Cree Cree! Cree Cree! Cree-Cree!
At night, a shrine stood silent beneath the moonlight, its dark wooden frame and tiled roof covered in a faint silver glow. Soft shadows stretched across the stone path, while the closed doors gave it a calm, watchful presence. The trees around it swayed gently in the night wind, and the sound of crickets echoed through the quiet courtyard.
Sitting on the shrine's front steps was a beautiful woman with long black hair tied into a high ponytail that flowed down her back, and soft violet eyes. She wore a white kimono top with wide sleeves and a red hakama, a traditional shrine maiden outfit.
She sat quietly, hugging her knees and resting her head against them. The night breeze brushed past her, gently lifting strands of her hair.
Then Akeno felt someone sit down beside her, close enough that their legs touched. She lifted her head and saw a man with messy blond hair tied into a loose low bun, soft strands framing his face. It was the same man who had saved her and her friends' lives, and now he would be staying at the shrine where she lived until the Three Faction Meeting, by the Demon King's request.
Adrien stared up at the starry sky, his pale green eyes reflecting its light.
"The night sky on Earth is really beautiful… compared to the dull purple sky of the Underworld. Don't you think so?"
"Yes," she replied in a weak voice. She was clearly in a bad mental state.
Adrien stayed silent. He and Akeno were not particularly close. He had known her for a while now, but they had rarely spoken to each other.
His staying here with her was mostly just a coincidence. Since she lived alone at the shrine, she had the most space, so it had been decided that he would stay with her.
"Do you need anything?" she asked quietly.
"No," he said.
Then he stretched out his legs and leaned back against the stairs. Just before his head could touch the wood, a pillow formed beneath it.
"What's on your mind?" Adrien asked directly.
Akeno was slightly surprised by his question. She hadn't expected someone like Adrien to care enough to ask about her, especially since she wasn't part of his peerage.
She smiled softly. "Nothing important… I was just lost in thought."
"Are you thinking about your father?"
Akeno abruptly turned to him, her eyes widening.
How did he know?
She didn't answer and remained silent.
Adrien smiled. "I've heard bit an pieces from from Sirzechs."
"Lord Sirzechs? Why would he tell you…?"
"Beats me," Adrien shrugged. "He likes to share information with me and expects me to do something about it, like I'm his personal errand boy. I've been avoiding him lately, but he always finds a way to get his message across."
Akeno chuckled, "only you would try to avoid the Demon King."
"So did I guess right?"
Akeno nodded slowly, yes she was thinking about her father, Kokabiel had reminded her about him.
"To be honest, I feel like just lying here and staring at the sky. So if you want, you can tell me more about yourself. If not… I'm not forcing you." Adrien shrugged.
Akeno stayed silent for a moment. She looked at Adrien's face as he rested his head on the pillow, his eyes fixed on the stars. For some reason, she felt a strong urge to tell him everything, to open up her heart to him.
In the past, Akeno had felt amused by Adrien's free-spirited nature and slightly attracted to it as well. She liked that he did not care about what other people thought of him and simply did whatever he wanted.
Lately, after seeing him fight and save everyone again, another feeling had been added to that. She felt safe when he was around. His relaxed expression gave her the feeling that everything would be alright, no matter how bad the situation became.
She felt that it was okay if she told him everything she was feeling, that it was going to be alright.
"…My mother was a shrine priestess," she began softly. "She took care of a shrine like this one. She was kind… gentle… she was everything to me. My father… was a Fallen Angel. He wasn't around much. He was always away on missions, so… it was mostly just the two of us."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her sleeves.
"Then one day… people from my mother's clan came. They said I shouldn't exist… that I was a disgrace." Her voice trembled just a little. "They attacked us, and my mother… died protecting me."
Silence fell for a moment before she continued.
"My father came… but it was too late." Her voice grew quieter. "He saved me, but… I couldn't forgive him. If he had come sooner… maybe she would still be alive. After that, I stayed with some of my mother's relatives… but once they found out about my Fallen Angel blood, they threw me out."
Akeno let out a faint, bitter breath.
"I was ten. No food, no money… so I just wandered around Japan. I used what my mother taught me—purifying evil spirits—to survive. I lived like that for more than a year. In one town… I accidentally helped someone connected to a Devil. I thought they would kill me if they found out what I was… so I hid from them." She paused for a second before continuing again. "But before anything could happen… the Himejima Clan found me again. They came to finish what they started. My grand-uncle… he was the one leading them. Just as he was about to kill me Rias and her father's bishop arrived and stopped them."
Akeno slowly lifted her head, her eyes distant.
"They made a deal with my clan. I was never allowed to return… and from then on, I had to stay with Rias." Her voice softened, "She took me in… gave me a place to belong and taught me how to live again, I really do owe her a lot and I would never forget the help she gave me."
Akeno fell silent, her expression conflicted.
"…But even now," she whispered, "I still can't bring myself to forgive him… or accept what I am."
After she finished, she looked at Adrien again. This time, he was not staring at the sky. He was looking at her. Warmth rose to her cheeks and ears, and she quickly avoided his eyes.
"Sorry for boring you with my story..."
"You don't need to accept it," Adrien said.
"What?" She looked at him again in surprise. She had not expected that answer.
"Don't accept it. But don't pretend it isn't there either."
"What do you mean?"
Adrien turned his eyes back to the sky.
"You're trying to reject it like it isn't yours. But it is. So all you're really doing is rejecting yourself. Not just the Fallen Angel part you hate, but the parts of you that you and others care about too."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"I've said this to someone before and I'm going to say it again to you, you're the only you in this world. Everything in you—good, bad, painful, ugly—it all comes together to make Akeno Himejima. If you keep trying to tear away one part of yourself, eventually the whole thing starts to fall apart. It's the same as trying to face the world while cutting off your own limbs."
Adrien shrugged. "Then don't accept it… but use it to your advantage." He smirked. "Use it out of spite. Spite for the world and for everything that happened to you. Even out of hate."
Akeno listened to him carefully. The more he spoke, the wider her smile became. "You really see the world in your own way… I never thought of using it because I hate it."
"Leave it to time," Adrien said. "I'm sure that problem inside you will sort itself out someday. Until then, don't reject yourself because of it." He paused slightly. "I'm no therapist… but that's my take on it."
A pillow suddenly formed right next his, "for now just lie and look at the stars."
Akeno, who had regained her usual demeanor, smiled. "Ara~, are you trying to seduce me, Adrien?" she said, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Yeah, yeah… just for tonight."
She rested her head on the pillow and leaned slightly toward him, their shoulders touching. "I wouldn't mind you doing it again," she whispered under her breath.
"Did you say something?"
"No, nothing."
After a while, both of them fell asleep outside, under the shining night sky.
--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>
The next day, Adrien stood in the middle of the shrine's yard. It was around four in the afternoon. After Saeko, Celia, and Mahiru finished school for the day, they went to Kuoh and met up with Adrien at the shrine he was using as a hotel.
Adrien was wearing a very out-of-character outfit. He looked strangely overdressed, dressed in a sleek all-black style. A fitted turtleneck was tucked into tailored high-waisted pants, secured with a simple belt. Over it rested a loose dark jacket with a soft white fur collar, hanging casually from his shoulders.
"Andy, what are those two doing behind you?" Celia asked, pointing at the two girls standing behind him.
Adrien raised both hands out to his sides with a wide grin, as if presenting a grand surprise. "I'd like you all to welcome my two new knights." He snapped his fingers and pointed at Xenovia and Mary.
The two girls glanced at each other for a moment before Mary stepped forward. "My name is Mary Leroy. From this day on, I serve Adrien Agares as his knight. I hope we get along."
Xenovia stepped forward soon after and introduced herself in much the same way.
All three girls stared at them with their mouths slightly open.
"More girls..." Mahiru said, her face turning a little pale.
"Andy, at first I thought it was just a coincidence, but now I'm sure of it... Are you building a harem or something!?" Celia snapped.
Adrien looked off to the side. "A harem? Nooo..."
"You're definitely building a harem," Saeko cut in.
Xenovia glanced around at the group. "Now that I see all of you, I kind of understand why they think that."
Mary simply nodded in agreement.
"Nah, for real, it's not like that. I'm just approaching the people I think are worth it. If you look at yourselves, all of you are strong and have potential in your own way. Xenovia wields Durendal, and Mary has Excalibur Genesis, they're both perfect for a knight's spot"
"Hmph! If you say so," Celia said as she crossed her arms and looked away.
"I think you're giving me too much praise. Durendal is a tyrant beyond all imagination. It cuts through everything it touches. Unfortunately, it also does not like to follow my commands. That danger is why I have to store it in a separate dimension. Not even I, its wielder, can control it properly," Xenovia said.
Adrien waved his hand dismissively. "That's fine. It's exactly why I'm here. I'll train you."
"You can do that?"
"I can do everything. I am Adrien Agares, after all," he said with a smirk.
"Wow, what an ego..." Saeko said. Everyone rolled their eyes at his shameless self-praise.
"Anyway," Adrien said as seven movie tickets appeared in his hand, "we're watching a movie tonight. Team bonding and shit."
"Aren't you supposed to stay on guard and watch over this town...?" Mahiru asked.
"I can do both."
"There are only six of us, so why do you have seven tickets?" Xenovia asked.
"Akeno is joining us."
"Huh? Why?" Celia asked, narrowing her eyes. She was already suspicious that he wanted to add Akeno to his harem.
"You can think of it as a distraction or something."
"A distraction from wh—"
"Can you stop asking so many fucking questions? Jeez," Adrien snapped.
Celia immediately turned away and pouted.
"What are we watching?" Mary asked.
"Project Hail Mary."