Author's note: Another crazy idea. Basically, this was the original opening prologue for one of my other fics 'Agent of Mercy' but was scrapped away. But after such an agonizing time being pestered by plot bunny, I finally have to release or it or risking my insanity go haywire.

That's enough with my rambling. Please, enjoy the show.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my plot.

Prologue:

The World beyond there was always lively, yet somehow it felt insignificant to her. For all that mattered to her in that World was one very single person.

'Let's laugh together!'

A simple sentence, yet that alone was one of the things she held dear most. Even now, her unspoken thanks to him for those words he had said to her was everlasting but embarrassed.

She couldn't even bring herself to say 'Thank you' the moment when she finally had to push him back, or even a 'I am sorry' for sealing his memories away. For she couldn't let the World crumble because of her selfish desire.

And so silently, she drank again tonight, with those fond memories of their time together in this Akashi Record dancing along the ripples in her cup.

Without turning her head back from where she sat, the prana signatures of the three newcomers were more than enough to let her know that the preparation had been completed. Putting the cup down, her dedicated hand gently patted on the head of the white wolf that had approached her from behind. After completely freeing the three out of the influence of the Counter Forces, she could finally sigh in relief, knowing that both Gaia and Alaya couldn't stop her now.

This was a risky move, she knew. But she no longer cared. The Counter Forces had no emotion and only cared about their own matters. The possibilities of him being disposed by the Counter Forces because they deemed him as a threat to her were just as real as her existence.

"... You three... " No matter how hard she tried, the shakiness still managed to laced into her voice "... Please... Protect him for me... okay?"

For him, the last anchor of her sanity...

Rias did not expect this.

When she was summoned, she had expected to quickly reincarnate Issei back to life as her Pawn before bringing the brunette back for a proper healing. But when her feet touched the ground, the redhead found herself looking at not only Issei, but also another Kuoh student. A light spear impaled through the unknown student's stomach along with his guitar case on his back into a tree, the headphone around his neck was broken beyond repaired, his shirt now was dyed crimson and a black fedora hat was on the ground, in the pool of his own blood. A bystander casualty?

"Can you save me like you did to him?"

His voice, which was firm, clear and had a natural vibrato in it, made a bang of sadness raised in her heart. She wanted to save him. She truly wanted it... But she couldn't. With how fatal his wound was, her healing spell wouldn't enough to save him and him being conscious to this point was a miracle itself. And from what she had appraised from him, he was just a normal human without any trace of supernatural talent. She couldn't afford a piece to save him if she still wanted to build a strong peerage for the sake of her freedom, especially when Issei had taken all of her Pawn pieces.

"... I... used all I can afford to save Hyoudou-san..." her half-truth response made the unknown student just nodded his head slightly in acceptance, her voice was filled with genuine regret. "... I'm... sorry..."

The orange color of the sunset was slowly replaced by the grey color of the clouds, signalling a rain was coming close.

"... Do you have any... last request?" For some unknown reasons, Rias felt her voice became slightly shaken as her brain was doing its best to come up with something "... I... I can ease your pain... And your family... I... I... "

Why did she hope...

No. 'Hope' wouldn't be the right word to describe.

Why did she pray to every single satan with her whole being that this student would accept her offer?

Why did even she care in the first place? Was it to soothe the agonizing feeling of guilt in her heart, which was the result of her decision not to save him?

The sound of thunder echoed in the grey sky. If it had been a normal time, Rias would think about her sadistic Queen but now, her mind just didn't have any room for such thought.

The bloody right hand raised up weakly, thus stopping her incoherent offer from going on.

"... Leave me be."

The answer totally caught Rias off guard. Her eyes opened widely while her brain had to use a few seconds to fully take in his final request

"... Wha... What?... Why do you..."

One more time, she was stopped dead in her track by the dying unknown student

"... The melody in the sky is coming again..." the explanation confused Rias, her head tilted to a little bit "... Let me enjoy it... one last time... without having a liar taint it..."

Even though his voice bore no accusation, hatred or vengeance... Even though she could feel that what the unknown student had just said didn't directly aim at her, the feeling of shame and guilt still resurfaced and threatened to suffocate the Gremory heiress.

'A half-truth is a whole lie, Rias-sama. Be careful with what you say.'. She once heard her brother's Queen, Grayfia Lucifuge, said that to her when she was only a little girl, after being caught and trying to talk her way out of punishment. For ten years, she hadn't even bother to try to understand. She was a devil, mischief and trickery ran in her blood!

But now... Rias could finally understand why.

She wanted to look away in shame, but her eyes and body couldn't.

She wanted to say an apologize, no matter how useless or empty it might sound to the dying young man, yet all the words died in her throat before they could escape her lips.

"... That's... my last request..."

And with that, the unknown student's head leaned back, his black eyes held a look of serenity for a very brief second that Rias almost missed before they gradually close in relaxation. His fingers moved slightly, as if following his inaudible melody.

The first raindrops fell from the sky told her that the rain has finally started. She could feel they rolled on her cheeks as her vision became blurry because of the rain.

"... A-as you... wish..." Rias's choking voice was muffed by the sound of the now heavy rain "... And please... forgive me..."

Light.

Even with such a dark sky like that, he could still see the lights coming from it.

White, Purple and Black. So beautiful and warm. But he knew with him being at the end of his road, the lights would soon fade away, letting the darkness take its place.

If only this moment could last forever...

(End prologue)