Koneko Toujou And The Start Of The Match

A/N: Well, sorry for that. You know, the week and an half without any chapter, THAT. I had exams, again. And this chapter was frankly just that difficult for me to write, and I absolutely refused to botch it. As a harem fanfic, I don't want to do the more popular thing on webnovel and have the girls in the harem to be mere collectibles. Where after fucking them for the first time, they are literally discarded and get no further screen time afterward. However how unpopular and difficult this course of actions may be. Rant aside, this chapter is sitting at a comfortable 3052 words. So there's that.

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Julian slowly crouched before Koneko until he was eyes level with her.

Seeing her like that — her face buried in her arms, shaking and in a sobbing mess made his heart hurt like hell.

"I'm okay, Koneko. Nothing happened right then. You didn't hurt anyone." Julian said softly.

She lifted her head, still crying as she sniffled and opened her mouth.

"I‐. It's-."

"It's okay. There's nobody else but us here. No need to rush, take your time. I'll stay with you until you're ready to talk to me," He interrupted her and plopped down beside the white-haired girl.

He paused and added.

"Of course, I can fuck off if you want. Ya know, in the case you really want to be alone or if you really hate my face right now. I'll understand."

...

She didn't tell him to fuck off.

After a couple of minutes, Koneko finally spoke up shakily, her puffy eyes peering up at the taller boy. Despite him being sat and her crouching.

"I'm sorry."

Julian worked his jaw for a bit before chuckling bitterly. "No, don't be. I'm the one who's sorry."

He searched a bit in his pocket, taking out something black out of it.

It was a peerage's chess piece. A rook, to be exact.

Upon seeing her staying silent, he elaborated calmly.

"I'm Rias's nephew and Sirzech's son, remember? So as I am entitled to own a peerage. I am also entilted to some private matter of my father."

"The point is, I know of your past, Koneko. I know of your real name, and of the history behind your presence in Rias' peerage." Julian took a deep breath.

Time for the hard part.

"I'll be honest, I did this on purpose. In hope that you would use your powers. That the situation would come to this." He stated simply, waiting for Koneko's reply.

Some anger, panic and fear, but most of all, confusion became apparent on her face. Tears threatening to leak from her eyes again.

"Why? If you knew, why want me to use my cursed power!? If I had lost control — I would have..." Koneko sniffled and softly cried out.

"I would have stopped you from doing anything to anyone. I would have captured and turn you back to before you lost control." Julian said easily, shrugging as if it was par for the course.

Koneko widened her eyes in surprise, stunned, she squirmed. "Turn me back? You can't-"

"Everything has a cure, Koneko. Even if only time itself is the cure. Be it in going forward, or backward." Saying that, he tossed the Rook in his hand away. Only for it to reapear in his hand a second later.

Returning his gaze back to Koneko, Julian's expression darkened and a deep frown marred his face. "My mind is screaming at me to not do it. To continue on and skip past it unmentioned. But I just can't bring myself to."

He stared at her with resolution, something dark hiding deeper in his eyes. Not directed at the person he was gazing at. "So let me make myself clear again on that, Koneko. I, by all mean, intentionally manipulated you on purpose. I opened those old wounds in all awareness of how much pain they brought you. I willingly used your traumas to achieve this."

Clenching his fists, and through gritted teeth, he continued. "This is totaly unacceptable. And I only realise this now. I would not keep it against you if you were to never forgive me. Because I know for a fact that if I were in your place... That If someone else were to do that to me..." Julian's eyes became vacant for a moment before he shook his head.

"Just know that I didn't know better. I didn't know ak better way to do this. Just know..."

"That I'm really, really sorry." He finished in an even voice, his face blank.

Koneko's body shook for a bit before calming down. The two maintaining each other gaze all the while.

"You are forward, and honest. So I forgive you." She said simply.

"But it still hurt. So please, please never do that again, to anyone." She shed some tears while Julian just plainly nodded.

After both staying silent for some time, Koneko's tears having dried. In the end, she settled with a weak. "If you don't like it. Then why do it?"

"It was exactly to bring up all of that. To tackle your past. Help you control your power, and not the other way around." Julian broke the eyes contact between them to gaze forward.

"But-"

"Your suffering, your fears, your insecurities, it's all about your sister in the end, isn't it?" Julian cut her off calmly.

Not letting her the time to speak. He immediatly followed. "You think she lost control because of her power. That she became drunk on it and became insane as a result. Making her assasinate your king in the process and fleeing without a word afterward."

Julian turned his head and peered deeply at her. "This is what you think happened. As well as the official story devil society believe in. But it's fishy, why would your sister only kill your king and let everyone else alone? Why would she flee immediatly afterward? Why act so suddenly?"

Julian gaze hardened as Koneko listened silently. "Let me tell you this frankly. Someone supposedly insane wouldn't single out and kill only one person in a mansion full of people and just leave afterward. No, someone truly crazy would have slaughtered everyone until he or she was stopped. Possibly by dying."

"Koneko, your sister isn't insane. There was a motive behind her actions."

"Stop giving me hope! If it's true, then why didn't she tell me anything!? Why didn't she visit me even a single time during all these years!?" Now she was angry. Tears of rage and grief streaming down her face this time.

Julian face palm and sighed, before pausing and gazing wrily Koneko. "Please dry your tears Koneko. I know it's my fault, and I'm being even more of an asshole saying this. But, seeing yourself in the state you were in earlier and bringing you back to it... You have no idea how intensely It make me hate myself. The thing is... I only know how to use logic when it come to this kind of sensitive subject. That's how I cope with life in general now that I think about it. Cold, hard logic. Well, either that or I'm totally lacking in tact. Or who knows? Maybe it's even a combination of both?... Yeah, I think we got it." Julian averted his eyes and chuckled weakly. Making Koneko slowly stop crying and listen in silence.

Nobody said anything for a while before he answered her previous questions. "...Speaking of cold, hard logic. There's multiple reasons she could have to not seek you out." He brought up a finger.

"Not wanting to implicate you even more... Not wanting the public eye to fall on you, again, because of her crimes... Protecting you from her possible enemies... Letting you live your life..."

A second passed.

"Fear of how you'd react."

Koneko's breath caught up as realisation settled in.

"As for not telling you anything. Did she behave weirdly before it all happened? Did she say anything weird to you maybe?"

Koneko closed her eyes to think for a moment before taking a deep breath. "A week before, she- she told me to stay away from the king as most as I could. And that I could sleep for as long as I wanted in the morning."

She widened her eyes before she cast them down. Softly, she whispered. "She killed him in and escaped in the morning."

Julian's face evened out. "Making progress. Now last thing..."

He continued on the same vibe. "Did your sister ever gave you something special? Something she probably knew you would keep in your possesion no matter the circumstances?"

Koneko immediatly touched her hairpin. Peace finally coming over her being as she softly whispered. "You think?..."

Julian nodded neutraly. "It sound hollow, and it's too sturdy to be made out of common material. It's very likely that your answers are in there."

Silence descended upon the duo as one digested everything and the other was frankly, quite unsure on how to proceed.

Standing up, Julian dusted himself off and stared off the horizon. "We may not know the details, but at least now. We know for certain that your sister isn't, and never, got insane. What you do with the hairpin is your business. I already messed enough with your private life... Or just down right messed up for today really..." He trailed off.

"Now, if you need me for anyth- eh?"Julian was interrupted as he was tackled by a white blur.

"Thank you..." Were what the muffled voice overwhelmed by emotions said.

Feeling his shirt growing wet, Julian was momentarily lost. Until he, as if it came to him naturally, reciprocated the hug.

"You didn't chase me even when I made you hurt that much, and you even forgave me. This is really impressive. You deserve the relief. To heal. You didn't deserve being held back by your past, to keep suffering silently like that... Nobody does. Also, I'm seriously surprised you didn't just slap the shit out of me when I said out loud that I wanted this all to happen." He said softly and chuckled.

Lifting his head to gaze at the blinding sun without any trouble, an urge suddenly came over him.

"You know, I just realized that while I know a bit about you — Okay, perhaps a bit too much — You know next to nothing about me. So, what do you say about rectifying this? Wouldn't you find it awesome to just listen to my beautiful voice for hours on end?" Julian asked sarcastically, breaking the solemn atmosphere. He felt a tickling on his waist, as if someone was trying to pinch it. But it was too weak to do anything so he ignored it.

Koneko lifted her head almost vertically to gaze up at him with big, round eyes. "I'd like that. But what about the others? It's the last day of training."

Julian paused, staring into her amber eyes, tilting his head and thinking for a bit before finally shrugging. "They can wait."

—————

And thus, he spent the next couple of hours telling her everything about both of his lives, not including the details of his reincarnation.

It was the first time he told anyone of this, besides Mikan. But she didn't count.

It was a big step forward, one frankly made out of impulse.

But still, he didn't regret it, Koneko was probably one of the best person to tell as she didn't really care about the nitty gritty details. She was only awed by his deeds and the fact that other worlds existed. Ones without the supernatural.

When it got to the part where he became depressed and decided to kill himself. She got shocked and entered a dazed state and stayed in it for the better part of a minute before she came back from it. Nothing was said from her on the topic or toward her own reaction either afterward.

The only thing that changed was how she looked at Julian. Now along with the light admiration and shyness already present in her gaze. It morphed to adopt softer outlook as well. Somehow making the admiration in it grow a bit too.

—————

As the sun burned brightly over his head, Julian found himself regretting a little having to cancel what he planned for the morning as it was quite important. Even if it was worth it.

Wait, that was wrong, wasn't it?

Time wasn't an issue.

At least, not for him.

——————

~Day of Rias' match

"Thanks for the premium seat, Sona-San."

Sona smiled politly and shook her head in a dismissive manner. "We both know that you would have a seat of choice for the match even if I didn't invite you here."

Throwing a look to a screen showing the time remaining until the start of the match. She turned her chair halfway away from it to face Julian and continued. "Also, I am very curious about your training regiment and what your attitude on the match is. So inviting you here was more out of a selfish desire than anything else."

"Ask away then, what do you want to know?" Julian leaned back in his own chair as he took in the security room of the school. Right now used to watch a rating games where two teams of supernatural beings will soon fight to determine the future fate of a red-haired girl.

"I met with Rias and her team earlier. And while they did grow in pure strength, it did not warrent what I felt from them right there."

Sona paused and eyed him thoughtfully. "They felt... A lot more dangerous than before. Like a blade, just beneath my throat. Each one of them did..."

She brought her hands together. "I'm curious, what it is that you taught for them to become like this?"

Julian said nothing for a while before smilling. "I taught them how to kill. How to dispose of an opponent. How to use the tool at their disposal the most efficiently. And how not to die."

Before Sona could say anything, he continued. "They don't know that. They thought I was merely teaching them martial art and combat awareness. Mind you, that's exactly what I was doing. I was just doing a bit more than that at the same time."

...

"You know how to kill?" Was the only thing asked as her eyebrows minutedly raised in askance.

Julian brought his hands to his stomach and shrugged. "Well, I have a lot of theory on the subject. Saw it an awful lot. And had a bit of practical. So I guess?"

Silence descended upon them as Sona's simply gazed at Julian silently, digesting the information.

"Kaichou, it's starting." The silence was broken as Tsubaki Shinra, Sona's queen, who had been silently listening until now to them spoke up.

Sona threw another look to the monitor before smilling sligthly at Julian. "This sound like a story I would like to hear. But I think it will have to wait for a less tumultuous time and a more comfortable place. A game of chess in the student council president's office sound perfect in my opinion. What do you think?"

"Kaichou..." Tsubaki whispered under her breath, wanting to say something more, but in the end didn't and simply shook her head.

Julian, as for himself, grinned. "This can be arranged, but not sooner that my with my match with Riser. And intentions seriously need to be clarified. Because I don't know for you, Kaichou. But I take the matter of marriage seriously."

Sona nodded. "As do I. But do not forget, Julian-Kun..."

Her gaze sharpened. "That marriage is to be considered, in the case of if, and only if, you win the match. A task, I assure you, that is not as easy as you seem to consider it to."

"We'll see..." Julian smirked and said. Losing his smile as his eyes were attracted to the monitor whose image finally changed from a countdown to displaying the battlefield.

"Indeed, you'll see." Sona's squinted. Her eyes burning with cool confidence and some competitive spirit.

As they saw both teams appear in their respective base and heard Grayfia beggining to do her job as the referee. Sona asked a last question, almost as an afterthought.

"Do you think they can win?"

Julian stayed silent, feeling something akin to satisfaction witnessing Rias's recent change in bearing, also the one she was showing just now. He found that the fact that his words got through, and actually influenced her in a good way, actually felt great.

It was the same with Koneko, really.

"With how well I trained them? Yes, they definitely can. On the other hand, Will they? Personally, I sure hope not. Because in the case they do win. The whole deal I made with Riser come right off. I don't want that... Plus, having been public and all with it, I'd rather not pass for a fool."

Julian wrenched his eyes away from the screen as he felt a prickle on the back of his head. Only to see two girls staring at him with very deadpanned gaze.

"What? I'm just being practical."

—————

~The game

"Six Middle-Class, seven High-Class and one Ultimate-Class devils... Each ones of them with plenty of fighting experience and a couple of rating games under their belt. We are outnumbered, as well as outmatched." Rias stated as she surveyed the map of the school grounds and buildings before turning her cool gaze to her peerage.

"But we already knew that from the start, didn't we?" She smiled slightly.

She threw a look outside. "We've been through this strategy countless times together. We stay grouped, strike fast and hard. And hit and run if they try to surround us."

She took a deep breath. "We are here to win, not to put on a show like you know who said so well."

"Kiba and Issei, you stay behind to take care of the pawns Riser will send to promote. You'll join us after that with the help of Akeno's mark."

She paused.

"Riser is overconfident. He thinks that this match is already won. That'll be his downfall."

Rias clenched her fists as a fire lit up in her eyes before she forcefully cooled herself down.

"Now, I find this dimension a bit too sunny and our appearance a bit too conspicuous for my taste. Akeno, if you would?"

"Of course, extra dark clouds and a makeover coming right up. " Akeno smiled as she pointed a finger up.

And thus, night slowly fell upon the battlefield.