chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own HighSchool DxD

Chapter XI – The Project Of The Century

In his suite, Kyuren had just finished his training session and was wiping the sweat from his body. He walked towards his plasma TV and turned it on for whatever program was on before making his way towards the fridge for a cold drink.

Slinging the towel over his shoulders and letting out a breath, Kyuren took out a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. Just then, Pip jumped on the counter with a cute little meow.

"Hey, Pip." Kyuren smiled and lightly scratched his kitten's ear. "Want some breakfast?"

"Nyaa~" The kitten cooed, enjoying her master scratching her ear.

The raven haired boy chuckled before grabbing a bowl and filling it with cat food before setting it down on the counter. Pip strode towards the bowl and began eating her fill while her master and friend watched with a small smile.

Finishing his glass of water, Kyuren put it on the sink and left Pip to her meal. He went up to his bedroom to take a quick shower before heading out to school…yes, it's Monday.

Kyuren closed the door to his bedroom and sighed, rubbing a hand on the minute soreness from his neck. Things have really gotten interesting since yesterday.

Smirking slightly, Kyuren took off his dirty clothes and threw them in the laundry bin before heading right for the bathroom.

Turning it on, Kyuren let the cold water wash over him and sighed in content. Most people liked warm water in the morning, but the raven haired boy preferred his ice cold. Helps him cool down after a session of his intense training regimen.

He sighed in satisfaction before he resigned himself to his thoughts. Last night, he got a call from Raynare saying that she did it. The Fallen Angel had achieved her goal and had a Sacred Gear in her hands.

And not to mention that she and her subordinates got away with what Kyuren could only assume as minor injuries. Good for them, and good for Raynare.

But...he would not hear from her for a while. True, she had accomplished her goals, but the fact remains that she did it against her superior's orders and did not account for the possible consequences of her actions.

It would be a shame if Raynare had to be executed because of this, she had so much potential. And Kyuren could see it in her eyes. She was willing to go the distance to get stronger, she was willing to endure whatever was thrown her way, she was willing to do whatever it took to get stronger.

And stronger she will become, that Kyuren was sure of when they meet again; he expected it. And that Sacred Gear will help her along the way. It may sound cold and quite frankly, Kyuren could care less...to the victor goes the spoils.

And Raynare won.

Kyuren managed a small smile as he washed his hair. He shall look forward to the day would meet again...if she still lived.

Now, there was his thoughts on Sacred Gears.

Yes, Kyuren despised those that were basically given their powers on a damn silver platter. A prime example would be that idiot Issei Hyoudou.

True, Hyoudou had a few redeeming qualities, but his bad ones far outweigh the good ones. He is a pervert, weak, and had no sense of realism anywhere in his pathetic body. To top it all off, he was given powers and attributes that he did not even deserve just like that?

And how does he plan to use his powers? Issei wants a jævle harem. A HAREM! What a disgrace!

Kyuren shook his head in disgust. He doesn't necessarily dislike the Sacred Gears; he knew that they had their uses. But what the raven haired boy had a problem with was who wielded them.

He was sure that there are some people out there that more than deserved possessing Sacred Gears, but from what Kyuren had seen thus far, he wasn't impressed.

Take Asia Argento, the girl that was Raynare's intended target. From what Issei said, she was an angel in mortal form. Sweet, innocent, and ready to help the injured as a nun would do. But she was not suited to wield a Gear.

Not with her kind nature.

It was a shame, but Kyuren shrugged it off. People die every day and she would be no different. It would be an act of mercy anyway. She gets to go to heaven in peace, her debts paid in full.

But Kyuren could be wrong on this one. That Asia girl could still be alive for all he knew. He wasn't sure that the Evil Pieces work that way, but they could bring back the girl. But it would've been a waste of said piece since she had her Gear removed.

But from what he had seen with Rias and from what Sona had told him, the Gremory heiress spoils her servants. And it was very likely that she'll bring back Asia to life just to appease Issei.

That was another problem he had with that peerage. Their king was too damn nice to them. 'She spoils them too much. She needs to tighten her fist a little so they can learn.' Kyuren thought to himself.

The hard lessons in life were not taught with kind words of encouragement and moral support, they were taught through pain, suffering, and failures. That's why they're called the hard lessons, the reality of it all.

Not everything was a willy nilly walk in the fucking park. And Kyuren could attest to that.

But if that's how they wanted to do things, then Kyuren didn't care. He had absolutely no desire to involve himself in their affairs.

If there was one peerage that rubbed him off in a good way, it was Ms. Shitori's peerage. Clearly, the two young women were exceedingly different from the other. While one was too sweet towards her servants, the other was strict and kept hers in line.

That's how it should be. Sona knew what it took to be a leader, she had the intelligence and wit to back that claim up. While strict, she also cared for her peerage but not to the point where she spoils them rotten.

For that, Kyuren commends Sona.

And the fact that Kyuren spends time with the Student Council. Probably the only friends he made at Kuoh Academy.

Turning the knob, the water was cut off and Kyuren grabbed a towel to wipe himself off. Ah, that felt good and the raven haired boy felt refreshed.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and went on to get dressed with his uniform. After he donned his school uniform, the raven haired boy went down stairs for his own meal before heading out.

Preparing himself a healthy serving of waffles and scrambled eggs with some slices of apples, he plopped himself on the couch and watched some good old cartoons.

It was then he remembered what was going to happen today. 'Ah, how could I forget.' Kyuren chuckled to himself. 'Today's the day I meet my partner.' His partner for the Science Fair, to be precise

To be truthful, anyone would do for him, but he hoped that Ms. Sugai, his Physics proctor, would pair him up with Sona Sitri.

Out of everyone in school, she was the one he mostly spends time with...not in the romantic way. And in that time, he had come to view her as one he could view as an equal in intellect.

Though Kyuren had the lead in their little chess competition, it was a very small lead - Sona was just that good. He would be looking forward in working with her.

After finishing his meal, he put the dirtied plates in the sink and went to get his bag, overcoat and scarf. "Ser deg senere, Pip." (See you later, Pip.) He called out to his cat and went out the door.

Today was not a good day for Sona Sitri. Not a good day at all.

Just now, Rias had informed her that the Fallen Angels somehow managed to get away from them and made away with Twilight Healing.

Even though that they were a splinter group, this incident was still a giant slap to the face for Rias, and to a lesser degree, to the Sitri heiress. She was responsible for this territory as well, and it grated on Sona's nerves that Raynare had managed to get away scot free.

There were a lot of variables to consider, like how did they even manage to get away? There were a lot of possibilities for that, but the most likely was that Kyuren told her.

Did the raven haired boy snitch them out to Raynare? Did Kyuren play a role in this, and if so, why? What would he gain from this?

But he did say that Kyuren wanted no part in their affairs and Sona was more than happy to agree with him. She didn't want him to meddle in affairs that he wasn't supposed to, and all he asked was to be left in peace.

Though it was possible, Sona would reserve judgement for now. Yes, Kyuren admitted that he talked with Raynare but he didn't say anything to her other than the consequences of her actions and to leave him out of it or risk his ire.

He was a neutral party and didn't want to get himself more involved than he already was. So, it wouldn't make sense if he helped them.

Was it possible that Raynare had wised up and planned better? It wasn't exactly helping in Kyuren's part, he just told her the ramifications of Raynare's actions should she proceed.

The Sitri heiress silently hoped that Kyuren had no part in their escape. She wouldn't admit it, but he had grown on her as a close friend - someone she could trust.

"Sona-sama, are you all right?" Came Tsubaki's question and Sona sighed as they walked to their first class, Physics.

"Just contemplating." She replied. "The incident on Saturday is not something to take lightly, but we can't just tell it to anyone."

Tsubaki understood the hesitation on her king's expression. If the Satans and their clan heads found out about this, Rias and Sona would be humiliated for not being able to defend their territory against three Fallen Angels and had let them get away.

Rias and Sona could lose their territory and be sent back to the Underworld and eventually be married off to some other High-class devil. Tsubaki was sure as literal hell Sona didn't want that to happen.

And if the worst came to pass, it could spark another war. And that was something the Three Factions didn't need to happen.

"What are you planning to do?"

The Sitri heiress pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Nothing at the moment. There isn't much to do here as it is. It was Rias' pawn that was targeted, and this ultimately falls into her jurisdiction."

Tsubaki nodded as they entered the classroom. Like what Sona said, this was Rias Gremory's problem, but it still bothered them to a degree.

The two sat down on their respective seats as they waited for the class to start. Sona looked at the time and saw that they still had several more minutes before it begins and made herself comfortable for the wait.

Not a minute later, the door opened and Sona saw Kyuren coming in with his hands in his coat pocket. She could hear some girls whispering about thanks to her devil senses. Some of them were...uh...a little naughty to say the least.

Yes, a lot of girl were now fawning over the resident celebrity. It was an inevitability when the whole school found out about him. A world class athlete, undefeated martial arts champion, extremely rich, and not to mention one hot hunk. He was quite the catch

And it was all thanks to the Kendo Club.

Kyuren appeared to have heard the whispers as he was moving to his seat and Sona picked up the smallest trace of a shiver coming from him and that made her smirk lightly.

As Kyuren was walking, his eyes met Sona's and he gave her a small smile and a small nod in greeting. The Sitri heiress hesitated for a split second before returning the nod as he strode past her.

Sona let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding and furrowed her brow slightly. 'W-What just happened?' She thought to herself but before she could further contemplate, the doors opened to reveal Ma'am Sugai Fumiya.

"Konichiwa, everyone." She greeted with a smile as she set her things on the table. "Let's get started with our new lesson, and just a reminder. Later, I'll announce who'll be partners for the Science Fair."

The rest nodded as Ms. Sugai began her lesson for today.

An hour and twenty or so minutes later, the class had been dismissed except for those that were willing to participate in the Science Fair.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for volunteering to this." Sugai said with a smile at the six students remaining in her classroom.

"Now, let's get started with your partners." Ms. Fumiya took out a list and cleared her throat. "For Souna Shitori, your partner will be…Mr. Avynzen. For Tsubaki, your…"

Sona blocked the rest out as she looked at her supposed partner. She wasn't exactly complaining about it, Kyuren was very capable and judging from the small smirk her was sporting, he had something…interesting in mind.

And strangely, the Sitri heiress was looking forward to finding out what exactly Kyuren was planning

Kyuren was glad that Ms. Sitri was his partner in this, she was very competent and he trusted her with this. It was not like this little thing he had in mind could change the face of the world as we see it…

Oh wait, it could.

'I'll blow up that bridge we I get there.'

"That should do it, everyone. I hope you'll all do well with your ideas and I wish you all good luck." Ms. Sugai said before dismissing them.

Everyone stepped out of the room and met up with their own partners to talk about their ideas. And it was the same for Kyuren and Sona.

"So, we're partners in this, huh?" Kyuren asked at Sona Sitri who nodded as they walked slowly.

"Hai, we should talk about our plans with this event." It wouldn't do that only Kyuren had thought of something here. It would be a huge blow to her pride. He had already become his rival in almost anything regarding school work.

"Agreed. Where should we meet? My suite's not exactly the type of place to do projects."

Sona appeared to think about it. True, where he lived was relatively far from Kuoh Town so it was an inconvenience for her and to him. So, it was probably better to meet up somewhere in between.

But the problem was, the only place she knew that was close to Tokyo was her house. Could she actually invite to the place she lived? It was fairly large and she was confident that whatever they decided on could fit.

'Well, it's our only option. We can't really construct whatever it is we agree on in a hotel suite.' Sona sighed to herself, it was really the only place they had.

"We could use my house for our project." She said and Kyuren looked at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked, not wanting to impose himself on her.

The Sitri heiress merely nodded. "I don't mind, but we can discuss the finer details later." She turned to Kyuren and he did the same. "I'll see you later then."

Kyuren smiled and nodded. "All right, I'll see you back at your Council's room. Goodbye for now." He bid farewell and went on his way for some food and Sona went on her way as well.

Hours passed and it was now the end of school for the day. And the students were all walking out of the school gates and on their way to home for some rest.

Among those leaving was Kyuren who was walking towards his car. But his destination was not the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, it was Sona Sitri's home.

The two of them had made an agreement that they would further discuss things at her abode since it was the most convenient location. Kyuren had offered to drive her there, but she declined. Opting to use her teleportation circle to get there and prepare until he arrived.

Kyuren chuckled to himself, remembering the joke he said that Sona shouldn't make too much of a fuss for him. That earned him a very stern glare, but he did spot the faintest blush.

She did, however, gave him the address for her house so it was no problem for Kyuren. There was this thing called GPS, pretty damn useful.

Reaching his car, the raven haired boy clicked on his key and the car beeped. He opened the door, got in, and started up his Mustang with the engines revving.

"All right, now let's see where Ms. Shitori lives." He mumbled as he typed the address he was given into his phone. Not a second later, he got his results.

Well, it wasn't that far from here. About one and a half mile away. It shouldn't take him long to get there.

Placing his phone on the stand, Kyuren shifted his gear and hit the gas, his Mustang rolling out of Kuoh Academy's parking lot.

As he followed the directions towards Sona's house, Kyuren thought back on things this day.

Truth be told, he expected to meet Rias or even a member of her peerage – especially Issei Hyoudou – but surprisingly, there was none.

When he came to the Council's room for his and Sona's chess game – which he won, by the way – Kyuren had asked what happened to them. It would seem that, as they failed at disposing or capturing the Fallen Angels, Rias was contemplating if she should tell the Maous or not. Of course, it come with its own sets of pros and cons in the matter

Kyuren had asked her about what Sona was going to do about it, and she wasn't sure herself. By all intents and purposes, the House of Sitri had no part in this little debacle. It was strictly in Gremory's hands.

But she did say that this happened within her territory as well as she and Rias shared this area. So, she had to do something about that matter.

He had also heard that Issei had been absent today. When Kyuren asked, Sona said that Asia, the girl Issei was trying to save, died. And he wasn't taking it very well.

Well, looks like Issei failed to save the poor girl. What could you expect from an idiot like that? What was Rias thinking in turning that useless waste of valuable space into her servant? Better question still…hvorfor i helvete (why the hell) did he save that little shit stain in the first place?!

It was probably better if Kyuren just let him die in the first place! 'Curse my conscience.' He grumbled mentally as he rounded a curve.

Kyuren briefly wondered what would happen if he had just walked away from that. It would probably be one giant cluster-fuck of nonsense. With basically everyone sucking up to him.

The raven haired boy shuddered at the thought. Issei being hailed as a champion? No way, that fool didn't have what it takes.

But Kyuren didn't think about it for now. There was no reason to trouble himself about it. Besides, it wasn't his concern anyway.

Shaking his head slightly, Kyuren continued on his way towards Ms. Sitri's home.

Sona Sitri was preparing her home for the guest she was expecting. She had given her address to Kyuren so they could talk about their ideas for the Science Fair and had her maids prepare some drinks and snacks.

While she didn't show it, Sona was actually quite excited working with Kyuren. He had proven himself more than capable in keeping up with her and could not wait in discussing their ideas.

She had decided that the living room was the appropriate place for the meet and had it prepared accordingly by the maids with the Sitri heiress pitching in.

Taking a step back, she surveyed the layout of the spacious living room and nodded to herself. This had to be presentable because she was having a guest over.

'I think that does it. Now, I just have to wait for Kyuren to arrive.' She said to herself and went on to sit on the couch and review her project idea for some last minute improvements.

Some time later, after finishing up the finer details of her proposal, one maid came in. "Excuse me, Sona-sama. But your guest has arrived."

Sona nodded. "Thank you. Please, show him in."

"At once." The maid bowed and went on her way to welcome her lady's guest.

Sighing, Sona stood up and dusted herself clothes off and waited for him to come in and she didn't have to wait long.

The maid came back and bowed at her. "Your guest has arrived, Sona-sama." She stepped aside to reveal a smirking Kyuren lazily walking about.

"I must admit, Ms. Shitori. This is one beautiful home." He commented. "I believe I'm almost jealous."

Beside herself, Sona couldn't help the miniscule smile coming along before straightening up. "I'm glad you approve. Please, bring the refreshments." She requested and some maids nodded before disappearing.

Kyuren tilted his head slightly before coming towards Sona. "Thank you for agreeing to meet at your home. My hotel suite may not be the most ideal place for our project."

The Sitri heiress nodded. "No thanks needed. This was just the most convenient place I could suggest. We don't have a lot of options."

"Yes." The raven haired boy agreed. "But shall we get down to business? I'd like to hear what you want to do." He motioned to the couches where a tablet lay on the table.

"Lets." She motioned for Kyuren to follow her to the couches and sit on them as the snacks and refreshments were served. They both thanked the maids who smiled before going about their other tasks.

Sona cleared her throat as she handed Kyuren the tablet. "Here's my ideas for our project." The raven haired boy took the tablet and began to scan it and began to discuss about her idea.

What she proposed new type of prosthetics that connected directly to a person's nerves, making for almost fluid movement.

Though that technology has already been developed, what Sona was proposing opened up the possibility of replacing limbs entirely. It could help a lot of disabled people, there was no denying that.

And don't even get Kyuren started at what could this mean to the medical and scientific community as a whole.

Kyuren couldn't help but smirk, Sona was a genius. There was no denying that.

"I have to say, this is very impressive." The raven haired boy smiled at his partner. "I'm really lucky I had you as a partner." He said, handing her the tablet but he didn't notice the blush coloring Sona's cheeks.

The Sitri heiress fought to die her blush down but it was proving difficult as she took back the tablet. Why was she reacting like this over a simple compliment?

Composing herself, Sona gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, but I believe it's time for you to tell me your idea." And she expected to be blown away.

She would not be disappointed.

Upon hearing that it was his time to shine, Kyuren didn't hold back the smirk as he stood up and walked towards Sona's TV and plugging in a flash drive before turning it on.

While curious at what her partner was up to, Sona remained silent and merely watched as the TV came on but it looked different. "What's happening?" She asked.

"Nothing much." Kyuren shrugged. "The files are just being compiled; it should be just a second. Besides, I had to decrypt it for a while." He was fiddling with his phone to get things started as he was connected to the TV through that USB.

That revelation caught Sona off guard. Why would he decrypt a file? It must've been important if he had to do that.

"What do you mean by that?" Sona stood up and eyed Kyuren. "What are you planning?"

Kyuren didn't answer as the schematics were now ready to be revealed. "Let me show you." He said with a smirk and with a press to his phone, the schematics were revealed.

Once it was shown, Sona eyes widened as a look of pure shock adorned her face. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, this...this was...amazing.

Seeing the awed look on her face, the raven haired boy couldn't help but feel smug about himself and thought that Sona was cute when she was like that.

"K-Kyuren...is this...this is the..." She struggled with her words, looking at her partner in disbelief.

"If you're saying that this is the Iron Man armor, then yes. Yes, it is." He laughed lightly as he too looked over his masterpiece.

Finally overcoming her shock, Sona merely stared at the rotating presentation of the supposedly fictional advanced suit of armor. It was incredible, today's technology couldn't even come close to it, yet here it is. Right in front of her.

Designed by the young man beside her. "H-How..?"

Kyuren chuckled. "Let's just say I'm a big Marvel's fan." He turned to Sona with a smirk. "So, what do you think?"

It took the Sitri heiress a few second, but she gazed at Kyuren with a smirk of her own. "If we pull this off...I may consider giving you a kiss."

AN:

Bet you didn't see that one coming, did ya'?! Yeah, that's right. Kyuren's weapon is not going to be some lousy Sacred Gear or anything like that. No, it's going to be the one and only Iron Man Armor!

Also, I changed my mind about Asia living. She dies.