15 Chapter 15: Little Cat Sage

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 15: Little Cat Sage.

- Damien –

I looked at the man sitting opposite to me with a strange….nah, this guy's looking strange in the rear view mirror, head sitting in front of me and sipping tea.

The Leader of the Eastern Youkai Faction – The Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan, Nurarihyon.

He had arrived the very night I sent the message through Kuratabo.

I mean, sure, I expected him to contact him as soon as he could, but this was fast even for that. It had barely even been a few hours since we brought Akeno back when I was informed that Nurarihyon himself had come up to the place and wanted to meet me.

It was three in the morning.

Then again, one of us was an Ayakashi while the other was The Devil. Night was when we did our jobs.

"I had expected many people when I came here but this… well I can't say I was expecting a Lucifer to appear here of all places." He started putting down his cup on the table lightly.

"Am I not welcome here?" I asked with a slight tilt of the head.

"Oh nothing of the sort. I haven't had proper contact with Devils from your family… they are known to be a bit..."

"Arrogant and insufferable radicals?"

"Prideful… but sure, whatever you want to use." He shrugged.

"Well pride makes us what we are. I will not deny that." I accepted.

He then looked at the one who was serving us tea. Unfortunately Gretel didn't know how to make Japanese tea but Kuroka saved the day as she was taught these things by Magari and came to the rescue.

Her control over Nature energy was still a bit low but the energy itself was dancing to her tune.

The Five tails swinging behind her were probably what attracted the elder Youkai's attention the most.

He however tactically didn't ask any questions about her.

"I got your message from Kurotabo and I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the entire message, so much so that I thought I had misheard it. So, would you please repeat it for me? I'm afraid that my old memory cannot keep up with everything."

This old guy was still a High Ultimate Class to the borderline Satan Class even after being weakened after his fight against Hagoromo Gitsune and he says that his memory cannot keep up with everything… yeah sure.

"I sent him a message that I can lift the curse on your Clan by Hagoromo Gitsune about your descendants not being able to have children with other Youkai or Ayakashi."

He stared at me for a while and then spoke up, "Assuming you can do what it is that you have said, what would be the price of such a thing. I don't assume that there are such things as free lunches in the world."

"Says the guy who never pays for his meals." I smiled and he returned me one. "I need an alliance. I want an alliance between your Nura Clan and me, not the Lucifer house, not the Devil race… just me and my subordinates."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just that?"

"Well I also want to learn about your Fear and Senjutsu if possible but an alliance is my first priority. There are too many people who are out to make my life annoying, so it's best to make friends first. I know my or rather my family's reputation is not a shining example of friendship and all so how about we make a contract, a magical contract stating everything in clear words to lay aside any doubts."

He quieted down and thought for a few moments. "In that case, let me see the contract."

What followed was a period of discussions that lasted for a couple of hours just for the preliminary contract.

Nurarihyon will keep my secrets along with the Nura Clan. They will give this territory to Kuroka and support her as she is my subordinate.

They will teach our people Senjutsu and the Fear system if we can learn it without holding back or intending harm to us in any way.

In return, we will remove the curse from his family line and support their Clan in a mortal crisis.

It was a pretty basic contract but we finally managed to iron out the few details.

I in return made some broker contracts to remove their curses to others.

It would be pretty easy for him to coerce someone else to sign that contract and wipe away the said being later to finish off the curse.

He was however sworn to not speak or inform anyone else of my powers in any way either directly or indirectly. This was also a part of the contract.

"This has been a very good day. I look forward to working with you Damien." He got up to leave and I accompanied him to the gates.

"No, no. The pleasure is all ours. If you need anything, please contact Kuroka and she can send me a message. I will contact you myself."

"Hahahaha Kuroka is a very talented child. I knew that. But this sudden growth has just… She is very lucky to have a kind and caring master like yourself."

"Obviously nyaa, my Master is the best nyaa." Kuroka purred at the compliment, all five of her tails swinging side to side.

"That he is. Now, just a piece of friendly advice. I don't know how you have gained so much power so suddenly but you still don't have any control over it. Actually I am more surprised with how obedient the nature energy is to you. I have only seen similar affinity in two other beings, Sun Wukong and Inari No Okami herself. Their control and power was far above yours though. No matter how you have gained this ability, train it well and the Youkai can have a new Sage in you. The difference between a normal Youkai and a Sage is enormous, Kuroka. Even the likes of me and Yasaka wouldn't stand a chance against that old monkey. You on the other hand have chanced upon such an opportunity of a lifetime; don't let it go to waste. I will ask Magari to handle your training herself and see if I can get in contact with that old monkey to see if he would teach a new Sage. Don't worry. Your connections will not be revealed. I do have a few favours to cash in here and there and the old monkey is actually a very generous fellow in general." He explained to me when I looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Why though?" I really didn't understand this.

He sighed lightly. "You really don't understand the situation of Japan's Supernatural World, do you?"

"I have some ideas but not in much detail. I know that the Youkai Factions are mainly divided into two sides, the Eastern Youkai Faction headed by the Nura Clan and the Western Youkai Faction headed by the Nine-Tailed Fox Yasaka. There are obviously several other groups like the Shikoku Youkai but they don't have a major hold on the land. The Human sides are divided among the Onmyojis around Kyoto and the Five Principal Clans, the latter of which have the Blessings of the Shinto Deities and possess the Five Divine Beasts. Then there is the Shinto Faction itself, headed by Lady Amaterasu. Obviously there are many encroachments by the Abrahamic Factions but they are not really major players from what I am told. Did I miss anything?"

"Hmm, that's more or less accurate. Although, there is still Yomi and Lady Izanami but let's leave that aside for a different time. The relationships between all these factions are very complicated. The Onmyojis were more or less non-clan people who were brought to prominence by Abe no Seimei, the son of Hagoromo Gitsune. He was planning to resurrect himself into a higher being and break through his limits by using a certain ritual. I had fought and stopped the ritual back during my youth and met my wife then. Ah, those were the days. *Cough* *Cough* So in general, the Onmyojis are in a way looked down upon by the Five Principal Clan members who were directly blessed by the Shinto Gods. They do everything to make sure this part is known. Any unblessed member of the Principal Clans or any born with a Sacred Gear is ostracised or directly exiled. Huh? What's with that look on your face?"

"Ah, you see…." I went on to explain what had happened a few moments ago to the man.

"Yes….that does sound like them. Still to think they would have the guts to walk into my territory, even with Hihi dead and to hunt such a child….they surely don't know their limits. Don't worry. From the agreement we have, presided by Lady Amaterasu herself, they are not allowed inside the Youkai territory, especially the ones in the Eastern side which contain a greater proportion of Ayakashi. This happened after an almost country-wide civil war happened when an idiot from the Five Principal Clans had killed the son of a prominent Youkai Faction, a Dog Youkai, Inuragi with fifty nine demons behind him. Even after the murder, their attitude was like killing a bug and that pissed off the Youkai a lot. The Dog Youkai are very loyal and thus many Youkai Clans had gathered to help them. The Shinra Clan would have been left in tatters even if the Youkais would have died under the attacks of Byakko. This was however stopped by a timely intervention of Lady Amaterasu who punished the guilty and drew up a treaty for us. The areas between the Clans and the Youkai were finely divided and they were banned from entering the area belonging to the Youkai Faction. If they did break this rule… I will take care of any backlash from their side. After all this was their fault. As for the Devils… they will not hear anything from me. That's the best I can do for you."

"That will be enough. My thanks for this." I gave a bow.

"So back to the politics of the Japanese Supernatural World. Our Youkai Factions, while under the Shinto Pantheon as a whole, are its own independent factions. Lady Amaterasu doesn't interfere directly in our rules, less so for me than Yasaka-hime as she is Lady Amaterasu's Miko. This setting does give us a high degree of autonomy but it also comes with its own share of drawbacks. We don't get any support from the Shinto Pantheon. We have to depend on our own strengths. This is the same case with the Youkai in China and other countries. Thus older Youkai like the old monkey Sun Wukong often help promising youngsters among Youkai so as to build a backing for the Youkai in the world. Do you think that anyone would dare to look down on Youkai and Ayakashi if we had one of the Top Ten Strongest Beings in the world? Any Devil would dare to be so brazen about forcing Youkai into their peerages if we had a stronger backing?"

I listened to the old man and tried to find lies in his statement.

I found none and he continued.

"Even if Kuroka is your subordinate, as long as she is a Youkai, her identity alone would help us. The same is the case with Shirone. If these two can become as strong as 'The Victorious Fighting Buddha' or 'Lady Inari', someone who can trounce any Devils except the anomalies with ease, our faction will be more secure. The strong Youkai should protect the weak youkai. This is the philosophy I believe in. This is why I created the Nura Clan in the first place."

No lies.

Starting from the very start of this speech, he did not lie.

Well, this kind of trust is something I can reciprocate.

"If that's the case then please do help Kuroka. I give you my full support. As for Shirone, she is very young right now. It is better that she trains normally. I will arrange something for her when it is safe for her to make the jump. The method Kuroka used might not be good for her at this time because of her age."

He nodded.

I wonder if the Negative Fruits will be of any use to the Ayakashi since they are beings that thrive on negative feelings like fear of others.

But it's better to leave it for later.

We discussed several things. I got to know of several pieces of history that I didn't know about.

Like, Yasaka was assigned the territory of Kyoto by Amaterasu after Nurarihyon had defeated Hagoromo Gitsune and the throne of Kyoto had been empty. It needed a Nine Tailed Fox to control and manage the Leylines so Amaterasu sent her own Miko to manage the territory of Kyoto. She has since then led the Kyoto Youkai. Another thing was that Hagoromo Gitsune had eaten Nurarihyon's heart during that battle and this had led to him becoming weaker over time and age much faster than any other Ayakashi of his strength would. That's a wound that hasn't healed even now or he would have been stronger than his current self.

- Scene Change –

I didn't have any Binder Marks to my name. All thirteen of them were used.

Vienna, Gretel, Ophelia, Cleria, Charlene, Victoria, Helena, Alicia, Lavinia, Kuroka, Shirone, Celine and finally Rias.

Even the one I kept in case of emergencies was one but I guess this did count for an emergency.

Having an in with the New Satan other than Charlene would be helpful. I do remember that Rias was still one of the strongest devils of her generation. The only two who were stronger than her were Sairaorg and Vali, both of whom had a very rough childhood that forced them to become stronger. That said, with less than a year of training, she could defeat Grendel, an Evil Dragon which was a solid Ultimate Class in strength. Furthermore she fought Grayfia to a standstill in the Azazel cup.

While I do remember her getting a lot of hate, people always ignore the positive facts more often than not. She did face Riser's entire peerage with only four of her own and one of them was a newbie and almost took out everyone. As someone who hadn't ever participated in a Rating Game that was quite an achievement. As for the issues of her peerage, I blame it on her parents. It is an adult's job to help children in their house with such problems. One cannot expect a teenager to know about complex psychological problems. The fact that she got them to open up was already more than one could say for anyone. The last but probably the most important part was the loyalty for her peerage. That's a thing rarely found in others. While she did want to win the game, she gave it up, not defeated although that might have ultimately been the result but gave up the game when threatened with the life of her peerage member. A selfish person would have fought till the end out of sheer stubbornness. Although the result could have been completely different if this fight had taken place when it was actually supposed to happen.

I wouldn't say that she didn't have her faults but she was probably and surprisingly the most normal/sane person among all her peerage members with a little bit of proper guidance, she could become someone really amazing. I just need to provide her with a proper incentive.

I on the other hand had always disliked Akeno because she actually held back in that Rating Game, even when her best friend's, her King's future was at stake, she still clung to her fucking pride and unwarranted hatred of her blood. That was borderline traitorous for someone like me. The worst part was that she was never blamed for it.

Shirone was afraid that she would lose control and hurt her peerage. This was also to blame on the devil's that spread the false information about Senjutsu causing madness. Kiba fought with all he had. Only Akeno held back even when she could have single-handedly changed the entire outcome of the game.

Anyways, that was in a different world. I was looking at a completely different Akeno, someone who my cute little gremlin has taken a shine to. I just need to make sure that she is straightened up. Maybe give her to Gretel who has the experience with this kind of thing or Cleria. Ah, Ophelia also works as a Psychiatrist because of her 'Bewitching Voice'. She needs to take a look at her first.

She does have potential. In fact, she has a lot of potential, I wouldn't deny that. But all that potential is only good in the hands of a mentally stable individual.

"You know Boss," Sean called out from beside me, breaking my train of thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You could have been in great trouble when you made that deal?" he continued with a smirk.

"Oh? and how is that so?" I asked, smiling.

"If they had agreed to it and just left, you would have been stuck in the place and left helpless." He smirked.

"Ah, you realised that…"

"I did. Thankfully they didn't."

"But it wouldn't have changed the outcome regardless. If they had tried to leave, Gretel would have killed them on the spot."

…

I looked at his dumbfounded look and smirked. "I said I wouldn't take help from Musashi, Vienna and you. I never said anything about Gretel who was behind them the entire time."

He looked at Gretel who nodded slightly.

I couldn't make my words more obvious because they would have doubted that there was something wrong with the deal so I had to improvise.

"Gretel… please have Akeno go through health checkups and explain everything to her and then take her to sessions with Ophelia. She has gone through a lot of mental trauma. These things can scar people for life. It would be good if Ophelia took a look at her. I will explain her situation to Ophelia myself."

"Yes Master." My cute maid bowed and escorted both Vienna and Akeno out of the room.

Sean scooted near me and whispered. "Say Boss."

"Hmm."

"So if Boss Lady was there… didn't she hear about that…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I mean… you know that… about you 'taking a peek' thing that the shorty said." He whispered.

Ah…

"What! Don't tell me you didn't realise that."

"Vienna was just being jealous. Gretel would know that." Yes. My little maid is very understanding.

"Now you are just deluding yourself." He sighed and slumped on the other side of the couch, eyes closed.

I looked to the corner of the room where a Magic Circle appeared and Merlin walked out of it. I had sent him to inform Azazel about this incident and that Akeno was now staying with me.

Merlin sat down, took a breath and started, "Azazel was surprised that we even met her. Apparently the Himejima had spread the news about her among the Devils and wanted to throw her to them which would have more often than not led to her death, a less likely scenario was for the Devils to reincarnate her as a Devil herself, either way she would be out and the Fallen Angels wouldn't be able to blame them either. Fortunately Sirzechs had heard of this and contacted Azazel who had asked him to help her out as some… unsavoury elements among the Fallen Angels were acting up. Her life would have been in danger if she had entered Grigori. He didn't mind that she ended up with us, just that he wouldn't have to owe Sirzechs a favour and all."

The Fallen and Barakiel couldn't raise a big fuss about Shuri because she was technically still a member of their clan but killing Akeno would have been the straw that broke the camel's back. I had often thought that it was weird that Akeno was able to escape from their chase for an entire year. These bastards were just leading her till they found a shoulder to fire the gun with.

"So no actions against the Himejima Clan members?" Sean asked.

Merlin actually sighed. "The matters are not so simple. The previous host of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird is on her deathbed and the Divine Beast was going to choose its new host. Shuri Himejima, despite what those old bastards said, was one of the top contenders for being chosen before being driven away. She did after all carry the blessing of the Shinto Deities and the blood of their clan – all the conditions needed to become the new host of the Divine Beast, Suzaku..."

"And they were worried that she would side with the Fallen." I asked.

"That too but this was not all. Akeno… also possessed the blessing of the Shinto Gods, her spiritual powers that she used for exorcism were proof of this. The Vermillion Bird chose the best possible host for itself who would be able to harness its power to the fullest. It doesn't really care about their race as long as they had the blessing of the Shinto Deities. This caused them to be afraid."

"Because with her Fallen Angel Heritage, Akeno would most likely inherit the Vermillion Bird and the Fallen would then claim her, most likely robbing a Divine Beast away legally, somewhat. Even if Azazel himself didn't want it, other more radical ones would have shouted for it. If she were to die however or somehow be turned into a Devil, a being of demonic nature, the Vermillion Bird wouldn't touch her, blessing of the Shinto Deities or not. That was quite smart of them." I thought over the information closely.

The Himejima were on the cusp of losing their Divine Beast, the source of their clan, so they had to take drastic actions even risking the wrath of a Fallen Angel like Barakiel to do so.

However the question remained, what happens now that I have taken Akeno with me?

I haven't turned her into a Devil. Will the Vermillion Bird really seek her out?

Now, that was a massive headache.

I should have killed those bastards, when I had the chance.

Should I make Cleria or someone else reincarnate her with their Evil Pieces?

"You are thinking about reincarnating her with Evil Pieces." Merlin asked me.

"Yes."

"Why? Why even do that? From what I know, they lost their end of the deal and Akeno to you. They cannot even claim her now. If she gets the Vermillion Bird, it would be a proper slap to their faces." Sean spoke up.

"A slap and a political mess." Merlin countered.

A political mess, alright. That's one way to see it.

There were always reasons for actions. Thinking about it from the Himejima's point of view, leaving their Clan's source in the hands of unstable elements was foolishness and that much even I could agree upon. As the Clan leader, Suou Himejima, did have the responsibility to prevent such a thing from happening. Sure there could have been other ways but a leader wouldn't leave such things to chance. This also explained why they only attacked Shuri and Akeno after such a long time.

The world is so similar and yet so different from what I had read.

Things were not simply black or white here but rather different shades of grey.

If I remember correctly, they had attacked Shuri on the day of the ceremony where the Divine Beast was transferred. There was a change in this world.

- Venelana Gremory –

Venelana took the dinner to her daughter's room.

Rias had missed her food twice in a row now. She was starting to get worried; especially since it was after she had come from that incident.

Agrippa was questioned thoroughly and he didn't say anything negative about… that person. She still felt her spine chill at the calamity they had avoided.

Souji had reported that the assassination was successful. It was disguised as an inside job by the rebels.

The problem had been when they tried to find the… him. That face was something that was engraved in their minds already as someone who deserved the utmost respect since their childhoods and even now, even after knowing that it was not the same person, she couldn't bring the name to her lips… and she was supposed to be the mother of the current Lucifer… What an irony.

She remembered the boy's comment about the rest being normal devils while he being The Devil and had to agree that there was a bit of truth to that statement.

The area where the incident had occurred was under a new Youkai. Nurarihyon was extremely tight lipped about it, only saying that she was an ally of his and not a subordinate but one that they would support no matter what. That statement had made his stance more than clear on this matter.

Souji and Mathers were forced to return. They did go to introduce themselves to the new owner of the territory and everyone was currently waiting for their return and report.

She knocked on the door and entered the room only to find an unbelievable sight in front of her eyes.

Rias was at her study table, a book of magic opened in front of her.

She slowly walked up to her and placed the plate of food on the table and sat by her side.

"What is all this, Rias?"

"Ah… mother! I… I was studying."

"I can see that but, why did you skip your meals?"

She realised as her eyes widened slightly. "You didn't realise?"

She took her daughter in her embrace and caressed her head softly. "Do you want to talk about that day?"

"Umm…"

"I know something's been bothering you Rias. You have been in a daze since you returned. So, tell me about what you are thinking."

"I… I wanted a friend. I thought she could become my peerage member and then we could be friends. I am happy that she is safe but also a little disappointed."

She held out a sigh. It was the fate of people of their birth status to be cut off from most of the world, for their safety. This however made the children very lonely. It was one of the reasons why they doted on them so much, the rarity of birth being the other. Sirzechs hoped for the same.

"We cannot have everything in the world, Rias. Most of the time, we have to face disappointment. Even things we get, we need to work hard for them. Now tell me, why the sudden studying. Not that I am not pleased with it but I would like my curiosity sated."

"I… those people and that Vienna girl were fighting so hard to save the girl. I… couldn't do anything. She looked even younger than me and yet she was so cool." Venealana sighed inwardly. She had thought of this. After all, what child would be unaffected by such an incident? Rias wasn't taught to fight and kill yet.

Such an incident might be a shock to her, not to mention the strengths of those people, even if the said people were… them.

"And then there was him." Rias continued and Venelana suddenly noticed the change in her daughter's entire demeanor. "He was so cool, mother. He walked so calmly and then he just looked at one of the bad guys and the bad guy fainted, even foaming from his mouth. He even blasted off the Vienna girl's cool armour with the flick of a finger. That was so awesome. You should have seen it. The girl wasn't even hurt by that. It was like straight out of a manga."

She found her mouth slightly open at her daughter gushing about who could literally be the descendant of the Devil. She understood it. Lucifer always commanded a charisma that everyone was attracted to. If he hadn't been with Lilith alone, there would probably have been scores of girls lined up to be with him. In terms of charm, he was above even Asmodeus, who was a Sex Demon, the literal personification of lust. Then again Lucifer was the Angel of Desires before he rebelled. Other people being attracted to him were not that unexpected of a thing.

"… and then he blew slightly and all that fire was completely blown away. You should have looked at it Mother. Even Agrippa was having trouble making a barrier and we weren't even close. One of his people helped us make a barrier instead and he… he just stood there, it was so awesome." Her daughter quieted down to take a breath and Venelana noticed the slight flush on her daughter's face.

Oh Satan.

"Rias."

"Umm."

"What do you think about him?"

"He is very cool and so courteous. Not like those kids from the other Pillar Houses who always try to pull each other's legs when they can."

"Do you like him?"

…

"MOTHER!..."

"It's not that much of a surprise dear. From what I have heard and seen, he is quite a looker and was very strong and courteous as you have just stated, so do you like him?" she asked.

Her daughter fidgeted and her feelings couldn't be any more obvious.

"I… might… maybe… just a bit… maybe slightly." she whispered towards the end.

*Sigh*

This time she couldn't hold her sigh.

While her daughter having a new crush would have been adorable and she would spend months teasing her about this, the person in question was anything but ordinary.

She had to address this while things were still in control.

"Rias." Her daughter looked up and she continued, "Do you know who he was?"

"He… was Lucifer, right? I mean not Onii-sama but the previous one? I mean he had twelve wings. I have read about that in my books and lessons."

"His descendant, but yes."

"Oh."

She thought of the words to explain to her daughter about the politics but, a child of her age? So she changed her approach.

"He probably has many other girls who like him. You did tell me about another girl that his sister talked about, right?" she asked.

Rias nodded.

"They were all strong from what I could guess."

She nodded again.

"So you can understand that it will be hard following him. If you nurture that feeling, there is a high chance that you might be in for disappointment later in your life and… and that will hurt more than what it did today."

She watched her daughter become quiet. It was cruel of her to shatter her daughter's hopes like this but it would be for the better lest she not face a much cruel one later.

….

She watched as Rias became quiet for a bit.

"It's alri…."

"Mother."

"Hmm."

"I want to become stronger."

Venelana felt her heart miss a beat when she saw her daughter's eyes. "What?"

"I lost a chance to have a peerage member and a friend today and it felt bad. I don't want to feel that bad again… especially not without trying. I want to become stronger. Those people were so strong. If they can become so strong, then I can too. Please. I don't want to lose next time."

Her words died in her mouth. Perhaps that was not the correct way to make her daughter give up on something.

At least something good could come out of it.

She could get her to train. As for the childish crush of hers, that would fade away in time. After all, how often would she see the Devil's literal look-alike descendant?

In the meantime she could get something else from her daughter.

A Devil always made deals.

"In that case, you need to promise me to not tell anyone else about what happened on that day. There are many people who would want to get to him, whether for good or bad purposes. So, promise me that you will not tell anyone about that incident and we will have a deal."

"Deal." Her daughter cheered up.

Well, it had been a few hundred years since she trained someone. Sirzechs had needed little to no help with his power. Rias needed her more.

"Then first things first, eat your dinner. I want you up at five O' Clock next morning. I don't like slackers for my students."

"YES MOTHER!" the adorable little thing saluted and she found a smile on her own face.

- Nurarihyon –

He watched as Rikuo left the room, the taint of Hagoromo Gitsune's curse fading away from his spirit. Looking at the contract in his hands, he laughed. Making a Deal with the Devil, a term that was used to scare people just like the Youkai. In a way both of them are quite similar. Both evil beings, hated and persecuted by humans, hunted by exorcists and defamed all around the world. This was one of the reasons why he didn't mind making this deal.

He did realise that the boy was far different than normal Devils.

He had after all met the one who was using the Lucifer name to rule the Devils currently and while a humble fellow, he… didn't have… that fire. The presence of the King that the mere teenage child exuded just by sitting in front of him. The new Lucifer was… more like a warrior, a very strong one at that, a politician maybe, a good man no doubt, but… he wasn't a King, one of the reasons why he was browbeaten by his so-called council so often.

While he might not have seen the original Lucifer, if he was like this or even stronger, he could see how someone like that established an entire race by himself.

The door slid lightly and he felt a presence enter the room.

"I take it that you have already met both your apprentices?" he asked, pouring out tea for both of them.

"I did." She picked up the cup and took a sip of her tea. "You could have warned me. I almost had a heart attack when I sensed her power. I was fully convinced that it was someone else disguised as her. Those three extra tails and the Nature energy all around her, do you know how this happened?

All I got from her was that it was her Master's gift and she refused to say anything beyond that. I didn't force her to talk about it."

"That was probably for the best knowing who their Master is."

"So you know him?"

"I did. I met him yesterday. He had sent a message through Kurotabō that he could remove Hagoromo Gitsune's curse from my bloodline."

Magari spit out her tea and he felt a smirk light up his face. This was exactly what he was waiting for.

"You….HE WHAT!"

"He offered to remove Hagoromo Gitsune's curse from my bloodline."

"That's bullshit. We have already tried everything we could during Rihan's time. There was nothing we could do to break it. Even Yasaka-Hime was unable to do that and the Shinto wouldn't participate in such squabbles according to that stuck up bunch, only acting high and mighty when it suits them. How could a teenage devil boy, no matter how influential, do something like that? He must have wanted something from you." She scoffed and took another sip of her tea while vanishing the spill-out from earlier.

"Oh that he did. By the way, the curse is gone."

She did another spit-take.

This time she didn't wait for anything and jumped at him, her Senjutsu and Youjutsu spells flashing as she scanned all his body. Her eyes widened with each spell that she cast until she was left with an open mouth staring at him. "This… How? We tried so hard, for so long? How can… so easily? Just who is this boy, Nurari?"

"He is The Devil."

"Which house? What is his name? Kuroka and Shirone absolutely refuse to open their mouths. The one who passed them to me was an unknown devil. I did try but I couldn't find any trace of them anywhere when they left to meet their Master. I gave up trying after a few times. I believe they were using some special kind of magic or maybe some sort of artifact for travelling from place to place and hiding their traces and bases."

"I would think so. As for which house, I already said, he was… The Devil."

The reality finally settled in as she realised the identity of the person.

"Sirzechs Lucifer?"

Or not.

"No… the real one. This one was the real deal, not just someone using the name to rule."

"The Lucifer house… why?" She got up from her place and started pacing around the room. Magari was always cool and composed in front of others but she was just as excitable in private. "They have stayed out of all worldly affairs for a long time… then why? Why would a Lucifer take Fujimai's children under his wings? This… I don't understand it. He dispelled your curse, what did he ask for? You said he wanted something? What did he want?"

"He wanted an alliance with us and his subordinates, a couple of people to be taught about Senjutsu, Youjutsu and our Fear. This guy was apparently cutting off ties from his family or at least trying to and needed a helping hand. This was his offer. I accepted it, especially after seeing what he had done to Kuroka? Did you find any abnormalities in her? I am not an expert in Senjutsu so I couldn't check them properly. As for his trustworthiness, he offered a magical contract which I signed. I cannot reveal his methods of curse removal to anyone. But here's the contract." He placed the contract on the table for her to view. She was after all his Vice Commander.

"Oh." She sat back down upon hearing about the contract and viewed it. "This… this seems quite simple." She checked it further with her spells.

"I know. But I can assure you it is very much a binding contract."

She closed the contract and handed it over to him and composed herself again. "I checked Kuroka obviously. There was nothing wrong with her except a certain bit of cockiness that she seemed to be growing. When I did mention it however, she winced. It seems that despite her growth, she was supposedly trashed around when she tried using her powers to show off. Would do her a lot of good. Her power grew quite a bit and her affinity with nature energy is nothing short of astonishing. I have only seen such an affinity in Sun Wukong and Inari-sama before. Her control however is a mess. It seems that she still hasn't caught up with her increase in power. I believe that she will gain another tail if she can control all of her power and master it. There were no backlashes or injuries from whatever procedure was used. The most surprising thing was probably… how clear her power felt. There wasn't a shred of malice in that power. It was honestly invigorating to just sit by her side. I believe that even sitting by her side would increase the speed at which people can learn Senjutsu because of the lack of malice interrupting their minds by pushing violent stray thoughts into them. It is as if someone has forcibly given her all of a Sage's powers but forgot to give her the knowledge and control that came with it. Shirone on the other hand was completely fine, if not a bit excited about becoming stronger herself."

"Hmm….it is fine then."

"Do you think we could trade for the method that was used for Kuroka?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Would you trade such a method if you had one?" he replied in an even tone. It was the reason why he didn't even bother to ask for this. Maybe in the future, if they got further in their alliance, he could offer the same help to one of his subordinates but even hoping for that was like making castles in the sky. He looked at the lost eyes of his Vice Commander and shook his head. "Forget about it. Concentrate on the fact that he is helping out Kuroka and Shirone. We can have two new Sages after probably an entire millennia. If they could reach the level of the previous ones, the position of Youkai all over the world would be stabilised. Messing up this deal because of a moment of greed would be a matter of great foolishness that would make us the sinners of all of Youkai kind." He took another sip of his now cold tea. "Teach her everything you can. I will contact the old monkey and inform him about her. Her information is bound to get out due to the recent events and having the old monkey's support behind them would deter any stray eyes towards a young child, providing her an extra layer of protection."

"What recent events?" she asked.

He sighed… and went on to explain all the details. He was actually thankful that the boy hadn't hidden anything about it which made it much easier to manage.

"I sent Okita Souji back who came for information on the new owner of that territory. The devil's side is also spooked from the appearance of the new Lucifer."

"The Himejima? I heard that some Himejima people were killed in their own territory last night."

"Last night?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes. It seemed to be an internal feud and their bodies were found a little distance away from their clans. Do you think the boy…"

"I was with him last night so it couldn't have been him so the only ones… Oh! Who would have thought that the pretty boy had that in him? Maybe I was wrong about him after all." he thought with a hand on his chin. "It seems they want to hide his existence."

"Do you think they are trying to…"

"Kill him? No… that would the height of foolishness not to mention suicidal. That boy would tear them apart with his bare hands. My instincts were shouting at me to run away when I first met him. I haven't had this kind of feeling even against Hagoromo Gitsune. This was the kind of overwhelming feeling someone like the Old Monkey gave me when I had challenged him all those years ago. Compared to that, while Okita Souji is experienced, he is just not upto the mark. My guess is that they are just trying to meet and know of his stance now that a Lucifer has come out into the open. Still, keep an eye on Kuroka in case they try to contact her. They are in their full rights to contact the owner of their neighbouring territory."

"Hmm, I will go to them after this meeting."

They talked a lot after that.

"I have found out about some disturbing news, Magari."

"What news?"

"The remnants of Hagoromo Gitsune's people are on the move. There have been bits and pieces but the work and style is exactly like theirs. Difficult times are coming around. The training of the kids needs to be started in earnest. I will go for a meeting with Yasaka-Hime and talk to her about the current situation."

A period of silence prevailed in the room.

"I will send out my people to collect the information." She replied before getting up.

"Tell them to take care. The enemies this time are not what these children are used to facing."

"I will."

- Okita Souji -

Souji was not having a good day. First was the urgent order from the mistress to assassinate the members of the Himejima Clan which included their leader and disguise it as an accident.

The task had gone off surprisingly easy as he had struck them when they were unprepared and exhausted and didn't put up much of a fight after their strongest was taken down unaware.

And perhaps he exhausted all his luck in that fight.

Nurarihyon had been no help at all. He had downright stated that this territory was a gift to an ally and he wouldn't give out any information about them. The old youkai might have aged but his stubbornness was still like his youth. He didn't force the situation either knowing what was at stake so Mathers suggested that they meet the owner of the territory herself as neighbours. Nobody could blame them for this.

And thus they were here, as an envoy from the Gremory House to greet the new owner of the territory. He spotted a youkai, he had known from when he met with Lord Hihi, the previous owner, may he rest in peace. "Koshiro-dono, nice to meet you again after such a long time."

"Souji-sama! What a surprise? How did you find your way here? Is everything alright?" Koshiro, the attendant of Lord Hihi greeted him back.

"We recently found out about Lord Hihi's departure and came to offer our condolences as well as to greet the new owner of the territory. It is only general etiquette to greet one's neighbours."

He greeted the man and they exchanged pleasantries with each other.

"Yes, Lord Hihi's passing away was sudden. Those damn Shikoku Youkai." He growled. "It was thanks to Rikuo-sama and his attendants that they were driven off from this area. Our new leader Miss Kuroka fought them too and took out six of their stronger fighters by herself. It is very reassuring to have her here especially after the void left by Lord Hihi."

"I had gotten some whispers about the war but couldn't get the full details. Was it a full scale assault from the Shikoku? Inugamigyōbu Danuki, from what I had heard he was retired?" He asked, trying to figure out some more information about the matter.

"It was his son Inugamigyōbu Tamazuki who had the dreams of capturing the Nura Clan and then aim for the rest of the world… Newborn calf really doesn't fear the Tiger. "

"Indeed. The whole world? Did any of the older ones even make a move?"

"It was the younger generation. Inugamigyōbu Danuki-sama himself came and apologised. He wasn't aware of the incident and had found out from the Supreme Commander. Their side was heavily damaged however so we didn't continue the fight either."

"That was very wise of Nurarihyon-sama. By the way, can you tell me something about the new owner? I wouldn't want to offend her by saying something I shouldn't."

"Gahahaha no worries there Souji-sama. Miss Kuroka is a very kind person."

"Yes nyaa. My Onee-chan is very nice nyaa." Their conversation was interrupted by the voice of a new arrival.

A young white haired Nekomata child, no, this one seemed a little different. A Nekoshou! How rare. He didn't know of many that existed nowadays.

"Shirone-chan! What are you doing here? I thought you were being punished for chasing the exorcist?" Koshiro inquired to which the child flushed.

"I didn't get punished nyaa. Onee-chan gave me some money to eat fish because I completed my training after that." She explained with a fluster getting brighter towards the end. Unfortunately her tail couldn't fool anyone.

"Heh… The fish were indeed nice when I saw them a while ago."

"They were?"

"Hmm. You like fish don't you?"

"I do nyaa."

"I believe they were making sushi with them. You like Sushi, don't you?"

The little girl drooled slightly and nodded, "I do nyaa."

"Sushi is tasty, isn't it?"

"It is nyaa."

"Kuroka-sama's spankings hurt, didn't they?"

"It did nyaa. I couldn't even sit properly… Ah, you tricked me."

"Gahahahaha."

"Are you the sister of Miss Kuroka, the new owner of this territory?" Souki greeted the child. It was probably the best chance to acquire information about them. He might not like tricking a child but the current situation didn't give him much of a choice.

"I am Shirone, nyaa. What do you want from my Nee-sama?"

"Good day Miss Shirone. I wanted to meet your sister and congratulate her for becoming the new owner of this territory. My master's family owns the nearby territory and we hope to establish a friendship between us." he smiled inwardly watching the girl trying to act like a grown up.

"Oh. Okay, good luck nyaa. I need to get the fish before they run out. Bye."

"Ah, Miss I was hoping you could guide me to your sister."

"Hah?" The girl stopped and looked back confused.

"Why don't I guide you there myself, Okita Souji." he heard a voice behind him and forcibly had to stop himself from drawing his sword.

Someone who could sneak behind him this easily could be counted on fingers in these parts of the world. He turned around and saw a Blackhaired Nekomata Youkai whose most prominent feature seemed to be the seven dancing tails behind her. Magari, the Vice Commander of the Nura Clan and probably the strongest member of the Clan since Nurarihyon himself was weakened since his fight with Hagoromo Gitsune.

"Ah. Sensei. You are back."

"Go back to your training, Shirone."

"B-but Sensei, I just finished my training for the day and the fish…"

"Koshiro will get you your fish. In the meanwhile, I have something new for you to practice. Get going." she commanded leaving no room for argument.

This would be a bit harder than he had expected.

"Magari-sama, what a pleasure to meet you. I had no idea that she was your student. You seem to have gotten a very good successor."

"It was the blessings of Lady Amaterasu. I assume that you are here to visit Kuroka?"

"Yes Magari-sama."

"Then come, I will take you there myself. I hope that won't be a problem.

"Certainly not."

He was led into the mansion at the corner of the residential area of the town. He could sense the entire place teeming with Youkai and Ayakashi.

He was a pretty deft hand at Touki but his Senjutsu capabilities weren't anything to write home about yet even he had to stop for a moment when he sensed the aura around the mansion. It was like a whirlpool of Nature Energy surrounding the place and continuously flowing all around the place.

"Follow me." she instructed.

"Where's Kuroka?" She asked a nearby maid.

"Ah Magari-sama. Miss Kuroka is training."

"Inform her to meet us in the meeting room. There are guests."

"Yes."

"She will be here in a moment. Please make yourself comfortable till then." She led him to the meeting room, a Japanese style room with the view of a garden on the side.

They sat in silence while Souji cursed his luck again. Nurarihyon had anticipated the move and sent his Vice Commander who also turned out to be their teacher.

Was she also related to the new Lucifer?

He wished Mathers was here instead of trying to search for their clues in the nearby territories. He was good at these things.

He didn't have to wait long because soon enough, a young girl around 13 or 14 years old entered the room. She had black hair, golden eyes and surprisingly five tails swinging behind her. What was even more surprising was the Nature Energy dancing around her. Okita believed that he didn't need to be an expert at Senjutsu to notice the power moving around her body.

A Sage?

He winced inwardly at the complications.

The Youkai would launch a war if someone like this was touched by any faction. It was similar to someone touching young Master Millicas for the Devil faction.

There went his chance to try and use politics to resolve this.

The girl herself was not weak either. An Ultimate Class from just a look and Senjutsu users were always a pain to fight against.

Then again how and why would the new Lucifer be connected to such a person? Are the Youkai really that close to this guy?

He pushed aside his thoughts and greeted the girl in front of him.

"Greetings, Miss Kuroka. I am Okita Souji, representing the Gremory family to congratulate you on becoming the owner of this territory. We hope to establish friendship as we had with Lord Hihi."

"Okita Souji? I think I remember that name. Weren't you the Knight of the new Satan? I thought that the new Satans were supposed to have no families. Wasn't that the reason why the previous ones were all but exiled? And… yet here you are representing a family? I wonder if all those talks about neutrality were just propaganda to disguise a rebellion." the girl asked in a very playful tone but Okita felt his muscles tighten up. A single slip up to such kinds of meetings could be used against them. Even if it was just a casual statement.

"Kuroka." Magari called out in a stern tone.

"My apologies Magari-sensei. I am a bit uninformed about the other factions. It was just a curious thought. I didn't mean anything by it. You didn't mind it, did you, Souji-sama?"

"No. Certainly not. My Master sent me because of the recent incident here to resolve any misunderstandings that might have been caused previously."

"So you are not here to congratulate me? Ah, how disappointing."

"No Miss. That was certainly not my intention. My Master and I didn't mean any disrespect."

"Yes. What was your Master's name again? I don't remember whose peerage member you were. Sorry Magari-sensei, I haven't been able to catch up with my studies yet. I promise to catch up with them as soon as possible."

He heard Magari sigh and it was not as if he didn't understand it himself. This girl was teasing him on purpose. At such times he really wished others took these kinds of missions. Someone like Mathers, Grayfia-sama or even Bewoulf or Enku would be much more adept than someone like him.

"My Master is the Crimson Satan, Sirzechs who currently wields the title of Lucifer, the Head of Domestic Affairs of the Devil faction." he noticed that the girl's eyes crinkle slightly at the reply. Thankfully they were already prepared for such questions by many others.

This girl wouldn't be the first one to take such jabs.

"Then please speak. I don't wish to waste the time of someone as important as you."

He ignored the jab.

"First of all my Master wishes you many congratulations for becoming the new owner of the territory and wishes you luck and good fortune in the future."

"This territory is a responsibility for me, a memory of Lord Hihi's hard work. I don't understand how it is, where you come from, but I got this territory due to the death of an elder whom I respected. I appreciate the intention of your Master but such words might come off as rude. Please keep this in mind."

Okita had to do a double take at the sudden change in the attitude of the girl. The girl had shed her mischievous personality and was sitting there as if a person of royal bearing all of a sudden.

"My apologies. As already started, we hope to continue the previous friendship and peace agreements from the time of Lord Hihi."

"I will look into the agreements myself. Lord Hihi was an incredibly old person. Times have changed and as such if there are needs of any change in the agreement, I will have to take a look at them and consider. I do expect to maintain peace however." she stated quite formally and he couldn't find any fault in her statement. It was what any reasonable owner would do.

"We appreciate that. On the second topic, we were led to believe that you have the fortune to make an acquaintance of a new member of the Lucifer House."

"It is indeed my fortune to meet with such a person." she replied curtly.

He was not well versed in Senjutsu but he was quite proficient in reading someone's body, something that came with his experience as a swordsmanship over the centuries. There was no movement… absolutely no movements at all that would give out any information. It was like talking to a statue who could somehow reply. Even as experienced as he was he felt a chill receiving such a reaction from what was a child of 13 or 14. How was she trained?

"We just wanted to clear the misunderstanding about us having any intentions towards the younger sister of the person and wished to convey this message to him personally."

"That will not be necessary. My Master understands that and thus your colleague left unharmed. The girl with him certainly wasn't aware of anything and it wasn't hard to guess that she was merely being guided by the elderly servant who was there for the other girl. Our Young Miss however has taken the girl under her protection and has accepted the girl as a close friend. The girl herself doesn't have any problems with it as you might have already been informed. If you are here for her, I will have to disappoint you. As for meeting my Master, he prefers not to be disturbed and I will follow his wishes. If you have any message, I will act as a messenger."

"We have no intention of taking the said girl back. We were informed of her choice and we respect that. As for your Master, I was wondering how to address him." he asked, wanting to at least take this bit of information back to report.

"My Master is 'The Devil'. You can call him Lucifer. It is after all his name, not a title."

Or not.

"Would that be all?"

"A message from my King, 'We do not wish any harm or aggression towards the Lucifer House and if possible a friendship. If he is ever in need of anything, we would welcome him with open arms.'" he informed her of the message and bowed slightly to end the meeting.

She stared at him without any movements, her eyes almost seeming devoid of any emotion and then nodded slightly. "I will inform my master of this."

He knew that not much could be said at this time. At least the main problem of clearing up the misunderstanding was done. He also got an important piece of information that the new Lucifer was very tight with Nurarihyon and apparently had a teenage sage Nekoshou as his servant. First humans, then a Half Fallen Angel and now a Youkai, this Lucifer was very different from any of his family members or any of the other Old Satan descendants for that matter.

Such opponents who do not narrow their scope due to their prejudices are very hard to anticipate or counter for that matter.

He got up and left with Magari following him.

"Souji."

"Yes Magari-sama?"

"I don't know and neither do I care about the matters between your Masters but… Kuroka and Shirone are my students. Do remember this bit."

Ah… this was another problem.

"We have no intentions of harming any of them, Magari-sama."

"I consider forcing them into any of your so-called peerages also a form of harm."

…

"I will inform my King of this." he said and bowed slightly before summoning a teleportation circle to return back to the underworld. This mission was exhausting.

____________________________________________

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