"... Raynare is late." a middle-aged man, dressed in a trench coat and fedora hat, mumbled with slight concern. "Where is she? She should have accomplished her mission by now."
A voluptuous woman wearing a skimpy dress tilted her head, flipping her hair. "Do you think she ran into the Devils?"
"Perhaps, though unlikely. Due to the ceasefire, they wouldn't risk fighting with a Fallen without circumstance."
"If they do pick a fight, though, wouldn't the boss be in trouble?" a blonde girl dressed like a gothic lolita asked, hanging up on the rafters. "Lucifer and Leviathan's sisters are the ones ruling this territory."
"Not necessarily." The man answered. "Depending on who attacked first, either party could be blamed for initiating conflict."
Not that they would have preferred it. They wanted little confrontation with the Devils in this territory, especially given the nature of their mission. Besides, Dohnaseek doubted the loss of one human would be worth much to them. Especially since there were so many humans already. Still, this was troubling. Why hadn't Raynare returned already? Has she experienced trouble? Was there perhaps an unforeseen complication?
As the three Fallen Angels waited, the doors to the cathedral opened. In came Raynare. Her beautiful dress, meant to tempt Haru Hyoudou, was torn and ripped apart, the majority scorched beyond repair. Her body was shaking, skin pale where her once beautiful face was marred with soot. Her ebony hair was disheveled as if she had just woken up, only a hundred times worse as a good portion of it was somehow burned and singed, making it uneven and rather choppy. Blood ran down the side of her face while she clutched a severely broken arm. Her leg was sliced open, letting more blood leak down her leg.
However, all of that paled in comparison to the shredded, almost mangled remains of her left feathery wing.
"R-Ray!"
Kalawarner was the first to reach her, flying down to her side and preventing her from falling to the ground. Out of the three, she was arguably the closest to Raynare due to the reasons why they had fallen in the first place.
"K-Kala..." Raynare gritted her teeth. Her pride was in shambles, just barely letting her restrain from screaming and whimpering in pain. Her dignity would not allow her to appear weak. "Grgh! Fucking hell...!"
"What the hell happened to you?" Mittelt asked, jumping down from the rafters. "You look like you got your ass handed to you by a bear!"
Dohnaseek's eyes narrowed. "Was it a Devil?"
"N-no." Raynare spat. "It wasn't. It was a youkai." The three were surprised to hear this. A youkai was here in the Devils' territory? Were they really that sloppy? More importantly, why was a youkai here in Kuoh? However, what she said next surprised them even further. "I-it wasn't just some run-of-the-mill youkai, either! It was fucking Tamamo-no-Mae!"
Dohnaseek gasped. "B-but that's impossible! Tamamo-no-Mae is—!"
"Look at me." Raynare snarled. "LOOK AT ME, DOHNASEEK! Do I look like I'm joking?! I am missing a wing, Dohnaseek! A fucking wing! AND IT WAS THE AVATAR OF AMATERASU WHO DID IT!"
The other three Fallen looked at one another. They were unsure how to properly process this revelation. If their comrade was telling the truth… then things just got even more complicated...
But that shouldn't be possible. The Avatar of the Shinto Sun Goddess was dead and gone. The idea that she still existed in the modern day was...
But if it is possible…
For about a few minutes after he made his way back home, Haru had never expected so many strange things to happen. To start off the list, he nearly got killed by his girlfriend, no wait, ex-girlfriend he supposed would be the better term right now. Then he found out he summoned the incarnation of the sun goddess herself, which also landed him into a marriage of some kind. He tried to make sense of it, but it was too much. His headache was not helping matters.
Tamamo had insisted that she meet his parents in order to earn their approval. He had no idea what the hell was going on through her mind. He was also terrified for himself as well. How was he supposed to explain all of this to his parents? What would he say? "Hi guys! Turns out my ex-girlfriend has wings and tried to kill me, but I summoned this really hot fox girl and now I'm married!" Yeah, that would boil over well.
He was still fixated on those ears of hers, though. They looked so fluffy. Would she mind if he touched them?
No, stop! Haru shouted in his mind. Focus, Haru!
"So this is your home..." Tamamo mused as she tilted her head, inspecting his home with curiosity. "Not very big, though, compared to the other houses around here."
Haru chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "Well, my family doesn't really make all that much." he told her. "They were low-end jobs, but it pays enough for the bills. So, um… are you sure you want to meet my parents?"
"But of course! It's only fair that I meet my future in-laws, no?"
"W-well, I guess, but I'm still not sure..." The redhead then glanced back at her ears, along with her tail. His frown grew. "I suppose I could tell them that you're into cosplay, but would they even really buy that?"
Tamamo tilted her head, not sure what he meant by that before realizing what he was getting at. It would be odd to see their future daughter-in-law with fox ears and a tail. Fortunately, she knew how to remedy the situation. With a small grin, she let her magic flow and twirled her hand. In seconds, a shimmer danced around her, forming into a small aura of light before it cloaked her being. Haru winced, covering his eyes as the light proved to be too bright.
Eventually, it died down. As he lowered his arms, he suddenly found his jaw becoming well acquainted with the floor and his pants becoming uncomfortably around his nether regions.
His "wife" was no longer clad in her blue kimono, nor was she with a tail or ears. Instead, she looked to be an extremely beautiful girl that gave off the spring vibe. And by the gods, did she look good. She wore a pink-and-white striped thin jacket that was partially unzipped, revealing her ample cleavage and the sleeves ending at the tips of her fingers. Below, she wore black shorts with dark pink frills that went incredibly well with her thigh-high socks with similar frills. At her feet were black boots with a light pink accent and sole. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders, a few black bows found here and there. Her jacket's hood also had large triangular appendages, no doubt to accommodate for her fox ears.
Needless to say, she was drop dead sexy. If this is a dream, then don't wake me up! Haru's perverse side solemnly declared with all his heart, hearts in his eyes. Because I think I'm in love!
"What do you think, Husband?" Tamamo asked, wanting his input. "Will this suffice?"
"Y-yes! Most definitely!" Haru nodded energetically.
Tamamo grinned, putting her hands on her hips, proud that her attire suited her husband's tastes.
Now it was time to meet the in-laws!
Steeling himself for the scolding of a lifetime to come, Haru took the key from his pocket, inserted it in the door, turned it, and opened the door.
Not even an inch open and his mother slammed the door open, a furiously concerned expression on her face. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
Haru squeaked, recoiling. Tamamo blinked, surprised by the ferocity this woman demonstrated.
"Er… h-hi, mom?"
"Don't 'hi' me, mister!" her mother growled. "You've been gone for hours! Do you have any idea how worried your father and I have been?! I understand that this was your very first date, but for heaven's sake! What were you two even doing?! Were you doing something indecent?! Moreover, why didn't you answer your phone?! You know the rules, Haru-kun! Now what do you have to say… for… your..." His mother trailed off, noticing Tamamo's presence. Blinking, she stared at the girl before turning to Haru. "Haru-kun, is this...?"
Recovering himself quickly, Haru's mind already thought up a plausible excuse. "U-um, mom, this is my girlfriend, Yuma!" he said, trying his best not to screw up. "Yuma, this is my mother, Miki!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miki-dono." Tamamo said, understanding the lie her husband gave as she bowed politely. "I hope I have not caused you or your husband any trouble."
"O-oh no, not at all..." Miki shook her head. "Pardon my behavior earlier, I was just worried because Haru never contacted me about being late..."
"I apologize." She bowed. "We were having so much fun we just lost track of time..."
She paused. "That, and teaching a filthy old hag not to touch what isn't hers."
Haru laughed while panic raged. That… was bad. Thankfully, his mother didn't seem to understand what she meant before turning back to her son. "Well, it is your first date, so I suppose I'll let it slide. At any rate, Yuma-chan, would you like to stay over for dinner? Ever since Haru-kun mentioned you, my husband and I have been wanting to meet you."
"Of course!" Tamamo smiled. "It would be my honor, Miki-dono!"
Haru's mother giggled. "My, so polite." she remarked pleasantly. "Well, come on in, then!"
With a cheerful smile, Tamamo entered the household with Haru following after her. It seems like things went better than he anticipated.
But what's the bad feeling I'm getting? Haru wondered, feeling unsure. He shook his head, wondering if it was just because of everything that's happened today. "Hey, Mom? Do we have any tylenol? I've been having this killer headache for the last couple of days lately."
"We should still have some in the cupboard." Miki said. She then turned to Tamamo and smiled widely. "Yuma-chan, would you like to have dinner with us?"
"That would be delightful. Thank you very much." She clasped her hands together in gratitude.
Warning bells sounded off in Haru's head. Dinner? With his parents? With Tamamo?
Oh boy...
Unknown to anyone in the Hyoudou Household, however, there were prying eyes observing it. Said prying eyes belonged to Rias Gremory, who watched the four interact at the dinner table as they ate. They seemed to be rather animated as well, though as to why she was unsure. She couldn't hear anything, though she wasn't really interested in the conversation. Rather, she was more interested in the scenery itself. More specifically, one of the four at the table.
"Is that her, Koneko?" Rias asked her Rook. The petite girl nodded, face serious and rigid. "So, that's the legendary Tamamo-no-Mae."
Quite frankly the girl she was observing… wasn't quite what she expected of a being known as the incarnation of Amaterasu. She would've imagined the host of the most powerful Shinto Goddess to be more refined and professional.
The pink haired woman before her was very cheerful and affectionate.
Of course, Rias always held true to the saying to never judge a book by its cover. The best example was her brother. Despite his odd faults, he was every bit worthy of his title of Devil King Lucifer. Though he may act childish, beneath that is a powerful devil who would wreak havoc upon any who dared to harm what he held dear. And may the God of the Bible have mercy on the poor bastards who were on the receiving end.
Though Tamamo-no-Mae may look innocent… the magical power she possessed was far beyond that of anything she's ever seen. High-class? she wondered. No, Ultimate. Maybe even Maou?
"Mother told me many stories about Tamamo-no-Mae-sama." Akeno said, staring at the figure with a sort of reverence given her upbringing as a shrine maiden. "Though I must admit, I wasn't quite expecting this."
"Neither can I, but magical power does not lie, Akeno." Rias' frown deepened. "And yet, despite all of this, I still don't feel an ounce of magical power from Hyoudou-kun." She looked back at Koneko. "You're sure? Before she appeared, you felt him flare mana?"
"Yes, Buchou." Koneko said. "It was… unlike anything I've ever felt. There were so many presences, not just his. Each was different. It was… hard. I couldn't make out most of them."
"Many presences?" Rias hummed, drumming her finger along her chin. "Perhaps he's more likely a conduit of magic power, rather than possessing his own reserves?"
"It's possible." Akeno hummed. "Hyoudou-kun has shown no aptitude in the magical arts. So it is unlikely for the flare of power to be from his own reserves."
Kiba tilted his head. "So he simply borrows magic power from another?" he inquired. "But Koneko said she felt multiple people's powers. An ordinary human without any magical potential whatsoever would die by using themselves as a conduit if the person they're borrowing power from is too powerful. So many individuals at once would obliterate his body completely."
"Ordinary..." Suddenly, it clicked in Rias. A realization dawned upon her and she cursed her stupidity. How is it that she couldn't have seen this sooner? "Akeno. Please investigate the Hyoudou Family tree and their ancestors."
Akeno blinked. "Ara? May I ask why?"
"While it may be true that Hyoudou may not have aptitude in magic, a possible explanation for this phenomenon could be due to his lineage. He may have been descended from powerful mages with large reserves."
Her Queen nodded, taking her leave from the room.