Demon Among Devils

Chapter 8: "Promise Me"

A demon would never bow to a devil. Not when it had once ruled over kingdoms of devils in days long ago past and led legions of them in battle against the Heavenly Host. Its presence sought actively to expel Rias's power from his body, swirling wrathfully around the implanted piece, aggressively trying to rid the devil's influence from what it considered to be its domain. Preventing it from doing so was a constant strain on his conscience, and had he not had experience before in sealing away powerful beings, he would most likely not been able to accomplish it.

The irony of protecting someone else's power from his own was not lost on him.

It was partially why he had been so tired when he arrived at home that night to Raynare's angry glare. It was also why he was still feeling tired the following morning when he trudged to school.

The demon made him think dark, dangerous thoughts. Its attempts to scour what it felt as a challenge to its power from his body taxed his mind. The two added together, and he was not exactly in the best of moods when he arrived at the school gates.

He had almost glowered at Asia when the kindly girl offered him a gentle greeting in the hallways. He had nearly snapped at Issei when the boy visited him to congratulate him on becoming a Rook in Rias's peerage. He had just about suggested where Kiba could stick his swords when the Knight proposed they later spar together to practice for the coming fight.

In all those cases, he had nearly shown them the full extent of his annoyance, but at the last second, reined it in. It was why he was different, he supposed. Thoughts were only dangerous when acted upon, and while any Persona among his collection could make him think thoughts, they couldn't make him do them. It was why he could call upon the highest of Archangels and not bow to its glory, why he could summon a dragon and not be tempted by its greed and avarice, and why he could hold a demon in his head and not be utterly corrupted.

They were trying to comfort him he knew, ease him into his new role, even if it was temporary, and he could at least appreciate the effort. Appreciate it enough that when Rias requested his presence in the Occult Club's meeting room to discuss strategy, he acquiesced without complaint.

The original plan had called for Issei to support the higher ranked pieces in battle, boosting each so that when they faced Riser's peerage, they could overwhelm their respective counterparts. It was not bad as plans tended to go. But that strategy went out the window when it became clear that Boosted Gear had still not recuperated from expelling all its power in that clearing. He was not surprised. He had expected it to remain inert for at least a few more days if not a full week. Rias had held on hope, however. If Issei's Gear could recover in time before the Rating Game it would make her peerage all the more stronger and all the more likely to win, especially now that she could count him among her ranks. Sadly, it was not to be, and she would have to make do without the crimson gauntlet's ability to boost.

He had listened patiently for a good twenty minutes while they formulated plans on how to incorporate him into their strategy, knowing it would be pointless. It had taken the members of SEES weeks of fighting the Shadows before they were familiar enough with each other's combat styles to become a truly cohesive unit. And that was only with the initial members of Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and him. With each additional Persona user they gained, they had to reacquaint themselves with their styles to fit in their newest member until the cohesiveness was regained. What Rias and her peerage was suggesting was simply impossible within their limited timeframe.

He had pointed that out politely when the devil asked him for his input, mentioning that he was unused to their methods of combat. They had ample time to train together, and he had not. It was that simple. Better to have him roam autonomously and act independently than force him to fight with them and disrupt the unity they had developed as a team. Rias had agreed to that resignedly.