chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own HighSchool DxD.

Chapter XIX – Clearing Things Up

Sona had never felt like this before. Yes, she was laughed at, became a laughing stock for the elders because of her ideas. She had felt so insulted and disgraced, but the Sitri heiress didn't let it show. She would not let them the satisfaction.

But...why was she feeling so...down...? The elders laughing and trampling over what she believed in, Sona could handle...but why was it different for Kyuren?

When he had ignored her without even saying something, she felt like something was strained inside of her. It felt like a needle was digging into her chest.

The Sitri heiress looked dignified as she should be on the outside but inside, she was being torn asunder by the guilt and sadness she was feeling. She had looked into Kyuren's eyes and she knew that he did too...but they didn't have that certain warmth she had come to know instead it was cold indifference.

It was like Kyuren didn't even consider her a friend anymore...like she was a stranger to him. The mere thought worried Sona because...because...

The Sitri heiress was broken from her thoughts when she felt someone tapping on her arm. Temporarily shaking off her thoughts, Sona turned her head and saw Tsubaki looking at her with a slightly worried expression.

"Sona, are you all right?" She asked, wanting to make sure that her mistress was holding up okay. Tsubaki knew that Sona and Kyuren were close, but after what happened earlier...she didn't know where they stood now.

To her credit, Sona nodded. "Yes, I am." She replied stoically, hiding her fears behind her serious exterior cultivated for years.

Tsubaki wanted to say more but there really isn't much one could say here. Sona was beating herself up for the way Kyuren was acting around them.

It was her mistress' fault that that happened. And she hoped that things between them get better before everything all goes to hell, no pun intended.

"...He may just need some time to calm down some more." Tsubaki supplied, trying to lighten her King's mood a little.

Well, that is a possibility. Her partner just might need some more time to cool off. After all, she would too if someone kidnapped her from her home and demanded entertainment from her.

Yes, she would be very pissed if that happened.

Still though...Sona was still worried. It was her responsibility as the Student Council President to look after a fellow student and she failed in that.

It made her feel guilty that she had failed in keeping her partner put of her race's mess.

"I do not know, Tsubaki. We can only hope for the best." Sona sighed, herself hoping that Kyuren would understand and accept her apology...that is, if he wanted to talk to her.

Her queen nodded in understanding. The only thing they can do in this situation was to hope for the best really.

Soon, the two came into the classroom and almost immediately, Sona spotted the man who she wanted to talk to. Their eyes met briefly and the Sitri heiress could see the fire in his eyes and couldn't help but flinch.

Yep, he was still really pissed but despite all that, she managed to give him a small smile.

To her relief, the raven haired teen's gaze softened and returned her gesture with his own smile before turning away. Sona felt a little at ease to see him do that and it did not go unnoticed by Tsubaki.

Her mistress might deny it now, but there was a growing attraction between the two of them - it was quite obvious at this point. The entire peerage, hell, the entire school had some gossip about Sona and Kyuren were secretly dating.

Well, this was her mistress' life and Tsubaki was just her humble servant so that was up to Sona to decide.

With that, the two devils took their respective seats and wait for this class to start.

When Kyuren had entered the room and sat down on his chair, he realized one thing. The raven haired teen had brushed off Ms. Shitori earlier. Well, it wasn't really a bad thing, but he did it too harshly.

He came to this school still feeling a little ticked off and didn't want to speak to anybody for a while even though he vented much of his frustration in training from that fiasco in the Underworld

Those idiots...what right did they had anyway? What right did they had to take him from his home and demand him for entertainment?

Absolutely nothing.

The raven haired teen wasn't a gladiator; he wasn't some cheap performer or slave for anyone's amusement. But he made sure to give them a very convincing warning.

Kyuren had made an example of their so called Devil King as well as the bastard Riser. That should give them an idea at what Kyuren was ready to do to them and he would not hesitate either.

And Ms. Shitori along with the rest of her entourage was waiting for him. She most likely wanted to talk to him, but Kyuren was in no mood for chatting so he moved past her and her peerage.

Looking back now though...he regretted doing that to them. They didn't deserve that and he knew it. Sona was just trying to get him out of there and help him out, and the others were just as innocent.

What Kyuren did was a very cold thing to do to a friend who was just trying to help. The raven haired teen was still a bit peeved when he saw her and he didn't want to speak to her in that state of mind. Not to mention that they were in the middle of open school grounds.

There was no way he could face her that way. He could have hurt her and the raven haired teen did not want that to happen.

Nevertheless, no matter the reasons and excuses he may have, it was still very much uncalled for and inappropriate thing to do. Sona would probably think that he was angry at her and would think that their friendship was over.

No, that was not it. She had nothing to do with that and Kyuren knows that. But with that he did...it leaves none to the imagination.

He had to set things right before this escalates into something worse.

Then when Sona and Tsubaki entered the room, their eyes briefly met. He saw his partner flinch under his gaze and it made him really feel like an asshole. All he could do was give her a small smile and it appeared to have eased her a little.

He knew that wasn't going to be enough, but it was a start. But before he and Sona could talk things out, they had to go through the day first.

"Class dismissed." Ms. Sugai announced to the class and soon, everyone was packing up after they saw to it that the room was clean and orderly for the next class.

As the students were moving out, Sona cast a sideways glance to the raven haired teen who was packing up his belongings. She entertained the thought about just going up to him now and invite him to the Student Council Room to talk things out.

But she decided against that one. Considering things, they were still in thin ice with him and the Sitri heiress did not want to push her luck any further than needed.

Sona looked at Tsubaki and nodded before going out of the classroom where they would wait for the raven haired teen to come out.

Kyuren knew that those two would be waiting for him outside that door. Well, he did want to have a nice chat with Sona and clear things up with her, but not in a place like this. Not in Kuoh, at least.

Shouldering his bag, the raven haired teen went out the door and sure enough, he was face to face with Sona. "Kyuren, I would like to-"

Before she could speak further, he held up his hand, signaling her to stop before turning to her with a slight smile. "Sona, we will talk. But not here, okay?"

'I expected as much.' She sighed to herself. It wasn't was she had hoped, but it was better than nothing. Giving a nod, the Sitri heiress returned his smile with her own small one. "I can accept that."

The raven haired teen's smile grew and turned to Sona's queen and nodded. "Good to see you again, Tsubaki." He greeted.

"You as well." She appreciated the greeting.

"I'll see you at the shop, Ms. Shitori. Give my regards to everyone else." With that, the three moved on their separate ways.

Sona was a little disappointed that she will probably not see him the Student Council Room for their chess game, but she at least knows that he was willing to hear her out.

Well, as Student Council President, it was her duty to apologize for the injustice done to him and she will do just that.

"That went better than I expected." Tsubaki commented, expecting a lot of drama. But thankfully, that did not come to pass and they were still in one piece.

Sona could only nod, watching Kyuren's retreating form. "Yes, I agree." She said with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Let's go, Tsubaki. We still have work to do."

"Of course, Sona." With that, the two young devils made their way to the Student Council Room.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

One of the servants heard someone knocking on the door and was instantly there to answer it. Opening the door, she greeted who was there. "Good afternoon, how may I help you?" She asked before she recognized who it was. "Oh, Master Kyuren. Please, come in. Lady Sona has been waiting for you." She stepped to the side and bowed.

In his visits the Sona's abode, the raven haired teen had come to be recognized as an honored guest by their mistress. She had even expressed that he was welcome here...within reason.

And in time, some of the servants were actually wondering if and when the two would become a couple.

Kyuren smiled and entered his partner's home. "Thank you. May I ask, where's Ms. Shitori?" They two of them had a lot to clear up.

"My lady is currently in the workshop, sir. I shall prepare some refreshments at once. Would you like me to take your coat?" She asked. Though she already knew the answer, it was just a formality.

"No, thank you." He shook his head. "If you would excuse me." With that, he headed for their workshop while the servant went on to prepare some refreshments.

The raven haired teen made his way down the stairs leading to their workshop and came upon a door with a biometric palm scanner and code panel.

It was a security feature that Kyuren had installed just in case. The biometrics were keyed to them and them alone, and each had their own codes to use to gain entry. It may not stop those pesky magic users, but it would stop or slow down any human that wasn't him.

Placing his hand on the scanner and punching in his personal code, the mighty Kyuren opened the door and stepped inside. Their workshop was filled with one would consider futuristic technology.

The shop was filled with holograms of armor designs and data that they used. In the far side, a plethora of machines were fabricating the needed components for the armor and at the center was the armor itself.

Kyuren looked on at his and Sona's project with pride even though it was still a prototype. He had completed the boots and gauntlets and was almost done with the exosystems with about ninety percent done.

As this was just a prototype, Kyuren and Sona hadn't spent that much money on it...relatively speaking. For example, to save up some cash, the raven haired teen had opted to use Aluminum for the shell metals instead of the new nano laminated alloy. That comes later.

All in all, everything was going according to plan.

Turning to the main computer was, he saw that Sona was hard at work with her neural interface again. The connection was actually finished and she was just doing some last minute checks.

"Kyuren, I see you're here now." She said, turning around before standing. "What do you think? I should have the connection working properly by day's end and we can test it tomorrow."

"I'll say." He nodded looking over at her interface. If Sona said it was ready. then it was. Good thing that Kyuren had been given the layout necessary for him to make the necessary circuits and pathways.

Sona smiled, her work was almost finished and couldn't wait to test it. But then, her smile turned to a frown and faced the raven haired teen. "Kyuren, I wish to apologize to you."

This got his attention and looked at her in curiosity. What did she have to apologize for? If anything, he should be apologizing to her, not the other way around.

"When you were taken into the Underworld, I failed in not taking you back." Sona said in an apologetic tone. "You had told me that you had no desire in the affairs of devils, and you were taken against your will there and I failed in keeping to that agreement. Please, forgive me." She bowed, hoping that he would understand.

Kyuren was flattered that Sona would do this, but it was unnecessary. He knew she was never in the wrong; it was that pathetic excuse for a devil king that was to blame.

Sona was innocent and had proven it when she offered to take him back to his home. A pity that Riser idiot decided to run his fucking mouth, Kyuren would've been more than happy to forget about it.

"Ms. Shitori." He made the bold move of raising her head by gently cupping her chin between his pointer and middle finger. An act that made the Sitri heiress almost blush. "You had nothing to do with it. It wasn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's that Sirzechs idiot. But if you're that desperate, then I forgive you."

The raven haired teen snickered when she gave him a dirty indignant look, but that soon changed into a smile. At least he didn't blame her and her peerage by extension.

"And I will also not hold this against Rias. I may have had differences with her pawn, but she was also innocent." That red haired girl had no part in this as well. She knew that Kyuren wanted out on their affairs and had done just that. So, Rias and her peerage were off the hook.

Sona nodded, glad that her partner didn't hold this against her longtime friend. She admits that the events leading up to the wedding was partially her fault for not preparing, Rias had no way of knowing Riser would demand that.

Which leads us to...

"Kyuren, I know this is futile, but...on behalf of the entire Devil race, I would like to extend my deepest apologize."

The raven haired teen hummed. "It is futile. Unless the Devil King comes to me with a formal apology, I will treat devils as threats to my person." He saw Sona's face fell and quickly added to his words. "With a few exceptions, of course."

The Sitri heiress humphed and he gave her a cheeky grin. "I'll be sure to pass that message along." And she will have to do it soon because she doesn't know how long renegade devils or kill squads would come after him...only to be sent back in chunks.

"See that you do. And...I also would like to apologize." He gave her a frown and looked into her eyes. "In the Underworld and at school, I completely ignored you and your peerage. I had no solid reason for that, but at the time, I was still angry. I did not want to be near you in that state of mind. But what I did was inconsiderate and downright rude. For that, I'm sorry."

It was a sincere apology and Sona knew it. She gave him a small smile. "I understand, Kyuren. If our positions were reversed, I would also need time to cool myself off and reorganize my thoughts." Kyuren relaxed and feeling uncharacteristically playful, she added with a smirk. "But if you're that desperate, then I forgive you."

Her response was Kyuren busting a gut in laughter. She admits, she was close to laughing herself. "Wow, Sona. I didn't know you had it in you." He them gave her a teasing smirk. "Am I rubbing off on you?"

Sona scoffed. "It was only a slip of the tongue, nothing more."

"Uhuh, sure." He rolled his eyes with a chuckle but then, he frowned. "So, everyone knows what I can do now." He said evenly.

The Sitri heiress sighed. "Yes, they do. You almost killed the Devil King Sirzechs and destroyed Riser. That will garner you some unwanted attention not, just from us."

Letting out a growl of annoyance, the raven haired teen raked his fingers through his hair. He knew that consequences of his actions the moment he made his decision. Now, he was going to be the center of attention in the Supernatural World. And he hated that kind of attention.

"How bad is it, and who else knows."

"So far, only us." Sona referred to the devils, but she didn't know that the Fallen Angels had gotten wind of this and were making their own move. "As for how bad…the other Devil Kings had considered sending kill squads after you."

That made him narrow his eyes. "Then I will not show them any kindness."

His partner sighed in sadness. "I know, that's why I offered an alternative." She saw him eye her critically and she turned her head away. "I'm sorry, Kyuren, but in order to keep the heat of you, I agreed to keep you in check and relay information on you."

The raven haired teen silently growled in displeasure. If those devils want to come after him, they should do it and not get Sona involved even more than she already is. And while he didn't like that she had agreed to practically spy on him and keep in on a leash, it was the only thing she could think of to avoid conflict.

Giving out a sigh, Kyuren reached a and to her cheek and gently made her look at him. "This is not your fault, Sona, you were just dragged into it. I don't blame you. But thank you for sticking your neck out."

The two shared a smile before he retracted his hand and looked at his desk and saw that there was a container on his desk and immediately knew what it was. "Is that my package?" He pointed to it.

Sona still looked a little lost in her thoughts but shook it off for now and looked to where he was pointing and nodded. "Yes, my servants had received it yesterday and I placed it there. Is that the core for the power source?"

"Yes, let's see what's inside, shall we." He and Sona walked to the package. In truth, the Sitri heiress was rather curious about this core. Looking at the container and the many locking mechanisms it had, it must be something.

The raven haired teen made quick work accessing all the locks and when the final look was undone, he slowly lifted the lid with Sona watching closely.

Then she saw a bright light coming from inside and her curiosity grew. 'What is this...?' When the lid was fully opened, she was surprised to see a that it was a circular glowing thing.

It was oddly...beautiful.

"What is this?" She breathed out, captivated by this glowing object.

"This is the core I plan in using for the power source." He smiled. "This is a new element of my own creation."

That caught her attention and shifted her gaze towards her partner. "A new element? You created a new element?" Even she could feel the disbelief in her own voice.

"Yes, but it wasn't easy to create. I'll spare you the details because that would take too much time." He closed the lid and the locking mechanisms snapped back on. "Now, we have some work to do."

With that, the two returned to their respective stations but Sona was once again lost in her thoughts. Why? Why did she feel…good? The feeling of his hand on her cheek was still with her. The cool warmth of his palm…it made her feel…something.

Hesitantly, the Sitri heiress brought a hand to where Kyuren's was and rubbed it. Why? She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way but why was she? Sona was only doing what was right as per her duties as the Student Council President.

Was she actually developing feelings for him? No, that should never happen. First and foremost, he was human – the most powerful human she has ever known…but they don't live very long.

If she did have feelings for him…she would only watch him wither away to dust while she lived on with the heartbreak.

For some reason, it made her feel sorrow, but she didn't know why. 'Why am I thinking about this? I have work to do.' With that, she returned to her work. It was never meant to be for him and her and Sona should just stop thinking about it.

On another not, her curiosity got the better if her.

"What do you call it? That new element." She returned to her consoles as Kyuren was back doing the exosystems.

"Badassium." He said with pride.

The Sitri heiress looked at him incredulously. That was the best he could come up with? "...That's a stupid name."

Kyuren gave her a dirty look. "...Shut up." He grumbled, making the Sona silently giggle. She may not admit it now, but it was nice having her friend back to the way he was.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, and it's been eating the hell out of me."

"What is it?"

"Is the Illuminati real?"

*Two Days Later*

"Ah, hjem kjære hjem." ("Ah, home sweet home.") Kyuren sighed in delight. It had been two days since he and Sona had cleared things up between them and progress on the armor was excellent.

He has already completed the exosystems and they were in perfect working condition. In addition, the neural interface was a huge success. Sona had tested it on herself and while he protested to her the dangers of such an act, she went along with it.

It got him worried that she was doing this, but his worries were laid to rest when the connection was made and she appeared to have sustained no injuries or trauma. And with that, it was ready to be installed to the awaiting armor.

The only thing missing was the power source which he had completed today.

Sona was already done with her work, she opted to watch him build it and she was utterly astounded when it was finished. What he had created was a self-sustaining energy source, clean and practically limitless.

Kyuren chuckled at the memory when she wanted a demonstration. He responded by cutting out the entire workshop from the grid and installed the reactor. The look on her face when the entire shop came alive was priceless.

A shame he didn't take a picture of her.

He was just outside of his door and was about to enter when he heard noises inside. Well, his first thought was Pip just fooling around. She does that a lot when he was gone. Until he heard a voice coming from inside.

"Hey, bad kitty!"

That made his blood boil. SOMEONE WAS IN HIM HOMEWITH HIS KITTEN! Twisting the nob, the lock broke under his massive strength and pushed the door almost out of its hinges.

Someone had broken into his home and he was not going to let that go unpunished! He was ready to kill the one who dare trespass in his home until he saw who it was.

"Hey, Kyuren. Could you call off your kitten, please?" It was…Raynare…and she was on the counter with Pip trying to get to her with claws and fangs bared, hissing.

What was she doing here? Kyuren didn't expect this. But he wouldn't get answers until Pip the attack cat was called off. "Pip, leave her alone for now."

It took a good five minutes, but the furious kitten finally relented and gave one last threatening his towards the admittedly frightened Fallen Angel and strolled towards her master.

Raynare let out a breath f relief. "Damn, Kyuren. Your cat's a fucking demon."

The raven haired teen smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well. You did try you attack us in the park months ago."

She just shrugged. "In my defense, you attacked me first."

"Meh, and that brings us to my next question." Kyuren raised a brow at her. "What are you doing here?"

And just like that, her expression turned serious…deadly serious.

"Kyuren, we have a problem."

AN:

Looks like everything's back to normal between Sona and Kyuren. Let's face it, any one of us would've done what Kyuren did when pissed off. You need to cool off first before you can talk to someone else or you may snap.

The Iron Man armor's nearly complete and I have a question for all of you. What do you say about me making a chapter solely about Kyuren in the armor hunting down ISIS and other terrorists? Think about it.

And so…the Holy Sword arc is next.

Yes, I did it. I asked about if the Illuminati is real. If they come after me, I want someone to continue my stories…and delete my browser history.