Ch. 4: Priest, Exorcist, and Fruitcake! Oh my!
Once he got back to the club room, Rias inquired as to why he was late. Once Izuku explained what happened, she wasn't exactly pleased.
"You cannot go near a church ever again!" Izuku hung his head low, muttering 'sorry' as Rias lectured him. "To devils like us, the church is enemy territory. Simply stepping into one would cause major problems for both angels and devils. It wouldn't be surprising if you were stabbed by a spear of light if you got too close." Izuku notably flinched at that. "And never get near anyone who has any sort of relationship with the church. Especially priests and exorcists."
"I'm sorry…" Izuku muttered for the tenth time.
"You should be. Priests and exorcists are our mortal enemies, and it's likely at least one was near that church. They've been blessed by God, so they have the power to destroy us. A devil hit by a divine holy power like that will be destroyed… with no hope of returning. This is something very important! Do you understand?"
"…I'm sorry, Rias-san."
Rias simply sighed. "I'm just glad you're safe. Just promise you'll be more careful from now on."
"Yes, I promise Rias-san."
The next day after school, Izuku spent most of the day training with Rias, though for some reason Rias seemed slightly… off. Izuku wanted to ask why, but lugging around two tires with her sitting on them made that difficult. After training had finished, Rias asked him to hand out flyers for the day and report back to the club room, not giving Izuku a chance to ask.
As he placed the last few flyers in the mailboxes of an apartment complex, Izuku went over what happened to him over the past week in his head. 'I'm still having a hard time believing it. Just last week, I was a normal Quirkless kid who dreamed of being a hero. Then I met someone who said they could help me achieve my dream, only for them to reveal they're a fallen angel and kill me.'
'Then I was revived as a devil by Rias-san, which also makes me her servant. And the reason I was killed is because I have a Sacred Gear that I had no idea about. But now that I have a chance, I'm working hard for the devils to become a hero despite having absolutely no power at all. It's almost like nothing's changed.' Once he finished passing out the flyers, Izuku got on his bike and rode toward U.A. High. 'Weirdly, I'm starting to enjoy all this. Rias-san is beautiful, Koneko-chan is kinda cute if a little cold, and Kiba-kun is nice. It's nice to have friends again.'
"Speaking of Rias-san, why was she acting so off today?"
It didn't take very long for Izuku to reach the club building at U.A.'s campus. "I'm back!" Izuku called as he entered the clubroom.
"Ah, welcome back, Midoriya-kun." Yuuto greeted, just moments away from stepping into the teleportation pentagram.
"You finished passing out the flyers?" Rias asked, looking over a small stack of papers at her desk.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good work," she handed Izuku a map. "Sorry for dropping this on you, but can you do this summon tonight? Normally Koneko-chan handles this but she's currently swamped at the moment."
"Sure."
The sun had fully set over the horizon as Izuku rode his bike through the streets. The streets were very empty, as was the case in most suburban areas during the night.
Following the map Rias had given him, Izuku arrived at a relatively simple home. Hopping off his bike, Izuku walked up to the door and rang the bell. "Hello, I'm a devil of the Gremory Clan!" Izuku called the house. "I'm here because of a summon!" There was no answer. He furrowed his eyebrows as he reached for the door.
His heart suddenly clenched.
"Somethings not right…" he whispered, almost fearfully. It was the same feeling he had when he showed Ibara to the church.
Izuku slowly opened the door, the creaking sound echoing in the dark. He didn't even bother to remove his sneakers as he slowly crept inside, looking around the room. The house was dark, very dark, the only source of light coming from the living room. But he had a better time looking through it a lot better than when he was human. He was somewhat thankful for that. That didn't keep him from stepping into something wet and sticky.
"What the…?" Izuku gasped. He raised his foot and wiped his fingers on the soles. Already, he could smell the scent of the liquid. His eyes widened as he realized what it was.
It was blood. Fresh blood. And it was all over the room, leading to a male body nailed to the wall… At least, Izuku presumed it was a man.
It's hard to tell things like gender when their skin was peeled off!
Their organs and blood seeped out of the large dissection hole in their torso and their arms and legs were pinned to the wall by large nails, legs together and arms as far apart as possible. A crucifixion.
Izuku nearly vomited at the sight. Written above their heads in red was a message: 'DIVINE PUNISHMENT FOR SHITTY SINNERS WHO HAVE GIVEN UP ON HUMANITY!'
"Holy shit!" Izuku muttered in shock.
That was when someone else in the room said, "Punish the wicked. Words to live by. Yes, wise words to heed from a holy man!" Turning around, Izuku saw someone sitting on the couch. He had short white hair, red eyes, and was dressed in the coat and outfit of a priest. However, Izuku could tell there was nothing about this man that was holy at all due to the wicked smile on his face and the bloody knife he was holding in his left hand. "Freed Sellzen, monster hunter, executioner, and exorcist, at your service," he introduced himself as he stood up and bowed, before dancing like a nutcase. "And you are the scared little devil pussy this priest is going to exorcise next!"
"A priest?!" Izuku gasped.
"Yep. I'm from a certain exorcism organization you may have heard of."
"Then you… did all this? What did he do to have this happen to him?!"
"He was asking for it," justified Freed, "Making a contract with a devil like you is proof that he's done being human. End of the line, sinner!" he laughed. "So I had to give him an extreme makeover! Which I'm gonna do to you!"
Freed suddenly jumped into Izuku's face with a leer. He didn't realize that the mad priest was so up close until just another second later, and quickly jumped back. "W-what?"
"Hm, from the looks of things you're fresh meat," Freed licked his lips, creeping Izuku out. "Well, there's no need to tell me your name! You're just going to die soon anyway!"
"You killed him just because he was talking to devils?!" Izuku demanded.
"Well, duh. Do I haveta spell it out for you? Making contracts with devils is a sin after all. Devils use the dark desires of humanity to gain power. Humans who make pacts with devils are scum, lower than dirt. You get it? No? Well, I guess that makes you scum too," Freed lectured, still grinning.
"If you're a servant of God, why would you kill another human so easily!" Izuku shouted, angry.
"Hoooo?" Freed wondered out loud like a child, "The fuck is this? Is this puny devil trying to lecture me? I already told you why. What? Do you need a crash course for this shit?" He walked over to the head of the victim and kicked it. "Fine, I'll say it again. Devils feed on human desire. The humans who give you substance can't be considered human anymore. To that end, I kill them in order to save them from becoming tainted even further." He kicked the head into the wall, causing it to splatter and cause more gore. "That's kindness. Amen~."
"Kindness? That's not kindness, that's pure evil!" Izuku growled, clenching his fist, summoning his Sacred Gear subconsciously.
"Huh?" Freed wondered, looking at Izuku. "Ha…HAHAHAHA! Oh, that's rich! A devil telling me, a priest, what's evil? HAHA! Are you mad? You mad, bro? You mad?" He licked the blood from his knife. "Ah whatever," Freed sighed, pulling out a silver pistol, "It won't matter once I turn you into swiss cheese! Totally awesome, isn't it!" Freed laughed maniacally as he fired his gun. Izuku raced to the side to avoid the light bullets before he stopped at the wall.
Freed then threw his knife, the blade embedding itself into Izuku's leg. Izuku screamed at the pain, which caused Freed to laugh even more. The nutty priest then aimed his gun.
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
The bullets fired from the gun hit Izuku in his stomach. Izuku gasped in pain as the shock from the blast echoed through his body.
"AHAHAHA! You like that?" Freed laughed, walking over to Izuku and kicking him down. Freed then sloppily removed the knife from Izuku's leg. Then in an increasingly dickish maneuver, Freed smashed his foot onto the gunshot wounds. Izuku yelled painfully from the impact, feeling the pain rip through his body. Freed only laughed even more as he grinded his heel. "Tell me, do you bleed? YOU WILL!" Freed grinned, pointing the gun at Izuku.
A blur of motion suddenly pushed Freed off of Izuku.
"Gah, dammit!" Freed groaned, rubbing his head as he stood up. "Shit, Ibara! Why'd you go and do that?"
Izuku recognized the name. "Ibara?" he groaned, setting up and holding his injuries. Looking over, he saw a familiar head of thorns standing in front of him with her arms out like a shield. "Shiozaki-san?"
"Please, stop this!" Ibara pleaded, "Why are you doing this to Midoriya-san?"
"Eh? You know this guy?" Freed blinked, picking his ear. "Isn't it obvious? He's a devil after all."
"Huh…?" Ibara muttered, slowly looking back at Izuku, "Midoriya-san is… a devil?"
Izuku, still clutching his wound, simply lowered his head in shame, "I didn't mean to deceive you…"
Freed only laughed crazily, "HAHAHA! Oh man, how fucking hysterical! Is this forbidden love between a devil and a sister? Seriously? Are you serious?" His face turned deadly serious in an instant, "That's right. This guy is the shittiest of shitty devils. Really, you didn't know? Well, that's fine. He's about to end up like that shit stain there."
Ibara looked at where Freed was pointing. Her eyes widened as tears welled up, looking on at the skinned body nailed to the wall. "What…? This isn't…" she stammered in horrified shock, collapsing to the floor, her hands covering her mouth.
"Oh, that's right. This is the first time you've seen a corpse, huh?" Freed grinned. "In that case, take a good look! This is the fate of any human seduced by a devil!"
"You son of a…" Izuku snarled, trying to force himself to his feet.
"That's the way it is! Devils and humans can never coexist! And the church- hoho! Don't even get me started! Not to mention we're all heretics that God himself abandoned, like the fallen angels! And this fucker here is part of the job description!" Freed snapped his fingers impatiently. "Come on, hurry up with the trap!"
Ibara only stood up and stood between Freed and Izuku.
"Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey. What the fuck?" Freed asked, looking unamused.
"Father, please let him go," Ibara begged. "To aimlessly kill people who have been led astray by devils… that's just wrong!"
"What the fuck?! You too, you shitty maiden?!" Freed demanded, grabbing her by the collar of her dress, "Did you already forget? All devils are full of shit! He's not buddy-buddy with you!"
"There may be good devils as well!" Ibara cried, "I used to think all devils were evil, but after meeting Midoriya-san, I've learned that there are good devils too!"
"Shut up!"
The next thing that happened caused Izuku's blood to boil.
The asshole backhanded Ibara in the face!
"BASTARD!" Izuku shouted, his vision turning red. He didn't get far as his wounds forced him back down, "Ah! Damn it!" Unbeknown to Izuku, the green jewel on his Sacred Gear began to glow green.
Freed pinned Ibara down by the throat as he reached down and tore open her dress, leaving only her bra left. "Even if the boss told me not to kill you, there could still be something you can do to calm me down," Freed smirked, squeezing Ibara's breasts. The poor girl flinched and gasped from the squeezing, "What do you think? You're still a virgin, so how about I turn you from a maiden to a broken woman?"
"Dragon Shot!"
"Eh?" Freed looked back just in time to see Izuku building a green ball of energy from his hand. The shot fired and hit Freed in the chest, knocking him through the wall and away from Ibara.
Izuku panted heavily as the gem in his Sacred Gear stopped glowing, "I'm finally starting to figure this thing out," he said, tiredly.
Ibara quickly got up and ran over to Izuku. "You're hurt…" she said softly, looking at his wounds.
"Pain's… an old friend," Izuku joked, wincing in pain, "Ow…"
Ibara slowly crawled up to him, "Hold still." She held her hands carefully over his wounds, not even touching them. Her hands suddenly glowed as a bright green aura surrounded them and washed over the wound. Relief came over his face as he could feel his injuries and the blood fade away.
"Holy whoa… I'm feeling better now," Izuku blinked, slapping where he was hit just to be sure. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Ibara nodded slowly, smiling shyly. "It's the least I can do for helping me yesterday."
Izuku then noticed the large bruise on Ibara's cheek, where Freed had struck her. "You're hurt."
"It's fine," she said. "And you were worse."
The two had a quick laugh.
The moment was suddenly ruined by a noise coming from the wall. Izuku and Ibara turned, watching Freed crawl out of the hole made from Izuku's Dragon Shot. "Oh, right. I still gotta kill you," he huffed.
Ibara stood up and got in front of Izuku. "I won't let you hurt him," she said.
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about i-" Ibara clasped her hands together over her chest. Without warning, her vines shot out and rushed toward Freed, ensnaring him. "The fuck?!"
"Father Freed Sellzen. Your sins are unforgivable. God will make you pay for the evils you've done," she said.
Shiozaki Ibara, Quirk: Vines. She can control and stretch out her hair vines, as well as detach them at will.
Izuku had a look of shock and amazement on his face. He'd figured Ibara's Quirk had something to do with her vine hair, but he didn't know she could make them grow or control them so easily.
Freed only laughed. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, kid!" A shimmering sword of light suddenly emerged from the vines. Freed then cut himself free. Ibara and Izuku's eyes widened in shock as Freed aimed the blade at them. "Surprise~! Bet you didn't know I had a real-life lightsaber, huh?"
Ibara was about to trap Freed with her vines again but stopped when Izuku stood up and got in front of her. "Midoriya-san…!?"
"Oh! You wanna go first, do ya? Fine by me!" Freed hunched to the ground, his tongue hanging out of his sadistic smile. "I was planning to use you to beat the world record for hole-iest corpse~! But it looks like I'll be going for the record for finest mincemeat instead~!"
"Mind if we crash the party then?"
Izuku's eyes widened at the voice. Looking around, he turned and found Koneko, Yuuto, and Rias just stepping out of a magic circle. Koneko looked at the bloody sight with distance, while Yuuto seemed to cast a hateful glare at Freed. Rias, however, looked worried, especially after seeing Ibara right behind him.
"Izu-kun?" Rias asked, walking up to him, "What happened?"
"I came here for the summon, but I found the customer dead. All thanks to that fruitcake over there," Izuku explained, pointing at Freed.
"I see…" Rias nodded, her expression saddened. She rested her head against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank goodness you're okay."
"Senpai…?" Izuku blushed.
"Oh, oh! It's a family of devils, huh?" Freed laughed, hunching down with his tongue hanging. "Cool! This is super cooool! I'm gonna totally score with this! And aren't you a pretty one! Can I fuck you up, too?"
Yuuto sweat-dropped. "For a priest, that's quite a mouth you have. Doesn't matter, though…" he said in an uncharacteristically cold tone.
"Sorry for being so vulgar. How about I make it up to you by chopping that pretty boy head off!" Freed blazed across the room with his sword swinging. Eyes narrowed, Yuuto bent his legs before he suddenly blurred out of sight.
"He disappeared!?" Ibara gasped.
Yuuto reappeared before Freed, this time armed with a sword cloaked in darkness. The two blades clashed against each other as both young men tried to overpower the other. "Attacking just like that out of the blue," Yuuto mocked, "You have no class."
"Hah? I'm supposed to give shits about that? Especially from some shitty devils?" Freed laughed. Freed quickly caught on to his blade flickering, losing power, so he took the smart route and jumped back from Yuuto's oncoming slash. "The double fuck?!"
"Sorry, but this sword is special," Yuuto told him, gripping the hilt with two hands. "It can devour the light."
Kiba Yuuto, Sacred Gear: Sword Birth. He can create any demonic sword he can imagine and imbue them with special properties.
"Heh, a Sacred Gear user. Should've guessed," Freed sighed.
"Kiba-kun has a Sacred Gear, too?" Izuku gasped. A swift pain suddenly hit him in his leg.
"Try not to move too much, Midoriya-san," said Ibara. "Your leg's still hurt."
"Hurt?" Rias repeated.
"Yeah. Freed stabbed me with his knife and then shot me, but Shiozaki-san healed me."
Slowly, Rias turned toward the vulgar priest. "Is that right?"
"Yep!" Freed giggled. "Truth is, I was planning to carve up every inch of his body after I filled him with holes, but then that shitty maiden decided to get in the way~!"
BOOM!
"Huh?" Freed looked to the side, finding a gigantic hole in the wall just centimeters from his head, a trail of destructing leading all the way to the street. The source of the blast was Rias' hand, her whole body glowed a dark red.
"I will not forgive anyone who harms my servants, especially not some vulgar stray priest such as you," Rias growled, her voice both calm yet dripping with rage at the same time.
Both Izuku and Ibara trembled at the display. 'Rias-san is scary!'
Freed, however, seemed unfazed. "Whoo-eee! That was really somethin'! Good thing I know when to fold 'em!" Freed said, pulling something out of his robes. "I'm getting the fuck out of Dodge before they arrive to reinforce the ambush."
"'They'?" Rias questioned.
"Oh yeah. There are totally two other fallen angels at least and lots of priests coming this way," Freed said. "Have fuuuuuuuuuuuun~"
Freed smashed something against the ground, blinding the youths with an intense light that erupted in front of him.
"Agh!" Izuku rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the spots coloring his vision before it returned to normal. Freed was gone. "A flash-bang?"
"…Buchou… the fallen angels are coming," Koneko suddenly spoke, sensing a foreboding presence.
"Tch!" Rias frowned, turning around to prepare another portal. "We need to leave."
"Rias-san, wait!" Izuku alerted, gesturing toward Ibara, "We should take her with us!"
"I'm sorry, Izu-kun," Rias apologized, looking over her shoulder, "My portals can only transport whoever I have in my Peerage. She won't survive the magic."
"But… isn't there another way?"
"I'm sorry, but there isn't."
"Not if I take her on my bike!"
"But she's aligned with the church," Yuuto said, "By default, she's our enemy."
"It didn't stop her from healing me. I'm not going to abandon her for petty reasons like that," Izuku frowned. Izuku then took Ibara's hand and ran toward the front entrance. "I'll meet you guys at the club room!"
"I hope you know what you're doing," Rias prayed as she, Koneko, and Yuuto vanished into the portal.
Ch. 5: Shiozaki Ibara, the Holy Maiden
News of the murder had already spread. The police arrived at the house not long after Izuku and Ibara left. There was no one else remaining at the house save for the corpse. It was chopped up so badly that it would be very difficult to identify. Then there was the message written in blood. To them, it appeared to be another religious fanatic. It also seemed that the murderer managed to flee before anything else happened. He was still out there.
Izuku had already contacted his mom, telling her that he may be late coming home. He promised her that he was safe and unharmed and that he had just met up with Rias and that he would be staying with her until the heat died down. He was in the clubroom sitting on one of the couches, busy cleaning out the blood from the soles of his sneakers with bleach. Ibara was in the shower room, washing the sweat and blood from her body as best as she could. Izuku didn't blame her for what she had gone through.
"It was very foolish of you to bring her here," Rias said, handing Izuku a bucket of water.
"Why? Just because she's with the church?" Izuku asked, taking the bucket and using it to wash the bleach from his sneakers. "You said that those who are on the side of God are dangerous to us. Is that why you're being resistant?"
"It's more complicated than that," Rias sighed. "That girl… is a heretic. That means she's in league with the fallen angels."
"She's a heretic?" Izuku repeated, confused.
"There are several reasons for why those who were once faithful turn rogue. As they have nowhere else to turn, they usually ally with the fallen angels for protection," Rias explained, sitting next to him, "There is probably some reason for why that girl is with the fallen angels."
"Oh…" Izuku sighed, looking down.
"Look, I sympathize with you. I do," Rias said sternly. "But we can't get involved with the affairs of fallen angels. If we do it will cause an unwanted incident. The best I can do is give her a place to rest for the night. After that, she's on her own."
"…I understand," Izuku and Rias turned and saw Ibara stepping out of the shower room, a towel wrapped around her vines and wearing the spare clothes Rias had provided her. Next to her was a tray table, her torn clothing folded neatly on it. "Thank you for allowing me to use the shower," Ibara bowed. "It was gracious of you."
"Shiozaki-san, I need to know," Izuku began, "Why were you with that psycho?"
"Father Selzen?" Ibara questioned.
"Yeah, that's what I want to know. You don't seem like the type to hang around bloodthirsty psychopaths," Izuku replied.
"…I didn't have any other choice," Ibara admitted, looking sad. "Three weeks ago I was excommunicated from my original church after I healed a devil out of my own free will. I don't have anywhere else to turn to."
"You healed a devil without question?" Rias blinked, looking rather surprised, "Why?"
"He was injured very badly, and I couldn't just turn away someone in need," Ibara answered. "As I was healing him, I was caught by the local priest. After that, I was deemed a witch and cast out."
"But there's more to it, isn't there?" Izuku asked. "Your healing abilities are a Sacred Gear, right?"
"Why yes," Ibara nodded, sitting down on the sofa across from Izuku, "It's called Twilight Healing. See, I used to live in a small village near Yokohama. My parents ran a flower shop, and we'd go to church all the time. I even had dreams of being a hero one day. But when I was eight, I found an injured puppy near the church. I prayed as hard as I could for it to get better. That was when I discovered my healing abilities when the puppy recovered instantly. Soon after, the church regarded me as a Saint and I was given the title of Holy Maiden. Ever since I used my powers to heal the sick and the elderly. Many people lived longer lives thanks to my healing and I'm grateful to the Lord for giving me this power."
Her face suddenly took on a somber look. "But because of my status and Sacred Gear, I was guarded heavily and treated well, and was seen as a higher being. No children would play with me, my parents were hardly allowed to see me, and I became lonely. After healing that devil, my Holy Maiden title was revoked and I was called a witch by those who once worshiped me. My parents… did everything they could so I could leave that place…"
"So you came to Musutafu to start over," Izuku said, frowning sadly. He couldn't help but feel very sorry for the girl.
"I see," Rias nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to hear that."
The door opened and Yuuto and Koneko stepped in, "I managed to finish the search as soon as the police arrived. It seems that the fallen angels have retreated for now," Yuuto announced.
"I see," Rias nodded. "I guess that eases our troubles for the moment."
Nothing more was said that night.
The next day was a Sunday, and so there was no school. Izuku took the time to show Ibara around the city as he contemplated what to do next. Ibara looked around the city with awe and wonder, almost like a child. It was then that Izuku realized that Ibara likely never stepped out of her hometown in a long time.
"This is so great!" Ibara smiled. She looked around the street and noticed a colorful building. "Hey, what's that?"
"Just an arcade that recently opened," Izuku answered. "Wanna have a look?"
"Yeah!"
Izuku took Ibara to the arcade, entering through the sliding doors. Passing by the vending machines and going through a small hall, the two were greeted with the sight of a multitude of kids their age playing just as many games all over the place, including 1v1 fighting consoles, dance-off platforms, and shooting stations. There was even an area for air hockey and foosball and the like for those who prefer a more interactive experience. All in all, it appeared to be a fairly high-standard arcade.
"Oh, wow!" The two played several games, including a dance game where Izuku lost. They soon came upon an aisle that housed a multitude of crane games. "Look at all the plushies they have!" Ibara exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the multitude of plush-filled machines.
"Do you want one?" Izuku asked.
"Uh, yes," she said before a curious expression made its way onto her face. "But I heard that it's impossible to win at these games."
"I believe you can win these sorts of games. All it takes is practice, a bit of skill, and luck. Which one do you want?" Izuku asked.
"I'm not sure. All of these animals are so cute, especially the green sheep with freckles and those adorable red booties on its feet. It kinda reminds me of you for some reason," Ibara confessed while pointing at said plush, which Izuku had to admit that it bore a striking resemblance to him.
Izuku looked at the way the sheep was placed. 'Hmm… I think I can manage this… it's sticking up a little, so it shouldn't be an issue to get it.' With a confident smile, the young man put a coin in the crane game and proceeded to grab the stuffed animal in question. As he predicted, it wasn't really difficult thanks to it sticking out, and after successfully managing to obtain the prize in question, he proceeded to give it to Ibara, who let out an excited gasp as soon as it was in her arms.
"Oh my God! Midoriya-san, thank you! You didn't have to do this!" The vine-haired girl exclaimed, hugging the precious sheep tightly.
"I know, but I wanted to," said Izuku, doing his best to ignore his slight headache.
Later, the two made their way to the park where they first met. The two were having a conversation, mainly Ibara asking exactly why Izuku became a devil. Izuku answered that he was killed by a fallen angel named Raynare. The mention of Raynare made Ibara flinch, but Izuku didn't notice. For when they were about to leave…
"Come on Kyoka, this is for your own good!"
"Get off me, Momo!"
Looking to the left, they looked with curiosity as they saw a girl with strange earlobes doing push-ups…with another girl sitting on her. Izuku recognized them right away. "Yaoyorozu-san? Jiro-san?"
"Hm? Oh, hello Midoriya-san!" Momo greeted with a smile and wave.
"What are you doing?" Izuku asked.
"Just helping Kyoka get a little extra training in for the day. We finished our training at the beach earlier, but Kyoka wanted to train a little more."
"I was doing fine until you sat on me!"
Momo only giggled at her friend's protest. She then noticed Ibara standing behind Izuku. "Who's this?"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shiozaki Ibara," she said with a polite bow.
Momo smiled. "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo, and this is Jiro Kyoka," she said as she stood up.
"Oh, thank God," Kyoka said as a literal weight was lifted off her. She then noticed Ibara next to Izuku and blinked. "Oh? What's this?" Kyoka gave a small smirk that resembled a cat's smile, her eyes ogling Ibara as she stood up, "So you've already got a girlfriend?"
"I-i-it's n-not like t-that!" Izuku quickly denied, blushing brightly. "I'm j-j-just s-showing her a-around t-town."
"Sure, sure. We'll go with that," Kyoka laughed.
"Hey, I thought I recognized that curly hair!" A familiar female voice cut in. Izuku, Momo, Kyoka, and Ibara looked behind them to see Uraraka Ochako running up to them.
"Oh, Uraraka-san!" said Izuku.
"You know her?" Ibara asked.
Ochako then noticed the three girls with Izuku. "Who are they?"
"I'm Yaoyorozu Momo, a pleasure to meet you."
"Jiro Kyoka," she then gestured to Ibara. "That is Midoriya's girlfriend."
"G-girlfriend…?" Ochako stared blankly at Izuku and Ibara, both of whom were blushing.
"I-it's n-n-not li-like that!" Izuku stuttered. "We're just friends! I'm just showing her around town is all!"
"Girlfriend…?"
"You already said that…" Izuku muttered.
"I'm Shiozaki Ibara," the vine-haired girl introduced. "I recently arrived in this city, and Midoriya-san was kind enough to show me around."
"…Oh…" 'Why did I feel so jealous?' Ochako asked herself. "It's nice to meet you. All of you. I'm Uraraka Ochako."
A little while later, the girls were happily chatting among themselves, Izuku watching from a bench with a smile. 'They sure are getting along well,' he thought to himself in relief. Ochako acting like a broken record for a minute really startled him. 'I wonder why she acted like that?'
Looking around, Izuku noticed someone standing on the edge of the building some feet behind them, their long sand-colored trench coat fluttering in the wind. It was hard to tell due to the distance, but it looked like the man had wavy short dark brown hair. He was quite tall and had a slim physique. Under the trench coat was a black vest over a striped dress shirt that is light blue in hue. He also had beige pants, dark brown shoes, and what looked like bandages wrapped around his arms.
"Huh? Who's that?"
"Hm?" The girls turned their eyes to where Izuku was looking.
"What's that guy doing?" Kyoka asked.
All of their eyes widened in horror as a realization came to them.
"Oh no!"
"Don't tell me…!"
The man, with a calm and content face, leaped off the building.
"He JUMPED!" Ibara cried in shock.
Without thinking, Momo and Izuku ran to where the man was going to land. Taking off most of her clothes, Momo produced a large foam bed from her body. "Midoriya-san!"
"Right!" Izuku grabbed hold of one end of the bed while Momo took hole the other. "Shiozaki-san!"
Without hesitating, Ibara used her vines to raise the two up. The man landed on the bed as they planned, but he soon bounced off it and fell to the ground.
"Oh no!" Ibara exclaimed, running to where the man landed, Kyoka and Ochako close behind. Izuku and Momo, once she put her shirt back on, leaped down to the man.
"Is he okay!?" Kyoka asked.
"He looks fine," said Izuku, about to check for a pulse… When the man's eyes shot open. "Wha!"
Slowly, the man sat up.
"Uh, sir, are you okay?" Ochako asked.
"I made it…" he muttered. "Damnit!"
"Huh?!" the five teens all exclaimed.
"Tell me, are you the ones who interrupted my free fall?" He asked as he got up.
"'Interrupted'?!" Kyoka asked. "Then, were you really…?"
"You don't get it? I was trying to kill myself."
"Suicide?!"
"Of course!" He said in a manner far too cheerful for someone who just attempted suicide. "And everything was going so great, but then you five showed up and ruined everything."
Izuku could only stare at the man in confusion. 'Is he scolding us for saving him?'
"But it's not entirely your fault," the man continued. "My goal is to commit a perfectly clean suicide without being a burden to anyone. And I did trouble you, as such the fault lies with me. Is there any way for me to make it up to you?"
*Growl!*
Momo and Kyoka blushed, now realizing how hungry they were. "Sorry…" The other teens could only chuckle.
"Are you hungry?" The man asked, a blank look on his face.
Momo smiled sheepishly. "Well, after training all day, along with using my Quirk like that, I could use a meal."
"I think we all could use one," said Kyoka.
*GROWL!*
As if to prove her point, the second, much louder stomach growl came from the man. "How odd… I'm also hungry," he said with the same blank look. "But I'm afraid I lost my wallet during the fall."
"Huh? How does that work?" Uraraka asked.
"THERE YOU ARE YOU SUICIDAL MANIAC!"
Everyone turned to the top of the building, seeing a tall and slim young man with dirty blonde hair that ended in a long ponytail and wearing glasses. His attire consists of a beige vest over a black long-sleeved dress shirt, a red ribbon tied into a bow around the collar, beige pants, and plain brown shoes. In his hand was a green notebook.
"Oh hey!" The guy the teens saved spoke up. "You found me! Nice work, Kunikida-kun!"
The other man, now identified as Kunikida, yelled back. "'Nice work'?! Who caused all this work, you suicidal maniac?! I HAD IT WITH YOU CONSTANTLY DISRUPTING MY SCHEDULES WITH YOUR SHENANIGANS!"
"Hey, I have an idea," the man said in his cheery voice, ignoring Kunikida's rant. "Kunikida-kun's a colleague of mine from work, so how about we have him treat you to a meal?"
"HEY, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"
"So, what are your names?"
The five teens all introduced themselves, which seems to be happening a lot lately.
"Very good. What do you want to eat?" The man asked them.
"Uh, well, I know this noodle cart nearby," said Ochako. "It's both cheap and really good."
"All right, then let's have Kunikida-kun treat you to thirty large bowls!"
"DON'T BE SO GENEROUS WITH MY MONEY, DAZAI!"
"Dazai?" Ibara parroted.
"Yep, that's my name," the man, now ID'ed as Dazai said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my new friends. I'm Dazai Osamu."
"You are such an idiot, Dazai!" Kunikida hissed a vein on his head. He was looking through his notebook, which the teens now saw had the word 'Ideal' on it. They were all sitting at a picnic table, enjoying several bowls of ramen. "What kind of person goes 'Wow, what a beautiful park!' and jumps off the tallest building he could find in the middle of a job?! Now we're late! I'll have to revise our whole schedule…"
Dazai, as he finished slurping up his ramen, said, "You're obsessed with your schedules and that notebook, Kunikida-kun."
"This is not some day planner!" Kunikida yelled, slamming his notebook onto the table. "This is an ideal! A guide to my life! And nowhere in this notebook does it say 'my partner should be a suicidal maniac'!"
"You mean Dazai-san has tried to kill himself before?" Ibara asked.
"Be quiet! And nowhere in my projected expenses does it say 'treat some snot-nosed kids to a million bowls of ramen'!"
"Eh, sorry…" said Momo, who had finished her fifth bowl. "Thank you for the food."
"At least you're showing gratitude after eating on my dime."
"Uh… If you don't mind me asking, what's this job you're doing?" Izuku asked.
"We're detectives," Dazai answered.
"Detectives?"
"Yeah," Kunikida confirmed. "But we handle more than missing pets or cheating spouses. We're from the Armed Detective Agency."
Izuku's eyes immediately shot up. He had heard of the ADA from the hero forums online. While they weren't pro-heroes and based in Yokohama, the ADA was composed of highly capable fighters with scarily powerful Quirks and was famous for helping take down incredibly dangerous villains by locating their hideouts and learning their identities. He had heard that the director had a Quirk that allowed anyone under his care to have control over their Quirk without harm. While not combative, it has huge advantages. Based on the looks of the other teens, they too had heard of the ADA and some of its accomplishments. Kyoka, however, looked somewhat skeptical. It soon became clear why.
"Incredible…" Dazai suddenly stood up, his eyes shining as he looked at the tree branches above them. "Those branches look sturdy enough to hold a person's weight!"
"Don't even think about hanging yourself in this park, Dazai," Kunikida said without batting an eye.
"I'm not. I'm thinking of tree yoga."
"Tree what now?"
"You haven't heard? It's a type of yoga done in trees. It's perfect for releasing stress and relieving muscle cramps."
"Whoa, that would be perfect for me!"
"It would! Quick, write it down." And Kunikida did so. But after about two seconds, with a sly smile, Dazai said, "I'm messing with you."
The pen Kunikida was using snapped. He slams his notebook into the table again before strangling Dazai, shaking him silly. "First my ungrateful partner leaps off a building! But does it end there? Nooo! Then I have to pay the bill for a bunch of kids who stuffed themselves! My schedule for today was perfect! But now I'll have to start over from square one!"
The teens all sweat-dropped as Kunikida continued his rant while shaking Dazai, who seemed unfazed. "Are these weirdoes really from the Armed Detective Agency?" Kyoka asked.
Izuku then spoke up. "Uh, so about this job…"
"WHAT?!" Kunikida screamed.
"S-sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I shouldn't have asked! Of course, your jobs are classified!"
"Relax kid," Kunikida let Dazai go and sat back down. "Today's job doesn't involve any secrecy. We're investigating the religious murders that have been happening lately."
Both Ibara and Izuku's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"Oh yeah! I've heard about them," said Ochako. "Wasn't there a murder last night?"
"We already investigated that crime scene," Kunikida opened his notebook, turning to the page about the previous night's murder. "The body was pinned to the wall upside down and skinned. There was no sign of forced entry, but there were signs of a struggle after the victim was killed, with footprints left behind by multiple people, which suggests one or more people stumbled upon the murder before the police arrived. Other than that there isn't much evidence."
Kyoka looked to be on the verge of throwing up. "Thanks… for that image."
"Ibara-chan? Izuku-kun? Is something wrong? You two are awfully quiet…" said Dazai.
The two teens were brought back to reality by Dazai's question. "Uh, y-yeah! W-we're f-fine!" Izuku stuttered.
"We're just… a bit shocked that a priest would do such a thing is all," said Ibara.
"…We never mentioned a priest being involved," said Dazai, a small smirk on his face.
Ibara mentally slapped herself.
"Uh, we need to be going now!" said Izuku and he and Ibara got up. "Goodbye…"
"Not so fast." Before they could leave Kunikida grabbed Izuku by the collar of his shirt and Ibara by her vines, which caused the girl to whimper as her face erupted into a blush. "You two know something, don't you?"
"I like your sneakers, Izuku-kun!" said Dazai. "They're blood red! And the soles look an awful lot like some of the footprints at the crime scene!"
Izuku began to sweat buckets.
Ochako, Momo, and Kyoka could only watch in shock as their two friends were being questioned.
Finally, Izuku spoke. "Kinda…" he said. "We'll talk if you let us go."
Kunikida dropped his grip on the two. "All right then, tell us what you two know."
Izuku explained everything they needed to know. About how he was supposed to deliver something for the murder victim, only to find him dead, and his fight with Freed Sellzen. He also explained how Ibara wasn't aware of Freed's true nature until she saw the corpse herself. He left out anything involving Rias, devils, fallen angels, and the like.
"A rogue priest with a fetish for dismembering people?" said Dazai. "You don't hear that every day."
"But back to you, Ibara. You said you used to work for him?"
"Yes," said Ibara. "I didn't have any other choice. I was excommunicated from my church a few weeks ago and I had nowhere to go, so I came here. He and the others told me these were simple exorcisms. I had no idea they would kill people!"
"How long has this group been in the city?" Dazai asked.
"Uh, I'm not sure. I only just came to Musutafu a couple of days ago. But I think I overheard one of them mention they've been here for about a month."
"That lines up," Kunikida was looking in his notebook. "The first reported murder was on August 18th, a little over a month ago."
Momo then asked, "Shiozaki-san, what do you plan to do now?"
"I'm not sure…" said Ibara. "I want to leave them, but I'm afraid they'll come after me."
"Then let's make a deal!" Ibara and the other teens looked to Dazai. "If you agree to work with us, we'll arrange witness protection for you. How does that sound?"
Before Ibara could answer, a black feather fell to the ground. Kunikida noticed the feather and picked it up to examine it. "That's strange," he remarked. "I thought crows weren't native to this area…" Suddenly, a large blast of light erupted behind Kunikida and exploded. He screamed out before he crashed into a tree and was knocked out cold.
"Kunikida-san!" Ibara gasped.
Quickly, more black feathers rained around them. It was becoming clear that they were not from birds. "My, how ominous…" said Dazai, smiling with a small smile.
"What's going on?!" Ochako asked as she and the other girls huddled near Izuku.
"Oh… it's you. Not only are you still alive, but you're also a devil now. How awful… Still, you've done well looking after Ibara up till now," a new voice spoke up. Izuku felt a chill down his spine as he recognized the voice. From the way Ibara reacted, so did she. The group turned around as Raynare gracefully descended from the sky.
"Raynare… sama," Ibara whispered.
"Not her…!" Momo gasped.
"What a lovely young lady," said Dazai.
The fallen angel glared at Momo for a moment before her gaze turned to Ibara. "Ibara, I'm afraid your vacation is over," Raynare said, her smile sickeningly sweet, "It's time to come back. You know it's useless to run. Don't even try it."
"…Begone," Ibara frowned, "I want no part in the evil you and the other angels are up to. You're killing people, all because they made pacts with devils. I know for a fact that God would not allow that to happen! I can't trust you!"
"Don't give me trouble. You know as well as I do that your Sacred Gear is very important to us. Don't you know how long it took for me to find you? Please make this easy on yourself."
"She already said she doesn't want to be with you!" Izuku growled, standing in front of Ibara and the other girls protectively.
"Aww! Trying to be a hero now?" Raynare cooed, her face flushed. "I still remember our date that day! That sure was fun, huh? Especially the part where I killed you! But looks like I didn't do a good enough job…" with a malicious smile, Raynare conjured a spear of light in her hand. "Shall I kill you again?"
"Now now, no need to flirt," said Dazai. "Just tell us what you want."
"It has nothing to do with some lowlife human like you," Raynare hissed. "All I want is Ibara and her Twilight Healing."
"Not gonna happen!" Izuku summoned his Sacred Gear, to the shock of Ochako, Momo, Kyoka, and especially Raynare.
"Whoa! Midoriya, what is that?" Kyoka asked.
"I'll explain later."
Raynare, after recovering from her shock, began to laugh. "That's your Sacred Gear? Haha! When I heard you had a powerful Sacred Gear, I killed you because I thought you posed a threat! Looks like they made a mistake. That's a garden-variety Sacred Gear called Twice Critical. It doubles its wielder's power for a set amount of time, but… Even with that thing, you're no real threat. Truly fitting for such a shitty low-class devil."
Izuku looked at the bracer on his hand. 'Is that what it does? Then what was that Dragon Shot- NO! This is NOT the time to overthink!'
"You kids should run," said Dazai. "I'll handle her."
"Wait, are you sur-"
*SHINK!*
Izuku gagged, a yellow spear of light piercing through his torso.
"Midoriya!" the four girls all gasped.
"How weak. That didn't even constitute as stress relief." Looking up, the group saw a tall and buxom woman with long, navy blue hair and brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a violet, trench coat-like top with a wide collar, a matching miniskirt, and black-heeled shoes. The trench coat top was open at her breasts, giving all a good view of her cleavage. Around her neck was a golden necklace. Just like Raynare, she too was being supported by a pair of black wings, marking her as a fallen angel.
"You couldn't even repel a spear of light that weak? Like I thought, a low-class devil… No, lower than that," said Raynare.
"Hang on, Midoriya-san!" Ibara began to heal Izuku's wound, with both Dazai and Raynare taking an interest.
"How interesting."
'Twilight Healing… I would love to get my hands on that Sacred Gear.' "Oh, Ibara~!" Raynare called. "If you don't come with me, then we'll have no choice but to kill your friends~!"
"Hey! Don't we get a say in this!?" Kyoka yelled. A yellow light spear stabbing the ground next to her was her answer.
"Be quiet."
"Thank you, Kalawarner," Raynare returned her attention to Ibara. "Well?"
Once Ibara finished healing Izuku, she stood up. "…All right. I'll go with you."
"Huh?!"
"Midoriya-kun," Ibara smiled. "I had fun today. Thank you… for being my friend."
"Wait, Shiozaki-san!" Izuku called out as Ibara walked toward Raynare.
"Good girl," Raynare said with a sweet smile. "After tonight's ritual, all your worries will be over for good."
'Ritual…? What's she planning…?' "Shiozaki, wait!"
Two red and silver magic circles appeared underneath the fallen angels as they both vanished inside. "Goodbye…" Ibara smiled sadly as she vanished into the portal.
"STOP!" Izuku yelled as he ran to the vanishing portal. But it was too late. The portals vanished before he could reach them, leaving behind the sheep Izuku had won for Ibara earlier. Izuku began to cry. "How can I be a hero… if I can't protect my friends?"
A hand gently patted his shoulder. It was Dazai. "You need to stay calm," he said as Izuku's Sacred Gear disappeared. "They could still be in the city. We'll find them."
Izuku nodded. "We'll need help."
Izuku ran back to the ORC room as fast as he could. The clock was against him and he didn't know what plans those fallen angels had for Ibara, but it was anything but good. He needed help. The police and heroes probably won't believe him, which only meant…
"How many times do I have to repeat myself? No means no. I told you we can't help that girl any more than we already have."
Not the answer he was hoping for, but he had a feeling that she was going to say that. But at this point, he didn't really have much of a choice. Something had to be done. But it seemed asking for help was much more difficult than he had anticipated.
"Rias-san, please. Raynare also mentioned something about a ritual," Izuku pressed on. "What could she have meant by that?"
"Ritual? Hmm… It may be a ritual to take Shiozaki's Twilight Healing. If that were to happen, then Shiozaki won't survive," Rias said. Izuku's eyes widened, realizing that Ibara's life was at stake for sure. "Still, I can't permit you to go after them. If you're killed by a fallen angel or even a priest for that matter, it means the end of your existence. There is no way you can come back from that. Game over."
"But… can we just leave her like that?"
A small magic circle then appeared next to Rias' ear before she could answer, making some kind of sound. From the way her eyes slowly rose, it appeared to be urgent. As soon as the circle disappeared, she reached around her chair to grab her waistcoat. "Sorry, but something just came up. I need to head out for a little bit."
"But we haven't finished!" Izuku said. Rias quickly silenced him by pressing her finger on his lips.
"There's one other thing I need to tell you," she said, her voice moving into lecture mode, "High-class devils such as myself have a finite amount of servants to allow into their peerage. We refer to them as Evil Pieces."
"Evil Pieces… like in… chess?" Izuku asked, his words mumbling against her finger.
Rias smiled at his intuitiveness, "Exactly," she said, removing her finger. "As the leader, my rank is King. Yuuto is my Knight, and Koneko, my Rook. You, Izuku, are my Pawn."
"Wait… so I'm just cannon fodder?" Izuku frowned.
"All chess pieces have a unique skill and the pawn is no different," Rias countered, slipping on her coat, "You have an ability all other pieces do not: Promotion."
"What does that mean?" Izuku asked, unfamiliar with the chess term.
"It means that if you enter an area that the King considers to be enemy territory, such as a church, you can promote yourself to a stronger piece other than King, giving you a temporary power boost," she explained, putting an extra emphasis on the word 'church', which Izuku caught on to, "Promoting to Rook will grant you a stronger defense and monstrous strength, Knight gives you greater speed, Bishop enhances magical powers, and Queen combines all three attributes. However, Queen is a double-edged sword that takes a huge toll on those who haven't increased their stamina. You get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I guess…" Izuku nodded. He blinked as he remembered what she said. "But wait… you only mentioned Knight, Rook, and Pawn. You don't have any other pieces in your group?"
Rias flinched, almost looking guilty, "I have one other piece, but that… is a story for another time. Just remember that a devil's greatest strength depends on their desire." She stepped onto the room's magic circle, causing it to light up red, "Yuuto, you're in charge while I'm out."
"Hai!" Yuuto nodded as the U.A. first-year teleported out of the room. Looking to his side, he turned to see Izuku as he was walking out of the room. "You're still gonna try and find Shiozaki-chan? Even if you do, that fallen angel isn't alone. You could be walking into a trap."
"An innocent girl is going to die. I'm not the type of person to simply stand idly by when someone's in danger. Don't try and stop me, Kiba-san," Izuku said sternly, turning back to look at him.
"Who said I was?" Yuuto smiled, "I'm coming with you."
"You're what?" Izuku gasped.
"Listen, you're my nakama now. I'd be setting a bad example if I didn't lend you a hand. And Rias-san did say that you can promote yourself if you're in enemy territory. She considers a church to be just that. That's her way of saying to go on ahead." Yuuto told him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Ah…" Izuku said. "They must be at the church in the Korusanto ward. Are you really coming though?"
"We both are, right Koneko-chan?"
"…Someone has to keep you out of trouble," Koneko said before Izuku's gaze reached her.
Izuku slowly smiled, "Then we'd better head on out. Can't keep the others waiting."
"'Others'?"
Izuku led Yuuto and Koneko to the park, where Ochako, Momo, Kyoka, and the two ADA employees were waiting. Kunikida had an ice pack on his head, given to him by Momo. "Kunikida-san! How are you feeling?" Izuku asked.
"Like I was dealing with every one of Dazai's suicide attempts all at once," he groaned. "Is this the help Dazai talked about?" Kunikida looked over the two devils, clearly not impressed.
"…Toujou Koneko, Rias-senpais Rook."
Yuuto gave a polite bow. "Kiba Yuuto, Knight of Rias Gremory. A pleasure to meet you all."
"Oh, a Knight! How chivalrous!" said Dazai.
"I'll ask one more time," Izuku looked at the three girls and two adults. "Are you sure you want to come?"
"Look, kid, we were going to investigate that church eventually," Kunikida answered, getting up. "Now that we know it's the murderers' hideout, it's our job to take them down."
Izuku nodded before turning to Ochako, Momo, and Kyoka. "And what about you three?"
Kyoka and Ochako looked the most hesitant, but Momo quickly spoke up. "I'm not a big fan of the church or fallen angels," she said, a small hint of rage in her eyes. "And I can't let them hurt someone innocent. I'll go, no matter what you all say."
Kyoka sighed. "Then I guess I'm going. Have to keep you out of trouble, ya know?" She winked at Momo.
All eyes then turned to Ochako, who had yet to answer. "I'll go," she gulped. "But I'm not sure how much I can help."
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Uraraka-san," Izuku said. "And I can think of several ways your Quirk can be useful. It lets you control gravity, right?" Izuku guessed.
Ochako blinked a couple of times, "Not exactly, I just need to touch something with all the pads on my fingers, and I can remove gravity's effect on them."
"Hmmm, there are limits, but that can be very helpful," said Dazai. From the tone, it was almost like he was experienced with gravity manipulators.
"We're wasting time," Kunikida suddenly interjected. "Whether you're coming or not, we need to hurry up and get going, before it's too late."