Ch 71: Private time with Akeno.

Noah took his fourth shower of the day. He had met with the members of Third Squad, and had done four 'compensations'. It had mostly been some kissing with the three members, but the Chief…

Noah smiled as he remembered fondly Bell Tsukiyono, the squad leader. A sweet, shy girl with long, light blue hairs sporting two pigtails and orange pupils. She had by far been the most reluctant in allowing Noah to use Eternal Chains on her, but her power…

By default, her sacred gear, Canopus, was incredibly strong. It allowed her to plunge her hand into the opponent's torso and literally extract the life out of them, like a ball of energy. A sure kill technique only limited by the need to get close enough, and not giving Bell any enhanced speed, strength or resilience. And if that wasn't powerful enough, the life force she extracted was added to her own. Among all the Chiefs, she was the only one who could literally get cut to pieces and would recover if the pieces were put back together. As long as she didn't run out of life force.

She had been the most reluctant member of her squad to accept being tested and had to cheer herself up before she did. Something told Noah that she cheered herself that way often. But it certainly paid results. With Noah's power, she could also become invisible, although the energy consumption was steep, and her footsteps could still be heard.

With the ability to use Shunpo, Augment and some passive physical strengthening on top of it, she would be a real monster. And Noah firmly intended to add her to his harem, if only to be certain they would never become enemies. Her compensation had been very embarrassing to her, as she had washed his back, using her own body as a sponge, naked save for the black leather collar around her neck.

Afterward, once they were both dressed, Noah had gently hugged her as she was teary-eyed and trembling, promising her repeatedly that he would never breath a word of it to anyone. She had calmed down eventually, and Noah strongly suspected from her behavior that she was a repressed submissive.

His shower done, Noah walked out of his home and headed toward the shrine where Akeno lived. Teleportation was fine and convenient, but it was also relaxing to just walk. That gave him some alone time without him feeling like he was wasting valuable time sitting at home. Even if he was wasting valuable time.

The Shrine was on top of a small hill, and a saw a few devil familiars spotting him. The small bats or birds flew to the top of the hill to warn Akeno of his coming. She was waiting for him, dressed in her white and red traditional shrine maiden outfit.

"Hi, Akeno. You look great!"

"Ufufu, thank you, Noah. You don't look half bad yourself." grinned Akeno as she stared at him with appreciative eyes.

Noah had dressed in simple casual clothes, black jeans and a T-shirt from the Nightwish band, but his Charisma attribute improved his appearance and presence significantly.

"How has your day been?"

"Not bad at all, and it's getting better." smiled Akeno. "Please follow me inside."

"It's a nice place." said Noah as he looked around. The shrine wasn't huge, but it was neat and well maintained.

"Thank you, Noah. I spend a few hours every weekend keeping the Shrine in shape."

"What god is this shrine devoted to?"

"Amaterasu, the Chief God of Shintoism."

"Oh, the Sun Goddess. Even an ignorant foreigner like me heard of her. If I were to think about benevolent deities in Japan, she would likely be the first one to come to mind." Nodded Noah.

Noah didn't know if it was a coincidence, but a gust of wind caused a few branches from a nearby tree to bend and stop hiding the sun, and the sunlight seemed particularly warm on his face. No, surely it was his imagination. He had done nothing to attract the attention of a goddess. Unless, maybe, the Hagun Island business… He shook himself and focused back on Akeno.

"But I must say that I am curious about you living in a shrine. I didn't peg you as being very religious."

Akeno nodded with a smile, conceding his point.

"I am not. But, I was raised in a shrine, before… and it was in this very shrine that Rias and I met. This place has a lot of significance for me, so I am taking care of it. I do not know if the Goddess arranged for that meeting or not, but I respect her regardless."

"I understand." said Noah as he removed his shoes and entered the wooden building behind the shrine.

"Please sit on that cushion for a few minutes, I'm almost ready."

"Yes."

Noah sat and patiently waited. Akeno came back, carrying a tray filled with tea preparation utensils. She started the tea brewing ceremony, and Noah watched her intently.

This ceremony came straight from the Bushido period of Japan. When modern people thought about the word Bushido, the image popping into their mind was that of a samurai holding a sword, or something equivalent, and it wasn't exactly wrong. The word was closely associated with the concepts of honor, respect, benevolence and loyalty. But that wasn't everything. Bushido wasn't simply a word used to describe the moral qualities a warrior should possess. It was also linked with kodawari, the pursuit of perfection.

Back then, it was a way of life encompassing the whole of Japanese society. The Brewing Tea Ceremony was a result of kodawari, where every movement was utterly precise, honed year after year to include only the minimum of movements required to achieve the best result. Noah was pretty sure that the number of seconds Akeno spent mixing the tea powdered leaves with the hot water, as well as the number of strokes with the brush and their amplitude, were all calculated to provide the optimum result with zero wasted movement.

Akeno obviously had a lot of practice, as she performed the ceremony with fluidity and didn't need to confirm the position of the utensils with her eyes before handling them. After a few minutes, she presented the ceramic bowl filled with the precious tea to Noah with both hands, and he accepted it with the formality and scripted movements expected of him.

"Ara ara." grinned Akeno. "Did you participate in a Tea Brewing Ceremony before?"

"No, but I watched a video or two about it." Noah took a sip and placed the bowl in front of him. "You're not the only one interested in traditional Japanese arts, although I was mostly looking at the forging process of katanas, from the melting of pig iron and selection of the tamahagane, to binding the strings around the wooden hilt. That was a great ceremony, Akeno. I feel lucky to have witnessed it. Thank you."

"Ufufu, that is nice to hear. I am not performing this ceremony for just anyone, you know? Only friends get to watch."

"Yes. As I said, I am grateful. How are things at Kuoh academy?"

"Good as usual. Buchou and Kaichou have a firm grip on the academy, and nothing special happened."

Noah nodded. Kaichou was the title for the school's student council president, Sona Sitri, a close childhood friend of Rias, and little sister of one of the Great Satans, Serafall Leviathan.

"As for me, there's some news from my side. First, two strong hollows attacked my squad's dormitory this morning. Correction, one strong hollow. The second one only observed and forced the first one to retreat when we injured him."

Akeno frowned.

"Hollows strong enough to attack a full squad of the anti-demon corps and retreat alive?"

"They were very strong. I might maybe be able to deal with one of them, if I go all out. Emphasis on Maybe. But we already reported to the Commander, and we're taking countermeasures. The next time they attack, they'll only have a short time window to run before the Commander herself appears. I think she's about comparable to Grayfia-san, maybe even stronger."

"I heard she was a monster made flesh. Foreign heads of state fear her, and that was before she spread that list of names who sponsored those criminals at Hagun Island." smiled Akeno.

"I wonder. Let's just say that the instant I saw her, I immediately understood I should not offend her. Anyway, be very careful if a bulky humanoid hollow with a golden mask, or another looking like a black-haired girl with red pupils and capable of turning her hairs into black snakes, appear around Kuoh town. Those aren't hollows you can deal with."

"I'll inform Buchou and the others, thank you for the warning."

Noah drank more of the tea, before going to the next subject.

"There's another piece of news, although it might shock you a little. A while ago, a bunch of low-level fallen angels tried to kill Suzu. She kicked their sorry butts and decided to spare those who surrendered. We interrogated them, and when they spoke about their background, it turns out that one of them was an acquaintance of one Valper Galilei. You might recognize the name."

Akeno froze, and her eyes hardened.

"I do."

"I had that fallen angel send a mail to lure him to Japan, and he replied shortly after. He should come here by the end of the week. I think Yuuto would like to be present. It would bring him some closure."

"Thank you, Noah. If we can make this guy pay for his crimes, that will help Yuuto a lot."

She smiled at him, but Noah could see that she was troubled. He even could take a guess why.

"…say, Noah, I've been wondering…" she said after taking a deep breath and stared at him, with the eyes of someone expecting to be hurt. "You know a lot about Rias, right? What do you know, about me?"

Noah smiled and stood, got closer to her, and sat by her side. He put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"I know what you're worried about, Akeno, but you do not need to be. Human, Shinigami, Angel, Devil of Fallen Angel, I do not give a crap. The worth of a person is determined by who they are, not what they are. By how you treat other people, by your dreams and ambitions, by the effort you make to achieve them, and by your kindness. I am ashamed to admit that physical attractiveness also counts, but I never claimed to be perfect. You are you, Akeno, and I want you just as you are. So what if you're half fallen angel? Doesn't matter to me."

Akeno trembled, and on a sudden impulse, she kissed Noah. It only lasted for a pair of seconds before she leaned back, smiling. Her eyes were getting teary.

"After saying things like that to me, you have to take responsibility, Noah."

"I will. But, I'm a bad person, you know? I am greedy and possessive. And I was recently told I'm manipulative, too." smiled Noah.

"A bad person." nodded Akeno, smiling.

"And a pervert, too. A case could be made that I am not worthy of you. That you deserve someone who could focus his whole attention on you."

"A pervert." nodded Akeno, still smiling.

"But that doesn't matter, because worthy or not, you are mine, Akeno, to keep and treasure, for eternity. Because I am greedy like that, and I want you."

"Yes. Never let me go." nodded Akeno for the third time.

Noah slowly leaned forward, and they kissed again. And again. After a while, Noah shifted his position, lifted Akeno and put her in his lap.

"You asked me what I knew about you. Let's see… Your birthday is July 21th. You had a happy childhood until your father, Baraqiel, had to leave on a mission. The members of the Himejima clan, most of whom being narrow-minded scum, used the opportunity to attack you and your mother, because they disapproved of a woman of their clan marrying a fallen angel. Your mother Shuri bought you time to escape, and you lived for a time as an errant child, exorcising minor evil spirits in return for a roof above your head and some food. Until the trackers from the Himejima clan found you. They were about to kill you when Rias and her escort appeared near you, and she took you under her wing, making you her closest friend and confidante."

"As a result of this ordeal, you have a complicated relationship with your father. You hate him, and at the same time, deep inside, you know he doesn't really deserve your hatred, but you need time to come to terms with it."

Akeno trembled, closing her eyes, but didn't try to deny his words.

"Moving on to a less loaded subject, you live in this shrine and have an interest in many traditional arts. You have a driving license and can perform just about any task well. You like accompanying Rias and Sona when they go shopping and you like making pastries. You love Japanese traditional clothing like kimonos and searching for new dishes to test and replicate. That's less than I know about Rias, I'm sorry to say, but I look forward to learning more about you."

"That's plenty already." muttered Akeno as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Noah, about my father… Please do not try to meddle. I'm not ready for this."

"Don't worry about that, Akeno. I am not stupid enough to trample all over your pain. I'm not going to say any more on that subject that I just told you. You need time, and you will have it."

"…Thank you."

For a few minutes, Noah and Akeno just enjoyed each other's warmth, occasionally kissing. Then he sighed.

"It would be nice to stay like this for a few hours, but I have to train, and I will soon need to return home to start cooking. How about I fulfill my part of our agreement and make you the clothes you want?"

"How about you come back another day for those? I want us to stay like this for a while longer." muttered Akeno.

"Anything for my princess." grinned Noah, kissing her again.

"Ufufu, it's good you know your priorities."

"You can use the delay to select more clothes, too. I look forward to seeing you model whatever you choose."

"And you might add a few outfits that you would like me to wear as well, Noah. I'll model them for you."

"Oh? Are you sure about that? I'll remind you that I am a pervert. You might regret it."

Akeno shrugged.

"How bad can it be? At worse, I'll only show them to you in private once and never wear them again."

"How about I give you a taste?" grinned Noah.

He created a set of underwear made of glossy black latex, with two small red bows in front to add some color. Both items were enhanced with self-cleaning and increased sensitivity.

"You are indeed a pervert." said Akeno as she took the panties and bra in her hands. Her tone showed no distaste for the word or the items.

"I want you to wear them when you sleep tonight, my dear Akeno." breathed Noah in her ear.

"…okay."

"They're enhanced with self-cleaning, too. Yes, I can add a few minor properties to the things I make. You won't need to wash them, and they will keep your skin clean as well."

"Magic clothes? What kind of properties can you make?" asked Akeno with interest.

"self-cleaning or repairing, sharper swords, stronger and lighter armors, that kind of things. By the way, for the rating game against Riser, I'll make everyone a set of armor. A leather under suit, with light metal armor for the arms, shoulders, chest, waist, and legs. That will offer everyone a significant degree of protection while being light enough not to interfere with our movement significantly."

"We'll have to test it beforehand, to see if your armor isn't too uncomfortable and really doesn't impair our capabilities."

"Sure."

The both started another make-out session, until Noah had to go.

"I need to get going. see you later, Akeno. I'll give you a key to my home soon. You can come whenever you wish. Eventually, it will be your home, too."

Akeno nodded with a slight blush, and he teleported away.

For a time, Akeno smiled to herself. She felt very happy, and missed the feeling of sitting in his lap already. She shook herself and gathered the tea utensils back into the tray, and started cleaning up.

Once she was done, she took the latex bra and panties and went into her room. After a short hesitation, she stripped of her shrine maiden uniform and put them on. She had never worn latex before, and she had to admit that it felt nice. It looked nice, too, as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Akeno wasn't an idiot, and she knew from reading between the lines, from her discussion with Noah and Suzu, that her new boyfriend was going to try to make her submit to him.

But, she wasn't going to let that happen. Instead, she was going to turn the table on him and dominate him. The thought aroused her sadistic side. Yes, she was going to tease him a lot, use his lust against him, and she would wrap him around her fingers.

Akeno's breathing pattern accelerated as she fingered herself through the latex.

…

Noah teleported into his living room. All four of his maids were sitting on the sofa, watching television.

"I'm back." smiled Noah.

"Welcome back, Master." said Rui with a grin. The others imitated her with different degrees of enthusiasm. Alice in particular was flushed and sweating.

"How have things been at school?"

"Pretty good." said Hisui. "Our classmates were curious about us being returnees, and most seem pretty decent. We're already having to fend off advances from the guys. At lunch, we gathered together, and Miyabi brought in Lizel and Reina-chan. Reina-chan is cute as hell!"

"Yeah, she is. I'm glad you girls met with them and seem to get along."

"Can you tell us more about the reason you ditched school? Where those hollows that strong?"

"I'll share my memories of the fight, so you can get an accurate estimate of their power."

Noah did as he told them, and create their favorite drinks, and a can of coke for himself.

He sat beside Alice and started drinking as the girls thought about what they had just learned.

"Those Eight Thunder Gods, they seem really strong…" muttered Alice.

"I must become stronger…" declared Rui. "…How about I join Rias's peerage? I'll gain the benefit of a Devil Piece, right?"

"If you want to, it's fine by me, but you should first inquire if Rias is willing to use her last Knight Piece on you. She only has that piece and Pawns left, and the issue with Pawns is that, while they can temporarily gain the power of Queen Pieces, there need to be a location the King can designate as being the enemy base. If you become a pawn and end up fighting in the streets or in a random place of Hueco Mundo, you won’t be able to use the Promotion to Queen, and the normal enhancement offered by a Pawn piece is minimal."

"I see. So, if I want a quick boost in power, the only way is to…"

"To become mine, like Suzu, yes. It will be a while before I get my own Evil Pieces, and… wait, there may be a way. Sona Sitri also has an incomplete peerage, as far as I'm aware, and she's a good person and close friend of Rias. Do you want me to inquire?"

"…Yes, please. But I'd want to still be allowed to live here with Hisui, Alice and Claire, and go to school with them."

"Assuming she still has non-pawn positions vacant, it will be up to you to convince Sona to grant you one of those positions. She is someone who values intelligence highly."

"I'll keep this in mind, thank you. But what about the strange power you used to boost your comrades during that fight?"

"Ah, that. It's Kyouka's original power, that I copied with my own Sacred Gear. It is very potent, as you girls have seen from my memories, but that comes with a cost."

Noah explained in detail how the power worked, and about the compensation to be paid afterward.

"…And the more energy you use, the more intense the compensation becomes."

"That's so messed up. It looks like something the author of an erotic manga would have come up with." complained Alice.

"It does look that way." said Noah, keeping his face straight. If only she knew…

"I didn't ask, but judging from Alice's state, you girls have put on your chastity belts, right?"

"Yes." blushed Hisui, as Claire and Alice glared at him. "We figured that if we didn't have them on when you came back, you would have given us a penalty."

"That is correct." grinned Noah. "Until you have done the time, they are part of your uniforms, and you must put them on as soon as you come home."

"What is the ADC going to do about those Thunder Gods?" asked Claire.

"The Commander, who is crazy strong, is relocating to be near someone who can teleport her around. No, I'm not speaking about me. As soon as they attack again, she should be able to join the battlefield within half a minute. All squad members are intensifying their training, and Kyouka and I are touring the squads to try Eternal Chains with each member. Our goal is to discover particularly lethal combinations. Found one so far, with one of the squad leaders being able to one-hit kill any opponent. Her weakness is that she must get very close, and Eternal Chains grants her temporary invisibility, making it easier."

"So you did a number of compensations today?" asked Hisui.

"Yes. One with Kyouka and Himari, and four more this afternoon. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter, since their content is private. I'm going to start cooking, do you girls have any preference?"

"Kaarage, please." said Hisui, referring to Japanese fried chicken tenders. The others nodded eagerly, and Noah grinned.

"Dinner in five minutes, then."

His Cooking skill was perhaps his favorite cheat.

…

One day after Noah fought the Thunder God Rairen, in Vatican city, Kaede was sparring against Irina, while Xenovia watched intently. She mostly used her spear's longer reach to keep Irina at bay. At times, she deliberately let her close, using the blunt end or the shaft like a battle staff to parry her wooden sword and make her stagger. She had made a lot of progress under the monitoring of Sister Griselda, and she was learning to use floating light weapons to assist her offense and defense.

They were interrupted when a nun Kaede only saw once or twice from a distance came closer. She was about her age, with long blonde hairs and large green eyes, an average build and a cute face.

"Excuse me, Are you perhaps Irina-san, Kaede-san and Xenovia-san?"

"Yes, that's us!" smiled Irina.

"It is nice to meet you. I am Asia Argento, a nun in training." said the nun as she bowed politely.

"It is nice to meet you too, sister Asia." nodded Xenovia.

"I have been instructed to be your support for an emergency mission. We need to depart for the airport as soon as possible. Please hurry, pack your bags and bring your weapons. A private plane is waiting for us." said Asia.

"A mission? What is this about?" asked Irina.

"One of the Church's agents working at the Moscow airport saw the excommunicated priest Valper Galilei, in company of the rogue exorcist named Freed Selizen, and a third person he could not identify. They took a private flight to Japan."

"Japan…" Irina's eyes blazed suddenly. She was without a doubt thinking about her Issei.

Kaede nodded to herself. Sister Griselda and Vasco Strada were currently on another mission in Hueco Mundo with the portal-opening priest, whose name she already had forgotten, and could not be easily contacted. In their absence, Irina, Xenovia and herself were the strongest individuals the Inquisition could send on a short notice. And if things went wrong, they were ultimately expendable.

"Let's hurry! If we can catch that guy…" suggested Xenovia.

Kaede nodded, and the three girls ran to their rooms to pack their stuff. They didn't actually have much and each of them could fit it all in one large backpack. Kaede considered for a few seconds, and also added the restraints, toys and the few outfits she had made for herself, Irina and Xenovia. She didn't know how long it would take them to find their quarry, and there might be opportunities for a few special plays on the side. And she didn't want to leave such materials in her room, where someone might discover them.

A few minutes later, they gathered in the Vatican's parking, loaded their backpack in the trunk of a large black SUV, and went on their way to the airport.

It was at the time that Kaede winced, suddenly thinking about the metal detectors at the airport. Would the security guards make a fuss about seeing bondage gear appear on their screens? Of course they would!

She was trying to find an excuse for this when she realized her worries were ridiculous. They were bringing their weapons with them. Surely Asia wouldn't have them wait in line for a search.

"Sister Asia, do you think you could slow down a little? You're making me slightly worried."

Asia only floored the pedal more in response.

"I am sorry, but we need to catch those villains, and every second count. Do not worry, I have trained hard!"

Irina swallowed her retort. She had to admit, the beautiful nun knew how to drive. They reached the airport in barely fifteen minutes, and to Kaede's relief, used a separate entrance leading them directly to the tarmac. Asia drove inside a warehouse and stopped near a small private jet.

The girls quickly recovered their bags and climbed into the plane. The flight attendant closed the door behind them, spoke to the pilot via the intercom, and the plane started moving.

"You said you are our support, Sister Asia?" asked Kaede.

"Yes, miss Kaede. I can heal injuries with my sacred gear, and I will be in charge of the logistics, as well as being the point of contact for the various supernatural factions. We may end up entering the territories of neutral or even hostile groups, and it will be my task to inform them that we aren't there to cause trouble for them."

"I understand. But please call me just Kaede. And can I call you Asia?" smiled Kaede.

"Of course."

"So, we know those guys are headed to Japan. How do we find them there?" asked Xenovia.

"Church agents in Japan have been alerted. I have been provided with means to contact them. With luck, we will be able to follow their tracks."

The plane was gaining speed, and its wheels left the ground.

"You know, this is the first time I am taking a plane. I hope I won't get ill." smiled Kaede as she looked through the window."

"That is something I can heal, if it happens." nodded Asia.

"Do you think we can have a bit of free time after the mission?" hopefully asked Irina.

"Thinking about your Issei? I guess we can request a day or two, at least." smiled Xenovia.

"I'll request that after the mission. I could use some free time to visit the country." agreed Asia.

Kaede was looking forward to it, too. She wanted to see how different the Japan in this world would be from her own home country.

It was past midnight when they landed in Tokyo Airport. Asia took possession of the car another agent had already rented for her, and used her phone to call one of the agents. After a short talk, she joined back with Irina, Xenovia and Kaede.

"We have a lead." She said grimly as she sat behind the wheel and waited for the others to climb inside.

"We do? Where did they go?" asked Kaede as Asia started driving.

"One agent followed them to Kuoh town. Then we lost contact with him. They likely noticed they were followed. May the Lord welcome his brave soul."

"Kuoh town!" yelped Irina, abruptly straightening and hitting the car's ceiling with a thud, but she didn't even seem to notice.

"That's my hometown!" she explained as Xenovia and Kaede looked at her strangely.

"Oh. What could those guys want over there?" asked Kaede to Asia.

"The person I called explained a few things to me. A lot of Devils are gathered around Kuoh Town and the neighboring Ginsei city. That is where most young devils from the nobility go study, to get used to living in the human world. Kuoh town, in particular, is part of the Gremory territory. We'll need to contact them. If we come while hiding ourselves, they will think we're here to assassinate devils or something like that."

"Gremory? Like, Venelana Gremory, one of the five Great Satans?" asked Kaede, slightly alarmed.

"Correct. her daughter, Rias Gremory, attends Kuoh Academy and oversees the area. I've been given her phone number, and we'll need to meet her and her subordinates. Irina, Kaede, Xenovia, I need to insist, we must not offer insult or violence, even if they are devils. There isn't a lot of open conflicts between the Church and the Devils nowadays, and we want to keep it that way. We have enough to deal with already, between traitorous priests and hollows."

"Of course. We'll only fight if they are the ones to start it." said Irina.

"Thank you." Said Asia "I'll try to find us a hotel just outside of her territory for the night, and I'll call her tomorrow. From what I heard, Rias Gremory possess a good temperament, so things should go well."

"Let's hope so." nodded Xenovia.

Kaede looked forward to meeting her first Devil, and the daughter of one of the five strongest ones at that. She wondered if they had horns protruding from their foreheads.