Unknown location
Existing outside of the borders of existence there exists a realm.
A plane of non-existence that kept the infinite number of dimensions and realms of real space forever apart…to never touch. A place completely devoid of life and the ability to sustain life due to both the vacuum and the impossible pressure that composes the structure of this plane, a paradoxically impossible combination of the two forces yet still was.
That was simply the nature of the Dimension Gap.
A void that had always existed and would always be there. Before the first dimension came to be and time and space found a place to have meaning, the Gap was there.
The silence that filled the impossible void was suddenly broken when a tear in the fabric of space was rent and a Zs'Skayr stepped into the infinite nothing and everything that the Gap was composed of.
"Well, here I am: The Dimension Gap," the spectral creature growled as the gateway they had created snapped shut behind them, the damage to the non-space of the Gap stitching back together in 'seconds'.
It was all but impossible to enter the Dimension Gap. Barely a handful of tools and items made it possible and even less were the number of beings who could pass through by their own means. Zs'Skayr was only able to do it by following the instructions of the hypnotising voice echoing in their head which guided them and instructed them on how to create a portal from which they can step through.
"Why did I even come here?!" Zs'Skayr hissed in angry confusion.
"Because I commanded you to and you will obey me!"
Zs'Skayr's ghostly form flinched and instantly froze where it floated when the voice entered its head again, its words acting like a vice which squeezed its very being. As if a hand had taken hold of it, Zs'Skayr felt itself be slowly turned around where it saw what had to be the reason it was brought there.
A tear, a tiny tear that was easily missed in the endless void that was the Gap. It was no bigger than a few centimetres across but the very space/non-space around seemed to recoil from interacting with it, blackening and becoming more corrupt the closer it was to the small tear.
"Has so much time passed that your species don't recognise their master?" the dark voice continued, voicing its immense frustration at Zs'Skayr's rebellious attitude.
"You dare claim to be my master?!" Zs'Skayr hissed in response at the voice's audacity. "The only master I will ever serve was destroyed eons ago! I am all that is left of my kind since the angels purged the rest over 100 millennia ago."
The pressure holding Zs'Skayr in place suddenly stopped growing in intensity though it continued to restrain them.
"Alone for 100,000 years, huh? Hmm, it seems that I have missed out on a lot in my captivity. Perhaps it's not too surprising though. My captors built my prison so perfectly that I know not how to break through my bars…nor even where my prison is for that matter. They left Great Red as my guard and he has proven to be a tenacious guard. So much so that this small tear is all I have been able to do in however long it has been since I was sealed away."
As the dark voice spoke, Zs'Skayr's eyes widened as an ancient, long-forgotten memory stirred in their head. It might have taken while for them to remember due to it being eons since the war but Zs'Skayr finally registered the inescapable truth of the voice's true identity, the voice of their creator and eternal master!
"You're him?! You're truly him, the Dark One?! The one who battled the dragon gods and the Christian god?!"
"It's good to hear that I haven't been completely forgotten. Now tell me about my enemies. What has happened since my de–since my imprisonment? I want to know everything."
"O-Of course, dark one," Zs'Skayr gabbled fearfully, all of their previous bravado and confidence having completely disappeared once they acknowledged their master. "A lot has happened since you were imprisoned, my master."
"You believe you have somewhere else to go?" the voice chuckled though it didn't put the spectre at ease. Far from it. "Start talking."
Unable to deny the voice its request, Zs'Skayr began telling it everything they knew.
. . . . .
Elsewhere
To celebrate their victory over Kokabiel and for stopping the town from being destroyed by the fallen angel's plans to start a war, the Occult Research club decided to have a big party in the local karaoke bar in town. Every member of the club was present except for Rias and Akeno who were going to be late to the celebrations on account that they needed to "complete a very important task" though they refused to tell Ben what it was when he asked them about it.
"Right," he had told them in response. "Just don't be too long, okay?"
"We won't. Besides, you'll be grateful for this task we're going to complete," Rias had told him, only succeeding in confusing him further.
As for the others who did make it to the party, even Saji made it when they invited him. Ben had asked Sona whether the he could join them as a way to thank him for his help and as a way for him to say sorry for getting him in trouble by going behind Sona's back. She had seemed hesitant at first but eventually agreed to let Saji join them.
Kiryuu Kiriguya had also found a way to weasel her way into the celebrations (though obviously not knowing the exact reason for the party, only that there was a party going on without her), much to Ben's annoyance. She was probably the last person that he ever wanted to end up in a fairly crowded room with but he refrained from saying anything because Asia had been the one to invite the four-eyed pervert to the party and he had no intention of upsetting her.
Everyone was enjoying the party, all having a turn at singing, some singing on their own and others doing a duet. Even Ben got involved when he found a few songs that he recognised and sang them terribly, much to everyone's amusement.
Right now, though, Saji was having his turn at singing one of his favourite songs that were available on the karaoke machine and Ben was sat down on the sofa and drinking some of his juice to rehydrate his parched throat from all the singing he had just been doing when his right pocket began vibrating.
BZZZZZZZZ!
Distracted by the tone, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see that Rias had just send him a photo. When he opened up the picture he almost spat out the juice in his mouth when he saw Rias wearing an extremely attractive white, two-piece swimsuit. Thankfully, he was able to prevent himself from spraying everyone with his drink and swallowed it which, instead, left him suffering from a small coughing fit.
BZZZZZZZZ!
Ben was surprised when Akeno had also sent him a photo. Bracing himself, he opened it up to see Akeno wearing an equally attractive swimsuit and posing for him in a very provocative way.
So this was why they were running late to the karaoke party? To pick out swimsuits for some reason.
'Although,' he thought to himself as he looked at the two pictures in his phone, 'I'm not exactly going to complain about it.'
"Are you alright, Ben?" Asia asked from the other side of the booth with concern in her voice as she watched him patting his chest to stop his coughing.
"Y-Yeah, *cough* *cough*, yeah, I'm fine," he coughed behind his hand as his airway eventually cleared up.
Kiryuu glanced across the table at him, her glasses appearing to gleam in the light as she stared at Ben with a sly smile on her face.
"I'll say so. It looks like you got an eyeful of something good by the large protrusion in your pants."
"I don't believe anyone was talking to you," Ben muttered dryly in response before getting distracted by his phone vibrating for a third time, this time from an incoming call. He glanced down at the caller ID and grimaced as he recognised who it was.
"I've got to take this. I'll be back in a moment," he announced as he stood up, leaving the room as he answered his phone.
. . . . .
"…no, that's fine. I did say I would come by whenever you wanted, didn't I? I'll be by in a few minutes. Yeah, okay, see you in a bit," Ben said before disconnecting the call and putting his phone back in his pocket.
"Got a client?"
Ben looked over to see Kiba sat down on a couch at the karaoke bar's waiting area, complete with drink and snack machines, a cup of iced tea in his hands.
"Yeah, it's that rich guy who was my first regular," Ben replied as he approached the blond knight.
"Calling you on your day off? That's sucks," Kiba said with a light chuckle.
"I know…," Ben admitted with a light groan as he stopped at the drinks counter. "But I did say I would do so. He summoned me during the whole 'looking for Freed and the Holy swords' thing and promised I'd visit him whenever he wanted as a way to make it up to him. If I don't then Rias would get angry and we both know what happens when Rias gets angry."
"Yeah," Kiba sweatdropped as the two young men felt their backsides tense up subconsciously at the painful memories.
The hallway fell into silence as Ben fixed himself with a drink while Kiba just stared at the glass in his hands.
"Hey, Ben," Kiba spoke up, breaking the silence and attracting Ben's attention.
"Yeah?" Ben replied, turning to face Kiba with a new drink in his hand.
"I've been wanting to thank you but haven't had the chance to do so…so thanks," Kiba said with a serious expression on his face.
"Hey, don't mention it," Ben replied, waving his thanks off. "Everybody's already forgiven you. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it. There's no need to thank me."
Ben made his way back to the booth where everybody else in their group was but stopped just outside the door with his hand on the handle. He glanced back at the young knight who had returned his gaze back down at his glass. "Hey Kiba. I guess I can wait a few more minutes before I have to go. Why don't we do a kickass duet before I go?"
Kiba couldn't help but smile at Ben's invitation.
"Yeah, sure," he chuckled as he stood up and joined Ben before they re-entered the booth.
. . . . .
At the client's house
(One hour later)
"Crap! How did you get so good at this, Zaza?"
After leaving his friends to continue the party without him, Ben made it to his client's flat where he was surprised by his eccentric client's request for the night; playing multiplayer games on one of his many games consoles.
During one of his last visits, Ben had been surprised to hear that Zaza had never played a video game before. Eager to show him what he'd been missing, Ben proceeded to teach his client about all the different kinds of games available and explaining the pros and cons of each one to him. After this teaching session, Ben was shocked at his subsequent visit to see that the man had gone out and bought every single games console on the market today…even several first generation, extremely rare consoles!
What followed next was teaching him to play some of the multitude of games that he had bought with the consoles.
As it turned out, his client was an incredibly fast learner as he was now kicking Ben's ass in a fighting game that he used to consider himself pretty good at.
"What can I say except I'm a quick study…," the blond-haired client replied with a chuckle as his character knocked Ben's character to the floor with a well-timed uppercut. "When I find something I'm really interested in, I want to learn everything I can about it."
Ben didn't really hear what Zaza said as he was too focused on trying to land a blow to his opponent to no success.
"Dammit!" Ben exclaimed several minutes later when his character was decapitated by his client's character for the fourth time that night. "Have I told you how frustrating it that you've gotten so good at this game in such a short time?"
"What can I say? I had a lot of time on my hands to practice," the client said with a smile as his character celebrated their victory. "After all, it's been a while since you last visited me."
"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. Had some devil business to deal with," Ben replied as he watched his headless character lying on the floor of the arena, computer generated blood seeping out of the hole in his neck. "Never mind that though, what brought you to go out and buy every single gaming console known to man?"
"I kinda got obsessed with video games after you introduced me to them. I can't stop when I start collecting stuff." A wry smile formed on his lips that Ben failed to see. "I've often been told that I get completely immersed in what I'm collecting."
"Uh-huh," Ben grumbled, only half listening as he lamented over his fourth consecutive defeat.
The blond-haired man stood up and looked down at Ben who had remained cross-legged on the floor. "Well, I feel like a drink to celebrate. Can I get you anything, devil boy…or should I say, Dragon All-Father?"
WHOOSH!
Ben was forced to look away briefly as the sudden gust of wind took him by surprise. When he looked back at this client he was met with the view of twelve pitch black wings protruding from his back.
"Let me introduce myself. My true name is Azazel, otherwise known as the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels," Azazel announced with a wry smile on his face as he looked down at Ben.
"Hi, Azazel," Ben replied with a polite nod of his head.
Azazel chuckled under his breath but managed to remain composed at the distinct lack of shock at his perfect reveal. "I must admit I was expecting a bit more awe when I revealed myself to you," he admitted, his smile still on his face.
"I would have been surprised if I didn't have a dragon god sealed within my left arm that remembers you even after all this time," Ben explained calmly, holding up his left arm to the Governor-General.
"Hmm, I guess that explains it," Azazel sighed as his six pairs of wings returned back into his body.
"Oh, and by the way; next time you want to hide your identity try to come up with a better name," ben continued with a shake of his head.
"What was wrong with my cover name?" Azazel asked with false dismay.
"'Le Zaza'? Come on. Really? That's just your name spelled backwards. Even an idiot with half a brain would be able to work that out. It's hardly a disguise worthy of Sherlock Holmes."
Azazel couldn't help but laugh at this. He had wondered for a while how the young devil before him would react when he finally revealed his true self to him and not one of the scenarios he imagined came anywhere near to this.
"Well, moving on at any rate. I thought that, after everything that happened with Kokabiel, it would be best to finally introduce myself. That and I've also taken a special interest in you and both of your Sacred Gears, mainly the one on your left arm though. I am a great admirer of him and his work. I could hardly believe it when I heard that the great dragon, Azmuth had returned…sealed within a Sacred Treasure no less! I thought that he had left this dimension millennia ago never to return."
"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear he's got a fan," Ben replied sarcastically, knowing full well how the ancient dragon would react.
His sarcasm didn't go unnoticed by the millennia old former angel though.
"I'm sure he will," Azazel smirked in amusement. "I'm sure he'd be more interested to hear that the summit is going ahead."
This got Ben's attention.
"What? Really?" he asked enthusiastically, quickly getting to his feet to look Azazel in the eye.
"Yep. All three factions have agreed to meet though the finer details such as time and place are still being decided. I would appreciate it if you could let Azmuth know if he isn't listening right now."
Ben shook his head.
"No, he's been staying in his Sacred Gear lately. I don't think he'll ever get over the loss."
"I understand. Still though, if you could let him know it's going ahead. He was the catalyst that got the wheels turning after all."
"Sure, I'll let him know."
"If you could do one last thing for me, kid. Could you tell what he's like since he was sealed within the Sacred Gear; has he changed at all?"
"Well, I wasn't around during that time but if he was a grumpy, impossible-to-please-but-quick-to-annoy son of a bitch who found flaws in everything you did then you'll be happy to know he hasn't changed a bit."
Azazel brought his head back and laughed and Ben's description.
"Wonderful! I can't wait till I get to speak to him myself."
Ben couldn't help but join in with the fallen angel's infectious laughter. Only one thought occupied his mind as he laughed along with him.
'Rias is going to be so pissed about this.'
. . . . .
Back in the ORC clubroom
(Several minutes later)
"This is absolutely outrageous!" Rias declared angrily.
'Yep, she's pissed alright,' Ben thought with a sigh as he stood before Rias and gave a report of his meeting with Azazel for a second time.
After he and Azazel had parted ways, Ben had decided to bite the bullet and phone Rias, telling her about the true identity of his regular client. He chose to keep the fact that he was aware of his client's true identity for some time now. Needless to say, the Gremory heiress was not happy at finding out that the leader of the Fallen Angels had been hiding within her territory under her very nose. She had called an emergency meeting and demanded that everyone attend.
This led to the clubroom being occupied by the entirety of the Occult Research Club a few minutes later where Ben was asked to retell everything that he had already told Rias over the phone. It seemed that hearing it all over again did little to ease Rias' frustration on the matter.
"Not only did Azazel infiltrate my territory and interfere with my business…," the crimson-haired devil continued with frustration in her voice as she got up from her seat, moved around her desk until she stood opposite Ben and leaned against the edge of it, "…but he also has the gall to try and take my favourite servant away from me?! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!"
Ben sweatdropped at the intensity of Rias' frustration. "I don't think it was a genuine offer though."
He was telling the truth. Just as he was about to leave Azazel's flat, the fallen angel had asked him if he was open to the idea of switching sides and joining the fallen angels. Ben had politely but firmly rejected Azazel's offer, stating he was very happy with where he was.
"I don't care! He still deserves a thousand deaths!"
"I guess I understand his interest in me though. Until Azmuth and I came along, it was the two Heavenly Dragons who were the strongest creatures sealed within Gears. Now, though, the Dragon God of Life himself has been revealed to be sealed within a Gear too, a feat that was considered impossible until it actually happened."
"You don't have to worry about a thing, my precious Ben," Rias declared firmly as she abruptly reached out, took his head in her hands and pulled it to her chest and hugged it fiercely, one hand resting against the back of his head and holding it in place. "I'll do everything in my power to protect you."
Ben tried to respond to her declaration but it barely came out as a muffled noise as his face was pressed into Rias' very ample cleavage.
"So is it true?" Koneko asked from one of the clubroom's sofas, a small bowl of treats in her hands as per usual for the white-haired rook. "There's really going to be a big meeting between the leaders of the Three Factions?"
Rias released Ben from her affectionate embrace and nodded her head at Koneko's question. "It's true. I received confirmation of it from my brother earlier." She glanced towards Ben, giving him a questioning look. "He also asked me to thank Azmuth for him for some reason. Care to enlighten us on that, Ben?"
Ben laughed forcefully and without enthusiasm as he rubbed the back of his head at Rias' request.
"I must admit that I'm curious too," Kiba added from his seat beside Koneko as he stared at the Gremory pawn along with everyone else. "You never told us what you spoke to Sirzechs about."
"Well, I guess I can tell you. I was only told to keep it a secret by Sirzechs until the angels and fallen angels agreed to meet. It's not exactly my most favourite memory but the conversation went something like this….
. . . . .
*Flashback*
(Several days ago, just after the battle with Kokabiel)
"I hear you wished to speak with me in private about something, Tennyson," Sirzechs stated as he sat back in his throne and stared down at Ben intently.
Before Ben could explain to Sirzechs what was going on, Azmuth beat him to it.
[He didn't request this meeting, I did!] the ancient dragon declared, his voice echoing around the large, spacious room they were standing in. [I have something to say and I WILL be heard.]
Ben gulped as Sirzechs raised an eyebrow at Azmuth's sharp rise in tone yet didn't respond to it…for now.
"Very well. I'm listening," Sirzechs replied calmly though his eyes never left Ben's who swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat.
Azmuth went silent for a moment as he collected himself and then spoke again.
[I had my eyes opened tonight, devil king. I had heard that the war hadended several centuries ago yet I had no idea just how flimsy this so-called 'peace' truly was until that warmonger Kokabiel showed me. Do you just how close the Three Factions came to war again tonight?!]
[Before I was sealed in this Sacred Gear I used to believe it was Humanity that was God's most flawed creation and not his Angels…even if the devils and fallen angels broke away from it. Now though, I'm beginning to realise that I was wrong…that it is the Three Factions which are the most flawed!]
"Forgive me for the intrusion but I'm struggling to see where your stake in our affairs comes into place," Sirzechs chimed in, his voice calm and neutral, completely without any retort to Azmuth's statements.
[Since learning about His death, my memories of our last conversation have been returned to me. Before He sealed my soul into the Gear, God imparted onto me a future that He foresaw, one of the many He could see with His powers. He told me that He saw His death in one of them and it made Him rethink about decisions He had made in the past. Despite your many differences with Him, He didn't want to leave you behind after He was gone, a religion without a god is one that is swept aside by other, lesser religions. We both witnessed it happen in the past and He didn't want it for His creations. He said He had a plan to finally stop the fighting, to bring all of you to the table and finally find some common ground before it was too late.]
"I'm still not hearing what it's got to do with you," Sirzechs interjected with a shrug and completely ignoring the deep, angry growl that came from Ben's left arm.
"Calm down, Azmuth!" Ben hissed under his breath as he shook his arm, hoping that it did something to calm the dragon down…. It didn't work.
[I have known God since before you Angels were even ideas in His head. We may've had many things we argued and disagreed about but we had an understanding, a bond that you will never understand. It is clear that He wasn't able to carry out His plan to knock your heads together and stop fighting so I guess I have to do it for Him. All the leaders of the Three Factions have been complete fools…even you, Sirzechs…though I will concede that you weren't there when the fighting started."
Ben gaze shot up from his gauntlet to look up at Sirzechs once Azmuth had finished speaking and waited for the devil king to respond. He didn't expect Azmuth to act like he had done and was more than a little terrified at how Sirzechs would react.
He didn't have to wait long as it happened as Sirzechs took a deep breath and rose out of his chair and stared down at Ben with a serious look.
"That's quite a bold statement to make to…even for a dragon god," he said calmly though that did little to ease Ben's nerves. "It has accepted for centuries that when sentient Sacred Gears speak, they speak for their hosts; what they say is considered to have been said by their wielders."
"So, in your case, Ben, speaking to a devil king like that gives me the grounds to destroy you for saying such treasonous stuff to your king," Sirzechs stated emotionlessly as he slowly approached the nervous devil in question.
"In this case however…I have to agree with you, with everything you've said," the crimson-haired devil added with a sigh and small nod of his head.
Ben blinked at Sirzechs' sudden change, dumbfounded with everything going on and unable to think of anything to say.
Azmuth, though, seemed content to continue speaking on his behalf.
[Hmm. Is that so?] Azmuth asked dubiously.
"Yes. I almost lost my precious little sister tonight because someone wanted to use her to draw me and the rest of our people into a war which would have sealed our fate as a species. It would've been even worse had Serafall's little sister had been killed.
"We knew full well that another war would destroy all three of our peoples yet, despite this, not one of the factions dared take the first step in establishing true peace," Sirzechs continued with a disappointed shake of his head, both for the three powers and for himself for not doing anything. "I agree that the time has come for the Three Factions to come together and finally end hostilities; it's the only way we can survive once knowledge of God's death becomes widespread. I will speak to my fellow devil kings who I know will agree with me and we will send messages to the angels and fallen angels to set up a gathering."
[Well I'll be the first to admit that this is the first time ever that I've seen a devil accept their faults and that of their species,] Azmuth stated plainly, his voice significantly calmer than it had been moments ago.
Sirzechs smiled at Azmuth's 'compliment'. "I'm just glad I was able to spot those faults before it brought us all to ruin. This feud between us seems pointless…especially with God having been dead for all this time. I'm just ashamed that it almost took me losing Rias to finally do something about it."
[It's not shameful to make mistakes, Sirzechs. It's shameful to know you've made mistakes but do nothing to correct them.]
"Then let's correct some mistakes."
*End of flashback*
. . . . .
"It was Azmuth who did the talking and it's not exactly a thing I want to remember," Ben groaned as he recalled his encounter with Rias' brother shortly after their battle with Kokabiel. "Sirzechs was so intimidating and Azmuth wasn't helping. If we were speaking with anyone else, I'm sure I would've been killed."
"As for what Azmuth said; he expressed his displeasure at the state the Three Factions were in and pointed out how tenuous the ceasefire had been if the Kokabiel incident had brought them so close to starting the war again. He made it clear that they had been left alone because the other powers still believed God was alive and, if the Three Factions were to survive in future, they had to let go of their petty issues and join together. Thankfully, Sirzechs agreed with Azmuth and began organising the summit."
Rias nodded her head slightly as Ben finished his recount.
"I have to agree with Azmuth's reasoning. Even amongst the other gods, He was in a completely different league from them. It's because of God that Christianity was able to survive and thrive as a monotheistic religion against the pantheons of other religions. They've kept the secret of His death so far but it won't last forever. Soon others will know the truth and other powers will make their moves and challenge us openly. I might not be fond of angels and fallen angels but I'll team up with them if it means surviving."
A short silence fell on the room as everyone considered Rias' words, a few of them nodding their heads in silent agreement.
"I still can't believe this is happening," Xenovia muttered, breaking the silence as she crossed her arms under her chest. "All relationships have been changed. Nothing will be the same anymore between the factions."
"That's precisely why this is such a delicate situation. A meeting such as this could very well make things more complicated than they are now. I honestly have no idea what's going to happen," Rias admitted begrudgingly.
Ben couldn't help but sport a small smile on his lips at Rias' admission. She absolutely hated not knowing about important things.
She could be so cute when she got frustrated like she did.
. . . . .
The Tennyson household
(Later)
Once Ben had recounted the tale of his encounter with the leader of the fallen angels, the emergency meeting came to an end, finishing with Rias telling her servants that, while Kuoh was her territory and should be a safe place for them, they should still be careful for the next few days while the final details of the meeting are sorted out.
Once that was over and done with, Ben, Rias and Asia left the clubroom together and made their way back to his house. Deciding that he absolutely needed to relax after everything that's been going on recently and to ease his tense muscles, Ben decided he needed a nice, warm, relaxing bath which is what he was currently enjoying.
As he felt himself almost melt into the inviting water, Ben raised his arms and rested them on the sides of the bath as he stared at the back of hands where Azmuth and Ddraig's jewels would've been if he summoned his Gears.
"Are you sure you can't tell me more about what's going on with this meeting and why it's so important, Azmuth?" Ben asked the emerald dragon through his telepathic form of communication with the two dragons.
[Yes, I'm sure,] Azmuth replied firmly and without hesitation. [The way the things currently are with the three factions is worse than I thought. The status quo cannot last much longer before the truth comes out. The 'peace' they have right now is meaningless. Kokabiel showed me that.]
[Has this got anything to do with God's death?] Ddraig asked curiously. [Have you recalled another memory?]
[All I will say for now that God confided what he saw for the three factions and this isn't it,] Azmuth explained cryptically. [We had our fair share of differences over the eons, some of them even petty when I look back on them but I'm not going to let His memory be tarnished by squabbling children.]
Ben could see that Azmuth wasn't going to reveal anything else so, as the two dragons withdrew back into their Sacred Gears for the night, he went back to enjoying his bath.
A few minutes later, Ben was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of the bathroom door opening. He looked over to see Rias and Asia stepping into the bathroom, the pair of them completely naked and each carrying a towel over their arm.
"Uh, hello ladies," Ben said to the two beauties as they closed the door behind them. "You do realise that I'm already here, don't you?"
"Of course we did," Rias replied with false innocence as she smiled at him. "We couldn't wait for you to finish any longer so we both thought we'd join you."
"Besides…," she continued as she placed her hands on her hip and posed for him, showing him her entire body in all its stunning glory. "…it's not like you haven't seen us naked before, is it?"
A lifetime ago, Ben's face would've turned as red as Rias' hair in embarrassment at the situation he suddenly found himself in. However, thanks to the changes affecting his mind and body from Azmuth and Ddraig's draconic nature, Ben found himself gradually losing his ability to feel embarrassment completely.
"I guess I can follow that reasoning," he nodded with a faint smirk as he stared directly into Rias' eyes for a short moment before breaking contact and looking over at Asia who appeared to be extremely embarrassed.
"Is this something you both wanted to do?" he mused, directing his attention more at Asia than Rias. Despite the gradual change in their relationship and their sleeping arrangements, Asia still seemed nervous about some of the lewd actions which seemed to come to Rias so naturally.
Asia's eyes met his for a brief moment before she quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks flushing bright red.
"Um, it…it is," she mumbled quietly.
"In fact, as much as I would like to take credit for this idea, I have to admit that Asia beat me to it," Rias announced with pride.
"You mean…?"
"Yes, this was her idea. I keep underestimating her. She's turning into quite the succubus, isn't she?"
"Oh no! I don't want to be a succubus!" Asia whined cutely, shaking her head in embarrassment.
"I'm going to have to step up my game if I want to keep up with her," Rias teased with a smirk at Asia's embarrassment.
"Well don't let me get in your way," Ben chuckled and looked back at the bath. "I think there'll be much space with more than one person in here but you're welcome to join me."
Rias' smirk grew sly. "Why thank you. We'll take you up on that offer. We just need to wash ourselves first."
The two young women proceeded to go through their washing ritual while Ben leaned against the edge of the bath and watched the scene play out before him, particularly enjoying their conversation.
"I must say, Asia, I'm so jealous of your beautiful skin, it's so radiant," Rias said with a smile as she washed the young blonde's back with soapy water.
Asia's face reddened at Rias' compliment. "R-Really? You think so? I always thought your skin was nicer than mine. It's so white and smooth."
Rias chuckled. "That's so nice of you to say. You're too kind."
Ben couldn't help but be enticed by the two attractive young women as they washed themselves in front of him, no shame in their actions at all though he didn't disapprove of that fact.
Before long, the two beauties had finished washing each other and moved to join Ben in the water that Ben had heated up again with magic. As they slid into the water with him, Ben's concerns were proven true; the bath was far too small for three people. Due to the extremely restricted space available to them, Rias and Asia ended up being pressed up against his chest, the pair of them practically sitting in his lap without much space to move about.
"Looks like I was right about the lack of space," Ben noted with a smirk, turning to face Rias whose face was just a few inches away from his own.
"I know…but I've always wanted to share a bath with you but I've never had the chance to do so until now," Rias admitted with a cute pout and rapid flicker of her eyelashes as she pulled up her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"Is that so? You should've said so, we could've done this so much sooner," Ben told her light-heartedly
Rias returned his smile and pressed herself closer against his chest. "My, my, where has all this confidence of yours come from? If I'd known you'd enjoy taking a bath with me so much I would have acted a lot sooner."
As she pressed herself against him, Ben took a deep breath and was met by the sweet scent of the shampoo that Rias had used in her hair moments ago.
"Ahh," Rias sighed contently, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Even if it is in a cramped bath like this, I want to take a bath with you every day. I don't think your body could handle every day though so I'd settle for every three days instead for now."
"Oh, you think I wouldn't be able to handle you? I think you'd be in for a surprise," Ben countered, giving Rias' waist a little squeeze with his arm.
If Rias was taken off guard by his response she certainly hid it well.
"Oh my, Ben. You seem to become bolder by the day…not that I mind that in the slightest," Rias remarked, pulling herself up to face Ben, their face mere inches apart. "Do you want to attack me? Push me to the ground and ravish me?"
Ben just stared at Rias for a moment, as though he was debating his answer before reaching one.
"Maybe I do. The question is: if I did that, how would you react?" he stated, his gaze turning predatory.
This seemed to be the limit to what the inexperienced and, truthfully, innocent Rias could handle as her cheeks finally turned a faint shade of red as she felt herself trapped by Ben's intense stare. Thanks to their closeness, Ben could feel that her heartbeat had quickened. Deciding to tease her further, Ben slowly trailed his fingers down the side of her body until he reached her waist where he then began brushing his fingers against her leg and was rewarded by a sudden, startled intake of breath from the red-haired beauty in his arm.
The blonde-haired beauty in his other arm, though, couldn't take being ignored anymore.
"It's not fair! Don't forget about me," Asia whined adorably as she pushed herself against Ben too, her breasts pressing against his chest and drawing his attention to her.
"Of course I couldn't forget about you," he stated, turning his intense stare onto her instead and leading to her squirming from its intensity, like a prey that had been caught by a predator which was now playing with it. Like Rias, Ben started trailing his hand down her body and thigh where, just like Rias, the blonde Gremory bishop gasped at his touch and blushed furiously.
"Listen here, Asia," Rias retorted, interrupting them as she pulled herself up and sat on Ben's left thigh, glaring at her blonde bishop with a firm expression on her face though it was completely devoid of any true hostility. "Since I've got the chance to tell you this, I'll state it clearly to you now so you don't get any ideas. Ben belongs to me! He's part of my household and one of my precious servants. He's MY Ben!"
Asia wasn't deterred by this though and responded by tightening her hold around Ben's neck as she stared right back at Rias with a look of fierce determination on her face. "While that might be true, that doesn't mean he isn't MY Ben too!"
'Why am I starting to feel like I'm being treated like a pet?' Ben wondered with amusement as he watched the ladies in his arms argue with each other over him, smirking at the possessive tones in both their voices.
"Asia!"
Rias didn't seem able to take any more and stood up in the bath with what little legroom she had available and stared down at Asia with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Ben dotes on you every day! As his master, I deserve to have him dote on me too!"
Asia whined cutely at Rias' statement. "But you're so much more beautiful than me! If I left you alone with him, you'd take him away from me!"
Rias smiled at Asia's words and took hold of Ben's left arm.
"You have a point. I mean, can you do this…?" she asked as she wedged the arm in her hands between her large breasts.
Ben felt something deep within him stir slightly at having his hand restrained by the pink flesh of Rias' breasts and found himself fighting to keep it buried right now and breathed deeply, an action lost on the two women fighting over him.
Asia's cheeks puffed out cutely in her jealousy of Rias' large chest and showed her commitment to challenging Rias, followed her lead and knelt in front of Ben and, holding Ben's right hand against her chest, pressed his open hand against her perky right breast, gasping audibly as Ben's body reacted instinctively and he gently squeezed the soft mound of flesh.
"I-I can do that all day! I w-won't lose to you!" she stated, her breathing becoming quicker at Ben's intimate touch.
Asia then forced her eyes which had previously been tight shut to hide her embarrassment open and looked directly at Ben. "I have a question for you, Ben: Whose chest do you like better? Mine or Rias'? I may be smaller in size but I won't lose in anything else!"
"Oh dear," Rias taunted with a victorious smile on her face. "I'm sure Ben's favourite things are large breasts. He may not say anything but he's always groping mine at night; I can hardly keep him off me…not that I want him to. His touch just feels sooooo good."
Asia's eyes started to water slightly at Rias' declaration and looked back at Ben with firm determination.
"That's not true, is it Ben!?" she demanded with worry in her voice.
Ben sighed and shook his head slightly. "Of course it isn't, Asia. I like the both of you as you are," he said calmly and sincerely. "…and not just because of your appearance," he added, directing his attention to Rias who only replied with an adorable pout of her bottom lip.
"Do you two always have to fight over me? I'm not going anywhere, you know. If you can't stop fighting over me completely then can you just put a hold on it until tomorrow? I'm still completely worn out by everything that has happened over the last few days and it sounds as though things are only going to get more complicated over the next few days," he said in a tired voice as he leant against the back of the bath and tried to enjoy the warm water once again. He looked back up to see the two young women staring at him.
"For me?" he added with a small, pathetic pout of his own.
It didn't take more than a quick glance at each other for the girls to come to a silent agreement. Without any raised voices or anything else from before, the two of them wordlessly turned around until their backs were to him and sat back down on his thighs before leaning against his muscular chest and sighing in contempt.
"Hmm, that's my Ben," Rias purred as she rested her head in the crook of his neck again. "And just when I thought I couldn't like you anymore than I already do."
"Same here," Asia added as she also rested her head in the crook of Ben's neck. "You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that."
As Ben smiled, content that he had managed to diffuse the situation…at least for the rest of the night, he took a deep breath, inhaling in the sweet scent of the shampoo in the long hair of the girls in his arms, he suddenly realised that neither girl had made any move to release their hold over his arms which were still being held against their chests.
"Are you two going to give me back my arms any time soon?" he asked with a tired smile on his face.
"No," the pair of them murmured in unison.
Ben merely chuckled to himself at this and enjoyed the rest of the bath in peace.
. . . . .
Kuoh town, near Xenovia's place
(Two weekends later)
Ben didn't want to believe it when Rias told him that the Occult Research Club had offered to clean out the school pool in preparation for the upcoming summer season in which the pool would be used for gym class.
However much he didn't want to believe it though, it was still the case and so on Sunday morning, as the summer sun beat down on the town on Kuoh, Ben found himself following behind Rias as she led him and Asia down the street to meet up with Xenovia at her place of residence, set up by Rias of course.
They found the azure-haired Durandal user waiting for them outside the block of apartments in which her home was located.
"Hey there, Xenovia," Rias greeted chirpily as she approached him.
"How are you doing?" Ben asked as he stopped in front of her. "You seem to be settling in well around here."
Xenovia gave him a warm smile as she nodded her head in response. "Yeah, I'm doing well. The place Rias picked out for me is rather comfortable. I'm adjusting quickly."
"That's because this whole area is supported by the devils. That means that it's going to be a very safe environment," Rias explained as she gestured to the area around them.
"You mean aside from the odd war mongering fallen angel of course," Ben stated with a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth. His smile only grew wider when Rias turned around to glare at him cutely. She didn't say anything to him as she set off down the street towards the school but Ben had a sinking suspicion that he was going to pay for that comment sometime in the future.
They met up with the rest of their group outside the front gates to the academy and made their way through the empty grounds until they reached the school pool. They entered the enclosure and made their way to the pool and stood at its edge where they now stood staring at the murky, disgusting water which filled the pool.
Ben couldn't help but grimace as he stared at the murky greenish water. "Urgh, that's a pretty potent smell," he grimaced as he covered his mouth with his hand.
"It hasn't been used since last year," Akeno explained with a light chuckle.
"And we have the job of cleaning it," he muttered with a light sigh.
"How does it make sense that it's our club that has to clean the swimming pool?" Xenovia asked, glancing toward Rias with confusion.
"It's not our job normally. It's usually the student council who cleans the pool but we've taken over the responsibility for this year. I thought it was only right after everything they did for us when we were dealing with Kokabiel," Rias explained.
"On the plus side though…," she continued, looking between her precious servants with a smile. "Once we've cleaned it, the pool will be ours to use as often as we want…for a little while at least."
As these words entered his head, Ben's mind quickly brought up memories of the photos he had received from Rias and Akeno in their skimpy bikinis. All of his previous apprehension about cleaning the disgusting pool quickly vanished.
"Well, we'd best get started then," he muttered and quickly noticed Koneko, who was standing next to him, looking up at him with a suspicious look on her face. "What?" he asked her.
"Are you thinking perverted thoughts?" she asked with suspicion evident in her eyes.
"What? Of course not!" Ben replied quickly, caught off guard by her bluntness. "I just want to get out of this sun," he stated, gesturing up at the scorching ball of fire above them.
"Come on guys! Let's amaze everyone with how clean we can make the school pool!" Rias declared enthusiastically and even Ben couldn't restrain himself from being caught up with it along with everyone else as they all gave an enthusiastic cry of "Yeah!" in response.
. . . . .
The group split in two as they entered the changing rooms with Ben and Kiba heading into the men's changing room whilst the girls headed into the women's. Once in the changing room, Ben proceeded to remove his shirt and shorts before changing into his swimming trunks.
As he was putting his clothes into the open locker in front of him, Kiba attracted his attention.
"Hey, Ben. There was something else I wanted to tell you but I never got the chance earlier. I just wanted to tell you that if anyone ever tries to hurt you I WILL destroy them," he declared firmly.
"Uh thanks…," Ben replied, unable to think of anything else to say for a moment, "What's suddenly brought this on?"
Kiba smiled. "I know it seems kinda random to say such a thing but I was waiting for a time when we were alone to tell you."
Ben stopped what he was doing at stepped over to Kiba and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is this because of what I did for you with the whole Holy Swords thing?"
Kiba sighed and nodded his head slightly. "You saved my life. If I can't return the favour, I can't call myself a Knight of the House of Gremory."
"You know I didn't help you out because I expected to be owed a favour, right?" Ben asked with a serious expression on his face. "I did it because you're my friend…even if it took you a while to realise that," he added with a sincere smile. When Kiba smiled back and nodded his head in understanding, Ben returned the smile and patted Kiba's shoulder and went back to his locker to continue storing his clothes and bag.
"Hey, Ben," Kiba called over again as he finished putting his gym shirt on.
Ben glanced over to him and was about to respond when….
BA-DUM!
Ben felt the muscles in his left arm spasm and instantly tense up as though it had just been electrocuted and caused his hand to clamp shut at the same time which, due to his enhanced devil strength, left a deep imprint of his hand in the locker door as a result.
"Argh! Fucking hell!" Ben involuntarily cursed as he held his left arm which had suddenly partially morphed into the draconic arm, the true form of his left arm since it had been replaced when he fought Riser, which left him with his arm looking like a scarred, slightly bloated, incomplete version of his Sacred Gear.
"I'll go get Rias!" Kiba said as he hurried out of the changing room while Ben sat down on the bench, still clutching his left arm as he grunted from the gradually receding wave of pain.
"What the hell, Azmuth!? I thought Akeno sucked all that crap out," he muttered as he leant against the changing room wall.
[Do you not pay attention to anything I say?] Azmuth sighed with annoyance clear in his voice, the bright jewel in the back of Ben's disfigured arm glowing as he spoke.
"Yeah, of course I do," Ben replied indignantly.
The emerald dragon sighed before he continued. [It's a defence technique. Your body will draw in more draconic energy when you encounter others with a higher power, like Lucifer and the Governor-General for example, even if you don't consent to it.]
[It's simply a case of power cancelling out power,] Ddraig added, the jewel in Ben's right hand glowing this time.
"So, to stop it I need to get stronger, yeah?"
[Pretty much,] Ddraig confirmed.
Ben just groaned in response.
'Great, another reason I need to get stronger. That's just what I need.'
"I'll try to be more careful in future then," he mumbled as he waited for help to arrive.
It arrived a brief moment later in the shape of Rias and Akeno who entered the changing with Kiba walking in behind them.
"Yes, I see what you mean," Rias said to Kiba as she looked at Ben's partially transformed arm. "Well, there's nothing much we can do except have Akeno suck out the excess energy from your arm again."
Ben looked up at the raven-haired Gremory Queen who stood beside Rias.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked her before another jolt of pain ran through his body.
"I guess I can make an exception in your case," Akeno replied with a wry smile on her face and a soft chuckle that caused Rias to stare at her best friend with suspicion.
It seemed to be there for only a quick second before the crimson-haired heiress blinked it away and turned to head out of the changing room. "Kiba and I will head out and join the others in cleaning the pool. You two can join us when you're finished," she said back to them as she and Kiba left the two young devils alone in the room and re-joined the others.
Once the door was closed with an audible click, Akeno approached Ben and knelt down in front of him, a seductive smile on her face the entire time. "Well, I guess we'd better get started," she said in a sultry voice. "We don't want to give Rias any wrong ideas, do we?"
"I don't know. If she came back in and saw you now I think she'd get the wrong idea," Ben observed, noting that Akeno had positioned herself knelt down right in between his legs and dangerously close to his crotch.
Akeno looked up at him with an innocent expression on her face that didn't hide her erotic intentions.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ben. I'm just doing what Rias asked me and helping you get better. If I wanted to give her the wrong idea then I could do this…."
Before Ben had a chance to react, Akeno had pulled his hand down so that it was between his legs. As she did this, Akeno quickly brought her head down and took his middle and index finger in her mouth before sucking on his fingers, ensuring that his fingers were completely coated by her saliva.
Had Rias, Asia or anyone else entered the changing room right now, it would've looked as though Akeno was pleasuring him orally.
He doubted he'd have any chance of explaining his way out of trouble, especially when Akeno began groaning and breathing heavily as continued her 'work'.
Almost as soon as she began drawing the energy from him, Ben's arm reverted back normal, though that didn't mean that Akeno stopped sucking his fingers. If anything, she put more effort into drawing every last bit of draconic energy that had built up in his arm.
After a few more heated seconds of this, Akeno finally stopped what she was doing and released his saliva-coated fingers from the hot confines of her mouth though she kept hold of his hand and looked up at him with a lustful look that caused Ben to take a sharp intake of breath to calm himself down.
"Hmm, you look so hot when you're being pleasured," she purred flirtatiously with flushed cheeks as she looked up at him. "I'm just dying to see what you'd look like writhing in pain."
"A bit of a weird thing to wish for," Ben groaned deeply as he fought to keep his emotions in check. "You really are a sadist, aren't you?"
"You say that as though it were a bad thing," Akeno countered seductively as she continued to play with his finger, cleaning his fingers of saliva by using her tongue to remove which drew another intake of breath from Ben.
"Don't you want to see me naked?" she purred with a cute pout.
Ben didn't trust himself to answer her leading question and so decided to stay silent. This didn't put Akeno down though as she placed her hands on his thighs and pushed herself up off the floor and leaned into his personal space.
"What do you say to us keeping this our little secret? Rias and Asia don't have to know about us, do they?" she purred as she knelt on the bench, her knee now pressed against his crotch, and moved her face extremely close to his. He could feel her breath against his lips and was finding it quickly becoming more difficult to remain in control of himself.
"I wonder what it would feel like to have my body devoured by a hot, younger guy," the Gremory Queen moaned seductively as she pressed her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. "I bet we could learn a lot about each other."
"I'm warning you, Akeno. I'm still not used to the changes happening to me. I don't want something to happen that we'll regret," Ben warned her, a small growl escaping him with his warning as he held onto the last vestiges of self-control he had left.
"Oh, I know all about that," Akeno replied, giggling at the look of surprise on Ben's face. "Rias told me about how you might give in to your primal urges if you experience…significant stimulation."
"Then why are you…?" Ben began but was cut off when Akeno placed her finger on his lips and held them shut.
"Because I want to see what you do. Don't worry, I'm ready for anything," Akeno explained with such a seductive smile that it nearly drove him over the edge.
"Ooh, I know, you want me to be in control, don't you?" Akeno declared as she placed her hands on either side of his head on the wall behind him and bringing her head so close to his that their lips were so close to touching.
Those words were the final words that finally nailed the coffin of Ben's self-control. As she said those words, Ben's breathing suddenly deepened and became heavy. His eyes turned emerald green in colour and, in a single swift action he had picked up Akeno by her waist with one hand, stood up with her in his hold, spun around so that she was now the one with her back against the wall and thrust her against it with considerable force while his free hand and, somehow, gotten hold of her wrists and now held them above her head, rendering her completely helpless.
Instead of feeling pain from being forced against the wall though, Akeno felt nothing except excitement at the sudden change in Ben's behaviour.
"I'm the one in control," he growled huskily as he stared into Akeno's violet eyes which didn't show any hesitation or fear of the sudden change in their positions. Her breathing had become heavier and there was a noticeable flush in her cheeks.
"Then why don't you prove it?" she gasped, surprising herself at her choice of words…and even more surprised when Ben's lips crashed into hers and she suddenly found herself engaged in a heated, lust-filled kiss that send a wave of pleasure through her entire being.
So taken off guard by Ben's assault on her mouth, Akeno didn't offer any resistance when his lips forcibly parted hers and his tongue shot in and began to wrestle hers into submission.
Her erotic, lustful groan only excited Ben further and he pressed his body against hers. With her back against the stone wall behind her, Akeno gasped as she felt his muscular chest press against her chest and released another lustful moan when he started slowly grinding against her waist.
She felt a stirring in her loins and would've been more than willing to have Ben ravish right then and there.
Much to her dismay though, Ben suddenly stopped what he was doing and broke the passionate kiss they'd just shared, making sure to keep his body pressed up against hers though.
"I'm. Always. In. Control," he breathed deeply, a low, animalistic growl coming from deep within him, and stared directly into Akeno's misty eyes. "Understand?"
Unable to give a coherent answer, Akeno merely nodded her head slowly, eager for him to kiss her again.
"What is going here?"
The two lusty-eyed devils turned their heads to the sound of the voice to see Rias standing in the changing room and staring at them intensely, her arms crossed under her chest as she waited for their answer.