::Author's Note::

We're at nearly forty follows and thirty favorites. Thank you everyone who has been favorite, following, and leaving solid reviews and critiques on the second Arc so far. Progress on the next few chapters is coming along well, and I should be able to continue posting at a steady rate.

I now present, Chapter Ten.

::End Note::

"That's quite a story."

"Indeed."

"Honestly though, I can't say I'm surprised. That sounds just like my younger sister. Wise as she may be, she's always been somewhat whimsical when it comes to romance."

"A shame she likely doesn't have a chance of winning."

"No. Unfortunately, that she does not."

"So why let her go through with the training then?"

"I'm letting her make her own choices. She'd do so regardless."

"If I may, my Lord. Are you certain this is just about your sister? After all, the Red Dragon Emperor-"

"Grayfia...you've been my loyal Queen and love for as long as we have both known each other. Have you not?"

"I have."

"So trust me when I tell you that the problem pertaining to my sister, and my interest in the Red Dragon Emperor, are in no way unrelated."

"I understand. My apologies, Lord Lucifer."

Rias and Asia both relaxed near the large bath that looked to be more akin to a pool. A golden lion's head acted as the font by which the bath's waters were delivered. And the massive room was supported by greek style columns that gave the entire setup the appearance of an ancient bathhouse.

Akeno gave a relaxed sigh, sinking further into the warm water. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a few loose bengs hanging down. "This was such a good idea. We haven't done this in forever."

"I hope it melts away some of the fatigue of training at least. You've all been working so hard." Rias replied, her two feet dipped into the water as she sat on the tile floor above. Her hair was done up the same way as Akeno's.

"Mmmm, I have no doubt this will do the trick." She relaxed against the tub wall, glancing up at Rias with a mischievous look in her eye. "You know...I imagine Jon is hopping in on the other side right about now. It's a shame we couldn't get everyone on board with our original idea."

A slight blush crept over Rias's cheeks. "Koneko is entitled to her privacy. I won't make her do anything she's not comfortable with just for my own sake."

"That's fair." She admitted. "Still...I know you're certainly eager to get as much time together as you can."

Rias quirked a brow at her Queen. "Why do you think that?"

Akeno giggled at her, shaking her head incredulously. "Rias, come on now. I know you're trying to maintain appearances but you may as well give it up. You're crazy for that boy. We can all see it."

She frowned softly. "I...I just can't talk about it. Not until we settle this Rating Game first."

Akeno turned her gaze away, her smile glowering somewhat. "Do you really think we can win?"

"I have to believe we can." Rias tucked her knees up to her chest. "Otherwise…"

"Hey." Akeno quickly cut her off. "Forget I said anything. I guess I'm just a little tense is all."

She nodded. "It's understandable."

They sat in silence for a moment. Both girls quietly considering the gravity of their situation.

"It's okay to be in love." Akeno finally spoke up. "We spend all our time trying to be strong for the sake of our subordinates. We're never allowed to show weakness in case it affects the moral of the Peerage." She smiled, gazing into the water thoughtfully. "But we should be allowed to open our hearts to love. No matter how or why it may form, we deserve to feel that connection with another person. At least I think so."

Rias considered her words thoughtfully for a moment. "I...suppose you're right."

"Besides." Akeno grinned up at her. "You could probably stand to get laid before that stick in your ass gets any bigger."

Rias splashed Akeno with water, who retaliated with a splash of her own. The two girls giggled playfully as they splashed each other while Asia and Koneko sat a few yards away, taking advantage of the nearby showers. Asia gazed back at the two girls playing, their breasts pressed against one another. She turned her head back, blushing nervously as she stared at her own chest before letting out a depressed sigh.

"Sad you're not on the Double D team?"

Asia looked over to see Koneko scrubbing her arm with a loofah while the water from the shower ran down her body.

"Yeah, I guess a little." She smiled awkwardly.

"Why?" Koneko asked, glaring over at her coldly, her voice irritated. "You're obscenely pretty. You have no reason to feel inadequate about yourself."

Asia frowned, staring down at the tile floor again. "Well...I know. Or I mean, I don't know I know. Everyone's always told me I'm pretty, but…"

Koneko groaned wearily while rolling her eyes. "It's about him, isn't it?"

She smiled in embarrassment, her cheeks flaring up again. "I guess so. I just want to know he finds me attractive."

Koneko gave her an unbelieving look. "Would you listen to yourself? Don't you see what he's turning you into?"

"What do you mean? What's he turning me into?"

"You sound like nothing in the world matters anymore but him." Koneko explained in a blunt tone. "You and Rias both. Hell, even Akeno is starting to sound like you two."

Asia's expression turned slightly sour. "I can't help it, and for that matter, neither can she. It's not our fault we fell in love with the same man."

"Are you really so sure love has anything to do with it?" She asked, returning to her scrubbing.

"Of course I'm sure!" She replied, sounding somewhat offended. "What else could it possibly be?"

"You know he's really a Dragon right?" Koneko asked, glancing back at her with those same cold eyes. "Like, he may look human, but there was nothing human about him even before he became a Devil."

"I know that. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"Did you know there are certain species of lizards in the Underworld with males that can produce pheromones so potent and intoxicating to females that it's basically the equivalent of being hit with a love spell?" She asked, lathering her hair with soap. "Dragons are said to be the most powerful creatures in existence. I wonder what sort of potent brain altering abilities they might possess?"

Asia remained silent.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this." She continued undeterred. "But have you ever stopped to consider that you only think you're in love with him because he's forcing you to feel that way?"

"Jon would never do something so horrible!" Asia insisted, completely put off by Koneko's attitude.

She sighed wearily. "I never said he was doing it on purpose. But what if you only feel the way you do because the power he emits alters your brain to think that way? Even if he isn't fully aware he's doing it?"

Asia considered her words for a moment. Really letting the gravity of it sink in. Finally, after a long awkward pause, she spoke again.

"If I said I was okay with that, would that be so wrong?" She asked gingerly. "What's it matter why I feel this way, so long as I do?"

"Spoken like a true Nun." Koneko replied, washing the soap out of her hair. "So long as it makes you feel special and wanted, what's it matter if you're robbed of your free will in the process?"

"What's so wrong with wanting to be happy?!" She replied angrily, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Before I met Jon, my life was miserable! Now, thanks to him, I have friends, family, and a place where I feel loved and appreciated."

"Rias gave you all of that. Not him." Koneko corrected sharply.

"But it was Jon who lead me to Rias." Asia quickly retorted. "If I hadn't offered myself to him that night, I wouldn't be here. I would have died on that Church pew, cold and alone." She smiled, clutching at her heart as thoughts of Jon welled within her. "Whenever I'm near him, my chest gets all fluttery. Whenever he holds me in his arms, I feel like nothing in the world could ever possibly do me harm. Just getting to spend a day with him makes me so happy I feel like my heart could burst. If that's not true love, then I don't know what is."

"I'm just saying…" Koneko continued, running a bar of lavender soap across her leg. "We shouldn't let our feelings for him dictate how we-"

She dropped the bar of soap on the ground, completely frozen in place as it slowly dawned on her what it was she just said out loud.

Asia cupped her hands over her mouth, her eyes going wide with shock. "Oh...oh my God. Koneko...you…"

Her face turned the deepest shade of red imaginable. Asia had never seen her get this flustered before, or this upset.

"All this time...I thought you hated him. But you really are just like me and Rias, aren't you?"

Koneko turned her gaze away, a deep set frown on her face. "I never once said I hated him." Her words sounded bitter, almost resentful. "I just hate the way he makes me feel."

"How does he make you feel?"

She rested her arms on her knees, staring down at the tile floor somberly. "Inadequate, nervous...confused."

"That's exactly how I felt at first too." Asia admitted. "Truth be told, I still feel that way sometimes."

"I used to think I was perfectly fine the way I was. I never once had to worry about things like my looks or my body or how I come off to people. Not before I met him anyway." She groaned in frustration, pulling at her hair. "My instincts are supposed to be razor sharp, my focus and concentration unbreakable. But whenever he's around, whenever he's even in the room, everything…" She growled angrily. "...everything just gets so damn fuzzy. It's like my brain is drunk and high at the same time. I hate it! I hate feeling so completely out of control!"

"That's exactly how it is for me too." Asia assured. "You're not alone in this, Koneko. Rias and I have both felt that very same thing."

"And you're okay with it?" Koneko challenged. "It doesn't scare the hell out of you to consider the kind of power he has over us? I mean...you gave up your faith for this man. That doesn't terrify you?"

"I never gave up my faith. But yes, it does scare me." Asia spoke in ernest. "Yet at the same time, now that I know I feel this way, I can't possibly imagine feeling anything else."

"How am I supposed to accept that?" She asked, her body trembling ever so slightly. "Knowing full well it could mean becoming weak? Or being used? Or getting hurt?"

"There's always going to be that risk." Asia replied, placing a tender hand on Koneko's shoulder. "But ultimately I chose this. So I have to believe that, no matter the sacrifice, or the challenges that lay ahead, if I just keep going, everything will turn out okay. I have to believe that Jon will not abuse the power he has."

Koneko gazed over at her curiously. "But you can't be certain of that."

She closed her eyes and shook her head, that smile never once leaving her face. "No, I can't. But I have faith that he won't."

Koneko still looked so discontent, so restless from her own feelings. It was scary for her, then again it was scary for all of them. Whether Jon was aware of it or not, he had a great deal of power over the ladies of the ORC, simply by the fact that none of them could get his image out of their minds. For better or for worse, they were all falling for him, Asia having already done so a long time ago.

"You know...you can always come and talk to me about it." She offered. "I know how lonely it gets, feeling this way by yourself."

After a moment of quiet contemplation, a small smile finally formed on Koneko's face. "Thank you, Asia. I...I think I'd like that."

As the two finished bathing, they looked back at Rias and Akeno once more, still enjoying each others company and laughing bubbly through the night. As the two then turned back to each other, they considered how nice it must have been to have a friend you could be that close with.

Jon stared intently at the stone slab that separated the men's side of the bath from the women's. Just as he thought, he could still peer into the girls spirits as he did before even without direct. With a bit of practice, he was certain he could refine the technique to sense all spirits in the area. Not just the girls.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Kiba asked with a cheeky grin, relaxing in the bath a few feet away. "It looks like you and that wall could use a bit of privacy."

He chuckled before rolling his eyes and relaxing back into the water. "I was testing a theory." Jon explained. "It looks like with some practice I can eventually learn to sense spiritual energy in the environment even if our adversaries try to hide their powers."

"That'll definitely come in handy in the Rating Game." Kiba encouraged. "It'll be a lot harder for them to get the drop on us if you can pinpoint their exact location through walls."

"It still needs some work." Jon admitted, relaxing his head against the stone and gazing up at the ceiling. "But it's a start at least."

"And this way, one of your weaknesses becomes a strength." Kiba added.

He didn't reply, causing his friend to glance over at him worriedly.

"Unless I'm mistaken?"

"You're not mistaken." Jon finally spoke up, a somber tone in his voice. "But that still doesn't resolve the issue."

"Are you really still on about that?" Kiba asked wearily. "You got these powers for a reason. Side effects included. Maybe instead of trying to fight your natural instincts, you should consider why it is you might be feeling the way you do."

"You think I haven't tried?" Jon challenged. "I guess I just don't know what it is I truly want."

Kiba chuckled, shaking his head. "You know exactly what you want. You're just way too polite to say it out loud."

Again, he didn't respond.

Kiba folded his arms behind his head and shut his eyes. "Have you ever considered that maybe you don't have to make a choice?"

He cocked a brow at him. "You mean I shouldn't pick any of them?"

Kiba shook his head, his eyes still closed. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

He groaned in frustration, lurching up from his comfy position and staring at his thick headed friend. "Seriously dude? Put two and two together."

Jon thought about it for a moment and then finally realized what Kiba was suggesting. He burst into a fit of laughter as the idea truly sank in.

"Okay, good one. You almost got me." He replied, still chuckling quietly.

Kiba didn't seem the least bit amused.

"Wait...you're being serious?"

He shrugged. "I'm just saying, Bro. It seems to me like the perfect solution."

"In what universe?" Jon asked disbelievingly.

"I've known Rias long enough to know that if the feelings she has for you are legit, then she won't be satisfied with settling for anyone else." Kiba explained. "And while I can't speak for Asia, I'd be willing to bet she's on a similar boat. If the two of them sat down and worked out a compromise, I bet the three of you could make things work out." He then added with a slick grin. "That's assuming they haven't discussed the possibility already."

Jon stared at him in stunned silence. "Look…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose to relieve the pressure building up. "...let's just say for the sake of hypotheticals that that's true. That still doesn't mean it's a good idea."

"And why not?" Kiba challenged. "What's wrong with coming up with a solution that makes everyone happy?"

"Because it's never that simple." Jon insisted. "What you're suggesting is all fine and well on paper, but in practice it always ends in disaster."

"How do you figure?"

"Because any man who thinks he needs more than one lady only thinks that way for incredibly shallow reasons." He explained. "Think about the most famous examples of your philosophy in action. A couple of Chinese Emperors. A slew of Dictators and Kings. And let's not forget...Hugh Hefner. No matter which way you slice it, it's always the same thing. A tyrant abusing his power to treat women as property."

"Is that what you see the girls as? Property?" Kiba asked.

"Of course not!"

He chuckled. "And can I also assume you're not just interested in sex? It wasn't the ladies tits you were just staring at through that wall a second ago. You don't possess x-ray vision, my friend."

"I guess…" Jon admitted.

"I know how deep your feelings truly run for all of them. And besides, there's one major problem with your examples." He continued. "Those were all humans you just listed. You are not human, Jon. Nor are the girls for that matter." He shot him another cheeky grin. "Something you seem to keep forgetting."

Jon folded his arms and glared at him in annoyance. "Okay, then how about a non human example? Riser. Are you really suggesting I be more like him?"

"Hey don't get me wrong." Kiba raised his hands up defensively. "I hate the dude's guts just as much as you do. But you can't deny he seems to have managed to keep his little entourage happy. Happy enough to where none of them have contemplated becoming strays at least."

"That we know of." Jon retorted.

He nodded in agreement. "True. But Risers not the only example I can think of. I've seen Purebloods, both Male and Female, successfully run and maintain a Harem of partners without a problem. It's not as uncommon as you think."

"How?" Jon asked incredulously. "Everything I've seen and heard always points to the same basic truth. Eventually someone gets jealous and it all falls apart."

"Again, you're still thinking from the perspective of a Human." Kiba insisted. "A Devil's philosophy on love is a bit different."

"Oh bullshit." Jon scoffed at him dismissively. "We ain't that different from them. We're just as capable of being Jealous of others. We can still feel the pain of loss and heartache, same as them. I've seen enough to know that at least."

"Maybe…" Kiba admitted. "...but there's one major difference you're not taking into account."

"And what would that be?" Jon asked skeptically.

"Time." He answered.

Jon gave him a confused look. "What's time got to do with it?"

Kiba's expression suddenly turned more severe. "Let me ask you, Jon. How old do you think you'll live to be?"

He chuckled. "Assuming I don't kick the smoking habit I'll probably be lucky to make it to sixty or…"

The color suddenly drained from his face as the true weight of Kiba's question began to sink in. "Oh yeah...that ain't right anymore, is it?"

Kiba shook his head. "See what I meant when I said you still think like a human? Do you know how old Rias is? She's one hundred and twenty seven, Jon. And that's barely considered to be an adult by Pureblood standards. Assuming nothing horrible happens, she's going to live to be over ten thousand years old. We all are."

His words hit him like a ton of bricks. That...that was going to take a moment to process.

"Humans are so conservative with their expressions of love because they have to be. It makes sense that a human woman would want her man to be committed to her and only her for the rest of her life, because that life is so finite. But Rias and Asia? They don't have that problem. And neither do you."

Again, he was still trying to wrap his head around that.

"But there's one more wrinkle to consider." Kiba continued, his voice lowering. "You're not just a Devil, Jon. You're also a Dragon. Specifically, you are the reincarnated form of the Red Dragon Emperor. A being who has purportedly existed since the Earth was first created. That soul you carry is not just turning you into a stronger being. It's turning you into a veritable God."

His entire body went completely numb.

"So I'll ask again. How long do you think you'll be around?"

Only silence. How in the hell did he expect him to answer that? In what possible way could he even come close to answering that?

"I know it probably scares you to death." Kiba spoke gently. "But you may have to come to terms with the idea that you'll be around a lot longer than any of us will."

"How?" Jon whispered breathlessly. "How the fuck am I supposed to come to terms with that?"

"I didn't say it would be easy." Kiba insisted. "And frankly, I don't envy your position." He smiled at him. "But I also happen to think you're a much stronger man than me."

They sat in silence once more before Kiba spoke up again.

"I'm not saying you have to come up with all the answers right now." He assured. "But at the very least, you may wanna try to solve this one. Knowing what you do now, is denying yourself or those girls the pleasure of affection from the man they love, simply in the vain hope that you, a being who's going to outlive the world, will find the one, really what's best for them? Is that really the kindest option?"

"I...I just need time." He spoke weakly.

Kiba nodded and proceeded to climb out of the water before wrapping himself in a towel. "Take as much time as you need." He then added with a slight frown. "Hell knows you've got plenty of it."

He left his Peerage Brother in the water. Slowly making his way back to the rooms. As he disappeared, Jon simply continued to sit there. Feeling the gravity of the planet slowly begin to sink further and further upon his shoulders.

Asia tossed and turned around in her bed, her rest disturbed by dark thoughts. How was she supposed to sleep knowing the pressure they were under? They had nine days left to get ready for a contest that would decide the fate of their President's future. The stress was really starting to get to her.

Too disquieted to sleep, Asia sat up from the bed and threw her silky white nightgown over her head before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Upon reaching her destination, she walked over to the lightswitch and flicked it on. A startled gasp escaped her lips as the figure nursing a glass and a bottle of whiskey glanced over at her sluggishly.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to scare you." The figure spoke quietly, the weight of his troubles evident in his voice. He poured himself another shot of whiskey and downed the burning liquid in one gulp.

"Jon?" Asia peered at the haggard man with concern. "Is everything okay?"

He didn't respond. Asia took a seat opposite of him at the table and sniffed the air. "Are you drunk?"

Jon shook his head. "Not from lack of trying." He pushed the bottle away. "You know try as I might, I've never been able to get fully drunk since I awakened to my powers." He shrugged, his gaze cast solemnly on the table. "I thought maybe I just had built up a tolerance...shows how little about myself I really know."

Asia reached over and clasped his hands in hers gently. "Who told you?"

"Kiba…" He admitted sadly.

Asia frowned in annoyance. "We were going to wait before we burdened you with too much."

"There's no sense getting angry at him. He did me a favor and got my head out of my ass."

"Still…" She sighed, running her thumb along his calloused palm. "I know it's a lot to take in. Honestly I could hardly believe it when Rias first told me."

"When did she tell you?" Jon asked curiously. "And why?"

Asia averted her eyes, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "That's the other thing. Jon...I owe you an apology."

He gazed at her curiously.

"The truth is...Rias and I spoke about the future. Our future."

"So what you're saying is, the Dragon Soul awakening within him is slowly changing his personality?" Asia asked, after having just finished listening to Rias explain the soul within Jon.

Rias shook her head, still leaning against her desk in the Chapter Room. "Not exactly. The Dragon Emperor's Soul is not so much taking over Jon's mind as it is slowly merging with it. The personality Jon has developed since his birth is mixing with the will of the Dragon Emperor. It's his...inheritance of sorts." She explained. "Normally the process takes over a hundred years to begin. But when Jon became a Devil, the process was 'jump started' so to speak."

"But what does that mean?" Asia asked nervously, her hand up to her mouth. "And how does it have to do with my feelings for him?"

"Whenever he looks at you, and I mean really looks at you, what do you feel?" Rias asked, her face reddening.

Asia' face reddened as well. She placed her hands on her cheeks and smiled lovingly. "Goodness. It feels so intimate. It's like he's not just seeing me. But rather it's like he sees right through me, down to my very soul. Back when I was still a Nun, I got that same feeling whenever I prayed. Only not nearly as intense as this."

Rias nodded. "I've felt it before as well. Truthfully, I started noticing the change in me shortly after he turned." A small smile crept over her lips. "I deluded myself into thinking I could control how I felt, that I wouldn't get attached." She shook her head in disbelief. "How naive I was."

"But why is it we both feel this way?" Asia asked.

"As a Male Dragon, Jon possesses an innate ability to pierce the veil of both mind and body and measure the sum of a woman's very essence, leaving his mark on it. It's a deeply intimate and admittedly invasive process that results in the object of his desire forming a bond with him. It's called Imprinting."

Asia frowned, she wasn't sure she liked that answer. The idea that her soul might have been coerced into feeling this way didn't sit well with her.

"I should clarify." Rias continued, already sensing were Asia's brain was wandering. "The process is completely involuntary, he isn't aware he's doing it. And there's one more thing…"

"Hmm?"

"It's also consensual." She explained. "If the object of his desire does not share some level of similar feelings for him, then the connection cannot be established. When he looks at you with that piercing interest, he's subconsciously asking you a question. Bypassing the mind and speaking directly to the heart. The heart then answers for you, yes or no. And once it answers yes, the connection is established. You developed feelings for him watching from afar, just as I did. It was those feelings that became the basis of what we're experiencing now."

Asia brightened, her hands clutching at her chest. "So then it doesn't matter how I got these feelings. My heart said yes. It chose to feel this way."

Rias nodded, slipping off into a slight daydream. "As did mine." Her smile glowered somewhat. "Which unfortunately brings me to the catch."

Asia's stomach churned as she braced for the worst.

"Dragons are not monogamous creatures. In the countless eons their kind have existed they have never taken only a single mate to their side. Be it of their own species or another."

"Never?"

Rias shook her head emphatically. "Never. Their minds simply aren't built that way. It's not something that can be changed with lifestyle choices or morals. It's instinctual. A part of his biology.

She frowned softly. Though it wasn't the worst answer she could have received, it wasn't the best either. Asia could give his whole heart to him and he would take it gladly. But there would still be space for more.

"That's why he's been so indecisive, isn't it?" Asia surmised disappointedly. "He wants us both and he's just too kind to admit it."

"It's not just us, either." Rias continued. "Akeno is already starting to show signs of having received the Imprint. As has Koneko."

Asia gawked at Rias incredulously. "Akeno I can understand. But Koneko? I thought she hated him."

She shook her head emphatically. "The Imprint can be an incredibly intrusive experience to some. Especially a girl as independent and guarded as Koneko is. She'll fight tooth and nail against it, but ultimately her heart has already opened itself up to him. Even if her mind is still rejecting the possibility."

Asia took a moment to consider this new information. "I...I'm really not sure how to feel about all of this." She admitted.

"Truth be told, the idea doesn't completely sit well with me either." Rias also admitted. "But I think that has mostly to do with my possessive nature as a Pure Blooded Devil. I'm not used to having to share." She frowned at Asia. "You, however, will no doubt have the most difficulty adjusting to the idea."

"Why is that?"

"Because unlike Jon, you really were human before you became a Devil." Rias explained. "You still possess the same philosophy on love as most of your former species do."

"Well can you blame me?" Asia asked in a slightly flustered voice. "I was raised my whole life to believe that true love should only be shared by two people. Every young girl dreams of finding the one and living happily ever after."

"Which is all fine and well…" Rias agreed. "...for a Human. But the intimacy of a monogamous relationship is not a luxury a creature like Jon has."

"But why?" Asia asked curiously. "I'm not disputing you…" She puffed her cheeks out. "...or at least I'm not trying to. I'm just curious is all."

"Because of his lifespan." She explained. "Even lesser Dragons can live for hundreds of thousands of years. But Jon isn't just a Dragon. He's the Red Dragon Emperor, a being as old as the Earth itself."

Asia quietly took a seat on the couch. This new bit of information completely changed her perspective.

"Let me ask you, Asia." Rias continued. "What would you expect Jon to do if you died young? Would you want him to grieve for the rest of his life? Or let him move on and find happiness again?"

"I'd want him to be happy." Asia nodded confidently. "No matter what."

"So would I." Rias agreed. "But that's just the thing. Whether we like it or not, Jon will outlive us all. He doesn't have a choice in the matter. Were he to give his full heart to one woman and one woman only, he would have to come to terms with the fact that one day that woman would die and he would be forced to live on for countless eons without her."

The color drained from Asia's face as she considered the gravity of the President's words.

"So you see, as twisted as it sounds, us asking him to choose one partner and commit until death would in fact be far more selfish than if he were to ask us to share in our feelings for him. Because our lifespans are a fraction of his own, we can spend forever with him. But he cannot do the same with us."

"I couldn't possibly imagine…" Asia sat in complete shock. "...so what do we do?"

"Whatever we can." Rias answered in earnest. "Whatever he needs from us, we give it to him freely. That is the duty of being a Dragon's Treasure. It is our responsibility to help ease the burden of time…"

She took a deep breath.

"...and prepare him for the day we return to the dust from whence we came."

Jon sat in complete silence as Asia concluded her tale. To think Kiba had been right all along. The girls knew exactly what was going on, and they had planned accordingly.

"Do you see now?" Asia gazed into his eyes lovingly, small tears forming in her emerald orbs. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're going to take care of you. From now, until the day we die."

"Until the day you die. I'm the one who has to keep going right? I don't ever get to settle down, find peace." He shut his eyes angrily, pain in his voice. "How am I supposed to live with that? What do I do once you're gone?"

She walked over to Jon and wrapped him in her arms. "You'll find new love and new treasures. And again after that. And after that as well. But in the meantime, I'm going to do everything in my power to make the memories we share together last forever. So that when that day finally does arrive, you'll be able to think back about just how wonderful that life truly was."

His eyes went wide. Jon stared directly into Asia's adoring gaze as she caressed his cheek.

"When I became a Nun they told me that commitment to the Lord would be a sacrifice. This is no different. Jon...your life is going to be so much grander than anything I could possibly hope to comprehend. Anything we could possibly hope to comprehend. But…" Tears began to fall freely down her face as she began to choke up.

"I am so blessed that you've chosen to spend a part of it with me."

Jon wrapped her in his arms and kissed her passionately, letting all the pent up feelings he'd been holding back well up to the surface. The two lovers kissed tenderly for several minutes before finally letting each other go. Asia sighed happily, leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you, Jon. No matter what the future holds for us, that is one thing that will never change."

"Asia…" He closed his eyes and placed her face in both his hands. "I love you too...my Treasure." He struggled with the words. They were foreign to him. And yet felt so right all the same. "I swear to you, I will never let a day go by where you don't feel as loved and appreciated as you tell me you are."

"Such a day will never come." She assured. "So long as I'm with you I will always be the happiest girl in the world." She kissed him once more before finally letting him go. "And there's someone else here who feels exactly the same way."

His smile faded into an understanding nod. "Rias."

"And there will be more in time." She continued. "But for now, you must focus on her. You mustn't let her be taken away from us."

"You're right." The confidence returned to his lungs as he slowly stood up from the table. "We have nine days until the Rating Game. And I intend to use every moment of it preparing."

"If there's anything I can do to help. Please tell me."

He thought for a moment, when an idea occurred to him. "Actually...there might just be something you can help me with."