Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Scattered Cherry Blossoms Universe, Dimensional Gap, Team DxD Base.

Only a few hours after Tatsuo and Scáthach returned from the Kuoh General Hospital, the residents of the Alaverus Estate once again found themselves training in the time dilation region. However, it was clear that more than a few of those training did not have their minds in it.

Naturally, Sona and her peerage were among those who were distracted. While Sona was distracted for obvious reasons, her peerage was too worried about their [King] to focus. Surprisingly, Tatsuo was also distracted. However, that only lasted during the first session of energy control training. Yet, as soon as it ended, he walked over to James and Irene with a determined, yet somewhat confused, expression on his face.

"Yo, what's up, Tatsuo?" James asked when he noticed Tatsuo approaching. "You should probably take it easy. If you decide not to rest, Master won't take it easy on you when the next session starts."

"Yeah, I know." Tatsuo replied. "But I need to ask you and Irene something."

Hearing that, James exchanged glances with Irene. When they did, they both saw that the other had an eyebrow raised in interest. Then, they both turned to look at Tatsuo.

"Well, go ahead." Irene said with a nod.

Nodding in return, Tatsuo looked both James and Irene in their eyes.

"Thanks to [The End], I was able to learn all the abilities of everyone I watched spar yesterday." Tatsuo said in a serious tone. "The only exceptions were [Sacred Gear] abilities and..."

Immediately, because Tatsuo came to the two of them, James and Irene knew what his next words would be. However, they both waited for him to finish.

"... [Dragon Slayer Magic]." Tatsuo said, finishing his earlier sentence. "I can understand why I couldn't copy the [Sacred Gear] abilities. I mean, they're made from Big G's miracles. But [Dragon Slayer Magic]? I don't understand why I can't pick it up."

Just as James and Irene expected, Tatsuo asked about [Dragon Slayer Magic]. While James had no idea why [The End] did not copy and teach Tatsuo [Dragon Slayer Magic], Irene actually had an idea after thinking about it for several moments.

"Well, I'm not sure if this is the actual reason, but I do have an idea." Irene said, drawing both Tatsuo's and James' attention. "If I had to say, it's because your draconic aura was unable to imitate either mine, James', or Issei's. And because of that, you were unable to copy the attributes of our auras."

"Although that makes sense, it doesn't at the same time." Tatsuo said after thinking about it for a while.

"Yeah, it should be the same with learning bloodline traits, too, right?" James added. "I mean, why does that work?"

"If I had to guess, it's because similar feats can be performed without the bloodline traits." Scáthach said, inserting herself into the conversation. "For example..."

Scáthach then began drawing [Runes] in the air. Then, once she was done, she reached into her [Storage Space] and pulled out a simple longsword. After that, she pressed the [Runic Sentence] onto the blade. A moment later, the blade broke down into around a thousand pieces, each with a sharp cutting edge. On top of that, she could direct the smaller blades in any way she wanted with the hilt in her hand.

"Are you shitting me?" James muttered while watching Scáthach's impromptu use of [Senbonzakura].

"Though it is likely not as efficient as your bloodline trait, nor as aesthetically pleasing, I've managed to recreate [Senbonzakura]." Scáthach said as she stopped supplying demonic power to her [Runes], causing the sword to put itself back together. "Though, I doubt I'd ever be able to use it on a scale as large as you do, James. Nore would I be able to integrate the ability with myself, enabling me to turn myself into those blades."

"That makes more sense." James said while nodding his head.

"Then, that means if I want to use [Dragon Slayer Magic], I'll need a teacher, right?" Tatsuo asked while turning to look at Irene and James again.

"Looks that way." Irene replied.

"Then, could I ask one of you to teach me?" Tatsuo asked. And though the thought of bowing his head bothered him, he bowed his head politely while he did so.

Once again, James and Irene exchanged glances. During that time, they seemed to have a conversation. A moment later, the two nodded, having reached some kind of agreement.

"I'll do it." Irene said. "Although James is also a competent teacher, he's lacking in the magical theory department."

"Yeah... If you wanted to learn how to fight with your body, like Muay Thai, wrestling, or swordsmanship, I got you." James added. "But I'm no magic teacher. Hell, other than [Dragon Slayer Magic], I barely learned the basics of [Devil Magic]."

"Hmm... Is that why [The End] didn't even bother learning how to manipulate a mortal's mind when you did it to Shimizu?" Tatsuo asked in a serious tone while looking down with a contemplative expression on his face.

In response, James reeled back while grabbing his chest over his heart. And the fact that Tatsuo was asking so seriously without trying to tease him in the slightest, made his words hit even harder than usual. And while James was reeling from the unexpected damage, all the Devils who were close enough to hear the conversation could not help giggling, as it was no secret how bad at Devil Magic James was.

"Anyway, thanks a lot, Miss Belserion." Tatsuo said, shaking himself out of his contemplative state. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it." Irene said with a smile while waving off Tatsuo's thanks. "We'll start once the technique training session starts. Oh, and don't call me Miss Belserion. It makes me sound old. Just call me Irene like everyone else."

"Okay." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Well then, I'm gonna get some rest. I'm still a little tired from last night. So, if you'll excuse me."

Tatsuo then turned around and made his way over to where Aletia and Tio were sitting. Then, without hesitation, he laid his head on Tio's lap. Aletia then laid down next to him and rested her head on his chest while Tio started rubbing his head in a soothing manner.

"Did you notice?" Irene asked Scáthach.

"I did." Scáthach replied. "His draconic nature seems to be too much for him. Though, that should be expected."

"What do you mean?" Irene asked in a curious tone.

"Well, according to him and the others, his draconic bloodline awakened less than a year ago." Scáthach replied. 

"Hmm?" Irene hummed in a curious tone. "So, did he acquire a draconic bloodline on one of those [Missions] James mentioned? Because his draconic bloodline awakening after he turned fifteen sounds almost impossible. In most cases, a draconic bloodline would almost immediately overpower that of a human."

"Honestly, I am not sure." Scáthach said while shaking her head. "The only way to find out for sure would be to speak to the boy's mother."

"But if it were that simple, Tatsuo would already know, right?" Irene asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"I believe so." Scáthach replied.

"There's no use thinking about it." A female voice said from directly behind the two [Queens].

Quickly turning their heads, Scáthach and Irene saw Aislynn standing behind them.

"Just know that things are the way they are supposed to be." Aislynn said, not even looking at the [Queens]. She then continued while staring at Tatsuo, who was lying on Tio's lap. "Instead, for the time he is here, focus on making him stronger. Trust me, it would be beneficial to this world. As for why, I am not at liberty to discuss that."

After speaking her piece, Aislynn faded from Scáthach's and Ireen's cognition. Yet, she did not move from where she stood. Instead, she stared at Tatsuo, who was resting with Aletia and Tio.

'Although I was telling the truth about Tatsuo receiving proper training being good for this world, I'll admit that I had some selfish ulterior motives when I said that.' Aislynn thought to herself with slightly reddened cheeks. 'Honestly, I never thought Her Majesty would succeed on her final chance. But now that you're able to grow, I hope you won't reject your mother's arrangements for the future.'

When she thought about the Void Empress' arrangements, more specifically when she said she would play match maker, Aislynn blushed even harder.

As previously mentioned, The Void Empress basically raised Aislynn. And when she first found out that she was pregnant, she decreed that Aislynn would be Tatsuo's first incarnation's wife. Unfortunately, because of the cowardly actions Tatsuo's original father took, that never came to be.

Yet, when the Void Empress first mentioned her plan to reincarnate Tatsuo, Aislynn, who was happy to become the Void Prince's bride, found herself disappointed that he once again died before being able to grow into a man. And as the attempts continued over the millennia, she gradually lost hope, even believing that the final attempt would fail like all the others.

But now that it was clear that Tatsuo, provided he is not killed, will have the chance to grow into adulthood, Aislynn's hopes have returned. And she wants him to grow strong. Though, her reasons for wanting him to grow are markedly different from why she wanted James to grow in the past.

With James, Aislynn wanted him to grow strong enough that he would be worthy of being her mate. As a female dragon, she would not be with a weaker male, after all. Yet, in Tatsuo's case, being his mate was not dependent on his strength at all. Instead, she wants him to grow strong enough to protect himself in the future. Because it does not take a genius to figure out that once Tatsuo's identity slips to the other multiverses, Tatsuo's father from his first incarnation will stop at nothing to kill him once again.

Like that, with Aislynn watching over Tatsuo the hour long rest period passed. Once it did, Tatsuo and Tio made their way over to Irene to learn about [Dragon Slayer Magic]. Meanwhile, Aletia, though she wanted to learn [Dragon Slayer Magic] to match with Tatsuo, was unable to learn it, as she would need to learn it from a dragon, or rather, be inundated by a dragon's aura while learning from said dragon. 

Then, there was the issue of turning into a dragon after learning and using [Dragon Slayer Magic]. While James and Issei were not in danger of turning because of the dragon souls living in their souls, Irene was proof that [Dragonization] was real. And Aletia was not willing to test if being a vampire would save her from such a fate.

So, instead of joining Tatsuo and Tio, Aletia made her way over to Rossweisse. And just as Scáthach had mentioned, Rossweisse was quite skilled and well-learned when it came to magic. And while Aletia was not as learned in magic theory and magic systems, she was a magical genius, perhaps on a higher level than Rossweisse. So, the discussions between the two ended up drawing the attention of those who specialized in magic, such as Evangeline, Rias' [Queen], Akeno, or Sona's [Bishops], Kusaka Reya, a cute, first-year university student with a slim figure, long brown hair ending in two short braids and brown eyes wearing a blue headband with her training attire, and Hanakai Momo. A beautiful third-year high school student with mid-back length white hair and bluish-green eyes.

Like that, the rest of the technique training session went by without issue. Then, the group rested for another hour before moving onto the sparring sessions. Unfortunately, thanks to seeing everyone spar twice the previous day, Tatsuo was unable to get anymore new [Skills]. Though, he did enjoy sparring with the more gifted physical fighters in the group. Namely, James, Cu Chulainn, James' [Pawn], Shiba Tatsuya, a young man with plain features, a somewhat tall, around 5'10", athletic, and sturdy build with deep-set, piercing blue eyes and black hair, as well as the [Knights] of James' second peerage, Hiei, a short man, standing around 4'10" tall if you don't count his tall, spiky black hair, with blood red eyes, a slim-athletic figure, and a whitehead band that covered a third eye on his forehead called a Jagon, and Erza Scarlet, Irene's daughter, a relatively tall young woman with long, scarlet red hair, brown eyes, a slim, yet curvaceous, figure with large breasts.

Despite liking to fight three of James' four [Knights], he absolutely loathed fighting the fourth, Dante. And the reason was because Dante's fighting style was too flamboyant. Not to say that Tatsuo had any trouble fighting him. However, seeing all that excessive movement made him feel as if he were going to get a migraine.

Even so, the rest of the sixty-four hour training session passed eventually. When it did, the group returned to the mansion in Kuoh. Though, Sona and Rhea did not join them. Instead, they went to the Underworld to see their father/husband's condition, something they had not done the night before because they were more concerned with seeing if Tatsuo might be able to cure him.

Scattered Cherry Blossoms Universe, Human World, Japan, Kuoh.

After returning to the mansion, the group of trainees were greeted by the mothers who stayed behind as well as the maids, Grayfia and Zest. They then sat down for lunch, which had been prepared by Grayfia and Zest.

"Hey, Tatsuo-Oniichan." Kunou said shyly while everyone was sitting down to eat.

"What's up?" Tatsuo asked with a smile that made Kunou turn red.

"Um... Do you think you could... Um... Maybe...?" Kunou said, struggling to get her question out while looking at Tatsuo's smile.

And the fact that Tatsuo only tilted his head while waiting for her to finish asking her question instead of rushing her, only made things harder for the shy little fox girl. Unfortunately for Kunou, Tatsuo was not the only one present. And there was another Nine-Tailed Fox sitting nearby who found great amusement in her daughter's current situation.

"Oh, come now, Kunou." Yasaka said sweetly, though the mischievous glint in her eyes was impossible to hide. "Why are you stuttering like that. You're not usually like this. Are you feeling okay?"

"Mom~~~~!" Kunou whined, turning even redder while doing so.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be too much for Kunou to handle, as she started stuffing the rest of her meal into her mouth before running away from the table.

"Ara, ara, it looks like I pushed her too far." Yasaka muttered while watching her daughter run away.

"Well, what did you expect?" Venelana asked while shaking her head with a smile on her face. "This is her first crush, after all. And she's not as thick-skinned as my Rias. I mean, she's been claiming James as her own since she was six."

"More like as her property." Leona said with a giggle. "I still remember when she slapped him because he did not answer the way she wanted him to when she found out about her old engagement."

"For Satan's sake!" Rias shouted, her face blending perfectly with her hair. "Why do you have to bring that up at every opportunity?"

"Because it's hilarious." Most of those present coursed in unison.

Rias could only cover her face with her hands, feeling that Sona not being her at the moment was a minor miracle. Because Rias was certain that her best friend would have been the most vocal about the events of that day.

"Anyway, does anyone know what my little fox wanted to ask Tatsuo-Kun?" Yasaka asked in a curious tone.

"Oh, I can answer that." Maria said excitedly with her right hand raised high above her head. She then turned to Tatsuo with her hands pressed together in a praying gesture and asked the question that Kunou was struggling to ask while making puppy dog eyes. "Hey, Tatsuo-Kun, do you think we could hear you play the piano some more?"

When they heard the question, nearly everyone in the room had their eyes light up. The magical effect of Tatsuo's music was quite nice after more than two days of training crammed into an eight hour period of real time.

Naturally, Tatsuo did not mind playing for everyone. Playing the piano helped him relax, as well. However, when Maria continued, he hesitated for a while.

"And if it's not too much trouble, maybe you could play the song you were writing yesterday?" Maria asked, intensifying the effect of her puppy dog eyes, like only a succubus could, as she did so.

Now, it should be stated that Tatsuo's hesitation had no connection to a lack of self-confidence. Rather, it was because the song he was writing, or rather fine tuning was the song he had been writing at school, the cover of Chris Brown's song, "Yo!" and it's piano arrangement. Instead, it was because the piano arrangement was not as perfect as he wanted. Plus, there were no drums or accompanying instruments.

Yet, Tatsuo's hesitation only lasted for a few moments before he agreed to play/sing the song.

"Alright, but I want all of your honest feedback when you hear the song." Tatsuo said. "This is going to be my first single in my world. So... Yeah."

Needless to say, everyone agreed. Then, they finished their meals while anticipating Tatsuo's performance. Especially since just hearing it echo through the mansion had such an effect. They were curious to know how it would feel hearing it up close.