The Battle Never Ends

by Arthain

The Tyrant had surpassed death once before. This time wouldn't have been any different save for the determination of one young man and his desire to protect all that he cared for. But what should have been the end instead became a new beginning. A beginning somewhere else. A beginning where Night Raid was still needed.

10. The Ragged Edge

Author's note: Huge chapter, don't expect them all to be this big. I just had a lot to cover this time. It didn't start this large. It just grew to this size as I fleshed things out. Funny thing is, if I had just a bit more content for the first half, I could have easily split it into two chapters. I probably should have anyways since it would have flowed much better, ah well. I debated for 2 days whether or not to cut it in two. Ultimately, I decided not to because I just didn't feel like the first part could stand on its own. Maybe I'm wrong, hopefully you'll let me know one way or the other, not that I can do anything now that it's posted.

So, be warned, there's definitely a shift of feeling between the first half of the chapter and the second.

Chapter 9: The Ragged Edge

Tatsumi leaned back in his chair and let out a pleasant sigh as his teacher spoke animatedly in front of the classroom, excitedly running over the all the great uses of the vector calculations. Tatsumi had met very few people as excitable as that man, and no one so in love with math. It actually made it entertaining in away, if for no other reason than to see what way the teacher would try to animate a mathematical concept.

Watching him the man do a straight dive into a wall as he tried to literally demonstrate the change of vector direction when it hits something solid like a wall was pure comedy gold.

It wasn't really all that strange that he managed to make most people pay attention. This was one of the few classes everyone actively took notes, well, everyone save Ieyasu who was trying very hard to burn a hole into the ceiling with his eyes.

This past week had felt so good to Tatsumi, like a soothing balm on sunburnt skin. A week of normal school life. It felt almost like a miracle. Well, relatively normal school life, anyways. People still stared at him like he was the second coming of Jesus Christ and yesterday had been marred by the revelation that Serafall had sold pictures of him and Souna together. But if one were to exclude those two things, it was normal.

He'd been able to just relax and take notes. It had been thrillingly boring!

He was going insane. He knew he was. That could be the only explanation why he suddenly craved a normal school life. Before the church battle with Esdeath he would have been perfectly fine missing a day or three. Now he wished they never ended.

Maybe it was the impending doom that hung over his head that made him feel this way, and knowing that the moment he stepped outside this classroom, that doom came back. It was like the doors and the walls kept it at bay for a few hours.

Whatever the reason, Tatsumi had enjoyed this peace very much.

Unfortunately, like all good things, that peace came to an end with the ring of the bell, signalling the end of the class and Tatsumi's journey back into life. He wasn't looking forward to walking through those doors into the hallway. If there weren't fangirls waiting for him, there was the threat of Kokabiel hanging above his head. Tatsumi had a hard time determining which was a greater threat to his safety sometimes.

"You're way too enthusiastic for someone who just sat through math," Ieyasu complained from beside him. Tatsumi's friend had all but melted in his seat, his cheek was pressed against the top of the desk as his arms dangled to the floor. "If I had to listen to that man do his best impersonation of a vector for another minute… ugh…"

"It could be worse," Tatsumi said.

Such as worrying about when Esdeath might try for a second dance. Or perhaps what surprise Gabriel had in store for him again, he still never got a reasonable explanation as to why she'd had him and Xenovia do it. It could even perhaps be trying to figure out how he was going to live through Kokabiel. The curse of Murasame might be a sure kill, but it wasn't instant. Kokabiel would only need a single second to rip his heart out and break him over his knee. The curse would take several to fully end him. He still had the sturdy clothing Gabriel had given him for his fight against Esdeath, but they weren't going to provide much protection against someone of Kokabiel's level.

Ieyasu prodded him in the side. "Such as?"

He threw his friend an amused look and choose the least of his worries. "Dealing with a swarm of fangirls."

Ieyasu blinked several times before letting out a soft chuckle, "you know, you might actually be right." He pulled himself back together and stood with a wide stretch. "You going to eat lunch with Souna today or do you think she will be going into 'damage control' again?"

Tatsumi chuckled as well, "I should probably at least check. If not, perhaps I can eat with you two again." He grabbed his duffle bag as he stood and threw it over his shoulder. "I prefer eating with you two. Not because there's anything wrong with Souna mind you." Tatsumi said quickly, throwing a guarded look each way just to make sure no one overheard. "It's just much nicer outside than in her stuffy office. She refuses to open the windows."

Ieyasu clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a pitying look. "That's too bad man. We haven't spent much time together lately on account of you getting hurt and everything. We need to hit up the arcade sometime."

The arcade, another slice of normality. "That sounds really nice right about now." If only the threat of Kokabiel didn't exist. He could strike any day now and Tatsumi couldn't be tied up in the arcade playing games when he did. "You know what, how about we set something up for early next week?" That should be plenty of time for Kokabiel to make his life miserable. Scheduling a pick-me-up for after that point was only good planning.

"Sounds good!" Ieyasu said as he stepped outside the classroom. He got maybe two steps before he froze.

"I'm afraid he won't be joining you, Nijo Ieyasu," Souna spoke up the moment he stepped out of the classroom. The dark-haired student council President was standing patiently at the door, her arms crossed beneath her chest. Her expression betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. "Tatsumi and I have somewhere we need to be."

"Finished with damage control?" Tatsumi asked. That seemed too quick, even for Souna.

She shook her head lightly. "No, this is part of that damage control. While your help is not required, I feel you have the right to help and I would enjoy the company."

"That sounds interesting, can Sayo and I tag along?" Ieyasu asked, his eyes sparkled with mischief. "This has all the signs of something very embarrassing being done to someone that's not me!"

"I'm afraid not," Souna said. "We will be missing one class and you can't afford to have your marks in geography drop any further. Tatsumi is still doing better than you and he's missed several weeks of school."

"Man…"

"It's alright, Ieyasu, we still got that arcade date next week," Tatsumi reminded his friend. "Be sure to tell Sayo so she doesn't plan something."

Ieyasu blew out a heavy sigh, disappointment etched upon his features. "Fine, see you later Tatsumi."

Tatsumi gave his friend a wave which he returned before heading to Sayo's class to pick her up for lunch. Once his friend was out of sight Tatsumi turned back to his girlfriend. "What are we doing?"

She shook her head. "Not here, let's talk outside since you've said how stuffy the student council office is."

"Ah, sorry." She damnable good hearing if she heard that.

A small smile flittered across her lips. "Don't be, I must admit it is due to be aired out." Souna gestured him to follow as she started down the hallway. He walked with her, doing his best to ignore the looks and blushes being sent their way. "Things have just been so busy lately I haven't had time to organize a spring cleaning."

"It's summer," Tatsumi pointed out as they descended the stairs to the lobby ground floor.

"It's been a very busy past couple months," Souna said delicately. Tatsumi didn't doubt it. He had rarely seen Souna relax outside of those chess games during lunch. The date had been the first time. "For you as well."

That was the understatement of the year.

They exited the main building continued across the schoolyard in silence leaving Tatsumi to ponder what it was she intended to do. If it was something about damage control it meant dealing with the massive spread of photos Serafall had spilled of them all across the interwebs. She also stated that he would appreciate lending a hand. Tatsumi didn't think the spread of photos was a big deal but Souna might not believe that.

It all sounded very much like Souna had something in plan for her sister.

A thought occurred to him as they left the school grounds and stepped beneath the thick canopy of trees surrounding the school property. "What are we going to do about Koneko?" He had a bento box for that girl sitting in his duffle bag.

"Don't underestimate Koneko's nose," Souna said. "I fully expect that girl to be find us before we leave the grounds."

"…hi." Koneko said, popping seemingly up out of the ground as if summoned. Tatsumi started in surprise and quickly circled around her, staring at her from all angles.

"You're not part vegetable, are you?" Tatsumi asked cautiously. He knew Koneko had a good nose and could appear out of thin air, but even still. Where the hell did she come from?

Koneko tilted her side to the head and blinked adorably up at him. "…I like carrots."

"Close enough," Tatsumi said as he completed his circle around her. Satisfied he pulled the bento box out of his duffle bag and handed it to the short girl. She quickly tore it open and dove into it. "How are you doing these days? I know it's been awhile but I never did get to ask how you'd been after Esdeath hurt you."

It was an oversight on his part. He'd just been so busy with his own concerns he had never bothered to ask Koneko about her own.

There was a flash of pain in her eyes that quickly disappeared. "I'm all healed, Asia saved me," she said quietly between mouthfuls of rice and fish. Asia saved her. Without Asia, she would be dead. Tatsumi had all but attacked Rias to stop her from resurrecting Asia without consent. Did she hold it against him? "…Don't worry. You were only thinking of Asia." Did she just read his mind or was his face that easy to read? She nodded her head thoughtfully. "I like Asia and would protect her too."

It really was impossible to think of Koneko as an evil devil. She was just too forgiving and she didn't feel or act like one in any way. If anything, she felt more like the people Tatsumi fought to protect. Asia and Issei were much the same, although Issei to a lesser degree. Being reincarnated devils probably made all the difference. They weren't good devils, they were good people that had been reincarnated as devils.

"Are things good right now with Rias?" Tatsumi asked cautiously. He didn't want to sound like he was probing or anything. Especially not with Souna right there.

Koneko shook her head. There was a sad, distant look in her eyes. "Kiba-senpai disappeared yesterday." Oh? What was this? Did he grow tired of Rias and flee? Koneko seemed hesitant to say more.

"I didn't hear anything about this," Souna said quickly, stepping closer to them. She had a worried look on her face. "What happened? Kiba isn't one to normally skip class."

"…Kiba-senpai was used by the church to develop holy sword wielders. All his friends were murdered by the church for the experiments… and he died too before Buchou saved him."

Souna palmed of face and sighed. "Oh dear… I think I know where this is going."

Koneko nodded. "Two of them showed up yesterday… Irina-san and Xenovia-san. Kiba-senpai became angry."

"I can almost see him attacking them," Tatsumi said, thinking back to his first day when Kiba had issued that challenge over little more than insulting words. He could only imagine how Kiba would have reacted coming face to face with a childhood trauma. "Probably the same I would do if Gregorious just randomly popped up in front of me…"

The two of them had something in common it seemed.

"He challenged them, and lost," Koneko said. Her eyes suddenly went flat. "Issei did too, but that was just so he could strip Irina-san of her clothes. His Sacred Gear has a new attack called Dress Breaker that strips women of their clothing."

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to palm his face and groan. He could so see Issei doing that. As sad as it was to hear his Sacred Gear being used for such a perverted thing, it was good to know that Rias hadn't done anything to pervert his personality. "Did he succeed?" Koneko suddenly blushed and looked away. "He missed and hit you, didn't he?" She nodded. "Did you at least pound him into the ground?"

"Twice," Koneko said, nodding her head vigorously.

Tatsumi hugged Koneko tightly, "Awesome! Someone needs to rein that pervert in when he goes too far! Keep up the good work!"

Koneko stiffed at first, but slowly she relaxed into his embrace and… started to purr? No, he was just hearing things, had to be. "…Always do good work."

"It should have been three times," Souna stated flatly. From the way her eye was twitching violently she didn't like the sound of Issei's new technique any more than they did. "He did it at school did he not?"

"Yes." Koneko said quietly.

"That's a flagrant violation of school protocol. I'll see that he's suitably punished from my end as well."

That made Koneko smile widely. Tatsumi rubbed her back a couple times and let her go before continuing. "What happened after Kiba got beat? I take it he threw a temper tantrum and stormed off?"

"Yes, haven't seen him since," Koneko said. Tatsumi could almost see a pair of kitten ears drooping sadly on her head. "Looked for him with Issei and Saji last night, but couldn't find him."

"What happens if he's gone too long?" Tatsumi asked.

"Labeled stray and hunted down."

Ouch, so there really wasn't much chance for devils if they ran away. What did that say about Issei, Asia and Koneko if he killed Rias? Would they be freed or would they be hunted down and killed as well? Or maybe simply passed on to a different master? This was getting far too complicated. He'd think about that later, right now Koneko was upset and needed reassuring—

"We'll do something about Kiba-san," Souna said before Tatsumi could start. "As Student Council President it's my duty to ensure that all students lead a healthy and successful school life. I will not have him avoiding class because he's throwing a childish temper tantrum. I'll have the other members of the council look for him after school."

"…thank you."

"Good, now, be off with you, Koneko. Tatsumi and I have some business to attend to."

"…no one else to eat with… can I come?"

"Issei would love to have you," Tatsumi pointed out.

Her eyes went flat. "Not eating with that pervert." Oh, right, Issei had just destroyed her clothes yesterday with a new perverted attack. She probably didn't want much to do with the boy right now.

"Can she join us?" Tatsumi asked Souna. Lunch just didn't feel like lunch anymore without Koneko's aura of adorableness permeating the area.

Sona was silent as she thought over the request. Koneko did her best lost kitten impression and after a few long moments Souna relented with a sigh. "I suppose she can. Koneko has dutifully gone to every class this year and is maintaining an above average grade in them all." She turned and started deeper into the dim forest. "I will expect that you keep up. Tatsumi and I do not have time to wait for you if you get lost."

Koneko was all smiles after that. "…I won't get lost." She promised as she rushed up to them and sidled alongside Tatsumi. She started back into the meal his mother had prepared.

They didn't walk far, just deep enough to completely conceal the school and its yard, before Souna came to a stop again. "Just a moment, we need to do one thing before we continue further."

"What is it?"

She lifted her hand and pointed at something Tatsumi couldn't see. "Just this." A circle of runes, blazing a bright blue light, erupted from the palm of her hand. A wispy cloud of blue vapors burst from the circle and rushed about behind a nearby tree. Tatsumi heard a loud squeak followed by a thump as something hit the forest floor. "I needed to put onee-sama's familiar to sleep. I don't want her learning what we're doing."

"That was magic…" Tatsumi said as he stared at her upraised palm. "That looked a lot like demonic magic. Why can you use demonic magic?"

"I'm not surprised you noticed that," Souna said as she adjusted her glasses. "There are a variety of magics out there. Every Pantheon and mystical species has their own version. Devilish magic, Angelic magic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, and so many more. Have you read the legend of King Arthur?" She asked him.

"That's the one were a girl pulled the sword from the stone and had to pretend to be a man from then on? Sensei said that caused all sorts of issues between her and Guinevere which led to the whole Lancelot affair because Guinevere was a nymphomaniac and King Arturia, being female, couldn't satisfy her and—"

Souna roughly cleared her throat, cutting him off with a sharp look. "You don't need to say any more. While the events in King Arthur's tale are mostly fictional, at least for those that don't have an Angel to correct them and give them the real story, the characters were based on real people." Tatsumi couldn't stop himself from smiling as Souna adopted that strict posture of hers she always did whenever she went into a lecture. "In particular Merlin Ambrosius, King Arthur's advisor, was the first true magician. He became one by studying a devil's demonic power and magic and reverse engineering it. Ever since then, humans have been able to cast magic and any that do have been called a magician. While it's diversified since and humans often use magic from any number of pantheons, the origin can be traced back to Merlin's first decoding of a devil's demonic energies. As a result, all human magic has a foundation built upon devils."

"I… didn't actually know that." It explained a lot and gave Tatsumi even more ideas. If Souna knew magic… "Do you think you could teach me? I mean what all can it do?"

Magic would be an invaluable asset. He didn't know all that it was capable of. But if he could use it to erase memories or quickly get around? It was worth at least trying.

Souna blinked once, looking startled by the request and then smiled. "You know, I might be able to at that. Human magic is fundamentally different from a devil's magic as in all that's needed is the ability to do calculations in your head and you're more than intelligent enough for that. It'll never be as potent as the real thing, but I don't think you need it for its potency." No, he didn't, just its utility. "We'll have to see how things turn out. For now we have more important things to deal with."

"Such as getting revenge on your sister for spreading the pictures of our time together?" Tatsumi suggested.

She smiled again. "I see you've figured out half of it."

"…want to help Tatsumi-senpai and Souna-senpai get revenge," Koneko added between bites. "Private intimate time should be kept private." She nodded her head sagely.

Only half of it? What else did Serafall do that would warrant this? Aside from her usual antics that is. Actually now that he thought about it Souna probably had any number of reasons for wanting to get back at her sister.

"What's the other half?"

An angry scowl briefly marred Souna's face. She regained her composure quickly and crossed her arms beneath her chest. She had a look on her face like she was determined to see things done her way. "Tatsumi, tell me honestly, how do you feel about memory manipulation?"

"I wish I could do it," he said without hesitation. It would be one of the first things he'd try for if he ever learned magic. "There have been numerous times when I wish I could erase painful memories from a devil's victim." That young girl, barely more than a child, that had to watch her sister get tortured to death by Cordain Shax immediately came to mind. "Those that live peaceful, innocent lives can spout all they want about the sanctity of the mind but until they've seen the darkness of the Abyss be chased away by evil so unimaginable it defies their ability to even comprehend it… they're just fools spouting useless nonsense. Being able to forget is a miracle some pray for every day." There were few survivors of a devil's attack and not just because the devils killed them. Suicide claimed nearly as many lives as the devils themselves did. Then there was also the practical application of keeping his existence a secret. Night Raid operated from the shadows, but shadows could still be seen. If he could erase even those shadows from people's minds it'd allow him to go about his work far more easily. "I guess it comes down to the reason, the intent and the memory itself. It's not a black and white subject, just different shades of gray. You can't just say 'memory manipulation' is good or bad and leave it at that. It all depends on its application. It can be very useful when trying to teach or perhaps making someone forget a terrible memory. It can be horribly abused as well. Like any tool, it's how it's used that matters."

Souna nodded her head sagely. "I have much the same view of it. Even still, I refrain from using it unless absolutely necessary. It feels like a cheap way of doing things." That sounded like her alright. Souna was a stickler for everyone doing everything the correct way, no matter how difficult or tedious it was. "Do you have any memories you would like to forget?"

"Pieces… I guess." He would never want to forget that Sayo and Ieyasu had been killed by Aria, but the details of that horrible room Tatsumi could do without. A memory suddenly surged to the forefront and Tatsumi suddenly felt the urge to be sick. "Well, there was that one time I walked in on my mother and father having sex when I was nine. I'd love to forget that."

Souna adopted a rather sickly expression as well. "Yes, I know that feeling…. but it's not always a good thing. I ended up walking in on them again by mistake because I'd forgotten about the first time. That shock brought back the first time and…" Souna started to look really pale. "Trust me when I say that it is not always worth it, especially when your mother likes to use rope, lots of rope."

Tatsumi did not want to know any more about that.

"Why bring this up anyways?" He asked. It was curious that she would just ask about that. Souna never did anything without a reason. He suddenly developed a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Did this have something to do with why Souna invited him along? "Why do I have a feeling that question has something to do with what we're about to do to Serafall?" Souna didn't reply, she didn't need to. Her eyes said everything. A flash of anger surged through him. "What did Serafall do to me?"

"Nothing too serious if that's what you're thinking," Souna muttered. She sounded really annoyed, angry almost. Whatever it was Serafall had done Souna hadn't approved of it either. "We were having an argument and she tried to be her usual meddlesome self and resolve it for us. It was her very bad attempt at trying to make things right. You know how she can be. Her idea of tact is hitting a nail with a mountain."

Tatsumi quickly ran over his memories. They were mostly complete and intact. He still had all his memories from the old world and that's something no one here, not even Serafall, would be able to alter without Tatsumi noticing. A Teigu was an utterly foreign concept to everyone of this world, as were Danger Beasts. They were concepts one wouldn't be able to think of unless they had lived there.

There was also the Tyrant to think about. It wouldn't let something malicious affect him for long, which meant whatever Serafall had removed hadn't compromised him in any way. That made him feel significantly better about the whole thing.

With that worry gone it didn't take long for Tatsumi to find a conspicuous hole in his memory during lunch a few days ago, the Saturday before the date, and another a few days prior, strangely just after Rias had apologized for her actions. He had just chalked it up to having forgot. While his memory may be better than average it was still a far cry from perfect, but now that it was brought to his attention the memory lapse did seem a little out of place considering with how much clarity he remembered the before and after points. Tatsumi could also still remember being upset about something between the two gaps, but not what it was he'd been upset about.

Nothing else seemed out of place. Serafall had removed perhaps ten minutes at most. He didn't feel differently about anyone he knew or any less driven to rip Gregorious Abaddon's still beating heart from his chest and ram it down his throat. That was the important bit. His desire to protect Humanity and get revenge for Mira was still as strong as ever. Everything else was secondary to that, even his feelings for Bennia and Souna.

"I see it now, the two holes in my memory. The largest one being the day before our date and the second, smaller one, a few days earlier."

"Holes?" Souna sounded utterly shocked. "There shouldn't be any holes! They should have been replaced with something different. Holes are too obvious. If holes were left behind people would too easily realize something happened!" It seemed there was far more to the memory manipulation than just basic addition and subtraction. "As much as I hate what my onee-sama did, she wouldn't make such a basic mistake."

The Tyrant quivered, almost as if a piece of him was laughing.

Tatsumi understood. That part of him had acted to protect him. It had sensed the intrusion and had acted without him consciously knowing. The adaptation had come too slowly to prevent the memories from being removed, but the same couldn't be said for the memories that had been put in to replace the old ones. It wouldn't let any false memories reside inside Tatsumi. Tatsumi had developed an immunity, or at the very least a resistance, to memory manipulation and he hadn't even noticed!

He started to laugh. Serafall had unknowingly done him an enormous favor. It still didn't get her off the hook for what she did or for spreading all those images of his intimate time with Souna, but by removing a simple little argument she had effectively provided Tatsumi with the means to protect himself against far more dangerous manipulations in the future.

The anger that had once consumed him melted away into relief and amusement. "I suppose it's too much to ask what the argument was about?" He didn't even really care anymore. Nothing Serafall removed could even come close to matching the benefit he had received as a result.

"It is," Souna said slowly, drawing the words out, obviously concerned by his sudden laughter. She most likely thought he'd be upset by her sister's actions. He had been at first, but not anymore. "It was a foolish argument that I am partially at fault for. It's why I have extended this offer to you as an apology. Regardless of my onee-sama's intent, or the end result, she should not have done what she did."

"I can agree with that," Tatsumi said. "Utilizing a memory manipulation technique to stop a simple argument is something I consider an abuse of that ability."

Even if he had enormously benefited by her actions, the fact that she had tried to manipulate his mind for such a silly reason needed to have some sort of consequence. Which made him suddenly rather excited. Souna obviously had something planned for her sister.

"Exactly. A proper relationship is built upon a foundation of understanding and that can't be achieved if people are just wiping out difficult times." Souna raised her hand and a magical circle appeared under her. "That's why we need to teach her a lesson."

Tatsumi's already peaked interest increased even more. "What sort of lesson?"

She gestured for Koneko and Tatsumi to join her in the circle. "I tracked my onee-sama's whereabouts using her familiar. We're going to pay her a visit and perform a bit of 'memory manipulation' of our own. I figured you'd like to help. She owes both of us, first for spreading photographs of our first time together, and for needlessly erasing a couple memories. I'm going to suppress the fire caused by the release of our photos with an even larger blaze. It won't erase what's out there, but it'll draw a good number of eyes away from us at least."

While that sounded interesting Tatsumi didn't want to step over that line. Even if Serafall had done something she shouldn't, Tatsumi wasn't going to let that overly energetic magical girl drag him down to her level. "What sort of memory manipulation?" Tatsumi asked cautiously as he stepped into the circle with Koneko. "And I can't cast any spells."

"We're not going to use magic," Souna said. There was a flash of light and the three of them were elsewhere. They were still in a forest but the trees were vastly different and the climate far warmer. "We're not even going to directly touch my onee-sama. Her magic resistance is so high that we couldn't even if we wanted to."

"Then what are we doing?"

Souna pulled out a pair of cameras from a pocket inside her skirt and handed one to him. "Just follow my lead and whatever you do, don't make a sound." Now Tatsumi was really interested. It was too bad Bennia wasn't here, this was beginning to feel like something she'd love.

She gestured the two of them to follow her as she started in a random direction. The canopy of leaves above was so dense that it all but blocked out all light. It was impossible for Tatsumi to determine which way was north. He followed behind her, utilizing all the tricks he had learned as part of Night Raid to move silently along with her. Koneko surprisingly, managed to move just as silently. The two of them made Souna sound like an ox blundering about the forest.

Tatsumi didn't know how long they crept through the forest but soon the gurgling of a stream running across rocks reached his ears followed shortly by the dim roar of a cascading water fall. The waterfall grew louder with each step they took and Tatsumi soon found himself crouched beside Souna behind a thick bush on the edge of a small glade. A beautiful waterfall cascaded thirty feet down a rocky cliff side to a beautiful pond surrounded by white and blue flowers. The water churned happily about the pool before meandering its way off into the forest.

It was there that they found Serafall standing beneath the waterfall at the far side of the pond, her long, black hair undone cascaded down her back as she tilted her head to allow the water from the falls to run down her naked body. Her pink magical girl costume had been piled neatly to the side

Tatsumi couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman. It felt embarrassing, but at the same time he couldn't stop. If Souna hadn't deliberately invited him here, it would have been many times worse.

Souna suddenly snapped a picture. The tiny little click lost in the roar of the waterfall.

It was then that Tatsumi suddenly realized what was happening. Souna was going to do a very different sort of magic. The type of magic that involved graphic editing software and the skills of an expert. The memory manipulation bit wasn't going to be done to Serafall, but to everyone else. She was going to overwhelm all the pictures of Tatsumi and Souna together with pictures of Serafall and whatever random guy Souna decides to put with her sister.

Souna's plan was crazy enough it might actually work. At the very least it was what Serafall deserved poking a couple holes into his memory and for spreading all those images in the first place.

They hadn't even been given royalties!

Tatsumi tapped Souna's shoulder and gestured to himself and then the other side of the pond. If they were going to do this, better to do it right. They'd get pictures from as many angles as possible so they had plenty of material to work with. She smiled at him and nodded for him to go.

He quickly made his way over to the opposite side of the pond and took up position on the ground, using a fallen tree and some moss as cover. The hole he had to work with was barely large enough for the camera but it was close enough it still gave him a perfect view of the entire pond.

Tatsumi gave the camera a quick look over to make sure the flash had been turned off and went to shooting Serafall. He was ready when Serafall turned around, exposing herself to him. That perfect picture of leaning back against the wet rocks came next followed by another as she bent over the rinse her hair into the pond.

He knew he should feel guilty about photographing Serafall like this, especially considering what they intended to do to the images later, but he couldn't stop himself. Just imagining all the various ways they could alter the pictures he took to place Serafall in unimaginably embarrassing positions was too much. It felt like sweet, wonderful revenge was finally about to be fulfilled.

And there was that part of him he'd never admit to anyone that simply enjoyed what he saw. He was a healthy male after all, and Serafall was an unbelievably beautiful woman.

~o~

Somehow all three of them managed to make it back to Kuoh Academy without Serafall discovering their presence. It had been a close call there at the end. When Serafall had suddenly jerked towards Souna's position like she'd sensed something and rushed to her clothes, Tatsumi had thought they were busted. Thankfully she had simply teleported away without bothering to check the bushes.

They hadn't stayed long after that. Souna had rushed over to him with Koneko and all three of them had teleported straight to Kuoh Academy. Now the three of them were in the storage room on the third floor where Tatsumi usually ate his lunch when he wanted to be alone.

The room was as dark and cold as always. A perfect place for three conspirators to hide out as they plotted the social demise of a certain dark-haired magical girl.

"Any idea what caused Serafall to bolt?" Tatsumi asked as Souna closed the door to the storage room.

"Not for certain, but I suspect she noticed her familiar was unconscious," Souna said as she made her way over to his side and leaned up against a nearby stack of boxes. "The familiar will tell her what happen and she'll no doubt check on me before long."

"Then we should get these processed before she catches up to you." Tatsumi said as he handed the camera back to Souna. "I managed to get thirty-nine pictures."

"Very good, I was able to get fifty-seven, but some of them are a little blurry," Souna said as she took the camera from him. She smiled happily. "But that's ninety-six pictures in all. Plenty to work with."

"So who are you going to get to add individuals into to these images?" Tatsumi asked.

"Image editing?" Souna said, sounding surprised. It seemed like she hadn't thought this as far along as Tatsumi had. "I was just going to distribute these as is and have her branded as an exhibitionist…" her eyes narrowed and one side of her lip quirked upwards. "You truly are devious, Tatsumi. I like your idea more. I do, in fact, know someone capable of inserting individuals into images. His day job is normally adding CGI characters to film, but this shouldn't pose too much of a challenge." Souna rummaged through the storage room until she found a small pad of sticky paper and a pen. She wrote quickly wrote a name, an address, and a set of instructions on a slip of paper and handed it to Koneko along with the cameras. "Can you take these to the person at the address there? Say it's from me and that if they do this I'll ensure his daughter has a full scholarship for her third year at Kuoh Academy."

"Abuse of authority?" Tatsumi asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"I'll pay for it myself if I have to," Souna replied easily. "I could just outright pay the man but I don't want him to know how well off I am. He might start charging extra if he did."

"Ah."

"…what do I get?" Koneko asked.

Tatsumi just laughed as Souna stared at Koneko is surprise. "She has a point. You're turning her into your errand girl and making her skip another class. She deserves some compensation, right?"

Souna pitched her nose and let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll cook you a meal for tomorrow as well. You can have both mine and Tatsumi's."

Koneko's eyes lit up happily. "I'll be right back!"

"Wait!" Tatsumi said quickly before Koneko could bolt. The short girl quickly whirled about on the heel of her toe and gave him a curious look. He had thought about it a bit as they were racing back here from the pond. "I don't think you have to worry about Kiba. He'll probably be back sooner than you think. Just have faith… erm… guess that doesn't really work if you're a devil." Koneko just gave him a flat eyed stare. "What I'm trying to say is that this whole thing with the holy swords is going to be over shortly, probably sometime this week. By the time news of Kiba's disappearance even reaches anyone outside your peerage, he'll be back."

"…why do you say that?" Koneko asked quietly.

"Because… ah... well…" how was he supposed to say this without worrying Souna? Oh, who was he kidding? It didn't matter what he said and he didn't have time to beat around the bush. Even he thought this his mission was suicide and if he thought that, she would as well. "Because Kokabiel has three of the Excalibur fragments and he plans on using them to kill Rias kick starting the next Great War." Souna gasped sharply and Koneko's eyes went wide with shock. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to start. "I'm not sure if I was supposed to say that but I wasn't told I couldn't. Anyways, if you could let Rias know so that she doesn't fall over in fifteen seconds, that would be great. I sort of need her to keep Kokabiel busy so I can kill him."

"So you can what?!" Souna demanded as she stomped up to his face. "First Esdeath and now Kokabiel? Who is making you do these things!?"

"Well, first time was Azazel and this time it's Gabriel…" Tatsumi said lamely. Souna's face darkened with anger and frustration. Those were two names she obviously did not want to hear. "It's different this time though. I'm not even going to attempt to attack Kokabiel unless I see an opening I am sure I can take. This isn't like Esdeath where I'm a damage sponge waiting for someone else to hit her with a big attack. If all goes well Kokabiel won't even know I'm there until he's dead."

"You're not going to be able to even break his skin with your sword!" Souna protested. It was heart warming to see her so concerned about his safety, but also needless at the same time. Danger wasn't something a member of Night Raid could avoid.

"That's not really going to be a problem," Tatsumi said. Gabriel had taught him how to infuse Murasame's curse into the blade last night. "I've developed a new ability specifically for this. If I can reach him, I can kill him. I just need to be able to reach him without him back handing me across the city."

Her face darkened. "I suppose I won't be able to convince you to give up this suicidal mission of yours." He shook his head. Her face became hard and resolute. "Fine."

That wasn't what Tatsumi expected to hear from her, but from the look on her face it didn't seem like this was the end. She was obviously planning on doing something. He only hoped she didn't try to fight Kokabiel. Tatsumi didn't know how powerful she was or what she could do with that magic, but he was fairly certain she wasn't on Kokabiel's level.

"Will tell buchou when I see her next," Koneko agreed. Her ears suddenly twitched and she sniffed the air twice. "Going now. Bye!" And then she was gone, disappearing through a vent in the ceiling that he hadn't noticed before.

Souna frowned and threw a nervous look at the door. "Onee-sama must be closing in. You should follow Koneko through the vents. Who knows what strange ideas she'll envision if she sees the two of us in here alone."

"Alright, take care Souna, and don't worry, Kokabiel isn't going to kill me."

They were hollow words but they were all he could leave Souna with as he quickly climbed up into the ventilation system. It was surprisingly roomy and clean. As he started through the vents back to his classroom he could hear the door to the storage room burst open and Serafall's muffled voice float up into the vent. He didn't need to be able to make out the words to pick out how overly anxious Serafall was.

Tatsumi said a little prayer for Souna and made his way back to class.

~o~

"Ugh, I'm so depressed, school is over," Tatsumi moaned as he trudged alongside his friends off school property.

Ieyasu looked at him like he was insane. "Tatsumi, did that Esdeath chick conk you over the head too hard? School is out, club activities are over and now we get to relax for the rest of the day doing whatever! This is a time to celebrate and be happy!"

Happy, right. Tatsumi sighed. "I still have to go to Sensei's place, you know." Kokabiel had yet to make his move yet so there was still time to prepare. Until he did Tatsumi was required to go to her place every afternoon.

Although he and Souna had paid Serafall back for what she did to them. That was something at least. Tatsumi considered that wrong, righted. Looking at it like that perhaps he did have something to look forward to after school. He was going to have to have Bennia keep an eye out for those images on the internet.

"Right, that beautiful sensei of yours…" Ieyasu trailed off, "are we ever going to meet this mysterious person?"

"That's really up to her." Tatsumi wasn't even going to presume he could bring anyone to see Sensei without her permission. She'd barely given Bennia permission to come to the sanctuary, and really had only allowed it because Tatsumi insisted and there'd been acceptable reasons to allow it. "She doesn't let just anyone see her."

"Is she an angel or something?" Sayo asked, touching her chest where the cross she wore rested. "I only ask because you fight Fallen Angels, it seems like something Angels would support."

Well, Sensei hadn't ever specifically told Tatsumi he couldn't talk about training with her or who she actually was. It was possible it didn't cross her mind because no one would believe him. "Oh, it's not anyone too important, it's just Gabriel."

Sayo teleported in front and grabbed him by the lapels of his uniform. "What?!" There was a wild look in her eyes as she shook him back and forth. "Your sensei is Gabriel the Beautiful?! One of the twelve Great Seraphs that protects the Throne of Heaven?!"

"U-Uh… M-m-ay-be?" It was hard to speak when you were be shaken so roughly your teeth were rattling.

Ieyasu came rushing to his rescue, gently taking Sayo's wrists and extricating her hands from Tatsumi. "Hey, Sayo, let Tatsumi be, the man can't even speak when you shake him like that. His brain's already mushy enough as it is!"

"It's not mushy yet," Tatsumi protested. Was it really that bad to enjoy school? "I've yet to actually see any wings sprout from her back but I'm fairly certain that's who she is."

Sayo clasped her hands in front of herself. "Can you take me to see her?" she pleaded.

"Afraid not." Sayo's spirits fell. "I can tell her about you though." She perked up again. "Whether you see her or not will be entirely up to her. I'm not going to tell Gabriel what to do."

"Of course not! You should feel honored she'd even bother to spend time with you." She blushed in embarrassment and looked away. "Thanks, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi threw an arm around Sayo and gave her a half hug. "Hey, it's the least I can do for a friend." He let her go and stepped away from her and Ieyasu. "This is where we need to part though. Sensei's church is in that direction." He thumbed the opposite direction Ieyasu and Sayo needed to go.

"Take care man, and remember next week! We're totally doing arcade," Ieyasu said as he started away from Tatsumi.

"Be sure to tell her about me!" Sayo added before quickly catching up to Ieyasu.

"Will do and can do!" Tatsumi called back. They waved once more before Tatsumi turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Tatsumi had learned recently that Sensei's place wasn't actually in this world, but elsewhere. Now that Tatsumi knew she was an angel, it was probably Heaven or a piece of it really. Although more possibly one of the gates leading into Heaven. She most likely carried it with her wherever she went, or at least moved the entrance to wherever she needed to be in the world.

The entrance to the temple was up a long, long set of stairs, invisible to all those save for those she wished to see it. Likewise, anyone taking the stairs was equally invisible. Currently the stairs were in a place most people really wouldn't think to look. They didn't extend up from a church or some other place of worship, nor even a natural place like a park or forest.

It was literally just sitting there in the center of a random street in the middle of suburban Kuoh Town.

Cars were constantly driving through it without notice, it only became solid for Tatsumi when he stepped on it, and the moment he did he became invisible and cars passed through him. It had been unnerving that one time it happened. Watching a car drive through your body without touching you was a very strange feeling Tatsumi hoped he never had to experience again.

You also had to ascend the stairs; you couldn't fly up it and land on a higher step. Bennia had tried that and had just flown through the staircase. That first step was the one that attuned you to the staircase, and if at any moment you stepped off the staircase, you lost the attunement.

Not something you wanted to happen at a thousand feet in the air without some means of flying. The drop would end up with you entering the pearly gates of heaven by an entirely different method. Thankfully the stairs were wide enough Tatsumi could lie across them and still have room to spare so there wasn't really any fear of falling off unless he tried.

As Tatsumi drew closer to the staircase his thoughts couldn't help but shift towards the upcoming assassination of Kokabiel. Something he realized that Sensei had never told him, was what the Fallen Angel actually looked like.

"I wonder when he'll make his move," Tatsumi murmured.

"Oh, and just who is this 'he'?"

Tatsumi froze for an instant as an overwhelming wave of blood lust washed over him. His gaze snapped up to someone standing on a lamppost not far ahead of him. The man was garbed in a long black robe with royal purple fringes and detailed golden pauldrons. Long black hair framed a face that could have been considered inhumanely beautiful if it weren't for the twisted smile on his lips and the insanity that gleamed in his eyes.

Murasame sprang into existence with a flash of black lightning. "Who are you?" Tatsumi demanded. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. A niggling thought in the back of his mind that he knew who this man was.

"Kokabiel." Ten pitch black wings erupted from his back, showering the street in dark feathers. "It's a nice night, isn't it, Tatsumi-san?"

Tatsumi's heart dropped. That niggling little thought had been right. Kokabiel. Why was he here? Tatsumi hadn't made any visible preparations to go against him, everything had been done in Sensei's place. There shouldn't be any way for this man to know that Gabriel had requested his services to kill him.

"It's not quite night yet," Tatsumi said cautiously. He pushed all his senses to their limit and readied his body for anything. If he could just make it to the stairs he could get away from this man. This wasn't someone he was going to be able to beat as he was. "I'm just heading home for the evening, you know, so my mother doesn't worry."

"Ah, motherly love, what a wonderfully human emotion." Kokabiel snapped his fingers and then pointed behind Tatsumi. "But, isn't your home in that direction?"

Tatsumi threw a sidelong glance behind him, making sure to keep one eye on Kokabiel at all times. In the distance was an enormous jagged spear of light. The raw divine power rolling off the spear was so intense it caused Tatsumi's hair to stand on end even at this distance. The spear was pointed towards the ground, right around where his home was…

He started to shake as fear gripped his heart. Not for himself, but for his family, his parents. The two most important people in his life were a hair's breadth from death.

"What do you want?" Tatsumi asked quickly. Gabriel and her plans could go drown themselves right then. He would do anything to save his parents.

"What makes you think you have anything I want?" Kokabiel laughed uproariously. He paused and grinned maniaclly at him. "Well, I suppose there is one thing."

"What?" Tatsumi asked desperately.

"Your despair!" The spear of light lanced into the ground and a bright flash of light lit up the evening sky. The street beneath Tatsumi's feet quaked and rumbled as tremors from the explosion washed over the city. In the distance an enormous cloud of fire and smoke rose into the sky. A cataclysmic backdrop to an otherwise beautiful evening sky.

Tatsumi's heart dropped through the bottom of his chest as he collapsed to his knees, staring at the growing fireball in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true. Just like that. In a single instant… his family was gone. His mother, his father, his home, everything. He felt numb inside, hollow, like his reason to live had just been ripped from him and burned to ash.

He didn't even notice the tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Yes! That's it! That's what I wanted to see! That delicious expression on your face! That exact moment when the light in someone's eyes flickers and goes out. Oh, I never get tired of see it."

What did he just say? That's it? He murdered Tatsumi's entire family for no greater reason then because he wanted despair?

Blinding rage consumed Tatsumi. The empty hollowness inside him was burnt away by a raging inferno of fury so intense Tatsumi couldn't even think. His parents were dead for such a pointless, worthless reason? Dead!? His muscles bulged and shifted and his clothes began to steam, whipping about his form by an unseen current of wind.

He turned his gaze upon the one responsible, Kokabiel.

Kokabiel seemed momentarily taken aback. "What? Those eyes!"

Tatsumi honestly couldn't care less about his eyes. Only one thing mattered. His parents were dead and the man that killed them stood in front of him, alive and breathing. That was an injustice that could not stand. Only one of them was leaving here alive.

"KOKABIEL!" Tatsumi roared in fury.

The ground cratered beneath him as he launched himself at the ten-winged Fallen Angel. He closed the gap in an instant. Kokabiel's eyes went wide with shock at his sudden surge of speed. Murasame screamed for his neck.

Kokabiel wasn't one of the leaders of the Grigori for no reason. He showed that then. Despite his surprise at Tatsumi's sudden onslaught, he caught Murasame between his fingers like it was nothing more than a child's toy. And like a toy, with a twist of his wrist he snapped the blade in half. Tatsumi didn't care. He didn't care that Kokabiel was leagues above him in power. He didn't care that he shouldn't be able to fight equally against him.

Tatsumi was going to kill him.

The air screamed as Tatsumi slammed his fist into Kokabiel's stomach. The fallen angel doubled over as Tatsumi's inhuman strength impossibly ripped through the Fallen's defenses. A powerful boom rocked the suburban area as Kokabiel was knocked tumbling through the air where he slammed into the street, digging a trench before he finally stopped a hundred feet away.

Tatsumi landed softly on his feet just beneath the lamppost, his rage so palpable it was like a living thing, visibly rising from his form and twisting in the wind as it steamed off him.

"So you have a Sacred Gear! I was never told this!" Kokabiel shouted as he immediately launched himself into the air, outside of Tatsumi's range. Instantly dozens of golden spears of light formed around him. "No matter! Die like the worm you are!"

"I don't care, I don't care, I DON'T CARE!" Tatsumi screamed. He needed to reach Kokabiel! The spears of light were launched at him. He needed to fly! The muscles in his back shifted and changed. He would kill that man no matter what! A pair of large draconic wings erupted from his shoulder blades.

The street cratered as Tatsumi launched himself from the ground moments before the spears impacted. He was momentarily consumed by the fire but it did little more than warm his skin. He blew out from within the ball of fire and shot towards Kokabiel. "You're going to die!"

The two of them met in midair in a thunderous collision, once, twice, a dozen times in the span of a single breath. The air was filled with shockwaves that rattled windows and set car alarms off for miles. Each time they met, Tatsumi felt his body shifting more and more. Muscles grew and expanded, his limbs lengthened and his skin hardened.

"So that's it! That's why Gabriel is so interested in you!" Kokabiel shouted between impacts. "It's not that you have a Sacred Gear. It's that you're not even human!"

Tatsumi didn't care. "Die you bastard!"

More power surged through Tatsumi. A rage infused clawed fist covered in dragon scales and the size of a man's head hammered into Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel proved his worth once more by knocked the enormous fist to the side with a single hand. Tatsumi spun in mid-air and as he did a thick, scaly tail erupted from the base of his spine. The move came so quickly and so unexpectedly the Fallen barely had time to brace himself before the tail slammed into his side.

The street fractured as Kokabiel was hurled into it.

Tatsumi reared back, that burning rage that consumed his thoughts infected his body, filling the glands in his neck and chest. His throat and lungs became superheated as scorching hot flame that rivaled the sun bloomed within his chest.

"GROOAAARRR!" A massive torrent of flame erupted from Tatsumi's mouth and consumed the street. A river of fire spread out in either direction, liquefying the asphalt and melting vehicles into molten slag.

It wasn't enough to finish Kokabiel. This was a Fallen Angel that had survived the Great War, battles against some of the greatest and most powerful mythological creatures to exist. Simple fire wasn't enough to bring someone like that down. Even as the street burned Kokabiel burst through the raging inferno, sporting little more than smolder clothes, singed hair and a dark scowl on his face.

Kokabiel hammered Tatsumi with a powerful wave of pure force thrown from an outstretched hand, hurling Tatsumi uncontrollably up into the sky. Tatsumi quickly righted himself only to find dozens of spears of lights encircling him from everything direction. They hit him from all sides, bringing with them searing agony as they punched through his thick dragon scale hide. The night sky was lit up by a second, brilliant explosion.

Tatsumi blasted out through the bottom of the cloud of smoke and ash. He looked all around, searching for the target of his enmity. There could be no rest until Kokabiel was dead.

Overwhelming strength slammed into him from above. Bones creaked and scales shattered as Tatsumi was doubled over backwards. "Looking for you me?" Kokabiel hissed.

Tatsumi twisted around as Kokabiel carried him towards the ground and grabbed at the cursed Fallen Angel. The man twisted to the side but Tatsumi still managed to grab a onto one of his wings. Overwhelming draconic strength surged through his muscles as he wrenched on the wing. Kokabiel shouted in pain as Tatsumi whipped him around and threw him towards the ground. There was a loud wet rip as the wing was torn from Kokabiel's back.

"How dare you touch my beautiful wings!" Kokabiel roared, his face twisted into an ugly mask of rage as he caught himself before he could slam into the river of flame and molten asphalt.

Kokabiel blurred up towards Tatsumi with such blistering speed that it put Esdeath to shame. He could barely catch the movement.

He couldn't react to it. Searing pain erupted all along his body as he was enveloped in a massive golden explosion. Before he could even begin to process the pain Kokabiel slammed his knees into his back. This time Tatsumi felt something snap in his back as he was carried on through the golden explosion and slammed into the river of flame. The force of his impact squelched the flames in a wide circle. Kokabiel summoned another golden spear of light and speared him through the back.

"GAH!" Excruciating pain ripped through Tatsumi as the spear ripped out through his stomach and pinned him to the molten street.

"For every wing you taken, I'll take two of yours!" Kokabiel roared as he grabbed Tatsumi's wings. Searing pain blinded him as the Fallen Angel ripped his wings from his back and tossed them aside like so much trash. "I would love to dissect a strange dragon like you…" Kokabiel growled as he stomped his way up Tatsumi's back before grinding his boot into his neck. "You're completely different from all the known ones and the Angels were hiding you? A trump card to use against us?"

"Fuck you," Tatsumi spat out. A wave of exhaustion rolled over him and he felt suddenly weak and pitiful. His muscles and bones shifted as he shrunk back to normal size, the ones he still had left anyways. Pain consumed most of his body and the molten asphalt seared his skin. "Why do all this?!" Why were his parents dead? Why was Kokabiel after him? Why was life constantly taking from him everything he cared about?

"Why? Is not watching you writhe in rage and despair enough?" Kokabiel stepped off him and lifted him high into the air by the neck. Tatsumi hit him in the face. It was a weak, pathetic blow compared to the power from before. Kokabiel just gave him a pitying look. "Oh fine, if you need an answer that badly…" his face twisted into a mask of hatred. "They're dead because of you! I had plans for Esdeath. She was to kill that Sitri girl and send the Leviathan into a fit of madness. But you just had to interfere with my plans! Because of you she got exposed and Serafall came after her!" Tatsumi gasped painfully as Kokabiel became to squeeze, crushing his throat. "But then I learned that that both she and Gabriel care about you, for reasons I'm now finally beginning to understand. If you must curse anyone, curse them for caring and curse yourself for interfering with my plans! You along with Rias and Sona are the keys! If I destroy all three of you I can send both Heaven and Hell into fits of rage they'll never recover from!"

"If I die…" Tatsumi grabbed Kokabiel by the arm. Without warning he called the broken Murasame back into his hand and rammed the shattered end of the blade into Kokabiel's forearm. "I'm taking you with me!" He channeled the curse of death into the blade.

"GAH!" Kokabiel reeled back and threw Tatsumi to the ground. He felt his ribs break but he couldn't help but smile as the dark curse raced up Kokabiel's arm. The moment it reached Kokabiel's chest it would be over, it would be Tatsumi's victory even if he bled out afterwards.

Kokabiel ripped his arm off.

"You dare try and kill me with such a cheap trick?!" Kokabiel roared as he quickly cauterized the wound with a scorching blast of divine energy.

A bitter laugh escaped from between his lips. figures… the curse wasn't enough. Just breaking the skin wasn't enough. He needed a real strike, a full body strike or one to the head, a strike at something Kokabiel couldn't just rip off and discard. Not even Kokabiel was arrogant or stupid enough to let that someone hit him full in the face or chest with Murasame, curse or not. Tatsumi… never had a chance to begin with.

It was an impossible task from start to finish.

Tatsumi didn't have any more time to think as Kokabiel turned his baleful gaze upon him. To say he wasn't happy was like calling a hurricane a light breeze. "I'm done playing."

Kokabiel lifted Tatsumi once more by the throat before hurling him across the street. There was nothing Tatsumi could do as he slammed through the front window of a home and through the kitchen table inside. Plates of half-eaten food, splinters of wood, and chairs went scattering about the room.

Tatsumi forced himself to stand despite the burning pain running through his body. Every inch of it felt like it was on fire, parts of him even were as his skin still burned and melted from the heat of the molten asphalt. He could worry about his injuries when he was dead.

His injuries had something else in mind. Tatsumi only managed to take a single step forward before his legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. The jarring impact sent fresh slivers of pain rushing up his body.

"Damn it!" No matter what his mind wanted to do, his body was already beyond its limit.

Kokabiel was outside, a hand raised into the air like he was gathering power. Then the air began to dance with energy. Tiny little motes of golden light began to flitter this way and that. Tatsumi didn't need to see to know what was coming. It was the same thing that Kokabiel had done earlier to his parents. A massive spear of light capable of devastating an entire neighbourhood.

There was a tiny hiccup of fear behind him. Tatsumi slowly twisted around and found a young boy, maybe six years old, trembling by the fridge in the kitchen. The terror in his eyes as he stared at Tatsumi and Kokabiel beyond hurt Tatsumi more than any of the injuries he had.

Just how many innocent lives were there in this neighbourhood? Just how many people were going to die and suffer because of his battle with Kokabiel? What did he fight for? Revenge or so that no one would have to suffer as he had? He had completely lost sight of that in his fight against Kokabiel, a fight he couldn't win, a fight he had now brought upon the innocent.

"You just had to struggle instead of dying quietly! Now their deaths are on your hands!" Kokabiel shouted as if reading his mind. "You can die with all these worthless humans you seem to care so much about!"

Tatsumi acted on instinct. Pushing past his limits once more he threw himself over the young boy and shielded him with his own body.

The lance fell and everything was engulfed in a thunderous roar of destructive energy.

x~X~x

Souna looked as calm and serene as always on the surface as she made her way out of the main school building into the yard with Saji and Tsubaki beside her with the rest of her peerage trailing along behind. Inside however, she was in a foul mood. Tatsumi was once again jumping head long into a battle he couldn't win. Kokabiel wasn't a Fallen Angel that their level of strength would make a difference against. Kokabiel was one of the leaders of the Fallen Angels, a powerful and nearly unmatched enemy that had survived the worst battles in the war between God and the original Satans.

Careful planning and meticulous strategy was the only way they would come out of this alive, along with more than a little luck. If Tatsumi said he had a way to end Kokabiel if he could reach him, Sona believed him. The trouble was that Kokabiel would never let his guard down long enough for Tatsumi to get a clean strike in, not without some help. Her Queen, Tsubaki, was central to that, but they needed to push Kokabiel first. Make him get serious.

That was going to be a tall order.

No matter the outcome, the battle against Kokabiel was not going to end on a good note. There was no way to save Tatsumi without revealing what she was. She could only hope that he cared enough that he'd be willing to listen to her afterwards.

Her actions in this battle would determine everything. She'd give her everything to give Tatsumi that opening he needed. Perhaps if he saw how willing she was to bleed and fight for him he'd listen.

"I take it you've heard the situation from Koneko?" Sona called out to Rias as she made her way over to her friend. Issei, Asia, Akeno and Koneko were gathered around her, all looking equally anxious, well all save Issei who simply had the usual perverted look on his face. Kiba was still absent, which didn't bode well.

"I did, Sona, Koneko told me everything," Rias assured her. Her friend seemed serious. "I believe what Tatsumi told her. Those two holy sword wielders did visit me yesterday and Kokabiel's plans sound like something he would do. He never did like peace."

She'd heard the same about Kokabiel. A war monger amongst the Fallen Angels, the one responsible for many of the little skirmishes involving Devils and the Fallen. "We need to prepare for his arrival. It could come at any time." Sona unconsciously adjusted her glasses as she worked through the last few details of her plans. "If Kokabiel is coming here then we're going to need to fortify this place and take steps to ensure the battle doesn't escape to damage the rest of the city."

"That was my thought as well," Rias agreed with a smile. "He wants me so I can't do anything to minimize the damage. Can I rely on you to create a barrier to protect the city?"

"Some of us will," Sona promised her friend. "If Kokabiel were to unleash his full power the barrier wouldn't survive even with all of us supporting it." The barrier was primarily to keep the outside world from realizing what was going on and to keep the incidental damage contained. There wasn't any need for all of them. Sona and Tsubaki needed to be in here to support Tatsumi.

Rias smiled grimly. "Thank you, Sona, I'm looking forward to fighting along side you again. It's been too long."

Sona liked the looks in their eyes. Strong determination to hold out. They knew what was at stake here. But even if they were prepared and determined, this was still Kokabiel. "Perhaps it would be prudent to reach out to your oni-sama, Rias."

Rias raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I don't see you calling your onee-sama."

Sona looked away. "Well… you know how onee-sama can be…" Having her sister here would be a disaster. Just saying Kokabiel and her name in the same sentence would be enough for her sister to declare war.

Akeno suddenly broke into the conversation. "I already contacted Sirzechs-sama."

Rias rounded on her Queen, eyes blazing, "Akeno! How could you?!"

"I understand your reluctance to bother him after recent troubles and you don't want to rely on him for problems in your territory, but this is Kokabiel! A leader of the Fallen Angels! This isn't someone we can deal with on our own even with Kaichou and Tsubaki. Let us borrow the power of a Satan!"

Rias held her glare for a few more moments before she let it drop with a sigh, "fine, you win Akeno."

Akeno's smile was as beautiful as it was victorious, "Sirzechs-sama and his reinforcements should be here within an hour. If we can hold out that long…"

"It's our victory," Sona said. They didn't need to win, they just needed to survive. That created a few more options she could exploit if she and Tsubaki couldn't create that opening Tatsumi needed. Still, it was going to be tough for some of her newer pieces such as Saji to last that long. They didn't have the mana to last a full hour. "Our chances of survival have increased a touch."

"We'll survive," Rias assured her. She turned to her peerage. "Everyone, this isn't like the fight against Riser Phenex. It's a battle to the death this time. However! Even if it's a battle to the death I order you all to survive! No one is allowed to die!"

"Right!" They all shouted in unison. Her friend was good at pumping up her peerage, that was for sure. Sona envied that ability sometimes.

"We're with you as well Kaichou!" Saji called out loudly, not wanting to be outdone by Issei. "We'll hold that barrier for you for as long as you need! Don't you worry!" The rest of her peerage shouted their agreements.

Sona couldn't help but smile. She truly had been lucky to come across so many good people. "Then we need to start making preparations. Kokabiel could attack at any—"

The ground rocked beneath their feet even as an enormous flash of light lit up in the distance. A deep, angry growl rumbled across the schoolyard. As one they turned to stare into the distance, towards the city. An angry, black funnel of smoke rose up into the air, flashing red and orange as flames licked between the clouds.

Sona unfurled her wings and took to the air, throwing herself up high above the top of the school. She could see clearly into the distance now, could see the fire clearly. Her stomach churned uncomfortable. "Oh no…"

"What the hell is going on?!" Issei shouted as he stared into the distance. He lived out in that direction as well. "There's nothing over there but… but…"

Tatsumi's house, and the homes of many innocent humans.

How many people died in that explosion? What had even caused it? Was creating a barrier even worthwhile now? She wanted nothing more than to fly over there as quickly as she could to see if Tatsumi was alright, if his parents were still alive. If they'd been out getting groceries or something, they might still be alive!

There was another flash of light in the night sky off to her right in a different part of the city. Rias, Akeno and Tsubaki joined her in the air. Sona strained her eyes to see that far. Even though devils had heightened sight compared to humans, it wasn't telescopic. She could make out that there was some sort of battle happening in the distance, but she couldn't make out any details.

Neither could any of the others by the way they strained their eyes as well.

The sky light up with a massive firewall that seemed to race up and down a street. Followed my more flashes of light and deafening explosions. Sona clutched her chest. She could feel one of the powers swelling, growing. It felt like tiny little pinpricks stabbing into her arms. It was Kokabiel for sure. She couldn't sense the other, but she just knew it was Tatsumi. It always was.

[ I don't like what I'm sensing. ] A deep, guttural voice rose up from Issei's Boosted Gear.

"What is it Ddraig?" Issei asked, holding the gauntlet up for everyone to see. The green gem on it was pulsating with Ddraig's words.

[ It's a dragon, but not any dragon I am familiar with. It feels… primal, full of hatred and revenge. ] A deep rumble reverberated from the red gauntlet as Ddraig growled. [ It is not of this world! Whatever it is it came from across the Dimensional Gap! ]

"Then where has it been hiding?" Rias asked.

[ I don't know but… strange… it's gone now. ]

"Ara, and it looks like it's about to be dead…" Akeno said softly.

She was right. An enormous spear of light, easily visible even from this great distance, hovered in the air above the city. They could only watch on in helplessness as Kokabiel obliterated another large section of the city, killing untold number of humans. Sona felt as if a piece of her heart died in that blast.

"That's just horrible!" Rias shouted as she glared at the plum of fire and smoke rising into the night sky. "There wasn't any need to kill all those humans!"

Sona gave her friend a hard look. "Rias, Kokabiel needs to be put down. Permanently."

"Oh, I agree," Akeno said, yellow lightning sparked between her fingertips.

Tsubaki scowled darkly. "That man is a monster."

"We'll do what we can," Rias promised. "Kokabiel won't get away with what he's done."

A sudden gust of wind blew their skirts and hair about them and suddenly it wasn't just them floating there in the air above Kuoh Academy. Kokabiel was there, his ten… or rather, nine? black wings flared out behind him. He looked badly roughed up though. His clothes and hair were singed and blacked and he was missing his left arm along with one of his wings. Whoever had been fighting him over there had given almost as good as they'd received. Kokabiel wouldn't be able to fight at his best anymore.

"How nice, both Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory in one place." There was a vicious grin on Kokabiel's lips as he tossed dark looks back and forth between Sona and her friend. "I had intended on only killing Rias this night, but since you're here you might as well join her in death."

"You're a monster Kokabiel!" Rias shouted at the powerful fallen angel. "We're putting you down."

Kokabiel laughed uproariously, "I'm sorry, but you're not Tatsumi." The fallen angel tossed something at Sona. She caught it and gasped. It was the hilt of Murasame, the blade Tatsumi owned. Only a tiny portion of the blade was still attached to the hilt, the rest looked as if it had been snapped off. "That thing turned out to have some rather surprising tricks that almost got the better of me because I let my guard down." He let out a dark chuckle. "I know what you're all capable of. I have nothing to fear from you."

Sona clutched the broken Murasame to her chest and glared at Kokabiel. "What did you do to Tatsumi!"

Kokabiel jerked his thumb behind him to the rising plum of fire and smoke confirming Sona's worst fears. She clutched the broken Murasame all the tighter as she fought back the wave of sorrow that threatened to consume her. "Do you like it? Tenacious thing just wouldn't stay down so I had no choice but to obliterate the entire place. I'll go dig out the remains of his corpse after I finish with you two." Kokabiel gave her a wide smile. "Be so kind as to die for me, Sona Sitri, you wouldn't want Tatsumi to be all alone in the afterlife, do you?"

There were gasps all throughout the courtyard as Kokabiel pronounced Tatsumi's death. Sona felt tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly shook her head, scattering them about. She couldn't let her emotions affect her though, she could cry later. Right now, her peerage needed a leader, someone to guide them.

"Rias! Remember the plan!" Sona called out to her friend.

"I'm afraid I can't let any of you leave here," Kokabiel said as he raised a hand. The ground rumbled and all about Kuoh Academy a wall of golden light rose up, trapping them all inside. "This is a killing ground, Sona Sitri, and I'm going to be doing the killing. I do hope the whole lot of you are capable of providing me some entertainment."

"It seems like we'll have to change our plans, Sona," Rias said quickly.

"Tsk, let's just deal with this maniac," Sona muttered. They only needed to last an hour and Sirzechs would be here, less now actually. In a way Kokabiel made things easier.

"Ah! Right, I forgot one thing," Kokabiel said, laughing. He snapped his fingers and a large runic circle appeared in the sky. A platform slowly lowered until it hovered just above Kuoh Academy's main building. "I found a little rat sniffing around where he didn't belong. How about a little reward for the victor?"

Sona heard Rias gasp in horror along with everyone else down below. Sona could only grit her teeth in frustration. There upon the platform was a fat human standing just outside a huge, complex magical construct of golden light. In the very center of it floated a naked Kiba, shackled to the air itself with chains of pure golden light as three of the Excalibur fragments rotating around his form. His muscles were strained and taut as he twisted back and forth, his mouth wide in a silent scream. The divine light healed him as quickly as it tore him apart. Attached to his forehead was some sort of blackened device with a blood red gem in the center of it. Sona couldn't identify what it was or did, but knew it couldn't be good.

"Kiba!" Rias shouted in horror, reaching out for her knight.

"He can't hear you," Kokabiel laughed, "Valper Galilei is using him now in an experiment just like he used him before. Kiba has some aptitude to wield holy swords, just not enough to ever be truly useful. But what if that was bolstered? Well, there's the matter of being a devil, but we're working on that problem too. If he was healed as quickly as he was hurt, would that not allow him to wield Excalibur? Who knows, we'll find out in oh… how long was it, Valper Galilei?"

The fat man grinned widely. "Ten minutes. Ten minutes and then we'll get to see if Kiba lives as a twisted version of a devil, or dies in a spectacular explosion."

"Either way, the results are guaranteed to be entertaining," Kokabiel said laughing. He threw a massive wave of energy at the ground, causing it to buckle and erupt. A deep roar shook the school as the three-headed guard dog of hell, Cerberus, emerged from hell. But there wasn't just one dog, or two, or three. It seemed he brought them all. Seven of them in total. "Let's make a game of this, shall we?"

"Tsubaki to me!" Sona shouted as she shot down to her peerage. Plans needed to be changed and strategies drawn up. Saving Kiba right now took priority over everything. "We've got some mutts to kill."

"Of course, Sona. I am ready whenever you are."

"We all are!" Saji vowed. Everyone else chorused his words.

That made Sona smile, just a little. "Good, now listen closely and follow my commands to the letter!"

It was time to show Kokabiel that they weren't to be pushed around. And Sona would have her revenge.

~o~

The beautiful clear night and its countless twinkling stars were completely washed out by the twin areas of devastation that consumed Kuoh Town. Intense flames licked at the edges of each zone. Rivers of flaw crisscrossed the cratered sections of the city that looked like pulsating veins from above, creating a complex blazing lattice of fire. Constant streams of sirens and lights rushed towards both zones from all over Kuoh Town. More were coming from neighbouring cities as every emergency service within a half hour drive rushed here.

Bennia flew past it all, heedless of the heat and flame, past the lines of police desperately trying to keep the curious at bay and the firemen and women risking their lives to squelch the flames of destruction caused by a powerful Fallen Angel.

None of them knew the true cause. Somehow that piece of information was missing. Japan was currently calling it an act of terrorism and vowed to find and punish the culprits. Even now supposedly all of Japan's resources were being called in to help save and restore the city.

She couldn't care less, there was only one person she wanted to save.

((Tatsumi… Tatsumi where are you?)) She searched about desperately as she flew about the devastated zone near the stairs to Gabriel's place. Bennia had already searched the other one, Tatsumi hadn't been there.

His parents had been, what was left of them anyways. Bennia had taken their souls to heaven to meet Mira before coming here. Tatsumi's father had thanked her before leaving with Mira, thanked her for keeping his wife together the past four years and had said it almost felt as if he'd gotten a second daughter.

They told her to take care of Tatsumi as they left.

Bennia shook the tears from her eyes that threatened to form. She would! She'd take care of him forever and ever. He was the man she'd been searching for so long! She wasn't going to let him go. She just needed to find him first. If she was Tatsumi, where would she be? The center! That's right, if this was an attack on Tatsumi he'd be at the epicenter. She shot towards the middle.

((Please be alright)) Bennia whispered. When she had sensed Kokabiel fight she had feared the worst. Still did. Kokabiel was someone Tatsumi, as he was now, could never kill, ever, no matter how perfect the ambush Tatsumi sprung.

As she reached the center of the explosion she began to sense a familiar shroud of death. Her heart soared and she quickly rushed down to the devastated remains of a home. That aura of death was Tatsumi, it was something unique and distinct to him alone. Most couldn't feel it, only Grim Reapers, Senjutsu users and the most powerful mystical creatures could.

Creatures like Kokabiel.

Bennia landed just above a large pile of debris and quickly began throwing it aside. For the first time she was happy she had decided to switch from dual-scythes to a single scythe in this life. The broken concrete, shattered beams, and blocks of stone moved easily as Bennia hurled them to the side.

((Tatsumi! Are you alive?))

No response yet. Bennia kept digging. Pulled back debris and hurled rubble until her fingers bled, her nails cracked, and she was covered head to toe in concrete dust, dirt, and other unsavory things. It didn't matter to her, Tatsumi was everything.

Then her hand punched through a piece of drywall and touched something soft on the other side, soft, wet and warm.

((Tatsumi!)) With renewed strength and determination Bennia quickly hurled the rest of the debris and ruin away.

It was Tatsumi! At least it felt like Tatsumi. It was hard to tell from looking at his back. It was burnt black, like meat left on a barbeque for too long. Rivulets of blood crisscrossed his back, bubbling from a sizeable hole in his back large enough for Bennia to put her fist through. Whatever clothes he might have worn were gone. Bennia kept digging until the rest of Tatsumi was freed. The back of his legs didn't look any better than his back.

((Tatsumi!)) Bennia shouted again as she threw the last of the debris on him away.

He shifted, rolling over onto his back. The blackened, charred flesh shredded and sent fragments of burnt skin and muscle fiber scattering about on the winds of heat generated by the fires that encircled the home. Bennia gasped as she saw what was in Tatsumi's arms. A young child, a boy, and thoroughly dead. The explosion had ripped all the oxygen from the area. While Tatsumi had survive, the boy had suffocated to death.

Tatsumi's face was absolutely heart breaking as he cradled the dead child in his arms. "I couldn't save him," tears streamed down his cheeks as he embraced the dead child tightly. "How many have died here because of my arrogance? Because I thought I could save everyone?"

One thousand, seven hundred and eighteen at current count, at least that was what Bennia could feel from the dead souls wandering about the two areas. That count was sure to rise by morning, and even further the next day. She wasn't going to say that though, not to Tatsumi, not when he was like this.

((You tried, Tatsumi, and that's more than anyone else can say. It's better to try and fail, then not to try at all.))

"Is it? Is it really the case when so many die as a result?" Tatsumi's voice was breaking, he was breaking. "I proudly proclaimed to Souna I'd gladly give my life if it saved a dozen people. That all human life was equal. And yet what did I do? I fought back instead of giving my life, and now…" He gently set the dead child to the side and spread his arms wide. "So many have died while I still live. My words are hollow."

((So you're just going to give up?)) Bennia demanded, hands on hips. ((Just let the Angels and the Fallen and the Devils have their way with humanity? Yes, maybe a great number of people died today, but we need to look to the future! A future where this won't happen! You tried to kill Kokabiel! While it was an impossible task, you at least tried, and if you had succeeded the number of lives you'd have saved in the future would dwarf the numbers lost today.))

"But I didn't kill him," Tatsumi whispered, "I didn't even come close."

No, he didn't, but that was no fault of his own. It was the fault of the curse. Without that, Tatsumi may have been able to get the drop on Kokabiel.

"Sensei asked me to kill him… and I failed…"

She WHAT?! Anger blazed inside Bennia. How could she throw Tatsumi away like that?! That changed everything. ((Tatsumi, let's forget about Sensei. If she made you fight Kokabiel then she's signaled that she's done with you and was trying to dispose of you.))

"I thought Angels were supposed to be goodly creatures…"

((Only to the faithful and the innocent, you are neither. We are neither.)) Bennia pulled Tatsumi to his feet. He stumbled and fell on her but she held firm. He was weak and tired from his battle from Kokabiel. There was virtually nothing left inside him. ((Let's just go somewhere else, somewhere far away from here.))

Forget trying to save humans, right now Tatsumi needed to work on saving himself.

Tatsumi lifted his head and slowly swept his gaze about the devastated area. Bennia could see the fires reflected in his eyes, the death and pain and all the suffering. He knew just by looking that hundreds were dead and more were dying every second. "Kuoh City was supposed to be a new beginning… where could we go that suffering like this wouldn't exist?" Tatsumi whispered.

((I don't know, but we should at least try.))

"Bennia…"

((Yes?))

"Can you… sense who's still alive and who's dead?"

Bennia closed her eyes and sighed. Tatsumi's kind heart was going to destroy him. She didn't dislike that part of him but right now all it was doing was hurting him. ((I can, you wish to save them?))

"If there are still some alive… I can't save those that are dead but I want to try and save those that are still alive." His eyes looked so dead and tired. "It'll never make up for my mistake... but it's better than just leaving."

((If that's what you want, I'll help.)) Bennia vowed.

"Thank you," Tatsumi whispered. Bennia could see the strain on his face as he forced his legs and body to work when they had no right to. His injuries were so severe that he should be dead several times over. "Where?"

Bennia pointed to the place next to them. ((Next door, there's a cellar, I feel a few dead souls protecting something))

Tatsumi nodded and shambled towards the home. It hurt her to see him like this, it was like watching a mindless corpse wander about. They needed to get out of here, away from all the pain. If he learned his parents were dead… she didn't want to think about that.

"Bennia, what's going on here?" a soft, musical voice asked from behind. "When I heard there was a large influx of souls from Kuoh Town I—is that Tatsumi?"

Bennia whirled around and glared at the beautiful golden haired woman that float in the air nearby. She seemed completely unaffected by the raging inferno all about her. All that floating ash just skirted about her, finding no purchase on her person. How like her to place herself above this carnage.

Bennia summoned her scythe to her hands and pointed it at Gabriel. ((Just stay away from us! I won't let you finish what you started))

Gabriel was startled by her sudden aggression. A genuinely confused look settled on her features, "Bennia, please, I mean no harm. I just want to know what happened here. Was it Kokabiel?"

((Why ask if you already know the answer?)) Bennia snarled angrily. She didn't care if Gabriel could snuff her out in an instant. ((You sent Tatsumi to die against Kokabiel because his usefulness had run out!))

"It's not like that, Bennia," Gabriel assured her. "I would never throw Tatsumi away, believe me."

((I don't!)) Bennia spat back. ((Kokabiel killed thousands of people just to get to Tatsumi! His parents are dead now too! His family is gone because you refused to do anything about that Fallen Angel!))

"Tatsumi and those girls were to be our—"

Rage blinded Bennia. She hadn't felt this pissed off in three thousand years. Screw Hades and his secret order. Screw her shitty father and his pointless schemes, and screw Gabriel for doing this to Tatsumi! For throwing the first man she'd ever truly loved against impossible odds.

Bennia phased through time and space, appearing in front of Gabriel before she left to strike. She hit the Seraph with enough power to level a mountain. The air burst about them as Gabriel was thrown back two dozen meters. ((ARE YOU STUPID?!)) Bennia screamed at her.

Gabriel's face went hard as she quickly righted herself. Instantly golden armor enveloped her form as a dozen white wings erupted from her back. "Who are you?! You're not the Bennia I—"

((Oh shut up.)) Bennia cut the Seraph off. Bennia didn't care what Gabriel thought of her right then. Bennia liked to think she was an easy-going person, but there was just some things she couldn't tolerate. Sacrificing the man she'd loved was one of them! ((Tatsumi feels like death! If there wasn't so much of it floating about right now I could sense him clear across the city and I know you can too! That's how you found us in the first place! If I can sense him, and you can sense him, why in all the realms would you think Kokabiel couldn't?!))

It was the first time in Bennia's life that she had ever seen the blood drain from an angel's face. Gabriel's hands came to her lips even as her eyes widened with horror. "Oh no…"

Bennia just glared at Gabriel. Was she seriously only considering this now? From the realization that was growing in the Seraph's eyes, it might actually be possible. If so that was a gross oversight on her part. If Tatsumi had known that Kokabiel could sense him anywhere in the city, she knew he'd have taken precautions to protect both himself and his parents.

Bennia took that as a sign to press on. ((Tatsumi can't kill Kokabiel! It's an impossible task for him! He's not strong enough to fight Kokabiel face-to-face, he barely survived Esdeath with help from you and others! And he can't sneak up on Kokabiel either because of that aura of death! Against people like Kokabiel and yourself, Tatsumi will. Never. Win!))

Gabriel bowed her head, regret etched across her features. "I am sorry, Bennia. It seems… I have made a grave mistake."

((Yes you have! And don't apologize to me! It's Tatsumi who's suffering the most! Who do you think he blames for all this? I'll even give you a hint. It's not Kokabiel!))

"Bennia! Are there any others?" Bennia whipped and found Tatsumi emerging from a cellar carrying a sobbing young teenage girl in his arms. She clung to him tightly to him as if he was her only lifeline, in a way he was. Bennia could see the souls of the girl's dead family circling around Tatsumi, blowing away the worst of the smoke and ash.

Tatsumi didn't even seem to notice Gabriel.

((Yes!)) Bennia called out. She threw a sidelong glance over her shoulder at Gabriel. There was only sorrow in her eyes now as she stared at Tatsumi. ((I don't have time to talk anymore. Tatsumi needs me. Until Sona Sitri decides to stop being a coward and informs Tatsumi of what she is… I'm all he has.))

Bennia knew Tatsumi's heart better than anyone alive. It was a kind heart, a caring one, even if it was buried beneath an oppressive amount of sadness and despair. If Tatsumi was willing to make an exception for Ravel Phenex for something as simple as a Phoenix's Tear, he'd easily accept Sona after everything she's done for him.

After he got over the initial shock at least.

"Wait," Gabriel said softly.

((What is it?)) Bennia snarled.

Gabriel raised her hands above her head and a golden orb of pure divine light sprang into existence. It spun rapidly, growing in size until it was as large as a basketball. Then she threw it at the ground beneath her. Instantly the shattered home disappeared and in its place was a small zone of green grass and clean air.

"This place will not burn, nor will the smoke and ash reach it. I can't save those who are not followers, but I can help Tatsumi save those who aren't." Gabriel whispered quietly. Tatsumi had already started for the safe zone. "There's more." She reached up and yanked several feathers from one of her wings. She pulverized them in her fist, reducing them to a fine dust. She murmured a small prayer and emptied the dusted feathers into a small glass jar she summoned from somewhere. "Spread this across his injuries. It'll heal the burns and restore some of his strength. It's all I can do until I have time to heal him completely." She waved her hand and spun a white robe with golden fringes from thin air. "And have him wear this, it'll help protect him from the elements and at the very least his modesty."

Bennia accepted the jar of feather dust and robe graciously. If it was for Tatsumi, she was willing to be nice. ((Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I have to help Tatsumi save as many people as he can since you don't seem to want to.)) And with that said she turned her back on the Seraph and rushed over to Tatsumi's side.

~o~

Gabriel could only look on as Tatsumi and Bennia combed through the remains of a brunt-out home. She didn't know what to make of Bennia anymore. She had seemed like a young Grim Reaper hybrid with a human mother. Yet that strength, and that ability she'd just displayed, that wasn't the level of a mid-class Grim Reaper Gabriel had grown accustomed to. It didn't make sense.

But… regardless of where Bennia's newfound strength came from, her words still rang true. Gabriel had made a critical mistake and now she had to watch on with a heavy heart and unable to do anything as Tatsumi dug through the burnt out remains of a home. Directly interfering in the affairs of this area would seem like an encroachment on the territory of the devils. As terrible as this situation was, it paled to what would happen if a war between the three great factions broke out.

Gabriel lowered her eyes to her hands. They were trembling. She wanted to do something, anything. It wasn't right to leave things like this. How could she be forced to stand in the midst of such death and carnage and do nothing? Forced to watch the man she'd grown… attached to shamble about lifeless as he pulled injured child after injured child from the ruins of burned out homes. Were angels not supposed to be the ones to watch over all of God's creation?

She knew the reason. It was because God was dead. There was a limit to how many they could save, a limit that was already reached. For the others, they needed to rely on the kindness of strangers.

She turned her gaze into the distance. Around Kuoh Academy was an enormous golden barrier set up by Kokabiel. Irina and Xenovia should already be there, waiting for the right moment to steal back the Excalibur fragments. Gabriel realized now that it was too great a threat for them to deal with. If Kokabiel had resorted to this level of destruction to get to Tatsumi, then the boy had at least forced him to become serious.

It was a testament to what Tatsumi could do.

It also meant that Kokabiel wasn't going to play with Rias and her peerage for very long and the backup Irina and Xenovia were expecting in Tatsumi wasn't going to arrive. Gabriel couldn't find it in her heart to ask Tatsumi to try and complete what he started, especially knowing what she did now.

She'd grown used to Tatsumi's presence, didn't even notice the aura of death that clung to his soul. It had completely slipped her mind. It was no excuse however. It was her business to know these things. She had sent Tatsumi to complete an impossible tasks and he had suffered greatly for it.

She would make it up to him or she would let herself fall as penance.

"I won't start the next Great War but…" perhaps there was something she could do. She spun a spell in her hand and connected across a vast distance to someone she really didn't want to deal with, but circumstances didn't give her a choice. Now wasn't the time to let personal feelings get in the way of what she must do.

"Now this is something I never expected…" a cutesy voice appeared in her mind. "What can Levia-tan do for Gaby-tan? And this had better be good. I'm trying to track down a pair of cameras!"

"Come here now. There's something you must see," Gabriel said and cut the connection. That should convey the sense of urgency.

She didn't have to wait long, a few minutes at most and suddenly a large blue circle engraved with the mark of the Leviathan appeared in the air just to the side. Out from within it dropped Serafall Leviathan, dressed in her usual gaudy pink magical girl uniform, complete with the long staff and golden star.

"What is it…" she trailed off as she surveyed the area. "Where are we?"

"A part of Kuoh Town."

Serafall stiffened and her eyes suddenly became sharp as she scanned the area. They locked onto something, or rather someone, behind her. "Gabriel… why is Tatsumi pulled the broken body of a baby from a ruined home?" she asked in a deathly quiet voice. "And why does he look like he just spent an entire morning playing with a newborn Phenex?"

Gabriel knew she was treading on dangerous territory right now. Serafall loved her sister beyond distraction, and that love often extended to the things Sona loved. Tatsumi was especially special as in not only did Sona love him, but Serafall was genuinely fond of him too.

"I do not wish to start the next Great War, Leviathan, but I find myself wishing to… dispense some justice upon the one that did this." Gabriel gave Serafall a sidelong glance, hoping she would pick up on what she intended. "What say you to a temporary alliance?"

"Who did this?" Her words came out as cold as the arctic north.

"What do you say to forming a temporary alliance?" Gabriel repeated.

The air around Serafall became super charged with demonic energy. She rounded on her, eyes blazing with a cold fury. "I asked who did this!"

Serafall would view her as an enemy if she didn't reply. "A mutual enemy," Gabriel stated as lightly as she could. She pointed towards Kuoh Academy, snapping Serafall's head in that direction. "Kokabiel."

The earth quaked as a massive pillar of demonic energy consumed Serafall. Gabriel was steadfast against the hurricane force winds that whipped about the Leviathan. The temperature dropped dozens of degrees in an instant and the fires all through the devastated area were snuffed out in an instant.

Serafall's power surged once more, but more contained this time, as if she was taking it all in upon herself. Her form disappeared and what replaced it was something completely different, an entity made entirely of ice.

"Careful Leviathan, or are you trying to kill Tatsumi and finish what Kokabiel started?" Gabriel chastised her. The air noticeably warmed as Serafall reined her power in, localizing it to just around her. Rivers of ice flowed about her form, held aloft and flowing along lines of raw demonic energy.

"Kokabiel hurt Tatsumi?" The Leviathan growled as she turned her glacial gaze upon Gabriel and extended an icy hand out to her.

"And murdered his parents," Gabriel said. She could feel her own anger boiling just beneath the surface. She didn't let it find any real purchase. Angels were above such crass emotions. "He's on the ragged edge now because of him. What say you, Leviathan, about teaching a little Fallen Angel what it means to hurt what is ours?"

The Leviathan's power surged once more and a dozen crystalline demonic wings of ice erupted from her back. "I say we make a competition out of it and see who can hurt him more!"

Gabriel sniffed delicately, "I'm not supposed to participate in a competition that revolves around hurting others." She let a small smile break out across her lips. She flared her own divine strength, bathing the area in a warm glow that brought comfort and healing to all within. "But I'm sure the system will allow an exception this time, just like it had when the original Lucifer… questioned my purity."

They were going to hurt Kokabiel like no one had ever been hurt before.

---

Author's Note: Can't be accused of trying to start the next great war when the Angels and Devils are working together now can you?

Stay tuned for the next chapter where the ultimate female duo work together to bring the hurt to a certain Fallen Angel.

Oh, and Gabriel does make good on her desire to make things up to Tatsumi.

So leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. There's a lot here, that's for sure.

Note on battle length: I'll be honest, I don't see the point in writing long, drawn out battles. It's unrealistic at best, and it actually breaks character with Akame Ga Kill. Tatsumi and Night Raid are assassins, people that go for that 1-hit-kill method if they can, and if they can't they try to put the enemy down as quickly as possible. My writing mimics that. I'm not going to draw out a battle (unless that's the purpose such as Tatsumi buying time for Mine to get in a big attack) and I'm not going to pad it with 15 pages of pointless descriptions, motivations, and achievements people will just jump past because they want to see how it all ends.

If it takes 2 fucking chapters to write 1 battle scene, (and yes I've seen this even with certain good authors that I won't name here) you're doing it wrong. The ONLY battle that can justifiably be a chapter in length is the crème de la crème, the ultimate, final climactic battle. Final battles of various 'arcs' can justifiably be long as well, but everything else better be wrapped up in a few pages or you're going to bore most readers and worse, make the real, climatic battles feel less climatic.

Note on Bennia: I'm know I'm altering her from canon. I don't really care. She needs to be altered if there's any hope of her keeping up with Tatsumi and his future growth. I figured I'd also add an interesting little side plot with her as well. She's enough of a blank slate in the Light Novel that there's plenty of room to work with. She's not going to make a whole lot of sense for now, or in the near future. But everything will work out once you have all the pieces.

I hope.

Do note, I'm not changing her personality very much from canon, or at least I'm not going to try. She really is still very much a mischievous, easy-going individual. But there will be times when she gets serious, such as when she thinks someone is trying to hurt her Tatsumi.