As Kurayami walked through Grigori, many Fallen Angels bowed lightly toward him. As he was the son of one of their leaders he deserved respect on top of being a Loginous user. It was also obvious that Azazel favored him highly so he was treated as a sort of heir to both of them by many. This irked some of the Fallen who believed in blood purity like the one in front of him.
Kurrayami looked at the Fallen Angel with his usual blank stare.
"Kokabiel."
The older fallen angel looked down on Kurayami. He considered him a dirty half-breed that did not belong in Grigori at all.
"I have no idea what Azazel sees in you."
Kurayami walked past him while still talking.
"Simple. I am descended from a goddess. My father is Baraqiel, and I have a Longinus. And didn't you lose to a human? How are your wounds from Vasco?"
Kokabiel lunged at Kurayami ready to kill him for bringing it up, but he stopped himself. He knew that if Kurayami was here, Baraqiel was sure to be near. He was strong, yes, but that guy had the title of Lightning of god for a reason.
"Watch yourself halfbreed. You just made an enemy you can't ever defeat."
Kurayami did not look back and kept walking.
"Your wings will decorate my wall one day."
They both went their separate ways, but Kurayami was mocking Kokabiel in his head.
'Either being older makes you stupid, or Vasto caused more damage to him than I expected.'
While he was not paying attention to his surroundings he was in deep thought until he bumped into a small black-haired girl who was running through the halls. She fell down and looked quite scared as she avoided other people. However, the moment she looked up at Kurayami she felt like she had met someone like her.
She could not explain it, but looking into Kurayami's blank stare was comforting. As for Kurayami, he looked down at her and thought she was a cute kid. Reminded him of the girl he wanted to save. He did wish her the best, but he doubted they would be that nice.
He wondered who this girl's parents were as fallen angels being born was pretty uncommon.
"You ok?"
He extended his hand and the girl took his hand. She looked a little jumpy, but she was looking right at him. She was very similar to him as her grandfather was someone special.
Even when she took his hand and thanked him it sounded like a whisper.
"Thank you."
He looked over and thought she was a little adorable. If he had a daughter, he wished they looked like her. She had the usual black hair of a fallen angel and violet eyes. As Kurayami had a Longinous, he learned to sense other Sacred Gears and this girl had one.
"What's your name?"
She looked down to avoid looking him in the eyes.
"Raynare."
"I am Kurayami, son of Baraqiel."
Raynare perked up.
"You're related to sir Baraqiel?"
"Yes."
For a moment she was curious before she remembered why she did not have parents. She turned around to not look at him as she felt her tears about to spill out of her eyes. She clenched her eyes shut to not cry, but it was not working.
He could feel her emotions were a mess so he asked about it.
"What's wrong?"
She shook her head.
"I'm fine."
Tears fell down her face in droves. Kurayami walked up to her and just patted her shoulder. She looked up and into his hollow eyes while wiping her tears.
"Your eyes are weird?"
"Is it the lack of pupils?"
She thought he was joking, but he was serious. His eyes were just two orbs of violet. There were zero pupils in them and it was like a ball of dark violet surrounded by white. Kurayami started to walk away, but he motioned for her to follow him.
"You want to follow me?"
She nodded and started to follow him around. Most of the kids at the orphanage avoided her. It was just a side effect of her sacred gear combined with her unique heritage. She just followed Kurayami as he wandered as he did not have much to do. As they walked she looked at his right arm and saw a black tattoo on his arm. It started at his wrist and went up to his shoulder.
"Why do you have that tattoo?"
He looked at the marks on his arm.
"I have a special sword."
He summoned Rebellion and rested it on his shoulder. Raynare looked at Rebellion with awe.
"It looks awesome. I like the skull."
"Thanks."
He put Rebellion away after a while.
"Can I get one like it?"
He looked at her and thought of it.
"If you get strong enough maybe. Azazel made it and he won't waste materials of this quality easily, so you gotta earn it. Although it won't be easy. At the moment he is making my sister one."
She looked at him curiously.
"You have a sister?"
He nodded.
"Her name is Akeno. My younger twin."
She pictured his sister in her head and imagined a cold hollow-eyed girl that looked similar to Kurayami. Still, when she thought of getting stronger she thought of her sacred gear. She looked a little nervous, but he didn't know why. Maybe she had dangerous sacred gear or something. He noticed it and asked about it.
"Do you have sacred gear? I have a Longinus by the way."
She looked a little freaked out but nodded.
"It killed my parents."
He was going to tell her that was stupid, but he knew that was not the proper way to get someone to change their mindset. He was not the best as this thing so he winged it.
"Do what you want and feel what you want. But that Sacred Gear will be with you for life. If you hate it forever, you are just hating yourself. Take care."
She looked at him leaving and ran after him.
"Wait, don't leave me alone. I have no friends because the other kids at the orphanage are all for themselves. Can I be your friend?"
She looked down as he tilted his head.
"Me? I guess, but my only friend is Azazel."
She shook her head.
"Then I can be your second friend and you can be my first."
"Fine, but only if you tell me what your sacred gear is."
She was going to say no, but it was better than losing the only person who was nice to her.
"Blaze Black Flame."
'A Vritra sacred gear? Azazel told me about them. Doesn't Azazel have two others of the same type? Does he even know she has them?'
"Well since you told me mine is Incinerate Anthem."
She looked at him wide-eyed as not only was he the son of a Cadre he had a Longinus of that level.
"Well, you want to meet Azazel? He might be busy though."
She nodded like crazy.
"Who wouldn't? He is the Governor-General of Grigori. I want to meet him."
He motioned her to follow him. Along the way, she blushed and asked him a question.
"How many wings do you have?"
He looked over and saw her nervous. Wings were something more personal so asking another fallen was quite embarrassing if you were not friends, family, or close.
"2 going into three sets. Why?"
She looked down as she considered it a little embarrassing.
"I find it hard to ask that. I only have 1 pair after all.
He looked her over and didn't find that hard to believe. Growing more pairs was not easy, but training made it possible. However, most who grow more have lineage to back it up. He was a good example. When he got to Azazel's lab he knocked on it. Azazel yelled out a moment later.
"Give me a moment. I am almost finished."
Azazel pulled out the large spear from the burning forge and plunged it into a magical oil he created just for this. The moment the spear touched the oil all the metals made it perfectly fused which made Akeno excited. She had not budged from her spot once so Baraqiel had stayed with her. After just a bit of polishing, she was handed the spear, and just like what happened to Kurayami a small spike entered her hand.
"OW!"
As she was just 8 tears started to fall from her eyes which made Baraqiel mad. Too bad before he could knock some sense into the weapon it vanished into her arm. Just like what happened to Rebellion. Hearing her yelp was kind of expected so he just knew he had to comfort her. When the both of them entered Akeno rushed at him and cried into his chest. He sighed and ran his hand down her hair.
"It was going to happen Akeno."
"But it hurt."
"I know."
She kept crying, but that would go away. When she realized she just got a cool weapon she would most definitely see it as worth it. Azazel looked at Raynare with a little bit of curiosity as it was not like Kurayami to socialize. He was Kurayami's only friend after all.
"So who is she?"
Kurayami's eyebrows were raised as he thought Azazel kept a record of everyone.
"I thought you knew every fallen in Grigori."
Azazel broke out laughing.
"Are you crazy? How am I supposed to know all of them? Although is she part human?"
Kurayami nodded.
"Her name is Raynare. She wanted to meet you."
When Azazel looked at her she felt like she just met a celebrity. She waved a little behind Kurayami.
"Hi. I met Kurayami earlier. He said he knew you."
Azazel ruffled Kurayami's hair a bit which annoyed him.
"Yup. This kid is my friend. Also, his sacred gear is quite nice to use for our weapons."
She knew it was a fire control sacred gear like hers.
'Maybe I can be useful as well.'
"I have one too."
He and Baraqiel looked at her and were surprised. Azazel was especially interested.
"Do you know which it is?"
She nodded.
"Blaze Black Flame."
Azazel was impressed, to say the least.
"What do you know? I own two more of the same type. If you want I can give them to you. You will help Grigori if you are stronger."
She wanted to be stronger, but accepting her sacred gear was not easy. Not after what happened. Suddenly Kurayami encouraged her a bit or tried to.
"I would do it, but that is just me do what you want as that is all that matters."
She looked down but decided to think about it.
"I will think about it."
Azazel did not plan to give them to her any time soon anyway.
"Well you don't need to accept them, but can you practice your current one? Can you control the flames?"
She held her hand up and a small black flame lit up. Kurayami looked at that with interest. He held up his hand where dark purple flames burned. Azazel was interested in what would happen if he used both in his works.
"Hey, you two. Come here for a sec."
Baraqiel raised an eye brown and he knew what he wanted to try.
"What will be the result?"
Azazel shrugged.
"That is why I want to try it."
They both walked to him where he brought them to the same forge.
"Place your hands on either end and send your flames in."
They did what he said and when their flames met they began to devour each other as if they were direct opposites. They got stronger and more violent until Azazel told them to stop.
"Good news Kurayami. I might be able to give Rebellion a quick boost same for Submission. Raynare if you want you will join his training until you feel you can accept the Vritra sacred gears. What do you say?"
She looked at Kuroyami and nodded.
'As long as I am not alone.'
Azazel felt it was great. Hybrids with sacred gears were usually better than normal humans. As sacred gears have a huge stamina drain and hybrids can use their sacred gears without the weakness of a human body.
After that Azazel started to plan a training plan for her.
"Hey, Raynare. Do you have anyone you stay with?"
She shook her head and pulled out a card.
"My dad told me to use this to come here if something happened. I was just picked up by some Fallen and stayed at the orphanage."
What happened was any Fallen child, hybrid or not who lost their parents in any way was taken to a special orphanage for them as hybrids they had quite a bit of potential. Any that had sacred gears were taken in with the best training, but some like Raynare hid that they had any.
"Baraqiel I have a favor to ask you. Can you let her stay with you? Two sacred gear users will be better for us. Raynare when you feel you can accept the other two sacred gears just tell me."
Baraqiel thought of it, but he looked at Raynare who was looking up to him with hope. He would hate to break the hope of a child and he relented.
"Fine, I will take her with me, but the final say is up to Shuri."
Kurayami was fine with that.
"Fine with me."
He decided to walk around a bit, but Akeno and Raynare followed him.
Akeno decided to hold his hand as she was still pouting as they walked so Kurayami was doing his best to conform to her. And failing. As for Raynare, she did not believe Akeno was his twin. She was too, emotional and expressive Compared to the cold Kurayami she was too different.
"Are you sure you are his twin?"
Akeno frowned.
"Yes, I am. I am his little sister."
Raynare looked at Kurayami who nodded with his usual dead blank stare.
"She is."
Raynare decided to believe it, but she was still curious about something related to herself.
"How strong is my sacred gear? Do you know?"
Kurayami explained what he knew about Vritra.
"Vritra is a dragon king, but he was one of the evil dragons. As such he was pretty strong. His soul was split into 6 sacred gears with one of them being yours. Azazel has two of them which could be yours, so very strong."
Akeno looked at Raynare with squinted eyes.
'Lucky.'
As for Raynare, she thought about it as she wanted to be useful.
"Will I grow more wings in the future if I use it?"
He looked at her and shrugged.
"A sacred gear is like a catalyst. It makes humans stronger, but even more so for supernatural races. Of course, even more so if you have a strong lineage."
Akeno looked smug.
"Our dad is Baraqiel so we are strong."
Kurayami thought back to his special powers over death.
'And me, I am Death incarnate.'
Raynare thought of her dad. He only had three pairs of wings, but she heard stories from her dad that her grandfather had 8 pairs. His power was scary which her dad didn't get, but she did.
"I will tell you two who my grandfather is. I never met him, but Dad said he was a great father to him."
She had always wanted to meet him, but no one knew where he was. Now Kurayami and Akeno had their interest peaked.
"Who is it?"
Akeno nodded.
"Tell us please."
She whispered in their ear.
"Azrael."
Akeno and Kurayami both had their eyes go wide. Even Kurayami felt shocked.
"The Angel of Death? The bane of Heaven and Hell is your grandfather."
He was the only Fallen to ever reach the Superclass like Sirzechs and Ajuka.
She nodded.
"He was cast out long ago of Heaven, but he is not in Grigori. Dad said that at the start of the war he fought for heaven, but a quarter of the way in he fell and joined Grigori. Now, some say he is on Cocytus or Tartarus. No one knows."
Akeno was a little scared so she hid behind Kurayami.
"I heard he was a scary man."
Kurayami looked at Raynare with squinted eyes that made her nervous.
"What?"
"You don't bite when you sleep right?"
Akeno knew why he asked that so she pulled on his sleeve.
"Don't."
Raynare thought that was weird.
"No. Why would I?"
Kurayami glanced at Akeno and told her the reason.
"Akeno bites me at night. The number of times I wake up to her trying to rip off a chunk of me is more than I can count."
Akeno covered her face in his shirt in shame. Raynare began to laugh a little at him.
"Does it hurt?"
He pulled back his collar to show his most recent bite. Raynare thought they were little bites, but it looks like she was determined to eat him. She looked at Akeno with wariness in her gaze.
"Are you a cannibal?"
Akeno shook her head.
"NO! I just get vivid eating dreams and brother ended up getting bitten."
Kurauami patted her head, but he was not going to sleep with her anymore.
"I don't plan to sleep in the same room as her. I will end up with a chunk of me gone. But I am returning."
She followed him until they returned to the lab. Baraqiel was deep in thought over something else. He wanted to explain what his night activities were, but at the same time, he did not want to go too into it. What if he told his hobby to his friends, that was the last thing he needed. Kurayami tapped him on his arm to get him to look at him.
"I think we should go back home. I don't want to leave mom alone for too long."
Azazel nodded.
"I have some trustworthy guards around her. I can guarantee I will not let a single thing happen to her. Now go and see her."
Baraqiel nodded and he opened up a teleport circle under him. It was better to get home quick which was one good thing about magic. It made travel so much easier.