Natsu Dragneel In Dxd - Volume 1 Chapter 32 Did You Hear The News?

“Issei, come, play with us!”

“Don’t leave us alone!’”

“Come on; you’re wasting time!” Opening his eyes, Issei witnessed a wondrous sight. Rias, Akeno, Asia, Xenovia and Koneko were all wearing thinly strapped bathing suites and with only one catch: they were all topless. Their bountiful b.r.e.a.s.ts were out for all to see while the girls splashed in the water. Issei wasted no time and sprinted gungho towards his paradise. The sand on the beach shifted beneath his feet as he ran for the waters which possessed his booty(double meaning). With his feet inches away from the salty fluid, Issei morbidly stopped at the sight of all his friends dissolving into the sea.

“Guys! What the hell happened!? Are you okay!?” Issei panicked at the thought of his friends dying in front of his eyes, hesitant to step in the water for fear of ending his life along with them. His frantic thoughts were finally silenced by his resolve to find out what happened and Issei prepared himself for entry, “Oh please don’t be dead…”

Issei plunged into the ocean and held his breath, praying doom wasn’t hovering over him. To his shock, he didn’t feel anything inherently wrong with his body as he emerged from under the water. Glossing his eyes over his body, Issei found nothing out of place and resumed his previous objective of seeking his friends. His attention was soon drawn away as he noticed the water becoming thicker and harder to move through. With curiosity fueling him, he looked down at his waist and found a metallic red circling him.

This new liquid quickly spread and replaced the water, going on into the horizon. Realization harshly struck Issei causing him to relapse and jump back onto the beach outside of the red liquid.

His lower half was drenched in the new substance as he hastily pursued to wipe himself clean of it. Anxiety took over once more when a shadow appeared to encompass his body. He turned around, searching for the source of the shadow but found nothing on the ground. Issei then lifted his head and froze in place at the sight above him.

Raynare, his former treacherous backstabbing bitch of a fake girlfriend, slowly descended from the air and moved closer to Issei. His feet seemed to be stuck to the ground because any attempt he made to escape failed horribly. Raynare enveloped Issei in her wings and cupped his chin in her hand with her mouth slowly opening and closing, forming muted words. His eyes saw the movement, but his ears picked up nothing but air until the last few words.

“You’re still so weak…”

“Aaah!” Issei woke with a fright, his head wet and damp with sweat and his heart racing, thumping against his chest. He tried to put a hand on his forehead to ease the slight headache, but something of significant weight stopped him from doing so, “Not again.”

Issei sighed briefly and roughly laid back on his pillow. His voice raised when he spoke, “So, President, why is it that you’ve been sleeping on my bed again?”

The covers to his side ruffled a bit before unveiling messy crimson hair and creamy skin, then a voice came from the hairy monster, “I need someone to lay against. It’s been hard to sleep when Natsu isn’t here.”

Issei raised his brow in thought. When she first started living here with his family, she did begin laying in bed with him not too long after she settled in, but when Natsu moved in as well, her regular visits to his bed stopped.’I guess she’s been sleeping with him.’

Then a curious thought popped in existence, “Hold on if you’ve been sleeping with people your whole life, who was by your side before you met us?”

Rias flipped her hair back just as he asked, exposing her blushing face and bright green eyes, “That information is on a need-to-know basis.” Her pretentious tone etched a smile on Issei’s face with his morning already starting off pretty good. That was until another anomaly rose from beneath the sheets.

“Holy mackerel!” Issei jumped at the sudden sight of a lumpy squirming object appearing from his left side. A familiar giggle was then heard and his suspicions declined drastically. The perpetrator was none other than Akeno.

“Good morning Issei, Rias.” Akeno sat up against the headboard and smiled giddily at her companions.

“Hmm, why are you here, Akeno?” Rias said with a bit of distaste.

“Fufufu, not this again Rias. Always so protective of her possessions,” Akeno whipped her hair back and placed an arm under her bosom, “Just doesn’t know when to let go.”

“Ay, wait a second, I’m not a toy you know.” Issei tried to butt in before things got ugly for these two had a rivalry like no other(there is, he just doesn’t know it). Is it for fun? Is it unintentional? No matter the reason, things always resulted in him getting blown up some way or another.

Rias responded promptly and stood on her knees, exposing her bare chest. Akeno did the same still having her confident smirk. Issei just noticed the fact that both of them just so happened to be topless and rightfully ogled at the masterpieces in front of him.’I guess my dream wasn’t too bad.’

“Wait, you guys have been n.a.k.e.d this whole time!?” Issei’s sudden burst quickly drew attention to him while also awakening another person near his legs.

“Yes, why would I disturb my sleep with something as restricting as clothing,” Rias answered nonchalantly.

“Right, the minute I get to bed I take off my nightgown. No need to cover yourself when you’re not in public.” Akeno concurred, touching her chin with a finger.

“Is it morning already?” A higher pitched voice caught their ears as another bundle of sheets crawled from out their hiding place. This time, it happened to be Asia.

“Ah, not you too, Asia,” Issei pleaded, finally getting the feeling back in his arms, raising them to cover his face, “You’re too pure for my sight to behold.”

“And you’re saying we aren’t?” Rias dropped her previous gleeful tone and glared slightly toward Issei.

“Haha, that’s not at all what I’m saying. What I mean is uh…” Issei looked around his surrounds to find something, anything useful to draw inspiration from to get him out of his dire situation. To his surprise, he realized he wasn’t in his regular bed- forget a bed, he wasn’t even placed in the same room!

“What the hell happened here!? Where are we!?”

“Oh, you mean your house?” Rias asked.

“No, no, my whole house is gone!?” Issei panicked comically, swaying his arms around as he tried to make sense of this predicament.

“I guess you could say that. My family just renovated your house to accommodate the increase of bodies.” Rias crossed her arms under her chest, answering his question to reduce the act of hysteria.’Huh, does he think we kidnapped him?’

“So you’re saying that my whole house looks like it was tailored for a rapper?” His rhetorical question was nonetheless replied with a nod, causing him to jump out of bed in glee and flip onto the floor with his boxers, “Hell YEEAAHH, BOOIII!”

“Ah, Issei, you’re being too loud,” Asia complained.

Downstairs in the Kitchen:

“Oh, this is just wonderful! I can’t believe your family did this, Rias!”

“Yes, this is quite impressive. To think it could all be done overnight- and while we were sleeping too!”

The peerage of Devils did their morning routine and headed to the now enlarged and upgraded kitchen for some well-deserved breakfast. The dining table was now able to seat all eight of them with one seat empty, totaling the count to nine. Mrs. Hyoudou seemed to have woken up earlier than the rest for the meal on the table was more suited as a feast. Everyone gladly dug in and enjoyed their breakfast in their new “home”, relishing in the open space the new house provided.

“Well, my dad is a CEO of a prestigious construction company, so, it’s only natural.” Rias flipped her hair back as she leaned forward to place the dumpling in her mouth.

“Oh yes, that’s right, you did tell us that.” Mr. Hyoudou remarked, rubbing the stubbles on his chin.

‘No she didn’t dad. Rias never told you that.’Issei marveled at his president’s skills of manipulation, staring at her from across the table unbeknownst to her.

Deviating his eyes, Issei focused on his food and blatantly noticed how much was on his plate.

“Hey mom, why did you make so much? None of us can eat this.” Issei pondered, raising his chopsticks to fill his mouth with savory goodness.

“Oh, well honey, I guess I still haven’t gotten used to not cooking for Natsu since he left. He just eats so much I just got used to making excessive amounts.” Mrs. Hyoudou giggled at her predicament while Issei nodded in agreement. Natsu did eat an ungodly amount of food, but it’s just now that he’s realizing how much, “By the way, Rias-san, can you tell us the reason why Natsu left again? My husband and I still don’t quite understand.”

“Of course, but it’s simple, really. My brother left on a business trip with our father in order to get experience with formal excursions.” Rias explained calmly, telling her cover story perfectly in character as if she stood in front of a mirror and practiced.

“Interesting, does that mean he’s taking over the family business?” Mr. Hyoudou commented.

“No, Natsu plans on branching out and making his own corporation. That pleasure belongs to me.” Rias smiled slightly as she pointed to herself in the explanation.

“How wonderful! To think, My wifey and I are housing future entrepreneurs and leaders!” Mr. Hyuodou praised, “Issei, you better not let me down.” He glared at his son making Issei regret even asking his question.

“Come on dad, does it have to be something that ambitious?” Issei whined, slamming his plate down.

“Don’t worry Mr. Hyoudou, I’m sure Issei-san will do you proud,” Asia spoke up from her quiet spot, turning and facing Issei with a smile.

“Aww, Asia, you’re so supportive!” Issei roughly got up and reached across the table, hugging his blonde little friend with glee.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Asia’s muffled voice was able to get out despite being squished by Issei. The whole table laughed at the scene, drawing amus.e.m.e.nt from the interaction. Joy filled the air as the family entertained themselves with small talk and jokes. Eventually, it got to the time where the kids had to leave for school and so said their goodbyes.

Before they left, however, the parents explained that because of the sudden influx of money, they will be taking a vacation overseas to explore the world. Rias grinned when she heard the news, recognizing her plan coming together. She was the one who put the extra money into their account, as well as recently putting up ads on their morning newspapers to spur the idea. Now, once they left, she could commence their summer activities.

The slow walk to school continued as standard: Asia paired with Xenovia, Rias with Akeno(standing in the front of the pack of course), Koneko went lone-wolf style in the back, and Issei positioned himself in the middle. Gripping his bag over his shoulder, Issei continued to overhear their conversations. Asia and Xenovia were avidly talking about how excited they were about their first summer break, never experiencing one due to their past circ.u.mstances. Rias and Akeno chuckled to themselves whispering something about the difficulty of summer along with Issei’s potential whining, or something like that. Then, of course, Koneko was silent eating her morning sweets.

Issei smiled with his comrades still having a successfully jolly morning. Despite his having a nightmare that scared the Devil out of him, Issei ignored the light problem not wanting it to spoil his day. He puffed his chest showing confidence until all of the air escaped his lungs in one long breath. For some reason, all the bravado that once entered his body escaped after witnessing what stood in of him.

The people who were previously surrounding him disappeared from his sight leaving him in an empty road with a familiar school girl. She faced him with a smile and walked slowly to his static position. Issei, resembling his dream, stood frozen in place while the smaller girl approached him, sweat beading across his face and dripping from his chin. He dropped his bag and managed to move his foot back to start his escape, but the minute her hand touched his shoulder, Issei’s mind flashed vivid images of his past, specifically ones beginning with Asia and Raynare.

Blinking away those horrid memories, Issei stared directly into the eyes of the girl he suspected. Her school outfit began shedding off like secondary skin, revealing black straps and belts as minimal cover for her b.r.e.a.s.ts and lower body. With her hand riding up his neck, across his chin and to his cheek, the black haired girl sprouted even darker feathery wings from her exposed back, lifting off the ground. She began traveling higher in the sky leaving Issei to himself, but not before dropping off a parting gift. Bright flashes appeared in her right hand and cackling laughter exploded from her being, startling Issei to the ground.

Terrified of his fate, Issei threw his arms up in defense as a pole of light bared down upon him.

“Issei!” A cool breeze rushed passed his face and blew through his hair, making him aware of his own presence in the world. His muscles were stiff and his breath was labored. Realizing he was standing in the one place for who knows how long, Issei looked around and saw the girls staring at him curiously. Somehow he found the strength to bring his arm up to wipe his face and later began to walk rigidly.

“Issei-san, what happened? You were dazed like that for a few minutes.” Asia blocked his path in order to have her impending worries satisfied. She was shocked when he yelped abruptly, dropping his bag and staring at the sky in fear. Rias tried her best to wake him nonaggressively, fearful he might react negatively toward such actions. However, his eyes were distant still, completely blank of anything but fear until he awoke from his delusions.

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing really. Just remembered all the homework we’d have to do during our break.” Issei tried laughed off his previous entranced state but no one was buying it- Akeno even glared at him for a split second before returning back to her normal self. Issei sighed at his predicament, leading his eyes to the ground to avoid any more aggressive looks from his peers, “Fine, I’m not really that okay…Okay. I’ve had some weird dreams the past few nights and sometimes I see flashes of them during the day.”

“Issei, you are my precious servant, if you need help just come and ask for it.” Rias lowered her eyelids with worry and anxiety for her pawn. She wanted to desperately help him with his struggles, but without cooperation, such actions will not pursue.

“I don’t need help alright. I just I just need to process things for a bit…” Issei brought his head up to confirm his resolve and show how serious he was about solving his problems. He didn’t want others to bare some silly weight that has long been dealt with. Next, he stared down the person who stood in front of him with earnest looks and bearhugged the life out of them, “I will always protect you, Asia. Never again never will I let anyone hurt you.”

Asia could only hold on to her spirit for so long before Heaven eventually took it away from her body, luckily Akeno was the savior at his moment, “Ah, Issei-kun, don’t you think it’s too early for a confession? We have all day don’t we?”

With her sarcastic remark, Issei released Asia on Akeno’s command, but not before blushing deeply, “It wasn’t a confession! I was just telling Asia how much she means to me!”

“And yet, that’s exactly what a confession is.” Xenovia smugly put a hand on her hip as she stared directly at a fuming Issei.

“I rue the day you touch anyone like that again.” Koneko, despite her coldness, laced malice in her tone, utterly striking Issei’s feelings.

“Ah! It HURTS!”

At School During Break:

“Aww Yeah! Just a few more hours then it’s bikini time!”

“I hear ya brother!”

Hours past since their walk from home to school grounds, sitting in their seats, writing notes, and dreading the teacher’s monotone voice. Everyone was working their hardest to endure the day before summer break: aka Summer’s Eve. It was no one particular who caused such a dreary atmosphere, just the fact that the anticipation for school to be off drained their energy before the day even reached its peak.

Issei sat in a corner with his only two (mortal) friends, Matsuda and Motohama. As usual, they followed through with their designated trope, talking thoroughly about what perverted acts they were willing to commit in order to have a “fulfilling” summer. Matsuda was the enthusiastic one, always blurting out random indecent phrases pertaining to women’s body whenever he felt “excited” about something. Motohama fancied himself with details and analyzation, already having a ten paged list of potential routes and outcomes/ activities he was most likely going to do. He wasn’t as loud as Matsuda, but he sure was unrelenting with his “skills”, having the habit of calling out a girl’s size of b.r.e.a.s.ts, waist, and bottom.

Now, our boy Issei didn’t have a special quirk that made him stick out, however, his tenaciousness and obsession with b.r.e.a.s.ts is what attracted attention toward himself. At any given time, relating to anything about everything, this man had the ability to associate and correlate those things to b.r.e.a.s.ts. This guy doesn’t discriminate; he only facilitates all Oppai that comes to taste.

Their fun was cut short when a messy-haired brunette interrupted the praise they were giving Motohama about his “S.e.xy Scouter”. She denoted that his skills were insignificant to hers, saying his glasses “charm” still had a ways to go.

“That’s impossible! My man Moto can read any woman’s size- even with padding!” Issei patted Motohama’s back while Matsuda grunted in response.

“His eyes are like S.e.xy MRIs!”

“Hmm, if you want to know the vast difference in our skill I’ll let you take a gander.” Aika promptly stuck out her chest full of pride while Motohama grinned accordingly. Walking closer to her figure, Motohama flips his glasses and cracked his fingers before getting to work. After a couple of seconds, his answer was 30B, 29, 32.

“That’s pretty impressive for a toddler, but let me show you how it’s really done.” Aika pushed past Moto and headed for Issei, causing the said man to sweat exuberantly. She stopped a few feet to gaze at the lower part of his body and then leaned into his ear to speak words of terror.

“Just as I suspected. Issei, your p.e.n.i.s is-” Aika began whispering detail after detail of private information to the adolescent while Issei could only gawk the super accurate stats.

“N-no way! That’s way more detail than Moto could ever do!” Issei backed away from the superhuman in shock, eyes wide and hands sweaty.

“Motohama! You’ve gotta beat this chick right now! You can’t let her out do you in your own profession!” Matsuda glared deeply into Aika’s smug eyes before pervert Four-eyes took the stage and demanded a duel with her.

“Haha, like you could ever beat me, but I’ll amuse you for now,” She accepted, “But let me tell you this: I’ve already studied all of you months ago, and may I add Natsu’s is the best one yet.”

“NNOOO!” Matsuda fell on his knees in defeat as the classroom tried their hardest but to no avail could they avoid hearing that conversation, most of them blushing madly at the last statement.

“Mhmm, just what I’d expect from the Dragon Prince.” Xenovia nodded happily crossing her arms in approval.

The girl she was previously talking to wanted to diverge from the topic, so she began, “Hey Asia, what’re you going to do for the summer?”

The blonde perked up at her name being called and responded, “I honestly don’t know. I planned on finishing the assignment and hanging out with Issei and Xenovia. Oh, and I also wanted to plan a surprise party for when Natsu comes back from his training- uh, business training.”

“That sounds great, but couldn’t you leave Issei out of it, he’s kind of a douche.” The girl said with sass.

“There’s no way we could do that,” Asia and Xenovia answered with a shake of the head, “He’s part of our family.”

After School at the Research Club:

Relief washed over Issei when he heard the signature chime of the closing bell. The tune felt like bathing freedom as if he wrapped himself in the American flag, dashing out being the first one to leave the classroom and the first to burst the doors down. He spent the first few seconds running like a madman across the school’s field, even daring to peak at the girl’s locker room. Of course, he got chase away vigorously before he even got there, but his sparkling demeanor still wasn’t infringed upon.

Another bell signaled the start of club activities(only if you wanted to go seeing it is Summer’s Eve) reminding Issei of his own and knocking him out of the trance he was in. With his enthusiasm decreased to normal levels, he walked into the main Office of the Occult Research Club, opening the wide door and entering the dimly lit domain. There he saw his fellow Devil companions sitting their respective places.

Gasper sat in his tiny cardboard box against the darkest corner he could find, attentively sticking his face on the portable game console. Kiba sat comfortably on the left side couch near the end, laying against the armrest with drowsy eyes. Koneko sat on the middle cushion next to him, eagerly munching on her ice cream sandwich, still imposing a distant demeanor to those close to her. Akeno sat crossed legged on the sofa across from them with her ever-present sly smile gracing all who looked upon it and, of course, she posed herself properly by sitting upright and straight. Xenovia and Asia stuck together like glue and honey, standing by the window conversating as the bright evening light basked them in brilliance.

The sudden swoosh of the door begged the attention of Akeno while the said girl greeted who came through the door, “Ah, Issei-kun, you made it! Please, come sit.” She beckoned him to the cushion next to her as Issei readily accepted. Leaping to his destination, Issei sighed lying back in the soft velvet. His mind wondered to dirty things once he got comfortable until something struck him.

Rias wasn’t here. She’s never late.

“Hey, Akeno, you know where Rias is?” He asked with slight urgency, sitting up quickly and grasping his knees.

“No need to worry, Issei-kun. As you know, the president always has her reasons.” Akeno lightly giggled to herself, waving a hand along his face. Issei needed no further testimony as he completely trusted his senior’s words, especially considering she is best friends with the President.

“Anyway, I can’t wait till she comes so I can ask what she’s doing for the summer. Actually,” Issei turned to Kiba, “What exactly do you do- since we’re Devils and all.”

“Oh yeah, forgot you turned into a Devil not too long ago.” Kiba, now fully awake, faced Issei to answer his question, “I usually just follow the President.”

“And where does she go?” At this, Asia and Xenovia’s interests were peaked, calling for their full attention. Before the conversation could proceed, the Devil herself walked through the entrance.

“Hmm, I’m glad to see everyone is present- even Koneko joined this time.” Koneko hummed to acknowledge her statement, briefly looking up to gaze at her master. Rias adopted a beautiful smile as she eyed her peerage, her family. She always loved being around them; experiencing all of their different bundles of personalities always gave her a sort of zen amongst all of the ruckus.

However, one member of her family was missing, and we all know who it is. Rias knows Natsu went off to train somewhere but doesn’t know the exact location. Her brother always dismissed her when she brought it up, her parents went silent then walked right past her, and Azazel well, he was Azazel, nothing more to say there. Everyone in her peerage wished him safety and luck on his journey even without him being there with them, but Rias knew something was amidst. When he left, Natsu gave a sorrowful look right before Issei slammed the door shut.

But now she had no time to worry about such matters. He only left a few days ago and Rias had business to conduct, so walking forward confidently, she began to speak, “Listen, everyone, because we have gathered more servants in my peerage- most of them just being reincarnated- I will explain what happens every year during Japan’s summer break,” At this, Issei, Xenovia and Asia’s attention spiked with curiosity, receptive of each word about to come out of her mouth, “So, for each break like this one, I am required to return home to the Underworld with my family; however, for this occasion, another faction-wide summit is being held down there to discuss another alliance between the Norse mythology and to address the rouge Khaos Brigade.”

“Why do I get the feeling we’re being invited as well?” Issei mumbled to himself, unaware that Rias heard him.

“That’s because you are, Issei. As part of my peerage, as well as being my protection, you are also required to come to the Underworld,” Rias responded with a gleeful smile. Issei was clever enough to spot to an undertone to her statement, recognizing she had something else planned as well. Despite that, he still didn’t bother to question her actions mostly out of disinterest, “Now, I planned for us to leave by tomorrow morning so I’ll need each and every one of you to pack your bags and prepare for departure.”

“Ooo, can’t believe I’m going to the Underworld again! I never got a chance to sight-see the last time I went.” Asia squealed delightfully, clasping her hands together with excitement.

That’s when it hit, “Oh yes, that’s right, Asia. You went to the Underworld with Natsu to heal Rias, correct?” Xenovia remarked back to the fight with Kokakiel, eyes wide with awareness.

“Ah, how could I forget such an important detail! Asia’s already been to Hell!” Issei jumped from his seat in shock and amazement after hearing what’s been discussed.

“First off, The Underworld and Hell are two separate places so don’t get them confused, and second I’m coming with you guys.” A mysterious yet dreadful voice bounced off the walls of the room and reverberated through their ears.

Rias visibly shook in her shoes with her hands on her h.i.p.s, trying to remain strong and collected for her peerage, but the voice never let her anger go. Its irritably c.o.c.ky sounding tone drove her mad to the core almost to the point where her face was flushed with anger.

Then, before they knew it, the man they all had in mind lifted his legs onto the main desktop and laid back into the President’s chair, “Don’t think you can ever escape me, Rias.”

Dismissing his confident attitude, Rias sassily responded, “Hmph, I never planned too. A Leach is a leach no matter what’s it stuck to.”

“Owch, stung my feelings right here Rias,” Azazel played, rubbing his chest, “Anyway, since you all couldn’t even sense me entering the room until I let myself be known, a lot of training has to be done with all of you.”

“Fufufu, Azazel-sama sensei is irking you again, isn’t he Rias?” Akeno rhetorically commented, covering her mouth to hide the bright smile under her hand.

“Hmm, this is why you’re one of my favorites, Akeno-chan.” Azazel nodded his head affirmingly, stroking his rough beard in the process.

“Hold on, let’s take a step back. What’s this you mean by “Training”?” Issei turned to his Fallen Angel mentor hoping he provided the answer.

“It’s easy really,” Azazel took his feet off the desk and spun slightly on his chair, “All of you need to get stronger. If not, you can simply choose the second option.”

“And what’s that?” Xenovia questioned, her eyebrow lifted.

“You’ll be killed by a stronger opponent. In fact, if you don’t want to train, I can kill you right here and now if you want.” Azazel smiled grimly toward Issei while the boy shivered in fear. This ultimatum had only one right answer.

“Y-yeah, I see your point.” Issei sat back down with his hands on his knees, looking down at his feet to avoid the dark Angel’s sinister glare.

Chuckling at Issei’s behavior he replied, “Don’t worry so much Issei, the training won’t kill you either. I mean, you might suffer from internal bleeding, some fractured bones, hallucinations, and head trauma, but nothing that can send you to death.”

“All of those things can send me to death!” Issei shouted back traumatized at his statement.

“Eh, don’t sweat the details,” Azazel answered with a swipe of his hand.

“Disregarding your lack of empathy toward our wellbeing,” Rias, who stood in the same position, announced her words a bit louder than usually to gain everyone’s attention, “I would like to ask you a question Azazel, and if you answer it thoroughly and to my satisfaction, I will consent to whatever demands you have for me and my peerage during your training regimen.”

“Hmm, I’m listening…” Azazel leaned forward, clutching his hands into balls and resting his elbows on the desk, “Elaborate.”

“I want to know where did Natsu depart to? Why did he decide to go so suddenly? When is he coming back- is it days, weeks, months? Is he safe- can you take me, or rather, can you take us to see him?”

Silence encapsulated the now dim room as the remaining light brushed against one side of Azazel’s impartial face. With the deep sigh, he sat back and cracked his knuckles, keeping his neutral expression. Then, as he looked upon Rias’ tense satire, he grinned, “That’s no way for a princess to act, Rias.”

“Just get on with the answers already.” Rias’ impatient tone made the rest of her peerage stare at her indefinitely. They all saw she was anxious to hear the news- they all were. For the few days that have past, they’ve been worrying of Natsu’s whereabouts nonstop. Knowing him, he probably got himself into a plethora of trouble, and without telling them, they have no way of helping.

“Okay, since you really want to know, I guess I have no choice but to tell you. The pinky told me to keep quiet but he’s not here right now,” The people in the room sat at the edge of their seats, gawking and awaiting the news, “First off, where he is, well that’s simple: he’s in Hell as per his own decision. And why did he leave? Ha, that’s a bit too personal for me to be sharing with you so you’ll have to wait and ask him yourself. Hmm, to answer the next one, the boy should be arriving in about a month, give or take. That factor totally depends on him. Finally, because he’s in Hell, you can bet your ass he isn’t safe and there’s no way I’m gonna take you, not even considering the fact of how large Hell is.”

“Haha, I’m not sure I heard you right. You said he’s in Hell right?” Akeno’s smile dropped ever so slightly at the news while her foot slowly tapped the floor.

“I didn’t stutter, did I?” Azazel rudely replied.

“Then, how is he surviving? He doesn’t have any healing magic.” Asia asked mortified, as once again she felt completely helpless in this situation.

“It’s not too bad. Natsu has latent regeneration that’s even faster than a Devil’s so there’s not much to worry about.” Azazel laughed off Asia’s question while folding his hands behind his head.

“And what off his water supply? Surely there’s not any water in Hell- I’ve heard rumors that the whole place is a fiery wasteland.” Wide-eyed, Xenovia sweated at the thought of Natsu dying due to dehydration, or even dying at all. After just finding a person who provided such strong support for her, how can she let such a matter be left alone? How could she let Natsu be alone

“Grayfia taught Happy some new magic and they packed enough water supply to last them their stay there.”

“And what do you think of this? Don’t you think this type of training is too extreme even for him!” Issei argued angrily, his fist clenched at hearing this news the whole way through.

“And what do you take me for- his father? I can’t control what he does. Plus his actual Dragon daddy is the one who invited the idea.” Issei grunted at the response he got and tried his best to calm down. Rash behavior won’t help fix the situation. Although Natsu was a Jack ass, through and through, Issei loved him like a brother. They shared a bond that developed with all their hardsh.i.p.s, and he is possibly the only person who can relate to possessing super powerfulDragon Magic.

“Are you sure he has a way back? Might there be something that’ll compromise his return?” Kiba hurriedly asked almost jumping in his seat.

“Well, yeah, there is most certainly gonna be obstacles he’ll have to face coming here. In fact, there’s no guarantee.” Azazel shrugged his shoulders, seeming as if he was apathetic to Natsu’s predicament.

Everyone grimaced from his words; their hearts sinking weighed down by fear and frustration. From what Azazel told them, Natsu’s return seemed utterly impractical and they can do nothing to help him. Their minds raced with horrid scenarios about his tribulations in Hell which only worsened the panic within the room. With only one foundation left to count on, the Devils turned to their leader, their President, for help and guidance. Maybe she could pick them up from the despair they were feeling.

As eyes drifted toward her position, the need for stability trumped any other feeling. One of their family members put himself into harm’s way for reasons completely unknown to any of them. The hope that fueled their aspiration dwindled immediately once their eyes gazed on stature; Rias’ usual elegant radiance was replaced by a fragile-looking doll. Although, after a while of analyzing, what else would they expect from their President. It’s possible that out of all of them, Rias had the hardest time coping with the information rapidly supplied to her.

“Are you gonna be okay, Rias?” Issei timidly sat up and gripped his President’s shoulders. He felt slight shaking throughout her body, gripping even tighter to calm her down. Rias’ face was partially obscured by the shadow left by her bangs, dulling the bright glow of her emerald eyes. Despite that, a mild frown could clearly be distinguished in the semi-dark room, allowing for the others to work up there conviction and comfort their leader.

Akeno went first, not allowing her concern of Natsu to hinder her contagious smile which was at its fullest. Just as Issei did, Akeno held Rias’ hand in hers, rubbing the backside lightly with her thumb. Surprisingly, Koneko put down her sweet treat and tugged at her skirt, looking up at her President with sad eyes.

“You’re our President. Stay strong for us.” She whispered with solace, dropping her head and stepping closer to Rias. Kiba, Asia, Xenovia and a whimpering Gasper(in his box of course, what else?) approached the building circle around Rias and seemingly cuddled together, collectively consoling Rias and each other. Azazel only grinned at the sight and, being the asshole he is, interrupted the beautiful family moment.

“So are you guys done crying over nothing, huh? Come on, we’ve got work to do, isn’t that right Rias?” He asked her crudely, throwing his arms in the air. Everyone shot him a petty glared, all except Rias. Her head was still facing the ground with her hair suspended from her forehead, still preventing any sort of definitive assertion of her current state of being. Then, to their shock, a glistening streak fell from her eyes and drifted toward her chin, dropping and hitting the floor silently.

But her tears ended there as she lifted her head and strongly beamed a look of confidence and resolution toward Azazel, nearly shocking him. Rias then stood tall and once again began radiating a feeling of superiority and kindness all around her, picking up the previously fallen spirits of her peerage.

“I don’t have time to sulk about what “could be” and must focus on the things that will happen. Something troublesomewilloccur during the summit and we must be ready; training is our main priority,” Rias proclaimed boldly, clutching the seams around her chest, “And we don’t have to worry about Natsu- he’ll make it back, I’m sure of it.”

“Hahahaha, yes! That’s what I wanted to hear! Let’s go you little shits!”

“And if he doesn’t I’m gonna kill him myself! That insubordinate idiot!”