15 days of training has passed! A visit from an obligated Natsuru-senpai and a visit to the Gremory Residence reveal the hindered progress of the [Queen] and [Rook]!

Making her trip to the Dragon Mountains, Natsuru decided to use the free time that she has, to visit Michael. About 15 days have passed since everyone's initial training has started, and Natsuru was at her wits end with her student these past couple of days. She and Koneko couldn't communicate properly which leads to Koneko ignoring her much needed advice; not to mention that she would tire herself out during combat practice.

Getting through to the girl was a challenge itself for Natsuru and getting her to open up to her, at least for training, only made things more difficult. So, searching for some advice, she decided to go ask Michael on ways to better communicate with the girl. He was the only that she can go to for advice since the others don't think fondly of her.

Upon her arrival at the Dragon Mountains, she found herself overwhelmed by the numerous power signatures around her, so she decided to focus on Michael's own lingering signature for her search. It might be faint, but she was still able to trace the energy signature, efficiently, with no issues.

*BOOM!* *BAAAAAANG!* *CRASH!*

She could also infer that whatever was making havoc on one of those mountaintops was probably her reckless kouhai. So, levitating her way to the top, she took some caution as to avoid any of the commotion's backlash.

On said, mountaintop was a large earth dragon bellowing a mighty roar as it overshadows the smaller form of its attacker. Noticing the attacker's wearing a cocky grin, the agitated Earth Dragon tried to flatten them with its large clawed hand, but to no avail. The figure simply jumped back to dodge, and they continued to do so since the dragon didn't relent with its attacks.

*DOOOOON!* *DOOOOON!* *DOOOOON!*

The Earth dragon shot blast after blast of concentrated earth energy at the figure as they smoothly dodged each attack by moving side to side. After doing so many consecutive attacks in a row, the dragon decided to do a tactical retreat to recover some of its lost stamina.

"Where do you think you're going!?" The figure tensed his legs and pushed his body to jump over the dragon and land in front of it. Taking a deep breath, the figure spews a huge fireball with enough force to knock down the Earth Dragon. Turning away from the smoking dragon, the figure points to the massive purple dragon watching from nearby.

"Hah, so what do you think of that, Gramps? That fire ball was bigger than last time, and I actually got it to hit!" The figure shouted.

"Hmm…" Tannin examined the downed Earth Dragon and saw it slowly get back up, "I'll give it a four out of ten."

"Four out of ten!?" The figure shouted as they move away from the clearing smoke to reveal himself as Michael Hanamura, who has slightly grown a bit during his stay at the mountains. His school jersey was torn to shred during his first five days of training, so the dragons provided for him some new garbs such as a sleeveless gray shirt, white baggy pants held up by a worn out red belt as he remained barefooted. His physical appearance hasn't changed all that much save for his arms, legs, and forehead being completely bandaged from all his past challenges.

"That firepower is still a little on the weak side, youngling." Tannin said.

"EH!?" Michael complained, "But I just took care of this Earth Dragon, easy! There's no way that its coming up after getting hit like that!"

Unbeknownst to Michael, the Earth Dragon was already up on its feet; having recovered and used the time it took playing dead to gain back some stamina. Stamping its feet, the Earth Dragon charged at Michael with its horned head lowered.

"Kukukukuku! I'm not so, youngling." Tannin laughed to himself as stood back and watched.

"Huh, what are you talking ab-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Michael was sent hurling in the air due to the Earth Dragon's tackle and was spiraling into mid-air.

"ROOOOOOAR!" The Earth Dragon even followed up the tackle with another beam of earth energy at him which exploded on impact and forced the boy to spurt out a mouthful of blood.

"Gck!" Michael squirmed in pain once he hit the ground, "Crap…the wounds from yesterday's fight with that Ice Dragon are really getting to me."

Sighing, Tannin looked over to the Earth Dragon and gave it an affirmative nod to leave and go back to its own business. Flying closer to Michael, Tannin shook his head,

"You're gloating really hindered your sense of a battle. The fight isn't over when you think it's over." Tannin lectured.

"My bad…" Michael sat up and wiped his lips, "I forgot how hard it is to really crack those guys' shells."

"Earth Dragons, although they may be low ranked amongst other dragons, they still possess thick armor-like scales that are difficult to penetrate. That blast of fire you shot was probably less than an irritation for him." Tannin explained.

"Then I'll be more than an irritation! I'll make my flames even more powerful!" Michael proclaimed, but winced in pain.

"But first you have to learn how to not push your body in the middle of a fight. Your reckless attempt at challenging a high ranked Ice Dragon should have been a good learning reminder for you not to disobey the training curve I made for you. You're still barely getting through Low class dragons, and those injuries aren't helping you either." Tannin watched as Michael glanced at his bandaged wounds slowly bleeding.

"It's good to be energetic about your training, but pushing things won't help at all. You have to steadily improve, or else you will stunt in progress. You've grown since you've gotten here. It might not have been by a big margin, but your still better with how you handle your fights and how to fight in general. In fact, after the day is over, I believe you've at least earned the right to have your Balance Breaker unsealed." Tannin nodded.

'At least…? Doesn't really help that 15 days already passed for them to be unsealed. I would have wanted to get them unsealed by beating a high ranked dragon…guess its fine though, my stamina increased…' Michael sighed with an anxious look on his expression.

Noticing, Michael's dissonance, Tannin said, "Youngling?"

"Oh, sorry, Gramps." Michael coughed and picked himself up, "Just thinking to myself. Besides, your right I have gotten better. In fact!"

Michael inhaled and fired a huge ball of flames which decimated a huge boulder within seconds, "I think my flames have grown to be as strong as yours! If not stronger!"

"Hou! You believe so? Then follow me, youngling." Tannin guided Michael to the cliffside as they faced an even bigger mountain that belittled the one that that they were standing on.

"So, what is it? You trying to show me another part of your territory?" Michael looked up at the mountains to see no dragons inhabiting it, and scratched his head in confusion.

But he didn't get a response, and once he looked up at his teacher, he figured out why. Tannin's stomach began to expand with the large breath he must have took seeing this Michael's only reaction was to scream out in surprise.

"Oh, my Luci-!"

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!"

*GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*

"Awowowowowowoh!" Michael was stuttering as Tannin fired a massive sea of flames which destroyed the mountain in a matter of seconds. That sort of firepower the old dragon demonstrated was extremely powerful, and what made Michael shudder from sensing the output was that it wasn't even close to his max power.

*SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~!*

Smoke emerged from the piles of ash that once was a tall mountain.

"What do you think of that?" Tannin smirked as he looked down at the stunned boy, who looked up at the dragon with a look of excitement and enviousness on his face.

"I-I'm sorry for underestimating your power, Gramps, but…" Michael sweatdropped as he looked at the remains of the mountain, "You really shouldn't be blowing up mountains like that."

"Kukukukukukukukuku! You're right! I got a little too excited, forgive my hastiness! Kukukukukuku!"

"Hehehehe…Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Both the 15-metered dragon and the regular sized teen laughed with each other at the Old Dragon's attempt to show off. Although the power was overwhelming, Michael was still relieved to know that even veterans just like Tannin could get a little reckless from time to time.

"I've been wondering. Whatever happened to Bova? Wasn't he supposed to be here to assist with your training?" Tannin asked.

Michael wore a tired expression as he muttered, "He's off preparing something for my territory back at Buchou's place…"

"Territory? When did this happen?"

"About yesterday afternoon, I received a call and message from Buchou about it. It was some land with a huge mountain taking up most of the space, I didn't really mind, but Bova overheard my conversation and immediately flew off to "prepare" a few things." Michael air quoted.

"Ah, that would explain all of his muttering this morning." Tannin nodded, "Do you know what he was about to do there before he left this morning?"

"Nope. He kept asking question so I kept saying that I don't care until he left. He was strangely happy after I said that…don't know why though…" Michael shrugged.

"It seems that you and he have grown a stronger bond than I thought."

"To be honest, I appreciate the attention, but I preferred him when he was being an asshole to me." Michael scratched his head.

[I thought that you wanted attention. Wasn't that a main driving force for you becoming Maou as well?] Ddraig asked.

"Yeah, but Bova's different! He was supposed to be the straight dragon to my wise guy act! We're supposed to do a thing we're our personalities conflicted and get us into stupid arguments just like with Shirou and Saji. Now that he's being super nice to me, I can't do any of that. He's throwing me off of my game!" Michael groaned, "I mean, geez, he keeps looking up to me like I'm some chosen one! I'm just doing what I need to do, plus, I'm nothing grea-gre-gr…ugh! What the hell? What was that…?"

[*GASP!* I can't believe it. It's finally happening!]

"W-What? What's happening?" Michael panicked.

"Good. It seems like the training here is working." Tannin proudly smiled.

"I don't get it! Why are you guys being cryptic! Just tell me what that terrible feeling in my chest is. I feel a huge weight on my back, and I can't shake it off!" Michael panted as he was slowly getting crushed by an invisible force.

[You haven't noticed, partner? Your stay here on the dragon mountains have taught you many things besides fighting.]

"W-What? No…you don't mean?"

"Yes, youngling, you've grown to actually humble yourself." Tannin nodded.

*CRACK!*

"Agh! No! Impossible, I-I can't…!" Michael's back cracked under the force as he fell on one knee.

[Not just that, you've also learn some humility.]

*CRACK!*

"Gyaaaaaah!" Michael fell on both knees and barely kept himself up on all fours.

"Plus, the most important thing of all, you've started to gain a sense of responsibility." Tannin gave a thumbs up.

*CRACK!* *SNAP!*

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh! No!" Michael fell on his face, "This can't be happening! Not me! Not the gutsy Michael Hanamura!" Michael panicked.

[Embrace it, partner. Embrace, maturity…]

"Never! I won't allow it! I'll prevent it even if I have to bring back that old catch phrase of mine!"

[Wait, Michael, stop!]

"I, the Great Hanamura won't let myself get pressured responsibility anymore!" Michael slowly got up on his legs as if the mysterious force holding him down was disappearing.

"I-Impossible how are you-?" Tannin gasped.

"Hahaha…the Great Hanamura can handle something as simple as this. Bet on it! By using the power of my boastfulness as a teenager, I was able to overcome my maturity." Michael maniacally laughed with an evil look in his eyes, "Don't underestimate me… Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more training to do since I don't want to fall behind at all! *GASP!* Oh, no…"

[It seems to me that your maturity must have taken a stronger effect on you earlier than I thought.] Ddraig laughed.

"True, it is inevitable. You'll have to eventually walk this path if you wish to become a Maou." Tannin nodded.

"Is it true? Have I really *GULP!* matured…!" Michael falls onto his knees and screamed to the sky, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-oh, hi Natsuru-senpai!"

Michael stopped as soon as he noticed a levitating Natsuru approaching him and Tannin. She graced him with a warm smile as she approached and said,

"Hello, Michael-kun. Greetings, Tannin-san, I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." Natsuru said.

"No, not at all. We were just about to have a break." Tannin shook his head.

"Oh, good because I actually came here to ask Michael-kun something." Natsuru said.

"Ask me something?" Michael asked.

"I see…I have no qualms about this, but you are not to leave the mountain vicinity for this. I'm sorry, but I have been told of your past crimes from the Governor-General, so consider this a warning." Tannin crossed his arms in a domineering fashion.

"I get it. No need to apologize." Natsuru wasn't visibly disturbed by the suspicion, and shrugged it off.

"Since you understand." Tannin gave a quick roar as he summoned two of his high ranked dragon servants to watch over the pair as they sat side by side on a large rock.

"So Natsuru-senpai, what brings you to my new neighborhood?" Michael winked.

"I just wanted to ask you for some pointers about how to handle Koneko-chan." Natsuru sighed.

"Koneko-chan?" Michael blinked, "Why would you need pointers?"

"Because I was tasked with training her proper sage arts by Azazel." Natsuru said.

"Whoa! For real! That's awesome, you must be teaching her a ton of things!" Michael remembered Natsuru's prowess with Senjutsu, and didn't find it hard to believe that Natsuru would be a suitable teacher.

However, Natsuru frowned, "That's the thing, I've been teaching her the bare minimum of what I should be showing her."

"Eh, but why?"

"Because she doesn't want to listen to me. No, much like, she doesn't want me to even be in the same vicinity as her. Whenever I try to instruct her, she either ignores my lessons, or does the opposite of what I want her to do. This defiance is heavily hindering her progress because she either tires herself out with sparring with Anzu, or she just struggles to do proper mediation." Natsuru shook her head.

'Meditation…?' Michael though with interest, but shook it off.

"So, I just wanted to ask you if you know of any way to make her lighten up around me. I get that she's made about what I did in the past, but I just really want her to know that…I care about her growth as a fellow nekomata." Natsuru said with a desperate look in her eyes.

Rubbing his chin, Michael gave a hopeless sigh, "Sorry to say, but I can't seem to give pointers on how to get on Koneko's good side. For me it's either heads or tails, we do argue but we also get along, so it's complicated. As of lately, she's gotten more attached to me, but I don't think anything else from that will help you. My personal experience may not help with your situation since we're different people."

Natsuru was a little surprised by Michael's straight forward answer, "I-I see, you're right. I guess, I can't just ask you for a solution like that. I'm honestly surprised that you were able to give me a mature answer like that. Thank you."

Natsuru's warm smile caused Michael to grin in return even though he mentally kicked himself for showing his new growing mature side.

"Looks like I have to go back to the drawing board, and hope that I can figure something out." Natsuru sighed.

"Wait, why don't you ask Buchou?" Michael shrugged.

"Tch! Her?" Natsuru clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"I know that you two aren't on good terms, but maybe she could give you some advice since she is Koneko-chan's master after all." Michael sweatdropped.

"You think I haven't tried her? Although I hate to admit it, I went to her for advice first, but she denied any attempt of a meeting between us. Says that she'd rather deal with her horrifying training than speak with me." Natsuru said with an unamused look in her eyes.

'I guess there's still going to be some bad blood between them, huh?' Michael thought.

"Luckily, her mother was there during one of my visits, and I managed to ask her for some help." Natsuru said.

"Vene-sama talked to you?" Michael asked.

"Surprising, right? She knew about the events that transpired last month, but kindly came to me when I was troubled. I guess, Gremory-san's parents aren't as rude as her…" Natsuru said in annoyance, "So I decided to ask her about Koneko-chan, but she told me that she doesn't have a clue either. So instead of letting me leave empty-handed; she decided to tell me something of equal value."

"Really, what?" Michael asked.

"Koneko's past." Natsuru smiled, "I'm sure you know it by know, but-."

"I don't know anything about Koneko-chan's past." Michael scratched his head.

"You don't?" Natsuru gasped, "But weren't you the least bit curious about why she had the power of senjutsu or was even a youkai at all?"

"Not really. Wanting to know her past never came to mind, I just always saw her as my kouhai, Koneko-chan, she's still the same even if I did know about her background, and I wouldn't let it sway my own thoughts anyways." Michael scratched his head.

Her expression softening, Natsuru smiled, "That's right, I almost forgot who I was talking to."

Misunderstanding that to be a bad thing, Michael said, "Oh, crud. Um, sorry, was that wrong of me to think?"

"N-No, you're fine. That way of thinking is okay, too. If you want I can still tell you about her past if you're still curious." Natsuru offered.

"Sure, learning a bit more about Koneko-chan could probably help me understand her more." Michael nodded, then thought,

'I wonder if Koneko-chan had as rough a past as Kiba…I hope not…'

"Then I'll begin explaining what I was told by Rias' mother, she told me about a story of two cat sisters." Natsuru began.

"Two cat sisters?" Michael received a nod.

"The sisters were always together, when they played, when they ate, when they slept. The sisters were the only family they had, no parents or home to go back to. They only had each other to rely on as they survived through each grueling day just to stay alive. One day, the two of them were picked up by a noble devil, he made the older cat sister his servant while the younger sister was allowed to live with them."

Natsuru glanced over the vast terrain beyond the mountainside, "They finally found a home, the sisters could finally live happily without ever struggling to survive. However, something abnormal happened with the older sister, due to her becoming a reincarnated devil, her growth in power surged to new heights. The hidden potential which resided in her was finally unleashed, but for a steep cause."

"What happened?"

"You already know that Koneko, Makoto and I originate from the Nekomata species of youkai, right? We're a special variant of Nekomata known as the Nekoshou, we are completely capable of utilizing both Youjutsu and Senjutsu to the fullest potential. I'm a halfling with kitsune blood in me while Koneko, and her sister are full-blooded." Natsuru explained,

"Our latent potentials differ because of this fact, but this case became even dangerous with Koneko's sister. Add her powerful ability to use sage arts with her new ability to command demonic energy to fuse with her power, and you have a completely unstable youkai on your hands. So, after the sister had her breakthrough in power, she ran rampant and killed her master after her mind got warped from all of the power."

Natsuru sighed, she saw how similar Koneko's past was when compared to her own and Makoto's.

"Are you serious?" Michael clasped his hands together while looking concerned, "She lost control just like that? What happened afterwards?"

"She ran away. The elder sister was soon labeled as a dangerous A-Class Stray Devil, she annihilated all pursuit squads, and vanished without anyone being able to trace her. Sadly, her total escape led to another issue, her little sister. Once all searches for the sister were called off, they turned their attention to the little sister, who was abandoned." Natsuru narrowed her eyes in irritation,

"The devils were skeptical about keeping another possible threat around, so they contemplated about the idea of eliminating her."

*SLAM!*

Slamming his fist into the boulder they sat on, Michael took a deep breath and said, "Sorry…I got a little too wound up, but what happened next? Koneko-chan's still alive, so they couldn't have gone through with it."

"I was told that Koneko-chan was saved by Son Kai, Serafall Leviathan's Queen, he managed to interrupt their disposal of the girl and took her under his care." Natsuru said.

"Shishou!?" Michael jumped up in surprise, then looked up, "Well, that would explain why they knew each other so well back during training camp."

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that you were also trained by Son Kai?" Natsuru was literally surprised after hearing him call the man his master.

"Huh, yeah. He's the one, who trained me to death to draw out my touki." Michael explained, "He even taught me how to do proper martial arts, too."

"That's…interesting…I never thought that someone like him would teach you of all people." Natsuru rubbed her chin in thought.

*CRUSH!*

"S-So…I'm not good enough to be trained by him?" Michael grabbed his chest in depression.

"Wha-? No, I didn't mean it like that, but I'm just shocked that someone like him would openly accept students like that. I did hear that he had one before, but that was probably because he was already acquainted with that student's circumstance with their devil family, but you…it seems almost random." Natsuru always studied the history of her species and found Son Kai's history to be quite interesting, but unsettling as well.

"Random? Is that bad?" Michael asked.

"N-No, well, it depends it's just Son Kai never does anything without reasons, so there must be something you have that he either wants to see, or fight. Honestly, I can't even guess what someone like him is thinking at all." Natsuru said with a distant look, "He's really a troublesome guy."

"I know this may be veering off topic, but does Shishou have some issues or something in the past?" Michael asked.

"Yes, and no…you see, Son Kai is basically a factor with the Old Satan Faction being defeated, he was shunned from Mt. Sumeru by his Monkey brethren as an outcast and went on a journey around the mythological worlds with his 5 companions which consisted of youkai, and young gods at the time. Remember this took place centuries ago, so some information may be outdated, but he still did some amazing things." Natsuru was engrossed with the lore that surrounded the man.

"Wow…Shishou really did all of that? So, isn't he considered a great hero since he helped the New Satan Faction?" Michael excitedly asked.

"Well, you see…the thing about Son Kai is that he doesn't really have too strong a moral compass to follow. In fact, most of the achievements that could be seen as good were made for the sole purpose of enjoying a fight." Natsuru trailed off.

"So, I like to fight sometimes…well, not excessively like battle maniacs, but still." Michael shrugged.

"N-No, Michael-kun, he loves to fight. So much so that it isn't healthy. Any conflict that pops up will excite him, and if he gets bored, he'll create conflicts unless he's busy with something else that's keeping him busy. There are rumors, and these rumors don't really paint him as the hero most people would make him out to be." Natsuru leaned in.

"What?" Michael leaned in.

"There's word that Kai actually barged into the Great Devil War to fight to the New Satan Faction and face their stronger Super Devil leaders like Sirzechs and Ajuka."

"Are you serious!?"

Natsuru nodded, "There's also word that he was convinced by one of his companions and Sirzechs to fight on their side with a promise, a promise that no rumor so far has yet to clarify."

"So, does that mean Shishou is bad, or…?" Michael began to feel conflicted, he didn't know what to make of Kai. He knew little to nothing about the man, but he still admired the man for his kind wisdom and willingness to train him to face Riser. However, that didn't excuse some of his uneasiness whenever he was around the man.

"I wouldn't say that he's wholly a bad person. He's done great things which regarded him as a hero like saving the world from the incoming invasion of the Chinese mythology after God's death, helping the New Satan Faction win the war, and of course, saving Koneko-chan from getting executed." Natsuru looked at Michael seriously,

"But that doesn't mean that he won't do anything unexpected, I just think that you should be cautious around him because he may be your master, but it doesn't excuse the fact that he's a dangerous man."

"Right." Michael heeded Natsuru's warning, "So about Koneko-chan; how was Shishou able to convince the high-classed devils that she was innocent?"

"He was able to convince them that under his wing that Koneko wouldn't run out of control like her sister. The elites accepted this because of Kai's status as Sirzechs' advisor and Serafall's Queen." Natsuru said, "From there on, he adopted Koneko to restore her will to continue on living and smiling. After a couple of months, he was tasked with personal business which wouldn't allow Koneko to follow him, so by a recommendation from Sirzechs Lucifer, he entrusted Koneko to Gremory-san."

"So that's how Buchou recruited Koneko." Michael said.

"Not to mention, she gave Koneko a new name to replace her old one as a way of putting the past of being betrayed by her elder sister and discriminated by the devils, who saw her as a threat by being related to said sister." Natsuru sighed, "Thus is the tale of the two cat sisters."

"I didn't know that Koneko-chan went through all of that." Michael finally understood why Koneko was always so stoic, he just expected her to be naturally quiet, but that was just insensitive simple-minded thinking.

"So, were you able to come up with anything?" Natsuru asked, hopefully.

"Nope." Michael shook his head.

"I see, it looks like telling that story didn't help…well, I don't want to waste any more of your time, Michael-kun. I will have to figure this out on my own then, thanks for trying at least." Natsuru hopped off of the boulder and began walking away.

"I might not have a new idea, but I think you're fine doing what you've been trying to do." Michael hopped off the boulder and pocketed his hands, "You're looking for ways to help, Koneko-chan, and your so worried that you even asked about her past. By all of this I can tell that you really want to take care of her."

"Not actually care for her wellbeing. I-I'm just looking out for her since she has an amazing potential as a fellow nekomata." Natsuru looked to the side while trying to hide her small blush.

Wearing an honest smile, Michael said, "It may take a long time, but she'll eventually open up to you. Hell, she even opened up to a loudmouth like me, her complete opposite. So just continue trying your best, and you'll get results."

"If you say so. Thanks." Natsuru bowed her head gratefully.

"No need to thank me…or bow your head…seriously, I get enough of that from Bova." Michael whispered that last part in annoyance, "But I should be thanking you because now I understand Koneko-chan a bit better now. I wish you luck. Now…back to training…I wonder if I can find that Ice Dragon again and get a rematch."

Turning around, Michael began to walk off, unbeknownst to him Natsuru was still there looking at him in thought. After receiving good advice, she wanted to think of a way to repay him, and that only brought multiple lewd rewards to present to the teen.

"Hey~! Hey~! Michael-!" Natsuru was about to pounce the boy from behind before she caught sight of something fluttering in the sky. It was a small bat fluttering its wings as it intently watched the pair, and just by sensing it, she could already tell, who it belonged to and why it was there.

"Well played, Gremory-san, well played…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing~! I just wanted to say goodbye, nya~!" Natsuru purred with a cute kitty-like smile.

"Okay, see ya later, Natsuru-senpai!" Michael waved goodbye.

"Bye-Bye~!" Natsuru continued to hold up her playful façade before glaring at the bat familiar fluttering in the sky.

'I'll let this chance pass for now. Just know that I won't hesitate once an opportunity alone with him arises again, Gremory-san.' Natsuru smirked as she made her way down the mountain, she just hoped that Koneko was off trying to train herself during her absence.

XXX

Taking calm breaths, Koneko sat in the middle of a forest clearing to practice her meditation. She had been practicing on her own ever since Natsuru temporarily placed training on hold. Not that it made any difference for Koneko since she's been listening to her instructions to a minimum. These past 15 days have been fruitful for Koneko's understanding of her power, but any progress made was stagnantly low.

Although she was given the basics of her training, she still ignored any extra tips or help that Natsuru provided for her. She still was cautious around the woman, and found it better to fill in any blanks that she came across herself. Especially due to how violent Senjutsu can become depending on the user's surroundings and state of mind during meditation. She couldn't take any chances when listening to a former enemy, who could possibly force her to go berserk.

"…" Koneko remained silent as she tried her best to clear her mind of anything besides the very moment that she's in. However, she found it quite difficult to stay completely motionless without completely losing focus. Most attempts would last for more than a couple of minutes, and on her rushed tries, 30 seconds.

She might have failed those many times before, but lately she's been able to hold out a bit longer than usual. The attempt was getting closer to passing her old limit of meditating for about 6 minutes straight.

"…" Koneko slowly calmed her nerves as she grew closer to peacefully calming her mind. That was until something ominous had entered the proximity of the forest. The atmosphere grew dark around her as a strong wind began to pick up. Something wasn't right, and Koneko felt the ominous presence to the very core of her being. No, she recognized the presence before, it was the same one that she felt during the Khaos Brigade's attack on the Three Faction leaders and…in the distant.

Braving herself to continue, Koneko did her best to calm herself and gather what remaining concentration she could spare for her meditation. She was so close to setting a landmark for her training, and had to focus all of her attention into blocking out the ominous presence that was encroaching around her.

'…!' Konenko's body began to tense up as she was slowly losing focus. It slowly began to become apparent that she was no longer trying to meditate, but rather keeping her eyes closed as a futile way of trying to ignore the presence.

"It's been a while, Shirone~!" The sound of an alluring voice graced Koneko's ears as the image of a black cat emerged into Koneko's mind.

"…Aah!" Koneko fell back out of fear as she looked around in a panic. There were no signs of the voice's source, but she still felt that they were nearby.

"My, my! How you've grown, and I see that you've been starting to tap into your potential. Sad for you that you lack the proper "guidance" to fully bring it out. Which is why I'm going to give you an offer and you have until tomorrow to take it or…well, we can discuss the rest once you finally come to me. I'll be giving you a chance to make the right decision in about 15 days~!"

The voice purred, "I trust that you'll know when I'll arrive because after all, we share a very strong sisterly bond~! So, make sure to choose the right decision which is the only one I stated to you! Bye-bye, nya~!"

Suddenly the ominous presence disappeared, but the lingering sorrow still remained as Koneko got up on her hands and knees; sweating after her short, overbearing reunion with her sister. She had to make a choice, and it had to be made in 15 days or else…

"…Damn…" Koneko cursed to herself.

Hearing all of this from behind a tree, a sweating Anzu sighed, "Oh boy…Natsuru-sama isn't going to be too thrilled when she hears about this."

XXX

After seeing Natsuru off, Michael was now sitting on the top of a giant flat rock as he took a meditative form. He was in the lush forest area of the Dragon Mountains as he took his place near the flourishing waterfall. His expression was deep in thought as he did his best not to lose focus, but that was more of a challenge than facing dragons on a daily basis.

"Hmm…" Michael's expression slowly contorted with frustration.

[Michael, you have to stay focused and calm.]

"Hrmmm…!" Michael slowly began to grind his teeth.

[You're starting to lose it.]

"Grrrrrrrrrgh!"

[And you're losing it…]

"DAMMIT! Why can't I enter my own god damn mindscape!?" Michael shouted at the top of his lungs as he rapidly scratched his head.

[Maybe it's because you're being a little too impatient. It will come naturally to you once you clear your mind and focus your thoughts into the Boosted Gear.]

"I know you've been telling that to me the entire time, and I still haven't made any progress! This sucks…" Michael moaned and laid flat on his back, "Are you sure that I have to do this in order to get Welsh Drive?"

[Yes, you do. By entering your mindscape, you'll meet with the past Booster Gear possessor, who will give you their blessing to unlock the mode.]

"But wouldn't that imply that means don't matter unless I enter the mindscape, so why don't I just knock myself out, meet the guy, and then I can finally move on with my training and get stronger…" Michael stated simply.

[Technically, I'm not for that plan, but it would work, but…the past possessor wouldn't meet you if you didn't follow this condition. He explicitly stated that you have to go meet him of your "will" and that doesn't mean bashing your head against a boulder until you lose consciousness.]

"Ugh! Why does he want me to do that? Is this guy some kind of asshole who likes to make things hard for me?" Michael groaned.

[You mean a Hardass?]

"Yeah, that's what I said? Why are you repeating me?" Michael asked.

[I'm not, you described a Hardass while I just stated the name of the term.]

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I said it…" Michael rubbed his chin.

[Well, you didn't…and the possessor, who acknowledged you, is a bit…] Ddraig trailed off.

"Of an asshole? A wise guy? A Saji? A Gasper?" Michael guessed.

[Why are you just bringing up people at this point?]

"Because everyone can tell how a person can act by just hearing their names. So, is he a Shirou? Or dare I say a *GULP!* Koneko?"

[He none of them, and besides he acts someone I'm quite familiar with. He's brash, acts reckless, has a big mouth, but acts polite, is less outgoing with people, he can be quite shy and sometimes hate confronting new people.]

"Wow, he would sound like an upright guy if he didn't have all of those nasty traits that you stated befo…aaaaaaaah! You son of bitch, you're talking about me aren't you!?" Michael growled.

[I wasn't being subtle about it, and you still acted like it was someone else. You only have yourself to blame…]

"Tch! Krck! Tsk! Whatever, I just want to finish getting Welsh Drive, and get on the same wavelength as Vali in terms of power." Michael clicked his tongue.

[Even if you do get Welsh Drive, you still wouldn't be equal to his power, technically. You still actually have to gain more strength the way you've doing it before.]

"Okay, I'll gain more strength once I get Welsh Drive." Michael impatiently scratched his head, "I might as well get something from waiting this long."

[What's wrong?]

"What do you mean?"

[You've been impatient ever since your training began, and its been getting worse. Having that state of mind isn't going to help you enter your mindscape, so just tell me.]

"Can't you just look into my thoughts to skip this part and tell me what I'm doing wrong as always?" Michael rolled his eyes.

[Doing that will only solve half of the problem. So, I want to hear you say it to me…]

"…" Michael remained quiet.

[*Sigh!* Are you still bothered by that dream you had?]

"…" Michael silently looked at the waterfall with a disturbed yet frightened look in his eyes.

[Michael…you can admit it to me, I noticed how you've been struggling to go to sleep. Before you can enter a deep sleep, you immediately wake yourself up afterwards, so be honest and come clean about it.]

"I dreamt that I was killed by the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail at the academy." Michael sighed.

[…! You did?]

Michael nodded.

[Are you sure it was the Boosted Gear?]

Michael nodded once more.

[That's rather strange. Did anything else happened?]

"I kept hearing Vali's voice as he talked about…my parents and them abandoning me." Michael's tone deepened to express his growing depression.

[Oh…]

"Yup…there was also something strange about the Scale Mail. It had red eyes with this strange black gauntlet before it attacked." Michael sighed.

[Red eyes and black gauntlet? That should be familiar? Don't you remember them from before during your fight with Vali?]

"Of course not. I would remember something that strange during an important fight like that." Michael shrugged.

[Wait, so you don't remember having formed a new gauntlet called the "Cursed Gear"?]

"Nope, why? Should I?" Michael asked.

[Strange…his memories of that technique must have been erased, or were even there in the first place. But what exactly happened to them?] Ddraig thought to himself.

"Ddraig?"

[Sorry, Partner, I was just talking to myself. Now tell me what's ailing you.]

"Well, aside from the messed-up dream of dying to the Scale Mail, I've kind of been thinking of some heavy stuff about my parents." Michael drummed his fingers against the rock slab below.

[Strange, I thought that you weren't as concerned about this topic.]

"It wasn't until I had this dream…I'm sure that I wouldn't really care unless I found out the truth about why I was abandoned or if I was even abandoned at all. The Ero-Ossan must have answers or Vali would never had known all of this." Michael looked up with a serious look on his face, "The answers about my parents are so close, and I can finally achieve them just by asking him."

[If that's what you wish to do to find closure, then I have nothing to object to. Just make sure to inform me when you have another strange dream, I wasn't able to see the last one, so it's probable that it may occur again.]

"Okay…" Michael nodded.

[And partner?]

"Yeah?"

[Please tell me when you're emotionally distressed rather than me speaking up about it. You don't have to stew up your issues and deal with them yourself, besides your usual irritate behavior, I don't mind lending an ear whenever you need it.]

"Okay… But that's strange, how a spirit can lend an ear when they don't even have a body." Michael chuckled.

[That's the annoying bastard, I know.]

Michael lightly laughed, and said, "Thanks…"

"Oi, youngling! You seem to be quite popular today. Another visitor has come to see you."

Descending from the sky, Tannin was joined by the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel holding a large set of boxed lunches.

"Yo, you seem to still be alive! How's it going?" Azazel waved.

"Speak of the devil…he's here. That's…convenient…" Michael sighed and waved at the two old men approaching him.

After catching up, Michael immediately dug into the boxed lunches that Azazel brought with him.

"Fooooooooooooooooooood!" Michael shoved as many rice balls as he could into his mouth, "Thank goodness, some actual food. Ero-Sensei, you're a saint! I've been getting tired of eating charred meat from the animals in the underworld!"

"These three are from Rias, Asia and Akeno. At first, Rias wanted to surprise you by making one for you in secret, but eventually Akeno caught on to her charade and decided to make a boxed lunch for you as well. You should have seen it, the kitchen back at the Gremory castle was like a battlefield, and there were literal sparks as they competed to make you the best boxed lunch ever. Oh…they wanted me to tell you to choose a favorite out of both of theirs when you see them again." Azazel cackled.

"How come I'm always the one, who's stuck in the middle?" Michael groaned.

"That's the price to pay of being well loved by two strong willed women." Azazel said.

"Say I didn't hear you mention, Asia. Wasn't she apart of their competition?" Michael asked.

"No, she just so happened to make you a boxed lunch since she worried that you lacked nourishment out here in the wild, and asked me before I left to give them to you. She even packed some medical supplies for you. Here." Azazel handed Michael a small kit of meds, "Besides the other two, she seemed to act like the only mature one. Of course, I never said this out loud or I wouldn't even be here…"

'Asia, thank you…' Michael gently smiled as he gazed at the kit before placing it to the side. She's just as kind as always ever since they first met. He felt the need to do something kind for her after this whole trip was over.

"So, I can see that you've made some substantial progress during your time here." Azazel examined Michael's physical change in appearance, "Your eyes, they're starting to look much better than your old brattish eyes. Not to mention, I can tell that you've gotten a better grasp at controlling the dragon energy within you."

"Well, Gramps certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to my training. I had to go a few rounds against a couple of his subordinates and a few other dragons here to improve." Michael explained.

"I see…" Azazel nodded.

"And that's not even the half of it, he even taught me how to breathe fire like a dragon. He explained that if I better applied my dragon energy hard enough in my stomach then I could create a powerful ball of flames. Plus, speaking of flames…!"

Michael immediately hopped up and spewed a fireball into a nearby large boulder, demolishing it instantly.

"I've gotten the technique down and I don't have to go through the long process of breathing too much air to do it. Unless I charge up for a stronger fire ball." Michael shrugged and went back to eating.

"Nice…nice…" Azazel nodded.

"Oh! Oh! And you're not going to believe what happened to me when I first came here, Ero-Ossan. Gramp's kid, Bova wanted to be my vassal but even when I told him that I didn't really need one. He still insisted and even began coming up with plans for my future. He's such a handful." Michael giddily laughed like a child trying to tell an adult their long day of adventure and fun.

"Personally, I didn't expect Bova to take a complete 180 like that, but you must admit that he has gotten quite loyal towards you since you arrived." Tannin explained.

"Yeah, a bit too loyal if you asked me." Michael sighed before grinning, "But he's not the biggest handful when compared to you! You're not going to believe this Ero-Ossan, but Gramps here got a little "carried away" and blew up an entire mountain."

"I do admit that it was a bit too much."

"A bit? Gramps, you can still see the freaking smoke!" Michael pointed over the various mountains at the humungous smoke cloud filling the sky.

"Well, it's like I always say. There ain't no kill like overkill." Tannin chuckled.

"Wow…I'm going to steal that line and totally take credit for it in the future!" Michael laughed, "So what do you think about all of that Ero-Ossan?"

"Hmm…yes that's interesting, kid." Azazel nodded.

"Ero-Ossan?" Michael's eyebrow twitched.

"Incredible, I didn't know that you finally came out the closet. Hm, yes…I'll support you through this hard time of your teenage life, but it's okay…it's okay…" Azazel was busy scrolling through his phone as he was oblivious to the whole conversation.

"…!" Michael gritted his teeth as he decided to get back at the rude Governor-General.

So, he and surprisingly Tannin took a deep breath and spewed a collective lick of flames to engulf the perverted teacher.

"Gyaaaaaaaaha! I was still listening, albeit not fully, but I was still conscience about your story here!" Azazel patted himself of the flames and tried to repair his burnt cellphone.

"That's still not good enough! Don't you realize how long it's been since I've been here! I've collected great and wonderful tales that should ever grace the ears of many yet you think that being on your phone is more important?" Michael exclaimed.

"Excuse me for being a good sensei for checking in on the other's and their training!" Azazel rolled his eyes and continued to fiddle around with his phone, "So Tannin how has the brat been doing these past 15 days?"

"Oi, don't just ignore me to start talking wi-!"

"He's doing rather well. Better than what I had expected, but I should have expected him to be this durable since he was last trained by Son Kai. His stamina and strength have improved, and he's almost comparable in strength with the Mid-ranked dragons on the mountains. At the rate he's going, he appears to have gotten stronger both in power and mind." Tannin spoke, proudly of the young man's progress.

"Good, so he must have gained around 8 to 9 days for his Balance Breaker state, right?" Azazel asked.

"Around that much? Pfft! You must be joking, I've been doing this for 15 days, so it has to be that exact amount right, Ddraig?" Michael wore a smug grin.

[The longest he'll be able to last is about 10 days at least.]

"What!?" Michael screamed.

"Looks like I was wrong too, but that isn't so bad." Azazel shrugged.

"B-But Ddraig how can I only have ten days when I've been busting my ass off with 15 days?" Michael panicked.

[Just because you're training for a whole month doesn't mean you'll get that exact amount time for your prolonged state in Balance Breaker. You're building up stamina, so it's going to take time until you reach a whole month. This should have been obvious.]

"B-But! Vali's been ahead of me by staying in his Balance Breaker for a month, so I should catch up and be able to do that as well!" Michael angrily huffed.

[Michael, that's his progress. Focus on your own and you'll get better results without having to compare your strength to Vali's every step of the way. It's good to notice the difference between the both of you, but it's also good to get stronger following your own pace.]

"Yeah, yeah…" Michael waved it off and sighed.

"Tannin, you mentioned Michael's achievements during his training here, but tell me…" Azazel seriously looked at Michael being uncaring about Ddraig's helpful advice, "What were the setbacks he faced?"

Tannin nodded, and looked just as serious as Azazel as he stated, "During his time here, the youngling may have gotten stronger and more unpredictable with the way he's fighting, but his desire to get better has made him impatient. Just this week, he faced off against three high ranked dragons, and apart from two of those unauthorized fights, I wasn't able to stop the last one which caused him some heavy injuries. He went behind my back to train more by himself, and got hurt in the process."

"I see…" Azazel noticed Michael trying to avoid looking him in the eye, "Anything else?"

"Yes, he has yet to properly gain the ability "Welsh Drive". It had been 5 days since we began preparing for it, and he has failed to properly enter his own mindscape. This is a result of his impatience, he can't sit in place long enough to do it, his mind wanders, and he breaks focus and complains about it not happening right away."

"I see that part of you hasn't changed since the training began." Azazel said in a light tone, but still kept a serious look.

"…" Michael kept quiet.

"Many times, I've told him to take things easy, but in the end, he breaks concentration and never seems to properly enter his mindscape." Tannin shook his head, "You've already progressed enough and you'll still keep progressing these next 15 days, so why the rush?"

"…" Michael stayed silent.

Sighing, Azazel said, "Looks like we're not getting an answer from you, huh?"

"…" Michael looked down and quietly said, "I want to know more about my parents…"

"…!"

"…!"

Both Tannin and Azazel were shocked to hear; Azazel more than Tannin since he already pieced together what brought this up.

"Vali said that he looked into the Grigori database and found some files regarding my supposed homeland, clan and family. So, if anyone knows anything about me, then it would be you, Ero-Ossan. You did promise me in the clubroom that we'll talk about this later. Now is "later" enough so spill."

Michael faced Azazel with a desperate/serious look on his face, he needed answers or else he would still be plagued by these doubts that Vali and his dream instilled into him.

"Michael…" Azazel spoke using the boy's name, showing that he was serious about the discussion, "You deserve to know the truth because after all the information isn't my background to keep. Data about your mother, your original place of birth, and the happenings of why you aren't with them. You deserve to know everything."

"…"

"…"

A long silent and awkward pause emerged after Azazel stopped talking.

"Well?" Michael said.

"Hm, well what?" Azazel asked.

"Wha-! You know what's what! Weren't you going to tell me about my parents?"

"Oh no, you probably must have misunderstood, Michael. I told you that you did deserve the truth; never said anything about you getting it now." Azazel grunted as he got on his feet, "Well, I better head back and check to see how Gasper's doing in that crowded mall I ditched him in, I mean, the crowded mall that I…yeah, I ditched him to deliver this food to you. Enjoy."

"Are you serious right now!?" Michael angrily shouted as he jumped onto his feet.

"Yes, I was originally going to tell you about your past when I found you mature enough to handle it, but Vali kind of setback my plans by a few more years by telling bits and pieces of what happened." Azazel scratched his head.

"Few more years? When were you planning to tell me before that?" Michael asked.

"When you reached your…*COUGH!* 25th birthday." Azazel coughed while looking away.

"You were going to tell me when I turned 25?" Michael growled.

"Well, 29 now." Azazel shrugged.

"You added 4 more years!?" Michael growled.

"Vali spilling the beans about some of the details made me believe that you wouldn't handle the truth in 8 years, so I decided to wait 12 years when you're close to becoming a full-fledged adult." Azazel said.

"I can't believe this. You're just going to hold out on telling me the truth for that long?" Michael walked back and forth before looking at Azazel with an exasperated look of frustration in his eyes.

"Give or take." Azazel nodded.

"Why can't you just tell me now? I can take anything bad that will come from hearing about my past, so let her rip!" Michael tried to settle down his temper.

"You don't look like you take it."

"Yes, I can."

"Then try to stop walking in place. Usually when someone is moving around, they're trying to distract themselves from the main subject that's in front of them. For you this pacing back and forth is a sad attempt as an emotional distraction. So, no, you don't seem prepared enough to handle hearing about it n-."

"Well, I can okay, Ero-Ossan! So, if you would stop being elusive and cryptic as shit! Just tell me all about my FUCKING horrible past!" Michael snapped.

But he wasn't the only one.

"First, tell me why you assume that your past was wholly a horrible experience!?" Azazel shouted which shut Michael up,

"*SIGH!* This is why I wanted to wait. You're generalizing all of the negative things that Vali told you about your origins without considering more that maybe there could be some good things about your past that you just don't know. You're too single minded right now to critically think for yourself, in the future, I wanted to discuss this with you once you actually found your place in the world and fully mature."

Pinching his temples, Azazel said, "Dear god…this just turned into a big mess…look, you'll know about it once I believe you to be ready for it."

"Ero-Ossan, I have found my place." Michael noticed Azazel shaking his head out of a disagreement, but still urged the man desperately, "I'm serious, I'm Rias' Pawn and I want to become a Maou that she can be proud of. I'm not sure about maturing, but I'm sure I can if I at least learn about my parents and what really happened. You can see that I've been working hard here and I can do much better if you actually fess up to me about it."

"…"

"He's not entirely wrong, Governor-General, the issues aside, he still has improved with his training these past days. Why not at least give him a chance to prove it to you?"

"…?"

Azazel still didn't show signs of budging, but then strangely cutting into the conversation Tannin decided to voice his own thoughts on the matter.

"Excuse me for barging into this, but I don't believe the youngling is entirely wrong. Perhaps hearing about his past could help him grow and realize things that would have taken him years to comprehend. Who knows, maybe he can rough out his main flaw that you worried about." Tannin said.

"And what would you suggest that he'd do to prove that he's ready for the truth?" Azazel asked.

"I'll leave that up to you, I only wished to voice my own opinion. Take it as you will, but just know that it could be a possibility for the youngling." Tannin crossed his arms and nodded.

"See, I'm totally capable of maturing once you tell!" Michael excitedly nodded.

Looking reluctant, Azazel looked between Michael and Tannin and was about to voice his denial of the suggestion before groaning, "Okay, fine. I'll give you a chance to hear about your parents."

"WOOHO-!" Michael cheered.

"Only IF you can accomplish this condition to prove to me that you're ready." Azazel interrupted, "Unlock your Welsh Drive and I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Oooooo…Oh…crap…" Michael's cheering peered out, "Isn't there something else I can do?"

"No, Welsh Drive should be more than enough proof to trust that you can handle the truth. You'll know what I mean IF you can actually enter your mindscape and get it." Azazel flicked Michael's forehead, "This is the only time I'm giving any outside interference to sway my mind, so you'd best accomplish this in the next 15 days or you won't get to hear about anything until I deem it, okay?"

"Yeah…yeah! Don't have to tell me twice because my guts will help me get that mode, then I'll catch up to Vali and get you to spill about where I came from. I'll finish this in 5 days, no 2 days! Just you watch!" Michael heartily declared to Azazel and got caught up in his growing anxious excitement.

Shaking his head, Azazel said, "I don't believe you fully understand the needed process to wait to really attain that ability, but you at least have a strong drive. I'll be leaving everything to you, Softhearted Dragon King." Azazel mocked Tannin much to the dragon's dismay.

"I only voiced out my opinion because I see a chance for the boy to grow. Whether that comes from this training or from you telling him the truth. The end result is still the same." Tannin said.

"What if that change didn't just end with a good result? It could equally turn out to be bad." Azazel said.

"Every decision made comes with either outcome, we can't avoid that irrevocable truth. Surely you must know that this outcome would still apply if you decide to tell him later in the future. He may or may not have matured enough to handle the truth. At the end of the day, it comes down to how much he takes the information." Tannin explained.

"...Yeah…well, I better go and check up on, Gasper. I installed a few hidden cameras at the mall and found him passed out in the ball pit of some nursery." Azazel begins to walk off before turning back to face Michael, "Before I go, Michael."

"Yup?"

"You've been called back to the Gremory annex, so Tannin, I hope you won't mind this annoying brat leaving for a day. I'll make sure to bring him back by tomorrow morning." Azazel said to Tannin, who nodded.

"It's quite alright. I think having the rest of the day to rest is needed for the youngling. Besides, I have an appointment with someone that might help with his training, so he needs to be in top condition." Tannin unfurled his wings as he was about to leave.

'Dammit, looks like I'll have to try training back at the castle. I just hope I can manage to…' Michael noticed Tannin giving him a stern look.

"W-What?" Michael sweatdropped.

"Don't push yourself by doing unnecessary training by yourself, and get some rest." Tannin scolded the young man.

"Okay…" Michael groaned, "But don't tell Bova where I'm going."

"Why not?"

"Because he'd storm in and make it hard for me to relax, and you want me to do that so keep that in mind." Michael pointed at Tannin with a frown.

"I'll do my best. Farewell." Tannin batted his wings as he took off deeper into the mountain territory.

"So…why did I get called back all of a sudden?" Michael whistled.

"Well, apparently Rias' mother wants you to go through a few lessons with her."

"Lessons? But I've already finished all of my lessons about devil culture and the devil alphabet. I've gotten so good that I learned how to cuss using the language. Wanna hear?" Michael snickered.

"There's a time and place for everything, brat. Do it later when we're both not busy, but until then…do you have it written down somewhere?" Azazel looked around and leaned in to whisper.

Michael pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Azazel, "Yeah, I got the stuff right here…I keep it on me to get a good laugh during training. Oh, the first word written is cu…"

Michael whispered into Azazel's ear.

"Hahahahaha! Nice." Azazel laughed.

"I know right, but the tutor says that its "unrefined" and "uncultured" and "stop teaching Millicas-sama these words" pfft! The nerve of that guy." Michael quoted as he angrily looked away. It wasn't his fault that the stuffy tutor didn't know when to take a joke. His lectures were boring and the only thing that kept Michael going was the thought of scribbling dirty words in a different language. Not to mention making Millicas his partner in crime.

"He just doesn't know pure comedy." Azazel pocketed the piece of paper.

"Exactly! Ero-Sensei, you get me!" Michael sniffled.

"Sadly, I do, and it gives me a headache." Azazel tiredly rubbed his head.

"You know, you can always relieve that headache by telling me about my-."

"Get Welsh Drive, then we can talk." Azazel unfurled his many black angel wings and walked off.

"Worth a try…" Michael shrugged as he whistled, "Sirius!"

Calling out to the heavens above, Michael summoned his red flying cloud to his side, "Nice to see you again, Stratus! We're going to Buchou's place, so let's not waste a minute, okay?"

Before he took off, Azazel said, "Wait, Michael."

"You know, you've been calling on me to tell me stuff more than once. Are you sure you don't want to tell me about my par-?"

"I entrust Akeno to you. Do your best for her." Azazel wore a serious smile.

Michael looked at Azazel in confusion before grinning, "You don't have to worry about Akeno-senpai, I've already been doing my best for her since the beginning. Heck, she doesn't even need me as much because she's already a strong person."

Satisfied with that response, Azazel turned around and raised his hand, "Whatever, see ya later, brat."

"Yeah, see you in 15 days! You better prepare to tell me about my past because I'm going to get Welsh Drive! Woooooooooooh!" Michael hollered as he zoomed into the vast sky.

"15 days, eh? We'll just have to see if it has to come down to that…" Azazel said to himself as he took off into the sky.

XXX

In the annex that was detached from the Gremory main residence, Michael was currently with Venelana during what could be the most tiring thing that he's done for the month, dancing. As soon as he arrived, he was suddenly dragged along into the annex; practicing which steps to take, correcting his rugged posture, and learning how to not step on his partner's feet.

Michael would have preferred those stuffy lectures with that tutor compared to this because Venelana was as strict as Tannin was when it came to teaching.

"Michael-san, keep you back straight." Venelana corrected.

"Hai."

"Michael-san, you should already know that we were supposed to turn during this step. Pay attention."

"Hai…"

*CRUNCH!*

"Nnnngh….ow…"

"Michael-san, you should know better than to take my steps. Memorize your own and pay attention like I instructed." Venelana sighed.

"H-Hai…" Michael squeaked as he teared up.

"I believe a break is in order. Unless you wish to try again and see how you fare?" Venelana smiled, graciously.

"N-No! A break sounds good…really good…" Michael bit his lip in pain.

"Do you need help taking a seat?" Venelana asked.

"Nope, don't worry about me. I got it, see?" Michael tried his best to muffle his screams as he limped to his seat.

"Impressive, I see that you do got it." Venelana teased Michael as she sat right next to him.

'…I don't know why, but getting teased by Rias' mom doesn't feel so bad…' Michael sweatdropped.

"So, is there a reason why I'm the only guy dancing, Vene-sama?" Michael grunted as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're asking why Kiba Yuuto-san and Gasper-san aren't here dancing with us? That's because they were already taught these techniques before you become a part of Rias' peerage. The reason why I'm teaching you this is because you lack common etiquette, no, I believe that you lack the base etiquette that a commoner raised in the human world should have." Venelana answered.

'Not going to deny that…' Michael agreed that he wasn't the politest person to be around.

"It's best to teach you an adequate amount of etiquette before you and Rias make yourselves known in high society. Customary practices have to be practiced as soon as possible during your short stay here in the Underworld." Venelana explained, but was quick to lose Michael as he looked dumbfounded.

"W-Wait, me and Ri-I mean Buchou in high society together?" Michael didn't understand what she meant with that, but Venelana quickly covered her mouth and smiled.

"Oops, I carelessly let that slip out. It's still quite too early to speak about this. Onto another thing, Michael-san." Venelana held her finger to Michael's face and scolded him, "You don't have to keep calling Rias by that title when around me. You can properly call her by name anytime you want, I don't mind it and I'm definitely sure Rias won't mind it either."

"Y-Yeah, but…" Michael sweatdropped.

"We already know that you two are dating, so as her boyfriend don't restrain yourself from saying her name around us." Venelana encouraged the boy with a smile.

"You guys already know?" Michael said in surprise.

Venelana nodded.

"How?"

"Sirzechs told us that during the meeting with the other factions, you admitted to having sex with Rias." Venelana explained.

"Oh…OH!" Michael's eyes widened as he shook his head in fear, "I'm so sorry! I'm not going to deny I said that, but she is your daughter and-and-! I cannot say how sorry I am…sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing? There's nothing wrong to admitting to having sex with your lover. In fact, just the other night Rias' father and I thoroughly embraced each other in a passionate tryst." Venelana shared her experiences with the reluctant Michael.

"No, I'm fine, Vene-sama. Thank you." Michael shook his head with a mortified look on his face.

"After a little foreplay, I decided to let him do it in the position he favored. Did you know that Rias' father loves to do it dog-?" Venelana whispered to Michael.

"No! No! I didn't, and now I do…I'm imagining it right now and now I'm scarred for life…" Michael whimpered.

"Just kidding~!" Venelana winked.

"Thank maou…" Michael groaned.

"It was actually my turn to choose, so we did it cowgirl style."

"Yup, that image is stuck in my head. Thank you…" Michael closed his eyes and sheepishly smiled in agony.

"You're welcome." Venelana joked.

The two laughed with each other as they grew to enjoy the other's company.

"So, is it really okay for me to call her Rias in front of you? I thought it would be a bad thing to do in front of her parents." Michael scratched her cheek.

"Michael-san, devils are quite understanding when it comes to relationships. My husband has a harem that I manage; hearing my daughter's boyfriend call her by name is the least of my problems." Venelana smiled.

"Zeo-sama has a harem?" Michael almost fell out of his seat after hearing that.

"Like I said we devils are quite open with our relationships, and me and my husband are no exception. I make sure to manage his harem from time to time to make sure things aren't as hectic. Something that Rias should do with your own harem."

"My harem? I don't have one…do I?" Michael said, unsurely.

"I don't know you tell me. Give me some examples of weird behavior that you go through when around them on a daily basis." Venelana said.

"Well, there was that one time during the start of devil life when Ray-chan and Asia fought over who would cook for me."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Ray-chan kind of gets clingy whenever I'm alone with her. Hell, she even volunteers to do my morning jogs with despite her tiring out quickly."

"Yes…yes…"

"Asia gets really sad whenever I get too close to the others and pinches me. Koneko-chan's gotten used to sitting on my lap like it's my property, and Xenovia is…Xenovia. There's also Kiyome-senpai, who doesn't mind me being engaged to her and…"

"Go on…your almost there." Venelana saw realization dawning upon Michael's face.

"And Akeno-senpai likes to tease me and tried to get close to me before summer break by sneaking into my bed!" Michael shouted upon figuring things out, "It's true, I kind of do have a harem."

"See?"

"Yeah…" Michael looked around awkwardly and scratched his neck.

"What's wrong you don't seem to be thrilled to hear that." Venelana asked.

"Its not that, I just don't know what to do is all. I never expected to have everyone like me that way. I'm dating Rias, so its fine for this to happen, right?"

"I can tell that Rias doesn't like the idea of sharing too much, but have the others ever stopped their attempts at showing you their affection?"

"No."

"There you go, I'm sure that Rias will get used to things, but if everyone feels the same way then it can't be helped." Venelana gently patted Michael on the back.

"So, do I have to act a certain way since I have one or…" Michael scratched the back of his head.

"There isn't anything wrong with the way your acting now. So just act natural and be yourself that's probably the reason why everyone likes you so much." Venelana pinched Michael's cheek in a playful manner, "That reason is probably why Rias fell for you in the first place."

Pulling himself away, Michael rubbed his cheek and looked away in embarrassment, "Got it."

Venelana's honest and kind advice touched Michael's heart as he felt strangely happy talking to a motherly adult. Usually he would feel this way around Saji's mother, too since he barely gets time to interact with an older woman. Instead he gets stuck in conversations with old men like Azazel and Ddraig.

[You're lucky that you're in the presence of a respected woman or I would have slapped you for calling me that.]

'Oh, forgive me. I meant to say old sack of reptile flesh. Oh, wait I forgot, you don't have your body anymore.' Michael thought.

[You're going to regret this…it might not be today, or tomorrow, but it will come when you'd least expect it.]

'Yeah, yeah…" Michael rolled his eyes, 'I just wonder why I'm so relaxed when talking about stuff like harems and…sex with Rias' mom. I know that me and Ero-Ossan would enter a little banter before taking the talk seriously, but with her I feel like it's natural to talk things out with her. I wonder why.'

Before his mind could wander a little longer about that Michael remembered something from earlier that bothered him when he and Azazel parted ways.

"Excuse me, Vene-sama, mind if I ask you a question?"

"I don't mind, go ahead." Venelana smiled and nodded.

"How's Akeno-senpai doing? She's here, right? I wanted to know how her training is going." Michael kicked his feet in his chair as he looked concerned.

His concerns only worsened once Venelana put on a sad smile,

"She's been fine as of lately, but 5 days ago, she was sent here to rest after collapsing from exhaustion during her training."

"C-Collapsed!?" Michael said in a panic as he immediately got up on his feet.

"Don't worry, she's fine. She just overexerted herself during her training, I heard that she rushed to complete her entire training regimen throughout the first 10 days without any rest. She was able to accomplish her training in that timespan, but at the cost of her own health." Venelana held her cheek and sighed, "She's still recovering, but she isn't in a bad state as she was back then anymore."

'So Akeno-senpai has been going through more trouble than I initially thought. Could it be about her dad? No, I can't worry about that I need to cheer senpai up as soon as possible.' Michael shook off the pain in his foot as he turned to Venelana with a psyched expression.

"Vene-sama, which room is Akeno-senpai on?" Michael asked.

"On the second floor, in the south wing. Her door is the one at the end of the hallway." Venelana pointed up.

"Thanks! I'll be taking off!" Michael rushed off.

"I'll make sure to ask the servants to prepare your room for tonight, and I'll be sure to inform Rias and Asia-chan that you're here." Venelana exclaimed.

"Okay, oh and Vene-sama?" Michael stopped at the door and asked, "It was very nice talking to you like this. Do you mind…if we can talk like this again later?"

Wearing a delighted smile, Venelana said, "Why of course. I don't mind doing this with you again, Michael-san. Feel free to ask me about anything you want and we'll talk again, okay?"

"Sweet, thanks!" Michael wore a bright grin as he was about slip out of the room until…

"Michael-san."

"Yeah?" Michael pops up from behind the door.

"If you want you may call me Mot-." Venelana hesitated as she shook her head, "No, it was nothing. I apologize for holding you up."

"No, it's no problem! Well, I'm off!" Michael took off running, leaving Venelana to herself as she sighed in shame. She was so close to making the same outburst as her husband. After getting to chat with the young man, she finally understood Zeoticus' urge to do the same thing, but for a different reason besides the obvious future preparations that needed to be done.

'His eyes…' Venelana noticed the sad look in Michael's eyes when he asked to speak with her and couldn't help but try to offer that choice to him, 'I hope he's fine. Rias, you'd best get a better grasp of your boyfriend's turmoil or else things may take a bad turn for the worse.'

XXX

Running through the halls even though many of the butlers and maids kept telling him not to, Michael made a beeline to Akeno's room. Nothing was going to distract him from doing what needs to be done.

"AKENO-SENPAAAAAAAAAI!" Michael screamed at the top of his lungs as he quickly climbed the steps and made his way to the second floor's south wing.

"AKEEEEEEENO-SENPAAAAAAAI!" Michael shouted a bit louder as he was approaching the door at the end of the hallway which opened to reveal a surprised Akeno wearing light clothing with her hair let down.

"Michael-kun?" Akeno blinked in surprise.

"Senpa-whoa! Whoa! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Michael slipped on the carpet and began rolling into Akeno's room.

*SLAM!*

"Ooof!" One of her dressers stopped his clumsy falling.

Looking at the young man in surprise, Akeno said, "Michael-kun, are you okay?"

"My mouth tastes like paint…I don't know why but that always happens when I hit my head. Is that good?"

[No.]

"Oh." Michael shrugged it off as he remained on the ground with his upper body's back against the dresser, "But don't worry about me! Are you okay, Akeno-senpai?"

"I'm fine no need to worry, but are you…?"

"I'm fine!" Michael rolled over and hopped up on his feet, "I came to check up on you because I heard from Vene-sama that you fainted! So, I thought that I would cheer you up afterwards."

"You came all of the way here to check on my health?" Akeno gasped in surprise.

"Of course, after I heard that you collapsed, I freaked out and hightailed it up here!" Michael said in a state of panic before coughing, "But no need to worry since someone as capable as me is here to help you get better!"

Looking at Michael bewildered, Akeno slightly blushed before laughing into her hand, "Ara, ara, what a gentleman. Thank you for coming all this way just for me, Michael-kun."

"Hah! It's obvious that I'd come running, but…why did you complete your training so quickly?" Michael frowned.

Realizing where this was going, Akeno knowingly sighed and walked toward the table in her room to raise a teapot and offered, "I was done making some tea for us to enjoy, so let's talk while drinking some, okay?"

"R-Really!? *COUGH!* I mean, yes, I'd love to have some tea…hehehe…"

Usually, Michael would be excited to jump at the offer to have Akeno's delicious tea, but he tried to keep himself in control so he wouldn't get distracted. After taking his seat with her and grabbing his cup, and took a long sip of his tea with a serious look on his face.

"So, how is it?" Akeno asked.

"This tea is very nice." Michael coughed.

"I'm so glad you liked it. I could make another pot for you if you want." Akeno offered again.

"N-No, it won't be necessary. Tea this good should be savored over time." Michael took a quick sip of his tea.

"I'm glad that you love my tea this much." Akeno wore a tired smile.

"Of course. Akeno-senpai, made it so of course it's going to be great." Michael grinned before gulping down the rest in his cup before pouring more.

"Thank you, Michael-kun…" Michael felt a tinge of exhaustion in her voice.

'Looks like she hasn't fully recovered yet.' Michael thought, 'That's not it. She also sounds conflicted and…'

Looking closely at Akeno, Michael said, "Akeno-senpai…"

"Eh?" Akeno looked surprised but still kept her smile, "Is something the matter?"

Michael leaned in and said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm quite fine. Don't worry." Akeno blinked as her smile began to look a bit forced.

"You're lying, aren't you?" Michael didn't hesitate to point that out.

"…!" Akeno didn't know how to react once Michael started to act more earnest.

"Already I can tell that Akeno-senpai is bothered by something. Or else she would have already teased me by the time I entered her room with her alone. Not to mention…you're smile. Whenever you wear your caring smile I get this feeling of assurance, but the smile you have isn't coming from the heart like it used to. Sure, your tired, but that never stopped you from making it infectious to make everyone happy like you." Michael sat back and placed down his teacup to examine Akeno's surprised expression,

"Something is bothering you, so you can tell me and I'll do my best to cheer you up." Michael grinned, "I mean if you want to. I don't want to pry unless you're ready to come out with i-."

"N-No, I guess I should have been more open about it than trying to keep it hidden from you." Akeno looked down with a sad smile.

"…" Michael kept quiet as he intently listened.

"I take it you asked Venelana-sama about what happened, right?" Akeno asked and received a nod in response, "I see, then I guess I can get straight to the point. I accomplished Azazel-sensei's training all with the span of 10 days, and as a result I fainted due to the pressure."

"More like lack of rest. Akeno-senpai, why would you risk your health like that?" Michael asked, he knew better that he was the last person to say this to anyone, but his unease with her condition mattered more to him.

Exhaling deeply, Akeno loses her smile to solemnly tell the truth, "I wanted to lessen the time I spent training with my instructor as quickly as possible."

"You did?" Michael tilted his head in confusion.

Akeno nodded.

"But why?"

"Because being around that man made me sick to my stomach, I couldn't handle the thought of being trained by him for the whole month. So, I managed to make a swift copy of the regimen planned out for me, followed the basics of what he taught me, and practiced the harder exercises that he planned for me when training during the day was over." Akeno's eyes narrowed with disdain, "I did what I had to do to get away from that man."

"So, you decided to train nonstop without a break until you collapsed?" Michael's eyes widened.

"…" That seemed to be the case as Akeno allowed the silence to answer the question for her.

"Sheesh, whoever your trainer was he must have been a complete assh-!" Michael stopped himself mid-sentence as he started to piece things together.

'Wait, when the Ero-Ossan talked about her using the power her bloodline gave that would mean she'd have to train with her…' Michael kicked himself for not realizing this sooner.

"Hold on. Was your trainer your da-?"

"That thing? Yes, he was." Akeno interrupted before Michael could finish, "Sensei placed me in that thing's care for the rest of the month to teach me how to utilize the ability passed down to me that's called [Holy Lightning]."

"Whoa, that sounds awesome! What is it?" Michael asked.

"Basically, it's a fusion of my fallen angel light magic with my thunder magic to create holy lightning." Akeno showcased this by creating each property of magic before combining it into a sphere of concentrated white lightning.

"Cool…" Michael's eyes brightened in amazement, "So you learned how to do this in just 10 days? You're really something, Akeno-senpai."

"It's not much." Akeno looked disinterested and ceased the orb's appearance, "I didn't intend on using it after I learned how to use it anyways."

"Seriously, but why?" Michael asked.

-"Refusing to use the power he's given you could be a bonus, but in the end, it reminds you of how pathetic you would be to rely on your precious daddy's power. We're a lot alike, you know?"-

The irritating voice of the hooded woman rang through Akeno's mind as she clenched her hand tightly. There were also Azazel's words that kept conflicting with her feelings as well.

-"Don't deny yourself. What will you do if you can't accept yourself? In the end, the only thing you can rely on is your own body, right? It's your choice on whether you want to do this training, I can't force you. But know this if you keep doing things the way you are now, you'll become a liability to your King and your other servants."-

She didn't want to become a nuisance to the others who were getting stronger, but she just couldn't bring herself to give in and use the power that thing passed on to her.

"…" Akeno remained silent again; leaving Michael to wonder how to approach her problem. He couldn't think of any way to go about continuing from them. He knew that it was obvious to assume that she despised her power because it came from her dad, but he could feel some turmoil from her. He couldn't just tell her to suck it up and use her powers like everything will be okay. But he couldn't just leave her alone to deal with her problem either.

So, finding himself with a double negative, Michael came to a conclusion that he was more willing to choose.

"Akeno." Michael placed his hand over Akeno's clenched hand.

"…! Michael-kun?" Akeno broke out of her silent stupor to look Michael in the eye as he comfortingly smiled at her.

"What you do with your power is up to you. Whatever choice you make won't make any difference, I'll still do my best to support you. Even without that power, you're still my reliable senpai so don't worry about it too much, and besides if you come across a fight that you can't handle alone then I'll be there to support you side by side to get through." Michael firmly held her hand in his,

"So, do what you think feels right for you."

"…What feels right?" Akeno blushed as she repeated those words.

"Er…sorry about that." Michael quickly pulled back and scratched his head,

"So, yeah. Do what you think is right. This is your choice, so don't feel pressured to do what you don't want to do. The Ero-Ossan might have said to be honest with yourself, but that doesn't mean you have to force yourself to accept your power. I can't just assure you that using it will be better for everyone if you're this unsure… It's not Ero-Ossan's power or your father's or even mine. That power is yours Akeno and its your choice on whether or not you want to use it."

"My power…" Akeno looked down in deep thought before looking back up at Michael, who wore an unsure grin.

"However, if you want, I was wondering if we can do a tag team attack with your new power and my boosted gear. It would be awesome syncing with you just like I did that one time with Pretty Boy. I'm not trying to steer you into making a choice, I was just stating a possibility is all." Michael scratched his cheek.

"A team attack with you, Michael-kun?" Akeno blinked.

"Yep, but we can still try one even without that Holy lightning power. So, don't read too much into what I said, okay?"

"Its fine, Michael-kun. I get it, thank you..." For the first time since he arrived, Michael could tell that Akeno's smile was much sincerer than before.

"No problem! It looks like my mission is accomplished. You cheered up! The Gutsy Hanamura prevails like always…except for that one time and that one time and…that time when I tried to prank Kiryuu and almost got castrated by the archery team…" Michael sucked in his lips and rubbed his chin.

"Ara, ara, you know what they say. Failure breeds success even if failure is more likely to happen than success." Akeno giggled.

"Wait a minute, senpai are you trying to cheer me up by implying that I should fail more in order to actually succeed?" Michael groaned.

"I don't think I was implying, but saying." Akeno playfully stuck out her tongue at him.

"Augh!" Michael grabbed his chest as he felt his heart crush into a million pieces, "That just makes it worse."

Laughing at Michael's exaggerated behavior, Akeno found herself cheering up along with the weight of her past doubts being somewhat lifted.

"I don't think its bad thing that you fail often. In fact, I find that to be one of your most redeeming qualities." Akeno mumbled to herself.

"Hm?"

"Oh, it was nothing." Akeno laughed.

"Hmm…well, at least your back to wearing that smile of yours now. I can safely say that my work here is done." Michael stretched back in his seat before getting up, "I better go back to my room and rest before I get sent back to the Dragon Mountains. I have a lot of training to do…a lot of training…"

Michael looked solemn for a moment before shaking himself back to normal, "So I'll see you later!"

"Ah, wait a minute, Michael-kun. I have something to give you!" Akeno rushed over to Michael, who was near the door.

"What is it, senp-?"

*CHU~!*

Leaning in, Akeno kissed Michael on the cheek and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you for coming." Akeno nuzzled her cheek into Michael's chest.

"U-Urh…no problem." Michael returned the hug while trying to process the kiss that he received. Sadly, he didn't get much of it since he detected the presence of two others approaching the room, and he could already tell who they were.

'Crap, they're coming! I have to entangle myself from the hug before-!' Without Michael's knowing his right arm automatically opened the door and behind it were the looks of a surprised Rias and a teary-eyed Asia who were glaring at him.

"M-Michael-san?" Asia whimpered.

"Just what is the meaning of this?" Rias surrounded herself in a murderous aura.

[Payback's a bitch.]

'Ddraaaaaaaaaaaaig!' Michael angrily shouted in his head.

"Oh, hello, Rias. I'm sorry but could you leave us alone for a couple of minutes since Michael here took the liberty of visiting the residence out of concern for my health. He even openly embraced me after a gave him a kiss to the cheek." Akeno taunted the crimson haired king.

"Oh, really?" Rias' grew an angered tick mark on her head as her sights were set on Michael!?

"So, I take it that it never crossed your mind to greet your girlfriend when you arrived? Is that right, Michael?" Rias wore a forced smile.

"W-Wait, I have a very good explanation about th-ow!" Michael noticed Asia pinching his arm, "Asia, I'm sorry, too! Please forgive me!"

"Hmph…" Even Asia was displeased with the sight that occurred in front of her, but still, she was glad to see him doing well.

"Look, I can explain, so please calm do-!"

"If you want to explain something, then explain why I received word from a dragon outside that you decided to name your territory "I don't care" Mountain." Rias angrily exclaimed.

"My territory is named what? Ugh! Bova! I never told him what I wanted to name it, all I said was that I didn't care about that right now and…wait, yeah, I can see how that turned out the way it did…" Michael hoarsely sighed.

"Letting your guard down will hold some dire consequences, Rias." Akeno winked as she hugged one of Michael's arms.

"W-Why you-!?" Rias trembled.

"I won't lose, either!" Asia rushed out and grabbed Michael's other arm, "If Buchou is letting down her guard then I'll take advantage of getting closer to Michael, too."

"…!" Rias' anger was reaching to new heights as she threateningly approached Michael in a slow manner, "Hey, Michael, I heard that you were staying the night here before going back. So, let's privately discuss what you wanted to explain, okay?" Rias' murderous aura only spiked with each step.

"No, no, no, no! I'm supposed to relax! This can't be happening! This can't be-hyaaaaaaaah!" Michael's screamed echoed off of the Gremory residence's halls and reached the annex where Venelana was taking a quick sip of tea as she knowingly smiled.

"Fight on, Michael-san, fight on…" Venelana giggled.