Chapter 14
Soft morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, but it was the heat at my side that truly woke me. A small smile surfaced as the memories of the Rating Game rushed back, and I started to recall yesterday's events.
Technically, the Rating Game had started at midnight, making everything that happened "today"—but I wasn't in the mood for semantics.
I tried to roll my shoulders, only to be met with the deep, throbbing ache of total exhaustion. My entire body was paying the price for the win. Despite the pain, I couldn't help but smile; aching muscles were nothing compared to the win we managed to achieve in the Rating Game.
Just after the Rating Game finished, Rias, Riser and I were teleported from the combat arena. We appeared back in the Occult Research Club, where the silver-haired maid of the Gremory family greeted us, and despite Grayfia's usual stoic expression, I could see a small smile on her lips. Riser himself must have been teleported to wherever he was before the game, but I found myself unable to care too much at the time.
The moment we emerged from the teleportation circle, exhaustion hit me, the adrenaline of the battle draining from my body. Grayfia gave us a quick rundown of what happened. Apparently, most other Peerage members were successfully protected by the Rating Game system and were pulled out before suffering any serious injuries. The sole exception to this was Akeno, who suffered some burns, and unfortunately, Asia was too exhausted to heal her.
What surprised me was that apparently Ravel Phenex came over and offered a Phenex Tear to heal Akeno. I would really have to apologise to her.
Other than that, everyone was without any serious injury; most of them were already sleeping in their own homes, totally exhausted. The only exception to that was Kiba, waiting in the clubhouse besides Grayfia. Sona Sitri, the other devil heiress of Kuoh and the one who was responsible for broadcasting this game to the Gremory and Phenex families, also offered her congratulations to Rias while giving me a calculating look.
To be honest, I was barely holding on, the exhaustion that descended on me the moment the Rating Game ended threatening to send me to Morpheus's realm. Speaking quickly with Rias, we both teleported to our apartments; five minutes later, after a quick shower, the only thing I remember was passing out in my bed.
By the heat of a soft body I felt beside me when I woke up, I could only assume Rias had made herself comfortable in my bed. Looking down at the crimson hair draped over my chest, I couldn't help but reach out, threading my fingers through the soft curls.
When this happened previously, I was quick to voice my concerns, but I couldn't and didn't want to bring myself to those thoughts again. It was just different; I wasn't sure what Rias and I were, but I guess we were something.
"One of these days, I am going to wake up before you."
I tilted my head downwards to look at Rias, who just snuggled deeper into my chest; my hand playing with her hair abandoned the crimson threads and moved to her shoulder, even as she burrowed deeper into my embrace.
Smiling, I replied. "Hmm, there are going to be more mornings like these?"
Her fingers gently scratched at my chest, sending shivers down my whole body as she looked up. "Would you like that?"
"Perhaps."
"A coy response does not suit you. When I look at you, I don't expect you to be indecisive. A devil needs to state what he wants, plain and simple."
I hummed again at her response, and I couldn't help but remind myself how much I have changed. I have always considered myself to be a level-headed person, at least in my last life. The introduction of dragons, devils and everything magical under the sun may have changed me. I tried to retain some form of normalcy, still clinging to what I knew, trying to act in ways that I knew and thought were normal.
Ddraig's advice from some weeks back came to my mind; the old dragon was right when he said with power comes confidence. Just remembering the feeling of last night, the battle, the exhilaration, the power I wielded, my foes falling before me, casting magic with my sword. It was an incredible feeling that was hard to describe with words; there was just something in it that I could not have imagined before.
Thinking on that feeling, I reached out and ran my fingers along Rias' jaw, resting my thumb on her lip.
"I do, Rias. Every morning I want to wake up with you, just like I want you in my bed every night," I said to her, looking into her eyes, liking the way her cheeks gained more colour at my words.
"That can be arranged. I have grown quite fond of this bed; it's very comfortable."
"It's the same one you have; you furnished this apartment," I told the little gremlin.
"Yes, but you are not in mine," Rias said with a grin, lightly biting on my thumb.
I grinned back at her, my heart beating stronger. What did this woman do to me?
Rias smiled as well, the blush on her face deepening. "That reminds me, I promised you a reward, did I not? For our victory."
"You did, and I mean to collect."
Grinning, Rias moved with the grace of a feline, half crawling and half propping herself further on top of me; her face resting just half a palm away from my own.
Rias reached out, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw before pulling me closer. Our lips met in a chaste press of two sets of lips. It was gentle, my heart fluttering all the while. My free hand reached out, and I laid it gently on the back of Rias' head, threading her crimson locks with my fingers. My other arm pulled her closer to me, the hand resting on her shoulder.
As the seconds ticked by, the innocence of the moment began to melt into something deeper. I shifted my hand, drawing it lower to the small of her back. Rias' own hands cupped my face, her thumbs drawing circles along my upper jaw.
I drew Rias closer; her mouth opening slightly, and I tasted her sweet taste. Our tongues met in a slow, rhythmic dance—a surge of warmth that made the rest of the world feel like a distant memory. My hand continued its way from her lower back to a curve of her hip, gently grasping her soft flesh, enjoying the feeling of warm and supple skin beneath my fingers.
I could feel goosebumps on Rias' skin, and she smiled into our kiss as we slowly parted. My hands still absentmindedly moved in slow, almost subconscious motions.
"I choose to believe this is all real, that I am still not dreaming," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper in the quiet of the room.
"I hope not; I would be terribly wroth if this was just my own dream as well," she whispered back, her breath ghosting over my lips.
I hummed in response, my fingers twirling a lock of her hair; the crimson threads soft and gleaming in soft light coming from outside. For a moment, we just stayed there, and I enjoyed her warmth and presence.
"It appears the reward was well worth the effort," I said, my gaze dropping to her mouth before meeting her eyes again. "But the more I have, the more I find myself wanting."
Rias tilted her head playfully. "I see no problem with that, Kairos. The first may have been a reward for your victory, but anything that follows is freely given."
"In that case," I replied, a slow smirk tugging at my lips. "I think I'll just take what I want from here on out," I teased, my voice dropping an octave.
With a fluid motion, I shifted our weight, flipping Rias onto her back. She went willingly, her hair cascading across the dark sheets. I hovered over her, pinning her gently with my weight, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. "If there are any objections, I will hear them now."
Rias didn't say a word. Instead, she arched her back, her fingers locking behind my neck to bridge the small gap between us. She met me halfway, her lips crashing into mine with a newfound hunger that told me exactly where I stood.
/Break
I wasn't sure how much time had passed by the point Rias and I untangled ourselves from each other. Just lying in bed, our bodies still tired and sore from the Rating Game.
My hand was playing with Rias' hair, curling her locks around my pointer finger, feeling the softness of her tresses. Rias was leaning to my side with her head resting in the crook of my neck, looking towards the ceiling, one hand holding mine, running circles with her thumb on top of my palm.
"I still cannot believe this is real," she said, closing her eyes and just enjoying the peace of the moment. "After so many years, I am finally free. Free to live my life as I wish, free to fall in love with whom I choose. Just… free."
I hummed, understanding Rias' desire to live her life according to her own wishes. It is the same thing I wished for this second life as well, the same reason I joined her peerage. To get away from all those who would come after me for the simple reason that I was born with a power that could serve someone else's interests.
Rias mentioning falling in love made my heart skip a beat. I didn't know exactly what I felt for Rias, but I knew I wanted to see where this path would take us. Her presence, her sense of humour or her interests – it all drew me to her. Rias was like a black hole to me, drawing me inside to its depths, and I didn't think I wanted for it to be anything else.
I turned my hand, which Rias still held in hers, intertwining our fingers together. "I feel like we skipped a few steps, but would you like to go and get some coffee? Perhaps see a movie?"
Rias turned from her position in the bed.
"Are you asking me for a date?"
"Well, yes."
"I would love to," she said, leaning in for another quick kiss.
Before we could lose our sense of time again, a buzzing on the nightstand interrupted our pleasant time.
Rias disentangled herself from me, picking up her phone and furrowing her eyebrows when she read the message she must have gotten.
"It seems my parents are inviting us, the whole peerage, to an event this evening," said Rias, looking at me. "Apparently both the Phenex and Gremory families will be in attendance, and they want us to be there."
"You think its trouble?"
"… no, most likely just a social function; congratulations on the Rating Game, perhaps," she replied, followed by a sigh. "Better get dressed; it is in the evening, but it's almost noon, and I want to check how everyone else is holding up."
I nodded to Rias, getting out of the bed and making my way towards the kitchen, hoping for some fresh coffee.
When I exited the room Rias and I slept in, I looked towards the kitchen; it was still there.
What stopped me dead in my tracks was something completely different.
I looked towards the kitchen, my couch, the TV, and the bathroom door. They were still there, just as last night.
I then looked toward Rias' couch, TV, kitchen, and everything else normally in her apartment.
"Rias… why is the wall gone?"
"What wall?" Rias' voice came muffled; she must have been putting her clothes on.
"The wall, Rias, the one separating our apartments," I said, pointing at the missing wall that used to separate our apartments. Key word: used to.
"Oh, that one. I thought this looked better," said Rias, coming out of the bedroom, already dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
"…You removed the wall; it was here last night…"
"Yes, we are now roomies; isn't that wonderful?"
The grin she had when she said it, it was just…
That little gremlin
Not for the first time, I couldn't help but be exasperated. At the same time, the energy that Rias had and the way she approached these things was infectious, making me grin. I don't think I minded sharing a flat with Rias Gremory.
/Break
Deep inside the Grigori headquarters, Governor-General Azazel leaned into his comfortable, high-backed chair, thinking about the latest reports he had received.
Four idiots went to Kuoh, and only two idiots returned with their lives. After the devils captured and interrogated them, having learned little useful from the two idiots, they gave them back to Azazel to deal with as he saw fit.
Unfortunately for the two idiots, Azazel had little patience for idiocy, so he promptly sicced Penemue on them, instructing her to learn anything they might know. Why they were in the same town as the two sisters of the new brats of the devils baffled the understanding of the Governor-General.
Ultimately, Penemue did not learn much about their purpose that was useful. Some small fly nonsense. What she did learn, however, was who sent them there. Not the actual person, of course, Thoriel was too much of a nobody within the Grigori to actually come up with this scheme, however brain-haired it was.
Someone was giving instruction to Thoriel. Penemue might not have found the trail, but she found crumbs, and crumbs could be followed. Azazel thought that perhaps some of his detractors were rearing their ugly heads again, but for any to go and try to do something that might even remotely restart the war was not something Azazel could tolerate.
Despite the schmucks in Heaven being worse off from the Great War, the Fallen were not faring much better. If someone had asked him a few centuries before, he might have even said the Fallen were the strongest. With the Angels unable to replenish their ranks and the devils killing themselves without anyone needing to help them in the matter.
Compared to their foe, the Fallen could still sire Nephilim, replenishing their own ranks, if only slowly. The devils could do likewise, but at the time they were having a very spirited debate to decide who had bigger dicks in the Underworld. With the civil war raging in full, the Fallen were preeminent in their position within the Three Factions.
That all changed when the current brats managed to eke out a victory in the war and, with single-minded determination and cooperation that was almost unbelievable to see between Satans, took devil society by the horns and gave it the biggest spanking Azazel has seen.
As if that wasn't enough, the current Beelzebub managed something Azazel himself was trying to do for centuries, and only the Old Man and Luci managed to do previously. Artificial creation of new devils.
Now, five centuries after the civil war of the devil, the devils were simply too strong to contest. The Fallen would have to ally with Heaven to even stand a chance in any sort of protracted conflict; the attrition of war was simply not possible to stomach for one faction alone. Devils could theoretically replace their losses, just like they have done during the Great War, just like the Angels have done while HE still lived.
No, with both the old Satans and the old man dead, to continue the war was stupid. There was nothing to gain, besides the bruised egos of those that survived the previous conflict.
This line of thought made Azazel think back to Sirzechs, he would have to do something nice for that brat, to thank him for keeping him apprised on Baraqiel's daughter. Seeing her fight in the Rating Game against a Phenex, he thought his old friend would be quite pleased to see what a woman she became.
As an added bonus, he now knew the face of the newest Red Dragon Emperor. It would seem an incursion into Kuoh was in order. He could monitor the situation that was unravelling more closely, and he could get a look at the Boosted Gear and its user at the same time.
He would need to send some messages; better to ask for permission before intruding.