Chapter 7 - Shuri's Emotions

[I really wasn't expecting another story chapter…it ended up being one when I got to it.]

(This Happened when Rias and her Peerage came to Attack)

"My King…since you haven't decided a name for yourself, that is what I am going to call you."

"I don't mind."

"Then, would mind me asking what you are doing?"

"I am thinking. If they defeat Minotaur, then they won't have to come over, they might call others to help them, which would be fun, but I want to give each monster body on each floor a chance before I decide what I want my shape to be."

"Then?"

"I am constructing a bait. That boy has a strong desire to become forward. He must have a tragic past for sure. The little girl though…she's scared of her strength, but she doesn't want to voice it out either. If she gets a chance to grow strong and not use that strength, then she will take it. That leaves your daughter…who doesn't seem to be using the power on her father's side."

Shuri worriedly pressed her palm on her cheek, looking at the mist in front of her, showing her of what was happening on the first floor, "maybe I should talk to her."

"Which you will get to. Now, go to the second floor, and meet the body there. Also, call your daughter up."

"Should I?" Shuri tilted her head, nodding, "it's for her own good. It is about time she forgives her father."

(And that, led to this)

The second floor. Since he didn't want anything to come between Shuri and Akeno, he turned it into a lounge. It was mis-matched, since there were a lot of conflicting ideas and personalities inside of him. If one side looked like a bar, then the other was a coffee shop for people to sit and relax, and then there was a corner which looked like a library, and another corner had a sandbag hanging from the roof. Since it took the whole floor, there was more than enough space for everything here.

Rias was a little impressed. However, she knew now wasn't the time for it. They made their way to other end, ignoring everything in their way until they came to the second ring.

They were expecting to see a monster there, only, the person they came across looked much like Akeno, only more mature, wearing Shrine Priestess clothes, waiting for them, "Akeno."

"Mama?"

"My little Akeno, you sure have grown up my baby girl. Come here," Shuri raised her arms, wanting a hug from Akeno, who didn't hesitate to run to the centre of Arena when Rias held her, "No, Akeno! It must be some kind of trick!"

Akeno looked towards Rias, pained, knowing that it might be so when the Shuri walked up to her with any defenses and hugged her, along with Rias, shocking the two girls, "Its not a trick. And I would never hurt Akeno…I know there were better ways…I missed you so much."

"Mama?"

"Mm," Shuri gently stroked Akeno's hair, cupping her cheek, looking at her with tears in her own eyes. She smiled through her tears, tilting her head, "you have grown up so much."

"Mama!! Mama!!" Akeno wrapped her hands around her mother, hugging her as tightly as she could, fearing that she would lose the woman she held so dearly again, that it might all be a dream, "Mama!!"

"Akeno," Shuri nibbled her lip, she was remade from all these corrupted desires of the ghosts who passed on. Ever since she took her ghost form, she felt slightly numb. Though, now, when her daughter was holding her, crying in her arms, she couldn't stay numb anymore. All these feelings kept coming to the surface, again and again, leaving her a crying mess. For a moment, she thought what she was going to do, having guided her daughter inside, pulling her friends in a trap, "You need to get away."

"Run and never come back here!"

"No, I am not leaving!" Akeno held her even more tightly. Seeing how she was not thinking at all, Rias took over the conversation, "Hello, I am Rias –"

"I know who you are…" Shuri wiped her tears, "I am grateful that you took my Akeno in. But its not the time to talk. You people need to leave. He has prepared another body here; my job was to guide you to the ring."

"Why would your job be…?"

"Because she couldn't connect with the life before death…she knew who she was, whom she loved…but she didn't anymore. I had a feeling that a mother's love would win if I have her bring Akeno to the trap. I am strangely glad that I was right."

"And you want us to believe that you wanted that from the goodness of your heart?" Rias stood in front of Akeno and what seemed to be her mother, staring towards the other side of the arena, there was only mist for her to talk to.

"We ghosts are driven by the desires of when we lived…I think. I only have the desires of when the ghosts inside me were alive…that is why…I wish for eternal silence, unchanging, uneventful. I'd be happy if you leave and never come back."

"As if I would let you go after what you did to Akeno!"

"No, they would go!" Shuri furrowed her brows, stopping Rias from talking any longer, "Please let them leave…as for what I did…I'll pay."

The mist swayed, "did I give off an impression that I am some kind of evil villain? Oh, is that why you started calling me king? Had I know I would have rejected when you called me that."

"Then you wouldn't mind if we take my mother with me?" Akeno kept gripping onto Shuri's clothes. She was the one who went through the experience, who was marked by him, and she felt she had the right to ask for what she wanted.

"I don't mind…I am curious if you could take her out. The last time I tried to leave this building with the minotaur body…but I failed. Still, she's a ghost of this world…maybe she wouldn't disappear?"

Rias looked towards, Shuri, who nodded, agreeing whatever he said was true. It was before they came and it was when she asked him if he could go outside. She saw it with her own eyes, the minotaur's hands disappeared, the moment it tried to reach out. Rias couldn't help frown. While she was in a dilemma, Kiba spoke out of his turn, "If I wanted to become strong. Then can you help me?"

"Kiba!"

Kiba apologetically looked towards her, "I am sorry. You know there is a reason why I have to become strong. Now that the chance is right in front of me…I won't give up!"

"I can't," the mist lightly spoke, "Ask Shuri. I wanted you to come second floor…I wanted to put Shuri in the situation where her emotions would come out. That is why I divided the energy from the partial desires inside Minotaur that were fulfilled. It was clean. If you want that kind of energy, then you would need to satisfy the desires inside the body of boss on the second floor. Of course, since I am a guy, that means I need girls, women and so on. Or cities to be destroyed. So on. Also, I like staying calm and happy…if you push me into a fight…and lose…I would need someone to calm the body down or I will kill you. Those are the rules of this place. If you wish, you can inform others too, Or try yourself."

Kiba clenched his fist in frustration, while Akeno didn't want to part with her mother. Rias felt the situation was too complicated to take a decision now, "we should leave for now, and come back later. After we have decided what we are going to do."

"Yes, you should leave. Right now, if possible."

"I am going to stay," Akeno softly spoke, making her friends to stop and look at her in shock and pity. Rias wanted to convince her, and so did Shuri when Akeno opened the button of her school blouse, showing the mark that was shaped like a tattoo of heart, "he put in the desires of ghosts in me…the way I am…I am no good. Sooner or later…I will betray you and come back here…that is why…it's best if you leave me here and go. I will even become the collateral for Kiba to become stronger."

"Akeno…senpai…" Kiba widened his eyes. Shuri was already panicking, and Rias was burning with anger, "How dare you! Remove it at once!!!"

"You really should have left…" the mist sighed, starting to dissipate when they all felt the ghostly magic power rain down on them, along with the roar and laugh, "HAAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"You promised they could go!" Shuri looked toward the mist in fear, hearing the roaring voice that she knew they couldn't beat as they were.

"Ah, have you heard some say…a part of me is going crazy…if not, then a part of me in going crazy. Literally."

"Stay back!" Rias stepped in front of Shuri and Akeno, not carrying about anything. She gathered all her energy, pointing towards the source of twisted magic power, but the next thing she knew, the red-skinned palm, that was bigger than her face grabbed onto her, slamming her against the floor, 'we can't beat it—"

[Author's Note - As of now, there are 19 Chapter on my Buy me a Coffee page]