"The... Other Bitch?"

The gray-haired man furrowed his eyebrows as he regarded the three of you with a look of confusion, and the tall warlock's jaw dropped slightly. It took a moment for you to register what your loud-mouthed companion had just said, but once you did, you quickly snapped out of your love stricken trance to clear up the situation.

"He means the giant monster from the Other that's been terrorizing everyone." Your eyes moved over to Bokuto to regard him with a look of incredulousness before you slowly made your way towards the group. "I'm (l/n) (f/n), and these are my two friends, Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou," you announced. When the tall man you'd sought met your gaze again, you said, "We've come looking for the great warlock, Azumane Asahi."

The calm expression on his face remained for no longer than a second before it completely shattered, and his chin quavered with embarrassment as he spoke quickly. "A-Ah, you can just call me Asahi. N-No need for that title!"

"What do you need him for?" a different, dark-haired man asked, his brown eyes watching you carefully.

With a shrug and cock of the head, Kuroo answered, "I don't know about you, but we wanna kill that giant pain in the ass."

"And," you interjected with haste, "we know that we can't do it alone. So, we're on a quest to unite the most powerful heroes in the lands to help us all conquer the beast together." Your definitive words echoed around the giant room before a heavy, contemplative silence befell everyone once again. Asahi's brown eyes glowed in the sunlight shining through the tall windows spanning the walls as they fixed on something outside in the distance. While those present in this meeting seemed to be completely comfortable with long, unproductive silence, you were not. "So, Asahi, will you join us?"

His confidence seemed to crumble further under your intense (e/c) gaze as you waited rather impatiently for an answer. You'd expected a man of his status and merit to be more forward, and even though he had a handsome appearance, that wasn't going to save him from your interrogation tactics. "A-Are you sure you want me? I mean, I wouldn't give myself too much credit, you know."

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you pointed at the giant monster head protruding from the wall nearest you, making Bokuto move his head to avoid being struck by your hand. "Did you not kill this monster?" you questioned. When the meek warlock nodded, you pointed to another trophy on a different wall. "And that one?" He nodded again. "If you've slain every single one of those demons, then you're the man I want." Everyone gave you a sideways glance, including your two companions, so you rushed to correct yourself. "For this quest, of course."

"B-But Asahi-san is the headmaster of this academy, he-"

The man in question held up his hand to silence his concerned, silver-haired comrade. "It is my duty to protect the people of these lands. I am one of the few who has enough power to defeat this monster from the Other, and the citizens here have relied on me to be strong and brave for them over the course of many years, so I must go and help these knights." The words spilling out of his mouth in such a self-assured manner made your heart flutter in your chest slightly, amazed by how quickly he'd pulled himself together. Kuroo and Bokuto had both prided you before on your persuasive abilities, but you'd hardly said more than a few sentences and you'd already convinced a great warlock to join the three of you.

His colleagues bowed their heads respectfully in response to his decision and your found both of your arms being nudged by your friends. No words were exchanged between the three of you, but the way they wiggled their eyebrows and mouthed, Ohoho, was enough to communicate their praise. You smacked both of them lightly, and their faces returned to their usual, shit-eating smirks as they watched the warlock approach you.

"I'll need the day to prepare for the journey," Asahi informed you.

"You have two hours." Your firm statement make his face pale slightly. "By the way, there were two rather interesting boys waiting to have a chat with you before I rudely cut in front of them, so to speak. Kageyama and Hinata, I think were their names. Please get your business handled and meet us by the front gates in two hours."

The tall man dipped his head, causing some of his silky, brown hair to spill in front of his face from behind his ears. You returned his act of respect before turning on your heels and walking back towards the door with your posse of two in tow. "Damn, (f/n), you run a tight ship," Bokuto muttered under his breath.

Your reply was simple: "We're on not only a quest, but also a mission. Time is of the essence."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two hours you'd allotted for your new party member to gather everything a powerful warlock could need to defeat an otherworldly monster were spent meandering around the academy grounds. Kageyama and Hinata had followed you down the hallway after your exit from the headmaster's chambers, pestering you with questions, until Asahi himself had reeled them back in for the meeting they'd been anxiously awaiting. Kuroo and Bokuto had taken to poking fun at a tall, blonde-haired kid who was cynical as anything after he'd ruffled the latter's feathers. What was originally meant to be a peaceful time spent basking in the sunshine of the glittering courtyard became an open forum for you when two enthusiastic boys led a flock of their friends over to you to ask a barrage of questions. While you had wanted some quiet and solitude, you couldn't deny that having your beauty described to you in such creative ways by your newly discovered fanboys was a nice confidence booster.

When Asahi had readied himself, he joined you and your friends at the ornate front gates of the academy, as planned. Nothing about his appearance had changed, but he now had a bag slung across his tall figure and a horse by his side with an immaculately-groomed black coat. He didn't even have to say that he was prepared, since you could see the look of diligence and bravery in his brown eyes. Despite looking nervous earlier, he now seemed to have his emotions under control, making you feel more at ease.

Upon seeing the entirety of the academy's students and staff gather in the courtyard to send their beloved headmaster off on his journey, you felt a cold sadness tug at your heart. Watching him take the hands of his colleagues in firm handshakes and give them each a pat on the shoulder made you realize, once again, the weight of the situation at hand. If something were to happen to him, he would be leaving behind not just a few friends or family members but an entire school full of students whose eyes were bright with knowledge of the limitless futures ahead of them that he had created for them. At home, you had your entire order desperately awaiting your return, but that was nothing compared to the people who stood before him now, wiping their teary eyes on their cloaks and holding each other's hands for support.

The fire that had ignited this entire quest began to burn inside of you with even more intensity. There was no room for failure. You had to return safely with everyone in tow and the beast that terrorized you all slain. No other option existed within your mind. You weren't going to allow this to be the last time the headmaster left these gates or saw this crowd of hopeful faces. You had already pledged your life to your two best friends, and you were now prepared to do the same for the newest member of your group without hesitation.

Following an emotional exit, the four of you rode away from the academy to begin the second leg of your journey. But, before you could think about searching for the next legend you wanted to recruit, you needed good food and an opportunity to pry the warlock for answers to your burning questions. About an hour outside of Karasuno City, the four of you came across a popular, riverside tavern where you decided to stop and have a bite.

Once inside, you asked Bokuto what he wanted to eat so you could order for him and set him upon an unoccupied table by a window, since the place was heaving with patrons. "So," Kuroo began when you'd all taken your seats, "Tell us more about yourself, Asahi. How did you come to earn such a prestigious title?"

The muscles in his neck clenched as he appeared to swallow his nerves in response to his heavy question. You flicked the side of Kuroo's head from where you sat sandwiched between the two of your friends so that your new acquaintance could have the bench across from you all to himself. "That's a bit of an overwhelming topic to start a light-hearted conversation with, don'tcha think?" you teased with a nervous chuckle, not wanting Asahi to feel uncomfortable.

"I mean it's a fair thing to ask, (f/n). We have no clue who this dude is," Bokuto chimed in, making your head whip around to face him so you could shoot him a warning look.

"Koutarou..."

Before you could lay into him, your new companion stuttered, "I-It's okay, (f/n). We really don't know anything about each other, so I might as well explain myself, here." A warm smile graced his lips but his eyebrows were slightly creased with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. Placing one arm across his chest and moving the hand behind his head to his slightly hairy chin, he gazed out the window at the glittering reflections of the river's steadily flowing waters. "Well," he began, "I guess this all started because of my mother. She was a well-known sorceress, but in her years of power, magic was still feared because people automatically assumed that all demons and monsters were spawned by sorcerers and that magic could only be used for evil. She grew up teaching me spells and alchemy, and instilled good morals in me, telling me I had to help her make a better name for wizards, mages, and all others who studied magic by using whatever powers I developed for benevolent purposes."

He paused when the hostess of the tavern approached your table with plates full of delicious food. The pet raven that he'd brought along with him cawed in indignation from where it sat on the windowsill at the sight of roasted chicken breasts on your platter. Shooting the bird an apologetic look, you admitted, "Sorry, little guy, but your little friends out there taste pretty damn good. Especially with potatoes and greens." Your comment earned a good laugh from your party, but the bird didn't look too impressed. You soon realized it had been annoyed more by a live chicken rather than disturbed by seeing a cooked one in front of you when it turned around and swiftly pecked a clucking, ball of feathers that had been jumping up and down just below the window.

"I like him. What's his name?" Kuroo asked before digging into the seared fish that had been served to him.

With a chuckle, Asahi answered, "Reo, since he's a wise, little guy."

"Is he magical?!" Bokuto questioned, his enthusiasm and awe equivalent to that of a small child's, as per usual.

"In a sense," was the warlock's hesitant response after he'd downed another serving of food, "He's a lost spirit I collected from the Other." Despite only having little, beady eyes, the raven shot his owner a scathing look that made him laugh nervously. "O-Or, I guess it would be more appropriate of me to say that he collected me as a companion."

The confused expressions the three of you wore clearly showed the topic warranted deeper discussion and clarification, so he elaborated, beginning with the original question that Kuroo had asked about how he'd become a legendary warlock. As previously mentioned, his mother had piqued his interest in magic and alchemy, so he followed in her footsteps, enrolling himself in the prestigious academy that he now presided over as headmaster. Through his studies, he learned about the arts of magic, but his unique interests led him to expand his knowledge on monsters, demons, and the Other. He'd figured the easiest way to get people to accept practitioners of sorcery and wizardry was to carefully examine beasts so he could properly defend the city against their attacks.

As a child, and like other children, he had a great fear of monsters. But, he also had an inherent interest in them, wanting to figure out where they came from and why they attacked. Curiosity had led him as an adult to find ways of infiltrating the magical boundaries separating this world from the Other, and in the process of making an extraordinary visit to the demonic realm, he had unintentionally picked up a passenger. Reo had been a previously unnamed lost spirit and prisoner cursed to the murky depths of the realm that had attached itself to Asahi, begging to be rescued. The warlock had obliged, freeing the spirit from his bonds to the Other and taking him back into the world you knew, where he had manifested himself as a raven and refused to leave Asahi's side.

"Huh," you muttered, placing your elbows on the table and holding your chin in your hands, "so that's how you were able to write all those books about monsters, then. By visiting the Other yourself?"

Asahi nodded. His brown eyes followed Reo as he took to picking remnants of fish from the bones left on Kuroo's plate. "I-I'm sorry, is he bothering you? I can use a spell to withdraw him," he suggested quickly.

Your bed-headed friend shook his head. "He's quite entertaining."

"Ah, good," Asahi sighed with relief, averting his gaze from the cold stare his feathered companion was sending his way, "He hates it when I do that."

A giggle escaped your throat and your cheeks burned slightly at seeing the man across from you regard you with a gentle smile. As much as you wanted to keep your eyes on him, they couldn't help drifting to a strange character seated by himself at the back of the tavern whose dark eyes were already fixed on you. Not only was he alone, but there was not a single soul sitting across from him or occupying the table adjacent his, making you wonder if there was something off about him aside from the apparent fact that he liked to stare. Wavy strands of obsidian-colored hair hung in front of his face--half of which was covered by a black scarf--and his body was draped in alarmingly yellow robes that blended to green at his feet, making you wonder how you hadn't noticed him until now.

Worry overcame Asahi's features at seeing your face noticeably harden. "Is everything alright, (f/n)?" he wondered, his voice nearly inaudible over the murmur of conversation and the occasional frenzied clucking of chickens outside.

"It seems we've drawn some attention from a stranger over there," you responded, refusing to break eye contact, "I'll be right back." Before anyone could protest, you stood and approached the brightly-clad man with a mind to tell him off for being so rude. As you neared him, his dark eyes remained on your figure. Unlike any other man you'd walked up to, he seemed to shy away from you and scoot further into the corner. "Hey, what's with the sta-" You cut yourself off with a sharp squeal of surprise that escaped your throat upon running into some invisible force. "The fuck is this?"

"A barrier of magic," was his simple response, his low voice muffled by the scarf around his nose and mouth, "Six feet in diameter."

Raising an eyebrow at him and rubbing your forehead, you growled, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The two small moles above his eyebrow twitched as he gave another infuriatingly curt answer. "A practitioner of effective disease prevention methods."

Kuroo, Bokuto, and Asahi watched you place your hands on your hips, making them sigh. "Ah, shit, she's getting all riled up. This might not end well," Kuroo grumbled.

"Well, Mr. Germaphobe, care to explain what you were doing staring at me like that?" you inquired, standing over him as much as you could when you couldn't get any closer than six feet to him.

Those focused, unyielding, charcoal-colored eyes of his were off-putting, yet intriguing at the same time in some strange way. He seemed lackadaisical yet freakishly aware. "Three knights of Fukuroudani's elite order eating lunch with Azumane Asahi isn't something you see everyday around here. Care to explain?"

"Care to let me sit?" His gesture to the empty table adjacent to his elicited a small huff of indignation from you, but you took a seat at the edge of the wooden bench so you could remain facing him. "What's it to you anyway? Everyone here is completely oblivious except for you," you wondered, propping your chin up with your hand and outstretching your legs which had previously been folded while you'd been squished between your two friends.

"That's because they lack any understanding of the potential events that could have brought you all together and to this location." Watching him talk was almost unnerving since his eyebrows were the only features you could see shift on his face. "What exactly are you plotting?"

"Hold on there," you said, waving your hand at him, "Before we get into what we may or may not be plotting, I need to know who you are first. I'm (l/n) (f/n), member of... well, you know all that already."

A scoff rippled through the scarf protecting his face. "Sakusa Kiyoomi," he stated flatly, "Master alchemist and sorcerer."

Your jaw nearly dropped to the floor. This is the notorious master sorcerer? you thought, your mind beginning to race wildly when you realized who you'd stumbled upon. Sakusa's name was one that rolled off the tongues of many across the lands, however, when those who came into contact with him had been asked to describe him, not a single one of them could. This man was a master of illusions and of being elusive, existing and disappearing with little to no trace. His origins were unknown and because he frequently flitted in and out of sight, nobody had been able to make a record of his appearance when documenting their run-ins with him. Because of this, you'd known only his name and had not the slightest idea how he looked. Had you realized sooner who you were talking to, you might've been a bit less abrasive.

"Sakusa-san," you uttered, "we need your help."

"I don't really care to work directly with one of my biggest competitors," he huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, you echoed, "Competitors?"

His dark eyes fixed on Asahi's back, as if he was trying to pierce his heart with his gaze. "We've been at each other's throats for a long time now, but he's never had any idea who he's been fighting with, since nobody ever remembers my appearance. Even though I help protect the general population, I'm more quiet about it because attention and fame are two things I'm not concerned with at all for. That's why he gets credit for almost every enemy slain around here, even if he didn't do it." Leaning forward on the table, he dug his gloved fingers into his own arms in a hint of frustration.

Images of the trophies you'd seen decorating the walls in Asahi's chambers flashed across your mind for a moment at his comment. You hated having momentary doubts about how many of those accomplishments had truly been his own. "We're on a quest to kill the monster from the Other, and if you're as great as the legends say you are, then we need you."

For the first time during the entirety of your conversation with him, you saw emotion flicker behind his gaze. Unfortunately, it just so happened to be reproach mixed with what could've been interpreted as a sliver of worry. "You must be out of your damn minds. Have you ever come head to head with that beast?" he questioned.

"As a matter of fact," you retorted defensively, "I have. We all tried to fight it to the best of our abilities, but I saw many of my comrades die that day. And now, every morning when I wake up, I thank all things holy that those two weren't taken from me as well." Your attention shifted to the table where your two friends sat with Asahi. Kuroo quickly avert his prying eyes with a loud whistle while Bokuto lowered his head to Reo's level and scratched the raven's feathery neck, an expression of pure amusement on his features.

"And you think that if I help, you'll stand a chance?" was Sakusa's next question.

"If you and the rest of the heroes we're seeking agree to join us, then, yes, I do think we stand one hell of a chance."

"Where are you headed?"

"North."

"How are you going to find the monster?"

"We'll figure it out with Asahi's help."

"What's your strategy for killing it?"

"We need to learn more before we can decide on that."

"Wha-"

"Hey!" you barked suddenly and stood up, interrupting his seemingly endless onslaught of inquiries. A few people turned to look at you with wide eyes, but you ignored them. "Do you wanna spend the rest of your life just lurking around in the background and resenting people for taking credit from you, or do you wanna fucking kill a monster, huh? You know what they say: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"

You could tell your words struck a nerve you his eyebrows quavered with irritation and his eyes narrowed to send a searing glare your way. However, he replied calmly, "I'm just trying to figure out the logistics so I don't get caught up in some death wish of yours. Besides, I don't need to beat anyone; your new friend over there isn't even on the same level as I am."

"Just come with us, damn it!"