The day of the nun's arrival in the city had arrived. After the disappearance of one of their brothers, the fallen angels became wary and did not leave the church. Kiyoshi read the surveillance reports with a grin. Due to the cowardice of the black-winged ones, Asia Argento had to get to her destination on her own. In which she was unexpectedly helped by the newly-minted demon Hyodo Issei. "It's as if he's drawn to trouble or to a meeting with the fallen" — was in Zankoku's mind when he saw a familiar name.
Putting the document he had read back on the table, the blond left his office. "The nun has already arrived, which means there's just a little bit left to wait. The spies continue to monitor the object around the clock and will warn if anything happens." The half-demon had business today, so after saying goodbye to his subordinates, he headed to the meeting place.
When there were fifteen minutes left until the appointed time, he arrived at the square. Kiyoshi was surprised to find that she were already waiting for him at the appointed place. A young dark-haired girl in a purple dress attracted the attention of those around her. Light makeup only emphasized her natural beauty, and her dreamy smile made all the men stare at her, no matter whether they were alone or accompanied by their companions.
As soon as the brunette noticed a familiar figure, she seemed to glow. Running up to the platinum blond, the girl hugged him.
— You finally came, — Akeno said, still clinging to the guy.
— And I'm glad to see you, baby, — Zankoku said, gently stroking Himejima's hair, afraid of ruining his hairstyle. — There's still a long time until the meeting, how long have you been standing here?
Hearing the question, Akeno's cheeks turned red and she answered shyly:
— I just couldn't wait and came a little early.
The guy didn't specify how long this "little" had been going on, instead he offered his elbow, which his companion immediately grabbed.
— Let's go. There's a quiet and peaceful place nearby where we can sit and chat to our heart's content.
— Okay. Lead the way, — with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, she added in a languid voice: — I'm completely at your disposal.
Kiyoshi chuckled with a smile at girlfriend's teasing. They continued their journey in comfortable silence.
— Of course, I don't doubt you, but was it worth choosing this expensive restaurant? — asked the brunette when they settled into a separate room of one of the best expensive establishments in the city.
— Don't worry about trifles, — Kiyoshi was amused by the brunette's reaction, — Recently, this restaurant became the property of Hyakia Yako. We can safely use this place for our meeting. So order something for yourself and let's start the evening of meetings.
— Ara-ara, what bold words, Kiyoshi.
Zankoku looked questioningly at his interlocutor, waiting for her to continue her words.
— You invited me to a luxurious restaurant, you treat me. Now you say that this place belongs to you, which means we can do whatever we want here and no one will bother us.
— Hah, when did this little priestess become such a pervert?
— Ufu-fu, what are you talking about, Kiyoshi? — the brunette covered her mouth with her palm, feigning indignation, — Did I mention anything like that? Maybe you yourself think about vulgar things, so you gave my words such a meaning. Ah, — continuing her game, the girl hugged herself with her arms, playfully trembling, — a married guy invited a girl to a separate room. Do you really want to discredit this young girl? Should I start being afraid?
The half-demon smiled crookedly at his friend's antics. Deciding to play along, he replied:
— And this is being told to me by the one who invited a married man on a date. Before that, she was asking his wife about their family life, — a predatory smile appeared on the young man's face. — Does this young maiden want to steal someone else's husband or does she want to become his wife herself?
— And what if that's the case? — Despite her flushed face and ears, Akeno's smile did not waver. She looked defiantly into the eyes of her interlocutor, waiting for his reaction.
— Let's not talk about that now, — not noticing the whisper "Coward", Zankoku continued: — Better tell me how you lived after our separation in childhood.
— Okay, — at that moment there was a knock on the door and the waiter entered the room with the previously ordered dishes. When only the two of them were left in the room again, the brunette began her story:
— After you passed on the message to Shinichi, I had to leave the city in a hurry. It's good that it didn't take much time. A few hours later I was in another prefecture, — occasionally distracted by the snacks on the table, the girl continued her story, — With the help of the money and things given at your request, life was much easier. Over the course of a month, I calmly visited several more cities, until my relatives from the Himejima clan contacted me.
— What were they waiting for all this time? — the young man frowned slightly.
— I don't know, — Akeno shrugged, — I also thought it was strange. But then the reason for everything became clear. I was being pursued and when I was driven into a corner, Rias appeared accompanied by a servant of the Gremory house, — a cheerful smile appeared on the girl's face, — A familiar scene, Kiyoshi, really. At the last minute, help appears and saves a little girl.
— Indeed, — the half-demon also smiled. — I understand that at the moment when the hunt for you began, you were on the territory of the Gremory family?
— That's right. I don't know whose plan it was, Rias or her family, but I had no choice and had to become the "queen" of the Gremory heiress.
— Do you hate them? — This question made Himejima calm down and let out a tired sigh.
— I wouldn't say that I hate them, but... it's a very unpleasant feeling when your life is controlled as if you were a simple thing, — The brunette took a glass of wine and moistened her dry throat, — Although on the one hand I'm even grateful to them. The Gremory family treats its servants very well, unlike other demons. For them, I wasn't a spineless doll without my own opinion, but was able to use their knowledge and power to become much stronger.
— It is in their interests for the heiress' queen to be strong.
— That's exactly what I took advantage of. A year ago, I was promoted and now I am a mid—rank demon, and in terms of strength, one of the strongest figures of the younger generation, — it was clear from the girl's appearance that she was very proud of her achievements.
— Well done, little Akeno, — Zankoku accompanied his words by stroking the girl's head, just like he did long ago in childhood. — Do you want to get away from the demons?
— Yeah, — the girl enjoyed the feeling of warmth on her head, — Having become a higher demon, I will get my own evil figures and relative freedom. Only the king or the Demon Lord can remove a figure from me, so I can't escape now. After all, in that case, I will become a renegade demon and turn into a monster.
— Not a very pleasant situation. I can only wish you good luck in this, — he saluted with his glass.
— Thank you, — repeating the gesture of her interlocutor, the girl took a sip of wine, — And now it's your turn to tell.
— In short, one day when I was at my base, an unknown demon appeared. He was chasing Shirone and her sister, who flew into the building because of his attack. So we teamed up to survive. Thanks to a lucky coincidence, victory was on our side, but since I couldn't control my powers, I had to leave the city. I didn't want to put my loved ones in danger, so I went with the girls to Kyoto. There, I was able to get a job with the yakuza, but because of one bastard, I got into trouble. I had to stay with a pack of fallen for a week, where one of those birds was not very hospitable, — these memories involuntarily caused a thirst for blood, but Kiyoshi quickly suppressed his feelings. — There, I acquired this stylish hair color and eventually managed to get out. Of course, I didn't forget to properly thank the fallen and continue to please the birds when I meet them. After that, I returned to Kyoto and became the leader of the group with the support of the leader of the youkai.
Akeno was not stupid and understood perfectly well that Kiyoshi had to endure a lot of pain so that the young man could turn completely gray in a matter of days.
— Do you hate all fallen angels? — the girl asked with her head down.
— Not really, — Zankoku saw how his friend's emotions changed as she spoke, — I do dislike them, but only a certain faction of the fallen, whose leader is to blame for what happened to me.
Akeno looked into Kiyoshi's eyes. Hope could be seen in her eyes.
— So don't worry, this won't affect my attitude towards you in any way, little Akeno.
— Really? — she asked with a tremor in her voice.
— Of course, — the young man assured her. — Have I treated you badly since the moment we met? To me, you're still the same little crybaby priestess I met as a child. And your cute black wings don't affect that in any way.
— Th-thank you. I'm glad that you don't find me disgusting, — Akeno smiles, wiping away the tears. — You know, I would love to see you deal with fallen angels. Even though their blood flows through me, I hate the fallen. So I wouldn't mind enjoying their screams of pain and the look of despair on their faces.
Kiyoshi could see a very familiar expression on the brunette's face. It was with this look that he tortures Kokabiel's minions. The half—demon could only guess whether Akeno was a sadist from the start or became one over time.
— You'll still have a chance in the future, but for now let's change the subject.
The two old acquaintances talked to each other for two hours, making up for lost time. Time flew by while they talked, and it was time to go their separate ways.
— Should you call a taxi or are you using teleportation? — Kiyoshi asked as they left the restaurant.
— Maybe you'll walk me? — Akeno used all her charm in an attempt to soften Zankoku's heart, — It's not known when we'll be able to see each other again and I'd like to stay with you longer.
— Okay, — the young man decided to give in to the sight of the pleading girl.
— Ufu-fu, then let's go, — the brunette didn't miss the opportunity and grabbed the guy's hand, literally hanging on him.
— Akeno, don't go too far, you and I are not a couple for you to hang on me so much, — Kiyoshi said sternly, but did not try to pull his hand away.
— I'm just holding your hand, — the girl, not noticing the tone of her companion, continued to smile, — Besides, it's not known what will happen in the future. Maybe I'll also become one of your wives.
— Haah, do what you want, — letting out a heavy sigh, the blond walked in the indicated direction.
The couple continued to walk slowly, talking about distant topics, enjoying the evening city. Walking along a busy street, five guys blocked their way. The appearance of the teenagers reminded the half-demon of the members of his previous gang. Obviously tipsy high school students looked with lust at the curvy girl paired with a skinny-looking young man.
— Listen, — one of them began, addressing Kiyoshi: — leave your girlfriend and get out of here. We will be great company for this beauty.
— Right. Dump this weakling and spend time with real men, — said the largest of the guys. He extended his hand in an attempt to take the girl, but the blond's hand squeezed his wrist with a steel grip.
— I'm in a good mood, so you better get out of the way and then I'll forget about what happened today, — with each word spoken, his grip on his hand became stronger, until the big guy screamed, accompanied by the crunch of bones.
— Aaaaah, — the guy fell to the ground, holding the injured limb. — You broke my arm, bastard. You'll pay for this!
Pain, adrenaline and alcohol mixed in the mind of the young thug. With a scream, he pounced on his offender. Swinging his whole hand at his face in an attempt to strike, the guy did not notice how Zankoku's leg quickly sank into his stomach. A powerful kick threw the man towards his friends, knocking down two of them along with him.
— Bitch! I'll beat you up, and then I'll fuck this whore next to you in front of your eyes! — one of the hooligans who remained on his feet came out of his stupor. Without realizing it, with his threats, he signed his own death warrant.
— Trash. — All of Kiyoshi's positive attitude was lost. This short tirade of the teenager reminded the blond of the moment the Anthem of Incineration awakened.
When the tipsy hooligan tried to hit, they brushed him off like an insect. But the power behind the casual swing of his hand knocked the man down, breaking many bones in the process. The leader of Hyakki Yako was no longer playing the role of an ordinary person. Killing intent erupted from Zankoku's body, instantly knocking out the teenagers. Taking out his phone, the half-demon dialed his subordinate's number:
— I need you to move to my coordinates and pick up five people, — the young man's voice sent shivers down Akeno's spine. — I don't care what you do to them — the main thing is that they suffer as much as possible before they die.
Putting the phone back in his pocket, Kiyoshi turned his attention to the girl who had been silent until then. The brunette's heavy breathing, wide smile, and clouded gaze, with which she was constantly watching the half-demon, made the blond smile wryly. "Reminds me of her appearance when we dealt with another gang in the past."
— It looks like this is where our meeting is coming to an end, — Akeno came to her senses from his words, — Let me call a taxi.
— Okay, — Himejima had no choice but to agree.
Before getting into the car that had pulled up, Akeno looked towards Kiyoshi:
— We'll meet again later, right?
— Of course. You have my number. When we have some free time, we can meet again.
— Then see you later, — kissing the blond on the cheek, the girl immediately disappeared into the car.
Watching the taxi drive away, Kiyoshi thought about his plans. A bloodthirsty smile appeared on the young man's face. "We'll meet very soon, little Akeno. The Fallen will begin to act in two days."