Y/N POV
"We declare this match a tie!"
The adult Devils announced the results. "Taking into consideration the sheer power both contestants displayed and the staggering destruction they wrought, we find it only fitting they stand as equals."
I was satisfied with this decision. It was my goal anyway. I looked to see how Sairaorg would take this news.
He was all smiles. Why am I not surprised?
After the healers were done with us, I stood up and walked to Sairaorg.
Now that everything was over, I finally introduced myself. "The name's Y/n L/n. It has given me the greatest pleasure to stand toe-to-toe with you on the battlefield, Sairaorg Bael."
"Y/n L/n," Sairaorg repeated. "I have heard about you. So the rumors about you were not wrong. Indeed, you are very strong. My words still stand; you are my sworn brother. If you ever have a problem you cannot resolve, call out my name, and I will come to you."
He gave me a slip of paper that had a magic circle on it. I pocketed it. "I doubt I will need it, but thank you."
"I also would like to make a small request," Sairaorg said.
"Sure."
"In the future, when you get stronger--and I know you will get stronger--let us fight again. Just imagining what new things you may bring to the field excites me. How about it?" He stuck out his hand for a handshake.
Well, you know what they say: two heads are better than one. Training can't always be alone, and I can't refine my skills without a sparring partner.
I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Sairaorg Bael, it was an enormous pleasure sparring with you. It would bring me great joy to knock heads again. I promise you, we will fight again, and when we do, I will be stronger. I'll make sure of that."
Sairaorg laughed. "Good fighting words! I won't disappoint you either. So be prepared! Farewell now."
He bid me farewell and disappeared into the crowd. The adults were almost done restoring the venue floor. No one was approaching me, so I decided to find a chair and take a few moments to rest.
When I finally sat down, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a furball. The furball unfurled; it was Emynth.
'Tired?'
'Yeah. Just let me stay like this for a while. Making and firing the railgun took more than I thought.'
'Whatever you need. Your work is done for the night.'
I slipped her back into my pocket.
Oh! I just remembered. Now that Emynth was with me, there was no one to watch Rias.
'Shortly after the fight ended, I caught a glimpse of her chasing after Koneko. They ran outside. I couldn't figure out why.'
I recalled my deal with Sirzechs. If Rias was the one that put herself in danger, I wouldn't lift a finger unless she was about to die. She chose to leave the venue of her own accord, so I wouldn't interfere until I felt her life fall into danger.
On the other hand, she was chasing after Koneko, meaning Koneko might've sensed something.
Then her voice echoed in my mind. "Let me become strong. As strong as I can be. As strong as you can be."
. . .
In the end, I decided not to go after them. She wanted to step out from my shadow; I would let her.
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Excuse me. Are. . . are you Y/n? The one that just fought Sairaorg?"
I looked up. A group of young Devils, twelve at the oldest, had gathered around me.
"Yes, I am Y/n," I told them. "Did you need something?" I even smiled at them in case they were still. scared of the power I displayed in the fight.
"W-we . . . uh, we were wondering. Um, who's your King?"
Hm? So they think I'm a Devil? And a subordinate one at that? Well, I don't blame them; it's supposed to be a gathering for only Devils. Sure, people who've heard of me might've heard that I'm human, but there was enough time between Kokabiel and now, that to them, there was a possibility I was claimed by some young scion.
I leaned forward and whispered. "Did your parents tell you to ask me this? Or one of your older siblings?"
As soon as I said that, all the kids began to fidget.
"Um. . . we're not supposed to, uh, tell you that," one of them said.
"Shh!" another chided. "If you say that, then he'll know for sure."
"You shush! Now he definitely knows."
Aha. I knew it.
"You know what? Forget what I said," I said. "I'll tell you. To be honest with you, I have no King."
"No King?! So are you a Rogue? Or are you your own King?"
"Neither. I was invited by a good friend."
"But how? Only Devils of prominent families are allowed here."
"Who said I was a Devil?" I retorted.
"!!!"
That shut them up.
And then the arguing started.
"Not a Devil?! Impossible!"
"He has to be lying! No human can have that much power!"
"Are you stupid? Who said he was human? What if he's a Fallen Angel?!"
"Fallen Angel?! Quick! Someone call our parents!"
Wow. Children's imagination really is something else. To go from shock to assuming the worst just because I said I wasn't a Devil, not even I could make that mental jump if I were in their position.
"Now now, children. Let's not panic," I said. "How about this? I'll clear up everything. I'll answer all your questions. How does that sound? Of course, if you want, you can go back to your families."
The children looked at each other. A moment later they all huddled together.
Hushed voices and quick glances in my direction every now and then. Someone raising their voice and then immediately getting shushed by the rest. A few even making an early decision and scampering back to their parents.
You know, typical kid meeting stuff.
A few minutes later, they split off into two groups, one larger than the other. The larger group said a few words, shook their heads, and went back to their families. The smaller group debated for just a bit longer, but in the end stayed together. They approached me cautiously.
"Deal," their spokesperson said.
I smiled. "Great. Now gather 'round."
The kids sat in a circle around me.
"Now, let me tell you a story. . ."
Koneko POV
It can't be. It can't be. It can't be!
I thought what I saw would help me, but it just led me to her!
Why is it her?!
She shouldn't be here!
"What. . . what is the meaning of this? Why are you here?!" I asked.
"A sincere 'I missed you' would've been nice," the mysterious figure in the tree said.
Only, I knew exactly who that mysterious figure was. She's the reason I was driven to the Gremory family. She's the reason I almost died when I was just a child. She's the reason I never felt at ease with myself. She's the reason I'm losing control.
Yes, she was my own sister, Kuroka.
She continued talking. "But forget that. I'm here to whisk you away from all the corrupt high society Devils, my dear." Kuroka extended a hand. "So come with me. Trust me."
'Trust me.' I remember hearing those exact words all those years ago, when I was so naïve that I actually believed them. In the end, it only brought more blood and suffering. No, not this time. I won't fall for her words anymore. Never again.
"Oi! Kuroka!" A voice suddenly said. From behind the tree Kuroka was lounging on, a young man with a staff walked out.
I recognized him. He was the one Y/n had a spat with after he killed Kokabiel. Descendant of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong.
Y/n. . . Just thinking about him made me ball up my fists.
I promise I'll come back stronger. Strong enough to stand by you. Strong enough to not need your constant protection. Strong enough to fight with you.
"What is it Bikou?" Kuroka asked.
"This conversation isn't private anymore. There's two little weasels trying to poke their nose in without showing the rest of their body," Bikou answered, nodding in my direction.
What? Not private? Two weasels? What does that mean?
Suddenly, the bushes near the tree behind me rustled, and two familiar figures walked out from within the bushes.
"My my, we certainly can't underestimate any member of the Khaos Brigade now, can we?" It was Rias and Issei.
"Rias! Issei!" I blurted. They followed me?
"With our sensitivity to qi, trying to sneak by us is nothing but a pipe dream for you," Bikou said.
"If you can say that so confidently, then you should've also sensed me keeping tabs on you," a booming voice echoed across the forest.
I looked up. Above our heads, high in the sky, the same dragon that made a ragdoll of me in our first training session appeared.
"Tannin!" Issei shouted.
"Red Dragon Emperor. I sensed you leaving, so I followed you. Who knew that two rats would be scurrying around under my nose," Tannin said.
Suddenly, a long wooden pole tried to strike at Tannin, but the dragon easily avoided it. "Hey! Who are you calling a rat! I am the descendant of the Monkey King!" It was Bikou. He was riding a golden cloud and flew up to meet Tannin.
"Do not worry, I will handle this monkey," Tannin said. "You three take care of that cat."
And then began a game of cat-and-mouse in the sky between a dragon and a monkey.
Rias turned back to Kuroka. "Kuroka. I know who you are and what Koneko is to you. However, she is a part of my peerage, my family. I won't let anyone lay a finger on her. Not even you, her sister. Especially after what you've done."
"Ara ara, I don't understand what you're saying," Kuroka sneered. "As older sister, it is my duty to keep her safe, not some high society Devil that forced her into their peerage."
Oh no she didn't. I won't let just anyone insult Rias. Especially after everything she's done for me. "Why are you here?" I repeated, glaring this time. "You abandoned me, nearly left me for dead. If it wasn't for Rias and her family, you wouldn't have a little sister to come back for! So why? Why did you come back? And what made you think you have the right to take me back after everything you've done?"
Kuroka sighed. "Oh dear little sister, there is so much you don't know. If you would come with me, I'll tell you everything. Sadly, I don't think your master would let me have you."
"She's not just my master, she's my family!" I shouted. "Something you would know very little about."
My sister's face darkened. She sat up from her lounging position and glared at us. "I didn't come here to negotiate. And before you say anything little Miss Gremory, I don't want to hear it from you and your kind, the kind with such a blind faith in themselves that they would never think that someone among them could be so perverted behind closed doors. I am going to take my sister tonight, and you will be helpless to stop me."
And she goes right back to acting like I have no independence. How insufferable.
"No," I spat. "You and your jungle pet will leave empty handed; I'm not going anywhere."
Kuroka raised an eyebrow. "Such venomous words. Did your new boyfriend teach you that?"
"Do not speak of him!" I shouted. "You have no right--urk!"
My legs buckled. I hit the ground with my hand clutching my chest, a burning, writhing power growing inside and threatening to break free.
No, not now! Why now?
I lifted my free hand. There was a small pale blue flame jumping across my fingertips.
Oh no. It's even worse than I thought. All my accumulated power could be released violently with any sudden movement. If I'm not careful, Issei and Rias will be caught in the blast, and I might kill them! Just like how Kuroka killed her master!
No! I'm in control! I won't let this power turn me into my sister, a killer. I won't let it.
As soon as I fell, Rias rushed to my side. I vaguely heard her voice as I struggled to contain the energy within. "Koneko, just focus on yourself right now. Do whatever you need to suppress it, Issei and I will make sure nothing happens to you."
I nodded and closed my eyes.
Rias POV
Only when Koneko closed her eyes did I move my attention away from her.
I balled my hand into a fist behind my back. It hurt to see Koneko so helpless, so hurt, yet I couldn't do anything about it. I raised that girl. I nursed her when she was ready to give up on life, and I showed her a better way. She was half a daughter and half a sister to me. The word 'family' doesn't cut it anymore.
And to think the reason behind all this was sitting in a tree right in front of me, without a care in the world.
Does she think she's won? Does she think we're that easy?
"Issei," I said.
"Yes president?"
I said to him with dead eyes, "If we're forced to fight, I'm giving you full permission to use me as you please. Grope me, lick me, I don't care how you'll power up. Just make sure this bitch doesn't lay a finger on Koneko."
His hand twitched. The corners of his mouth threatened to pull into a smile. Issei closed his mouth but his eyes roamed. But then he hit himself in the head.
". . . Yes ma'am. I'll stake my life on it."
Up in the tree, Kuroka leered at us. I stood up and met her gaze. "You don't have a single ounce of understanding of what's going on here, do you?" I said. "You have no idea what's wrong with your own sister, and frankly, I don't think you're going to make an effort to. You're so revolting you make me want to vomit, but you can't even see it for yourself."
"Don't lecture me on what's right and wrong, Devil," Kuroka snapped. "I know your kind."
I scoffed. "Me? Lecture you? On what's right or what's wrong? Don't make me laugh; you're just as bad as us Devils, if not worse. How about this? Let's bar your crime of killing your master. Still think you're not so bad? You slaughtered incessantly before her eyes, traumatizing her! You preyed on her weakness and abandoned her. You left your own sister for dead! Even dogs would not throw their own kin into the fire! Not even rats would break their family as you did. The moment you turned your back on Koneko, you surrendered the right to walk back into her life."
Kuroka dug her claws into the tree branch she sat on. She grimaced. I could see her holding back; she wanted to kill me.
Good.
"Don't talk as if you know what happened that day, as if you knew the true nature of my former master," Kuroka said through gritted teeth.
"Who said we were talking about your master? " I sneered. "I'm talking about what you put your own sister through. Kuroka, you were once Koneko's everything. Her joy, her hope, her only solace in this cruel world. And when she needed you the most, what did you do? You ran like a coward."
I put my hand on Koneko's head. She subconsciously leaned into it.
"Do you know what happened after you ran?" I continued. "Without a master, Koneko became a wandering rogue. Her bloodline made her an outcast to Devils and yokai alike. No one would stand up for her and everyone scorned her. When my brother found her, her execution date was already set; her fate determined, and the ruling: death.
"My brother, he gave Koneko to me to nurse, to raise, and to train. But, Koneko was like a walking corpse when I received her. No emotion, no response to pain, no willpower to do anything. I daresay she might've killed herself if I wasn't there for her. And truth be told, I don't know everything that happened between your flight and when I received her; what Koneko has told me may not be the full story. However, it used to make me cry, thinking about what a person could go through to fall so low.
"It took years of constant care before Koneko showed her first smile. And that day, I was beside myself with joy. This girl, who has crawled through unspeakable trauma, who was ready to die and not care at all, finally saw good in the world. And do you want to know what's happened since then? I doubt you do, but I'll tell you anyway. She's found people to call her own family. She's found a place to call home, where she feels she belongs. And most importantly," I gazed back at the faraway venue. "She's found a man who loves and protects her. And she did it all without you."
*tmp*
Kuroka landed on the ground. Her face was dark and there was a purple flame in each hand.
Issei stepped in between us. "Don't worry President, she won't touch you or Koneko." Boosted Gear appeared on his hand.
Kuroka growled. "So that's how you wanna play it? Fine, I'll take my sister from your cold dead hands. And then I'll hunt down that man-whore who dares to lay a hand on my sister."
The flames in her hand disappeared. She started to trace symbols in the air. Black mist diffused from where she was standing.
It spread fast, reaching us in a second. When it touched me, it was like my body shut down, and I fell to the ground.
"Issei! Poison!" I warned.
But when I looked, he was still standing. Only Koneko and I were affected.
Koneko. . . oh no.
"Unfortunately," Kuroka kept talking. "My poison mist is too weak for dragons. However, I'm more than capable of playing with you. I'll make sure you die a slow death, as well as that redheaded bitch you grovel to."
"Issei!" I shouted.
"Yes President?"
"Koneko!"
We both looked at her. Her cat ears and tail were out. The blue flame that was originally at her fingertips was spreading over her whole body. It must've been because of Kuroka's power. It catalyzed something inside.
I could not stop it. Issei had no idea how to stop it. We could only watch as the blue flames covered her entire body. And when they did, they grew larger and larger.
Koneko's chest glowed blue for a moment. Then something sounded like it ruptured.
And then everything went white.
Y/N POV
"Ah." I looked at my bleeding hand. Something erupted in the back of my mind and I subconsciously crushed the glass in my hand.
Something was wrong.
I slowly turned my head to the door. Emynth said they left a while ago.
"Koneko. . ."
To be continued. . .