After Michael's departure, Akeno gently took Kazuki's hand and led him deeper into the shrine, to a room where she actually lived.
Unlike the cold, sacred main hall, this space was warm and carried the scent of her presence. It calmed his nerves without him realizing it.
"So this is where you and Michael handled the sword?" Kazuki asked, casually sipping the tea she had made and nibbling on a sweet she offered.
It was a domestic, almost intimate scene, one that felt far too peaceful considering the dangerous artifact they were talking about.
"Yes," Akeno nodded, her voice soft.
"We performed the treatment on Ascalon here at the shrine. It was a direct request from Lord Sirzechs as well. Even though this is an abandoned shrine, it still retains traces of a divine field."
"A divine field?"
"Yes. For someone like Michael-sama, a being of pure and powerful light, to descend into a devil's territory like Kuoh Town, there has to be a place designated as sacred ground. Otherwise, it would violate the balance. ...Well, unless it's wartime."
'That made sense.' If a being that strong just descended out of nowhere, people would assume the angels were launching an attack. In a time when peace was still delicate and negotiations were underway, a mistake like that could spark a war.
"Besides," she added, "since I live here, it was convenient. Especially to hand it over to you."
"I see..."
"Mhm."
The conversation faded there, but the silence didn't feel awkward. Being alone with Akeno often carried a certain seductive tension, but this time, it felt more... gentle. Comfortable. Her aura soothed him in a way that was rare.
But maybe it was that comforting atmosphere that made Kazuki ask something he had been wondering since stepping foot into the shrine.
"Hey, Akeno."
"Yes?"
"I've been here before, haven't I?"
"Yes," she replied quietly.
'I knew it.' The image of her in a shrine maiden outfit had overlapped with a distant memory, one buried deep inside.
"You're... A-chan, aren't you?"
"Yes. That's right, Kazu-kun!!"
Their old nicknames rolled off their tongues naturally. And as he looked into Akeno's eyes, he noticed the tears shimmering in them, even as she smiled.
-----
-----
On his eighth birthday, Kazuki's father bought him a bicycle.
With that bike, his world expanded.
He could go farther than ever before, beyond the neighborhood, past familiar streets, into places he never thought to explore.
One early summer day, just like now, he decided to ride out toward the mountains.
However, mountain roads weren't easy for an eight-year-old. Exhausted, he sat down by the roadside to rest.
That's when he heard it, a beautiful singing voice floating on the breeze.
Drawn to it, Kazuki followed the sound into the woods, brushing aside leaves and stepping over roots, until he reached a small, hidden shrine.
There, in the middle of the sacred grove, stood a beautiful woman in shrine maiden attire—and beside her, a girl about his age.
That girl was Akeno, and the woman was her mother, Shuri.
Shuri had been surprised by Kazuki's sudden appearance but welcomed him with gentle kindness.
Akeno, who probably hadn't seen many children her age, peeked out from behind her mother, watching Kazuki with curiosity.
Looking at the little girl he reached out his hand and said, "Let's play together."
After that, every time Kazuki visited, the two greeted him with warmth. He and Akeno grew close, calling each other "A-chan" and "Kazu-kun," playing together until sunset.
Shuri always watched them with a gentle smile and sometimes sang the same beautiful songs that had led Kazuki there in the first place.
The shrine had always felt strange, magical even. Though there was a proper stone stairway leading to it, he could never get in that way. He always entered from the animal trail he had found that first day. Looking back, there must've been a barrier on the main path, with a small break in the veil where he'd slipped through.
Fuwa Kazuki often wondered why they lived out there, so isolated. But at that age, he was simply happy to have made such precious friends.
That magical summer lasted about two months.
Then, one day, on his way home from the shrine, a sudden downpour drenched him. He caught a cold and couldn't go out for a while.
When he finally recovered and went back...
They were gone.
The beautiful shrine had been burned and broken. It was in ruins.
Kazuki ran around calling their names, searching for any trace of Akeno or Shuri. But there was no sign of them. When he got home and told his parents what had happened, they looked confused.
"What shrine? There's nothing like that in the mountains."
He couldn't believe it. But no matter how he tried to explain, they insisted no such place existed.
What could an eight-year-old do?
Even though he went back several times, hoping they might have returned, he never saw them again.
Eventually, as he grew up and his body got bigger, he could no longer even pass through the animal trail.
The shrine, Akeno, Shuri—they all faded into his memories. Locked away in the depths of his heart.
Forgotten... until now.
'That little girl, A-chan, was Akeno!!'
"Since when did you know?" Kazuki asked.
"About two years ago, when we ended up in the same class," Akeno replied, her voice soft, nostalgic.
"That long ago?! You should've told me..."
"Back then, things were different. Our roles had changed. I had already become a devil, and you were still a human. I was afraid I'd only be a burden to you. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"I kept the same hairstyle all these years, hoping you'd recognize me right away when we met again. But Kazu-kun didn't notice at all..."
"Ugh... I'm sorry."
Akeno shot him a long, half-lidded, sulky glare—those alluring violet eyes narrowing with just the slightest pout.
"Fufu... I'm just teasing you," she giggled, her lips curling into a mischievous little smirk.
Kazuki scratched the back of his head, embarrassed but relieved by her playfulness.
Then, his tone turned serious.
"Hey, Akeno... What happened while I was gone?"
The question hung in the air. Akeno's expression clouded with sudden heaviness. After a pause, she stood up—like she had steeled herself for what needed to be said.
She turned her back to him and then, with a smooth, deliberate motion, slipped her white robe off her shoulders.
The sight that met Kazuki's eyes made his breath catch.
Her flawless, pale skin shimmered in the dim light, smooth and untouched—radiating a sensual maturity that defied her age. The soft curves of her back, the delicate lines of her waist... Kazuki swallowed hard.
~FWUMP.
Two wings unfolded from her back—one a familiar devil's wing, like Rias's. But the other...
The other was pitch-black.
A fallen angel's wing.
"Akeno, that's—"
"Exactly what it looks like. I'm a half-breed—part fallen angel, part human," she said quietly.
And then she began to speak…
Akeno's mother, Shuri Himejima, came from one of the Five Great Clans of Japan—the prestigious Himejima family. But she fell in love with a high-ranking fallen angel, Baraqiel.
Their love was taboo. Forbidden.
When Akeno was born, the family saw her as a stain on their bloodline. Shuri was exiled, forced to flee with her child to the outskirts of town. There, they lived quietly, hidden from the world.
But even exile couldn't protect them.
Those from the Himejima clan, disgusted by Akeno's existence, eventually tracked them down. They attacked—and in the chaos, Shuri was killed.
Baraqiel arrived; however, he was too late to save her mother, and since then, Akeno has never forgiven him. She began to hate him—and eventually, all fallen angels.
She used the techniques her mother taught her to escape the assassins, wandering alone, drifting from place to place.
Until fate brought her back to Kuoh.
There, she met Rias... and the rest was history.
Her past was nearly identical to the one Kazuki had read in the original story. The only real difference was that Akeno had once lived here—in Kuoh—and met him as a child.
"When I saw you again… I was happy," Akeno admitted, her voice trembling. "But you didn't remember me. So I thought it was better to keep my distance!"
"...But then, you were attacked by a fallen angel and became a devil. That's when I realized... how could I ever let you know that I had their blood running through my veins?"
"I was scared, Kazu-kun! How could you accept someone like me—someone tainted with the blood of the ones who took your life? How could you bear to have me by your side, knowing I liked you?"
Her voice cracked. She still had her back to him, but Kazuki didn't need to see her face to know.
She was crying.
All this time—beneath that seductive smile, that playful teasing—she had been carrying a quiet, aching fear. She was terrified of being hated by the one boy who had once reached out and taken her hand.
Kazuki stood up slowly and stepped behind her.
He gently placed both hands on her bare shoulders.
"Akeno… You're being too harsh on yourself."
"There are good people and bad people. That's true for humans, but it's just as true for devils… angels… and even fallen angels."
"So no—I'm not gonna hate you just because you have fallen angel blood in your veins."
Kazuki tightened his grip on her shoulders and gently turned her around. With his fingertips, he scooped the teardrops glimmering in her violet eyes and whispered,
"Yeah, I hate the Fallen Angels... But I like you, Akeno! To me, you're a dependable Queen, a kind Vice-President, a classmate I can't take my eyes off of… and a precious childhood friend."
"I want to protect you, from anything that would ever hurt you. So you don't have to be afraid anymore."
"I'll take in all your fear, all your feelings… everything. That's why… don't go anywhere. Stay by my side."
Tears welled up in Akeno's eyes as she looked up at him, stunned.
"Is it really okay? For someone like me, with the blood of a Fallen Angel… to stay by your side?"
Kazuki didn't hesitate.
"Yeah."
"I can be really dark, you know? Even when I'm smiling, you might never know what I'm thinking inside…"
"Everyone's like that in some way. That's why we talk, we spend time together, and get to know each other. I want to know more about you, Akeno. So please… stay with me and teach me everything about you."
"Ahhh... Kazu-kun!"
Overwhelmed by emotion, Akeno threw herself into his chest.
"…You said the one line I've always wanted to hear… Say something like that, and I'm never leaving your side."
"And I won't let you."
"Good… then don't ever let go—mmn…"
Akeno pressed her lips to his without warning, and Kazuki welcomed her in, kissing her deeply, hungrily.