Heaven, Third Heaven.
After James, Scathach, Cu Chulainn, and Irene finished their battles with the Evil Dragons, they each made their way back to the larger group. When James, who was the last to finish his fight, arrived, the mass-produced Evil Dragons were all but annihilated. However, when James arrived with Crom Cruach in tow, everyone went on guard once again.
"James, what is he doing here?" Michael asked with a frown.
"Oh, you mean Crom?" James asked with a smile. "After kicking his ass, he agreed to become my familiar."
"Familiar?" Michael repeated in surprise.
Not only Michael, but Gabriel and the rest of the angels were dumbfounded. The group James arrived with, however, was not all that surprised.
"Now that you mention it, why don't any of us have familiars?" Cu Chulainn asked.
"it's obviously because our [King] forgot." Dante replied.
"Yup, sure did." James admitted quickly. "I mean think about it. Shit happens like every other week. When would we have time to go to the Familiar Forest?"
"From what I hear, it only opens to outsiders on the night of the full moon, right?" Shuna asked.
"That's right." Leona replied. "The Familiar Forest is a weird place. And during the night of the full moon, the carnivores and the herbivores don't fight... At all."
From there, the members of James' peerages began discussing the merits and demerits of having a familiar. On top of that, they even began talking about what kind of familiar they would like to make a contract with. Then, the girls began to gush over how cute Asia's familiar, a sprite dragon she named Rassei, was.
"Speaking of Asia... do you think she did it?" Flora asked while waggling her eyebrows.
"I don't know, but I hope so." Mizore said exasperatedly.
"Oh, she definitely did." Moka said with a smile.
"If she did, hopefully he'll get his act together." Shuna added.
"Did what?" Shion and Irina asked curiously.
"Obviously the thing you've been stopping them from doing since you moved in with them." Flora said with a smile directed at Irina.
"No, no, no!" Irina said frantically. "You have to wait until marriage for things like that."
At the same time, Irina's face blushed immediately. Then, her wings and halo appeared on their own. The next moment, her wings began flickering between black and white. Meanwhile, her halo began disappearing and reappearing at the same frequency.
"Oh, You're so innocent, Irina." Kahlua said with a smile as she wrapped the younger girl in a hug. "It's so cute."
"Wow, it's amazing that she hasn't fallen yet." Irene said while shaking her head.
"Yeah, I guess with Big G not around, they get away with quite a bit more." James said. "Oh, and Crom, stop staring at my master like that. We're not going to be fighting here."
"I know." Crom Cruach said while staring down Scathach. At the same time, Fenrir was growling threateningly at Crom Cruach.
"Oh, and when we're at the house, I'd suggest you don't cause any trouble." James said off handedly. "Ophis is living there, and she gets fussy if things get too crazy, ya dig?"
"Hold on, you live with Ophis?" Crom Cruach asked with his eyes wide open. "Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon?"
"Yeah, that's right." James replied with a nod. "She's really chill. As long as you don't' try to steal her food, that is. In that case, shit can go sideways, real fast."
"Who is foolish enough to steal food from the mouth of the Infinite Dragon God?" Crom Cruach asked in abject horror.
Then, all the devils turned to stare at Leona who was chatting animatedly with Gabriel. When she felt the stares, she turned toward them and looked at the members of James' peerage.
"What?" Leona asked with a smile. "I know I'm gorgeous, but staring isn't very polite."
"Who is that woman, contractor?" Crom Cruach asked with shock in his tone.
"That woman is... *Sigh* my mother." James said.
"My condolences." Crom Cruach said sincerely.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Leona asked with a menacing air around her.
"I feel a modicum of pity for my contractor." Crom Cruach said calmly. "To be born to someone reckless enough to steal food from the Ouroboros Dragon must have led him to a tough life. Now I understand how he could be so powerful at such a tender age."
Hearing that, Leona was left speechless. Meanwhile, the others were doing all they could to stifle their laughter.
"What the...? Why would...? How could...?" Leona sputtered for words to retort.
Unfortunately for her, she knew that stealing food from Ophis was reckless. Even if it was just fun and games for the residents of the Alaverus Estate now, Leona did almost set Ophis off completely the first time she snatched food from the loli dragon's plate.
On top of that, she could sense no malice from Crom Cruach's words. Because of that, Leona knew that Crom Cruach was genuinely praising James for his strength. Even if the reason for it was misplaced.
"Mom, this time it's best to just let it go." James said after approaching his mother and patting her on the shoulder.
"*Sigh* I know." Leona said, letting her shoulders drop. "No matter what I say, there's no explaining this one away."
While the devils and the dragon were chatting, the angels looked at them as if they were something otherworldly.
"Lord Michael, did they say that that woman has stolen food from the Ouroboros Dragon?" The ten-winged angel asked with his voice shaking.
"Indeed, they did." Michael replied with a smile.
"And she somehow lived to tell the tale?" The ten-winged angel asked.
"Do you not see her standing in front of you?" Said a male voice that had just arrived. "Such a poor display before the devils."
After hearing that voice, the angels who were watching and listening to the conversation between the devils, Gabriel, and Crom Cruach turned back to see Raphael and Uriel standing behind them.
"Lord Raphael, Lord Uriel." The lower ranked angels said while saluting their superiors.
Nodding in reply, Raphael and Uriel turned their attention towards Michael.
"Brother, what happened here?" Raphael asked. "We lost our connection with First through Third Heaven for a while."
"The Son of Lucifer sent his Evil Dragons through the breech that connects to Purgatory." Michael replied. "However, we're lucky that our visitors from the Underworld were here today. Otherwise, the losses could have been much worse."
"How bad could things have been with you and Gabriel here?" Uriel asked, not wanting to give the devils their credit.
"No matter how strong we are, Uriel." Michael said with awry smile on his face. "The two of us would not have been able to defeat a Heavenly Dragon class dragon. On top of that, James, who defeated him, also made him his familiar."
Wanting to say something dismissive about James' accomplishment, Uriel's words were stuck in his throat after hearing that Crom Cruach had become someone's familiar.
"Surely... you jest..." Uriel said with disbelief in his eyes.
Not only Uriel, Raphael's eyes were also full of disbelief. Even the other angels, who had been here from the start, were having trouble believing what they were seeing. In fact, if it were not for the perpetual kind smile that was settled on Michael's face, they would see the disbelief in his expression, as well.
"If you are having trouble believing it." Michael said while gesturing at the group of devils, Gabriel, Irina, and Crom Cruach. "Why don't we go over and speak to them. I'm sure that will clear up any doubts."
Nodding in response, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel then led the other angels over towards James and his group. Then, when they were close enough, Michael spoke once again.
"Gabriel, come and help me introduce our brothers to our guests." Michael said with a smile.
Gabriel, after hearing Michael's voice, looked towards the group of angels. Then, when she saw her brothers, she smiled brightly and skipped over to them.
"Raphael, Uriel, come and say hello to my friend Leona." Gabriel said with a bright smile. "You should meet James too. His [Senbonzakura] is really pretty."
Hearing that, Raphael and Uriel could not help but smile wryly. However, Uriel frowned shortly after. The thought of his sister having a friend that is a devil was off putting for him at the very least. With his distrust for devils, it made perfect sense.
Seeing the frown on Uriel's face, Michael lowered his voice and spoke to him once again.
"Uriel, at least try to speak to them without prejudice." Michael said. "Even if you don't trust them, these devils helped us defend Heaven against the attack of many Evil Dragons."
"*Sigh* We'll see." Uriel said with a n exasperated sigh.
Meanwhile, James, Leona, Scathach, Irene, and Crom Cruach were watching the interaction between the Four Great Seraphs while the rest of the devils continued to chat and have fun.
"It would seem that man doesn't like us very much." Irene said with a slight frown.
"I can understand why he would not welcome me." Crom Cruach said with confusion in his tone. "But why would he direct so much hostility at you, who helped defend his home and people?"
"Because he is, and always has been, a small minded fool." Scathach said expressionlessly. "Even back during the Great War, he regarded everyone other than angels and humans as enemies. And he only considered humans as those beneath him."
"To be fair, most supernatural beings see humans as below them." James mentioned. "But other than that, he sounds like an asshole. Should I smack some sense into him?"
"That will just make things worse." Leona said, sounding like the voice of reason. Until she continued to speak. "I tried that with some racists back when I was human. it didn't really work."
James, Scathach, and Irene decided that Leona had not said that last part, and proceeded with the conversation as if that were the truth. Crom Cruach on the other hand, did not understand the concept of racism since he was not all that interested in humans as a whole.
"Anyway, we'll play nice." Leona said. "At least for Gaby's sake."
"Yeah, the thought of making her sad, makes me feel uncomfortable." James said with a nod.
Scathach, Irene, and Crom Cruach, although they did not hold the same thoughts about making Gabriel sad, they agreed to be cordial. At least for as long as Heaven remains so.
"Leona, let me introduce you to my other brothers." Gabriel said as she dragged Raphael, who was smiling wryly, and Uriel, who was scowling at the thought of speaking with devils, by their hands. Then, when she was close enough, she gestured to her left and continued to speak. "This is Raphael."
"It's nice to meet you." Raphael said politely.
"Nice to meet you, too." Leona replied, extending her hand for a handshake.
Accepting the handshake, Raphael shook hands with Leona briefly before letting go. After the quick handshake, Gabriel gestured to her right.
"And this is Uriel." Gabriel said with a smile.
Instead of a greeting, Uriel only released a disinterested grunt before turning his head away as if even looking at the devils was more kindness than they deserved.
"Oh, wow." James said in a dramatic tone. "To think one of the Four Great Seraphs would act like this. Blowing off one of their realm's saviors because he is bias against a group of devils who have done nothing wrong. Gabriel, it seems it would be better if we leave. That way, we won't cause any trouble for you and your brothers."
Towards the end, James changed his tone from a condescending one to a sad and deeply hurt one. Then, he did his best to make puppy dog eyes at Gabriel. When Gabriel heard the tone of James' voice and the expression on his face, she too became sad. James, Leona, and the members of his peerages were invited to Heaven by her, helped to defend it, and then they were basically shown that they were not welcomed by her brother.
"Yes, Gaby... James is right." Leona joined in, making her tone sound sad as well. "We would never want to cause trouble for you or your family, So, we'll head home."
Seeing Leona's sad expression, Gabriel felt as if her heart would break. Then, she looked at Uriel with sad eyes and a pouty face, her tears threatening to spill from her beautiful green eyes.
Meanwhile, Uriel was determined not to look at Gabriel after hearing what James and Leona said. He knew what expression she was making. Also, he knew that if he saw the sad eyes she was undoubtedly wearing, his conviction would fail in less than an instant.
While Gabriel was staring down Uriel, James and Leona glanced at each other. When they did, they transferred an obscene amount of information to each other. Then, they smiled deviously.
"Okay, Gaby." Leona said, making her way over to Gabriel. Then, she pulled Gabriel into a hug while she, once again, wore a sad expression. "It was good to see you again. Hopefully, we'll get to see each other again sooner rather than later."
'No.' Gabriel thought to herself. 'I'm not ready for them to leave. My friend finally came to visit.'
"Yeah, it was really nice to see you again." James said. "Since I didn't get to put on a show for you, next time we see each other, I'll put on a great show with [Senbonzakura]."
'No, I don't want them to leave.' Gabriel thought.
Returning Leona's hug, Gabriel finally started to cry. Then, she looked at Uriel and spoke once again.
"I won't speak to you again, Brother Uriel." Gabriel said in a heartbroken tone that somehow housed a large amount of conviction. "Not until you apologize for being rude to my friends."
Hearing that Gabriel would not speak to him anymore, Uriel finally started to panic. Meanwhile, Michael and Raphael looked at him with pity. They knew how stubborn their sister could be about things like this. So, all three of them had no doubt that she was serious.
"Wait, Gabriel, we can discuss this." Uriel said, turning towards Gabriel at lightning speed.
Gabriel, however, simply turned her head away and refused to look at Uriel.
'Yup, confirmed.' James thought to himself as he watched the situation unfold. 'Another sis-con.'
"All I have to do is apologize, right?" Uriel said, wearing an expression that looked like he was about to head onto a battlefield. "Fine... I apolo... I apolo..."
'Wow, he's really struggling with this.' All the devils and Crom Cruach thought as they watched.
"I apologize!" Uriel shouted at the top of his lungs after several more false starts. "There! Now let them leave. We should also return home."
"That was not at all sincere." Gabriel said with a pout. "Why would you apologize for being rude then send them home right after?"
Hearing that, Uriel was horrified. He knew there was no way that he would apologize sincerely. On top of that, that would mean allowing the devils to stay in Heaven, which he was firmly against. So, for the next few hours, Gabriel and Uriel went back and forth while Gabriel's tears fell in torrents. Finally, Michael and Raphael had to step in because seeing Gabriel cry was too much for them as well.
'Yup, they're all sis-cons.' James thought as the Seraphs bickered about them.