- Long chap -✏ same as the next chapter
_____________________________________
Erin and Kiba were currently having a sparring match on the special training room in the house. The latter made some distance with Erin and stared at the sword in his hands.
"As I thought.. it's still difficult for me to control Gram." spoke Kiba between breaths. Erin hid away her sword and patted Kiba's shoulder.
"It's okay. I'm sure you will be able to learn it in due time."
They approached the benches and took a sip of their bottled water.
"We really went through a lot, huh." Kiba said as he leaned on the wall. "Our group.. we went through a lot of hardships and survived those tragedies.."
A small smile appeared on Erin's lips and she nodded at the words.
"Yes. You're right about that."
"Looking at how far we got and how far we become, it really makes me proud. I remember when the ORC is composed of only 4 members.. and from there, the members increased and more memories were created."
"You're quite the sentimental guy, Kiba." Erin teased with a grin and they both shared a laugh.
"That reminds me... how did you and Rias met?" Erin gazed at Kiba thoughtfully. "I mean, if you don't mind narrating your past.."
Kiba smiled faintly before responding.
"I met Buchou on a day when it was snowing. I only had one thought while I was fighting for my life in that snowy forest.. and that thought is, that I wanted to live."
Kiba's expression turned stern as he recalled the memory
"As a test subject, and as one of the children gathered for the project of the Church, I really have no other purpose during that time. The Church gathered children like me who have no family and who also have a special ability for their project in order to make us capable of wielding the holy-sword Excalibur artificially."
"Day after day, it consisted of experiments. It was full with harsh
experiences, but since we were told that we would become a special being that would one day be chosen by God, my comrades and I didn’t even have the slightest fear. But then.... all of that changed suddenly."
Kiba clenched his fists on his lap
"They suddenly came to dispose of us. We were gathered at one location and they put gas over us—. My hands
became paralyzed, my legs stopped moving, and my body went through
intense pain as if I had my nervous system slashed. There were many liquids including my tears and blood coming out from my body, and only pain conquers my body."
"Kiba....." Erin mumbled in worry and the boy just smiled sadly.
"I didn’t know what was going on at first. I even thought it was an experiment. Then my comrades die one after another. I finally came to understand the situation I am in while my turn to die was approaching. I was pushed towards the center of the room. Even if I were to stop breathing, there’s a limit to it. I started to inhale the gas gradually and take in the gas into my body as I breathe in."
"But one of my comrades pushed away one of the researchers. After he opened the door by force, my comrades shouted at me who was in the least critical state out of all of us."
*(Flash!)*
“Go! At least you survive!”
"Hearing that, I escaped from the room after standing up right away. I don’t want to die. With only that in my mind, I succeeded in escaping from the researchers after I found my chance to escape. However, the pursuers persistently chased after me. Within the forest of the mountains while the snow fell, I simply continued to run."
"Kiba went through a lot of hardship even at a young age." Erin harbored anger toward the researchers. "Curse those evil people."
"My consciousness started to fade away along with the pain running through my body. I started to hold strong vengeance within me. From that day, I swore that I will make those researches pay if ever I survived the state I am in."
Kiba looked up and continued narrating
"Just when I was about to lose my life, a crimson color appeared into my eyes. When I lifted my head up, a crimson haired girl was standing in front of me. I could see her smiling even though my eyes were blurry."
“What do you seek for?”
"The girl asked me that while she held me who was about to die. That was my meeting with my master, Rias Gremory."
"So Rias indeed saved you during that time." Erin said and Kiba nodded at this.
"Hai. That happened 4 years ago. After that encounter in the snowy forest, I woke up and found myself lying on a bed. I instantly panicked upon being in an unfamiliar place. While I had many doubts, the door opened and a small girl carrying a basin comes in. It was Koneko-chan. And the moment that she realized I was awake, she rushed out of the room while she carried the basin with her."
"Koneko-chan.." Erin mused. "So Rias recruited her ahead of Kiba."
"Akeno-senpai appeared shortly after that and she brought Buchou with her. Koneko hid behind Buchou, and Buchou introduced her and Akeno-senpai to me.
*(Flash!)*
“Please don’t bully this girl. She’s really bad with people. She’s called Koneko, so do take care of her. The other girl with black hair is called Akeno.”
"Koneko-chan must have been scared at that time." Erin remarked.
"Yes, that was my first meeting with Koneko-chan. She was just taken in by Buchou back then where she started to recover her emotions so it was a time when she was really cautious of everything." Kiba smiled at the memory
"After that I started to question Buchou on who they are and what their motives are. Back then, I understood that she and the others had an unusual aura around them that didn’t belong to a human. I became hysterical that I took the scissors placed on the table and pointed it at them."
"But Buchou just laughed at my action. She didn’t even get mad at my behavior. She explained that we were in her temporary residence in Japan and that she brought me there since I had a face close to that of a Japanese person. Afterwards, she revealed that I was now a reincarnated devil... And that reality greatly destroyed the value I had back then..."
"I understand why that is." Erin said in sympathy. " You were told that Devils were evil and were the enemies of the followers in the church, right?"
"Yes. That's why I still had doubts at Buchou back then. Heck, I was even scared." Kiba played with the water bottle on his hand. " There was no way a Devil can be kind. There must be a reason behind this. That was how I thought."
"But amidst that doubt, I also thought that it was a good chance for me. Using a Devil in order to accomplish my vengeance might be a good idea. Back then I had my mind in a terrible state due to my hatred and suspicions towards others that I didn’t mind giving my soul to a Devil in order to take my vengeance for my comrades."
"Did you try escaping from that place?" Erin asked curiously.
"Yes but trying to escape from the mansion was a hard thing. It seemed like there was a powerful barrier and even though I was able to walk till the entrance, I wasn’t able to open the door."
Kiba chuckled at the memory.
"You could say I was in a state where I was confined in that mansion. At some point I even thought I would be able to escape if I use Koneko-chan as my shield. ……But I would feel guilty if I was to point my blade at that girl who was being very scared. So I discarded the idea away."
"I guess it's a good thing that you weren't able to escape. I mean-if you did, then you would become a “Stray Devil” and end up being targeted by other forces." Erin said and Kiba nodded at this.
"Yes. I also realized that fact. It was one of the reasons why I stopped escaping. But even so, I still didn't open my heart to Buchou and the others. I was still wary of them. After a month, a visitor entered the room I was in. He was a man who looked like a samurai and he smiled faintly at Buchou who was beside him.
*(Flash!)*
“Hime, this boy is the rumored Knight, correct?”
“Yes, his name is……it seems like he doesn’t have one.”
"Like Buchou said, I didn’t have a name. I had an alternative name as a test subject, but I didn’t plan to use that name. That was something I discarded away. I was no longer their experiment after all." explained Kiba once he noticed Erin's surprised look.
"Going back, I realized that the man was someone with exceptional strength from his aura. I made a sword and confronted him while I was very cautious of him. The man smiled happily by seeing my action and said-
“So you can make a sword? You must be a Sacred Gear possessor. Your stance……is horrible, but I feel some potential in you since you were able to sense a bit of my power right away.”
"The man came closer to me one step at a time so I ended up jumping right at him. I swung my sword to the side towards him but I lost my balance after he tripped me over by using his legs. My sword missed the target and ended up impaling the ceiling."
"I’m Okita Souji. That’s it. I’m going to train you starting from today. The man said it while looking down at me who is on the ground. He then requested Buchou if I can be under his care and Buchou agreed at this, which officially made the man my sword master."
Erin listened silently as Kiba continued his narration
"The place I was taken to was a small cabin built in the depths of a mountain somewhere. There were only trees in the surrounding; there wasn’t even the slightest sign of civilization, so it was a world where there was nothing. I found my master's actions suspicious so couldn’t help but ask him on what his motives are."
"And what did he say?"
"My master saw through my emotions at that time." Kiba replied in a solemn tone. "He saw the strong hatred and vengeance dominating through me. He told me that even if I try to fulfill my vengeance, I am still lacking in strength. He suggested that I forget about the fact that I was reincarnated into a Devil and also forget about Buchou and simply become stronger."
*(Flash!)*
"You won’t be able to take revenge
or do anything if you aren’t strong, you know?”
"For me back then, those words were enough to wipe out the obsession I
carried. It was more than enough to move me into one direction. And by the time I realized it, I was heading towards Okita Souji and following his teachings. What I learned from my master through swords was the mind and preparedness I needed to carry, and also how I would have to approach a battle. I was then taught how to determine when to use my sword."
"I can tell that Souji-san is a good master to you." Erin remarked with a small smile.
"Yes. It might be shocking but the first Devil I opened my heart to was—my
master. Mysteriously, I didn’t even plan to escape a single time from the mountain during those times." Kiba mused
Erin leaned on the wall and looked ahead.
"So.. how did you open your heart to the others? What made you accept them and not fear them?"
"Well, the talk with my master helped me on that. It happened when I went fishing together with him. Master then asked if I hate Devils. It was a sudden question but I answered with how we are usually taught to in the research facility. And that is, that Devils are the enemies of humans. They are beings that destroy humans. In response, Master asked me another question."
*(Flash!)*
“Then, boy. If you think that Devils are beings that destroy humans, does this mean that you think Rias-hime and I are beings that would destroy humans?”
"Buchou had been coming to the mountain at times to see how I was
doing ever since I was brought there. It seemed like she was worried about me and since I doubted her actions back then, I avoided seeing her as much as I could. However, I had started to feel deep inside me that Buchou and my master aren't really evil beings."
Kiba released a small sigh.
"I don’t know. That was the best answer I could give to master during that time. Despite that, master still smiled and his next words made me reconsider things.
*(Flash!)*
"Please think by looking at many things. At least you were given the choice to do so. Did you know how wonderful that is? Imagine just how many of those there are in this world that don't even receive the chance to think."
"After that, master taught me many ways to have fun. Not only did he teach me fishing, but he also taught me how to cook, how to make handicrafts, how to play card games, how to spin a top, and how to sing a song. He even taught me how to write Japanese symbols from the basics."
Kiba looked proud as he remembered his master
"Master shaped the person I am right now by teaching me gently. It was always under the sunshine when he taught me about certain things.
The blondes' expression turned stern again
"Then one day, a stray devil attacked me. It happened when I was making graves for my comrades at the open field within the mountains. I made swords delicately where each one of them had a different shape using my ability." Kiba moved his hands to emphasize the shapes.
"I stabbed those swords into the earth and made a bump. I could tell which one of the graves is which even without carving their names. That was because I could remember the face of the particular comrade when I was standing in front of their grave. I placed the flowers on everyone’s grave.
"After closing my eyes, I tried to leave. But that's when the stray made his appearance. He was a giant with a head of a tiger. He was a huge beast-man with the traits of a tiger on his body. His body was so huge that it was about five meters tall. Back then I was already informed about “Stray Devils” from my master, so I got the grasp of the identity of that monster right away."
"Thank goodness that he survived from that stray." The goddess thought
"The tiger beast-man grabbed onto one of the swords I made that was used as a grave. He used his big eyes to look at the sword enthusiastically. It seemed that the beast-man took an interest in my ability, and he planned to sell me to some nearby merchants."
Kiba took a sip of his water before continuing
"I got mad that he carelessly retrieved the sword that was used on the grave. I used my ability to make my own sword and dashed at him. We fought for a while but of course, his strength was too much for me at that time. He grabbed me by my neck and just when I was about to lose hope, Buchou arrived together with my master.
*(Flash!)*
“Don’t even get closer to that child than you already are. I need to pay you back for hurting that child. You must be a “Stray”? I wonder how you got inside this mountain. Being clueless sure is scary.”
"Buchou didn't even flinch against the beast-man who was several times bigger than her. The beast-man released me and twitched his eyebrows when he saw Buchou. He simply mocked Buchou and told her that he could sell me for a high price since I was a servant Devil of the Gremory. Buchou was in rage after hearing that and somehow, her emotions was able to affect me."
Kiba raised his closed fist.
"While I endured the pain that was running through my whole body, I slowly stood up and shouted my raged feelings at the beast-man."
*(Flash!)*
"It doesn’t matter whether I’m being sold or not. That isn’t important right now! The graves meant for my comrades…was something no one should disrespect! And more than that—I have no intention of ending my life right here! I can’t lose to the likes of you—! I’m going to get stronger in order to liiiive—!”
"I realised that something blew along with my shout. Then intense demonic- power erupted from my body which then spread around the surroundings. The next moment, many swords with different shapes started appearing from the earth in my surroundings. All of them were demonic-swords and they had different attributes."
"Wow. So that was the birth of your Sacred Gear skill.." Erin said in awe.
"I grabbed hold of the demonic-power sword covered in darkness. The sword that devours light. I named it as the Holy Eraser. I made a stance with the demonic-sword and jumped towards the beast-man. He tried to counter my attacks but somehow, my demonic-sword impaled the left eye of the beast-man who had his guard broken. I used some techniques on him which led to his downfall. I then spoke the words which was taught by my master.
*(Flash!)*
"I don’t think having just power is enough. If you’re a Knight, and if you’re someone who uses swords, then I think technique is the way to go.”
"The beast-man got enraged and he prepared to land a killing move on me. I had my stamina drained out so I simply awaited my fate. But before the beast-man can land an attack, a swift sound was heard and the beast-man was cut into pieces. Master was now standing between me and the beast-man. His movements were so quick that I didn't even notice him."
Kiba looked at Erin as he said the next words
"My master then fixed the graves of my comrades and he recalled our past conversation when we were fishing."
*(Flash!)*
“Boy. You said this to me before. —That Devils are beings that destroy
humans. I was the same. I also thought hard about it when I reincarnated. About quitting being a human and becoming an existence that represents evil. During that time, my master Sirzechs Lucifer said this to me.”
[I would like you to think on that on your own. I simply gave you a chance. How you would live and how you would spend time. That is something for you to decide. Except, would you help me with my job at times as my servant? I believe that swordmanship is something necessary for me. However, if you were to become a threat to the humans, then I’ll exterminate you as your master. But you know, I would like you to remember this. The Devils, the humans, the Angels, and other beings. There isn’t a being in this world that should be terminated.]
“Becoming a Devil that would destroy humans would be up to you. But obviously, you, Rias-hime, and I, are clearly not those Devils, right?”
"Back then, I didn’t understand what he meant. Except—. " Kiba smiled at the thought. "That I started to think that I should believe in the crimson haired girl that was fixing the grave really hard beside me."
Erin patted Kiba's shoulder and smiled in approval.
"After we somehow shaped the graves, Buchou, Master, and I walked the mountain path together. While we were walking, master asks Buchou a question."
*(Flash!)*
“By the way, Hime. Did you decide on the boy’s name?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if this child would like it……” Rias stared at Kiba gently and spoke his name.
“Kiba Yuuto. I thought of it mostly with my feeling, but how about it?”
"I smiled at the suggestion and nodded. I thought it was a good name, and after seeing my reaction, both my master and Buchou smiled."
"Your story... was really inspirational." Erin remarked. "It's like those stories where you can encourage people and say that May the shine be on you."
Hearing this, Kiba chuckled merrily and nodded in approval.
"Yes, that's right. After all, I was stuck in a dark past and it was Buchou and the rest who first made me see the light, and let the shine reflect on me."
-End of Chapter -