3 Departure & Return

From the moment that fateful day dawned, the connection between Shoto and Rias as siblings underwent a metamorphosis; it transitioned from a state of gradual estrangement to one of unparalleled closeness.

Their bond transcended the limitations of their wildest imagination and reached new heights of fortitude. The act of rescuing his sister from the clutches of an unscrupulous individual, though marred by moments of unintentional injury, ultimately served as a catalyst in solidifying the unbreakable bond between brother and sister.

The evolution of their relationship was a source of satisfaction for both Shoto and Rias, though each had their unique reasons for rejoicing.

For Shoto, it marked the dawn of a new era, where he finally received the love and affection he had yearned for, beyond the realms of maternal love.

On the other hand, for Rias, it signified the culmination of her persistent efforts to capture her brother's attention and concern, and also the comforting feeling of having someone else to protect her.

One fateful day, Shoto embarked on a journey of solitude and self-discovery, departing without a trace or an explanation to anyone.

He ventured into the unknown, forsaking the comfort of home and the company of others, in pursuit of honing his skills and perfecting his craft.

He left behind a cryptic note for Rias, with the intention of allaying her concerns and assuaging her worries. The note read as follows:

"Rias, please do not panic for my sudden departure. I am not dead, but instead, I have ventured forth to test the limits of my strength and to surpass the boundaries of my abilities. I am determined to ensure that no one shall ever surpass me in combat, and I will stop at nothing to achieve this goal."

"I will not return for some time, but rest assured, I will be there for you when you need me the most. I suggest that you also strive to become stronger, so that you may protect yourself while I'm not there. I love you."

Shoto's sudden disappearance from Rias's life was a blow, leaving her with nothing but a solitary letter, a pledge of love, and a warning.

At first, Rias clung to hope, imploring, begging, and praying for Shoto's swift return within a matter of weeks. But as the weeks turned into months, and months into years, with no sign of his return, her hope slowly dissipated into despair.

Her fears of losing Shoto forever began to consume her, gnawing at her from within, as the passage of time brought with it the realization that he may not be coming back.

Rias held the letter in her hands, her countenance one of deep contemplation. Though she knew that Shoto's departure was not permanent, and that he had made a promise to return when she needed him most, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss in his words.

Was it possible that he had lied to her and intended to never come back? The doubts that she had pushed down began to resurface as she examined the letter from Shoto with a critical eye.

The letter, which was once a source of comfort and reassurance, now seemed to hold a sinister undertone, fueling her uncertainty.

Despite the uncertainty and doubt that Shoto's letter had planted in her mind, Rias knew that he had left her with a mandate: to become stronger, so she could protect herself.

In adherence to this directive, she set out to train her Power of Destruction skills with relentless determination. Her efforts bore fruit as she quickly progressed and became a formidable combatant in a matter of months.

The motivation to find Shoto and avenge his possible death, fueled her training and pushed her to improve her skills to an unprecedented level.

Even on the days where her body ached and her energy was sapped, she refused to limit the extent of her efforts, knowing that her brother's safety and her own protection depended on her strength.

Rias was uncertain as to when, or even if, Shoto would return to her side. But even as the years passed, she could not bear the thought of him returning home to find her inadequately prepared for battle.

Her worries deepened with each passing year, as Shoto's absence stretched on. She eventually began to relinquish hope that he would return soon, and the possibility that he may have met an untimely demise began to weigh heavily on her mind.

The thought of losing him forever filled her with a sense of resignation, and the once bright future she had imagined for them became clouded with uncertainty and desperation.

Rias shook her head, banishing the gloomy thoughts from her mind and returning her focus to the present. It was her 18th birthday, an occasion that held a special significance as it also marked the birthday of her twin brother, Shoto.

Five years had passed since he had left, just a few months after their 13th birthday. Her heart heavy with sadness, Rias walked into the shared room that she and her twin brother had once shared, a slice of cake in her hands, her expression a mixture of sorrow and longing.

The memories of her brother were overwhelming, and the anniversary of his departure was a stark reminder of the void he had left in her life.

"Hi Shoto..." Rias spoke softly, her steps leading her towards a framed photograph that sat next to a desk, adjacent to her bed. "I brought you some cake... for our 18th birthday... I put a preservation spell on it so it won't go bad by the time you're back..."

She placed the slice of cake beside the others, that she had set there in previous years, forming a small memorial of their shared birthdays.

Rias's gaze lingered on the photograph, taking in every detail of the image that captured her twin brother's warm smile as he held her close, embracing her in a loving hug.

The bittersweet memories it evoked brought a sad smile to her face, as she held onto the hope that one day, they would be reunited.

Shoto's eyes were closed in the photograph, as he held Rias close to him, with her giggling in delight. Rias remembered that moment as if it were etched in her mind, for it was one of the rare instances when a photograph had captured her and her twin brother together, as siblings.

"You know... I'm at the age where Riser and I will have to get married..." Rias spoke in a sorrowful tone, "But... I don't want to... I need your help... but you're not here..." She sniffled softly, wiping away the tears that had begun to stream down her cheeks.

The thought of being forced into a marriage with someone she did not love, while her twin brother, her closest confidant, was absent, was a source of overwhelming sadness.

"Please, come back... I miss you..." Rias spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, her thoughts consumed by the horrifying image of her twin brother, Shoto, lying motionless on the ground, his body covered in blood, and his eyes devoid of life.

"No!" She exclaimed. "He's not dead! He's not dead... He's not..." Despite her valiant efforts to convince herself that Shoto was still alive and well, the nagging doubts and fears crept into her mind, slowly eroding her hope, and leaving her with a feeling of overwhelming despair.

"But I promise you, I will fight. I've gotten stronger, just like I promised you I would. I will not be weak... I will not go down so easily..." Rias declared, her head held high, her expression resolute. "...even if you're not there to see it..."

Her tears subsided as her worries began to dissipate, her determination to fulfill her promise to her brother was unshakable. "You are the greatest brother a sister could ask for." she whispered, her voice filled with admiration and affection.

"And someday... we'll celebrate our birthday together once more..." Rias concluded, as she gently placed the photograph back in its rightful place, her voice trailing off in a sigh, filled with longing and hope.

"You never lost hope in your brother, did you?" Venelana, Rias' mother, spoke up from behind her, her words full of sympathy and compassion.

Rias looked at her mother, whose face was contorted with worry and concern at seeing her daughter so overcome by sadness. Her lips were pressed firmly into a thin line, as her fingers drummed against her cheek.

Venelana's heart still ached when she saw her child suffer from the pain of losing someone they both loved dearly. Shoto's departure left them both with an unbearable emptiness, one that they just couldn't seem to shake off.

"He is still alive, mother..." Rias assured her worries. "I'm sure he didn't leave us, without good reason..."

Rias wasn't convinced that his disappearance was anything other than purposefully hiding his whereabouts and intentions from her. His sudden absence had led to a rift between him and his sister; his abrupt departure only served to increase the distance that separated their hearts.

"He will come home... someday... I believe in him..." Rias said emphatically.

She refused to lose faith in her brother even after five long years since his departure, holding on to her belief in his return as she vowed to take care of herself so that she could be strong enough for her to not need him.

"It doesn't matter how long I have to wait or what I have to do, I will see my brother again," she promised herself, with conviction.

The image of Shoto's smile and warm embrace, kept safe in her memory until he returned, would give her the strength and determination needed to continue training and growing stronger, knowing that he would return one day.

Rias took a deep breath, decided to keep up with her training despite the grief and sadness that it caused her to endure. With determination like hers, it was impossible to deny the truth: her fate was forever linked with her twin brother, no matter how hard she tried to avoid thinking about it.

Hopefully, her belief in the possibility Shoto was still alive, would become reality. And destiny rewarded her persistence and diligence by bringing them together once more, under extraordinary circumstances.

Kuoh Academy, home to Rias' Occult Research Club. Rias gazed out from the building's window where the research club was based. The morning light illuminated the rooftops of Kuoh Town, casting shadows across the city as the sun rose over the horizon, bathing everything below it in a brilliant glow.

Inside the ORC, Rias dreaded the day Riser would come to remind her about the marriage she never agreed to. She hated being reminded about it every year. But since they were now 18, she couldn't put off having to marry him much longer... if at all... unless she found some way to stop it.

And to her luck, there was. The Rating Game, a competition between two devils with a peerage. Rias' peerage consisted of Akeno Himejima, Yuuto Kiba, Koneko Toujou, and the newly recruited Issei Hyoudou and Asia Argento.

Riser, being the cocky devil he is, had an ego inflated to bursting point, believing he could beat any single member of his peerage on his own, including Rias. Even then, he disrespected Issei by kissing two of the former's all-women peerage, causing the latter to envy him for his sheer arrogance.

"Do you really think you can beat Riser?" Riser spoke in third person, only further demonstrating how self-centered he was about beating everyone else in combat.

"You know I can..." Rias replied coldly. "I've been training hard." Her voice was full of confidence and certainty that she could defeat anyone, but she couldn't hide the tint of anxiety that ran through her words as well.

She knew she'd need to be strong enough to withstand Riser's relentless pressure and constant mockery if she wanted to win the matchup against him. Rias recalled the first time Shoto sent Riser to a world of suffering.

If he hadn't disappeared after their 13th birthday together five years ago, things may be going differently than they are now. If Shoto was still here, Riser might have received a taste of the torment he'd been subjected to, just like the one Shoto inflicted upon him during his first meeting with Rias.

"Riser highly doubts a Gremory can defeat him in combat," he sneered at her statement with his usual sarcastic attitude. He shrugged off Rias' claim as he went on. "...after all, your brother isn't here to save you this time."

His tone had no trace of the fear or worry he should have shown, despite knowing what fate awaited him if he lost. Rias could feel Riser's scornful gaze burn into the back of her head, causing the hair on the nape of her neck to stand up from embarrassment and anger.

Suddenly, another voice crept its way into the room. One that Rias found familiar. She theorized... Could it be...? Was it him? Everyone in the room except Rias turned towards the source of the voice, finding two heterochromatic eyes staring down at them from the dark corners of the room, the right one silver, and the other one turquoise.

"Huh, so you haven't changed even after all those years... What a shame, I would've thought that almost turning you to chicken cooked well done would at least leave a message..." the figure said with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, well..."

Rias turned around, finding herself face-to-face with the figure shrouded in darkness. The dim light gave away little detail about his appearance besides his silhouette's height and eye color, but that alone was enough for Rias to recognize it. Or rather, him.

"Huh? Who dares talk to Riser in such-" Riser began as he readied himself to talk back, but was met with the eyes of the figure in the corner, who simply stared him down without speaking a word.

His body froze in place, unable to move as he remained locked within his opponent's gaze. The gaze of the demon that left a scar on a metaphorical and literal manner. A scar which hadn't faded over eight years since their last meeting.

The flames of the candles spread all throughout the room began to change from their natural orange to vermilion, lighting the room with a crimson glow, adding a more sinister edge to the ambience.

Soon, those small red flames began manifesting in the figure's left side of his body, opening a better view of who the figure was. It sported a grin that transmitted genuine delight towards Rias, and absolute dread on Riser.

It sported a grin that transmitted genuine delight towards Rias, and absolute dread on Riser

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Sister..." The figure said, its face now fully illuminated by the red fire, revealing its features and confirming Rias' theory. HE was back.

"Shoto..." Rias murmured, her eyes wide open with disbelief, her jaw dropping as her heart hammered inside her chest at the sudden reappearance of her twin brother. "You're... you're..." Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes as she gazed upon him, so long ago when they were children.

"I'm back"