I'm sorry it's been so long guys, my personal life has been pretty hectic as of late but it's starting to calm down and my beta is finally able to start reading and editing my chapters again after moving. There won't be another hiatus like this anymore my focus is on this story once more. I'm not promising that there won't be delays because I do have a life outside of writing and settling personal problems comes first with me and when I try to write while being under such stress the writing is absolutely terrible and I wouldn't put out a chapter that I believe to be subpar. Now without further ado let us get back to the story


It's been three weeks since Issei has been reincarnated as a devil and everything seems to be going well. It's like he is seamlessly transitioning into the lifestyle that comes with being a devil, though he had hoped for a little more than what he got. Sure the training sessions with Zazuki were making him improve drastically but he has still yet to awaken his Sacred Gear. This was driving both him and Rias crazy about how he was possibly going to awaken his Sacred Gear while Zazuki keeps on telling them to be patient. Sacred Gears respond to the emotions of its wielder and eventually it will wake up even if it's only when Issei needs it most. This works out for Zazuki anyways, he doesn't want Issei to become cocky and over rely on his Boosted Gear (which he has still yet to mention to either Issei or Rias). Every wielder of a Longinus always has the same problem; if you take away the ability to use their Sacred Gear then you have a much greater chance of beating them. Zazuki could plainly see that in Kiba, Kiba's Sacred Gear is very strong but if you somehow find a way to take it away from him then he is just a sitting duck. In fact the only people in Rias' peerage that doesn't rely on some sort of special trait is Koneko and Akeno. But those two had a much different problem, they refused to use the powers of their respective species. Zazuki managed to bring this little fact up with Rias when they had some time alone. The young heiress just looked down in shame as Zazuki told her off for not making her peerage fight at its fullest potential. Even though Zazuki was her age and not a devil, she still allowed him to lecture her like she was a child, mainly due to the fact that every word coming out of Zazuki's mouth was absolutely and 100% true.

Zazuki still hasn't figured out on how to tell Akeno that he knows about her being a Fallen Angel and Devil Hybrid, though he knew that he had to be gentle about it. Now for Koneko he was leaving her to Rias; the only way he was going to help Koneko was if she herself came to him and asked for his help. Sure he considered Koneko his friend but it was her decision to decide if she wanted his help. It was different with Akeno because he has romantic feelings for her, and as such he will search her out and tell her that he would help her through it. That was just the kind of person Zazuki was; he respected that some people can work through things on their own but with Akeno he wanted to be the one to help her if she allows him to. Just knowing that she was hurting on the inside was killing Zazuki. In the short time he has known her, Akeno has turned into the most important person in his life.

He sighs lightly knowing that he is about to open up a can of worms that he probably shouldn't without consulting Rias, but he didn't care, so he asked Akeno to come over to his house and she should be arriving at any moment. Just as he thought this he heard a knock at his door. The young magus dusts off his pants before getting up and opening the door.

He is greeted by a smiling Akeno which in turn forces him to smile, that peaceful non-sadistic smile of hers is impossible to not smile at. Zazuki quickly composes himself, not wanting to let himself get carried away by the beauty of the woman in front of him. He would have to deal with this quickly; problems are on the horizon and all of them would have to be ready for the coming troubles.

"Can we talk Akeno?"

The young hybrid is puzzled by the actions of our resident Magus. She can sense that he is slightly somber even though he is putting on a sincere happy facade. However, she doesn't bring this up and decides to simply nod to Zazuki's question. While she follows the onyx haired teen to his study, she notices the hesitation in his movements. His movements are slow, almost contemplative, as he sits down at his desk. He slowly reaches to the bottom drawer of his desk before pulling his hand back, seemingly deciding that he wouldn't drink through this talk.

This set Akeno on guard, the combination of his calculated movements and the restraint to hold himself from drinking shows that the conversation is going to be serious. Akeno slowly sits down in the chair in front of Zazuki and stays silent. She slowly crosses her legs and leaves her hands in her lap as she waits for Zazuki to begin.

Looking at Zazuki you can tell he is stressed over the coming conversation. He very obviously doesn't want to lose the relationship he has with Akeno. In fact, he wants to officially become a couple with her but that would all hinge on Akeno's reaction to his coming words. He lets out a light sigh and runs a hand through his hair before looking Akeno in the eyes, "I'm not sure of an easy way to start this conversation, so I'm just going to come out and say it Akeno….I know you're half fallen."

Akeno's fists clench and she bites her bottom lip as she hears the words leave Zazuki's lips. Somehow she was shocked that he found out. Honestly, she should have seen this coming due to him being able to sense energy so well. She feels something drop onto her hands in her lap and slowly looks down to see small drops of water. Akeno then raises a hand and lightly touches her cheek and can feel the tears coming from her eyes.

Zazuki of course also sees this and slowly walks around the desk and brings Akeno into a light embrace. He rubs her back gently, trying to sooth the crying girl in front of him and he could feel the lump in his throat. Zazuki never liked seeing a girl cry, especially a girl that is close to him. He then whispers into her ear, "Akeno….I'm here for you. I want to help you through anything and everything. I don't care if you're a devil, an angel, a fallen, or a human. To me you're Akeno and always will be, these simple terms will never define who you are….I love you Akeno."

Akeno immediately stiffens. The words Zazuki just uttered pierced her heart, he had to go and say the one thing that would make Akeno fall for him even more. She softly speaks "Ara, ara, you go right for the kill with your words."

Zazuki raises an eyebrow at the choice of Akeno's words completely confused, "What do you...?"

He is quickly interrupted by Akeno as she brings him into a deep and passionate kiss. Zazuki is stunned by the bold action the girl made but he quickly settles into the kiss, deciding to kiss back softly and sweetly. After a few moments the two part, the both of them sporting a large blush on their faces. Zazuki adopts a goofy grin, "I guess this makes us a couple for real now."

Akeno just giggles at Zazuki as she lays her head on his chest and looks into his eyes.

"You were already mine~" she says this with mirth evident in her voice.

Akeno just sits there loving the feeling of having Zazuki's arms around her and relishing the moment. The two sit there for another hour before Zazuki could feel someone glaring daggers at the two of them sending a shiver down his spine. He turns and sees Kimiko whose eyes are glaring at the two in front of her; Zazuki can also feel the massive amount of magical energy rolling off of Kimiko in waves. He quickly tries to diffuse the situation, "K-Kimiko c-calm down"

The young apprentice slowly walked towards the two.

"Zazuki-sama, what am I seeing here," she says while cracking her knuckles lightly.

Zazuki gulps and looks around trying to find someway to slip past Kimiko but finding no way. He curses under his breath and wraps his arms around Akeno before he teleports the two of them away from Kimiko.


With his crisis of impending doom thoroughly avoided, Zazuki lets out a sigh of relief, he keeps his hold on Akeno, not wanting to let go of her quite yet. He looks around the Occult Research Clubroom, that being the only place he could think of as a safe zone from the raging Kimiko at the moment. He reluctantly lets go of Akeno, deciding that he needed a moment to relax;, he ignores the look Rias and Issei sent his way as he flops face first on a couch.

"God why do you hate me so," he ignores the fact that he already knows of the biblical God's death as he says this.

Akeno slowly walks towards Zazuki and pokes his cheek trying to get his attention. The young magus just ignores the devil as he closes his eyes wanting to try and get rid of the headache forming in the back of his head. However, Akeno takes offence to Zazuki ignoring her and gives Zazuki a light shock. And by light, it was actually a fairly strong shock causing Zazuki to jump up slightly and glare at Akeno who at that point was smiling innocently, "You know, I hate you Akeno."

Akeno giggles and gives Zazuki a peck on the lips, smiling softly as she pulls back, "You love me, you even said it before."

Zazuki just glares at her before deadpanning ,"I love you, but that doesn't mean I have to like you all the time."

Akeno just shrugs and lays on top of Zazuki who wraps his arms her as she does so. He lets out a small sigh, "I just hope Kimiko calms down."

At hearing this Akeno's eyes narrow, honestly she had no problems with sharing Zazuki as it is common practice within the devil community, even Rias' father has a harem. However, what she wanted to be perfectly clear on is that she was the number one. She wouldn't mind if Zazuki fell in love with other people as long as Akeno was the one to be by his side as his legal wife.

Zazuki kisses Akeno softly trying to dissipate Akeno's anger, "Sorry I'm just a little bit annoyed."

This small kiss is enough to make Akeno's anger to completely disappear. Zazuki then lays back down sighing lightly as he does so. Rias then comes over to Zazuki with a small frown on her face, "We have a problem Zazuki."

With an eyebrow raised in confusion Zazuki replies, "What could possibly be wrong?"

Rias sits down on the couch opposite of Zazuki and Akeno, "Issei was attacked by a stray exorcist on his last request."

Zazuki instantly sobers as he sits back up, "Were there any Fallen with him?"

Rias nods as she rubs her forehead in frustration, "Yes."

Zazuki curses under his breath, 'Why?...unless they're under Kokabiel's orders.'

Zazuki composes himself before stating, "They aren't under Azazel's orders, so I'll let you deal with the situation, I'm not going to get involved with trivial matters such as this. You should be able to kill a lone exorcist and a few rogue Fallen. Plus, Issei needs real combat experience with an enemy that's trying to kill him. This will probably allow him to awaken his Sacred Gear and allow his training to continue. He's hit his physical limit for advancement without awakening his Sacred Gear...or you removing his limiters."

Rias' eyes shoot up in surprise, "H-how did you know?"

"Don't treat me like I'm dumb Rias, Issei took eight Pawns to reincarnate as a devil there is no way that he is already at his limit unless you sealed some of his power," Zazuki scolds Rias lightly, "Now don't think I'm disagreeing with your decision, his body isn't ready to handle his full power until he's able to use his Sacred Gear proficiently."

Rias lets out a light sigh, "We're going to deal with this tonight. I'd appreciate it if you would provide backup for us."

"I'll be around but I won't help unless I think you guys are in serious risk of dying," Zazuki sits back up and stretches his arms trying to rid himself of the lethargic feeling in his body.

He then stands up, "I've got some things to do, I'll be back later."

Without waiting for a response he leaves, using a teleportation spell to disappear in a burst of black flames.


Deciding to try and calm Kimiko down, Zazuki reappears in his study where he immediately sees Kimiko. His heart drops as he sees her depressed form, she is sitting in the corner facing away from Zazuki. He can see from her stature that she has been crying - and from his estimation - a lot. He slowly walks over to her and gently wraps his arms around her body, trying to offer any sort of comfort for her. What he doesn't notice are the tears dripping down his own face, "W-what's wrong Kimiko?"

She slowly turns her head and captures Zazuki's lips in a passionate kiss, surprising the young magus. He slowly pulls Kimiko closer to him as he closes his eyes and reciprocates the kiss, he relishes the moment before pulling back and resting his forehead on hers,"I see now."

Kimiko just nods as she rests her head on Zazuki's chest, "I love you Zazuki, I really and truly do."

Zazuki lets out a sigh, "I love you too Kimiko….but I need time to sort out my feelings….because I love Akeno as well."

Kimiko just nuzzles her head in his chest, "Alright"

Zazuki smiles softly and lets go of her, as he stands up he dusts his pants off and sits in his chair, "Kimiko I want you to deliver a message for me."

She lets out a small sigh already missing the small moment that they just shared, "Where am I to go?"

Zazuki pulls out a stack of papers and slides them into a manilla folder, "You are to go to Kyoto and put these papers in the hands of the Kyuubi Yasaka, and only her."

She nods as she takes the folder and walks out of the room and begins her trek to Kyoto.


~Later that night~

Rias has a look of cold confidence on her face as she looks around the clubroom to evaluate how each of her pieces are handling the situation she laid out for them. Akeno like normal has a smile that feigns innocence hiding the sadistic personality that lies underneath. Koneko is also acting as she normally would; the small nekoshou has a neutral look that hides how she was feeling, but if you looked closely her eyes have a small glint belaying her readiness for the upcoming fight. Kiba's expression is much like his king's, a cold calculating look adorns his prince like features. Certainly, his large fanclub would be in for quite the surprise if they could see their prince at this moment. Rias' eyes then wander over to the object of her - hidden to most - affection. She could obviously see the look of apprehension and even slight fear on Issei's face. As she watched him, however, the look slowly changed, she saw him bite his lower lip before his eyes steel slightly. She could tell he was still slightly scared and who wouldn't be when they were about to go into their first battle, but no longer were his legs and arms shaking. She sees him let out a light breath and look to the ground before looking up and speaking, "I'm ready to begin the mission whenever you are Rias-buchou."

The Crimson Princess of Ruin nods to her Pawn before standing up. Her posture exudes pure confidence in not only her power but also her peerage's. She looks around the room, "You all know the plan as it stands. Issei, Kiba, and Koneko, you three will be the main assault on the church. I have complete confidence that you will be able to handle anything that is thrown at you. While you two are accomplishing that, Akeno and I will take out anyone who surrounds the church before making our way back inside to assist you three."

All of her peerage nods in assent to her orders as the group of three leave the sight of Rias and her Queen. Rias lets out a soft sigh as worry can be seen in her eyes, "I hope they're going to be alright."

Akeno places a hand on Rias' shoulder, "They will be, you have to trust them to protect your boyfriend."

This causes Rias to blush brightly and shake her head, "Issei isn't my boyfriend…..at least not until I've dealt with Him."

Akeno's face becomes serious, "Let's just worry about the mission in front of us before we worry about the future."

It is then that they are interrupted by three Fallen. Rias sighs as she turns towards the three, "If you surrender, we won't kill you."

This causes the Fallen to laugh as they summon spears of light. Rias smirks imperceptibly as she turns towards her queen, "Akeno...let loose."

The sadistic queen chuckles menacingly as she allows lightning to course around her body. She takes a couple of steps towards the Fallen causing them to back away slowly. The buxom queen smirks sadistically as she fires lightning at the group which they are barely able to dodge and causes Akeno to pout, "Stay still."

The Fallen shake their heads incredulously, "And get shocked? Hell no."

The young girl chuckles as she raises her left arm out and a large magical circle appears. The lightning from this spell is much faster and that can be seen easily in that the Fallen were unable to dodge. This causes heavy damage to the Fallen, forcing them to the ground. Akeno moves to cause further injury to the three unnamed Fallen but Rias steps in front of her Queen, "That's enough."

The words were enough to cause Akeno to relent in her assault upon the Fallen. Rias had remembered Zazuki's message to her. The magus had told her to remain calm throughout the raid upon the church; she needed to remember that her actions held extreme consequences. She reminds herself of this almost every day since Zazuki had told her that. She is the sister of the current Lucifer and as such any actions taken by her can be considered those of her older brother. This is why she held Akeno back; she doesn't want any Fallen to be killed by her group. This way the consequence for this small raid will be less significant than if her group killed any Fallen.

Akeno falls back and stations herself a half step behind and to the right of Rias, the proper place for a Queen to be. The Queen is the right hand of his or her King and because of that he or she should be stationed behind and to the right of the King unless ordered otherwise. At least that is what Grayfia drilled into her mind with the constant lecturing Akeno received from the Strongest Queen.

Rias turns and strides towards the church with Akeno only a step behind her, the two completely forgetting about the Fallen they had just dispatched. After the two disappear into the church a figure descends upon the dispatched Fallen.

"Rookie mistake, she left you three here alone and unbound."

The voice is undoubtedly Zazuki's and the three Fallen begin to sweat in fear of the newcomer. They could feel the magical energy pouring off of the man and it belied his power, their fear is heightened even more as the man continues to speak, "Now what to do with you three? I could just kill you. It is well within my rights as a Magus to do so."

Zazuki smirks as the Fallen begin to whimper, however, Zazuki decides he has had his fun, "But, I wouldn't want to trouble Azazel too much, so I think I'll let you three live. But here's a warning if I ever see you three in Kuoh again without Azazel's orders, I will not hesitate to kill you."

The three Fallen nod and limp out of Zazuki's sight. Zazuki then lets out a soft sigh before cracking his neck. Mentally he praises Akeno for her power even if she went slightly overboard with her methods, but it is still a battle and as such any means should be used to defeat your foe. He just couldn't hold her brutality against her especially since he could also be brutal at times during battles.

Zazuki looks up to the night sky, taking in his surroundings before slowly making his way over to the church, deciding that he might as well see how his apprentice is fairing in his first battle.


The moment Issei, Kiba, and Koneko entered the church, they were on guard, mainly because they were in enemy territory but also because they could sense they were in for a dangerous battle. Standing at the other side of the church was none other than the man who had attacked Issei on his request. With long platinum blonde hair and a demented look on his face the exorcist spoke, "Ah it's Devil-chan, this time there is nothing stopping me from tearing you into bits."

Issei grits his teeth in anger as he regards the sociopath in front of him, "I'll fucking kill you Freed."

The young man wraps his arms around himself and practically swoons, "Ah, such killing intent, there is nothing like the feeling of killing and the intent to kill."

The three devils recoil in disgust, the stray exorcist is as disgusting and demented as they come. Issei calms himself remembering what Zazuki had taught him, "Koneko, Kiba, you two deal with the madman while I search the rest of the church. There has to be a reason why the Fallen are here and we need to find that out."

Issei's companions nod in agreement with the Pawn's plan and the three rush into action. Issei speeds past Freed who attempts to cut the devil off, but before he is able to, Freed is forced to block a pitch black sword wielded by none other than Kiba, "Sorry but I cannot allow you to interrupt my fellow devil."

The exorcist jumps back slightly, trying to distance himself from the Knight but is quickly met by a gloved fist to his face sending him across the abandoned church crashing into the walls. Koneko can be seen adjusting her glove slightly as she looks towards the stray exorcist with a stoic look. Issei took this opportunity to delve into the secret chamber hidden underneath the church where he could sense multiple sources of power.

Issei enters the chamber and the sight that greets him enrages him to no ends. Strung up on a crucifix is a beautiful young girl with bright blonde hair. The girl appears to be around his age and what she is wearing can barely be called clothes as they are basically see-through rags. Issei dashes towards the group of rogue priests that are guarding the young woman. One of the priests block his way and Issei plans to dodge, but two other priests are approaching from either side. To avoid wasting time, he quickly punches the priest in the gut and goes on, leaving behind his opponent. Another tries to hit him but he simply ducks beneath the punch while thinking that Zazuki's punches were much faster and dangerous. He tries to get to the young woman as fast as he can but the priests keep delaying him and he has to incapacitate some and evade the others. He soon arrives at the cross where the woman is placed on and quickly destroys it. He takes the weakened girl in his arms and dashes back up into the main area of the church while the rogue priests are in disorder where he sees Freed throw a smoke bomb down and disappear.

He lays the young girl down on a pew in the church as Rias and Akeno enter the once holy building. Rias strides towards Issei and gives him a look of pride and adoration before looking down at the girl, "Who is this?"

Issei shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know but a group of rogue priests were performing some sort of ritual on her."

Rias looks over the girl and widens her eyes, "She's dying."

It is then that Zazuki walks into the church and stops beside Rias, "Her name is Asia Argento, she was a former member of the church. Quickly becoming a priestess with her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. However, it is due to her Gear that she was exiled from the church for it's ability to heal Devils along with humans and angels. I would say she would be a great addition to your peerage as you're lacking an actual combat medic."

The red-head nods at the Magus' words, knowing that he had a fair point especially if what he said were true. She ponders what piece she would use for a moment before deciding on using her unused Bishop piece. She lays the Evil Piece on the young blonde's chest as she begins the ritual to turn Asia into a devil. The Gremory Family's magical seal appears under Asia's body as Rias does the incantation, "I, Rias Gremory, hereby resurrect you, Asia Argento, as a Bishop under my control. Be reborn as a member of my peerage."

As Rias finishes the incantation the Bishop piece sinks into the young blonde's chest and one could instantly see the changes. Her skin went from a clammy white to a flawless pearl color, her breathing went from shallow to deep and restful, showing that she was still unconscious. Rias steps back and looks towards Issei, "Issei, you take her to the clubroom. We have an extra room luckily."

The Pawn nods to his King's command and carries the girl in bridal style out of the church and if one looked closely you could see the blush on his face. Zazuki saw this of course and chuckled while saying to Rias, "Well Rias, it seems like your Pawn has a little crush on your newest piece."

The Gremory Heiress did not enjoy this, which could easily be seen by the cold look in her eyes and the black Power of Destruction lashing out from her body subconsciously. She slowly turns towards Zazuki, "Not another word."

Zazuki wisely decides not to push the girl any further as he looks towards the rest of the group, "You all did well, I'm impressed. Freed and his little group are not simple foes, he's simply crazy and fighting an insane person is always a hassle."

Kiba raises an eyebrow, "How so?"

Zazuki sighs under his breath, "Simply put, they're unpredictable. Especially so when you're dealing with a masochistic sociopath like Freed. He'll leave openings and let you hit him so he can strike you when you're at your most vulnerable, when you are in the middle of an attack."

The Knight nods in understanding towards Zazuki's words and at seeing this the Magus looks to Rias, "Good job, now I'm going home see you all tomorrow."

Without waiting for a response Zazuki turns and leaves the church.