Beta read by Shigiya
.
.
.
-Rias POV-
She was recognized as the Gremory Clan's heir, one of the 72 Pillars' remaining Devil Clans and one of the highest-ranking Dukes. They controlled over a big portion of the underworld and possessed immense wealth that only a few other noble families could match.
To top it off, the eldest son of the Gremory family, her older brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, was one of the current Maou, the strongest of the four Satans and the current possessor of the title Lucifer in the underworld.
As a result, the Gremorys had a lot of important roles in the underworld. Many of the other noble clans were linked to the Gremory clan in some way.
It was so unsurprising that they had a great deal of obligation to uphold, including serving as significant role models for the remaining 72 pillars. And it came in the form of keeping their 'pure blood' count.
Devils could live for tens of thousands of years biologically, and some speculated that her kind could live indefinitely. Long before the tumultuous peace treaty between the three factions, the majority, if not all, devils died in battle; dying of old age was virtually unheard of.
Zekram Bael, the direct son of the original Lucifer, was the oldest living devil she knew. Even so, he was in great shape the last time she saw him, but their long life came with a curse. That curse was their low fertility rate, which was so dangerous that if it hadn't been for the help of the peerage system, their kind would have been wiped out completely.
When she thought about it, their common ancestor Lilith gave birth to an entire race by herself, but none of her descendants, with the exception of the Phenex clan, were gifted with the ability of a high fertility rate. The birth of a new member in any of the 72 pillars clans would be celebrated for an entire month.
She still remembered how long her nephew Milicas's party lasted. 'I'd had enough of seeing fancy dresses and champagne for years!'
Now that the peerage system was introduced by Ajuka Beelzebub, thousands of new reincarnated devils began to emerge from every corner, this did not sit well with the nobility. The fear of their pure blood being replaced by the new type of devils brought great fear into their hearts.
They began to encourage unions between high-class devils in order to 'preserve the pure blood' and with her being the next heir of the Gremory clan became engaged to the scion of the Phenex clan, Riser Phenex. 'That pig is the absolute worst person I ever had the displeasure to meet. He only sees me as a trophy wife and a potential sex slave!'
She had tried everything to persuade her parents to call off the wedding, but they refused, claiming that it was her duty as a high-class devil and the heir. Her brother never gave her a satisfactory response. She was well aware that he was powerless to intervene in this matter.
Becoming a Maou also meant giving up all ties to their clan and becoming a neutral party, which included giving up their family name. But he did give her some advice on how to get out of her current situation, a way out.
A rating game.
She had to win a match between her peerage against Riser's, who in addition to having all 15 pieces also had a few victories, secured under his belt.
That was her only chance of setting herself free, and she would do everything to win. But she first needed a full 15 members peerage, and so far she only had Akeno, Gasper, Kiba and her very recent member Koneko.
She loved every single one of them, but she had to admit that perhaps aside from Akeno's [Holy Lightning] none were strong enough to compete against Riser. She only needed a single person to join her peerage, as with his abilities and wisdom by her side, she truly felt that nothing could stand in her way, that with him, she could challenge the whole world. That person was none other than the host of [Delete Field] , one of Vritra's five sacred gears; Hikigaya Hachiman.
When we first met, she immediately knew that he would be her key to the way out. At first, she offered him a place in her peerage and in return he would be gifted all the abilities of a devil, from a long lifespan to more power along with all the resources he would ever want and the possibility for him to own his own peerage in the future.
To her surprise, he denied her proposal stating that he required some time to think about it. This of course made her happy and she also offered him some training and protection, he accepted.
To get more familiar with him, Rias decided to live in the same manor, not only because she wanted to get close to him but also because she wanted to be as far away from her home in the underworld as possible, far away from her duties as heir and just experience a semi-normal life.
The first few days living with him was difficult, to say the least. Due to her nature as a devil, Hachiman was initially very wary of her. The girl remembered how closed off he was during their first magical class training. He always doubles fact-checked her every word with the tomes and magical grimoires she got for him. His constant small verbal jabs, his dead fish eyes always feeling like they were judging her every action and his general demeanour made it hard for her to get close to him.
Rias even started wondering how could Akeno even get along with such a rude guy. 'But I can't put all the blame on him, he was heavily disturbed when he found out that I used my powers on his parent's recent memories. I did promise him to never do so again.'
It all changed that one night.
{Break}
(A few years ago)
-Hikigaya manor, Kitchen-
She couldn't sleep, or rather her mind just refused to relax with the huge amount of stress she had received from a piece of recent news.
Her wedding date with Riser was shortened until she finished her studies in Kuoh. Before she had more than a decade to prepare, now half of it was gone. And worst of all it might happen again, but she didn't know when and her brother could only delay it for so long.
She sighed
'I need a breather, something to clear up my mind.' Her mind felt like it would explode from all the pressure.
As she entered the kitchen, she encountered someone unusual at this time of night. Leaning on the table counter, was Hikigaya Hachiman, drinking a can of SUPER coffee. 'Those things are too sweet to be called a coffee. And why is he having caffeine in the middle of the night!?' Does this guy even sleep? It would explain his dead fish eyes look.
"Oh? Yo, Gremory-san" He greeted her lazily, "Weird to see you here so late at night."
"U-um, good evening Hikigaya-san. May I ask why you're having a can of coffee this late in the night?" Wanting to start a conversation she asked the first thing that came to her mind. 'Idiot! I could have started with something better!'
"I needed my daily dose of caffeine before testing out some new spells, it's Saturday, and we don't have school tomorrow. So might as well train a bit more." Really? He was going to continue training this late?
"I see...it's good that you're working so hard." Though she was kinda put off by his attitude, she still admired the effort he put into his training. Despite not being gifted magic wise and already wielding a dragon based sacred gear, he still chose the difficult path.
"Thanks." He gave her a brief just continued to sip on his can of coffee, like didn't even acknowledge the awkward atmosphere.
"...want some?" He offered her a sip, somehow not realising that it would count as an indirect kiss. 'Or does he?'
You never know with him.
"No, thank you, I don't think I'll be able to sleep afterwards." She denied it, and boy sleep is something she needed for her growing stressful state.
"Your loss, and I wouldn't have given it to you anyway–since it would count as a cliché indirect kiss."
He went back to drink his beverage completely ignoring her existence.
'This bastard...'
Sometimes it feels like he's purposefully triggering me.
'This is getting kinda awkward.' She didn't know when she sat beside him, not knowing what to say right now. Asking him further about joining her peerage would only ruin the mood and further sour their already strained relationship.
She had gone through a lot of hoops with her schedule, her overprotective brother and her family to move here.
"Something is bothering you, you're barely in touch with reality these last week." Stated Hachiman.
"What?" Rias, while trying to brainstorm a topic for discussion, was caught off-guard by Hachiman's statement. "Wha-what are you talking about Hikigaya-san? I'm completely fine." She put on her best smile to showcase that everything was alright with her.
But she forgot who she was dealing with. "Drop that fake smile, Gremory-san, you ain't fooling anyone with that." He drew on with his usual tone. "For these last few days, you've kept having your mind lost for a bit and that's supposed to be my thing. Sometimes you would stare at nothing for minutes at a time even when we kept calling you. So don't try to act like something isn't wrong with you."
.
.
.
They both remained quiet for the next few minutes, Rias tried to weigh her options on whether to reveal her issues or not. She didn't know if he would take her confession as the truth or as a plot to gain sympathy for her and have encouraged him to join her peerage.
In the end, she came to realise that she had nothing to lose. He already disliked her from the beginning, what could be adding another problem into this situation change?
And she wanted to know something from him.
"Hikigaya-san, what do you think of me?" She asked him. Her gaze looked down at her feet, in a way almost resigned to what Hachiman would say. She expected a certain answer. 'Everyone only sees me as nothing but the Gremory heir, none have tried getting to know me better besides Akeno and Shuri-san. Hikigaya-san will probably have the same mindset as the others since he never bothered to know me.'
They both stayed silent, one was waiting for an answer while the other seemed to think about something.
"You're an annoying brat, Rias"
"Hah?" This was the second time she was caught off guard. Seeing her shocked expression, Hachiman couldn't help but snort in amusement. This made her fume a bit, she then slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Hikigaya-saaaaaan, please don't make fun of me I was being serious there!" She said while pouting.
The man had the gall to creepily laugh at her!
"Hehe, I'm not lying though. You act all prim and proper but really you're just a brat, you don't like being ignored, and you want to be included. Sometimes you act like an airhead or even a clutz, other times you act spoiled and greedy. You try to act confident like you have everything under control, but the truth is that you're very insecure." That's… not false.
'Did he notice all of that on his own?' She was under the impression that he disliked her yet none of the facts he kept mentioning about her portray his dislike for her in any way.
"You have done your best to teach me magic and help Akeno and her mother. You never used your role as Akeno's King to your advantage instead you treated her as a family just like you promised to. You're spoiled but pure of heart, you're selfish but in a way that won't hurt others and in the end, you're no different to me than a young naive teenage girl." He went on an unexpected long speech, detailing every single aspect of her personality like an open book.
'Just how much does he know?'
She was stunned, "I-I ho-how do you..." And speechless. She never felt so exposed and embarrassed ever in her life! Her cheeks grew so red that Hachiman even laughed and called her, "Tomato head". That comment nearly squashed the butterflies in her stomach.
"Oh come on, you were doing so well just now! And for your information–I don't look like a tomato!" She hated that vegetable and to be constantly compared to it, just irked her.
"What, you thought I was completing you for brownie points? Get real, I was just stating facts and if that counts as being nice, then so be it; Tomato Princess." Now, it's princess!? Does this man have no shame?
She could see him hiding a grin behind that can, he was totally enjoying seeing her reaction. "You know, I find that question to be very stupid, Rias," Hachiman said in a serious voice, throwing her off for a bit.
That question hurt her deep in her heart.
"Wha-what do you mean? It's a very important thing to know for me. Everyone, I mean literally everyone I met back home always sees me as nothing more than the heir to the Gremory!" She began shouting,
"I don't hate being the heir, but I just want people to see me as Rias and nothing more! From my old friends to even my family members, they all began treating me differently once they found out of my position as the Gremory heir. The love they once showed me was replaced with admiration for my family name! The trust we once had became nonexistent! They began approaching me with fear in their eyes, with prejudice and judgement based on the Gremory name and not Rias! Tell me how is that question stupid!?" Rias screamed at the end, with tears streaming down her face.
With all the accumulating pressure, she just lost it and let her anger loose. Upon realising this, Rias became ashamed, "I-I am sor-sorry, Hachiman… I shouldn't hav-"
"So you want to be Rias, huh?" Hachiman remained calm, not looking the slightest bit offended from her earlier burst.
"Wha-what?"
"Then why don't you? I acknowledge not being that familiar with your culture, but I can't help but think you're looking at this from a wrong angle. You hate the fact that people once close to you changed when they found out about your role as the future head, right?" He stared right into Rias's eyes, garnering all of her attention.
"Then they weren't really that close to you, to begin with. You are the kind of person who doesn't want massive changes in her life– you just want things to stay the way they are. But that is not the case, life is cruel, and relationships are the easiest things to break and change in life. There will always be people who care about nothing else but their gains, they will twist the truth, forge fake relationships and even ruin their past bonds. You becoming a family head didn't change people's perspective on you, or on how they viewed you. It just brought out their real selves, the part that wishes to gain everything they can from the Gremory name."
"You must learn to ignore them, yet you must also keep them close, for they may hurt you unless you're not careful. Keep them apart from your real friends and family, like Akeno, Sona and your parents. Continue being yourself, Rias. Only then will you attract those who are really interested in you rather than the Gremory."
She became silent, lost in her thoughts once more. "So, I should just ignore them and move on with my life, is what you're saying."
"Yes, and if you want more people to learn about the real Rias, you must also be willing to learn more about the other. A two-side deal, an exchange of equal worth."
It was at this moment that she began understanding Hikigaya Hachiman a bit more… and it drove her wanting to learn more about him.
"Do you consider me as a friend?" She asked.
"Who knows," He replied, "You're just tomato head to me."
'Why this little…' He just wouldn't stop with that name!
"Don't call me that!" That was the last straw, she tried to get a hold of him to teach him a lesson!
"Now, now princess you'd better calm yourself before you turn your entire body into a blast furnace." He evaded her while flashing her the smuggest grin she had ever seen.
'It's even worse than Sona's!' she thought.
"Why you!" She started chasing after him, anger visible in her eyes.
"COME HERE!"
"Too slow."
"Argh!"
"Too clumsy."
"You're gonna pay for this Hachiman!"
"Too naive."
They both played their game of cats and mice, from the kitchen to the living room. Hachiman was able to slip past her grasp but he began showing signs of tiredness thus accidentally tripping. Rias capitalised on that opportunity and tackled him on the sofa.
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
Both teenagers' sweaty faces lay just a few inches away from each other, each taking heavy breaths of air. Rias used both of her hands to pin down Hachiman, unknowingly pressing her breasts on his chest, while her knee was pressed very gently to his lower region.
It was obvious that Rias did not realise how bad their current position looked, Hachiman began blushing at their rather closeness. Still, he kept staring into her eyes, "Feeling better, right?" He questioned.
"What?" She wondered, what was this smug bastard up to.
"I can tell whatever was bothering you before, is no longer on your mind."
"..."
'This guy...'
"You can unhand me now." Realising that she was still holding him down, Rias hastily let go. She took a pillow and buried her face. 'This can't get even more embarrassing, but...'
"Thank you..." She whispered through the pillow. Despite her embarrassment, she felt a lot better than when she first came downstairs. Her head no longer hurt and she no longer felt the pressure building upon her.
"Now will you tell me what's your other problem?" She hesitated, "I can't, you'll hate me even more." How could she tell him? If he found out about her arranged marriage as well as her goal to try recruiting him to help her succeed, he would surely despise her. She faintly heard Hachiman say something about 'Another Akeno case' or something.
Hachiman sighed, "Is it something concerning your future? Something that has to do with your position as heir?" He asked her a few questions, she nodded at both of them not elaborating further. "Does Akeno know?" Of course, she would know, outside the house, they basically spent every moment together, back in the underworld both her queen and Shuri-san would help her deal with certain affairs.
It was inevitable for them to find out about her engagement. She remembered begging Akeno to not tell Hachiman as she did not want him to join her peerage out of pity. And she wanted to show her queen that she was a capable leader. But time was running out and she still was not anywhere close to being ready.
She nodded her head again.
"How far are you willing to go to handle this matter?" Now Hachiman's voice grew deeper and serious and coupled with his stare made her a bit intimidated.
Her eyes grew heavy, and she expressed her desperation, "Very far, I'm willing to do anything to set myself free. If push comes to shove, I'll throw away my dignity if I have to." She would never abandon her servants or hurt them, but she herself was willing to do anything.
She soon felt a hand on her head, stroking her hair gently, Hachiman came close to her and offered her comfort that she only remembered her brother doing when she was very young.
"If you had to make sacrifices on your own to protect one aspect of your life, you're more likely to lose it completely. Including relationships, you have in your hand now.
"So instead of keeping everything bottled up and thinking that you're alone in this matter, remember you have me and Akeno, your queen, on your side. No matter what challenges you might face we will always be there to support you. So have confidence and share some of your burdens."
'I finally understand...'
It was at that point that the dam burst, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed uncontrollably while clutching him close. Hachiman never said anything and just patted her on the back, his entire being radiating warmth and comfort. She finally understood why Akeno was so obsessed with him, and she caught a glimpse of the real Hachiman hidden beneath all the layers he kept around his personality.
And she felt something forbidden grow in her heart from then on. 'I'm sorry Akeno...'
{Break}
From then on she tried her hardest to get along with Hachiman, from school to training she spent most of her time around him with Akeno by their side.
She wanted to bond with him, to know more about him while showing off her real self.
Get to know him more and just to be close to him in general. These were the few moments in her life where she felt like being a normal teenage girl, she cherished every bit of it.
She took some lessons from her queen's book and started doing her own form of teasing to Hachiman.
From seeing her naked after she showered, to her finding every excuse in the book to feeling him up close during training, she grew increasingly excited whenever she saw Hachiman blush. Even when he kept calling her a 'perverted exhibitionist' it only made her want to do more. She had to restrain herself, for Akeno, but it kept getting harder the more time she spent with him. As he told her before, she is greedy and he didn't mind it. 'He accepts my flaws.'
The reasons she wanted Hachiman in her peerage had shifted from defeating Riser to having him notice her.
And when he promised to become a member of her peerage if she could make reincarnated devils more equal in their society, even though it appeared to be a monumental task that even her brother would struggle to accomplish with his power, she accepted.
"A once in a lifetime promise." She heard him mutter as he fell asleep, and it was then she could no longer control herself.
She took off her clothes. Her now large breast bounced as she unhooked her bra. She then proceeded to take off her panties and throw them in the corner, all the while she kept watching his sleeping face, his innocent, vulnerable sleeping face.
'Again, I'm sorry Akeno it became too much for me to handle.' She loved her like a sister, but siblings also argued over the things they both wanted.
She crept slowly onto his bed, looming over his body, having spent the previous five minutes staring at his expression, seemingly lost in it. She then extended her finger, coating it in a thin layer of her power of destruction, and used it to rip open Hachiman's clothes, revealing his bruises and cuts.
Her hand went over each of them gently, from his chest to his stomach, but she stopped herself from going any further below. She pressed herself against Hachiman, feeling his heat and smelling his scent against his neck, channelling all of her healing abilities through her body.
"...I love you..." She whispered to no one but herself as she fell asleep next to him.
.
.
.
"...so much, Hachiman."
-------------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.