Immortality in DxD

"What do you mean you didn't read it?"

Grayfia loved her husband, but there were times she felt fed up with the man. He might be extremely powerful, smart and handsome, but sometimes whenever he considered something beneath him, he just ignored it.

'And apparently, Yasaka's on that list…'

She didn't know what made her angrier, her husband disregarding a long time friend like that or it coming back to bite them all in the ass now of all times.

"Wait! Wait! Let me explain!" Sirzechs said quickly, waving his hands around to forestall the lecture that was most assuredly going to hit him like a sack of bricks," At first I read her letters, I really did! Promise. But when they started to become nothing more than excuses as to why her faction wasn't producing as many Spirit Plums and how the terms needed to be revisited...I kinda stopped reading them and let the Pillars deal with them instead…."

He said the last part at the volume that not even a mosquito could hear, but despite that she heard his perfectly fine. And if she was simply angry before, now she was absolutely furious. So much so that her pristine control over her demonic energy faltered for but a moment, but in that moment a circle of frost escaped from her figure. Covering the entire room in a light layer of frost. She wasn't even sorry about it in that moment.

She had read those terms all those years ago and found them ridiculous, and only agreed to aid the coalition because she was under the impression that it would be revisited. And at that time, the terms would be less like they were subjugating the Yokai and more like they had become allies. But that was centuries ago, and they well still under those debilitating terms.

Grayfia knew exactly what could happen when an oppressed people finally got fed up with it all, having lived through the war and the after effects.

'Sirzechs should know better than that!' She fumed,' Trusting the Pillars with something that important? Naive.'

"I see." Despite wanting to lecture her husband, she knew answering simply was that was needed here. She didn't need to do anything, the consequences of his actions were already knocking on their doors.

"So the old man is back?" The woman asked, a tinge of excitement coating her words that sent a shiver down the spines of the other occupants. "So, it's all true? Not another of Yasaka's tricks?"

The red head locked eyes with his wife before answering their guess," Yes. Everything is true. He mentioned Vallon and their time in the war, something that man had worked hard to erase from history….And it's not really accurate to call Yamato Iori 'old'."

"Ah, yes." She nodded with a thoughtful expression," I remember him. Vapula, right? Lion family….And what do you mean not 'old'?"

"Exactly that." He sighed, before setting the letter down," He looks exactly as he had all those centuries ago. Not even looking like he aged a year in fact."

"It's not an illusion?" She asked," Yokai are known for them after-all."

"Not an illusion." Sirzechs slumped, memories flashing behind those azure orbs," Checked, verified and everything."

"Are you sure Yasaka didn't just train up a Practitioner and coached him?" The woman asked again," She was the closest to that man and knew things that he kept from the rest of us."

If Grayfia didn't know any better, she would've thought she just imagined the bitterness in the woman's words.

"Plus besides," She continued, sinking further into the comfortable looking furniture," It wouldn't be hard. Training up someone like that would be mere child's-play for the rest of us to do."

'Then why haven't you?'

The Strongest Queen wanted to ask snidely but bit back her words, there was no reason to interfere further in this conversation. Despite the ban on Ancient Senjutsu and the implementation of it's more modern variant, various forces had tried to use the remnants of that age to create their own powerful force of Practitioners. To a variety of results. Not even the disciples of the Heavenly Demon could accurately create a Senjutsu Practitioner anywhere near the levels of those Ancient monsters.

It had made things readily apparent that despite teach them everything they knew, the man hadn't taught them everything.

'Maybe Yasaka could?'

But that thought was shunted out quickly. The woman might be a deceitful fox but when she gave her word, she stuck by it. There was probably some term in there that initially would've forced Yasaka to train up Senjutsu users but apparent, that hadn't made the cut to the final terms.

"Be that as it may," Sirzechs said diplomatically," Even if this is a hoax, I believe this is situation can no longer be in the hands of the Pillars. It's out of their depths and very few of them actually know The Heavenly Demon personally. I need to call in the other Satans."

"Listen." The woman drawled, the shock and disbelief fading from her face," Just give me the word and I'll go deal with it. He's an old man on his last legs. No matter his appearance. Look at Saint Elizabeth. She's only still alive because of Gabriel's magic. Senjutsu has a limit on lifespan. And if my guesses are true, he can at most fight 1 more battle before dying. These aren't those ancient times where he could walk the Earth without a peer, the world has gotten stronger. Myself more so. We don't even need to beat him, just stall long enough for him to croak by himself."

"The question isn't if we could fight him or not." He narrowed his eyes, the clumsy husband persona slushing off of him like day old snow," It's how many of us would die in the process. Yes. We could just throw bodies at him, there are more of us now then back then. But that would require us to throw away all of our progress just to kill 1 man. It's not worth it."

"Fine, do what you want." She shrugged before standing," Just know, our deal still holds true. When Yamato Iori dies, I get his body."

The woman then sashayed her way out of the room, her long legs peaking out from behind the black dress that hugged at her slender frame. Long brown hair that flowed behind her like a thing of beauty, but just before leaving she threw a black-eyed wink to the silently fuming maid.

It was like the room itself took a breath of relief as she left, and even Grayfia tensed shoulders lessened just a bit now.

'Must he parade in that woman's skin like that?'

She couldn't help but a shiver of disgust that welled up inside of her. Ange De Guignes, was the son of a French nobleman that had somehow gotten picked up and trained by the Heavenly Demon. And after stumbling across some technique, had taken a concerning liking to wearing his foes skins like they were mere clothing.

Raising her hand, a spinning red circle blinked in and out of existence. Causing the room to flash violet before disappearing in kind.

"It's done." She said stiffly, that emotionless mask slipping to show the furry behind those crimson eyes. She was still pissed beyond imagine and now that the room was properly warded, there was no reason to keep it bottled up.

"I messed up, okay?" He raised his hands in defeat," I'm sorry? I'll make it right. I promise."

"It would've meant something if you had BEFORE Iori came back… Now? I'm not to sure.." She sigh, that balloon of rage expelling it's content with a frantic wheeze," It won't come across a sincere to her especially after all these years…"

She still remembered the kitsune, her teasing nature and her rather crude jokes at the time. Yasaka was like a foil to the cruel Heavenly Demon, causing mischief and bring up moral during their darkest days. And for such an ally to turn..to this?

"I know…" Sirzechs slumped in defeat," If I knew, I would've…"

He didn't need to finish the sentence, they both knew what he was going to say. Devils were an inherently flawed race, their arrogance blinded them from the world itself. And this Satan here was no different.

"I can try to talk to her.." Grayfia said after seeing how glum her husband was," Maybe smooth things out? I can go there with Millicas. He needs some more friends his own age anyway. It might've been some time since I've last spoken to her...but I don't think she'll refuse."

From the way his face was twisting, he did not like the idea of sending his wife and son into possible enemy territory but knew that it was the best option at the moment.

"Can it wait until after the terms have been renegotiated?" He said carefully," I'm sure the Satans are on their way over now to discuss this..situation. After the negotiations are over, you can go. But please be careful. I don't think the Yokai like us...and not just for this. Oh and, could you check up on Ria-tan on your way over? I don't want to her anywhere near Kyoto for now… You know how she is."

She wanted to nearly roll her eyes at him then. His sister, Rias Gremory, was WAY pass the age of being called '-tan', to the point of even having a fiancee (That she was insanely desperate to get out of). But she wouldn't interfere in that sis-con competition he seem to be locked in with Serafall Leviathan.

'Speaking of her…'

"Why was this handled by the Pillars instead of Serafall?"

Grayfia couldn't help but ask, despite being by his side all these years, she tried her best not to peak too deeply into the affairs of the Satans. A security risk. If before he looked sheepish, then now the red head looked exactly like their son after being caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Uh…" Sirzechs wouldn't meet her eyes then and laughed nervously," About that…."

She suddenly felt that persistent headache creep it's way back into the forefront of her mind, knowing full well that this was going to be a LONG day..