(Where we last left off)
"Bring it!" The Gremory pawn said with a look of calm determination, ready to face whatever challenges the hybrid may have devised for him. He went through the physical conditioning and mountain training from Rias, but he had to sacrifice his left arm for a chance to save her from Riser after their embarrassing loss in that Rating Game. He struggled like hell on that mountain under Taninn, but Saji trained even harder and wanted that win more than he did and thoroughly crushed him. As it stands now, the Gremory peerage has not won a single Rating Game and his biggest public fights have always ended with him failing. He was done embarrassing himself and his precious comrades. Whatever hellish training Ichigo devised for him to claim his potential, he would bear it with a smile.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm Issei, but there is more you must hear before you can begin." Ichigo warned as he nodded his head to his eldest daughter, who's doing her level best to maintain an air of dignity and refinement in the presence of their guests. "As I've stated, Kunou will take over the role of being your guide throughout Kyoto while you function as bait for whoever took Yasaka. I know they're still within the city because the ley lines are still stable. One of her duties is to regulate the flow of spiritual energy throughout the city and if she was gone then there would be dire consequences without someone else capable of shouldering that burden." A slight shudder ran through the group but they still nodded in understanding.
"That being said, I won't entirely ruin your field trip." Ichigo offered with a smile. "Tatsuki told me which sites you were hoping to visit, so I made it so that you would be able to visit and train in each location. Some of them happen to be hot spots for the energy so it all works out." The Kuoh group nodded in gratitude while Kunou took the chess pieces before walking up to them. Issei noticed her subtly checking the sleeve of her shrine maiden outfit before reaching them.
"Hello, I'm Kunou, the princess of Kyoto." She greeted with a respectful bow. "I'm grateful for your assistance in this time of need and I hope we can get along as I show you around my home." She rose her head to face them. "Where did you want to go first?" She asked with a gentle smile, making everyone immediately thing 'KAWAII!' before Issei shook his head clear.
"I was hoping to visit Fushimi Inari first." The Red Dragon answered before looking to Ichigo with a jovial smile. "I have a feeling I need all the luck I can get and maybe the gods here will pity me." That earned some chuckles from the rest of the Kuoh group and his children, even Orihime, Senna, and Kuroka couldn't help but giggle lightly at his claim. Issei never broke eye contact with the hybrid while he said that and understood immediately that no amount of luck was going to help him now. "Guess hoping for something like that was a little far-fetched, wasn't it?"
"Asia was a very special exception Issei. Someone wholly devoted to her faith even in the absence of a living deity and it's just her." Ichigo reminded the group, some nodding as they understood what he was getting at. "Most gods would never hear the prayers of a devil and at a certain point you have to make your own success. Better start now rather than later." Issei took a deep breath but nodded, reminding himself of who and what he is. He was no longer human. No longer a regular teen. No longer someone that could afford to just simply take life as it happened. He was a devil of the Netherworld, a member of the Gremory peerage, the bearer of the Red Dragon, and a warrior ready to fight for the allied forces against the Khaos Brigade whenever necessary. This was his chance to start proving himself and he had no intentions to waste it.
"Understood sir. Anything else we need to know?" He asked as the rest of the Kuoh team got up and ready to move, following Issei's lead and making him the unspoken leader of the group. Ichigo smiled once again at the progress the young teen made, going from someone whose name was synonymous with perverted idiocy to a person you might actually approve of knowing. It just took him a lot of beatings, therapy, and bedroom fun to get him to this point.
"Yes, you'll have a few more companions joining you." The Captain Commander told them. "Shirou and Illya Emiya and Rin and Sakura Tohsaka. Three witches and an apprentice sword smith with a Sacred Gear similar to Kiba's that are in the Gotei. They're also here to explore Kyoto and to strengthen their abilities, so I figured why not have you all get together while Issei performs his trials."
"Understood." Issei quickly said before anyone else could comment, bowing his head to the Captain Commander. "Thank you for taking this time to help us improve ourselves. We'll repay this kindness with securing the safety of Lady Yasaka." The Red Dragon vowed before turning to the door and heading out, every other member of the Kuoh group following after him and Kunou while Xenovia lingered behind with her gaze fixed on Ichigo.
"Commander, shouldn't you-" She started before Ichigo flashed her a confident smile that seemed to eased her worries.
"Don't worry about me Xenovia. I'm still far from helpless." He promised, getting a nod from her before she left to join the Kuoh squad. After waiting for a little bit more he let out a sigh and slumped deeper into is seat, grimacing from the burns on his soul. "This is so frustrating." He growled out, furious at his inability to resolve the present situation himself while his children crowded around him.
"Here papa." Qin said, holding up a cup with a green liquid and a straw to his lips. The hybrid smiled to his daughter gratefully before drinking up the restorative concoction, feeling his Reiryoku reserves balance out if only for this brief moment. Upon waking up from his slumber from the Ragnarok battle, Ichigo gathered up all of his sons and daughters and the wives that he could spare from the Gotei and brought them to Kyoto. A sort of security blanket for his own peace of mind and the idea that he's keeping them safe by keeping them near him.
"Thank you my little raven." Ichigo said with a smile before sucking up the rest of the smoothie. With his energy somewhat restored, he forced himself to his feet. Kazui and Yuuichi immediately flashed to his sides to help keep him steady as he found his sense of balance again. "Thanks boys. The both of you have certainly gotten faster." The two boys blushed at their father's praise as he straightened himself out. "Now, Tiamat is in the inner garden with Celdia, right?"
"Yep." Serafall answered as she led the way for the familial entourage to the inner garden of the palace. "It certainly gives me such peace of mind knowing that we have a dragon king as a babysitter. Or should I call her a mother goddess?" She asked giving a knowing smile to the group, as if she was hinting at knowing a major secret.
"Whichever works for you Serafall." Orihime told her as they wandered through the halls of the palace as they reached the inner garden, greeted by rows of flowers in perpetual bloom. "It's not like we've been keeping that a secret." Serafall pouted at the ruination of her fun but quickly forgot about that as Tiamat and Neliel came into view. The goddess was wearing a blue kimono with an eastern dragon on the left side and cradling young baby Celdia in her arms while Nel was in a gigai wearing a green sundress with a pout that said she's upset at losing cuddle time with the baby.
"Speaking of moms, dad? Didn't that Xenovia lady want to become our mom as well?" Jared suddenly asked while Serafall just went over to the draconic goddess to get her baby girl. "Is that going to happen or... what's going on with that?" Ichigo shared a look with his four wives and two potential lovers. He may have sired a daughter with Tiamat in young Melusine, but they haven't done much together yet. He remained busy with his duties, something he was hoping to rectify by ending the threat of the Khaos Brigade as soon as possible, and she was content becoming another mother figure to his children. Kuroka's position in the group was a transactional affair built on the desire to be with her sister and to be able to repopulate the Nekoshou race from their still endangered numbers. Then there's his engagements to Artemis and Gabriel. Both were purely political cases but the angel admitted the desire to be a proper wife and that was another matter he's been neglecting.
"Xenovia is at a crossroads of sorts my children." Ichigo started, evaluating everything he knew about the newest Soul Reaper. "She lived most of her life with the mindset of being just a cog in a machine for what she believed to be the greater good at the time. She joined the Gotei because it was familiar to what she was used to and would gently ease her into a new life. When she finally awakened her Zanpakuto, something I kind of ended up forcing, she realized how much she wanted to live her life... but her upbringing kind of skewed her mindset and priorities. She has mixed her instincts, desires, and wants in a way that's more like obligation as an animal rather than as a person."
"So kind of like the restored Arrancar?" Abareru asked, his mind linking Xenovia's situation to something familiar to him. Like the Arrancar that had their holes filled and tried sating their new appetites. Sometimes doors weren't completely shut and he saw things. Harribel expressly forbade him from sharing too many details with his brothers and sisters until they were in their mid-teens. The Queen of Hueco Mundo also went on a 'Crusade of Decency' where she went around and punished anyone that were doing things that might corrupt the children mentally, wanting the future generations to be better than the Hollows they once were.
"In a way." Orihime added with shake of her head. "From what Rukia told us, Xenovia's desire to become a mother mainly stems from the idea of the role of a female to reproduce and to have strong children. Which, while understandable, isn't the best foundation for a happy family life." Orihime, Senna, and Nel then snatched up most of the kids in a tight embrace. Leaving Tiamat to look at her own daughter and Ophis before pulling them in for a hug as well, having a sudden desire for cuddles with her girls. "All of you were born because we wanted you to be in our lives!" Orihime declared happily as they cuddled their children. Serafall was smiling as well and made sure Celdia saw all of this, to get the idea that she would be loved and happy with a large family.
"But dad? Wouldn't any kid with you be guaranteed to be strong?" Kazui asked as the boys squirmed out of the grips of their mothers. "Isn't that why we're all strong?" As he suggested that, they all manifested Zanpakuto either on their backs or in their hands. All the girls manifested something out of the ambient Reishi to show off their own control over their inherited abilities. Ichigo gave a slight smile to his kids while shaking his head to their naive innocence.
"You're strong for your age because you have good teachers and fine training." The father corrected for his many children. "I'm not denying the factor of being my child, but it should be far from being the ONLY reason you consider yourselves as powerful." He regrew an arm for just long enough to kneel down to eye level with his sons and daughters, making sure to look each one in the eyes as he conveyed his heart to them all. "And I don't have children just to have a strong set of successors. I have all of you and your potential siblings because I love your mothers and want to build a happy family. If another child is what we all want, then that's what I'll strive to do. If Xenovia truly wants to join our family and you accept her, then I'll welcome her with open arms." He said with a smile, getting swarmed with hugs by his kids. Kuroka watched all of this before walking over to Orihime.
"Tell me what I have to do and I'll do it." She said with a completely straight face and a tone of minor desperation. "He's everything I gave up in having as a husband and father."
(With the Kuoh Group)
The group of supernatural high-school second years departed from the throne room, finding the giant form of Sajin Komamura waiting for them just outside of the door while flanked by the masked, white robed yokai guards that filled the palace. With a simple nod of his head, the group understood that they were to follow him as he led them through the castle to a new location. As they followed the wolf yokai, Issei immediately began to think over their entire group and start coming up with strategies and plans. This was a habit that he and Rias picked up after their Rating Game with the Sitri when Rias went all out with studying strategy in any way she could. The Gremory heiress watched documentaries and read up on various battles and plans through the history of warfare both in the supernatural and the human world and started getting into every type of game that had an emphasis on strategy. She even started holding D&D sessions with the whole of the Kuoh squad with Keigo occasionally playing dungeon master. He put them through the most brutal campaigns when she explained her reasoning to him.
All of that, plus the regular sparring sessions with everyone in the squad, gave Issei a good idea of everyone's skills and abilities. Using Evil Pieces as the example, he was working with 3 Bishops(Asia, Momo, and Reya), 4 Knights(Kiba, Irina, Xenovia, and Tomoe), 1 Rook(Tsubasa), and the 2 Pawns of himself and Saji. He wasn't sure about the other four people they would soon meet up with and the factors they would play in, but Ichigo said three were witches and one was a sword smith with a Sacred Gear similar to Kiba's. Potentially meaning three more Bishops and one more Knight, but he couldn't be sure of how to properly utilize their strengths until he actually got to know them. He could only hope that they had enough time to actually get a good feel for their respective skills. He realized he had staggered to the back and next to a sighing and disappointed looking Xenovia.
"Something on your mind?" He asked the former exorcist, getting a jump out of her as she was knocked out of her thoughts. "Sorry if I scared you. You just seem a little down." Xenovia gave a slight frown before looking back down the hallway they were walking through. "If it'll help, you can talk to me Xenovia." He offered, unknowingly slipping into the role of 'unofficial therapist' as Tatsuki jokingly called it. Occasionally after training sessions, she would find Issei talking with some of the other members of the Kuoh squad and often about something regarding their respective pasts with Rias or with Saji and Sona. It was very quickly decided that the Gremory peerage was BADLY damaged mentally and Rias was given several psychology books. Some of which Issei tried reading himself but he ultimately decided that speaking from his heart would serve him the best. He had an uncanny ability to connect with people like that once he set aside his perverted desires. Xenovia looked to Issei before letting out a sigh.
"I feel like I just missed a chance with Commander Kurosaki." She answered, still looking down as they fell in step with each other. "Like, maybe it would've been better if I had stayed by his side during this crisis. At the same time I understand how important it is to find Lady Yasaka and am glad for this opportunity, but I've also realized that I've just fallen into my same old habits of being a soldier and prioritizing my role as such over my own desires."
"Doesn't this show that he trusts you to play a part in rescuing one of his wives?" Issei asked, confused by what she's calling her inner conflict. "You must have impressed him enough during the fight with Loki for him to assign you such an important mission, so I think you're proving yourself as a truly capable Soul Reaper!" He said with an encouraging smile. "Take heart in that at least. That he considers you as reliable."
"That doesn't really help with getting him to father my child." She admitted, causing Issei to freeze and stumble before shaking his head clear and rush to catch up.
"Um... I'm sorry. I think I misheard you. What was that?" The Gremory pawn asked, still trying to process what Xenovia said to him. The bluenette turned to him and repeated her desire.
"I want to have a child. Specifically, a child with someone powerful so that they would be powerful as well." She elaborated for the dragon, making his eyes widen in surprise. Of all the things he was expecting to trouble her, this didn't even register in the top one hundred possible issues. "I've spent my whole life dedicating it to a cause and only that. When I faced my Zanpakuto to learn its name and confront myself, I realized that I wanted to live my life to its fullest. First thing that came to my mind was to make a child. Especially with someone powerful."
"I think there's a few things that should be done before that particular step Xenovia." Issei dryly said, making Xenovia deflate slightly.
"That's what Captain Rukia told me too. That my whole list needed to be revised." She admitted, thinking back to when she talked to the head of Ichigo's harem and idly rubbing her head from where the captain had chopped her some time ago. "She then gave me a lecture on proper courtship, family planning, and that since we're technically at war with the Khaos Brigade that I should hold off on trying to have any children." She perked up slightly. "Though she didn't say I couldn't pursue Commander Kurosaki as an option."
"And how many women does he have in his harem at the moment?" Issei asked, deflating slightly before Xenovia paused and started counting. The Crimson Dragon's eyes getting wider as she counted off both of her hands and kept going.
"I think I heard that he has around twelve confirmed brides and... from the rumors I heard there's three more fiancees, with lady Tiamat's status being hotly debated since she also had him give her a child." She said, looking over to find Issei's utterly gobsmacked expression.
"Seriously?" He asked, feeling traces of envy, admiration, and slight embarrassment that he wanted this same life once upon a time. Something that was steadily changing after finally experiencing something akin to the harem life, bedding a few girls and learning how intense sex can be with multiple partners.
"Yep. Apparently Commander Kurosaki's stamina is considered inexhaustible." She admitted casually while Issei decided to ask him for exercise tips to increase his own. "And I do understand why she said I should hold off on having children myself, but every time I see Ichigo's own children, I feel a longing that I hope to one day soothe."
"Well... don't Shinigami also have long lifespans as well? I... think that's the right way to put it?" He asked before thinking about what he said, wondering if souls could have lifespans. "Point is, you have a long time ahead of you to make that dream a reality so you can take your time right?"
"That's true." Xenovia admitted before looking over the Sekiryuutei. "Though, if I took Rias's offer to become a devil, I might be pursuing you." She said, getting a blush from Issei before he gave her a smirk.
"Well, Rias does still have a knight piece available if the Soul Reaper thing doesn't work out." He answered with a smooth tone, surprising himself with how he managed to say it. "Or we can wait until I become a high class devil myself and offer you piece for my team." He suggested, getting a giggle from her before they both felt themselves getting lifted off the ground.
"You fell behind." Sajin growled before flashing back to the rest of the group, Issei seeing the four new faces wearing the gray uniforms of Karakura High. "These four are joining you now. Shirou and Illya Emiya, and Rin and Sakura Tohsaka." The group stepped forward and introduced themselves to the Kuoh Squad.
(Kunou's Experience)
For as long as she could remember, duty was hammered into Kunou's life. Her father was kept away from her because of his duty to study and train to become a captain and the eventual leader of the Gotei. Her mother was busy with her duties as the high priestess of Amaterasu and the ruler of Kyoto. She was kept away from her brothers and sisters except for a few days out of a month because of her duty as her mother's heir to study and become the next high priestess. She bore it all with a practiced and empty smile because that was her duty. She hated it. She hated all of it.
She hated seeing her brothers and sisters constantly getting to be with their birth mothers. Hated how close all of them were with their father while she was lucky to see him a few times a month. Hated that the only times she could be a child, doing something remotely reminiscent of a normal childhood, were the few sprinkles of time when she was with her father or away from Kyoto. She loved her family, truly did with all of her heart, but she hated being the daughter of Ichigo Kurosaki the Shinigami Captain and Yasaka the High Priestess of Amaterasu. So many times she wished and wanted to give anything for her family to be anything but these roles, but she gritted her teeth and bore it because it wasn't something she could change on her own and she did see how hard her family took these sacrifices. A burden that was only growing with a layer of fear and worry as the conflict with the Khaos Brigade only made things worse.
She grew up with the idea that her father was the strongest warrior there was and that's why peace reigned in the supernatural world of Japan. He was its protector and no one could challenge him, not anyone in the country and not any of the foreign gods or devils. Who wouldn't want the most powerful fighter on their side? That was his role and she understood that, just as she understood her and her mother's role as protectors and rulers of their city. It was unfair, that she was the only one of her siblings that had to live away from them, but she understood it.
She was the oldest and had to set an example similar to the one their father set for her. She hated it, but her father's mantra would still echo in her mind whenever she thought about how her siblings must feel. The older siblings are born to protect the ones that come after them. She heard the stories of his past that ingrained those thoughts in his mind and she did admire him for it, but what did it matter when she was just a few months older than most of her siblings? Would the outcome of her life be any different if she wasn't the oldest child?
Still, she did want to be as strong as her father and put in the effort for her training. To try and be as powerful as the believed to be invincible protector of Japan. She was able to sleep soundly growing up because of that thought. That no matter what news came regarding the new conflict, Ichigo would always be victorious. She truly believed that her father could never be defeated by anyone, that he was unstoppable.
That belief was shaken with the battle of the Old Satan Faction when he 'lost' his fight against the dragon, Crom Crauch. She wasn't there to witness it and they tried to keep it from her, but she had learned how to gather information and could recognize the frustration in her father. For the first time in her life, she saw the cracks in her father's armor. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of the possibility that she might not see her father alive again. For the first time she wanted to plead with him to stop, to slow down, to stay back and let anyone else take a fraction of the burden that her father carried on his shoulders out of fear and the desperation for him to be safe.
The only good news from that battle, in her mind, was that she got a new sister out of that incident. Ophis was now a part of their family full time, which did make her happy, but it couldn't remove the fear that now gripped her. She wanted to try and talk to her father, to convince him to stay away from the battlefield. But she didn't do that. She couldn't bring herself to do that. The sense of duty in both him and her were far too ingrained for her to be that selfish. It wasn't the first time she silently cried herself to sleep, cursing her life as a noble and the constraints that kept her from her family, but it was the first time it was out of fear her beloved papa's safety.
Then came the day when he left with the other three captains to keep his promise to the Aesir to fight in their apocalypse war. A promise made to foreigners, complete strangers to him, to leave his family behind to help the Aesir win their greatest war. An irritating oath that only made her sadder and angrier with Ichigo the Shogun. Something that she would have once thought to be a guaranteed victory and a quick affair so that she could vent her frustrations the next time she saw him. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
She was sent to Soul Society the very next day after Ichigo left for Asgard by the order of her mother Yasaka. She was told it was so that she could visit her siblings and friends and they were all put under the care of Mama Tiamat. This wasn't the usual gift of free time she was usually rewarded with, the tension in her mother's face wouldn't let her believe that. However, she was happy to get any amount of time with her family. She only wished that her own blood mother would be able to make that same time for her. For now, she would enjoy being with her siblings under the care of Mama Tiamat.
The Dragon really enjoyed being called that, something about being a goddess of life and motherhood. Tiamat also loved seeing them act like innocent and happy children, that it fulfilled an ancient longing in her heart that only recently came back to life and led to the creation of Melusine. All of this helped to soothe the concerns of Kunou for the time being. It wasn't the same as seeing her father and mother still with them, still with their family, but at least now she wasn't alone. She was with the rest of her family and that had always lifted her heart and the burdens she was living with. She was allowed to be Kunou the young kitsune and not Princess Kunou of Kyoto, the next high priestess of Amaterasu.
That was until the Khaos Brigade made their move and awoke a terrible monster of rage. Yammy was a quick and sudden cataclysm that took her happy morning that day and turned it into a nightmare. She wanted to scream, wanted to cry, wanted take her family anywhere else, but she knew she had to keep up a brave face and stay in the Dragon King's nest. Tiamat was easily able to protect them from the twisted arrancar, but the carnage of the monsters that couldn't be touched made it seem like that wouldn't last before Ophis destroyed them all for the sin of ruining their day. A sign that they would be safe with her around, but this was all a terrible reminder to the poor princess.
A terrible reminder of her troubles, of her fears that her father's aegis of their home was breaking, but her brothers and sisters were there with her to give their support despite their own troubles and concerns. She was grateful for them, loved them all dearly, and wished for what was likely the millionth time that she could be with them more.
Unfortunately, peace would still be denied her as she then got a call to inform her that her mother was now missing and she had to return to Kyoto to assume the duties of the High Priestess. Hearing that filled her heart with a cold, all encompassing dread as she silently prayed to the gods of Takamagahara and the being that her father serves would listen to her. That her invincible papa could find her lost mother and everything would go back to normal. That they would hold each other in a warm embrace, take another bath together, and she could fall asleep between them. Father's powerful presence blanketing her in his warmth and peace of mind and heart under his protection while mother sang her a soothing lullaby to ease her passage to the land of dreams.
Yet, life decided to be cruel again. Any hopes of her father coming back and saving her mother withered into pure fear at the sight of his missing arms, his infamous regeneration crippled. She knew what that meant and her heart sank when he admitted that it would take time for him to recover, but he refused to wait. He gathered all of her siblings and requested mothers Neliel, Senna, and Serafall to meet up with them in Kyoto while Tiamat, Orihime, and Kuroka would go with them now. The spirit user revived as many as she could to leave to the other healers as she made restoring Ichigo's arms her main priority.
They arrived in the throne room through a Senkaimon, reminding Kunou about her father's crippled control over his reiryoku. He'd normally think nothing of simply flashing to Kyoto, but they had to use the next best thing since he was bleeding his spiritual power. Once they were there and the palace staff noticed them, Ichigo immediately took command of the castle and started barking out directions to restore and keep the order of the city. If the servants or guards of the castle noticed his missing arms, they said nothing about. Either they were relieved to have direction or her father's aura was so intimidating that they couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
For so long she hated 'Ichigo the Captain, Ichigo the Shogun, Ichigo the Protector,' knowing those roles kept him from giving her the childhood she so desperately wanted. Now she was seeing that same persona that she despised in full force, dedicating itself to restoring the peace of her home and to bring back her precious mother. It was both terrifying to see him so cold and commanding and inspiring to see him in action. She'd never forgive or love the life that was forced upon her, but she would learn to control and use it. She took a moment to be with her siblings, to let down the walls and cry her heart out in this moment and release so much of the pain she was hiding, and then she took on the role of Princess Kunou. The High Priestess of Amaterasu.
For the first time in her life she was grateful for all of the lessons she had, letting her take some of the burden off of her father when she noticed his exhaustion take its toll. She conspired with her mother's head guard Mr. Komamura, Mama Orihime and Kuroka to put him to sleep so they could focus on his recovery, trusting Kuroka with the task of using senjutsu to heal his damaged soul. She wanted to stay with him, to help him personally since she was familiar with the healing applications of the style, but she made a promise and would see it through. She was taking everything she had learned to heart and using every last bit of it. It was only when she was struggling to keep her own eyes open did she finally submit and join him in his room, entrusting everything else for that day to Mr. Komamura.
There were a few things she was prepared to see when she got to her parents' room that night. Her father resting comfortably or, inversely, him in a fitful slumber as his body and soul fought to repair itself, a naked Nekoshou clinging to him and steadily restoring his life force with senjutsu, maybe Orihime helping that process along with her healing barrier, or if she was lucky then she'd wake up and all of this was simply just a terrible nightmare. What she got entering that room was indeed the naked Kuroka, wearing some weird metal underwear, and her father shaking in his bed from the war within his body, but also Ophis with a look of total concentration on her face as she straddled Ichigo's waist while black energy poured from her hand onto a pulsing red light coming from Ichigo's chest.
'He's adapting to a great power so I'm helping him to stay balanced.' was all the Dragon God told Kunou when she asked what she was doing. Even subdued and from a distance, Kunou could feel the potency of the energies at play and understood why even her father seemed to still be so ill. Whatever crippled him had to have been a truly terrifying force if even the Dragon God of Infinity felt the need to get involved. The young kitsune wasn't sure if that should've been more concerning or if it should ease her worries. Her father was fighting to get stronger, even while trying to rest.
The next morning was almost insultingly pleasant to her, a bright and sunny one with everything running smoothly despite the absence of her mother. She felt a touch of pride at being able to succeed in her duties like this, but there was also a bitterness at the thought that her mother could be so easily replaced. She smacked her cheeks at that and took another look at the palace staff, hoping that she was wrong and just being an angry child. Looking at them again allowed her to see that they were all wearing masks of their own to hide their concerns, a desperate attempt to keep things calm in Kyoto. It was reminder to her to do and be better, something she was ready and willing to do.
Mamas Nel, Senna, and Serafall would arrive later that day with the foreign goddess Artemis, another potential mother to her family if she heard correctly. Ichigo instructed Nel to aid Tiamat in keeping the children safe while he, Senna, and Artemis would go on the hunt to try and find Yasaka. Serafall would be working with her to keep the city running as smoothly as possible, but this was mostly to give the Satan a chance to bond with the other children. She was expecting more of the same strictness with their work along with occasional parental approval, but Serafall insisted on the two of them getting the most important stuff done first before she dragged the princess away to play whatever games might've been interesting to the kitsune. She wanted to focus on her duties, but the devil wanted her to be a child. She felt conflicted and wanted to argue, but Serafall took away any chance for her to argue by organizing the mess and settling the priority matters in what seemed to be record time. That day was arguably the most fun she had with any of her parents, something she was both happy and heartbroken about.
Ichigo returned to the palace utterly furious, their search only finding Yasaka's presence sealed in a jar to keep her hidden from their usual searching methods. He had himself locked in a sealed and reinforced room before venting out his anger, a power that was still felt throughout the castle and invoking fear into each yokai that sensed the depth of his wrath. Kunou felt like she got a picture of just how much being the 'Protector' mattered to her father and this was just a reminder of what she heard was his biggest failure. Her concerned overwrote any animosity she felt toward him for joining that war, no one was tormenting her father more than himself over this. The only other thing his search brought forth was the Emiya and Tohsaka siblings, who were traveling Japan on a learning trip assigned to Shirou by his master Oetsu. Something about reconnecting to his roots to become a better sword smith and blade master.
Finally it comes to today, when Mama Orihime said that the students from Kuoh would be coming to the city and he'd enlist the aide of the Kuoh Squad as they've been referred to as. At some point he disappeared for a moment and returned with a very annoyed look on his face before calling her to his side. They discussed the plan, to have her guide them along a specific training road that he had just devised and created the chess pieces that would help the current Sekiryuutei to get stronger as payment for his services. They were also meant to play the role of bait but he would leave her specifically a way out to avoid any danger and trusted her to know when would be the right time to use it.
'I just wish I knew when that was.' Kunou thought to herself as she led the group to the many Torii Gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine, everything else was on auto-pilot as she conveyed the historical, cultural, and trivial significance of one of her home city's noted landmarks. They finished their climb up the mountain, passing through the thousands of torii gates, and reached the main shrine at the summit where everyone involved immediately noted how dense and heavy the atmosphere was. The Sitri devils were talking about a nostalgic sense of foreboding while Kunou made her way to the front of the main shrine. Once there she did the traditional prayer of clapping twice, bowing twice, and clapping again.
"This will be your first training ground." Kunou announced, turning as she did so to face the group as they examined their new surroundings. Instead of the staircase to the shrine and the buildings around it, the entire space turned into a wide open arena. It was a perfect place to cut loose with their skills and abilities. "The two sides of the world, the Living World and the Shadow Side, are intrinsically connected. Whatever happens to the structures on one side will be reflected on the other. However places like this are hot spots for the spiritual ley lines, which are things I can tap into and use that energy to manipulate the area to suit our needs. Hence, this arena for the majority of you to spar in." She explained while the group spread themselves out, getting an idea for the arena and what they'll do for training. Issei was the only one to walk up to Kunou.
'The Sekiryuutei.' She thought to herself, remembering everything her father told her about the current possessor of the Boosted Gear. That the man he was now was attempting to be a noble warrior among the devils and a man worthy of respect. He also happens to have the immense ill fortune of having once been a breast obsessed pervert that has since been defined by that aspect. If her father hadn't caught his 'potential' as he called it, then her city would have cases of people overwhelmed with the desire to grope breasts. For that, she really wanted to punch him in the face. However, she was given a task and she would play her part.
"Issei Hyodou, to start your training you must take hold of this with your left hand." She explained, holding up the red rook chess piece that was part of his potential. "You'll be told what to do from there." The Pawn raised an eyebrow but did as he was instructed, reaching out to take the chess piece with his left hand. The moment he made contact with the piece, he steadily faded from the world until he utterly vanished. "He'll be fine. He's taking his test." Kunou informed them, noticing the concern coming from the devils and Irina. The members of the Gotei just accepted that this was all part of Ichigo's plan. "Everyone else, you are to spar in this heavy atmosphere. Good luck." She said before walking over to the the stairs and taking a seat, feeling the thing she's hidden in her sleeve.