~A/N: Here is an extra long chapter, as a treat~
Rias looked at me in disbelief and so did Akeno. And I understood why but I could not sacrifice my dramatic entrance, it's not always that I get an opportunity like this.
Rias stared blankly at my face for a solid 5 seconds straight, just trying to comprehend the words and that just came out of my mouth and back respectively.
And when Rias.exe finally finished rebooting she managed to squeeze out some words.
"Takumi-kun? Did you become a devil? How!? Who!? Whose peerage did you join!?" Rias shot up from her chair in a panic-like state while I shook my head fondly.
"Well, I was planning on yours but if it is a bad time I can come back late- Puhak!"
I tried jesting before I was hit by a crimson-coloured human-shaped heiress missile called Rias pulling me into a hug. I could feel my ribs crack when she slammed into me and pulled my body into a crushing hug. In the corner of my vision, I could Akeno smiling fondly in happiness.
Not knowing what to do I also wrapped my arms around her, supporting her as she looked up at me with equal amounts disbelief and happiness.
"Really? Are you sure? I thought you didn't want to join? I mean I would be as happy as I could be if you did-" I just put my finger to her lips to silence her ramblings.
She must have been really stressed to be like this.
...Now I feel bad.
I will make it up to her later.
"Well, clearly I changed my mind, didn't I? I can't really stand by the sidelines and watch you handle that burnt chicken by yourself, can I? If I couldn't make this little sacrifice I wouldn't be able to call myself your boyfriend." I decided to put a title on our relationship because referring to her as my not friend but also not really my girlfriend in my mind.
And I wasn't even lying here, even if I did not plan to become a devil at first I would have pumped her peerage full of elixirs and made a light nuke potion with a feather from Azazel and Hydra venom to put down the Phenex scion.
Letting her go was never on the list of possibilities despite what I made Sirzechs think.
*Chu!*
Instead of choosing to give a verbal answer, Rias slung her arms over my neck and pulled down for a quick kiss, not a lustful French one but a quick one filled emotion. Releasing her arms from around my neck she backed off slightly, red still staining her face she took a moment to recompose herself before posing the question.
"I am very glad Takumi, but, how did you become a devil already?"
*Ahem.*
It was at this moment that Rias noticed Grayfia who had been standing in the corner of the room ever since I got here, she looked both happy at the fact that Rias was so happy and annoyed at the fact that it was the perverted brat she served who was making her happy.
Man, I think my psychoanalysis skills are improving.
"Grayfia? What are you doing here?" Rias was slightly surprised and initially put a foot forward in front of me, putting herself between me and her while looking at Grayfia who sighed slightly seeing the scene.
"That would be thanks to me, lady Rias. I reincarnated Takumi as my bishop piece because you would not have been able to otherwise. I am also here to trade him to you." Hearing myself being addressed like an object being passed around was a bit irritating but I was the picture definition of a stoic.
"Well, you heard the maid, let's hurry with it, you didn't hear it from me but I don't feel safe under the cold scrutiny of her gaze." I joked pointing at the cold Grayfia with my thumb as Rias chortled.
"Alright, let's do that. I look forward to you joining us Takumi-kun." Rias said, giving me a thousand-watt smile that gave a bit of warmth to my heart.
Yep, that's the smile I am putting some elbow grease into protecting right now.
✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧
It was a rather quick process, just a small ritual to exchange Grayfia's Bishop piece, yours truly with Rias' unused Bishop piece. After that, I was at the mercy of the teenage girl.
After Grayfia left I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the couch, letting myself relax.
"Well, now that that's over with, anything I should know about your peerage Rias? Any rules? Mandatory human sacrifice gatherings?" Rias smiled while shaking her head, sitting next to me on the couch, out legs touching as she flicked my nose.
"No need for that dummy, I am not going to impose any rules on you just because you decided to help me. Though I would appreciate you joining in on peerage activities, it would help you become a high-ranking devil faster too. Right? My boyfriend~" Rias said the last part teasingly, lightly jabbing at me the fact that I was the one who declared our relationship first.
While my thoughts resembled something like.
'Wow, I actually have a girlfriend.'
This is the first actual relationship I have been in, the weird fucked up shit with the fallen angels being obviously excluded.
Rias leaned onto me, giving me a good whiff of her scent, strawberry and cherry mixed with a bit of a floral scent. As I was letting my mind wander with her body pressed up against mine, I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me as boundless softness pushed up against my head, cranking my eyes open a tad I saw the irritated expression Rias looking above, making me notice a familiar seductive voice.
"Ara~ ara~ President, you can't hog him all to yourself now you know~? It's good to share." I felt Akeno also looking at Rias, imaginary sparks almost flying between them.
"Akeno? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Besides, I think he prefers me more, doesn't he? After all, he is my boyfriend." I could feel the pride of Rias challenge the pride of Akeno while I stood still, eager to watch the sparks fly.
"O~h~ is that really so~? It didn't seem like that when I was training him~" Akeno countered, the playful tension between them was clear to see when my live drama show was interrupted by the door opening.
"Koneko-chan?" Rias and Akeno noticed Koneko suddenly enter the room but neither retracted their shows of affection and Koneko did not seem to care as she walked up to us, sniffing the air slightly and looking pleased as she did so.
"...Did you become a devil?" She asked curtly as I nodded with a smile and put my hand on her head patting it slightly as she leaned into my hand with a ghost of a smile.
"Yep, that's right, I have finally succumbed to the temptation of evil. But I guess that makes us Peermates doesn't it Koneko-chan?" Koneko smiled slightly, nodding and surprisingly sitting on my other side opposite of Rias, staying right next to me as both Rias and Akeno smiled.
"Ara~ ara~ President, it seems we may have further competition." Akeno teased Koneko as the small cat girl blushed slightly narrowing her eyes at Akeno.
"Akeno, it's not good to tease so much you know? By the way, Takumi-kun. I heard from my mother that Riser was planning on vising the human world today." Rias, said, a hint of worry dyeing her voice as I chuckled and put a hand on her head to comfort her.
"Heh, don't worry about that fried chicken Rias. Don't worry, I have a plan, he can come whenever and however he likes."
After all, what is a chicken in front of a dragon?
✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧
While Takumi and Rias were cuddling on her couch with her peerage around them, suddenly, an orange magic circle appeared in the middle of the room.
The magic circle bearing the crest of the Phenex family lit up in the middle of the floor as the figure of Riser Phenex escorted by Grayfia stepped out of it. He was a tall individual with golden blond hair with the middle slicked back and blue eyes wearing an expensive red suit with a white dress shirt underneath, he held an expression and air that screamed arrogance.
Riser looked around for a second before his eyes locked onto his bride-to-be, but unlike what he expected, she had an unknown man hanging off her. Seeing this Riser sneered in anger and disbelief, marching over to her.
"Rias! What is the meaning of this? I come to the human world for the first time in a while and I see an unknown man hanging off of you. And you! Get off my fiancee." Rias spat out, releasing his magical power in all directions as a meagre attempt at intimidation.
Rias's grip on Takumi's hand tightened as she glared at Riser defiantly while Takumi's expression did not budge a smidge, despite Riser throwing around his presence Takumi looked cool as beans.
"I don't remember needing to ask your permission for anything Riser. I have told you time and time again that I do not want to marry you." Rias said with heat in her voice as Riser shrugged his shoulders smugly.
"Really? You are still going on with your childish protest Rias? Are you really in a position to be so selfish Rias? Can you really afford to do this while the Gremory family is the one struggling? It's your family that benefits the most here, not mine." He came closer, looking down at her directly.
"Is this man also one of your little protests? Your new pawn from how little mana he has. Stop being so childish Rias. And you, I remember telling you to get off my fiancee don't I?" Riser shot Takumi a glare that almost felt cute to him with how little he felt threatened by it.
It felt almost like an ant pulling an appropriately ant-sized knife on him.
Still sporting a lazy smile Takumi got off Rias and walked over to Riser, standing mere inches in front of him.
"Really? And why should I be taking orders from you? You do not hold any power over me. Or should I also come over and kiss your ass just because you asked your highness?" Takumi said in a mocking tone, successfully employing his mastery of pissing people off as Riser grinned in anger.
"It seems you do not understand your place, you are a mere servant, barely a devil. Someone like you doesn't have the right to talk to me like this, in fact, since you are in Rias' peerage you will refer to me as master soon enough. Let me show the distance between you and me." Rias did not even try to come to Takumi's defence, her full confidence lay in his abilities.
*Snap!*
Riser snapped his fingers again, making the circle light up again. This time a whole group of people emerged from it.
All flavours of girls dressed in skimpy outfits were standing behind him. Takumi's eyes glanced over all of them quickly, his eyes falling mainly on two of the people behind him, the skimpily dressed mature purple beauty standing closest to Riser and his sister who was dressed like a princess. He made sure to commit them to his memory for later.
"I have a peerage, a full one, I am a noble high-class Devil while you are a mere servant. Do not overstep your bounds or else I will make sure you will regret it when you are serving me, after all, when I marry Rias our peerages will functionally be the same."
Takumi looked unimpressed. Sporting a mocking grin of his own as he raised his eyebrows challengingly.
"So what? Is your little harem supposed to impress me? What's with all the fanfare? Is it compensating for something? By something I mean your small dick, of course, I thought I should elaborate since you seem like a little too bird-brained to understand the nuance of a joke. After all, it would take a special kind of retard to think this would impress me." Riser glared at Takumi with molten blue eyes from anger.
*Snap!*
"If Rias refuses to disciple you it seems like the task falls to me as her Fiancee. Mira, teach him some respect." After snapping his finger his pawn dutifully stepped in front approaching Takumi rapidly.
Riser smirked, sending his weakest pawn forward, sensing what little mana Takumi had, as expected of a panic pick from Rias.
A girl with blue hair tied into 8 tails wearing traditional Japanese festival clothes holding a wooden staff stepped forward toward Takumi with her weapon braced.
Just when she went in to strike him with her staff suddenly she fell to her knees as an aura was released throughout the entire room, a domineering presence made itself known and forced her down to her knees with its full pressure bearing down on her.
Riser glared in indignation at the young man who went from unassuming to dangerous looking in one moment his eyes now glowing teal as he approached Riser even closer, both parties staring each other down.
"Was this pathetic display what you were supposed to show me? I sure learned some respect. But I guess this is partly my fault for expecting anything impressive from you, seems like this pathetic display is all you are worth, I am impressed, I had no expectations of you and I still ended up disappointed." *Clap!* *Clap!*
Takumi clapped mockingly as Riser looked like a vein had burst on his forehead, his stance turning hostile.
"Then I guess it falls on me to teach you some respect myself!" Riser's hand shot forward and gripped Takumi's shirt, lifting Takumi into the air, but even then Takumi's smug expression did not cease. Then, Riser suddenly burst into flame.
"Urk!" Rias felt the heat rolling off of Riser, it was rather unpleasant, and it would feel like a furnace for anyone next to him, let alone someone directly in contact with him.
"Well? Regretting your words now? Or is it too hot to speak?" But then Riser saw Takumi's face, which was now grinning maniacally. A Red Draconic Clawed Gauntlet manifested on his arm and gripped Riser's arm, putting his feet back on the floor.
"{BOOST}!"
Riser's eyes widened.
"The Red Dragon Emperor?"
Still gripping onto Riser's arm who still hadn't let go of him Takumi smirked maliciously.
"Really? Is this meagre flame really the pride of the Phenex family? I have experienced summer days hotter than this joke. More like the shame of the Phenex family I say. Or maybe it is just you who is a disgrace?" Riser saw red, but just before he was about to attack a chilling presence bore down on both of them, smothering his anger as he faced Grayfia who had her eyes narrowed.
"I will no longer tolerate any more fighting here. Please cease your hostilities." Grayfia's chilling voice rang out as Riser spat to the side. Still glaring daggers at Takumi who casually dispelled his boosted gear.
"I will remember this peasant, and I will make sure you will regret this disrespect. I swear it on my name. Rias, you wanted to challenge me to a rating game right? I will accept it. Only on the condition that he participates as well." Riser said, pointing a finger at Takumi.
"Of course, who do you take me for? There is no way in hell I would miss a chance to stomp your worthless ass to the dirt. I take it that's fine with you Rias?" Rias nodded to Takumi's words.
"Yes, that's fine with me." Hearing both parties' intent Grayfia nodded.
"I see, then I shall arrange a rating game between Rias-sama and Riser-sama," Grayfia said bowing slightly. Riser turned back to me his eyes molten with unconcealed anger.
"I will give you a week to prepare, I want to crush you at your best so utterly that there will be no room for any doubt. It isn't rare for there to be a lost limb or two in a rating game." Just before Riser was about to leave Riser shot one last glare at Takumi.
"Prepare yourself."
Takumi glared in kind.
"You should worry about yourself."
That was not a threat or an attempt at intimidation.
Takumi meant it.
As Riser vanished with his peerage in tow Takumi stood in place. A malicious smirk adorning his face.
'That could not have gone any better.'
A/N: This chapter was originally supposed to be 2/3rds its current length. But I decided to write the entire Riser confrontation in one go to not leave you guys hanging.
The plot has finally started kicking off, Takumi employed his honed speciality of pissing people off, he may not like cussing all that much but he is very skilled in talking shit and pissing people off.
Riser does not know what he is dealing with and he will learn it the hard way. The very hard and arduous way. His near future is not a kind one.
What did you guys think about the scenes between Takumi and Rias' peerage? Did you like it? What about the Riser scene? I would love to know your thoughts about it.