver haired woman's chest crossed everyone's minds, "it is just harmless fun."
Taking a deep breath, Medusa questioned, "What are you doing in my town, Odin?"
"Oh, is it your town now? I thought it was the devils'." The retired king drank another sip of his mead.

"I was given it. Approved by the Japanese Pantheon as well." She announced proudly and both Shirou and Baraqiel looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Only then they noticed almost invisible runes surrounding them, Rossweisse's hand shining as she improvised a quick silencing barrier. "I am properly welcomed in this land… unlike a certain someone."
"But I am welcomed too. By you. Thanks, by the way. Can't wait to enjoy the sights." Odin retorted smugly.

"I didn't-"

"Remember back when we were holding back a certain dragon?" The Aesir interrupted making the purple haired goddess flinch. "Yeah, I told you I was going to drop by. And here I am!"
"But- but-" She couldn't deny Odin may have said something like that after they both stopped Juggernaut Drive from killing a lot of people. "But it would only be proper for you to call before you showed up! If you are going to visit-"
"I would~ Was about to. Promise." He interrupted her again and by the skeptical look on Rossweisse's face, everyone doubted him. "However my temp bodyguard, handpicked by the Scapegoat himself," he added while hitting Baraqiel's back with enough force to bring down a tree, "told me his daughter had a show today."
"You were already in Japan." Shirou realized and Odin smiled at him.

"What can I say? Never visited before and Azazel convinced me that it could be fun dropping by." Of course that didn't mean he should drop by Fuyuki of all places since having too many VIPs in a single place was problematic. However Odin didn't. "You can't blame me for wanting to make my second favorite bodyguard happy, can you?"
Rossweisse hissed. "You never try to make me happy."
The older god laughed again. "Not my fault you didn't take the offer to lose your virginity on that club back in the Balkans." The Valkyrie blushed so red her head was shining like a tomato. "Or hooked up with that guy in Italy. Or that time-"
"Please Lord Odin, stop. Please!" Humiliated, Rossweisse sat down again and covered her face.

Turning to Baraqiel, Shirou asked. "And couldn't you just give Baraqiel a day off?"
"What is wrong with me wanting to visit this place? Heard so much about its people… So much." Odin offered the Mage a smile full of mischief.

Baraqiel lowered his head to both goddess and Champion. "I apologize for our rude arrival. I thought we were just watching my daughter and leaving but…"
"But I want to stay~" Odin announced, Rossweisse hid her face behind her hands, Baraqiel tried to look small while Shirou just remained silent.

Medusa, on the other hand. "Fuyuki doesn't have… the sort of night life you may like."
"So? There is still plenty to see, people to meet. Bet Azazel is going grizzly because of Baraqiel's message that I was around! Hahahaha!" Truly the man sounded pleased by the small prank, ignoring the potential political ramifications of suddenly showing up in Fuyuki.

But Baraqiel was always aware of them. "Lord Odin has been wishing to revise a potential treaty between our factions… It is a chance to extend our reach for a stronger peace."
"See! I only bring good tidings, Medusa. Good tidings."
'I am not buying it…' Unfortunately the Goddess of Idols knew that, since she was connected to the devils, she couldn't just reject that proposal. "Fine. I welcome you, Odin of the Aesir, to Fuyuki." A purple aura surrounded her body which the Old Man of the North allowed to flow around himself with a chuckle. "You better cause no troubles or consider that privilege revoked."
Odin's hands moved to his chest as if struck. "Perish the thought. I bring no harm, no plagues or troubles."
His aura raised from his body, surrounding the place and announcing to one and all that Odin of Asgard was around. Then it spread around like an invisible shockwave which made everyone unaware shiver and lower their heads in reverence while warning all aware there was a new god in town.

Medusa and Rossweisse glared at him for such action since he made sure his visit was known by everyone, making any sort of secrecy moot.

"Now why don't we collect your priestess and find somewhere for a drink." Odin brushed off the glares as one would the wind. "I can't wait to see all Fuyuki has to offer."

His lone eye landed on the Mage of Swords for less than a moment, imperceptible to all.

…..