You know what? Dying sucks. Dying slowly sucks even more, and it hurts.
As for why I'm in this predicament… well, I'd say bad choices, but I'd be lying because up until the second I got stabbed, I've been enjoying myself immensely.
"–Boss! Fuck! Don't you dare to close your eyes, you hear me?!" One of my boys was yelling at me in panic.
"J-Jin… D-did you get him?" Somehow, I managed to cough out a few words. They must have hit me in the neck too, judging by how difficult it is to speak.
"Don't talk, please, Boss." Jin pleads and starts looking at my wounds. They must be gnarly by the devastated look he's giving me.
"*cough* heh. We… had a *cough* good run, yeah?" I said as the darkness slowly began to creep into the corners of my vision.
"Yeah… we did."
"Good… *cough* I'm gonna— I'm gonna go fuck shit up in the *cough* a–afterlife." I said, despite the sudden sleepiness I'm feeling. Huh, it must be the blood loss.
"*sniff* hah. Fuck'em up good, okay?"
"... I–I will." I can't keep my eyes open anymore, they are too heavy, and I'm so goddamn sleepy.
I let my eyelids fall, and sleep took me instantly.
Then I woke up.
Huh?! The hell?
"Hello there, Takumi. Enjoyed your little nap?" A voice dipped in amusement asked me, and I whirled around, trying to locate it. And locate it I did. It wasn't that hard, given that the guy was sitting behind a desk to my left.
Yep, a desk. Which in and of itself wouldn't be that strange, people do that kind of thing often. No, the thing that was out of place was everything else. Or maybe everything was a bad descriptor? There was nothing here but the guy and the desk. Just an infinite white space.
Well, I did make a promise, no? Might as well.
"Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you, Takumi." He raised his hand to stop me. Is he reading my mind?!
"I am! Can't turn it off, you know?" He chuckles.
"You a god or something?"
"Or something. But we are here not to talk about a little'ol me, no, we are going to talk about you."
"Hm. So, I'm guessing that I really died then."
"Also, why am I so calm? I should be freaking out. I know I should."
"Oh, that is my doing. Humans get scared in these situations, and there is no way to have a civil conversation. But the fact that you even considered fighting me is a testament to your will. You should have been quite docile." He explains and looks at me with great interest. I swear, his eyes might even be sparkling.
"Oh, okay. So what now? You gonna judge me?"
"Judge you? Nah. I'm going to give you an opportunity." He grins.
"And let me guess, I can't refuse, right?"
"You got it in one! I knew you were smart. So… Here you go, say hi to Red and give this to him, kay?" He grinned at me even more and threw two orbs, one gold and one black, into my goddamn body. And before I had even a tiniest bit of chance to retort, I was gone from that place with a goddamn letter being somehow cluthed in my hand.
"What? Who the hell is Red?" I muttered once I got my bearings. The place I was in was somehow even more strange than the previous one. This one felt like nothing and everything at the same time, and it made my head hurt.
"That would be me." A deep voice, that somehow reminded me of rocks grinding against each other, said from behind me. Why are the people always behind me when they talk to me?
"Ah! He—llo?! Holy shit, that's a dragon." I was at a loss for words. That thing in front of me was an honest-to-God dragon the size of a cargo ship.
"Don't gawk at me, whelp! Who are you, and how are you here?"
"Dude… How could I not? You're a real dragon. Also, I'm Takumi, and some dude sent me here. He says hello, by the way. Oh, and this. For you." I showed him the letter and idly wondered just how the dragon was going to read it.
"What's tha— Oh… gimme that." Red simply transformed into a human. Well, kinda sorta human. He still looked massive, at least seven feet tall, with bulging muscles and vermilion hair down to his knees. His skin still had scales in some places, and he kinda reminded me of my boys. Simply put, the Red Dragon had the aura of a gangster.
"Hmm~ Really?!" He spoke out loud while reading the letter, and whatever was in it seemed to impress him a bit.
"... All good?" I asked him once he finished.
"Hahaha! Yeah! All peachy. You know what to do then?"
"No." I deadpanned at him.
"W-what do you mean no?!" His red eyes almost bulged out of his head.
"I have no idea of what's going on, dude. That guy just blabbered some nonsense and shot two orbs at me. I'm super confused."
"You've got to be kidding me… Did–Did he tell you anything?"
"*snort* Yeah. That this is an opportunity. That's all." I snorted and shrugged at the baffled dragon-man.
"Great, just fucking great. Another toddler with power… As if Ophis wasn't enough." He muttered, but not quietly enough for me not to hear him.
"I'm twenty, hardly a toddler." I muttered right back at him.
"Anyway, dude. At least tell me how to get to Earth. There is no way I'm staying in this void."
"... this is what I'm talking about… *sigh* You can't go to Earth, not right now, you'd kill everything in your vicinity if it's not strong enough." Red rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Huh? I'm sorry, but what is actually going on?" I didn't like where this was going one bit. The hell did that guy do to me?!
"That 'Guy' you met, made you a goddamn Dragon God, and then dumped you on me, that's what's going on. You used to be a human, right? So think of it like this: Right now, you're a baby with ready-to-explode nuclear bombs strapped to you. So a big fucking problem." He jabbed his finger at me as if this whole thing was my idea.
"Uh– That sounds bad. Sorry?"
"Don't apologize. I'm going to help you. Can't have another Ophis situation." He shook his head ruefully.
"Who is Ophis? You mentioned them twice already."
"Ophis is another Dragon God, but she's… haah— you'll see when you meet her."
"Right. So, how are you going to help me? Some kind of training, I assume."
"Yes. You know, for somebody who just had their life turned upside down, you're pretty calm about this whole thing."
"Oh hell no, I'm freaking out internally. I'm just used to hiding it, couldn't let my boys see me scared, you know?"
"Your boys?... Were you a mother?" He asked with surprising gentleness.
"What?! No! Hahahah~ I led a gang, and that's just how I always called the members." Really? Me? A mother? As if, dude. And even if I wanted to, I never found a woman who could accept what I did. They always wanted me to quit.
"Ah. Makes sense. Explains all the scars. Must have been a pretty violent life, huh?" Something akin to respect flashed through his eyes when he asked me with a giant grin. So I was right. Birds of a feather indeed.
"Oh, it was. I loved every second of it. How about we swap stories? You must have some interesting ones as well."
"Hah! I've been alive since the dawn of time, of course I have stories. But training first."
"Wait, you mean like right now?"
"Yes. It's not like you have something better to do. Plus, I won't let you leave, not until I'm sure you won't accidentally destroy my world."
—
And just like that, years have passed in the blink of an eye, at least I think, it was kinda hard to tell time in the Gap, and I also didn't need to sleep that much, which just added to the overall time confusion.
"So this is it, huh?"
"Yep, I've got nothing else to teach you. The rest you have to do on your own." Red grunted as we sat down on the ground. Turns out, you can actually influence the gap when you're this powerful and create all kinds of stuff.
"Aww~ You can always come with me, Red." He was pretty sad to see me go. Every day we spent together was a blast. We just fought, talked about fighting, and did crazy stuff while in our Dragon forms.
Red was kinda like the fun ( and slightly unhinged ) older brother I never had.
"Keep dreaming, Whelp!... I might visit you from time to time, though."
"You better." I laughed and nudged him with my shoulder. Just as I was about to ask him to tell me how to leave the Gap, the 'Guy' that brought me here in the beginning was standing right in front of us.
Now that I had the time to take a good look at him, he just looked like an ordinary man. Nothing stood out, no defining feature. Brown hair, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and so on. It was as if you took the average look of every white guy and made that into a new guy.
"My, my. What a touching scene we have here~ Hmm? Now that's just rude, Takumi." Right, I forgot he can read minds. What a creepy power.
"What do you want?" Red angrily asked.
"From you? Nothing~ You already did your part, and quite splendidly might I add! Bravo, Red, Bra-vo!"
"No, I'm here for her." He pointed at me with a grin that I didn't like one bit. It promised annoyance of untold proportions.
"The chick is finally about to leave the nest. BUT! Do you even know what you want to do? You don't. You have no clue. And that's where I come in again. I have a proposition for you. There is this one school in Japan, where all the fun things will be happening, and I want you to go there. I you agree, I can promise you that you will find someone special there, someone who will accept you fully. Wasn't that something you always wanted?"
"... That's emotional manipulation, you know that, right? Also, me going to school? Are you crazy? I must be twenty-five already."
"Not as a student you dumbass, I meant as a teacher." He leveled me with a look that fully doubted my intelligence.
"You want her to go to Kuoh?" Red's interest was piqued, and he had a contemplative look on his face.
"Yep."
"Hmm~ That would do as a start." Red just nodded his head at whatever it was that he was thinking about, and I was starting to feel utterly lost, again.
"Excuse me? But are you aware of the fact that I dropped out of high school, right?" I asked incredulously.
"Please… They are looking for a P.E teacher. I'm sure you can manage that, no? And changing things on the backend is as simple as snapping my fingers. It will all be legit. Including your background."
"What do you think, Red?" I trusted his judgment, seeing as he was in charge of the world in a way.
"You wanted to go back to Japan anyway, so I'd say go for it. Nobody said you have to stay there forever."
"Hmm… And what do you get out of this?" I asked the guy.
"Entertainment mostly, and possibly a more fun future." He gave me a carefree shrug.
"What do you mean?"
"Just think of this whole thing as me stacking the deck in the world's favour."
"W–" "Stop with the questions. All I can say is that it will not be bad for you. Leave it, Takumi." He cut me off before I could ask another question.
"Red?" I turned to him.
"Don't look at me, I don't know what he's talking about. But I still say go for it. Or did you forget what we are? Worst case scenario, both of us fight at full power, and there is nothing but this guy who stands a chance against that."
Right. Kinda hard to shake off the human thinking though. Hell, I still feel more like a human than a dragon. But he is right, we are at the top.
"Do I get a house?"
"Hahaha~ But of course! Leave everything to me." He yelled out in glee and really snapped his fingers. As soon as he did that, the information about my background was in my brain. You know, stuff like what school I went to, what degree I pursued, where I live now, and things like that. It was pretty bare, but it should do.
"*Clap* Well, that's it from me, folks! Takumi, have fun and enjoy your life. I doubt we'll be seeing each other anytime soon. Bye-bye!" He left as fast as he came. Honestly, it all felt a little surreal.
"*sigh* I feel drained."
"Yeah. Me too. Come, I'll show you how to teleport to and from the Gap."
—
Sirzechs was ready to go home. Today's paperwork had been brutal, but it was finally done. Every day, he had to marvel at the staggering number of complaints filed by disgruntled devils. And on some of those days, he wished he had Serafall's job. Dealing with other factions was much less mentally taxing than reading basically the same complaint over and over again.
"*sigh* If I have to hear one more complaint from the Phenex Clan, I'm going to lose my mind…" Sirzechs grumbled to Grayfia.
"What was it this time?" She rolled her eyes. It was nothing new for either of them. That clan liked to complain, mostly about potions or spells, that supposedly encroached on their business. If not for the Phoenix Tears, nobody would pay their whining any mind, but alas.
"Another alchemist managed to make and sell healing potions. They are extremely weak, barely usable by humans, and very expensive to make. So, of course, they are a threat of utmost importance." He said the last part sarcastically.
"Fucking Phenex Clan… not only are they making my job annoying, they and father are also pushing Rias away from me."
Grayfia waited for him to get it out of his system, which was an almost weekly occurrence at this point. Twice, she had to stop him from going out and outright killing the Phenex patriarch. If something didn't change quickly, she knew that Sirzechs would choose his family over his position as Satan, and the consequences of that would be felt for millennia.
Just as they were about to grab their things and go their separate ways for the day, a powerful aura that dwarfed anything either of them had ever felt from their fellow devils filled the office. It was domineering, heavy, and surprisingly, something Sirzechs recognized. He felt it once, a long time ago, when Tannin challenged Great Red to a fight. To say that they were utterly and completely screwed would be an understatement of a century.
"Lucifer. This will be very brief. My little sister wishes to apply for a teaching position at your school. Accept." Even his voice had power in it.
"What?" "Huh?" Both had a dumbfounded expression on their face.
"Takumi Akabane will send an application to your school. She wishes to be a P.E teacher. Accept." The giant repeated himself.
"M-My apologies, Great Red-sama, but maybe we could speak on it more?" Sirzechs spoke with a strained smile. Why now? Just as they were about to leave?! And obviously, as soon as Grayfia heard him utter that name, the poor woman looked like she froze on the spot. Not that he blamed her.
"What is there to speak about?" The Dragon God asked, seemingly caught by surprise that he wanted to speak to him more.
"W-Why does she want to teach at that school? If I might ask?"
"Hmm? I suggested it because Ddraig is there, but she obviously has other reasons for being in the human world." He just casually dropped the information that the current Red Dragon Emperor was in the same school as his sister, and seeing as Rias has not mentioned anything, he must not have yet awoken.
"Other reasons?" Maybe he was pushing it a bit, but so far, Great Red almost seemed amicable. Almost.
"Ask her yourself, she will most likely tell you."
"Y-Yes, I'll do just that."
"Good. Oh, and if any of you ever mention I called her my little sister, I'm talking you down with me, okay?" And with that, the pressure subsided, the Dragon God vanished, and the two devils slumped to the ground in relief.
"I guess it's too late for me to retire, huh?"
"I'm afraid so."
—
To give credit where credit is due, the house the guy gave me (or made me, I don't know) was amazing. It was situated on the outskirts of Kuoh, in a nice and quiet neighborhood with only a few other houses nearby. Even though it had two stories and three bedrooms, the house still felt rather cozy and inviting. It was a far cry from the dingy apartment I had back then in Ikebukuro, that's for sure.
It even came furnished and everything! The guy must have read my mind to figure out what kinds of stuff I liked, because this place had everything. Even the color of the giant fluffy rug I've always wanted matched.
I already sent out the application for the teaching position, and Red said that he would take care of it. Apparently, he has connections or something. So all I wanted to do until I heard back was to laze around and explore the town.
*ding~dong*
The sound of my new doorbell startled me and brought me out of my pleasant daydreams. I got up with a few silent curses, idly wondering just who the hell could be ringing my bell at this ungodly hour.
"Yes?" On the other side of the door stood a tall man with crimson hair. Objectively, he was beautiful, but it was that kind of unnatural beauty. The kind you only really see on a magazine cover. You know, photoshopped to hell and back, only this man was the real deal. He really did look like that.
"Miss Takumi Akabane, I presume? I'm here to talk to you about your application to the Academy." He said with the utmost politeness, and was it just me, or was the guy kinda twitchy?
"Ah! Yes, come on in then."