DxD: The Plunder System Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Pain is inevitable

"Kami Susanoo had disciples before me," Kento wondered. "Do you believe I meet the standards of those disciples?"


He had wondered what his predecessors obtained in their life. What they achieved and how they progressed in their training.


"This wholly depends on your definition of the word `standards`," The beautiful kitsune replied. "Kami Susanoo has a very flamboyant personality and quite a few of his disciples shared this same personality trait."


"By this, I mean that they prioritized strength," The Yokai belle continued. "Yet many also resonated with his intellectual side. Kami Susanoo is a genius strategist and quite a few of his students prioritize this over strength."


"He had quite a lot of disciples, didn't he?" The boy asked, figuring out that a being that lived for eons must've had a few disciples over the eras. 


"Most of the students he had were taken in because of pity." The kitsune revealed with a clear look of sadness visible on her face.


"Pardon?" 


"Kami Susanoo may act tough but he has a soft side to him." The Youkai leader smiled, "During the Asuka period, kitsune were considered evil. We were hunted and burned alive."


This revelation came as a shock to him. All this time he believed that kitsunes have always been worshiped and revered, but he did not expect that there was a time when this was not the case.


Especially in a country such as Japan.


"You wouldn't know this," She said, "But kitsune and kyuubi are attracted to humans more than they are attracted to their race." 


Kento was not going to pretend like he didn't know of this. 


Kento nodded. "Depictions do show that kitsune tend to attract human men."


Every storybook about kitsunes had illustrations of them besides a human male.


"Kyuubis are no different," She went on, "They are attracted to human women more than they are attracted to kitsunes."


"Is that why you were considered evil?" Kento asked, figuring out the former mentality. "Because humans fell just as hard for your beauty, if not harder?"


The Youkai smiled, finding the boy's curiosity to be of just the appropriate amount, "We were."


She did not hide the truth, she laid it out truthfully.


"We were termed as seductive witches that ate the hearts of young and good-looking men," She said, "But that wasn't the case."


Kento nodded, understanding the situation, "And where does Kami Susanoo come into this story?" 


"Kami Susanoo once had a Kyuubi that served him with his all," She said, "But later that Kyuubi was hunted by a famous Japanese warlord. This action infuriated Kami Susanoo and he established the rule that prevents humans from hurting any nine-tails. If the rule is broken, they would be punished by the shinigami."


Kento wanted to ask if she faced the same discrimination as the former kitsunes but he knew that it wasn't appropriate to bring in her past. 


"Many of his disciples also faced a lot of discrimination or simply had a past that was painful." She sighed, "He couldn't bear to see them in such situations and took them in –training them."


However, her expression changed as she looked at him. 


"Yet it was not the case with you," She said, "You were not taken in out of pity but because Kami Susanoo acknowledged your skills. You are one of the rare ones."


Kento wasn't certain if she was being genuine or if she just wanted to make him feel better. 


But it didn't matter to him as much as one would believe.


In truth, Susanoo had his reasons to take Kento as his disciple, and Kento was profiting from the situation as well.


It was a symbiotic relationship that seemed sustainable.


"Thank you, Yasaka." Kento smiled, "You are good with words."


She giggled, "One does not become a Youkai leader without such skills."


Kento could see why a lot of people liked Yasaka. He had heard lesser Youkais gossiping about her, yet surprisingly none of those gossips were negative.


For the rest of their walk to the god's training hall, they remained quiet. 


Yasaka's presence was calming, something that Kento wondered had something to do with her being a kitsune.


But as they were close to the storm god's domain, Yasaka warned Kento.


"Kami Susanoo's training resembles a sandstorm," She said, "One that keeps changing directions and no matter what you do it will always follow you. All you can do is steel your heart, close your eyes and plug your ears and walk right into it. It will not be easy, but that is the only way to survive it."


This confused Kento greatly, "Isn't one supposed to look and listen to their teacher?"


Yasaka smiled, "You will figure it out with time, but remember… One does not walk into a sandstorm and come out the same as they walked in."


Kento did get a bit of what she was getting at, but a lot of it was ambiguous and he knew that he could only understand it after going through Susanoo's training.


'Let's see how a god trains.'


…

…


There were a lot of things that came with being the heiress of a significant family.


Many of those things were great, magnificent even. However, a small fraction of those things were also bad, painful and scary. 


And often they overshadowed the good things and made a person feel miserable.


Pain was common for everyone, but when one was at the top, it was inevitable.


"Do you know that dissolvement of my marriage contract with Riser only bought me a little bit of time?" Rias asked, looking out of the window and losing herself in the scenery.


"Being an heiress comes with its fair share of burdens." Akeno had been with Rias long enough to know of this, "It will only be a matter of time before you will have to find yourself a suitor."


When people are met with adversity, they do one of two things.


Give up and let the adversity play, or stand against it and face it head on –irrespective of the results.


However, in the past, Rias was of the former belief.


She was trying to fight her fate but not to the extent she should have. In one way or other, she had given up and that was visible by her lack of training.


"You have changed," Akeno said, "Not in a bad way, though."


"You think so?" Rias smiled, "I don't think I am much different."


"I would like to disagree." Akeno leaned on the wall, "You have started training and are also active in strategy making and political talks."


Rias had a peaceful expression on her face, one that had accepted her fate, "I cannot always run away from my responsibilities, Akeno. Past and responsibility do not go away unless one faces them."


"Saying from experience?" Akeno asked, figuring that her king had been through a lot.


"And from what Kento told me." Rias smiled.


This got Akeno curious, "Did you two talk… about yourself?"


Rias shook her head, "Not yet," She said, "But we plan to talk once he is back."


Akeno teased Rias whenever possible, but she was aware that there were also times when one had to be serious.


"I like this change," Akeno said in honesty, "I can get used to it."


"Once you get used to the fact that one cannot escape from their fate, you will also feel the same," Rias said, "You can run from it but will also change its direction. One cannot escape fate but they can definitely improve their fate, even if it causes them pain."


Unknown to Akeno, Rias had another motive to tell such things to Akeno.


"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional," She said.