Chapter 46: Introverts (and Death Cometh)
Xenovia yawned in her hand as she sat down by the living room's table.
In front of her was two slices of bread and a jar containing Nutella. The small knife was stained in the smooth chocolate as the delicious cream was carefully spread over the bread, her mind still refusing to fully address the other people sitting near her.
The first bite of her little toast was enough to restore some clarity back to her, her mind 'rebooting' at the delicious treat as colored blurs turned into clear figures.
The table was filled with various people, some she learned about the day before, others that she was completely unaware about.
Blinking, her brown eyes finally settled on Irina, the girl giving some inputs to the little chit-chatting happening with the few people there while also enjoying a steaming cup carefully placed away from the furniture's edge. She was smiling awkwardly at the others, her cheeks reddening just a little but Xenovia knew it was mostly nervousness dictating such reaction.
Also, was that milk in that cup?
Her nose picked up the fragrance of the sweet nectar, but she also noted some minor difference from the one she was accustomed to. A different kind of milk, she guessed almost instantly, knowing that there was something like… Soya milk.
"I see that you are finally awake, Xenovia." Hoitsu addressed her with a calm tone.
"Oh right, good morning." Her head lowered as her tone assumed a more apologetic denotations.
Her greeting was meet by the same words, some relayed in a cheerful way while others a little grumpy. Irina glanced at her and nodded.
"G-Good morning."
It was a softer reply compared to the rest of the group, but Xenovia caught it immediately. She avoided flinching, remembering that the reasoning behind such an awkward situation wasn't caused by anything… worrying.
While disheartened, Irina did seem supportive of her decision and, before going to sleep, she offered to give her some explanation after lunch.
Why lunch? Well, Hoitsu wasn't certainly going to slack over his duties regarding 'teaching her about people'.
It sounded so dumb, it made her feel dumb but she knew that some truth was present in that statement. She never engaged in friendly banter for too long, her lack of interests other than swords and the Bible turning out to be quite detrimental for her in the long-run, something the young man promised some solution about.
The bunch of people by the table were… quite unique. The owner of the house and Issei Hyoudou were the sole males in the room and yet she didn't feel anywhere as scandalized over the very curious males-females disproportion as there was nothing weird happening with these odds.
There were three age-related groups among the females in that specific moment.
Kuroka was the oldest, the Yokai just two years older than Hoitsu himself, and she seemed to be rather resourceful and knowing of the happenings around the cast of friends rallied for breakast.
Then there were those very close to her age, those were represented by Irina, Asia and herself.
Then there were the youngest, Koneko being the oldest of the bunch at 15 while Kunou was the youngest at 13 (and three quarters in the blonde's opinion).
Ophis looked young and she would have happily put her with the others but… there was something different than the rest. Her name in particular felt familiar, as if she had heard about it before… but she couldn't exactly pinpoint where and when did she gain this information and what it was about.
The dark-haired child behaved well, quite calm and quiet as she seemed to have eyes only for the oldest male in the house. She looked rather pretty in her old-style dress and Xenovia herself wanted to see how it felt patting the girl's head.
She was just so adorable to look at.
Some more time passed and soon the emptied mugs and plates were all settled by the sinks of the kitchen, the owner deciding to do the service of good host by cleaning the dishes.
A process that took some little time, but in the end the two of them were now alone by the living room.
Kunou, Ophis and Koneko had long retreated to the kitsune's room, Kuroka had gone to explore around the city, 'scouting her new town' she had said, while Irina had gone with Asia and Issei to properly begin her first day at Kuoh Academy.
Even though Michael was receptive of the brunette's request to be stationed in this town, the Archangel demanded that the girl committed to enlist to the local school and complete a proper education session.
There was some minor hesitation, Xenovia remembered how gloomy Irina would turn at the mere mentioning of 'school' and how she long preferred work to lectures. Surprisingly enough, the blue-haired girl wasn't forced to do such thing.
Hoitsu reasoned that she was far too much 'behind' to the Japanese school's curricula to be able to properly join the others at school. She had objected, saying that the Vatican's education system was good enough to allow her to join up and the young man was quick to give her a copy of the admission test.
Xenovia was given an hour to complete it and… she managed to do just two of the ten exercises picked up by a stupid computer and the fact it was told to her beforehand that it was meant to be passed by people her age with ease didn't certainly help nursing her bruised self-esteem.
The girl was so deprived of the chance of having something to do in her spare time, for good reasons, but still an annoying step back that left her bitter inside.
That bitterness was washed away by the fact she was going to be taught by Hoitsu Sakakibara. While the Church had little about him, the few reports she had gained in the past weeks were good enough to prove the validity of the man's words.
He was strong, much stronger than her, and incredibly influential. He just surfaced quite recently and yet he was several steps above her.
To be treated as his apprentice? Xenovia was unable to decide whether to be annoyed at the fact he was just a year older than her or to be interested at what she was going to learn from this individual.
Yet the first lesson started… much later than she had expected.
Another student, not an apprentice, but someone that suffered the same social ineptitude as hers… 'in a very different but similar manner'.
An odd way to precede the young student that came with Akeno-san. The young woman was kind enough, helping the feminine dhampir to sit in one of the couches as they waited to begin.
Her initial thoughts were that the skirt-wearing student looked particularly adorable, rather appropriate for a girl that young. Sadly, this initial report was smashed by the few words given so placidly by their mutual 'teacher'.
"Oh? Gasper is a boy."
A boy. That cute little dhampir that was fidgeting while looking nervously at the glass table between him and her, was male.
Her mind stopped working for a few moments, her face paling slightly.
"B-But why is he wearing a skirt?"
Indeed, why would a boy need to wear such an uncomfortable piece? Skirts weren't certainly loved by the former exorcist, the few times she was donning such apparel was because of 'duties for the Church'. Important events demanded a 'proper elegance', Griselda had told her more than once to no avail.
Xenovia preferred softer and practical pants to trouble-causing skirts.
The dhampir's eyes widened, pink orbs glancing just briefly at her before he bowed at her. "I-I'm sorry."
What?
She wanted to question more, but the tired look on Akeno's face and the sigh leaving Hoitsu's lips made the girl hesitate a moment.
"Gasper here is… a cross-dresser of sort." The young man replied in the younger male's stead, the dhampir blinking in surprise and looking away at seeing the smile directed back at him. "He is quite comfortable with feminine clothes… I would say close to how you prefer masculine ones."
A strange explanation, terribly curt but also somewhat revealing of the predicament in front of her. Gasper was incredibly shy, overly-introverted and he… wasn't good with people.
They shared some of those traits, but Xenovia had yet to grasp the real intention behind their meeting.
It was the very responsible for their 'education' that explained things once and for all.
"While I would certainly deal with both of you in a separate manner, I've realized that there is an opportunity you both could benefit from." He said, smiling deviously but… kindly altogether.
"Your first lesson will be… to introduce yourself to the other." He finished, glancing first at the dhampir and then to the girl. "Both of you will have to explore in a semi-formal manner your public image and entertain each other with your hobbies. Who knows, maybe you do share some similar perspectives and… get yourself a friend?"
This… was idiotic.
The young feminine boy looked ready to faint anytime now, clearly not as acclimated with the idea of speaking with a stranger as the man was trying to make it sound like. And how was she supposed to talk about 'hobbies' when she hardly had one?
"And now I will leave yourself to the task as Akeno and I will go to the kitchen. If you need anything, I remind you that this isn't a forced session and that you may ask for help if you require it."
While his words would have easily been taken by her mind as 'if you need some help, just ask', all she could hear in that very moment was 'the task is simple and we will not go forward until we finish it'.
It wasn't even the real meaning behind his warm kindness, but Xenovia was just… too frustrated to even bother correct herself.
In that conflicting session of thoughts, she hardly saw the two leave the living room and soon the girl realized she was alone with… him.
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"Do you think it was the right idea?" Akeno asked quietly once we reached the stools by the metallic table. "I know that you said that Xenovia-san is fairly harmless and that she isn't going to cause any issue… but Gasper didn't improve much ever since he was freed from his self-prison."
I blinked, taking two empty glasses and placing both and a bottle of water on the counter and taking a seat near the Himejima. Her concerns weren't completely off as I knew very well that Gasper was a problematic youth.
The Forbidden Balor View was dangerous if its user wasn't experienced enough to keep it under control and even its basic form was scary on its own.
The ability to stop time was… painfully similar to ｢The World｣, DIO's stand being able to bring the time-stop to the entire world, but then things turn… tricky.
The Balance Breaker allows the user to become a monster made by Darkness and shadows, something powerful enough to represent a fraction of the original Balor and cause some hefty damage to the user's opponent.
A very powerful tool that could easily collapse the very frail rules of Space/Time without some proper help given to the user… and that is why Xenovia was the best choice.
"She will crack his shell without causing any issues." I replied quietly, sureness washing off from my tone. "Gasper is in good hands."
I could see some hesitation within her features but I knew what I did was the smartest choice.
If I tried to approach myself the boy, knowing that my particular fame would become a reason to be distrustful of my intentions, the boy would have surely rejected any attempts of mine to try and get him to open up.
Xenovia was sadly a 'nobody' right now. There wasn't much to say, except that she just started a new chapter of her life. She was stubborn but also understanding in her own blunt way, something that is greatly helpful in helping introverts to open themselves to the world.
I didn't expect major progresses today and thus I decided to leave the bar very low just for that.
Slow and steady wins the race after all.
"You seem… tired." Akeno pointed out with a worried tone. "Do you get enough sleep at night?"
I blinked. "I don't have any sleep issues."
I felt my face a little tired, I guess that is a showing sign of minor fatigue.
"Paperwork is… a nightmare right now." I admitted, curious what her next step would be.
As much as she seemed ready to resume her usual attitude around me, it's been days now that she has been showing some… new restrain.
It wasn't the shaky attempt back when we went for a 'date', I could feel some genuine effort put behind her current calm.
As if someone told her what to… do.
I guess Baraqiel decided to spill the beans to her daughter. Either for his fatherly sense or because Akeno decided to press the 'right' button.
"That's good to hear." Her lips twitched, amusement playing in her face as her eyes relaxed at the news. "I can only guess that it's quite the atrocious mess."
I sighed. "You don't have any idea of the paper-towers I've to face."
I sipped at the glass. "And I'm not even using 'towers' as metaphors here. There are 5-meters tall stacks of paper waiting every morning now that there is a lot to do regarding reconstruction and other important reports to Grigori."
"I remember seeing dad having some trouble with his own reports about the attack but… I think your input is more important regarding your presence having created a major impact." She deduced and I nodded in response.
"Everyone is surprised at the suicidal move of Rizevim, Azazel being the least worried as he said he 'knows that crazy bastard' and… I think he is right." I concluded, deciding to relax a little at the knowledge I wasn't going to get jumped… yet.
Akeno blinked, a curious look spreading for me to see. "Truly? I think one should be worried about the… very culprit of the attack on Tokyo."
"If I had to pick a fictional character that best represents Rizevim, it would be Heath Ledger's Joker." I compared in a direct correlation. "Both strive in chaos, they aren't either good people, nor the worst scumbags. They do things because they think its the right thing to do… for themselves."
"The selfish bunch then?" She guessed and frowned at my quick flinch.
"If the man was selfish, then he wouldn't have bothered with the suicidal assault." I glanced at the now empty glass. "His ideal is selfish, the arrogance of embodying an idea and transcending."
"He thinks himself a… deity?" The Himejima half-asked. "You think he is doing this because he wants to be-"
"The hero of his own story." I finished for her. "He is a child playing with nukes, trying to have a metaphorical and literal blast while on the loose."
A quick smile, then she asserted once more her calm and kind exterior and I sighed.
"So, I do reckon that you are behaving quite differently from last time." I finally pressed my main interest now, something fluttering within her eyes for just a moment. "What happened?"
She giggled. "Worried about me, aren't you?" A blink, then she sighed. "I guess I was... given some advice from my father."
"I doubt he would give you some love advice." A playful smile was now on my face, she giggled again and she looked fairly amused herself.
"He didn't." She admitted mirthfully. "But he did tell me a little more about his time with mom, the time before I joined the family."
I didn't press on, the girl eager to reveal a little more about her mother's life while dealing with Baraqiel.
There was little known about Shuri except the funny snippets the Canon give about her relationship and, the more Akeno spoke about her mother's misadventures, the more I realized why she was being this… calm.
Her mother was a terrible extrovert, many times Baraqiel having to help her around while she dabbled with the notion of having a Fallen Angel under her care. Her family didn't digest that, it was a Canon thing too, but it was never mentioned how early this 'indigestion' turned into something far more 'murderous'.
Stubborn, headstrong, she ended up in terrible predicaments and only her husband's intervention would get her out of trouble. It was in one of these situations that she ended up stepping up to protect Baraqiel.
The umpteenth ambush had focused on the Fallen Angel and the woman had to resort to some smart 'Home-Alone: Forest Edition' antics/tactics to delay and kill the pursuers trying to kill her and her lover.
A sudden change within her personality as she began growing in the wise woman that would then bring Akeno to this world.
I nodded at the end of the lengthy tale and smiled at how giddy she looked at relaying this personal stories about her parents. The girl was proud of both her father and mother, and I guess that those tales did help her unlock the trauma-induced hate for her state.
She looked relaxed, that weight long gone now and… she sighed.
"Hoitsu-kun. Can I ask you… if you are free tomorrow morning?"
I blinked at the quiet question, my mind swift in informing me that tomorrow was Saturday. There was no school and… it could work.
I nodded. "I'm free, yes." I smirked a little at her minor happiness. "Why, are you asking me out, Akeno-chan?"
She twitched at the honorifics, cheeks reddening but then she tilted her head with a big smile.
"I am." The girl admitted cheerfully.
It's been a while now and… I think that this might be something… acceptable.
I don't know if I should be proud of your moral strength or bash you for being this hesitant with someone like Akeno.
I-It's complicated-
I know… I know~
"I guess that we will hang out-"
"Date." She interrupted, still smiling. "I'm asking you out for a date, Hoitsu-kun."
"Akeno-" Her finger pressed my lips closed and she shushed me to stay quiet.
"I know that you are a good man, trying to keep us all lovely girls happy with… being just friends." Her face slowly got closer, my very face burning a little at seeing her eyes so close and… her smile was just delightful. "But I can tell you that this path is going to hurt us all. I spoke with Kuroka-san and Akua-san, and we both agreed to… a compromise."
… "A wha-"
"Shhh." The Himejima shushed again, looking incredibly embarrassed herself… and yet the smile was there. "I admit we had some little issues about the modalities but we agreed that the best way to get our best ending was… sharing."
...Shit, things got incredibly complicated now.
They are cooperating. They aren't supposed to cooperate and-
My mind melted as I felt her lips pressing on my left cheek, dropping a kiss- "This is for being kind with us."
Then she moved to the right side- "This is for being so understanding and caring."
My eyes traced the following moves of her lips, a twitchy smile sending me in a little confusing state. "And this-"
Her lips…
Planted a kiss on my nose.
"This is for being a difficult conquest." She giggled, enjoying my shocked face from this close.
She stood up by the stools, ignoring my stare as she put on one of the aprons available. "I just remembered that I had to prepare some cake." She explained softly, even through I had yet to recover from that impressive tease.
She is incredibly good. But boy, she sure knows how to press our buttons now-
I don't know if I should be relieved or annoyed at being denied that kiss.
'Considering how beautiful she turned in so little? I think you should be angry at yourself for not catching the moment.'
Yeah, you did screw up the whole 'Carpe Diem' Quick-time event, methinks.
Slowly nodding at Akeno, I proceeded to take another apron and follow her instructions, my mind still facing a quick bout of dumbness after that scene.
I was going to have some troubling sleep now… and for good reasons.
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Gasper giggled as Xenovia lifted him off the ground, his thin arms latched on her muscled arm. The girl was smiling, the two having somehow ended up opening up to each other.
It all started fairly simple with him begging some deities to be taken away from that dreadful and nerve-wracking setup and safely returned to his kind and understanding box where he would then enjoy playing some games.
It's been a while now since he had the chance to play around with his PC or his portable console, but until earlier that encounter he never felt this much pressured to do something.
The young woman looked intrigued by him, the attention set on him getting him quite bothered and… terrified about screwing things up for Akeno.
He knew that Akeno's friend, Hoitsu (the very individual that created some issues for Rias' peerage) didn't plan this out of some sick pleasure, the Queen having told him about the issues related to… Xenovia.
The girl was quick to introduce herself, the formal and strict tone leaving him flinching for few moments as her voice was… strong. She looked strong, she was strong.
A shudder then went down his spine, the trembling starting to irk him a little and urge him to find a way out.
He introduced himself, slowly and with several stuttering, soon the boy expected to be mocked for his cowardly attitude.
But the girl didn't comment on it, rather she continued to stare at him silently and getting him even more bothered.
Finally the pressure forced him to take some initiative and the Dhampir blurted the first question he could muster.
"W-What is your favorite game?"
He was ready to rush away, already feeling like he had gone overboard- that maybe he shouldn't have been this forward and-
"I like Broomstick." She replied calmly, frowning a little. "It's simple and easy-"
"B-Broomstick?" What kind of video-game was that? Was it something she only knew or-
"The card game- Oh right, it's kind of a card game in Italy. I guess it's not present here in Japan." The girl explained and the blond paused a moment in surprise.
"A-Actually I meant video-games..." He whispered very softly, hoping that his disgruntled remark wouldn't be picked up by Xenovia.
"Video-games? What's that?" The blue-haired teen asked, looking completely clueless about this subject.
Curses, she has good ears too!
What was he supposed to do now? If he messed up the explanation he would permanently taint his honor as a professional player- but if he explained this to her then it was surely going to end up with her getting bored because of it.
With a great weight over his shoulders, Gasper knew that… he had to do it. For his honor, for his duty-!
"I-It's like a movie, j-just that you are capable of 'playing' as the protagonist and going through adventures."
T-That was terribly meek. This literally skip FPSs and RTSs.
The dhampir was ready to correct himself but the girl intervened a moment before he could speak.
"A movie? And you mean like something like a simulation or-"
She doesn't even know what movies are!
What a terrible realization, to learn that someone actually was unaware of the beautiful things that were part of 'modern art'.
Something stirred within the feminine boy and… he decided it was high-time to 'bring culture to the infidel'.
A lengthy explanation ensued, at first the stuttering persisted but then Gasper got grasp over it as he was allowed to talk more and more.
Xenovia was surprised at first, his outburst flooring her and keeping her quiet, but soon she got hold over her surprise and started to religiously listen the words of the dhampir.
Minutes passed, the boy's voice slowly losing some strength and soon the rant took a calm turn towards self-disappointment.
"I-It's just not fair. I want to h-help others, but I'm just weak." His eyes were hurting a little, the sign that he was close to tears at the topic he was unhappily depicting. "I-I wasn't useful to Rias a-and now things are so much different."
He sobbed, hands trying to hide the shameful tears falling off but soon his plight was answered as… a soft hand landed on top of his head.
He paused a moment, surprise taking him out from his somber moment before he fell back to hit, this time the warm hand starting to slowly move and comfortably helping him with that little inner struggle.
Gasper didn't notice until too late that he was pulled in a hug, Xenovia's head nuzzling close to his as she quietly lulled him out from that sad situation. His pink eyes were wide open, shock evident in those but… he didn't back away from the embrace.
The warmth was nice, he thought softly as his eyes slowly closed, the warmth is… kind.
It was nostalgic, how this was how his first friend used to pull him out from the gloomiest of times, a kind smile as the fellow dhampir that was Valerie Tepes hummed a lullaby, something similar to the tune leaving Xenovia's lips.
He felt his body relax and melt over this delightful climax and… he patted at her shoulder.
The girl shifted and pulled her head out from that close situation to look at the boy. He smiled a tiny smile and nodded shakily.
"T-Thank you." He said quietly. "I-I needed that."
He was blown away by the bright grin that was directed at him, his eyes widened just a brief moment at how happy it looked to him. "You are welcome, Gasper."
A positive chill went through his body and he nodded.
Xenovia blinked. "By the way, I… saw that you were looking at my arm and… I think I've an idea."
The blond frowned at the 'idea' the human had reserved for him and… he stared at her extended arm with a frown.
"U-Uh?"
"Take hold of it." She requested kindly. "I think you will like it."
He hesitated a little, his eyes returning to the arm and… his pale hands took a grip over her muscles. He was awed at how sturdy her arm was at his touch and then… he was lifted off.
Eyes widened even more, the boy surprised at the unexpected outcome from that encounter and then… he was brought down once more.
He blinked just a moment before the situation happened again and… again.
It was a silly activity, it didn't seem to have any particular sense and yet he felt like something was being spurred within his chest.
Soon the bubbly emotion made him smile and… he giggled. It was unexpected to hear himself giggle nowadays and this strange situation was impressing him more and more.
A chuckle left Xenovia's lips and the dhampir couldn't help but giggle even louder.
This… this was so fun!
And with that strange yet warm encounter, Gasper found another individual to trust upon.
It… it made things just worth once more!
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Somewhere far away… in an unknown location…
Rizevim snarled as he dodged the umpteenth scythe thrown at him, his regeneration promptly dealing with the cuts appearing on his skin.
He was alone, facing this incredible moron that decided it was a cool idea trying to desecrate the old family lands. The secret graveyard, a place where he had been careful to bury the rests of his deceased father had been breached by this cloaked bastard and for some reason none of his attacks were having success.
"I would advise you to cease with this senseless attacks, Son of Lucifer-"
"H-How about you drop dead and stick your formality up your re-" The explosion triggered just in front of his face sent the Super-Devil flying away, crashing down just after slamming several times on the muddy grounds.
For a moment, the Lucifer was starting to regret having left Euclid back to Qlippoth's headquarters to make sure the few Evil Dragons brought to life would get accustomed to his ideas and plans. This- This man was just that strong. How the fuck did someone like this exist and he didn't know anything about it?
Groaning, he jumped back to action as he prepared to engage this elusive dumbass without any restrain over his power. Kick, punch, explosive spell and- blade through his guts.
He spitted some blood, eyes widening in shock at how he was being man-handled with ease by this individual.
"You might be his heir, but you fail to stand up to him." The figure replied in a blank but mocking tone as he stared down at the wounded Rizevim.
"T-Thanks, I- I do try to suck." He coughed more blood but still managed to stand up from the floor. "B-By the way, what n-name should I engrave in your tombstone, fucker?"
He had been smiling until now, the very smile that made him the most awesome jerk Hell could ever deal with. Rarely he dropped his carefree act and… it just happened so suddenly.
"An interesting way to ask someone's name." The figure noted with some amusement. "But I guess I shall grant this to you."
A painful white noise soared through the world as the Lucifer was forced unconscious by the introduction of the being before him, falling face first to the ground as he felt forced to go asleep, to slumber in fear.
"My name is Azrael and I am the End of Everything."
Two black angelic wings formed behind the figure and Azrael jumped away from the raided graveyard, a large decorated box carefully held in his steely hold.
Things were changing and it was time to finally get his wish… granted.
For the Angel of Death seeks nothing more…
But the sweet embrace of truth.
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AN
Thank God I am a lucky moron.
As I've said in the forums, I ended up slamming the nerve in my elbow on a sturdy wall (aka my Wardrobe) and got it inflamed for a while. I thought I was going to end up having to suffer until tomorrow morning, but I was lucky enough that the pain subsided three hours after relaying the message and… this chapter is here.
Operation: Fluff, Fluff and Friggin' Fluff was… successful?
Also Important message: Next chapter will have the first lemon. Yes, you Sobs, I promised pron and I will give you pron but not in those sites where it is forbidden (AKA SpaceBattles and SufficientVelocity). I will deliver the Lemon in AO3 (The Daily Lemon), in Questionable Questing (the MT DXD NSFW Archive) and in… Fanfiction dot net. Indeed, we breaking my self-imposed rule for once, yay!
Future milestone 1: 820 Followers and Favorites.
