Chapter 15 - Research, best buds, and time skips galore. WTF?

We soon arrived in front of the bar where Azazel told us to meet him, and, lo' and behold, true to the pervert's taste, it looked to be a high class joint that served other 'tastes' besides alcohol. Val and I just deadpanned at each other and chose to wait for him near the bar.

Soon enough, we spot him coming towards us.

"Yo! Hope I didn't keep you waiting" he cheerily says.

Val just stood silent so I picked up the conversation.

"No you didn't, but why are we talking in a titty bar?"

"Weeell, they serve good alcohol and, since I'm a platinum customer, they give me their best and most private room whenever I visit" he chuckles.

Val just makes an expression of disgust that would make a certain demon slayer proud.

"Fine, let's just go in"

"Attaboy, I'm going to show you a new world"

"I'm 14"

"So?"

"I need an adult!"

" I AM an adult"

*mumble* "Crapbaskets" *mumble*

"What?"

"Nothing, man, just go in"

We went in with Azazel strutting about like he's in his childhood neighbourhood, which to be perfectly honest, I think he was.

He spoke to the girl manning the receptionist desk, took a key for a room and urged us to come with. We soon arrived inside the room and Azazel went down to sit on a sofa. Valerie just stood besides me, knowing what I was about to do.

*snap*

I snapped my fingers using the aptly renamed 'Cold Snap' to deep freeze the entire room, the snap was followed by another, this time heating things up. I just wanted to get rid of the germs. Meanwhile, Azazel looked mock-offended as his back cheeks got a dose of cold shower followed immediately by a hot one.

"What's up with the spring cleaning?" he asked.

"Getting rid of the 'evidence' in the room. Who knows what you've been up to in here?"

"Smart" he chuckles.

Val and I sat ourselves on another couch, opposite of Azazel and he summoned up 3 glasses of whiskey from a nearby shelf and handed 2 of them to us.

"So, what was this all about?" I asked the crow while accepting the whiskey.

"Firstly, I don't think we introduced ourselves. I'm Azazel, the leader of the Grigori. You?"

"I'm Hiro Zeltris and this is Valerie and we're just wandering the world for now" I introduced both myself and Val, by this time it was becoming clear that Azazel wanted to just chill and make new contacts.

"Nice meeting you both" he reached forward.

"Likewise"x2 and we clinked glasses.

"So, about everything tonight, I was relaxing around here until I received a report regarding some fallen that have gone against orders and started directly interfering with Sacred Gear holders instead of indirectly observing them" here he paused.

"I understand, but why are you telling us this?" I questioned him.

"I'm getting there. You see, I enjoy studying Sacred Gears, the last things Father left behind, and want to make my own someday. But, some idiots think that, for some reason, it would be a good idea to steal them, use them, and then present themselves to me for study. I've been working on finding a solution" *sigh*

'It seems that he doesn't know yet that Kokabiel has been undermining him and only has a suspicion' I thought and filed that for later.

"Azazel, are you sure you aren't leading a cult filled with members that want to 'present themselves to you'?"

"Hahaha, maybe" *grin* "but coming back to why I'm speaking with you, I'm going to ask you for a favor" Saying that, he looked expectantly at us.

*sigh* "Let me guess, you want us to act as a 'dagger in the dark' and take care of these subversives while you observe and gather information about who's directing them if anyone is. Am I right?"

"Right on the money, kiddo. I do like working with smart people"

"Let's say we agree, what's in it for us?"

"Well, I'm open to anything, within reason"

"Even if I want some of your knowledge of Sacred Gears?"

At this, his eyes shined with the glint of a mad scientist, I knew that look for I had seen it in myself when studying magic.

"You're interested in the Gears?"

"I'm interested in magic" I corrected him "and they are some wonderful applications of it so I'm curious about how they work"

"Hmm" *he took up a pondering expression "Let's say that, if I share my knowledge of them, will you share your findings with me?" With this, he looked at me expectantly.

"I don't see why not, it'll help both of us"

"Deal?"

"Deal" *clink* and we touched glasses.

"So, we'll do those jobs for you but only if we happen to be in relative vicinity to them" relative meaning literally relative, as I knew now how to use teleportation circles due to my tor-interrogation of the devils "and, also, if we haven't got something else important going on"

"Sounds acceptable to me"

"Now, let's talk about fun things, have you read…"

After business talks, Azazel and I started seriously drinking and discussing novels like gentlemen with Valerie pitching in while trying to shy away from spoilers.

"Azazel! How can you like that guy? He's scum!" I enunciated my words with exaggerated hand movements.

"Hiro! You have to see it from this perspective…" he explained his stance with fervor.

This back and forth continued until both Azazel and I just stopped, stared at each other, and shouted simultaneously.

.

.

.

"Did we just become best friends?!"x2

"Yes, yes we did."x2

And so, the night continued until both Azazel and I became totally trashed for at one point, he brought up the good stuff, alcohol that can affect even the supernatural.

"Say" *hic* "Hiro" *hic* "what's up with you?"

*hic* "What do you mean?

"I know your lady's a dhampir, but what are you? I can't get a read on you and I'm curious"

*hic* "Don't know really, I don't remember anything from before 2 years ago, from before I was" *hic* "12".

*hic* "OH MY GOD!"

"Ow! What the hell man, don't yell!"

"Did I just get a 15-year-old drunk?!"

"Dude" I deadpanned "you want me to commit kidnapping and possibly murder and THAT'S what gets you?!"

"Ah, right"

"Anyway, I'm something between vampire and...devil? I don't know"

"Oh! A new hybrid, don't remember if I've seen your kind before"

"You haven't?"

"Nah, vampires and devils don't really 'mingle' with both races being as arrogant as they are"

"Hm, makes sense" *shrug*

"Aren't you curious about your parents, though?"

"Nah, not really. I woke up with missing memories, starved, and with a couple of broken bones. If I see them, I'll see them and I'll go from there" I didn't really care about what happened to this body and I wasn't going to press for answers, occupying my mind with it would only waste time for now.

Azazel just shrugged, who was he to talk about daddy issues, so we left the problem at that and continued drinking and discussing our favorite pieces of media.

Hours later, with dawn approaching, we find ourselves out of the establishment with me leaning on Valerie for support, she drunk with measure, and Azazel stumbling out like the drunken idiot he was.

"So, Hiro, you have my contact info and I have yours. I'll send the data on Gears later"

"Sure thing Zaz, see you around!"

We went for a bro hug and almost stumbled into each other and parted ways.

Val and I quickly went on to our hotel. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was Val scoffing and saying 'Men'.

-----

{Timeskip 6 months, 1 and a half year before going back to Japan}

We were located in a safe house located on the outskirts of a small city in England and we had just finished an assignment from Zaz. This was our second one after he and I parted ways in Korea and we had found no damning evidence about who was behind the activities of the fallen.

Speaking of Azazel, he and I became fast friends after that night of drinking and he made good on his promise of sending me the research data. It was a damn huge pile of information and I had spent the last 6 months compiling it and adding my own thoughts to it in-between time spent training and further developing my body and Magic. We had some encounters with stray devils and some Sacred Gear holders but those were not worth mentioning, the devils we stumbled upon were pitifully weak and the holders had Gears that would only help in mundane matters. They helped my study nonetheless.

My main reason for studying the Gears right now was due to Valerie and her missing piece. I knew it was in the hands of Rizevim and he would still pursue his Evil Dragon plan in one form or another and as I was not yet confident enough in thoroughly smashing him, heck, I didn't even know where he was, I wanted to come up with a plan to either stop or, most likely, slow down his plan immensely.

So I did.

With the research done by both Azazel and me, I discovered that there was still an intrinsic link between the 2 pieces that Valerie still had and the piece in Rizevim's hand. It made sense, really, as in canon, the crew reunited Val with the pieces even after so long had passed after their removal. (A/N i don't know exactly how much time passed, so I'm using the power of author bullshit)

Working on this link, I managed to discover when and how Rizevim was using the Graal. With this discovery combined with the fact that Valerie was growing stronger and stronger, we managed to strengthen and hide the link between the pieces. And, since Valerie had the dominant amount, 2, we had some form of control over the remaining piece. With this control, we managed to slow down and downright negatively affect the rituals and tests that Rizevim was conducting. Val's powers over the remaining piece will only grow stronger as she develops more.

I shared some of my discoveries with Azazel; I never did share the fact that Val had the Sephiroth Graal or my research on it. I don't know if he knew but if he did, he didn't really care about it as I was giving him some ideas about the Gear's interaction with the soul.

So, our journey continued.

{Timeskip, 6 months before returning to Japan}

My training was going along at an expedited pace, I had removed the weakness of the BAMF and it was truly undetectable unless some DxD bullshit comes along and makes me redesign it again. My powers were becoming more and more refined and my repertoire was rapidly expanding.

Let's just say, my progress was 'fundamental'. Hehehe.

Val truly came into her own with her vampiric powers, she was a true and blue dance of death, assassination, and murder.

{Timeskip, roughly one year before canon}

After my journey of 3 years and Val's journey to 2, here I was.

16 going on 17, handsome as fuck and armed to the teeth.

We arrived in town in the afternoon and started heading home.

"So this is Kuoh?" asked Valerie, as gorgeous as ever.

"Yeah, this is where we'll spend time for the foreseeable future"

"Looks good, it's going to feel good to have a stable home after all that traveling around"

"Yeah, I got you. Anyway, here it is, ta dah!"

We stopped in front of the mansion where I lived with my grandmother for 2 years. Nothing much had changed, the front lawn didn't look that unkempt.

'Some neighbor must have taken care of it, grandma was loved in the community after all'

"This is a nice house" remarked Val

"Yeah, it belonged to my grandmother, and now it's going to be our home"

I opened the mansion's doors and looked around to see the state of the house.

It was dusty, not gonna lie, with it being locked for close to 3 years.

"It will take a while to clean"

"Nonsense Val, I've been preparing for this for ages"

"Hm?"

I motioned for her to stay back and took a grand, chuuni, pose, arms spread wide with an arrogant smirk.

"What are you doing? Wait a minute…"

"Shh"

I took a deep breath and…

"ARISE"

My shadow, mixed with blood, spread rapidly through the room, and from it, they formed, looking just like they did before their death but having a more ethereal and red singe.

Souls, given form by magic and blood, my victims, the ones who dared fight against me and be my enemies, now only to serve me forever.

And their first mission, the grandest of all.

"Alright you lot, start cleaning. I want this place to sparkle, SPARKLE YOU HEAR ME!? Take whatever you need from that room over there and if you miss anything, tell me"

Val just stood there gobsmacked as the army moved about like working ants.

"I can't believe you would use a nigh-immortal army just to clean your house" She facepalmed "though I do appreciate the flair"

*scoff* "What else am I going to use them for? Some edgy shit?"

"Haah"

"Anyway, while they are doing the work, we have to run an errand, and then we are free. Do you wanna go on a date?"

"Yes to the date! What errand, we are going with what you told me?"

"Yep, starting next week, we'll be students, second years in the newly co-ed highschool. The school year has barely started"

"So you want to transfer us there? Aren't I too old for this?" She asked. True, Val was about 2 years older than me but didn't look older than a 16-18 year old.

"Nah, you're looking mighty fine, dear. Also, I want you there with me because I don't want you to get bored while I attend"

"Aww, okay. What about school records?"

"Already taken care of"

"Backstory?"

"Well, I already have one here so I just left Japan to study abroad in London but returned now because I wanted to finish my studies in the homeland. Meanwhile, you were someone I met there, fell in love with, and who decided to join me"

"Aww, it's just like our story! But with less rescue-murder-homicide" Saying that, she hugged me.

"Yeah" I smiled fondly at her.

"But still, why are we going to highschool?"

"Spoilers, you'll see"

"Fiiiine, keep your secrets" She pouted.

"Let's go on that date, there's a very nice park nearby"

"Let's!"

The registration process was easy enough, Sona wasn't the Student Council Prez just yet and normal humans were easy enough to deal with by the supernaturals. I took our papers with a promise to be on time next week and we headed for our date.

Our date was lovely, as always. We took a stroll in the park, ate some street food, and spoke about sweet nothings.

Over the years I've grown to really love Valerie and she did the same. We knew about our feelings and didn't shy away from them. I loved her not because she was beautiful, though they helped immensely, no, I loved her because she was smart, capable, we had the same interests and we could get along swimmingly with one another. No matter the situation, be it dangerous or casual, she knew what I was thinking and I reciprocated. She also understood and accepted what I was, a monster to my enemies and an uncaring fuck to most other people.

Romantic stuff aside, I just plain and simply loved her.

We arrived back to a now sparkling house, just as the sun was setting.

"Guess I won't have to punish them"

"Hehe, guess not"

Telling them that they did a good job, I retracted my servants and went to a shelf, took out a bottle of whisky, and sat on the sofa.

Valerie soon joined me, straddling my legs.

We began kissing passionately, getting more and more heated up.

"Let's take this to the bedroom" I told her as I was leaving kisses on her neck.

"Uh-huh"

I grabbed her by the butt and we rose up together and I took her to the bedroom.

Arriving there, I laid her down on the covers and leaned over her.

It was about to be a steamy night.

-

Morning found us both naked and under the covers, still awake, both of us hadn't slept a wink.

We were both just enjoying each other with smiles on our faces. Both of our first times were amazing, she lost hers while I lost mine in this world.

I looked down at Valerie, whose head was on my chest as she was drawing circles on my stomach with her finger.

I gently took her head into my hands, the cover slowly shifting away and revealing her bountiful treasures, and kissed her.

Ending the miss, I looked into her love-filled eyes and told her.

"I love you Valerie"

"I love you too"

She responded with a smile but then, she took a pondering look and stared directly into my eyes.

"My love, we need to talk about something"

'What the fuck?!'

Cliff-kun coming to the rescue

-----

A/N

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry about cliffy kun xd.

I wanted to do some skips and come directly to 1 year pre canon Kuoh.

'Zazel and Hiro are now best buds and research-novel compadres while Hiro and Val continued their training.

They now took the last step in their relationship but, oh, what's happening there at the end? Stay tuned for the next chapter.

See you next time.