Chapter 19 - Coming clean with the truth

Monday morning came with us being up and early, eating breakfast, we had spent the weekend being holed up inside the house with me either training, reading, or chatting with Rias on the phone.

"Val, I need to speak with you about something and I'll need your advice"

"Huh? Yes, of course"

"I'm planning to tell Rias about us being supernaturals"

"But isn't it too soon?"

"You have a point but if I want to have anything serious with her it needs to start without lies or obfuscation. We're already on the right foot and I don't want to continue with this unless I tell her the truth"

"I can see your point but can't you wait?"

"Honestly? I could, but that would go against my principles. I don't want to advance with her and then have to hold back because of a secret like this. Haven't you seen all the superhero comics? Secrets like these ruin relationships or leave them feeling venomous and hollow. How would she feel if, suddenly, I keep her at an arm's length for a long while until it all blows up in our face?"

Some may call me foolish for doing things like this but I refuse to tell such lies and hide such truths from my partners. Besides me being from outside this dimension, I held no truths back from Valerie, ever.

"Haa, I understand but you need to be careful"

"Indeed, also, Val, I think it's time I told you something that you will absolutely love"

"What is it?"

"Remember when I told you that Gasper is safe and you don't need to worry about him?" (A/N I hope she does cause the readers don't)

"Yes? Oh, you don't mean…!"

"Yes! He's a member of Rias' peerage and he's here in Kuoh"

"Really?! That's amazing, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, the thing is, we needed to establish contact with Rias. You see, Gasper has been sealed on the orders of the 4 Devil Maous"

"It's good that he's with Rias, she seems like a kind person but sealed? Why?"

"Rumour has it that he is the holder of the Sacred Gear Balor's View but he can't control it"

"Is that the one that can stop time?" I nod "I see"

"Yeah, that kind of power in the hands of someone that can't control it is dangerous both to the user and others. Plus, who's to say that someone won't try and use it against the devils?"

"Haa, I understand though it doesn't mean that I like it. So, why tell me now and not later?"

"Because, depending on how talking with Rias goes, I'm going to convince her to allow you to visit Gasper and later train him if need be"

She looks at me with a serious expression on her face.

"Do it Hiro, unlock max charm and do it"

"Hahaha, I'll do it. Though to get him completely unsealed will take the agreement of the maous and that's more complicated"

"It would be enough to see and talk to him again"

"I know, Val, I know"

With our talk done, we headed to school, prepared for a new day, a day that might or might not go well. Classes went by quickly and now, there I was, alone with Rias.

"Rias"

"Yes, Hiro?"

"Do you know a place where we can talk, alone?" At this, her face gained a massive blush, who knows what this pervert was thinking about.

"H-Hiro, it's too soon, I'm not r-ready yet!" she managed to say between stutters.

'Wait, 'yet'? Good sign, God this girl falls so easily but is so loyal'

"Hehehe, no, Rias. I just want to talk to you"

"Ah! Sure, we can go to the Occult Research Club, it should be empty for the next hour or so"

"After you"

So, we went on our way to the ORC, and man, was this place victorianesque creep-style or what. 'It fits the bill, I suppose'

"Is the place always so dark?"

"Yeah, I like it like this. What, you don't like it?"

"Nah, it certainly has an appeal to it"

We sat on the couch with Rias sitting next to me and I turned to her.

"Rias, what I'm about to tell you is something that I don't want to hold back anymore"

"W-what, don't tell me that you don't actually like Drag-so-Ball" she said, clearly trying to hide her nervousness.

"No, it's not that, you see… I don't know how to say it so I'm going to state it plainly I'm a supernatural" and I dropped the bomb.

*silence*

"W-what supernatural?" She said, scared and trying to hide her feelings.

"You don't have to hide, Rias, I know you're a devil"

She was shocked, understandably, and backed away a bit.

"Did you know?" She said weakly and with sadness.

"Know what?"

"That I was the Heiress of the Gremory?"

"Oh, that? Yeah"

"Is that why you spoke to me? Why you approached me?!" She was getting angry and her power of destruction was leaking out.

"Nope" I said, popping the 'p'

"Huh? Then why, Hiro, why?!" Tears were visible on the corners of her eyes. I understood why, all her life she wanted people to see her as more than just the Heiress, sister of Lucifer, she wanted to be seen as just Rias.

"It's because I like you, Rias" I said, hugging her softly while feeling the power of destruction slowly corrode my flesh and clothes.

"What?"

"I like you, Rias and I'd like us to be something more if you want. I like you not because of some devil business, I don't really give a damn about all of that"

"Why? Why do you like me?" She made a mock-try of getting out of the hug but it didn't even phase me.

"Easy, you're funny and smart and we share the same interests, plus you're drop-dead gorgeous" I added a small laugh at the last part. "Now, can you reign your power a bit? I'm getting crispy, hahaha"

She looked at me and noticed the tatters that were once my clothes. Also, my hands were in pretty bad shape, so I let her break out of the hug and recall her power.

"Hiro! When did this happen!?"

"Eh, when I hugged you"

*thwack* she hit me gently on the top of my head

"Why did you do it?"

"Cause I wanted to hug you?"

"You idiot! Quickly, we need to heal your arms!"

"Nah, don't worry about it" I said and spread my arms and activated my magic power, healing myself almost instantly "See?"

"What? How?"

"It's a part of my powers. Anyway, Rias, as I told you, I don't really care about your status or whatever, I want to know more about you as a person, that's who I like"

"What about Valerie?"

"Ha, if Val was here she would push the both of us together, she wouldn't mind, you can talk to her"

"Really?"

"Yep"

"I will, believe it!"

"So, do you have any questions?"

"Mmm, yes, what are you and is Valerie also a supernatural, I assume she is"

"Yes, Valerie is a dhampir and I… well I don't know what exactly I am but for now, the hypothesis is that I'm a Devil-Vampire hybrid"

"We'll talk about Valerie later I have a dhampir in my peerage as well, but how can you not know about yourself?"

"Okay, so it all started when I woke up in a forest when I was 12…."

So I began telling her my history, how I woke up without any memories, how I spent my first 2 years in Kuoh and how I then went to travel the world. I told her how I found and rescued Valerie, altering the story with the vampires a bit, and how Val and I then traveled the world until we came back here.

"Wow"

"Yeah, wow"

"So you don't remember anything before 6-7 years ago?"

"Nothing, not even my name or any family, I only remember the word 'revenge' everything else is blank"

"Hmm, I've never heard of news about a devil/vampire hybrid before, though if you were part of some big devil family, I'd imagine that your existence was suppressed"

"My theory as well, they might have hidden me and then, finally, decided to get rid of a stain like me before things got too public" *shrug*

"Oh, Hiro.." She hugged me, trying to comfort me.

I enjoyed the hug but I wouldn't let her pity me as I didn't even pity myself.

"Don't worry Rias, I don't really care about them"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have a great life, I've seen some of the world, I've studied magic and I'm growing stronger by the day. If they come up, I'll deal with them when it's time but not before"

"That's good" here, she paused "Hiro, I also have something to tell you"

I knew what was coming but I played along.

"Go on"

"You see… I'm engaged"

"Oh my"

"Please don't think about me like I'm one of those girls. I HATE this betrothal and the piece of crap that I'm supposed to marry"

"What does it mean about us?" I wanted to gauge her commitment and see her will.

"About us? I'll talk with Valerie first mister, don't think you've dodged that. But, seriously, I want to see where we are going and you don't have to worry about the engagement, I WILL get them to annul it"

"That's great, Rias, I don't want to abandon what might grow between us, not for some guy you hate. By the way, what is his name?"

"Riser Phenex" she spat out that name like it was month-old sushi from the gas station.

"I'll dig up some info about him, I have to know who I'm stealing you from, hahaha"

"Hehehe, anyway, we need to tell this to Sona, you know that she's also a devil, right?" *nod* "But we'll deal with it later. I'd like for you to meet my peerage first, you've already met Akeno but I don't think you've seen the rest"

"I'd love to meet them, and, speaking of your peerage, you said that you have a member that is a dhampir?"

"Yes?"

"What's his or her name?"

"His name is Gasper Vladi but he's currently sealed"

"Rias, did Gasper ever mention something about having a sister?"

"Y-yes, no, you don't mean…"

"Yep, I'm 99% sure that Valerie is that person"

"Whaaaat? I hear Gasper mentioning that she died"

"Not dead, more like imprisoned"

"Ah"

"Anyway, I would like for the two of them to meet, after all these years, could that be possible?"

"I think so, I can't unseal him without my brother's and the other maous ok but if they want to meet in his room, I think I can arrange that"

"You're the best" and with that, I kissed her cheek which promptly made her blush furiously.

"Aww, let me call the peerage so that you can meet them"

"And I'll call Valerie"

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A/N

Hope you like the chapter.

This part needed to be done and I wanted it to happen as soon as possible as I hate Needless drama that could have been avoided, the kind created by lies and misinformation.

Without Hiro outright telling the truth to Rias, any relationship that I would have created between them would end up feeling hollow to me.

That would lead to the cliche drama and distancing with them not talking to each other or with Rias ignoring them until the inevitable happened and he saved her from bla bla and they talk about their feelings. You know what I'm talking about and you probably read it a million times before.

So I wanted to say fuck that, no drama of that kind, life is already dramatic as it is, we don't need a will they won't they scenario.

Anyway, see you soon in the next chapter, where Hiro and Val meet the devils of Kuoh.

Thank you