Appalachian Mountains, Monongahela National Forest, Virginia, US, 2:25 AM
Asia and Irina watched as Haru arched his back and let out a soundless scream. His eyes snapped open revealing black sclera and green glowing irises. A red glow emanated from his chest as a pawn piece flew out and landed on the floor a few feet away from them.
Asia looked back at Haru and sighed in relief. So far, she only had to heal a minor bruise on his side.
Irina stood and walked over to the piece and as she grabbed it, her hand dropped it as she pulled back. Her eyes widened in surprise and shock.
"What's wrong?" Asia asked as she took her eyes off her brother for a few seconds.
"The Piece. It just tried to sap my life force," Irina said. "I could feel it try to drain me."
"How are we going to get it in the box?" Asia asked.
"I learned a few tricks whenever I went to train in Heaven," Irina said. She waved her hand and the piece levitated. She picked up the box, opened it, and willed the pawn piece to go inside.
"That's a neat trick," Asia said as she saw a red stain form on Haru's leg. She moved to heal it as Irina sat down.
"Seven more right?" Irina asked as she watched another red light emanate from Haru's chest.
"Nevermind."
The pawn piece flew out of Haru and this time, Irina held out her hand and caught it telekinetically. She flicked her wrist and the piece flew into the box.
"Six."
Hyoudou Manor, Same Time
Naru walked down the stairs and to the broom closet. She sighed. Why did they not get a maid to help them clean the house? Naru grabbed the broom and dustpan and made her way to the stairs when she felt someone's presence behind her. Her eyes widened as her aura flared. She thrust the broom and leveled it at a petrified Ravel and Kyousuke.
Naru sighed and calmed down.
"Jeez! At least say something," the female Hyoudou twin said.
"S- Sorry. We thought you were with Seekvaira-san," Ravel said.
"No, no. I'm just a bit on edge the training is all," Naru said, waving off her concern.
Ravel noticed the broom and dustpan in her hands for the first time.
"What's going on? Did something fall?" she asked.
"Yeah, Asia dropped the plate of food," Naru answered.
"Where did Asia go anyway?" Kyousuke asked.
"She went with Irina and Haru to go get something from the Maou. They'll be back in a couple of hours. What about you two?" Naru asked.
"Oh. I'm going home. My parents called and they're worried," Kyousuke said.
"Oh, well stay safe you two," Naru said as she walked up the stairs.
"So that was…?" Kyousuke asked as he watched Naru disappear up the stairs.
"Yes, that was her."
The two turned to see Akeno grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
"That was the [Unholy Empress of Destiny] Naru Hyoudou. She's the wielder of the Longinus Sacred Gear, [Telos Karma] ," Akeno said.
"Just how strong is she?" Kyousuke asked, remembering the pressure that slammed into him and Ravel.
"Strong enough to beat most of us without even using her full power. She rivals The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor in full strength. As to who they are, I'll explain that later. Right now, you need to get some rest," Akeno said.
She grabbed a few more bottles before heading back down the stairs.
Upstairs on the second floor, Naru grumbled as she swept up the mess. Kiba vacuumed all of the food off the floor.
"Why didn't we get a maid?" Kiba asked.
"If there's one thing my brother and parents have in common, it's their disgust of having someone do everything for them," Naru said as she placed the pieces inside of the dustpan.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask since Haru is so tight-lipped about this but… what happened between Haru and your parents?" Kiba asked.
"When we were younger, I'm sure that Haru told you that I was a prodigy. I excelled in school and sports, learned to play the piano when I was 5 and won my first piano competition when I was seven. I was the star child of the family," Naru said, pausing. "It was only natural from our eyes that our parents favored me more."
"Sounds like a case of Sirzechs and Rias," Kiba said.
"Only, Rias got noticed by her parents because of her blooming skill in magic. My parents barely acknowledged anything Haru did. Sure, they knew he was there and tried to love him as much as they did me but… to them, he was too painfully average," Naru added.
Kiba remained silent the entire time she spoke.
"Was there anyone who looked out for Haru besides you and Irina?" Kiba asked.
"Me? No. Back then, I was… a bitch for a lack of better terms," Naru confessed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"But he did have someone other than Irina," she said. "My parents hired a babysitter for Haru. I don't know what happened to her but Haru adored her. Her name was Lily if I remember correctly. I think Kaa-san fired her because Haru was starting to get too attached to her or something. All I know is she just up and left one day. Then, Kaa-san hired Az-nee and the rest was history."
"Huh," Kiba said as he turned on the vacuum again.
"Yeah," Naru said. Her eyes trailed over to a picture on the wall of her and Haru as they graduated from middle school. She could be seen, her red hair blowing in the wind as a bright smile adorned her face. Her arm was wrapped around Haru's and made a peace sign while Haru smiled back at the camera.
She smiled a little before returning to her task with one thought pervading her mind.
Please be okay, Haru.