Tannin and ten other dragons were waiting outside when Haru and his team came walking out. "Hey Sensei!" Haru shouted to the purple dragon.
"I've come like I promised, Hatchling." Tannin replied with a smirk at his student's irked face. Kid's too easy. He thought with an inward chuckle.
"Tch." Haru clicked his teeth in annoyance. The annoyance only grew when he heard Saji laughing at what he was called. "T-Thanks for coming to pick us up." He said through gritted teeth while internally whispering to himself "Don't kill the blonde."
"Don't worry. While you all ride on our backs, we'll place a special barrier around you. This way, your hair and clothing won't get messed up. Those are important things to a woman after all." Tannin added on making the woman of the group happy.
"Thank you Tannin-sama." Rias said with a bow. "We'll be relying on you until we get to the meeting place. The people of Sitri are also here, is it alright if they can ride along as well?" She asked, not wanting her best friend to take another route.
"Don't worry about it Miss Rias. It would be my pleasure." Tannin said with an easy going tone. He then turned to look at his student and his new wardrobe. "Not bad Hatchling. Your attire actually fits you." Haru "tsked" but nodded in thanks.
Haru sat atop Tannin's head while they soared through the night sky of the underworld. "This is amazing!" Haru shouted in wonder as he watched the great view. [This feeling is strange. For me to fly atop a dragon.] Ddraig said with a slightly bitter tone.
"Hahaha. That is an interesting experience, Ddraig. However, there are only three mighty dragons that are still active. Including myself… well not anymore since I was reborn into a devil. The only real ones would be Ophis and Tiamat. The rest have either been sealed or retired. Yu-Long and Midgardsormr never come out onto the surface anymore. And you, Albion, Fafnir, and Vrita have been sealed into Sacred Gears. In all ages, strong dragons have been suppressed. Strong dragons are a fearful existence, after all." Tannin's voice was one filled with sadness at the fact that his race only had two pure-bloods left.
Haru's heart went out for the great dragon turned devil. "Hey, don't be so down. Since training with you, I could be counted as a Dragon/Devil hybrid. At least that's something." The student tried to cheer up his master.
"Heheh. I guess there is that. Thank you boy." The great purple dragon thanked his student for those words. The two fell in a silence that no one dared to break. Haru, thinking about some things, decided to ask.
"Hey sensei, I've been thinking. Why did you become a devil?"
Tannin hummed a little before answering. "One reason is that, in this era where there aren't any big battles anymore, I thought that I would get to fight various guys if I participated in the Rating Games. And there's another reason."
Haru felt compelled to ask. "… Another reason?"
"… Do you know of a fruit called the Dragon Apple? It's an apple that only dragons can eat."
Haru's eyes lit up a little when he remembered hearing about them when he was talking to Ddraig one night. "Oh yeah! Ddraig's told me about them a few days ago. He said they were always delicious!"
"Heheh. They were indeed. There were a certain race of dragons that can only live by eating the Dragon Apples. However, the ones that grew in the Human World have become extinct because of sudden environmental changes. Now the fruit only grows in the Underworld. But, dragons are hated in the underworld. That's why I became a devil and so the territory that grows the fruit was all made my territory. When you exceed a High-Class devil, you can receive a part of the underworld from the Maou. I had my eyes on that portion of the land."
"And those dragons are currently living in your territory. Correct? That's why you kept going off somewhere every so often." Haru said in realization when he remembered when Tannin left the mountain for a few hours to come back with a slightly better expression.
"Heh. Well done boy. Correct, that was where I went. Too make sure the once soon to be extinct dragons are alright. I even performed research on how to grow artificial dragon apples in my territory alone. It was successful so the race is to be able to continue to live as long as it keeps producing the food." The story had a happy ending which made Haru smile.
"That's amazing Sensei! You're such a good dragon, you know?" Haru's words surprised the dragon before letting out a laugh.
"That's the first time I've ever been called good! I'm happy to have a compliment from the Red Dragon Emperor and its Hatchling host!" Haru let out a laugh of his own, happy to see his teacher feeling better. "I only thought of saving my fellow dragons. That is what a dragon who has power does for dragons without any." Tannin's words made Haru's smile widen a little more.
"That really only enforces my point of you being amazing Sensei." Haru called out over the rushing wind. "When I get my own territory from Buchou, can I take a look at these apples too?"
The question honestly surprised the dragon. "Why?" A chuckle left the brunette's mouth. "Why not? You said before that powerful dragons look out for those who don't. I just want to follow my teacher's model of living."
Both Ddraig and Tannin were surprised at the boy's honest words. "Hehe. I'd like that very much, Hatchling."
Touching down on a spacious field the group leapt off their dragons. "Then, we'll be going to the waiting space used for large devils." Tannin announced after seeing his student and friends safely landing.
"Thank you Tannin-sama." Rias said with a smile.
"Yeah. Thanks a lot old man!" Haru shouted out with a toothy grin.
Tannin nodded at his student one last time before he and his fellow dragons flew off to their territory. Everyone was then led by the hotel employees to two expensive looking limousines. The Gremory team sat in one while the Sitri family sat in the second.
Sitting down next to Haru, Rias began to explain what was about to happen while fixing up his collar. "There are also facilities located around the hotel, and the army is also stationed here. It is much stricter here than lower urban areas." Rias then took out a comb from her expensive looking bag and brought it to his hair.
"Buchou, what about Azazel-sensei?" Haru asked as he didn't see the Fallen Angel leader around the mansion or near the limo's.
"It seems that he will be here after joining up with Onii-sama and the others on a different rout. Since they're really close friends." Rias said, finishing her grooming of her [Pawn]. Her voice then turned serious.
"Haru, you may not have heard it because you were riding Tannin-sama's head, but Sona declared war. She said, 'We will beat you for the stake of our dreams.'"
Heh. Seems like I missed out on something interesting. Haru thought to himself. "Eh, don't worry about it. While their dream of a Rating Game is an amazing one, we need to focus on our own. Ain't that right Buchou?" Haru asked with a silly grin.
Rias blushed at his words and gave him a sincere smile. "Of course Haru. Let's win for our dreams." The limo then arrived at the hotel where many employees were stationed. The group walked to the elevator, after Akeno confirmed that they arrived.
Rias took tis little ride as an opportunity to tell Haru another important fact. "Haru, if you're called out by any people from distinguished families, make sure to greet them properly, okay?"
Haru made a confused expression. Something didn't seem right about that. "Yes. But, isn't tonight's party prepared by Maou-sama for the young devils?"
Rias made a displeased face while explaining the real reason for the party to Haru. "That is the official status. In truth, people won't get very excited once we enter the room. This is an annual custom. If anything, it's more like a gathering for the members of all the distinguished families to meet. We, the next family heads, are just extras. It's really a party for themselves and their egos." Akeno and Kiba's displeased faces only served to make her point correct. Haru gave a small frown at this little fact before tightening his fist.