Chapter 35: Feelings and Dragons
-Underworld-
-Hachiman POV-
The familiar forest was quite a large expanse of land—covering a large part of the underworld, bigger than either the Grigori or Devil's territory—it housed thousands of different species of rare and powerful familiars.
May they even be monsters of myth and legend like the infamous hydra—a beast so fearsome that it couldn't be killed by normal means unless all of its heads were cut off and cauterized, not to mention another trait many stories often forget which is its venomous breath that was so potent that it can even melt metal.
I'd done some research on this part of the underworld—a single wrong path could lead you to a pack of dire wolves. Some rumours even flew around about a supposed dragon roaming these lands, but they weren't able to show any proof.
Anyways… I hoped everything would go smoothly for me and the team.
"Gonna catch them all!"
Oh, I spoke too soon.
Since we won the challenge games, Rias's peerage got to enter the familiar forest. And to say I was impressed would be an understatement. I was completely captivated by the beauty of the place; the trees had all kinds of coloured leaves, the moon hung perfectly in the middle of the sky, and flowers of all kinds grew everywhere on the land.
I wasn't the only one who was taken by the sight.
"This is so beautiful, Hachiman-san!"
Yep, I brought Asia along.
"Of course it is, young miss! I personally take care of every species that lives here, including the fauna as well!" This was our guide, or as he liked to call himself, 'The Familiar Master'. "The name's Zatouji, and I'm going to catch every single poké—cough—familiar, to become the ultimate familiar master!"
'Oi, what were you about to say just then?' I worried if this guy was even capable enough to ward us away from dangerous areas.
Personality aside, Zatouji looked like a middle-aged man with a lanky appearance. Not to mention the Ash Ketchum cap and clothes he wore…
"Don't worry Hachi-kun, Zatouji-san is an expert poké—cough—familiar catcher." So you noticed as well. "He guided Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and even myself to find a suitable familiar." She said with confidence.
If you say so, I'm going to believe you, for now.
.
.
.
Wait…
I also became aware that she stopped calling me Hachiman…
Normally these things wouldn't bother me, I'm sure she adopted the way Akeno kept calling me recently… but something inside me just knew this didn't feel right.
Like I was missing something here…
Oh well, I'll look into it next time.
"Huuuuuu, look Hachiman-san, a flying rabbit!" I was accompanied by Asia.
There was a rule for visiting the familiar forest. Only a single group at a time can join during the full moon, meaning there can not be two peerages. Asia and I weren't devils so we didn't fall into that category. Instead, I was officially recorded as a magician who made a pact with Rias, so technically I was allowed as well.
As for Asia…
"It is an honour to meet you once again, Zatouji-san. I hope you won't mind the addition of Asia in our group. We just want to show her around, so I hope you don't mind her presence." Rias said to the familiar master.
You know as much as I hoped he would accept her request, I know the underworld has some strict rules and you can't jus—
"Sure, no problem!" Zatouji said while giving Asia a thumbs up, without an ounce of care in his tone.
"..."
Why do I even try at this point?
"But you mister, on the other hand, need to show me some proof!" He pointed an accusatory finger at me. "I can't just allow a nobody to trespass onto these cursed grounds so easily! Especially when they look so obviously suspicious like you, who knows what kind of deep nefarious plot you might have. For all I know, you could be a criminal plotting to kill every creature in this forest!" At this point, he was up to my face giving me the most unimpressive glare I'd ever seen.
If I was someone with a temper, or if Asia wasn't here to calm me down… I would have at least socked this idiot in his wrinkly face… but I decided to just ignore him.
What? I am not a violent person… if you overlook my recent actions. I wouldn't punch a random guy over his clear bias for the female population. The worst I would have done is gone down on a verbal spar between him and me.
'Still, you could at least TRY to hide your biased attitude, you Ash Ketchum wannabe.'
"Excuse me Zatouji-san, I believe this will be proof enough." She handed over a parchment that I remembered signing years before when we first met. It didn't carry any specific value aside from it being a convenient document for me. The promise we agreed upon was still written clearly on the paper; if she successfully improved the peerage system, I would join her peerage.
Though the document looked spooky, it was just a regular paper and held no power over my soul or whatever.
Zatouji took the paper by hand and barely looked it over. I would be surprised if he even read a single word on it. This was Rias Gremory, her name would be sufficient enough for a pass. The guy was just fucking with me. "Hmm, I guess this is good enough. Still, you better watch out, kid! I got my eyes on you!" He made an eye gesture before sweet-talking the girls and Asia, guiding them through the forest like a gentleman.
Both me and Kiba were left lagging behind.
"Don't mind his attitude, Hachiman-kun. He… has his quirks…" Kiba scratched his head while giving me an apologetic look.
"I'm not offended by his extreme bias towards the opposite gender. But how is this guy still alive while living out here alone?" I could feel his power, he was barely middle class, so how did he survive in a forest filled with potential satan class beasts?
"One could stare for hours at Zatouji and find nothing particularly interesting about him. But his consistent service to the visitors of the forest and his knowledge of the various kinds of familiars has received great praise from everyone. Even Lord Bael, a person known to be difficult to please, praised the man; looks can be deceiving."
I stared at the man with a goofy smile, leading the girls in front with a critical gaze.
'I see…'
…
We traversed through the forest for hours, coming across a plethora of beasts and some creatures straight out of fairy tales.
Of course, our guide favoured Asia, as we were first in search for a familiar suitable for the innocent nun. He was blabbering about how old the forest was and all of the legends about fearsome hidden creatures.
I wondered if he had forgotten that I was supposed to be the one getting a familiar…
"Oh, I want something cute and lovely."
"No problem, I got you!" He said it so enthusiastically that it earned a deadpan look from me.
Bzt…
'What the… !?' I suddenly felt goosebumps rise all over my spine. I looked around me in mild panic. The feeling of danger stormed inside my head like I was being stalked by an apex predator. My behaviour did not go unnoticed, as for the first time Zatouji actually decided to address me first.
"You okay there kid?" He asked seriously, his current attitude completely different from what he just showed before. "If you feel something weird, then don't hesitate to tell me. Many dangerous creatures prowl these lands, some even have the power to control the psyche of humans, so we have to be careful."
This made the others worried and they all looked at me.
"No it was not that, I… just felt like something was watching me." And whatever it was, I didn't want to see it anytime soon.
"Probably one of the region's alpha, here to check out the new group. They won't bother us if we don't bother them or enter their territory."
I calmed my fast-beating heart and kept my gaze locked over the east where that mysterious feeling came from. I once again questioned how this man survived for so long in such a place…
After that, we resumed our search for Asia's familiar.
We soon stopped at a lake.
Just like the rest of the forest, it was a beautiful place. The water was clean, reflecting the full moon, illuminating the area. The slight breeze of the wind rustled the surrounding leaves, adding more to the enchanting sight.
"Little girl, here lies an ancient water spirit, do you wish to make a pact with one of them?" Zatouji asked as he did a silly pose, trying to look cool.
"Spirits, Hachiman-san, holy spirits!!" Asia's eyes started to sparkle as she jumped up and down. I don't think he talked about that kind of spirit, Asia...
"Well I do not mind, what about you Rias?" I asked her.
"Of course not, we are here to find one for you Asia, since Hachi-kun hasn't decided yet, go ahead and make a pact with whoever you like" Rias patted Asia's shoulders as she spoke.
"Zatouji-san, I want to see..." Asia said once again.
But unfortunately, that mesmerizing sight had to be ruined by the ugliest thing I'd ever seen in my life.
"HAAAAAAAA!!!!" A giant figure burst out of the water. Covered in rippling muscles and a raging spirit for battle, what looked like a female Hulk made its appearance. With a physique that would make any bodybuilder jealous, the creatures somehow had your typical ojou-sama blonde hairstyle.
"Behold! I present to you the Undines! A water spirit with a fierce body yet a soft spirit, great for any young maiden who wishes to travel the world with a reliable companion. They are loyal and gentle giants, willing to go head to head against fierce beasts, and most importantly, they were ranked among the top ten most wanted familiars in the monthly devil magazines!" Zatouji excitedly presented the Undine, the latter starting to pose in various forms, showing off her bulging muscles.
Both Asia and I had dumbfounded expressions plastered on our faces.
"I-is this for real?"
"Huuuuu Hachiman-san, I'm scared…" The little girl hid behind my back like a child. This action disheartened the Undine making it cry as it went back in the water. The mountain of muscles literally crushed a boulder with one punch!
"Oh no! Tulip-chan got rejected, she was looking forward to a new master." Zatouji shook his head in disappointment.
That thing is called Tulip-chan!?
'Gentle spirit' my ass!
Asia was a bit sad and felt bad for the Undine, she was hesitating whether to go back and take her as a familiar. The team tried to cheer her up with mild success.
I'm just glad that none of the people here went for an Undine. Now that I think about it,
"I wondered if I could get an Undine for someone else…"
"Are you plotting something?" Akeno questioned suspiciously.
"Why are you asking?"
She pointed at my face and said, "Cause you have that creepy smile on your face."
"..."
I ignored her.
At least the others had normal familiars, Wait… "Hey guys, why don't you show Asia your familiars? So that she gets a better understanding."
They all agreed, "This is Shiro" Koneko said, with a smiling expression holding a cat in her arms white in colour.
"Mine's a badass one, wanna check it out Asia-san?" Kiba says with sparkling eyes, I bet he was waiting for this moment.
"Of course Kiba-san!" Asia mirrored his excitement. With a brilliant yellow light, a spiked-looking bird flashed on top of Kiba's shoulders. It emitted electric arcs from a single flap of its wings and decided to puff up its chest in pride in front of the nun. "Woooooo, that's so amazing!"
I saw Kiba giving off a rare genuine grin, he really liked his bird. Unfortunately, he didn't get lots of opportunities to show it off.
"It's my turn, why don't I show you something" Rias, then waved her hand, and then a round-shape bat appeared, who soon turned into another beautiful redhead. She waved at me, for which I returned the gesture.
We knew each other as I would always share those excess pastries with both her and Koneko.
"Oh my gosh, she's so cute as a bat and she looks so pretty! I didn't know familiars can transform as well!" gushed Asia, making the woman blush from the little nun's honest comment.
"Yes, Asia, familiars have different abilities, like transforming, fighting, spying, and many more… as such, it's imperative that you have one"
Then Akeno too summons a cute little familiar that looks like an Oni that plopped on her hand and struck a pose. It was green and chibi. "This is mine."
"Oh my gosh," Asia was just a bundle of happiness, as several more of the little oni's were hanging onto Asia like a jungle-gym, as Asia hugged one of them to herself.
This was honestly so cute, that my heart was beating fast from an overload of cuteness.
"I hope I can get my own familiar one day," said Asia, as the little Oni's started to snuggle the young woman.
Turns out someone is looking out for the girl, because it didn't take long for her wish to be granted.
Something flew and sat on Asia's shoulder, scattering the little oni's from her person. When she turned to see who it was, she didn't quite get it but, the colours in Zatouji's face had faded away.
"That-That's a Sprite Dragon, and it sat on this girl's shoulder of his own accord, is this girl attracting the dragon or what!?" He cried out.
"Huh, what's going on?" Asia asked cluelessly while she petted the little dragon's head, which cooed from her touch.
"Asia, the creature that sat on your shoulders is one of the rarest types of familiars. Actually it's one in a ten million chance to get a Sprite Dragon as your familiar, even though it's a baby. For some reason it likes you… you should not miss this chance and go for it" Rias said excitedly and a tad bit jealous of Asia's incredible luck.
While I immediately suspected the reason why a dragon chose her. She indeed did have a powerful effect on all dragons… that's a terrifying power in the hands of the wrong person.
I don't think she is even remotely aware of her superpower… to be fair, I didn't tell her anything.
"Yes, Asia this is your chance!" And so the whole team joined in, cheering the girl to take this chance.
She really did like her new first familiar, it was cute too, "Then I shall name it… Hikio!" Asia said.
"-!"
Cough
Cough
I choked when I heard that familiar name… It was too close for comfort… "Huuu, Asia do you have another name for it?" 'Please.'
Asia pondered a bit more before changing its name with, "Gachiman!"
"Gachiman?" Kiba asks.
"Yes, when I first met Hachiman-san, he bought me a fluffy toy, which was Garf-kun, so for some reason, that name popped up in my head" Asia blushes as she finished her sentence, her eyes looking at me, before looking away, her face turning redder.
She combined my name as well...
"That's very sweet of you Asia" I replied back with a bright smile.
…
Now it was my turn to find a suitable familiar.
We searched everywhere for that special creature, something that would pair nicely with me. So far, we found none.
We found lots of different familiars along the way, clothes-eating slime, fae creatures, and even a baby hydra which Zatouji begged me to catch. I wasn't interested in these monsters, as they required high maintenance, constant care, and that they needed a driven master in order to reach their full potential—of which I am not.
Not to mention that the hydra was infamous for turning on its master if the latter proved to be unworthy.
No thank you.
Bzztz
Another thing that worried me was the constant buzz I kept feeling during our trek. My sense of danger would go haywire for a split second before calming down…
...And it just kept getting worse.
'I need to find out what it is.'
"Rias, do you mind if I visit that hilltop? I just want to look at the scenery."
"Uh? Sure, is there something you found?" She asked.
"Just something I want to check…" I left the group behind as I made my way upwards. Suspiciously, there was no longer any kind of creatures or noise in the vicinity, everything had become quiet.
Zatouji was no fool, he knew this wasn't a good sign. "Hey kid, I don't think it's wise for you to go there… something ain't right here." He said gravely.
Again, I ignored him.
Bzztzzz
That sensation kept getting stronger, pulling me towards it.
The wind began picking up speed, followed by a slight tremor from the ground.
My heartbeat was increasing fast… I felt my palms sweating like crazy, with my breathing becoming heavier. Whatever it was that was calling me, it was getting increasingly closer.
"Kya! Gachiman?" The Sprite Dragon broke into a fit of terror and hid under Asia's robes while shaking like crazy.
"What is happening!?" Both Rias and Akeno grew alert as they sensed the atmosphere. Kiba had his sword drawn out and Koneko tensed her muscles with traces of Senjutsu energy coating her fists.
Grrrrrrrrr
"▂▂▃▃▅▅ーーー!!"
"""-!!!!!!"""
A loud dragon roar reached our ears, the sound was so powerful that it rattled my bones. I even started panicking when I noticed the familiar feeling of the madness creeping back up despite Asia's presence!
I felt my blood start to burn in rage as I felt a challenger quickly approach me. My instincts were demanding me to rip and tear. To let the dark emotions take over.
I quickly knock some sense back to myself, pushing down those dark instincts.
'Not good!'
The earth quaked beneath our feet, with so much magnitude that I thought a volcano had gone off close by.
"Everybody stay still!" We heard Zatouji scream in panic, a trace of fear clear in his voice. "It's a dragon! Don't upset it!"
And indeed, it was an enormous dragon.
Words Vritra once told me in the past resurfaced in my mind. "Dragon Attracts Dragon"
Just above us, high up in clouds, the shadow of a giant dragon descended straight towards us. It had the appearance of a pale blue Western Dragon with celestial blue scales
A single flap of its wings parted the cloud for miles on end, the wind-generated tore up a part of the forest itself!
We were hit by the terrible pressure of the dragon's aura, this only further worsened my inner turmoil and battle to suppress the madness. It began slipping my control.
I called out my sacred gear and pushed every bit of my energy on a single ability.
[Delete Field!!]
The familiar translucent black dome expanded out, encompassing a large part of the forest and the approaching dragon.
"▃▃▅▅!"
It roared a second time, releasing a small burst of energy, which for the first time, completely shattered my [Delete Field]. "Puh!" I spat out some blood from the shock, not even Vali was successful in breaking my sacred gear's ability. I didn't know anything could even break [Delete Field]!
"Hachiman!" I heard the worried should from the rest.
"Don't come near me!" I stopped them from doing anything stupid. "It's got its eyes on me, the rest of you need to leave!"
"We ain't leaving without you!" Rias and Akeno both shouted stubbornly, preparing their magic for a fight.
'Those idiots!'
Fine! I only had one way to distract the dragon…
The madness, the taint I gained from Vritra did make me stronger, but in turn, I would lose more of my sanity. It was a dangerous gamble… but I didn't have any choice!
"Hurgh!" I called out the full form of my sacred gear, my [Prison Wings] out in display, my body half covered in a dark metal armour while the rest was of black fog that kept breaking apart and reforming. "You know, I didn't wake up today and thought about fighting a full-on dragon. Just why did you have to pick us?"
I delved deeper into my being and harnessed more power, taking in more of Vritra's corruption. My mind was on the brink of losing itself… the black fog around me twirling more violently until-
"Calm down, hatchlings."
Boom
"Argh!"
The dragon's voice boomed from the air, it released another burst of energy, completely overtaking me and forcing me on my knees. The madness I was harnessing got completely pushed back by her presence. It felt painful, not like Asia's gentle aura which soothed me. Instead, it felt like a mountain had been placed on my very soul.
For the first time, I felt the true weight of a dragon, nothing I've seen so far could compare to it. Not Vali, not Azazel… and probably not even Vritra himself.
"Humph, a newborn trying to control a power which is not his, lacks the knowledge behind his power and hasn't even reached Vritra's full potential power, dares to fight me? What a joke!" The dragon mocked my attempt...at least that's what I thought it did.
"Wh-who are you… and what do w-want with us?" Since this dragon could talk, then I could maybe reason with it.
"That old bookworm did not talk about me, that seems typical of Vritra. Listen hatchling, I am the mother of all dragons, the strongest of all Dragon Kings–Chaos Karma Tiamat!" She declared her identity with both pride and arrogance bleeding from her tone.
"She's real!?" I heard the familiar master scream from behind, his excitement obvious. "I thought the rumours about her presence were fake… a true legendary poke- familiar!"
Oi, Oi now! Don't try to catch this beast and get us killed will ya!
Tiamat meanwhile didn't even acknowledge the others, aside from giving Asia a contemplative glance. "A dragon maiden… how rare."
It soon turned its attention back to me. "Normally, I wouldn't waste my time with weaklings who wield parts of Vritra, there have been plenty in the past… yet you differ from them."
I didn't like her closing the distance between us, her giant maw bigger than my height–capable of swallowing me in one bite. I smell the scent of fire, brimstone, and seawater from the dragon.
"I always knew Vritra to be a mad dragon, so different from the rest, always consumed in his research. Yet this must be one of his most unbelievable achievements… no… a miracle is more accurate. The bypassing of Yahweh's invention and the fusion of two souls is not something even Gods could accomplish. Yet here I see two souls fused into one while still keeping their individual mind and consciousness separate. I can imagine how certain sacred gear spirits will envy him, I can see traces of his control over your body… a form of freedom never seen before for beings trapped by Yahweh."
Tiamat looked me right in the eyes, her reptilian eyes glowing with blue energy.
"What a strange abomination you are, hatchling."
I didn't know what to say to that statement.
What took Azazel a while to figure was seen through in a single glance by Tiamat. This spoke volumes of her knowledge and might, calling herself the strongest Dragon King wasn't a joke in my opinion.
Still… even with my special case, why did she approach us?
"Is there a reason for you to come to us?" I didn't beat around the bush and immediately asked her.
"You search for familiars, am I right?"
"Yes…"
"A fine decision, but I'm afraid you'll be leaving empty-handed."
"..."
The tension rose once again, my muscles tensed considerably while contemplating the chances of us outrunning a freaking dragon.
"Oh, I didn't mean to voice it like a threat. What I wish to convey is that you will be leaving with my grace rather than owning a diminutive and weak familiar." Tiamat said, her words shocked me and everyone else.
"You wish to become my familiar!?" I couldn't help but shout.
"▃▃▅▅!" Tiamat roared in anger, her power pushing back a few steps. Well, it seems she didn't want to become my familiar and I was just overthinking it.
"Do not insult me, hatchling! The sacred bond established between a dragon, like myself and anyone in general needs to be based on a foundation of trust. I do not trust you, but I do trust Vritra. Understand this, trust is far more than an action, trust is leaving one open to others, in a way… it's surrendering yourself. I have learned from a treacherous red dragon that it can be easily stolen, leaving behind an open wound—curse you Ddraig!!!"
Wait, did she have some grudge against Issei's sacred gear spirit? "What do you want from me then?" I asked, suspicious of her not-so-hidden intentions.
"I desire revenge, I desire to destroy the one who stole my treasures and scattered them all around the world! I will be your protector, when you are in danger, I shall aid you, but in return, you will bring to me the host of Ddraig."
I can see that she despised Ddraig, I don't know what happened between them nor did I wish to find out about it. In the end, I'm sorry Issei, but you'll have to take one for the team.
"So, do you accept my terms–host of Vritra?"
"Fine, I accept your terms."
"Hachiman!?"
Oh, shit… I forgot about the others.
I'm sure Issei will be fine… I hope so.
{Break}
-Kuoh-
(A few days later.)
I'm glad the whole familiar fiasco was done for. Asia got a new dragon pet, while I got a true Dragon King at my beck and call, on the condition I give her Issei on a silver platter.
I wasn't worried that Tiamat would kill him, she wanted Ddraig to suffer or pay her back for the lost treasure, and killing Issei wouldn't accomplish any of that.
Granted Issei was still very early in his training, managing to only use a few [Boost] at best. We even speculated that he hasn't even unlocked the full version of his [Boosted Gear] as the old drawings of past users showed something different.
His current gear resembled a vambrace rather than a gauntlet, similar to Saji.
Speaking of Saji, Azazel was making progress in that device of his and a replacement artificial sacred gear for the guy. Until he had perfected it, we had to wait before we could safely extract Vritra's last piece.
'Can't forget about that phone call I got from Azazel…' Lugh and Badb gave me the green light to travel to Ireland. The local deities were informed of my arrival and not many were pleased, but then again, they had to obey the orders of Lugh. I would be leaving in two days, sufficient time to have everything sorted out until then.
Now, this was well and good, but I currently had more pressing matters to attend to.
My date!
Yes, it was finally time for Akeno and I to go on an official serious date. Not that we didn't hang out together before, but at that time my head wasn't really in the game.
I was fully prepared this time, 'Even took the bullet train to set up my anchor outside the country.'
A nice outfit that my mother chose for me, my dad's prized leather shoes which he insisted I wear, and even some light make-up which was forced upon me by my mom who wished to hide my dead fish eyes. 'Good luck with that… even my reincarnation didn't get rid of it.'
Standing in front of my house, I was waiting for Akeno.
"Sorry for the wait!"
The moment Akeno left the house, I was blown away by her choice of clothing. With someone like Akeno, you would expect her to wear something risqué or slightly revealing. This time she went with something different, something which I haven't seen for years.
"I haven't seen you in a sundress for years…" I said to her, once again feeling just how fast time goes by. It just feels like yesterday when we first met back in kindergarten. "I like your hair as well."
Along with her blue sundress, Akeno also had her hair down, she kept it tied in a ponytail. I once again did a double-take just how much Raynare and Akeno resembled each other, in a way, they were technically related–guess this time she let it go. Her current look perfectly embodies the Yamato Nadeshiko persona.
"Does it suit me?" Akeno said as she made a twirl.
"Do I even need to say it?"
"Of course! A girl always likes when her man compliments her."
I guess that was true.
"Then you're beautiful, Akeno-chan." Her face lit up with a megawatt smile, too bright for my eyes that I had to squint a bit.
"Well, where are we going?" She asked curiously.
I took her hand and prepared my teleportation spell. I could have just used the bullet train for this date, but hey, I did save a few Yen and time by teleporting directly.
"Akihabara."
As we flashed away from the spell, I didn't notice the doors of my house opening again with a heavily clothed Rias, wearing a mask, a hat, and even sunglasses peeking from the corner before teleporting as well.
…
-Akihabara-
We found ourselves appearing in a dark alley where no one would see us teleporting in. The coast was clear and there were no people in sight.
"Ara Ara, I always wanted to visit this place, some of my favorite shops can be found here." At least she liked my choice of location for the date. "Why don't we visit some of them?"
"Sure, why not." We had the entire day to ourselves, no more distraction with our clubs and duties. Rias assured Akeno beforehand that she would take care of everything for her.
As we reached the central part of the district, we were greeted by a crowded street filled with tourists, cosplayers, performers, maids, and other regular people. This place was packed full of many kinds of shops and cafes. As expected of Akiba, this truly is the center of modern Japanese popular culture, video games, anime, manga, electronics, and computer-related goods.
A heavenly place for Rias if she was here.
We visited many stores along the way, and Akeno forcibly dragged me into a women's lingerie shop. It was really awkward since everyone from the clerk and the female customers were giving me strange looks. I even heard some giggling as they saw me together with Akeno.
I shouldn't be embarrassed since I was with my girlfriend but damn was it weird for me to be in this situation. Even one my 108 skills, 'stone face Hikki' couldn't hide the red blush that crept onto my face.
Akeno would try on so many different pieces of garments that I felt we were stuck here for hours!
…But I would be lying if I didn't say that the view was amazing.
She wore the most revealing lingeries just to get a rise out of me, her poses and name-calling just make me feel increasingly confused and flustered.
Not to mention that I felt like someone was spying on me, and whenever I look back to see who it was, that feeling would disappear only to return soon after.
"Hachi-kun~"
"What do you want, woman?" I tried keeping my composure but this girl knew me too well.
"Can you help me with something?" She called me from behind the curtains, her hand motioning me to come over.
"Yes, you nee-what the!?" The moment I came close enough she pulled me inside the booth, I found her bare naked with nothing hiding her nudity.
"Can you help me put on this bra?" She said with an innocent smile. As if she didn't know what she was doing.
'I'm going to get you for this…'
Within the next few moments, we were gone from the shop. I wouldn't be able to stay for another second inside that store.
"Why don't we have lunch?" I suggested to Akeno, which she agreed to as well.
Normally one would bring their date to a fancy restaurant or a picnic at the beach. But I decided to bring her to one of my favorite spots in both lives: Saizeriya!
How lucky am I to have my favorite restaurant in this world as well! Truly it is the best restaurant in the multiverse!
"That's so like you, to choose this kind of place."
"Hey, the food's one of the best and it's quite cheap, both are good points in my book. Not to mention with Rias's taste for fancy places, I wanted to bring you somewhere new."
"I won't lie, it does get a bit tiring after years of exposure to luxury, you tend to miss the little things in life. I used to always prepare tea ceremonies with mom and dad… you were there as well, remember?"
The memories of the past resurfaced once more. "Yes, I do. Quite the little gremlin you were back then, no matter how much you try to show otherwise, some traces of your past self remain till this day."
"Fufufu, how rude to call a lady a gremlin, Hachi-kun… you're still as direct as ever. Out of everyone in our lives, you have changed the least."
Now I didn't agree with that.
"What are you talking about? I think I've changed quite a lot from the past antisocial Hachiman. I always used to push people away from me, always used to remain in my little corner. You could say that it's only in the recent years that I've changed for the better." I argued with Akeno.
"You say that, but I still stand by my words. You haven't changed much, Hachi-kun. Ever since we were kids, I knew deep in my heart that you were a caring and gentle person. You always put up an act, a persona to confuse the others and push them away from you. But with time, you stopped acting like someone you were not, became more true to yourself, and started showing off the true Hachiman we all know and love."
Was I really like that?
"Though what intrigued me back then was your mature attitude. Out of every kid, you were always the odd one out, the black sheep. In my eyes, you stood out like a sore thumb… and I guess that's what made me curious about you in the first place. It's why I came to love you."
"You're gonna make me blush, Akeno-chan."
"You already are, fufufu!"
Her last words resonated constantly in my head. She said it countless times before and so did I. But I couldn't help but overthink everything whenever I heard them. Was I good enough? Was she genuine? Was this all fake?
I knew the answer, I truly did. But my mind was just cursed to always over-analyze and doubt every single aspect of my life. I couldn't stop it, nor could I get rid of it.
It was a crucial aspect to Hikigaya Hachiman, something that defined me.
My constant doubts and harsh judgment on others and myself.
"You know… I think Rias is very jealous of us." Akeno said out of nowhere.
"Achoo!"
I looked to the side and noticed in the far corner of the restaurant a table where a single person occupied it. That person's features were hidden under many layers of clothing, they always held a menu in front of their face, though I was sure they were a girl.
Something about her bugged me…
A sense of familiarity?
'Why is she shaking?'
"Hachi-kun, you're scaring others," Akeno called me out. I immediately realized that I was being rude and stop glaring at that innocent girl. I apologized to her by waving my hand before going back to my date.
...
And so, time passed quickly.
After our lunch, we wandered around in the district of Akihabara, that feeling of someone spying on us constantly growing at the back of my head, especially whenever I make an intimate move on Akeno. Whenever I went for a kiss, a random anime figurine would hit my head; another attempt had a maid interrupt me by giving me a tissue.
Akeno just found the thing to be funny.
'This is getting frustrating… ' I don't know who it was… but they didn't want me to act lovey-dovey with Akeno.
Weird.
Though I couldn't say the same for my date. She would touch me, kiss me in the middle of a crowd, have me visit adult stores, and even press herself against me, yet nothing happened to her!
It was getting frustrating!
Normally this stuff wouldn't bother me but Akeno's advances were pushing all of my buttons!
These urges were also boosted by the slight taint inside me, making it more feral and dominant. It made me feel like I wanted to take her right here and now.
"It's nighttime already, wish we could have done more things together," Akeno said with a hint of diaappointment.
Nevertheless, I was glad that she enjoyed the date.
"Don't worry, we will go out more often in the future. For now, let's go home."
I brought us back to that alley, I did notice some traces of teleportation spell which were not of my own, but I was too pent up to care for now. In a purple flash, we vanished from Akihabara and returned back to Kuoh.
{Break}
-----------------(Lemon)-----------------
Back in my room, we both appeared in a flash of violet light. "So how did you find the date?" I asked her curiously while trying to keep myself contained.
The urges have been getting stronger these last few days… and they aren't about killing.
"It was everything I expected it to be," said Akeno with a content sigh, her head placed on my shoulder, while she sat next to me on the bed. Her intoxicating smell, coupled with the feeling of her hair tickling my face and her pressing chest–my thoughts were becoming a mess of hormones.
The struggles of being a teenager… Once again,
But the content moment didn't last long, as Akeno pulled my arm between her breasts.
"You know… a successful date is always followed with a special reward."
I turned to look at Akeno, who was giving me a mischievous smile, a visible blush on her face, she brought my hand between her legs.
I stared at her, my mind fogging up with lust and the powerful desire to ravage her, my hands unconsciously rubbing her pussy, before realizing that her panties were missing.
'Was she going commando this entire day!?'
"Aaah~" Akeno moaned at my touch but was silenced by me kissing her, surprised at the sudden action.
I pulled her onto my lap forcefully, my hand moving back to her pussy. While my other hand gripped the dress and yanked it off, freeing her breasts which were also completely free of a bra as well, removing the barrier from claiming Akeno mine once and for all.
"Ara, how forceful, have I pushed mister dragon too far?" She said in-between our kisses, her voice becoming hungrier with each passing moment.
I roughly grabbed her giant breasts, making her moan louder in my mouth.
Pulling my hand away from her crotch and ending the kiss, much to her displeasure, "Lick it," I said. My finger was coated with her juices and I ordered her to lick them clean. My dominant side began awakening something deep within her, making her more submissive to my demands.
Akeno eagerly obeyed, eager to enjoy this new side of me and engulfed more fingers, sucking my finger like a lollipop, making them wetter than before. I felt the smooth texture of her tongue, grabbing it and slightly pulling it out of her mouth.
Smack!
"Kya!"
I gave Akeno a slap on her ass, and another one making her squeal once more, enjoying the cute sounds she is making, "I told you to lick my fingers clean, not make them wetter." I grabbed her breasts and started to suck on them.
My tongue wrapping around her nipple and my teeth biting them hard, earning a squeal of pleasure from her.
The damn woman was more of a masochist than I thought.
"Give me more…" She was loving the way I was handling her, enjoying how helpless she was under my touch.
"Aaahhh~!" She screamed in ecstasy when she felt a sharp bite on her breast. She looked down and saw me leaving a bite mark on her breast, while I did the same to the other one.
I didn't know why I did it… but my body just moved on its own. Or it was just because I was lost in the moment of pure lust, but at least I didn't make her bleed. That probably would've been too much, even for Akeno.
Probably…
The pain and pleasure were enough to push her over the edge, making her cum on my leg. I threw her on the bed and began removing my clothes.
My thoughts were hazy and my breath was haggard. As I pinned her on the bed, Akeno was panting, fueled with lust as she stared at the love of her life. Looking back on this moment, we were both too entranced by each other that neither of us failed to notice how one of my eyes turned slightly violet the more we made out with each other.
I barely had enough control to realize that this was still her first time. 'I need to calm down.' I let her grab my cock, which twitched at her touch and guided it to her entrance, rubbing the tip around her folds, coating it with her nectar. I slowly started to penetrate her, filling her up inch by inch.
Akeno gripped the bedsheets, as I was entering her, her walls being stretched to their very limits. She may have gotten rid of her hymen from her active lifestyle or probably with her toys, 50/50 on either one if I'm being honest. She has never been penetrated this deep. and also the pleasure felt stronger when she did it with her lover.
"More, more!" She was feeling new territories in pleasure, finally getting her love to fuck her and she was loving every second of it.
I was already buried fully inside of her and didn't move for a while. My overthinking and doubts were coming back to bite me in the ass.
"Hachi-kun?" Akeno was wondering why I wasn't moving, but went quiet when I pinned her hands above her head.
…Fuck it.
"Do you want it?" Not hesitating any longer, I moved to her ear and asked her.
"Ara Ara, how naive~" Surprised at this, she decided to give me a hard time and wrapped her legs around my waist.
She tried to get me to move but I wouldn't budge, not this time. "Hehehehe, fine. Then I'll just leave you like this and search for Rias instead, wouldn't mind having some fun with her for the night," I whispered as I bit her ear, giving her a taste of her own medicine, wanting her to squirm. Her pussy tightened around my cock as I nibbled her ear—probably one of her erogenous spots.
Not wanting to lose her chance, she caved in, breaking faster than I imagined, but I didn't mind. "Please, I need you, I need you right now!"
With no time to waste, I slammed myself inside of her, filling every inch of her womb and then some, leaving Akeno breathless.
I didn't slow down in my thrusts, and Akeno was fine with that—happy in fact.
She didn't want me to go slow, she didn't want me to be gentle—she wants me to fuck her, she wants me to be rough, she wants me to own her, to show her where she belongs. She waited too long for this to go slow.
I was fucking her with her powerful thrusts, my hands still pinning her arms. Our sweat-covered bodies rubbing against each other, both of us lost in total euphoria. After years of her constant teasing, and her sexy body rubbing onto me every day, finally, I can release all of my pent-up sexual frustration.
Wet squelching could be heard in the room while Akeno moans left her lips. I watched as Akeno's breasts jiggled from my thrusts, nearly smacking her in the face, before leaning down and engulfing one of her nipples, doubling her pleasure.
"Oh, Satan! Don't stop! Hachi! Keep touching me! It feels amazing!"
After a while, I let go of her breasts and grabbed her wide hips, and started to fuck her faster, Akeno wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs tightening around my waist, she moaned loudly from my actions as I continued at a faster pace.
"Aaargh!" I let out a roar as I filled her with cum with Akeno soon coming after, feeling the thick, warm cum fill her womb and cavern.
She let go of me and lay on the bed, gasping for breath. Still reeling from her climax and thinking that it was the end of it.
Akeno was suddenly flipped onto her stomach and felt her arms tied behind her back by my tentacles. She was dragged to the edge of the bed, her feet on the floor, while her ass was in the air.
But it wasn't over, I still had more to give and I won't stop until I was satisfied.
I admired her ass, enjoying the way my cum was leaking from her pussy. Without hesitation, I slapped her ass, making it jiggle from the impact.
"You know, I never did punish you during the Viser incident, where you left me all alone to deal with Asia. I can be quite petty about these things."
"Hachi-kun holding a grudge? Now that's rare." Akeno joked but was silenced by a sharp slap on her ass making her let out a cute 'kya!'.
"I didn't say you could talk…" I said, my hand rubbing the redding cheek, before slapping her other cheek. "Are you a bad girl?"
Akeno was silent, not wanting to answer, knowing that she would get another slap if she didn't answer.
Sadly, she was right.
Smack
"Kya!"
Smack
"Answer me!"
Smack
"Yes! I've been bad! A very very bad girl! Please punish me, master!"
Smack
Smack
Smack
Smack
Smack
Smack
I stopped after a while, my palm felt a little numb from the constant smacking, but I got the job done. Her ass was bright red, and her legs were trembling from either the pain or the pleasure, but seeing how her pussy was leaking along with my cum, my money is on the latter. I rubbed her burning cheeks, while making her moan at my gentle touch, enjoying the handprints on her skin.
I let my cock lay between her ass cheeks while I admire my work.
Akeno was in a lust-drunk mess, her ass hotdogging my twitching dick, begging for me to fuck her, acting more shameless than I had ever seen from her. "Please… more… more."
I grabbed my cock, rock-hard from her lewd actions, and angled it to her entrance, and took her in a single deep thrust, filling her completely, the pleasant sounds of my lover's moans escaping her lips.
With a better position, I was slamming myself inside of her like a beast in heat, going harder than before from the last session. I enjoyed how her walls were caressing my cock, how the tip continued to kiss the entrance of her womb with each thrust.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Ahhhh~! Keep going! Break me!"
The bed continued to shake from the thrusting, the bed frame straining from the impact, the noise would have surely altered someone in the house, but I didn't care at this point.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh, the moans, and the growls of pleasure were the only things that could be heard in the room along with the echoes of the thumps from the headboard smacking the wall.
The two of us didn't notice the door of my bedroom open or the person that entered, too lost in our pleasure.
"Aaaaahhh~!" In a drawn-out moan of ecstasy, Akeno came one more time, squeezing around my cock in a tight vice.
With the sexy moan, and the tighten around my cock, it was enough to push me over the edge.
"I'm cumming!" With a savage growl, I buried myself to the hilt and flooded her womb with cum.
Thick cum started to drip down her womb not able to contain it all.
I pulled myself out, letting more thick globs spill from her gaping snatch while the half Fallen Angel collapsed from exhaustion, her arms free from the tentacle restraints.
While admiring my handy work, I didn't hear the sounds of clothes hitting the floor, or the footsteps approaching me. Only the sound of my fast beating heart pumping dopamine throughout my body reached my ears.
.
.
.
"Hachi-kun…"
"-!?"
I tensed at the sudden contact, the voice of another person catching me off guard.
"Ri-Rias?" I didn't know how to react to her presence. Were we too loud!? Did I forget to close the door!? I thought I did! "Wha-what are you doing here?"
Even in my lucid state, embarrassment and shame hit me like an avalanche—the worst thing you want is someone catching you making love to another! Especially the way I was acting like a wannabe dom!
…God, if you can hear me right now, please help me find a hole to die in for my embarrassing actions.
"I-I am sorry about the noise, I forgot to put up a silencing spell, I swear it won't happe-" My mumbling was cut short when she hugged me from behind, her naked breasts and hard nipples pressing my back.
'Wait… she's naked!?'
"Rias?" Thank god, Akeno woke up… help me! "What are you… don't tell me… are you going through with it?"
Wait, what is she talking about?
"Hnng…" I let out a pleased grown when I felt a pair of soft hands caress my still hard cock, a pair of plump lips kissing on my neck.
"Yes, I'm sorry Akeno, Onii-sama couldn't delay it any longer...if this works, then we won't need to deal with him anymore… and I want to do this… even if it doesn't work."
"Rias do you…?" Akeno asked, but already knew her answer.
"Yes, for a long time… I'm sorry Akeno."
-----------------(Lemon End)-----------------
I turned my head to face Rias, she looked at me with uncertainty, doubts clear in her eyes. She wasn't sure of her actions. From her words, I knew she was pushing it.
I always respected Rias's privacy, since I expected her to do the same with me. Ever since that day when we talked in the kitchen all those years ago, I knew she was dealing with something stressful. I never asked Akeno because I promised to not meddle unless it was necessary.
But now, I can see the same traces of fear back on her face, she was being irrational and was rushing for a solution, which was apparently sleeping with me.
"Do you truly want this, Rias?" I forced myself to become clear-headed, Rias hands still stroking my cock. "Is this how you wanted things to turn out?"
She looked at me straight in the eyes, while I did the same. My gaze challenging hers, to tell the truth instead of lying to herself.
.
.
.
"No…" She whispered, her hand stopping from her strokes, before letting go and moving away from me. "I want it to be something special… something we would all remember fondly."
There we go, at least I brought her back to her senses.
"But… I also want to do it…" Rias whispered as she began closing the distance. "Please… take my virginity. Make me yours," Rias said, with a red face.
What? It didn't work!
Before she could close the distance and go for the kiss, I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.
"Hachi-kun?"
"Listen, I am not some hentai character, whose eyes are hidden because of his hair and who has sex with any girl he wants. I have known you for years! I literally saw you grow up from a noisy brat to an attention-seeking bratty woman."
"Hey!"
"And I know that you're not such a girl. Whatever is pushing you to do such a thing is not worth it. I promised to let you take care of your own problems. But now, I'll help you whether you like it or not. So tell me the real reason behind your visit, Rias!"
"Fufufu, nicely said." Akeno praised me, no longer looking conflicted about the situation.
Sniff
Tears start to drip down from Rias's eyes. She realized how close she was to ruining what she worked tirelessly to have one day. She wanted to be with me… but not like this, not because she was searching for a solution. For Satan's sake, she's training to deal with her problems, yet when she heard the date being pushed forward, she panicked and almost did something stupid.
"I'm so dumb." She started crying, covering her face with her hands. "I-I panicked a-and when I heard both of you in the room… I just lost it."
I gave her a hug to calm her down, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. "It's okay, Rias. You're still a teenager, I don't expect you to always make the best of decisions. No one is perfect. Just try your best and rely on others instead of keeping everything bottled up." She calmed down as I patted her head, I ignored her still naked breasts pressing against me and focused on the matter at hand.
'I still had a day left before leaving for my mission. I will find out what's the problem tomorrow and deal with it.'
It was all going good when suddenly, a magic array formed in my room.
"An intruder!" I immediately sprang into action, ready to activate my sacred gear—only to be stopped by Akeno, who threw a pillow at my head.
Rude…
"Don't worry, it's not an enemy," Akeno said as she pointed at the red Gremory sigil.
Now I'm the one who felt dumb… guess I was a bit jumpy with everything that happened.
From that array, a lady appeared; she looked extremely beautiful, had an extremely generous bust and was wearing an French maid outfit that fit extremely well on her form. Her silver hair, which flowed all the way down to her back, features a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is let down ending in twin braids.
"Lady Rias, whatever you are doing is not appropriate for the image of house Gremory, please consider your position as the next head of the Gremory family," the woman said with a stern voice, sending an icy shiver throughout the room, killing whatever mood was leftover.
"And I would like for Miss Maid to not barge in someone else's house unannounced."
Me and my smartass mouth.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu are already available on my Patreon. With 3 more Broly and fate chapters at /NimtheWriter.