Haru's mind was in a haze. Everything was so blurry. The world was spinning around him. So many colors...
… Wait, what was his name again? Naru? No. It was... Haru. Yes, that's right. His name was Haru. He was a guy. Seventeen, right?
So weird... I can barely think. What happened to me...?'
He couldn't remember. In fact, he couldn't remember anything. No, that wasn't right. He could remember, but the details were so murky. He remembered there was someone he was trying to protect. But something happened. There was a gun going off.
Did he… die? If that was the case, how was he still alive?
He was still alive, right? He honestly could not tell. His mind was in a haze. It felt like he was under water. His limbs felt like lead. But he could still think, so that was something. So he thought. He thought and focused his mind to try and find his memories. He could've sworn he tried to protect someone. Just who?
Slowly, but surely, things were coming back to into focus.
His house was on fire. There were people attacking him. There was a blonde girl being taken away. A blonde. Her name was Asia.
And he was shot in the head.
So, am I dead? Haru thought strangely. I can still think. Am I in limbo...?
"Fou..."
Huh? Wait, what's that?
"Fou..."
It sounds like...
"Fou!"
Without warning, his body felt like it was electrocuted. He flung himself forward, gasping for air as his heart hammered against his chest. He immediately regretted the action when he felt his stomach lurch and his mind burn. "Ow..." he grimaced, clutching his head. "Ow ow ow... Is-is this what a hangover is?"
Eventually, the hard throbbing in his head ceased, allowing him a chance to focus and pay attention to his surroundings. Much to his surprise, he was no longer in his front yard. He was back in the Dream, right before the gate.
"Kyu Kyu!" And alongside him was the adorable creature from before.
"Wait… you were the one who woke me up...?"
"Fou!" it nodded.
"But… how did… wait, Asia! Aika! Tamamo!" He immediately stood up in a panic. "I have to get back! They're in danger!"
"Fou!" The tiny little bugger danced around before it bounced off, running towards the gate. A loud groan echoed from it as it slowly began to open up. A faint blue light flowed out from it. Little wisps even floated out from it. A gust of wind blew out from it, nearly knocking him over. He stood his ground and shielded his eyes when the light grew intense to the point of blinding. The glare died down, allowing him to see once more. What he saw took his breath away.
"Whoa..."
The world faded away, blotting and breaking away. Haru didn't remember what he saw beyond the gate, only that he stepped through it.
When he came to, he was apparently lying on a very comfy couch. Judging by the decor, it was the Occult Research Club's clubroom. But why was he here? Shouldn't he be...
… Waaaaaaaaait a second. Something was wrong. He could feel it. It was way too cold, and he could distinctly feel more of the soft couch than he should be. He glanced down at his body, which was covered by a thin blanket. He was topless, which was already raising alarms.
Surely, nobody had… done that, right? Gulping, Haru pulled the covers back...and promptly screamed.
"WHY AM I NAKED?!"
There was a scream close by, followed by something falling to the ground with a thud. Looking over, he found a teary-eyed Tamamo staring at him, crying literal waterfalls while the tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of water was spilled across the floor.
"Y-y-y-y-y-you..." Tamamo sobbed before she promptly launched herself at him. "YOU'RE ALIIIIIIVE!"
"Whoa, wait a sec—YIPE!"
Haru couldn't prepare himself so he spilled onto the floor with Tamamo on top of him, clinging on to him for dear life. Her arms wrapped around him, threatening to snap his back in half. Too tight! Too tight! Haru's mind cried, feeling his bones creaking. I think I'm going to die! Again!
"You're alive! You're alive, you're alive, you're alive, YOU'RE ALIVE!" Tamamo sobbed as her grip tightened, as if she would lose him if she hadn't.
Unfortunately, due to the Heroic Spirit's strength being ranked several times above a normal human's, Haru felt like he was about to die again with his bone on the verge of breaking. Thankfully, his saving grace came in the form of Sona Sitri. "Tamamo-sama. If you do not relinquish your grip, Namikaze-kun will die again. He looks ready to snap in half."
Immediately, Tamamo relinquished her grip. Haru breathed a tremendous sigh of relief, his body already feeling better. "Oh, thank you god..." he said, not noticing Sona suddenly wince as if she heard nails scratching against a board. "I thought I was a goner..."
"Technically, you were. You had a bullet hole in your body. Well, old body, I should say."
"Wait, I did get shot?!" Haru cried in dismay. So he really did die-hey, wait a minute! "What do you mean by old body?"
Rather than give him an answer, Sona had decided to show him. After she provided some clothes, considering he was naked. Sona led him to another room, closely followed by Tamamo, who stuck by him with her arms wrapped around one of his own. No doubt because she feared what might happen to him, considering he did indeed die.
The room was practically empty, save for a few tables and chairs. It looked like some kind of meeting room, with something sitting on top of the tables with a white sheet draped over it.
When Sona pulled back the sheet, Haru's face drained of color and felt his stomach lurch uncomfortably.
He was lying on that table with a bullet hole in his forehead.
"... How in the hell?"
"That was what we were wondering." Sona sighed. "When me and Rias arrived at your house, we found Tamamo-sama and Kiryu-san standing over your corpse."
Haru wasn't sure what to think about that. It was… very disturbing, honestly. In fact, he felt a little sick, looking at his dead body. He glanced down at his body, or new body, or whatever the hell it was. How did he come back? Was this connected to the Heaven's Feel or something? Unable to look at the sight anymore, he pulled the sheet back over his body.
"I'm surprised you or Gremory-senpai didn't try to bring me back as a Devil." he remarked wryly.
Tamamo sniffled. "I'd have killed them if they so much as tried."
Sona said nothing in response to that. Likely because there was no need. Of course, she knew Rias wasn't that stupid, considering how their last meeting with Tamamo had gone. "With Tamamo-sama's permission, we were going to bury your body. But as we were about to move your body elsewhere... Well, let's just say you gave quite a few of us girls a present quite the look."
There was a noticeable blush on Sona's face. Haru's own cheeks became tinged. Great, so not only did the Two Great Ladies of Kuoh, plus the Mascot get to see him naked, the whole Student Council got a good look at his "little brother" too! God, could this day get even worse?!
Actually, hold that thought. Yes, it could.
"What about Asia?" he asked, turning to Sona. "Where is she?" The glasses-wearing Devil looked away. "Sona-kaichou..." he said again, this time in a pleading tone. "Where's Asia? She's here with us, right?"
"... Unfortunately, Asia Argento is not here with us. The Exorcists were successful in capturing her before we arrived."
Haru's heart sank at that. Confusion, then anger. He gritted his teeth and his hands balled into fists. Dammit all! Ipromised I was going to protect her, and this is what happened. I got shot! God dammit! This was unfair. It was unfair! Asia didn't deserve any of this! If only he had been stronger, then maybe she wouldn't have been kidnapped!
"Kiryu-san is safe, however. A few bruises, but she will be fine." Sona continued, adjusting her glasses. "We were also able to discover the location of the Stray Exorcist's base, thanks to Tamamo-sama capturing one of them."
"She did...?"
Haru looked at Tamamo, who nodded strongly. "I figured you would have wanted to save Asia-chan, so I made sure to keep one of them alive." she told him. "And she had quite a few things to say."
"As it turns out, a good number of the Stray Exorcists had been forcibly marked by a Geass." Sona added. "To put it simply, if they disobeyed orders, they would be killed right then and there. They were also ordered by someone in the Grigori."
One person immediately came to mind. "Raynare?"
"Worse. One of Azazel's lieutenants." she answered grimly. "Kokabiel. One of the most powerful Cherubims in all of Heaven. There have been very few who could match him in power. I've also heard many rumors that he was dissatisfied with the fact that the Great War had been called off by a ceasefire. If I were to hazard a guess, his actions here may be to incite the spark that would cause another war."
Haru grimaced. So, that was all this was about? Just starting another stupid war? To hell with that! He turned on his heel, about to leave before Sona spoke again.
"Namikaze-kun. As much as I understand your thoughts on the matter, I advise you don't rush in to save Asia Argento by yourself."
"And why not?! We know where she is! So I'm going after her!"
"And just how do you plan on rescuing her when you're outnumbered and outgunned? Even if Tamamo-sama is by your side, a stray bullet can still be lethal to you."
Haru would have retorted to that, saying he could probably make himself a new body. Then he remembered how distraught Tamamo looked and clamped his mouth shut. Besides, he wasn't even sure he could make himself a new body like he did now. What if it was just a one-time thing? And he sure as hell wasn't keen on dying again.
"... Then what am I supposed to do?! Just stand around while she's captive?,"
"That all depends, do you intend on going in alone?"
"... Eh?"
Had the Fallen Angels been involved, the Student Council and the Occult Research Club wouldn't have been involved, mainly due to political reasons.
However, since it was a group composed of Stray Exorcists and had confirmed their intentions, there wasn't any need to find loopholes. The hostilities were made present, and thus, they had to act. Both to save face and to ensure that they were more than capable of protecting their territory. Not that they would say it to Tamamo's face. They had learned their lessons.
That being said, there was one problem he did have with this whole thing.
"Why the hell is she here?" Haru asked, glaring daggers at Lint Sellzan. To her credit, she seemed nonplussed about the fact that she was standing in the midst of a group of Devils or the guy she had tried to kill an hour ago.
Rias simply smiled. "Relax, Namikaze-kun. She won't cause you any trouble. Isn't that right, Lint-chan?"
"I promise to be of use, Buchou."
Haru choked. "B-Buchou?!"
Sona sighed, massaging her temples. "You offered her a place in your Peerage, didn't you?" she asked in exasperation. Rias, practically beaming, nodded. "Can I ask why?"
"The way I see it, Lint-chan had no actual reason to do what she did, aside from having her life threatened. She and quite a few of her comrades were all excommunicated, so I decided to give her a choice. She can either be turned over to the Church and face execution, or join my Peerage." She paused briefly before her face contorted. "Keep in mind that I had to convince her to join rather than accept death. She was quite set on walking toward her noose for some reason."
"Good. Nothing is worse than loss of choice and free will." Haru felt conflicted. On the one hand, this was the girl who helped take Asia away for some reason. On the other hand, he couldn't help but wonder why she was intent on walking to the gallows. Especially since Rias was offering her a second chance, more or less. "So, which is she?" Sona asked curiously."
"Took up four Pawns. She's a keeper!" Rias said with a grin. "Plus, she's also given us some useful information. Turns out Raynare only thought she was receiving orders from Azazel. The one who actually gave her the orders was Kokabiel."
Kokabiel. That name again. "Why did this guy want me dead?" Haru asked. "Is it because of this whole magical potential thing?"
"I don't know." Lint answered honestly. "The only one who knew why you had to be eliminated was Kokabiel himself. He did not divulge any information to his subordinates or us. He was also the one who arranged for Asia Argento to be brought here."
"Why?" Sona asked. "Why bring an excommunicated nun here?"
"To extract her Sacred Gear."
This caused a few eyebrows to rise. "Extract a Sacred Gear?" Tsubasa asked skeptically. "Is that even possible?"
Lint nodded. "Azazel created a device that would be capable of just that. However, because the Sacred Gear is tied directly to the soul, the separation proved to be fatal and would kill any who underwent the extraction process. As a result, Azazel locked the device away and swore it would never be used again. A few weeks ago, however, there were reports that one of his warehouses had been broken into."
"And the item stolen was the device." Tamamo surmised with a frown. "The filthy crow intends to kill Asia to get her Sacred Gear! The brute! When I find him, I'll burn him to ashes!"
"Then what are we doing standing around?! Let's go before it's too late!" Haru cried. "They're in the Church, right?"
"Yes. But no doubt they are expecting your arrival. We must be cautious if you want to save the nun." Lint advised. "My brother, despite his lunacy, is quite skilled."
Haru growled, remembering the bastard's face before he was shot in the head. He made sure to carve his face into his mind. "What's his name?"
"Freed Sellzan." the girl answered. "He was once a prodigy, but the higher-ups excommunicated him when he proved to be too unstable. He killed many of his own comrades, simply because he was 'too bored' to kill Devils and Fallen Angels."
"Sounds like a real piece of work." Saji remarked. "What's the game plan, Kaichou?"
Sona's response was swift. "Divide and concur." she said, a serious glint in her eyes. "My Peerage and I will take control of the outside perimeter to ensure there are no stragglers. Rias and her peerage will be invading the Church. I believe this goes without saying, but Namikaze-kun will be in charge of rescuing the nun."
"Arigatou, Kaichou!" Haru bowed his head gratefully. "I promise I'll make it up to you."
"Then I trust you'll actually put some effort into your exams, the next time?"
"Urk...!"
She really hit a weak spot. While he wasn't exactly failing, his grades showed the fact he wasn't excelling either. "I… I'll promise to hit the books more."
Still...
What was this strange sensation? It had been itching in the back of his mind like crazy. His fingers were twitching. Was he excited? No, that wasn't it. He was... anxious. Waiting for a fight to brew. A chance to pay that shit bird Freed back for shooting him and taking Asia.
And he'd be damned if he was just going to settle for a punch to the face.