I had thought I killed all the vampires, not even a full day beforehand.
But now? As I lie here? A very satisfied white cat curled into a ball against my side?
I realize I missed one.
Holy me, I mind blares, as I hold back a dry wheeze, trying not to wake the sleeping cat. I don't think I've ever been more dehydrated in my life.
I feel like a mummy. All I'm missing are the wrappings and the 'History' channel documentary.
Hah.
Like an undead, I rise from the couch, arm extracted carefully from around the white cat so as not to disturb her rest.
She looks so peaceful, harmless, sleeping now.
In reality? She's more ravenous than her older sister.
If Kuroka was horny, then Shirone is best described as straight hungry.
This isn't her usual; I'm fairly certain this is a result of a combination of factors. It being a while, her getting territorial over Rias, and finally, I'm fairly certain she was in heat there.
I took care of it!
I hope.
I don't have stamina issues; I tire the girls out long before any other bodily complications come up.
In this case? When I was calling Shirone hungry, or ravenous, I mean that quite literally. The cheeky cat was using senjutsu to recycle my energy and maintain her own stamina.
The cat straight up turned the bedroom method against me!
That was a first.
I still completely outlasted her, though. At that point, it wasn't about the pleasure or breeding; if Shirone wanted that, it was about sending a message.
One I think was sent successfully.
I hope. Again.
I swallow, and my throat burns like a desert, reminding me of exactly why I got up in the first place.
Thankfully, escape was easier than extracting myself out of there in the first place, and I found safety in the kitchen, guzzling down a bottle of water.
"Ah~..." I let out a relieved sigh as the bottle empties, and I lean back against the countertop, content.
Granted, I don't know if I truly need water right now. Thinking about it, my divine powers would probably just sustain me regardless.
But! I feel better now, and that's what matters!
"Right," I utter, tossing the bottle into the trash without even looking, pulling my phone from my robe without a moment to spare, after, "let's see what's up…"
My expression blanks as I start looking through everything.
Well, it's not everything I'm seeing that causes that, just a specific thing.
Kuroka and Rose both sent dozens of messages last night. Kuroka was just horny and decided to tease the fuck out of me, and Rose was cutely trying to sext.
Trying. She made me smile after a short while. She's just too damn cute when she's trying so hard to be sexy.
Next up, Rias.
She was ready for Yuuto to meet me.
Then guess who ran the fuck away as soon as she took her eyes off him.
I let out a tired sigh. It's already nearly morning, and thankfully, this was fairly recent. From what I can gather, they were getting ready to go to school, and they let him go do what he needed.
He didn't come back.
Apparently, as a result of his issues after his fight with Jeanne, he had been doing progressively worse and worse in school, until eventually Rias pulled him entirely to see if that would help calm him down.
So, this was supposed to be his first time back in a while.
And none of this is taking into account everything going on with the Rating Game against Sai.
Now, though, a wild Yuuto is running around Kuoh…
I wonder what he could be looking for? Or, is this a case of him realizing he's fucked up mentally, and believing outright running away would be the best for Rias and the others?
I have a feeling it's the latter. Yuuto's issues weren't so all-consuming that rational thought left him entirely, unlike Akeno; he could generally be reasoned with by those who cared for him, or who he cared for.
In any event, finding him won't be an issue. The sooner I head out, the easier it will be, and the quicker I can wrap all this up.
Granted, Rias made no inclination that she wanted me out searching for him. In fact, she said she has it handled.
But, come on, I know how this is going to end up anyway! No real reason to sit around and wait for the shoe to inevitably drop.
On a more humorous note, Rias also asked where the hell Shirone went.
A grin grew across my face as my head slowly turned toward the living room.
Well. I can give her that answer right now, at least, right?
I took a moment, shooting replies back to Kuroka and flirting with Rose as I walked straight out of the kitchen.
My stride didn't falter as I walked through the living room, my phone held out, snapping a picture of Shirone as I passed her by, and then promptly sending said image straight to Rias.
Without a single ounce of context, not a word to go along with it. In fact, I'm pretty sure her looking disheveled to all hell and back using her own robe as a blanket is enough context for anyone.
That done, I only start cackling once I'm out the door, the thing shut firmly behind me, my evil laugh echoing as a beam of light took me away from home, and back off to Kuoh.
I ought to time myself on this one; maybe I can make fixing Yuuto a speedrun category?
~ A New Sun ~
Early morning in Kuoh Town is almost as quiet as the town late at night.
With the biggest difference being there's this tension in the air, as though something is getting ready to explode.
Or, more accurately, wake up.
All that's to say, when someone or something is already up and about, it's really easy to tell, because everything else isn't.
That's why I eventually land before an abandoned building, one of many, in the abandoned part of town.
This one looks like a warehouse, but that's not exactly why I'm here.
It sort of reminded me of the building in the anime, where Yuuto and everyone else encountered Kokopuffs and Valper for the first time…
I couldn't help but snort aloud at that.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?" I muse, walking right up to the building.
My clones caught a whiff of Yuuto running through the abnormally large abandoned area of Kuoh, stupidly easily. After all, he was doing the bare minimum, trying to hide, and it's not like he knows how to suppress his aura and such.
Akeno probably would have caught him by now if she weren't on the other side of town with Rias, right about now.
Oof, Rias, just oof.
I'm not even sure what's over there that they could think he'd go there for!
It's clear, anyhow, that he just wants to get away, judging by his ending up and stopping here.
Whether he plans to stay here or is just making a pit stop, I have no idea.
I stop right before the doors.
Either way, it doesn't really matter to me.
With my next step, I kick open the set of big metal double doors leading inside, absolutely blasting them off the hinges and sending them spiraling further inside.
I don't even get to take another step, as a sword cuts through the air and shatters like glass across my neck.
Yuuto stands before me now, his blond hair a mess, his uniform unkempt, and his blue eyes now wide, face twisting with a grimace as he holds only the hilt of a demon sword he attempted to use on.
The rest of the sword had scattered into red particles by now.
It takes him a moment, but swiftly enough, his eyes dart up to actually look at me.
"W-Wait," he started, face twisting with sheer and utter confusion, "Kusanagi senpai?"
Good, he wasn't expecting me at all. That means Rias told him nothing about what I was going to do, as instructed.
Also, it's only now realizing this is the first time we've met, one-on-one, before.
And it was him trying to take my head off.
Hah. What has my life become that this fact doesn't even bother me?
"Sup, little Kiba." I nod, completely nonchalant.
"I'm, sor-GACKKK!" His apology is cut off as my foot meets his chest, all the wind is forced from his lungs, and Yuuto's body is sent chasing after the doors like a dog after a ball.
He finds them pretty quickly, as his body slamming into the doors creates a metallic bang that thunders throughout the entire warehouse.
Now, I take my last few steps inside as I state, "Unfortunately, you are not forgiven." I crack my knuckles and roll my shoulders a bit, "A shame this, you know? I was going to get to the beating after. But if you're going to be so swing happy, I guess I can move my schedule around to accommodate you."
Barely illuminated by dawn's early light cresting in through the warehouse windows, I can see Yuuto rise on his hands and knees. He spits out a glob of blood before turning to face me, his entire mouth pressed into a glare, "...what are you talking about, Kusanagi?" He asks, barely audible.
"I'm talking about the little bitch fit you've been throwing." I point out causally. "You know, the one about Holy Swords?"
His face instantly hardens as he rises back onto his feet, yet despite the tremble in his body, he manages to hiss out, "What would you know…!?"
"Everything." I respond, and now, as I walk, my steps advance toward him, "I know about the Holy Sword Project. About your family. About what Valper did to them."
Every single thing I mention, his face attempts to harden, only to instantly break, like his sword against my neck earlier.
"The only thing I don't know for certain," I continue, "is whether or not Valper is dead. But I'm pretty sure he is. Your family is avenged, Isaiah. There's no need to spiral any longer."
"Don't you dare say that to me!" He practically snarls, taking a single step toward me, his breath hitching as he does, "They won't be avenged! They can't be! Not until the sword that killed them is destroyed!" He held his chest with one hand, his breath heaving, as his other hand lit up with a demonic light.
With a red flash, a pitch-black sword, almost like the inverse of an exorcist sword, formed in his free hand.
Some kind of darkness sword, I presume.
I stop and sigh.
Well, if it'll get it out of his system?
"Excalibur didn't kill your family." I state, blandly, "That sword was broken long before you were even born." This time, he actually snarled, removing his hand from his chest to form another sword within it, this one a blade of pure ice.
That doesn't stop me from adding, "And the family that took you in now? Is suffering because you can't get over yourself."
His eyes widened.
I could tell that he did it because he stopped breathing altogether for a second.
The only thing that even tipped me off that he'd charge is the small dilation of his pupils, before he burst straight at me, demonic power flaring wildly around him.
I could tell, in this moment, that he had used his Knight Piece's speed boost.
It didn't help him even a little bit.
My hands caught both swords as them down for my neck.
His double swing was wild, reckless; there wasn't an ounce of technique in it, and I could tell he wasn't used to duel-wielding.
In an instant, my grip on the swords tightens, causing fire to explode out around the ice sword, and light to radiate off the dark sword like a beacon.
I could feel the blades pull at my elements, trying to absorb them both.
They got only a meager amount of both before the two swords popped like shitty balloons.
I caught Yuuto's eyes widening, but I didn't give him a chance to do anything else.
Through the light and fire, my hands swung out, open palms colliding with either side of his face.
His entire body stiffened as a fleshy ringing clap resounded out, his eyes visibly dulling as he staggered on his feet.
I renew my walk, stepping straight into his guard without contest, grab onto the collar of his unkempt shirt, and turn my entire body, lifting him up and over my shoulder, and sending him straight down into the ground.
The cold ground knocked some light back into his eyes, as he seemed to almost painfully gasp awake, both hands alight with demonic light.
I don't even attempt to stop what's coming as I already have an idea.
A wave of demonic swords explodes out from the ground around him, all of various shapes and sizes, but I could tell from a glance that they're all weak; it's the sheer number that's supposed to be a threat.
I don't even cover my arm in aura; I merely swing my arm like one would sweep off a whole table.
The wave of swords stops with me, blades and whole swords sheared in half or completely uprooted from the ground, batted away and sent flying into shards and particles of red light.
My foot careens through what's left of the swords before me, easily smashing through and finding purchase against Yuuto's back, in the middle of him getting up.
"GUH!" He grunts as he's sent rolling into what's left of his own defenses, weak demonic swords crushed and smashed under the force of his body tumbling through them and out the other side.
Fortunately, said swords also blunted his momentum, so I didn't accidentally kick him straight outside.
Unfortunately, those swords are still swords for him.
As he rises, his entire body is covered in small cuts, especially across his forearms, with only a few gashes across his cheeks.
Ah, he fell forward and used his arms to protect his face. So he's still got some quick thinking left in there, huh?
Even if its basic combat instinct.
I tilt my head at him, "You done?"
"Hnnnggh…" He groans, his hands sparking with demonic light at either side, as though they were trying to form something, anything.
Blood drops finally started to fall around him, as he collapsed back onto one knee, and he heaved, as his breathed quick, short, and shallow, as though winded once more.
"N, No…" He barely managed to ground out through gritted teeth, "I can't, be done…I need, they need…" He coughed, more blood meeting the ground, before he raised his head and glared up at me, eyes filled with hatred.
But not for me. His gaze almost felt like it was looking beyond me.
The red light flickering in his palms sparks furiously, yet it wasn't forming anything.
"You need rest." I answer for him as I approach, kneeling in front of him, "Your family already received theirs. As they watch you from wherever they are, can you say this is what you want them to see?"
His eyes shook at my words, and his gaze immediately went downward.
"...Don't presume to know what they would want…" He grumbled out.
"They cared about you, right?" I presumed.
No response.
"They loved you, didn't they?" I presumed again.
No response, but his next breath became longer and more strained.
"So I ask you again," I repeat, "would they want you to ruin everything you have for yourself, your new family, over them?"
He choked out something.
"What was that?" I ask.
"...N-No." He finally responds, a single shuddering word.
I sat down before him, cross-legged, and merely waited.
I knew that wasn't all.
"B-But," He continued, almost strangled, "they don't deserve nothing. Even if I h-have to use the life they gave me, to a-avenge them…" His head lifted slightly, and I saw tears flowing down his face to meet the blood on his cheeks. "I will g-gladly pay that price…I can't stop, K-Kusanagi. I won't. I'm t-thankful, to the President, for g-giving me this chance, but…"
"This chance to what?" I raise an eyebrow, "Martyr yourself starting a war?"
He stiffened at that.
"Because that's what you'll do, if you continue down this path." I rightfully point out, "As it turns out, destroying a prized possession of the Church. Killing their people? That's how you start one of those. And you're the knight of the sister to the current Lucifer. That's even worse."
His mouth opened, then closed, before opening again as he muttered out, "I, I didn't…"
"Yeah, you didn't think." I rolled my eyes, "Because if you had, you might have control of yourself by now. Tell me, and use that head of yours, if you run off and do what you feel needs to be done, who are the first people they're going to launch a retaliatory attack on?"
His eyes widened as much as they could at this point, "...Oh."
I nod, solemnly, "Oh, indeed. Calm yourself. You're, what, 17? You've got a several thousand year lifespan ahead of you to honor your old family, and not fuck over your new one."
He gave me a pained grimace at that, "That's, too l-long to wait…but, V-Valper." He almost snarled the name, "He's, d-dead, already?"
"I'm almost certain he is at this point." I answer honestly.
For a moment, Yuuto stared at me, his eyes searching. I couldn't tell what exactly was running through his head.
Then, he abruptly slumped forward.
"F-Fine, I guess…" He gave a small chuckle, "I'll have to take your word for it, K-Kusanagi senpai…"
The lights flickering in his hands suddenly went out, as his body went limp.
I caught him by his shoulder to keep him upright.
Through my senses, I could feel him, weak and strained, but alive. Mostly.
Probably in more than a little pain, however.
I let out a sigh.
For a second there, I thought he was going to unlock Balance Breaker and continue running at me.
Somehow, I managed to resist the urge to pout that he didn't.