"THAT'S TOTAL BULLSHIT!"
Kiba winced, rubbing his ears. "While I don't disagree with you, Namikaze-kun, could you perhaps tone it down?" he asked kindly. "I imagine even your neighbors can hear you."
"Oh, they can deal with a little hollering!" Tamamo huffed before she narrowed her eyes. "And what, exactly, are you doing here, Devil? Has your wench of a Master still not learned her lesson yet?!"
"Oh no, I'm just here to guard your husband." Kiba replied with a disarming smile.
Unfortunately, it only seemed to make Tamamo's mood sour even further. "Don't smile like that around me." she told him coldly. "You look too much like that Seimei bastard when you do that."
"I-I'm sorry...?"
"I mean, your smile, while supposedly kind and disarming, is as fake as moon is ever changing. You're wearing a mask to hide something else." She spoke seriously.
Yuuto winced as her words had struck a vital spot. His eyes darkened considerably for a fraction of a moment before reverting back to the mask he wore previously. "I… I apologize. I'll try to smile more genuinely then, Tamamo-sama."
"Hmph."
The fox didn't believe him for a second and decided to ignore him. She then turned her attention to Asia and Haru, the latter of whom looked rather livid once she told him about Asia's circumstances. She had half a mind to go to Italy and make those idiots pay and reduce that village to ash. How dare they make a cute, innocent little thing suffer like that?! Especially when she wanted nothing from them in return?! Ungrateful degenerates! The whole lot of them!
"No wonder Gremory-senpai and Kaichou don't trust the church." Haru grumbled under his breath. "They're a bunch of bastards."
"Please don't say that, Namikaze-san!" Asia pleaded.
"How can you say that? They put you on a pedestal, then abandoned you when you did something they didn't agree with! They betrayed you! And if I remember from that Comedy story, I'm pretty sure there's a place in hell where those bastards are heading to!"
"I must agree with Namikaze-kun, Argento-san." Kiba said, his voice strangely cold. "People like that are absolute scum."
"You sound as if you speak from experience, Devil." Tamamo noted, not missing the edge in his voice as he slandered the church.
The blonde offered a sad smile, bitter and spiteful. "A long story, I'm afraid."
"Even so..." Asia insisted. "They were still the people who took care of me. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for them."
"B-But...!"
"I'm sorry. I understand that I was cast aside by them… I cannot bring myself to hate them. They have shown me kindness once, kindness that I will never forget. The Lord blessed me with a chance to experience it, as well as this gift. I will always cherish them."
Haru bit his lip. He wanted to argue, but... The way Asia spoke, it was really hard to try and make her see reason. No, it was more like she knew what kind of men they were, but she couldn't stand the idea of hating them. Yes, they treated her horribly, but they were also the people who raised her and gave her a place in the world, even if they did pull the rug out from under her.
The redhead hated this. Those bastards betrayed her the moment they realized she wasn't a "Holy Maiden". They didn't deserve her forgiveness!
Sighing and taking a sharp intake of breath, Haru tried to calm himself down and let out a deep exhale. Seeing his shoulders relax somewhat, Tamamo chose to change the subject. "Haru-kun, why did you bring a Devil home with you?" she asked, concerned for him. "He didn't charm you, did he? Yes, he may be quite handsome, but..."
"W-What?!" A look of horror crossed Haru's face before he loudly exclaimed, "Oh hell no! I wouldn't be caught dead with that handsome bastard! The only reason he's here is because I thought I'd make him some dinner as thanks for looking after me and Aika on our way back from school! That's it! End of story!"
Kiba laughed light-heartedly. "My my, dost thou protest too much?" he asked with a joking grin. "While I like do have a preference towards those of the fairer sex, I wouldn't be adversed to broadening my horizons. Provided I have Tamamo-sama's permission first."
"I WOULDN'T BE INTERESTED IN YOU, EVEN IF I DID SWING THAT WAY!" Haru cried in outrage.
Dinner, as Tamamo was delighted to learn an hour later, was a truly delightful event.
Night had descended upon the town of Kuoh. And unbeknownst to its citizens, a group of individuals dressed in black observed it from the hill that overlooked it. The same hill upon which the ruined church rested. At the head of the group, Freed grinned wickedly as he turned to address his fellow exorcists.
"Okay, you fuckers! Listen up! We're after some little pansy ass cocksucker named Namikaze Haru and a little whore named Kiryu Aika! The nun we're supposed to nab is with Namikaze! You shank his ass and take the girl! If even one of you screws this up, I'll kill ya and then feed your corpse to the dogs back home, ya understand?!" The group nodded together solemnly. "Oh, and that cocksucker's got a bitch in heat by the name of Tamamo with him! She's dangerous, but the boss wants her alive!"
With a fanged smile, he turned back to the town. "Now, come on! Let's go fuck ourselves up a couple of sluts!"
"My word. And here I thought only the Scottish or sailors could be so foul mouthed." Zelretch remarked with a frown. Sitting on the table and positioned next to the vampire was the white creature from earlier, Fou, who let out a small noise of agreement. "It's quite disturbing, really. He reminds me of that lad from the Fourth Grail War. Well, minus the raging profanities and vulgarity, as well as the sexual tension."
"Fou!"
"I agree." Leaning back, Zelretch folded his hands and narrowed his eyes. "Let's hope the boy will be careful. Not that I have any doubt: he does have the aid of that beautiful fox."
In a space where nothing and everything existed, there rested a single place. A barren land, littered with the bodies of the dearly parted. Soldiers lay here upon this place, their souls having long since passed. Stabbed into the ground were many weapons. Axes. Swords. Spears. Arrows. Maces. Halberds.
Yet the most profound item was in the center, standing as a testament. There was no figure next to this item, for it stood far away from the carnage and bloodshed. It was untouched by soil, dirt or blood. It was pure and pristine, like a shining visage. A beacon of hope.
It was a flag, hoisted on a pole that was speared deep into the ground. Marked upon this flag was the insignia of a proud country, who fought and bled in the name of God.
It was the flag of Orléans.
A single figure, alive and breathing, kneeled before the flag, hands clasped deeply in prayer and head bowed. Their features were hidden by the shadows that blanketed the sky. The world around them was dark, hidden out of sight. As the clouds shifted, however, rays of light began to break through. As it did, a change began to occur.
For the first time in over 600 years since they had passed and entered upon the realm known only as the Throne of Heroes, their eyes opened...