Chapter 20

When he first met Gasper Vladi, the human-vampire hybrid shook his hand.

"It's an honor to meet the one who has helped my master so much," Rias's new Rook said with earnest respect.

An amused expression danced across his features. The politeness in the greeting and the boy's diminutive stature reminded him of a certain Ken Amada… if Ken was timid instead of stern and liked to dress himself in women's clothing. The amusement promptly vanished from his face. The thought, and everything that came along with it, was absolutely horrifying.

In the meantime, Gasper was peering up at him with wide eyes, staring at him with what amounted to an unhealthy dose of fascination.

"Is it true that you summoned an Archdemon to help my master in the Rating Game because you couldn't stand her being in the arms of another man?" the feminine boy asked.

For a moment, he was sure he hadn't heard correctly. Then his eyes flickered towards the only one who could be responsible for such a misrepresentation. Rias met his gaze and tried hard to look innocent. Before he could reply and shoot down the notion however, his new admirer was already moving on.

"Is it true that you manifested an aspect of Death to cheer up Himejima-san when she was feeling under the weather because you were attracted to her so much?"

Unlike Rias, Akeno wasn't ashamed in the slightest at her fabrication. The girl in question grinned at him and if that wasn't enough to convey her intention, the suggestive wink she sent his way when he glared at her certainly did. Again, just like before, the diminutive vampire didn't give him the opportunity to correct that assumption.

"Is it also true that you can help people create swords just by thinking about them?"

This time, it was Kiba's turn to look uncomfortable. The sword-user rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and began whistling to himself when he became the center of attention. Gasper's face, meanwhile, was bordering on the worshipful.

"And is it also true that you can make people fall in love just by kicking them?"

His eyes flickered over to Asia and Koneko, both of whom had wrapped their arms around a certain boy's limbs and appeared adamant in their unwillingness to let go. The former smiled bashfully at him. The latter detached an arm long enough to raise a fist towards him before mouthing the word, "later". Issei, for his part, seemed utterly confused on what to do with the two girls latching onto each of his limbs.

He sighed inwardly.

As he understood it, Gasper had been sealed away within Kuoh Academy due to the uncontrollable nature of his power. It was only recently that Rias was capable of managing the Dhamphir's unstable state enough to where the boy could be safely allowed out. The whole circumstances surrounding the hybrid's sealing was unknown to him, but he could not help but be a bit rankled about it. Imprisoning someone for a fault not their own did not sit well with him, but he understood the necessity. Sometimes great power must be kept under lock and key for the good of everyone else as well as the source of power itself. That, and he had grown respectful enough of Rias to trust her judgment in matters like these. If she deemed it necessary to seal her only Rook away until the time was right, then he would defer to her greater experience on the subject.

The inevitable consequence that resulted, however, was that her piece was left in the dark in regards to recent events. Left out of the loop, so to speak. The Dhamphir had to rely on his newfound friends to fill him in. This too, was understandable, as well as the misrepresentations and outright fabrications. It was human nature for people to fib a little when it came to noteworthy events they were involved in. The need to make the story just a bit more interesting for the audience. The desire to paint a picture more enthralling than the original.

But there was a limit. A boundary. A line that if crossed, turned the story from vaguely true to entirely fictional.

Just what had they been telling the boy?

As though the universe was sensing his thoughts, the words that next came out of Gasper's mouth made sure to hammer home the absurdity of the situation.

"Is it also true that you can make people stronger just by being inside them?"

…

There was no words in the dictionary of any human language that could describe his exasperation. And as if that wasn't enough, Issei had seemingly recovered his ability to speak. The pervert's face was honest in its heartfelt emotion and that made it all the more difficult to bear.

"Yes he can! Which is why you should ask him to go inside you at the earliest opportunity!"

He wasn't sure if there was a human expression in existence that could adequately convey his thoughts on the matter, but he tried anyways. Gasper missed the resultant cues completely and beamed up at him.

"You're so cool, Arisato-san! You're everything they said you were and more!" a confused look slowly wormed itself over the diminutive vampire's features, "But I thought they said you were a boy?"

It was Kiba who chose to address that particular issue, and the sword-user did it with both commendable grace and a remarkably straight face.

"Ah… We're having some… technical difficulties… about that right now."

A peerage gaining a new piece apparently was cause for a celebration. He supposed it made sense in a way. The addition of a new member was mutually beneficial to both parties. The master gained an additional subordinate to increase his or her power with and the subordinate gained protection as well as lifelong friends in the forms of his or her fellow pieces. The peerage system, for all its archaic resemblance to feudalism, worked. More importantly, it worked well, if the bright cheerful faces around him was of any indication.

Consequently, it was why he was sitting on a spare sofa in the living room, sipping idly on a can of soda while the others proceeded with the celebration. They had tried to get him involved in several instances, but he had demurred each time. He preferred it this way. Watching instead of participating. It was their party, their cause for celebration, and he did not feel it was right for him to join in. Judging from the way Rias would occasionally send looks his way however, she clearly disagreed. Several times the girl had made to get up, no doubt to drag him into the festivities, but each time she had been waylaid by the members of her own peerage. He had been thankful for the diversion. It felt too much like interfering, his attendance here, and in situations like these, he favored keeping a distance.

Gradually, he became aware of a presence behind his back and as a result, the tap on his shoulder was not entirely unexpected. Xenovia's impassive features greeted him when he turned and the girl promptly jerked her head towards a corner of the room secluded away from those gathered in its center.

"I would like to speak with you if you're willing."

There was a hesitant quality in her usual steadfast tone that eventually influenced his decision. He inclined his head and the exorcist smiled, albeit briefly. A swift nod from her and Irina moved in front of them, both to direct any attention away from the conversation that was to follow as well as block those whose curiosity got the better of them.

His gaze lingered on the second exorcist for a brief moment. They wore the same cloth and were sworn to the same ideals, her and Xenovia, but they weren't cast in the same mould. They were different, in the same way as Rias and Akeno were different or Asia and Koneko were different. He felt a faint stab of guilt that it had taken him this long to see it. To see the people behind the exorcist's garb for what they were and not just as the Church's representatives he had once viewed them solely as. He didn't quite know them, not in the way he knew Issei, Rias, and the others, but as Xenovia led him towards the corner of the room, he had a sneaking suspicion that would soon change.

He was proven correct when she turned to him immediately when they were out of earshot of the others. If anything, she was far more direct than anyone he knew, as her next few words promptly demonstrated.

"I want advice."

His eyes flickered to where the girl's fingers were playing with a small pendant shaped into a silver crucifix that was dangling around her neck.

"I am not sure I am qualified to give advice on matters of faith."

Xenovia stared at him blankly.

"You have Archangels inside of you. You have summoned Archangels for you. If not you, then who else?"

That type of question was begging for an answer of another kind.

"I also summoned Archdemons," he reminded her.

"Yes," the exorcist said without blinking an eye, "but so far the Archangels have outnumbered the Archdemons. That makes you more worthy to give advice than most in my book."

He couldn't help the slight smile from spreading. How very pragmatic of her.

Xenovia's gaze, meanwhile, hadn't left his face.

"You do understand that there are some within the Church who are not happy at what happened during the peace conference. The knightly orders may have been only using you as a figurehead to get out of the Church's grasp, but the clergy still sees you as the one responsible for depriving them of an elite military force. Some of them have worded their displeasure and some of them have indicated that they would like to act upon their displeasure."

He raised an eyebrow.

"And will they?"

"No," the exorcist made a dismissive gesture, "Not yet at least. The vast majority of the council views the event as an unfortunate setback. They see you also as a human who can be reasoned with. They would be far more worried if the Templars and Hospitallers swore themselves to a devil or a Fallen," the girl hesitated and looked away, "But that's not… that's not…"

"That's not the issue?" he finished for her.

"Yes," Xenovia nodded, "that's not the issue at all. The issue is… The issue is…" she had to take a deep breath to stop the wavering in her voice, "The issue is that God is dead and the things I did were done under the belief that He was still alive."

He frowned at the redundancy in her words.

"I'm not sure I understand."

A twisted sort of smile settled over her face. It made for a stark contrast with the noble dignity he was used to seeing from her.

"In order to become an exorcist, you must have a certain amount of holy power within you," the girl was watching him as she explained, but the way her gaze seemed to stare right through him suggested she was deep in her own memories, "You have to have enough of that light essence so you can wield and manipulate holy swords. And then, after that, there's a rigorous selection process. Those who can't quite control their power or aren't physically ready enough to begin training are weeded out. Those who are left endure a regimen that strips them of their past lives. Of who they once were. We become devoted solely to the Church. We become weapons of God. Our only purpose is to carry out the Church's will and by extension, His will as well. We aren't supposed to ask questions. But now that God is dead, I've started asking them, and I don't like where the answers are leading me."

He glanced over to where Irina was standing on lookout.

"She doesn't seem to share your reservations."

Xenovia scoffed. It was not a disdainful sound. Not in the least. More like a noise an older sister would make when a younger sibling bothered her with some wild, fanciful idea.

"Michael promised her she would be one of the first ones to become an angel after the Brave Saints system was implemented. For her, that is more than enough. For many people, that is more than enough."

"But not for you," he guessed.

The girl shook her head.

"I didn't become an exorcist to be an angel. I became an exorcist because I wanted to help people. I became an exorcist because I wanted to do something with my power," she paused and began toying with the pendant around her neck again, "You don't know what it's like. That feeling of being chosen. When I was first selected to be the wielder of Durandal, I was ecstatic. Thrilled. Six billion people on this Earth and I was the only one selected. It made me feel special. Worthy. It made me feel like I was going to accomplish something. I was going to bring righteousness to the world. I was going to bring justice to the downtrodden. I was going to be a hero. But after learning the truth, I don't feel like one. I don't feel like a hero at all."

The exorcist's hand clenched involuntarily into a fist. He noticed that it shook, the fist, as though palsied.

"I've done some things that were questionable," the girl said softly, "They weren't good things. You may even consider them bad things," she chuckled darkly when he frowned at her, "What did you expect? Exorcists like us are called in when everything else fails. When the problem has to be solved by violence. We're the militant arm of the Church for a reason. We go in, take down the enemy, and get out. It's simple. It's easy. Weapons don't care where they're aimed at, as long as they are aimed. It's duty. It's what we do. But there was always a small doubt in the back of my mind. When does doing something for the sake of duty no longer count as an excuse? When does doing something because everyone else is doing it no longer a defense? So I rationalized. I explained it to myself so thoroughly that I believed in it. By serving the Church I was serving God and God is ultimately a force of good. He has to be because He's God. That's how I justified it. I thought by serving the Church, I was doing good. But now, they tell me He's dead and been dead for so long that some angels can't even recall a time when He was still alive. Now, I learn that all those deeds I thought I was doing for Him and for the good of others were for people who have been lying to us all along."

Her shoulders were shaking by the time she finished, and he could sense the inner turmoil she was desperately trying to keep from boiling to the surface. It was for that reason he tried to keep the conversation on track, knowing that any sudden change could unbalance her already unsteady state.

"The Church. Do they know about how you feel?"

Some of the defiance he was used to seeing rematerialized on her face.

"I'm not the first exorcist to doubt the Church's teachings, and I won't be the last. There are ones amongst us who have sworn to never drawn a weapon again whether in service to the Church or to God. They become Evocati. Exorcists who sheathe their swords permanently but will draw them again if the Church is directly threatened," the girl smiled thinly, "You know, it's funny in a way. I remember seeing these retired exorcists walking in the halls and wondering how they could have fallen so low from grace. How could they just abandon their duties like that and lose sight of their righteous purpose. But now, I look back and wonder what made them hang up their swords in the first place. What act they committed that made them rethink their lives to a point where they swore never to draw a weapon again. I look back and wonder if the path they've tread on is the same path I'm currently walking on."

"And is it?" he asked gently, "The same path?"

Xenovia grimaced.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'm the wielder of Durandal, after all. I have responsibilities," again, the bitterness in her tone was something he wasn't used to hearing, "That's the ugly side of being chosen. The spotlight is always on you. You're expected to do great things, and if you fail to live up to those expectations, opinion can turn on you faster than you can blink. If I hang up my sword, they'll take Durandal away from me. They might even punish me," the girl smiled again at his concerned look, "They won't kill me. Nothing like that. They won't even jail me. But I'll be ostracized by my superiors. I'll be looked down upon by all the people I knew. I'll forever be known as the exorcist who wielded Durandal but couldn't find the strength to do anything with it."

The silence that fell was not so much oppressive as it was thoughtful, and that was more his fault than hers. He suspected that there was more to it than that and thus he said nothing at all. His patience was rewarded when Xenovia broke the stillness not a moment later.

"I told Rias what might happen to me," she stared at him, "Do you know what she did?"

He shook his head.

"She offered me peerage," the exorcist let out a humorless laugh, "Just like that. No strings attached. She told me that she already considered me an ally for what we did on the battlefield together. She said that if the Church came for me, she would protect me in the Underworld and that if she participated in a Rating Game, I wouldn't have to join if I didn't want to. And when I asked her what she would gain from this, she said nothing because friends expect nothing in return when helping friends."

His eyes travelled to where a certain redhead was busy trying to make her newest piece feel comfortable.

"Rias and the others…" Xenovia's gaze had followed his, "…They're not bad people."

"No," he smiled, "No, they're not."

"But if they're not bad people," the girl said softly, "then why are we fighting them? What's the point? What's the point of me? Exorcists are supposed to exist to hunt devils and Fallen, but if all devils and Fallen are like them, then I'm not sure I want to hunt them. If fighting and subduing people like them is what makes me worthy of Durandal, then I'm not sure I want to be worthy."

"And Rias's offer?" he asked quietly, "Are you seriously considering becoming a member of her peerage?"

The girl turned and regarded him impassively.

"Will you think any less of me if I did?"

He met her stare calmly.

"I do not judge. I merely accept."

"Yes," Xenovia's gaze had switched back to Rias and the members of her peerage. This time though, she focused on a specific figure among them, sitting shyly by Issei's side, "Asia said you said something like that to her when she had her own problems to deal with," a flicker of guilt crossed over the exorcist's face, "It's strange how perspectives can change. When I first met her, I did not like her much. I might have even detested her. She was excommunicated and as a representative of the Church, I was supposed to hate her and people like her. She stood for everything I stood against. But as I interacted with her more and more, I came to see her in a new light. She had great wrongs done to her and none of them were her fault. The Church is a large organization and some things inevitably slip through the cracks, but even then, that's not a good enough excuse. Someone should have seen the warning signs. Someone should have been there to help her when she was at her lowest point. And yet, somehow, she doesn't let that faze her. She continues being who she is instead of becoming bitter and angry with the world as so many others would if they were in her place. That takes a great deal of bravery to do. Putting aside the past and not letting it rule you. I'm not lying when I say she has more courage in her than exorcists twice her age. Maybe that's why I've come to respect her so much. That," Xenovia turned back towards him, "and my predicament is just like hers. If anything, my case is just like Asia's."

"No," his reply caused her to look at him sharply, "it's not. There's a difference. She didn't have a choice. It was either die or be resurrected as devil. You have one. A choice. And what you do with that choice is solely up to you."

The undercurrent in his tone must have leaked out for the girl suddenly drew back.

"You disagree with the notion?" she breathed, "Of humans becoming devils?"

"I did at first," he admitted, "Even now, I am still uncomfortable with the idea. A person's humanity shouldn't be shed so readily or easily. It is the source of our potential as a species. But that's not what matters. It shouldn't matter what other people think of how valuable humanity is. All that matters is what it means to you. And if becoming a devil is truly what makes you happy, then no one, not even me, should have a say in it."

"Asia's happy," the exorcist said softly, "After becoming a devil, she became happy."

"Yes," he agreed, "and she, if anyone, deserves to be happy. But she's not you. What makes her happy doesn't necessarily mean it will do the same for you."

Xenovia nodded slowly, taking the advice to heart.

"I have a master who trained me back when I was still just learning to be an exorcist. She said that whenever I doubt my purpose I should meditate and reflect on my actions until I can find a new one. Maybe that's the reason I've been feeling this way. I can't seem to find one. A new purpose. I can't reconcile the fact that I was given Durandal to hunt people like Asia with the fact that people like her shouldn't be hunted in the first place."

He smiled then, for he could sense the resolve that was just beginning to form under the surface. All she needed now was a push in the right direction.

"Then perhaps your purpose with Durandal is not to hunt people like her, but to protect people like her."

There were some peculiarities about his new form that took time to get used to. Small details that were better left undescribed and unsaid. He did not like to think about those details, for the more he thought about them the more confused he became. Azazel had promised that the effects would gradually subside, and he trusted the Grigori's words… even after the Fallen Angel had personally come to him on several occasions and asked to see the female version of Uriel again. Likewise with the details surrounding his transformation, he did not wish to think about the reason behind the man's request either for that lay the road to madness.

Going to school, of course, was out of the question. Going to work, however, was doable even if he didn't have to. He had accumulated more than enough vacation days for a few weeks off, but he feared his sudden absence would leave his bosses wrong-footed. They had shown him kindness when he needed it the most and he was loathe to leave them now on such short notice, even if it was only temporary.

In the end, he solved that particular problem by showing up anyways. The explanation he had prepared was a simple one. The Minato Arisato who worked for them was currently sick and had delegated a distant cousin to take his place. The old couple, bless their hearts, accepted the excuse immediately. In fact, they seemed to be more taken with him than ever. Both of them held the belief that now there was a "beautiful maiden" manning the front counter, their little shop would become even more popular than before. He sincerely doubted that. The Nephilim's Café, after all, was only popular because of the Nephilim, and with him "gone", that popularity was sure to fade.

As it often was with things in this world, his assumption was only half correct.

The number of male visitors stayed roughly the same, as expected. The number of female customers quadrupled. Fallen, devils, and angels alike. Humans too, once they saw just how packed the store had become. Some of them even found the courage to preposition to him directly. He couldn't understand it. Both the influx of new customers and the gender disparity.

"It's because you look like an ojou," the café owner's wife had said one day after another group of giggling girls retreated from his counter, leaving him both flummoxed and bemused, "and if it's one thing that young girls like more than big strapping men, it's stern, ladylike big sisters," the old woman began rubbing her cheek in an almost disturbing way, "Now that I think about it, you look exactly like a certain young lady back in my high school days. She was very regal and very stately. The flower of the school. She also had far more female admirers than male. I should know. I was one of them," the woman let out a sigh a person her age should not have been able to make, "Back then, if she had told me to take off my clothes in the hallway and stand on my head, I do believe I would have stripped then and there."

The dismay wreathing his face doubled when her husband chose in that moment to speak up.

"It's true, you know," the old man grunted affably, "I was in the same class as that girl. If she told me to strip in the hallway, I would have done the exact same thing."

That had been some hours ago, the conversation and all that it entailed, and he still couldn't wrap his head around it. As a result, he had retreated to his apartment, his real home, to think things through. He was still in the midst of thinking when the door to the living room opened with a bang, revealing a shapely, attractive figure he had nearly forgotten existed in the past few weeks. The expression on Raynare's face as she stared at him was one a person would wear after learning of a sudden death in the family or some other ill-fated news.

"Is it true?" was the first thing she said, "Is it gone?"

Before he could ask what was true or what was gone, the redeemed angel had already stepped into the room.

"Michael sent me on a few errands after the peace conference," she explained her absence hurriedly before jumping back to the subject, "but I came as soon as I heard," the woman's eyes bored into him like searchlights, "Is it true what they say?" she demanded again, "Is that gone?"

His sense of danger alerted him at once to what was about to happen, but too late did he respond. The angel crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. One slender arm wrapped around his back and smothered him into her ample bosom. The other slipped down his waist, reached below his belt, and began feeling there.

The muffled sounds he made were both from the suffocating confines of her chest and the fact that her fingers were extremely thorough in their searching. By the time he finally managed to look up, it was to see the most crushing instance of disappointment he had ever witnessed etched over her face.

"So it's true then," Raynare bit her lip before staring at him determinedly, "But don't fret," she placed both her hands over his shoulders and gazed reassuringly into his eyes, "We'll get through this. Together. And if you think we can't do the things I promised you we would do, I brought this with me for just the occasion."

The angel reached into the depths of her robe and pulled out something that was long, rubbery, and entirely inappropriate.

"I got this at the adult store down the road."

Residents of the apartment block would later remark that the muffled explosion they heard coming from Third Floor, Room Three Eighteen was preceded by a high pitched voice squeaking "Thanatos!"

Authorities later investigating the scene would eventually conclude that these two events were separate and mutually unrelated.

It was a much battered and slightly smoking figure that sat pouting on the sofa, her arms crossed over her chest, her followers hovering protectively around her. The amused audience that had gathered at her arrival and the scolding she was currently receiving did little to better her mood.

"You know there is such a thing called knocking," Rias was saying sourly.

"I didn't need to knock before," Raynare met her gaze defiantly, "You forget that his apartment was my home too, at least for a little while."

"That was then," the devil ground out, "This is now."

A superior smirk spread over the former Fallen's face when she detected the displeasure in her opponent's tone.

"I liked it better when it was then. When it was just the two of us. So many things that could have been done in private and away from prying eyes."

To her credit, Rias refused to take the bait.

"Don't you have better things to do?" the girl maintained her dignified air, albeit with a small scowl, "You're an angel now. Go do angel things somewhere else and leave us alone."

"I'm an Archangel," Raynare declared haughtily, "and Archangels are allowed more leeway than regular angels. We get to decide what we want to do, as long as it serves Heaven's interests. Besides, Michael granted me stewardship of this city. His apartment was going to be my headquarters," the woman glared at her counterpart, "until you messed it up for me."

This time, it was the devil's turn to look superior.

"His apartment can still be your headquarters. There will be no one there except you, but I'm sure it's for the best. After all, you might get distracted from your work and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Subtlety was not the angel's strong suit as she promptly demonstrated by ignoring the carefully worded dig entirely.

"If he's not there, what's the point of me having my headquarters in his apartment? He's the reason I chose that rickety house in the first place," the woman paused and surveyed her surroundings critically, "But that's no longer an issue, is it? Now you've got this grand complex built and constructed. I can make my headquarters here. That way, I can still be at his side."

The former Fallen seemed exorbitantly pleased at her new idea which made for a stark contrast with the alarm radiating from every inch of her rival's frame.

"You can't do that," Rias said, aghast.

"Why not?" Raynare regarded the devil condescendingly, "You're here. Your peerage is here. Those exorcists are here," the angel bobbed her head at the amused forms of Irina and Xenovia standing off to the side, "Even the Templars are here. Everyone is here but me, and that's just not fair!"

"They're here because they're envoys to their respective organizations. You're not an envoy, therefore you don't have a reason to be here."

The former Fallen huffed.

"That problem can be rectified. All angels have ranks. Currently, mine is Envoy to the Nephilim. There. Now I have a reason to be here."

"You just made that up!" Rias accused.

"No, I didn't. Archangels are allowed to grant other angels ranks as they see fit."

"Archangels are allowed to grant other angels ranks," the devil stressed, "You can't grant yourself one. That defeats the entire purpose."

"Well, I just did," her opponent crossed her arms over her chest, "What are you going to do about it?"

Rias sighed.

"Fine. If staying here is so desperately important to you, I'm not going to object," the girl nodded reluctantly at the door that led to the outside hallway, "There are guest rooms down the hall."

Instead of being gratified by the offer, the woman seemed even more affronted than before.

"I've been inside those rooms. I don't want them."

"If what's inside doesn't suit your tastes," Rias bit out, "I'm sure we can have it arranged differently."

"What's inside isn't the issue," Raynare pouted, "The issue is that those rooms are the furthest away from his!" realization slowly dawned over the angel's face, "You're doing that on purpose! Keeping me away from him!"

"Of course," the devil said primly, "You're not to be trusted around him. Who knows what you'll do to him when you're left to your own devices."

Raynare rolled her eyes.

"Yes, like you're some bastion of trustworthiness when it comes to him."

Rias sniffed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Her counterpart glared at her.

"You turned him into a girl!"

Thrown temporarily off balance by the intensity in the woman's voice, Rias blinked for a few seconds before managing a coherent reply.

"That was an accident! It's not like I wanted to turn him into a girl! I want to do things to him too!" the redhead's face flushed when she realized what she had just said.

It was hard for someone to look both smug and disappointed, but somehow Raynare managed it perfectly.

"Well now you can't because you turned him into a girl!"

"It wasn't on purpose!" Rias's expression hardened slightly as she regained her composure, "Besides, you've done far worse things to him!"

The angel's gaze remained accusing despite her rival's words.

"Whatever I did, at least I didn't turn him into a girl!"

"Repeating the same argument doesn't make it any stronger!"

"It does when you've turned him into a girl!"

Rias threw her hands up in the air.

"You know what? It's pointless in arguing with the likes of you. Let's ask him. This is his house after all."

"Yes," Raynare's tone suggested she would book no compromise, "Let's," the redeemed angel turned and then frowned, "Wait, where did he go?"

Asia blinked up at the two older girls.

"Um… Himejime-san dragged him out the door just a few minutes ago. She was talking about showing him some new whips in her room."

Two pairs of eyes stared into each other in mutual horror.

"We tried warning you guys," Issei helpfully added in, "but you were too busy arguing to notice."

"That traitor!" Rias blurted out. Her outburst was followed by Raynare's far more vulgar exclamation.

As the scene predictably dissolved into confusion, one small, diminutive figure took the opportunity to sidle up to an equally diminutive figure.

"So," Mittelt smiled disarmingly, "I hear you like wearing dresses."

Gasper turned to the new presence beside him in surprise before nodding hesitantly.

"I do."

"That's good," the tiny girl smirked, "I like boys who like wearing dresses."

The vampire looked at her hopefully.

"You do?"

"Yes, I do," the Fallen Angel purred, "I like seeing the humiliation on their faces. I like seeing the shame seeping out from their eyes. I like seeing the mortification bleeding from every inch of their bodies. It's just so delectable. So tantalizing that I just can't help myself from wanting to ravage them over and over," the girl's pigtails bounced as she cocked her head to one side, "So. When can I see you in yours?"

Gasper's expression had grown more and more horrified with each passing second. Now, as his new admirer started advancing on him, the boy began to slowly inch back.

"I think… I think I need an adult."

A few days later and his abode in the Underworld became the home of another group of arrivals. Sona and her peerage had taken up residence in the myriad of rooms in the lower hallways. Unlike Raynare and her entourage however, Rias's rival had made it known that it would only be a temporary affair. The girl was currently explaining the reason for her disruption even if he did not consider it much of one.

"The Young Devil's Gathering is happening soon. It's when the current generation of promising devils gather to socialize and mingle with one another. You'll get to meet Sairaorg Bael, Seekvaira Agares, and countless others."

He raised an eyebrow. The way she spoke made it sound like he was expected to be there. Sona looked pointedly at him.

"As an honorary high-ranked devil, you will be expected to attend."

Ah, there it was.

"All the Pillar families will be represented," Sona continued on, "as well as the heirs of lesser families who have shown potential. There will be a grand party the day before and then a series of Rating Games that will determine just how much progress each of us has made. It is very much a social event and something our society looks forward to every year. I've brought my peerage along to your house for precisely that reason," the girl inclined her head in the direction of Rias who was sitting by his side, "We were hoping to use the training facilities in the lower levels to prepare as well as test ourselves against a fellow peerage."

He frowned slightly. All this new information changed nothing. It just made it all the more easier for him to refuse. As though sensing his thoughts, Sona pressed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. His frown grew. That was an action he had come to expect from her when she had something serious and often detrimental to say.

"This year's Young Devil's Gathering will also be different from the other ones. The Great Satans have agreed to make it an awards ceremony of sorts. The ones being honored will be the peerages of Rias and myself for the defense of the school from Kokabiel's attack. There will also be a separate award honoring Rias for killing the dragon and preserving the peace conference. It is slated to be a momentous occasion. Far more devils are expected to attend than usual and for good reason," the girl nodded at him, "It would be considered a grave insult to those honored if one chooses not to attend."

That… That would make it less easy for him to refuse. On one hand, he disliked large celebrations and the equally large crowds that they were sure to attract. On the other hand, he believed that the deeds both devils did were worthy of being praised and a celebration held in their honor was an adequate form of response. He was torn between acting on his dislikes and acting out of politeness. Neither choices were optimal. And if the look on Rias's face was anything to go by, she would clearly prefer it if he chose the latter option. If she expected an immediate answer though, she would be disappointed.

Sona elected to change the subject when the silence became a little bit more than just awkward.

"There is some concern amongst certain members of our society about the ones who joined your new faction," he could tell that the girl was trying to abstain from being judgmental but was having a hard time doing so, "I've mentioned before that the Knights Templar are not popular amongst our kind. Too much blood has been spilt between them and us, and mostly spilt by them. Now it's rumored that you have a squad of them acting as your envoys. Your reputation is suffering a little as a result. More so among those who have lost family members or relatives to the Templars' blind zeal."

He sighed inwardly. First Xenovia had warned him about the Church's displeasure in losing their elite exorcist force. Now Sona was warning him about the devils' displeasure in him for gaining them. This was why he usually refrained from participating in things like faction politics. Even in the rare circumstances when the members of SEES had broken into open argument he had still seldom picked sides. No one won in quarrels like that. And those who did only won because they lost the least.

When he finally pulled himself from his thoughts, it was to see that Rias had at last torn her gaze away from him.

"I don't understand them," the girl said to her friend, "The knights. They've mostly kept to themselves in the lower barracks, but the times I've hailed them when we passed in the hallways always yield the same results. They ignore me like I'm not even there or return my greeting in the iciest manner. I had hoped that the battle we fought together would make them more receptive to us, but it seems like that will never be the case," she shook her head, "I don't understand it. I don't understand why they hate us so much."

"It is easy for a man to hate what he does not understand and hard for him to understand what he hates," they turned at the sound of the new voice. Adelmar and his Paladin squad strode into view, devoid of their customary armor and clad in training suits of interlocking plate. Their choice of attire did not surprise him. The Hammerhands had moved into one of the training facilities that Sona had been so adamant about using and seldom left its confines. Indeed, judging from the way a few of them nursed cuts and bruises on their bare arms and faces, they had just come from another session of brutal drilling, "In the case of the Templars, that hatred is rooted deep within history."

The knight chuckled at the looks of confusion that greeted his words before proceeding.

"They had their own kingdom once, you know. An age ago when times were not as nice and societies not as tolerant. I will not say that their kingdom was any more compassionate or righteous than the numerous others that dotted mankind's domain, but it was, at the very least, competent. Their Grand Masters were harsh but wise and they promoted ranks based on the merits of one's deeds rather than the nobility in one's blood. The kingdom they forged grew quickly as men of talent flocked to their banner and for a time it seemed like an empire in the spirit of ancient Rome was being born. And then, as suddenly as their kingdom flourished, it fell, torn asunder by circumstances out of their control. Historians have searched far and wide for the reason behind those circumstances and the conclusion they have come up with, while factually correct, is also needlessly complicated. The truth as you will often find, lies in something much simpler."

"They killed a woman," Androcles said abruptly, "A witch. An enchantress."

"A brotherhood of Templars arrived in a village where one amongst the populace had been accused of witchcraft," Sigmund expanded, "They intended to take her into custody and interrogate her as was the custom back in those days. But before a single knight could lay hands on her, the woman revealed herself for what she truly was."

"Those who break free from their master's control," Adelmar smiled, "your kind call them stray devils, do you not?" both Rias and Sona nodded in agreement, "That was what she was. A stray devil. But just like with all things, a single term cannot fully describe the complexity of the situation. There are stray devils who are horrified at what they have become and wish for nothing more than a quick and painless death. Then there are those who relish in their newfound freedom, delight over their newborn powers, and are keen to test them on those who they deem as lesser beings. She was the latter sort."

"She reaved through the surprised knights as though they weren't even there," Tareyn continued the tale in his matter-of-fact way, "You must understand that back then, there was no such thing as an exorcist. The technology and knowledge to train men and women into the warriors employed by the Church you see today simply didn't exist. Back then, a knight prayed that the sword in his hand did not break and that the armor covering his back did not give. Against humans foes, it was more than enough. Against a creature so willingly corrupted by its own demonic power, those swords might as well been sticks and their armor might as well been paper."

"They killed it though," Ernhart grunted, "After much bloodshed, they finally killed it. If you travel to their monastery as we have done and look into their records you will see the deed listed along with the names of over two dozen knights lost beneath the creature's claws. The Templars thought that was it. The end. Another minor skirmish that resulted in their victory. A footnote in a history rife with far larger battles and far more important wars," the veteran warrior let out a dark chuckle, "Oh, how wrong they were."

"As it turned out, the devil slain belonged to the peerage of an influential member of your society," some of the smile had faded from Adelmar's face, "Bastard liked to experiment. Liked to research. He considered himself somewhat of a scientist, and scientists needed specimens. Those specimens were his own unsuspecting followers. He would purposefully infuse members of his peerage with too much demonic power and set them loose on the world just to see how things would play out."

Rias and Sona shared a significant look.

"I remember my brother saying that there have been times in the past when devils loyal to the Old Satan Faction's ideals have gone into the human world and wreaked havoc just to prove a point," the former said hesitantly, "Some of them were even heads of their own clans. The things they did… he would never tell me. All of them were eventually caught though and thrown into Cocytus."

"As they should have been," the Paladin nodded gravely, "and I have no doubt that this one was suitably punished as well. But for the Templars, that punishment came too late. The woman they killed was something of a pet creation to this devil, and he took her death… personally. He could not outright avenge her for that would bring too much attention to your society, and thus he was forced to turn to more clandestine methods of revenge."

"The numerous kingdoms bordering the Templar's domains had always been jealous of the order's growing power and increasing wealth," Tareyn continued where his superior left off, "The one thing that kept those disparate kingdoms from acting on that jealousy was the fear of earning the Church's wrath. A Christian kingdom attacking another Christian kingdom risked excommunication and back in those days, that was a grave danger indeed. The only way to attack a fellow Christian realm and remain in the Church's good graces was to accuse it of heresy and push for a holy war against its borders. But even then there had to be evidence. Proof of the heresy before a Crusade could be called."

"With enough power, evidence could be manufactured," the disgust emanating from Ernhart's frame was a mirror match to the expression he wore on his face, "With enough wealth, proof could be doctored. That devil was the head of his own clan and thus he had both in ample amounts. The false evidence and fabricated proof he compiled along with the sweet words his disguised minions whispered into the jealous kings' ears was more than enough to set them on the warpath. Still, it was almost not enough. The evidence, while telling, was not damning. Not when compared to the Templars' illustrious history. They were paragons of faith, devoted to the teachings of the Church, and their loyalty was all but unquestionable. In an impartial court of law, every charge levied against them would have been thrown out before the proceedings could even begin. But the clergy had their own reason for allowing the trial to proceed," a sickle-shaped leer that barely passed for a grin stretched over the old warrior's face, "Can you guess what that reason was?"

Both devils shook their heads. He suspected he knew, but kept silent all the same.

"Greed," snorted Androcles a second later.

"The Church was, and still is, an immensely large organization," Sigmund took over the explanation when the two devils still looked confused, "Large organizations had large expenses. In layman's terms, the Church owed a great amount of debt. Much of that debt was held by the Templars. For armies raised in times of war. For services rendered in times of peace. And what better way to avoid paying a debt than to get rid of the one who holds it?"

"You don't mean…" Sona breathed.

There was no mirth whatsoever in Adelmar's laugh.

"I imagine the Templar representatives were quite shocked when the council arranged for their trial turned against them. More than that, they turned the trial into a sentencing. For every allegation of heresy, the Church pronounced it as outright blasphemy. For every charge of sedition, the Church claimed it as outright treachery. For every minor indictment that would have resulted in penance but not death, the Church turned it to an outright crime that left no other option but death. The rest is history. The Templars were excommunicated and dissolved as a fighting force. Their Grand Masters were burned at the stake. Their realm was dismantled and their lands partitioned out to the lesser kingdoms that bordered their domain. And that was not the end of this stark betrayal. The allegations the Church laid at their order's feet would haunt them for decades to come. For a long time, wearing the Templar Cross was a death sentence in all but name."

Sona frowned.

"But the Church eventually accepted them back into its ranks."

"Yes," the Paladin nodded, "After all their Grand Masters were dead. After the kingdom they forged through sweat and blood was divided and split into the hands of lesser men. After their legion of warriors was reduced to a paltry handful did the Church finally rescind their order and induct them back into its ranks. And now you know why they constantly ignore the clergy's orders. Their hatred for the Church is only secondary to the hatred for the one that started it all. The devil who masterminded their downfall when their order was at the height of its power. Over the years, that hatred has ripened to encompass all devils. As the saying goes, "One poisoned apple poisons the entire bushel", and to them, that bushel has been invariably poisoned," the leader of the Sword Brethren tilted his head to regard his captivated audience, "In the end, they hate you because hatred is the only thing they have left."

"But that doesn't make what they do justifiable," Sona protested, "It doesn't make what they do any more right. They kill our kind regardless if they are stray or regular devils. They do not distinguish the difference."

The chuckle her objection caused was far from disparaging.

"Of course not, and I did not mean to imply that it did. Their order's hands are stained red with the blood of many people, and not only of your kind. The Crusades were fought against human opponents and the various battles they were involved in took human lives. They are guilty of the same sins any organization with ambitions are guilty of. None of the things I've told you makes what they've done justifiable. What it does, is make it understandable. What it does, is make the actions they took in the light of those events, relatable," the Paladin smiled, "They are not the boogeymen you devils believe them to be, just as you are not the monsters they think you are. Both sides… misunderstand… and that is the root of the conflict, more than anything else. Who knows? One day they just might impress you with their courage and valor just as they have impressed us. It's why we joined them, after all."

"That's something I've been meaning to ask," Sona said slowly, "I've read about the Templars and Hospitallers before, but your order is far less known to me. I know the Teutonic Knights once existed, but besides the five of you, I don't know of any others who still count themselves as members of that order."

An ugly bark of laughter caused them to look Ernhart's way.

"That's because there are only five of us."

"The Fall of the Teutonic Order," Tareyn said without a flicker of emotion, "Another sordid tale."

"And one for another day," Adelmar cut in, "We have taken enough of your time already and I am sure there are better things for you to do than listen to old warriors tell equally old tales."

Rias had kept silent ever since she had mentioned her brother punishing the adherents to the Old Satan Faction's ideals. Now, as the conversation was nearing its end, the redhead finally chose to give voice to her thoughts.

"You've talked about what the Knights Templar think of us," the girl looked up at the figures surrounding her, "But you're exorcists too," she paused, hesitant, "What… do you think of us?"

The Hammerhands shared glances, and for a moment, the silence that settled grew to be more than just uncomfortable. When at last Adelmar spoke up for his squad, the usual relaxed expression was missing from his features.

"One poisoned apple poisons the entire bushel," Rias and Sona looked at each other, unsure, "But remove the one that is poisoned, draw out the venom, and all that's left in the bushel…"

The Paladin suddenly winked at them, and the tolerant smile they had grown so used to seeing spread once more over his war-weary face.

"…are just apples."

To lighten the mood and relax the atmosphere after the conversation with the Sword Brethren, Rias had elected to guide some of her new guests around the complex. The tour was halfway through when the procession halted in front of the entrance to the facility's communal bathing area. It was constructed in the same manner as a modern Japanese spa and built to a standard that was only a slight grade lower than luxurious. Rias had made mention of the state of the art equipment contained within and Sona had professed her curiosity in regards to just how state of the art they were. One thing led to another and it was eventually decided that it would be a shame to leave the spa and everything within it untested. Subsequently, it was also why four wary figures were currently slinking towards the bathhouse, naked as the day they were born except for the towels wrapped around their waists. One amongst them, the only one amidst the four who seemed entirely out of place, looked up and shook his head, handsome features drawn back into an expression that mirrored the act they were about to perform.

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"What are you worried about, Yuuto?" Issei said confidently as he kept his back to the wall, "It's the perfect plan. We go in, pretend that we want to take a bath, and act surprised when we see that it's already occupied. It's flawless. We get to see what we want to see and they can't punish us because it was just an honest mistake."

"I've read enough mangas and seen enough animes to know how this will end," grumbled Saji as he kept pace.

"If you think it's going to fail," Issei replied defiantly, "then why are you here?"

Sona's Pawn glared at his fellow pervert.

"Because I want to see my master's boobs."

"Exactly," Issei nodded, "and this is the perfect way to do so. I understand the risk might be great, but the rewards are even greater!"

"Um," a small voice piped up from the rear, "not that I'm disagreeing with you guys or anything, but is this really the best way for me to become manlier?"

Issei cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the last member of their group.

"Of course it is," the devil grinned, "A man isn't a man until he's seen his first pair of boobs in the flesh!"

"Okay, Hyoudou-san," Gasper met the older boy's gaze determinedly, "I don't really understand what that means, but if it helps me become manlier, then I'll do my best!"

A few more steps and the entrance to the bathhouse loomed in front of them. The only obstacle that stood in their way was an Oriental-styled sliding door, which Issei promptly slid open.

"There!" the boy turned to his friends, "See how easy that was! The first stage of our plan is already complete!" the pervert frowned when he noticed that all color had suddenly drained from their faces, "What's wrong?"

Gasper trembled and pointed at something, or more correctly, someone standing guard at the entrance. Issei spun back towards the door he had just opened and winced.

"Oh… Uh… Hello, Arisato-san."

The girl that stared back at him was the perfect embodiment of affronted nobility. Her stern features were settled into an equally stern frown. Her lips were set together in a flawlessly straight line. No amount of fire could have melted the ice in her gaze. No amount of humor could have lessened the chill in her eyes. She looked like a Victorian teacher who had just discovered some infantile prank her pupils were about to play on her. Resembled a dignified aristocrat who had just been exposed to the incompetence of her daily servants.

"I figured something like this would happen," the disappointment in her voice made all four boys cringe, "But I still expected better. Sneaking a peak like this is above all of you. You should all be ashamed of yourselves," her features softened slightly and accompanying the change was a long-suffering sigh, "Still, it is also somewhat understandable. Boys will be boys."

"I knew you would understand, Arisato-san!" Issei grinned cautiously, "Does that mean you'll let us through?"

The expression on the blue-haired girl's face didn't change. Not one bit.

"I said I understood. I didn't say you wouldn't be punished. After all, there are still rules to be followed. Traditions to be upheld. Lessons to be learned." the smile that slowly spread over her lips was enough to set off every alarm bell in their heads, "Do realize that I am going to have to execute all of you."

Kiba was the first one to start backing away, laughing nervously as he backpedalled.

"Hah hah… Execute is such a strong word to use, Arisato-san…"

Gasper ducked behind the sword-user a second later, trembling as he used the older boy for cover.

"I'm scared, guys! I don't want to be executed!"

Even Saji took a hesitant step backwards.

"I think…" Sona's Pawn swallowed, "…I think now would be a very good time to run."

Issei stared at him in betrayal.

"You too, Saji? I thought you said you wanted to see your master's boobs!"

"I do," the boy continued watching the feminine figure in front of them with growing unease, "But my sense of danger is also telling me that this time, it might not be worth it."

"Boobs are always worth it!" Issei declared, "You can't run just because there's some hurdles in the way!"

"I'm not running," Saji argued, "I'm making a sound tactical retreat. It's a valid military tactic."

"Real men don't retreat from their principles!" his companion vowed, "We have to stand firm for what we believe in! Boobs included!"

Sona's servant glanced unsurely at his friend before steeling himself.

"Alright then," the boy took a deep breath, "I'm with you. I'm no coward. I won't run."

"That's more like it!" Issei cheered, "Today, we make a stand! Today, we fight back! Today, we show the world that our combined love of oppais can transcend anything!" the devil stuck a hand out, which Saji grasped by the wrist, "For boobs!"

"For boobs!" his fellow pervert replied with just as much fervor.

"You see, Arisato-san?" Issei turned to the figure still blocking their way, "We're not afraid of you! Today, we're going to see the boobs behind that door or die trying!"

Instead of being impressed, the girl's features remained exactly the same. The only discernable difference was the slight twitch around the corners of her mouth.

"I admire your conviction. Which is why I will endeavor to make your punishment as painless as possible."

Kiba frowned, making sure to keep the pervert duo in front of himself should things go awry.

"Um, isn't that the point? Aren't punishments supposed to be painful?"

The girl's expression finally changed. The smile on her lips became positively frightening.

"Some things don't have to be painful to be considered punishments."

The sudden influx of power was there, heralded by a flash of blue light. The shape coalesced. Taking form. Rooting in reality. The voice that followed was not so much a voice as it was a throaty chuckle; deep, feminine, and so very, very wrong.

Oh My. What do We have Here? Four Handsome Little Boys, and All of Them an Offering to Little Old Me? Why, You Shouldn't Have. But then again, Who am I to Refuse such a Delectable Gift?

Four faces split into identical looks of horror as the Persona finally completed its manifestation. Four pairs of legs immediately began to run the other way. Four half-naked bodies hit the floor as shadow-wreathed tendrils coiled around their limbs and started dragging them to their imminent dooms.

Don't be Afraid Little Ones. I will Strive to be Gentle. Relax and Let Mother Mara Show You a Good Time.

For those relaxing in heated waters of the spa, the surroundings walls prevented them from viewing the events that were unfolding outside. The panicked, terrified voices drifting into their ears, however, provided more than enough imagery for the imagination to pick over.

"It has tentacles!" the voice that could only be Kiba's cried out in undisguised horror, "Oh god, why does it have tentacles!?"

"If it keeps touching me there, I'll never be able to become a bride!" Gasper's hysterical squeak sounded next.

"It's sucking me in!" Saji's frantic shout came a second later, "It's sucking me in!"

"Don't worry, Saji!" Issei called out, "I'll save you! Ddraig, lend me your power!" the ear-splitting whine of a weapon being charged was heard, followed by the thunderous blast of discharged power, "Oppai Tiamat Cannon!"

The resulting explosion was enough to shake the entire bathing chamber to its foundations.

Oh My. I've Never had a Dragon Before.

"Oh no!" the pitch in Issei's voice had grown unusually high, "Now Ddraig is being sucked in too!" wild footsteps were heard next as the boy tried to retreat, "Why couldn't it have been boobs!? Why did it have to be the part of the female body I'm least interested in!?"

A loud squelching sound ended the devil's laments. Blissful silence settled over the occupants of the spa, punctuated by the occasional hiss of released steam.

"Are they…" Asia had covered her eyes with her hands in an attempt to block out the imagery. Now, as the sudden hush fell over them all, the former priestess peeked out from her interlocked fingers to regard her fellow bathers timidly, "…Are they dead?"

Judging from the look on Akeno's face, she had been the only one enjoying the mental imagery. The black-haired beauty whipped her head back and sent droplets of water skipping across the bath's tranquil surface.

"I believe the correct term is executed."

Alone in the corner, half-submerged in water, Sona raised the towel she had been using to cover her forehead.

"I don't know what's more disturbing," the heiress of Sitri frowned, "The fact he has been turned into a girl or the fact that he's taken to it so well."

Across from her, Rias offered a small smile in return.

"He has never been one to be bothered by anything. He's always stoic," the smile wavered, "even when he shouldn't be."

Sona looked knowingly at her friend, but the rest missed the sudden change in her tone.

"Arisato-san is very kind as a boy," Asia said shyly, "but I don't mind him being a girl either. She can be scary sometimes, but it's the good kind of scary. It's like having a big sister I never thought I had."

"A big sister who has no qualms about punishing troublesome little brothers," Akeno sighed, "You know, I think I might actually regret it once he transforms back."

"That's because girl Arisato-san," Koneko took all of their spoken thoughts and condensed it into one simple sentence, "is best Arisato-san."

Following what Rias referred to as the "Bathing Incident" and Akeno delightedly called the "Tentacle Affair", the male members of both peerages refused to meet his eyes for a solid week. Issei especially. He felt slightly guilty about using his transformation as a means of punishment, but the betrayed looks the pervert would occasionally send his way when his back was turned was almost worth it. Besides, he considered the act as rightful revenge for the transformation being inflicted upon him in the first place. The insidious part of him even wondered if there was another way to leverage his newfound status into more methods of retribution. Thankfully, both for him and for the victims he was sure to traumatize, he would never get a chance to. As it turned out, Azazel's words were spot on. As abruptly as the change occurred, it disappeared, and it had happened when he was asleep of all things. He had literally gone to bed and woken up to see his body had reverted back to its original, unaltered state. It was a somewhat unspectacular finish to an episode in his life that was no doubt the strangest, but he was glad of it anyways. Any longer, and he would have started questioning his own sanity.

The downside to this was the excuse he was preparing for not attending the Young Devil's Gathering was suddenly void. The objection that he would feel uncomfortable displaying his altered body in such a public environment was no longer a valid complaint. Fortunately for him, the issue was temporarily set aside as both Rias and Sona were busy worrying about other things.

The Young Devil's Gathering, he had eventually come to realize, was also something of a coming-of-age ceremony for their society, and it was in the best interest of both girls to awe and impress their peers. Respect had to be earned, and for a culture whose power lay so deeply rooted in each other's peerages, that respect often had to be earned on the battlefield. The Rating Games were those battlefields, and understandably, the two devils spent much of the days prior to the event preparing for it. Tactics had to be discussed; strategies deliberated and debated over. After all, the foes they would face in the ensuing competition would possess peerages just as strong if not stronger than them. He had already heard about Sairaorg Bael, who was currently heralded as the strongest devil in his generation and Seekvaira Agares, whose quiet determination to restore her clan to prominence was praised by all. There were also others, powerful heirs from powerful families, all eager to win glory for themselves and for their clans. Rias and Sona were under a great deal of pressure to keep up, perhaps even more so than the others. They were the siblings of the current Great Satans, and what better way to earn glory than defeating a Great Satan's own flesh and blood? It was an inevitability that many participants of the competition would be gunning for them. Likewise, it was an inevitability that tempers would fray and moods would swing among both peerages when their members were put under the same pressure that occupied their masters. Sometimes the debates over which tactics to use or which strategies to prioritize grew so heated that he chose to retreat rather than stay in the same room and listen to them argue.

He was in one such situation now. Another bout of arguing had sprung up, this time over some infinitesimal detail that Rias had missed and Sona had deemed significant. He had chosen to withdraw to one of the complex's upper balconies when the words became too heated for him to ignore. Their quarrelling did not bother him much besides the volume. They were rivals as well as friends, and as it often was with rivals who were also friends, they would make up when their arguing was finished before arguing all over again.

He inhaled a lungful of the night air and delighted in the resultant chill that spread throughout his body. It was a refreshing change compared to the oppressive atmosphere back in the house. He leaned over the balcony's railing, enjoying more of the cold breeze as it wafted into his face. A myriad of twinkling stars winked back at him as he stared up at the darkening sky; a vast array of constellations that he knew from just looking, were too many to be real. Just as the Great Satans had changed the Underworld's sky into the endless backdrop of blue he had seen during the day, they had done something similar when it was night. Each star he saw winking at him from the heavens was an artificial construct, painstakingly placed in the correct position to mimic what someone on Earth would see when the sun drooped below the horizon. There was a key difference though. On Earth, the view could be sometimes obscured by atmospheric conditions or even something as simple as a cloud getting in the way. In the Underworld, no such conditions existed. Every day the sky was the same deep azure blue. Every night the sky was the same memorizing canvas of blinking lights and luminescent glows.

He knew astronomers who would give an arm and a leg to view the stars with such absolute clarity, even if they were false stars to begin with. The thought made him smile. A society whose leaders could warp reality to suit their needs yet did it in such an innocent way was still something he could not quite grasp.

Faint footsteps told him he had company. He did not turn to greet it for he knew who it was. The presence moved to stand beside him, long red hair flowing in the wind.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rias said as she neared, "Some of my earliest memories as a child were staying up late at night in the family mansion so I can see the constellations through my bedroom window," she nodded up towards the sea of winking stars, "It's hard to believe they're just imitations, but they are."

He made room for her when she chose to lean over the railing with him.

"I thought you and Sona were debating on more tactics to use in the Rating Games."

"We were," the devil smiled at him, "but we decided to take a break."

The silence that settled was only made awkward by the question he knew she would ask.

"We… We would appreciate it if you came and supported us in the Young Devil's Gathering," Rias finally broached the subject, "All of us would. I know that you don't like to be in the center of attention, Arisato-san, but knowing you were there supporting us would make us do a lot better in the competition. It would mean a lot to us. It would mean a lot to me."

The carefully worded reply he had constructed abruptly deserted him. For a few seconds he had no idea what to say. A part of him was amused by his own inability to refuse. How strange it was that just a few weeks ago he would have outright said no, but now, he was trying to find a reason to say no. As though sensing his thoughts, Rias turned fully to face him, a hesitant expression hovering where the smile had once been.

"Is it such a bad thing for people to see what you can do?"

"No," he finally managed to rouse himself from his indecision, "but it is better if they don't."

"Some of them would disagree," the devil said neutrally, "Some of them would consider it a waste. If they could do just half of what you could do, then they would be showing it off for the world to see. They would be trying to earn fame for themselves and glory for their names."

"They can disagree all they want," he shrugged, "They aren't me."

The girl's eyes refused to stare anywhere else but into his own. There was no judgment in that gaze. Just an earnest need to understand.

"Is it because of your past?"

He smiled slightly for that was a question he did not think she would possess the courage to ask.

"Something like that."

Rias watched him carefully.

"Do you… Do you want to talk about it?"

He didn't, but judging from the look on her face, it was an issue he knew she would not drop. He sighed inwardly. Better for him to disclose some things now than let the secrets build until it became something more than just an obstacle.

"Where do you want me to begin?"

"With SEES," the way she immediately jumped to the subject suggested that this was a conversation she had long been planning to have, "You talk a lot about them. Tell me about them."

"They were my friends," he said simply, "They were my companions. They were the allies I could count on in battle and the people I could lean on in peace. There's not much else."

"That can't be all of it," either his tone betrayed him or Rias could see through the curtness in his explanation, "You speak too much of them for it to be this simple. In fact, that's all I've heard you speak of when it comes to your past. You don't talk about anything else. Just SEES," the girl looked at him questioningly, "Didn't you have anyone else besides them?"

"No," she bit her lip when he replied, "I had nothing. When the fragment of Death was planted into my body, it made sure that I would have nothing. Death is the greatest neutrality in the Universe. It is impartial to everything because it must remain impartial to everything. That impartiality, when transplanted into a human host, becomes a detachment to everything and everyone. Dispassion for the world around you. It turns into apathy, and for the longest time, that apathy influenced me in everything I did and did not do."

The confusion on his sole audience's face became even more pronounced than before.

"I'm not sure I understand."

Normally, he would have ended the conversation then and there for long-winded explanations were not his strength. But this time, he continued. He suspected it was because he felt good in doing so. It felt good to unburden himself like this. It was a relief to let it all out.

"It is…" he struggled for a moment, pondering over the right words to say, "…a maddening feeling… to know you are supposed to feel something, yet be incapable of it. The entire range of human emotions. All of it was alien to me. I could not understand why people cried. To me, nothing was sad. I could not understand why people laughed. To me, nothing was funny. Yet watching the people around me interact so easily, mingle with each other like it was natural… I felt like an outsider. A stranger uninvited to a family's home. A foreigner in a country where everybody else looked the same. Humanity's strength lies in understanding one another. That is where our potential is hidden. It's what makes humans human. But even something so small and simple was taken from me by Death," a ghost of a smile flickered over his face as he remembered something, "When SEES first asked me to join them, they told me of the dangers I would face. I accepted their offer immediately, not out of some misguided notion of nobility or heroism, but because I had no reason not to. I accepted because at the time, I had nothing else to lose."

"But they helped you get rid of your apathy," Rias said softly, "They helped you come out of your shell."

"In a way, yes," he nodded, "All of them were different in a sense. Unique in their own special way. Their personalities too. You could not have found a more diverse group of people brought under the same banner. In fact, were it not for the threat of the Shadows unifying us, I don't think we would have gotten along that well. We might not have even found the common ground to be friends. That was how unalike we were," he shook his head, recalling their smiling faces, "Perhaps that's why I miss them so much. Each of them taught me something different and broadened my perspective. More than that, they were the friends I thought I would never be able to make. They were the family I thought I would never be able to have."

Rias looked at him sadly.

"You say that as though you won't ever be able to make new friends."

Had he? He certainly didn't mean to imply that.

"The bonds I made with them will never fade," he admitted, "but that doesn't mean I can't forge new ones."

Instead of being relieved or happy at the thought as he expected, the girl continued her composed vigil, staring at him with eyes filled with an emotion he couldn't quite describe.

"But that's not how you've acted. I've watched you interact with the members of my peerage. I've watched you interact with me. Every time you've done something that would have brought us together, you back away at the last second. Every time you've said something meaningful that would have made us closer, you don't complete it," she took a step towards him, "Even now you keep yourself distant."

She was observant. More so than he realized. Somehow, that made it easier for the truth to come out.

"Nyx. Erebus," he finally said, "They were my burden. Not yours. Not this world's. By just existing, I threaten the balance. The power that sealed them away was immense. It required the ultimate sacrifice to be made which I gave willingly. That was supposed to be the end. Of both that power and me. The end of my Journey. But the one who freed me from the Great Seal disagreed. She found a way to release me with everything intact," he paused as he remembered a certain promise, made under great duress, "She gave me her word that she would one day find a way to free me. I didn't believe her. I didn't think it was possible."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," Rias murmured.

He shook his head even as he smiled. It was disconcerting how their roles had reversed. He was used to others coming to him for advice, not the other way around. Used to listening to other people's problems, not having someone listen to his. And yet here he was, listing his troubles for her to hear. He would have been amused in any other circumstance.

"Perhaps it is," he shrugged, "Things I never could have done back in my world, I can do now," he tapped a finger to his head, "Personas were never supposed to talk. They were never supposed to be alive. Personas are just that. Manifestations of thought. Some would even classify them as just a tamed form of Shadows. But when I fought Nyx and then Erebus on that desolate battlefield, I could not overcome them alone. The power that allowed me to become the Great Seal also gave my Personas the ability to fight in my stead. It gave them the sentience to hold off Erebus so that the sealing of Nyx could be completed. But when I was freed, that power, the ultimate Arcana that was created, did not vanish. It was still within me when I was transferred to this world, and it resides within me still," he turned again to look at her, "That's why I have tried to stay away. That's why I've tried not to interfere. Power like that… it has to be restrained. It has to be kept hidden from the rest of the world."

"Yet you helped us when we needed you," Rias pointed out, a hint of defiance in her voice, "You still interfered when you had to."

The words left him in a rushed snarl, foreign to his ears and blackened by vehemence.

"Because if just one more person helped another in need, then the Fall might have been prevented! If just one more person showed kindness to a stranger, then maybe Erebus would not have existed! If just one more person understood that there is no such thing as too dark or too bleak and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, then maybe I would not have needed to sacrifice myself," he checked himself with difficulty and at last his voice became something like the original, "If more people cared, then maybe, just maybe, I would be back in my world with them and not here with you."

"So that's why you helped us?" the girl asked quietly, "Because you felt you were obligated to? Because you felt it was your duty?"

"It has always been about duty. It has always been about obligation. But it has also been about the flaws in my own personality," he sighed, knowing full well how the next few words would sound, "I helped you, because in the end, I could not stop myself from helping you."

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but he thought he could see Rias's shoulders shaking. He understood. Sometimes the truth was unpleasant when it came to light, especially if the truth shattered one's illusion of someone else. It was better this way, he convinced himself. It was better for her to learn now than continue on hoping for something that would never happen. Better for her interest in him to die now along with whatever preconception she had of him as a person.

"Maybe it would have been best if I was never freed," he said, more to himself than to anyone else, "Maybe it would have been best if I was still part of the Great Seal. Then things wouldn't be so needlessly complicated as they are now."

In retrospect, that was both the right and wrong thing to say.

The only warning he received was the padding of soft footsteps behind him and then her arms were around him, weaving past his shoulders and interlocking over his chest. He jerked in surprise as she pulled him into her, drawing him closer into the warmth of her body.

"Stop saying that," he felt wetness gather on the nape of his neck, dripping bead by bead to land onto his skin, "Just stop saying that."

The sheer emotion in those two sentences made him want to turn back, but the desperate strength she clung to him with prevented him from moving. Only once had he said the following word, and that was when he first found her worthy of respect. Now he said it again, this time because he was too stunned to say anything else.

"Gremory-san?"

Her immediate reply was to hug him tighter, pressing her body into his until it almost hurt. He could detect the suddenness in her breath. Hear the hammering beat of her heart. When at last she spoke, it was no more than a whisper, the syllables colored further by the trembling in her own voice.

"Sometimes, it's okay to be selfish. Sometimes, it's okay to want a reward for something you've done. Sometimes, it's okay to do something because you feel good doing it. That's what makes humans human. That's what makes us us. You're trying to be perfect, Arisato-san, and no one can be perfect. But that's not such a bad thing. We're flawed. All of us are. But that's how we grow as people. We all make mistakes. What's important is that we learn from them. What's important is that just because we couldn't help one person, doesn't mean we can't help all the people after him."

For the first time since his inclusion into this world, he found his ability to speak stolen utterly away; his ability to form words taken away by this simple, heartfelt act. It was a lesson. An experience just as profound and insightful as any other he had experienced. He found himself stunned by that. He thought he had learned every lesson there was to learn in his journey with SEES. It seemed now that was no longer the case.

"Maybe the one who freed you from the Seal understood that," the devil continued softly, "Maybe she thought you had already helped enough people in your world and placed you in a new one so you could help more."

The thought had honestly never occurred to him. The logic behind it was sound, but then again, logic and Elizabeth had never mixed. He didn't know the reasoning behind the strange girl's actions or why she chose this world over everything else, and had accepted that he never would. But now, Rias's words resonated within him in a way that he didn't think possible. It brought him a form of closure he never thought he needed. It gave him a sense of relief that there had been a purpose behind it after all.

"I see," he said for a lack of better things to say. He was glad then that she was behind him. He didn't want her to see just how genuine his smile had become, "Thank you," he inclined his head towards the arms still crisscrossed over his chest, "Now can you please release me?"

Her response wasn't a simple "yes" or "no" but something much deeper.

"Only if you promise me not to think that way anymore."

"I promise," he said and meant it, "Now will you please let go of me?"

To his chagrin, her arms just pulled him closer.

"No," he could hear the smile in her voice, "I don't think I will. In fact, I think I like it this way."

He made an exasperated noise.

"You can be so…" he paused, searching for the right word, "…obstinate… at times."

"Really?" Rias sniffed, "You have a girl draped around you like this and that's all you can say?"

The hitch in her voice caused him to glance up. The darkness of night made it hard to see, but he could still make out the blush on her cheeks as well as the way she stared straight ahead, as though afraid to look down. It hit him then just how much courage it had taken to do what she just did, and whatever protest he was about to make died on his lips. He sighed and instead of trying to break free, he leaned back into her embrace, fully accepting it for what it was. The devil's body stiffened at the sudden change before relaxing again. There was something strangely right about how she placed her cheek on his shoulder; something strangely endearing in how her hands moved down and wrapped possessively around his waist. They stayed like this for he didn't know how long; her taking comfort in his presence, him not sure if it was comfort he was feeling but deciding that it was something very close.

"You know," Rias finally lifted her head to peer at him, "you're going to need a better outfit if you want to participate in the Young Devil's Gathering," the girl cast a skeptical look down on what he was wearing, "I'm assuming you don't have a suit or anything like that."

He found it strange that this was the way she chose to break the silence, but ultimately, couldn't disagree with the assumption.

"No," he confirmed, "I don't."

"Then how do you feel about going to the mall tomorrow and picking out some?" he detected a faint hint of nervousness in her tone and couldn't understand why. The idea seemed perfectly reasonable to him.

"That would be fine."

The distinct feeling he had just been lured into a trap was further magnified by the sheer triumph radiating from Rias's face.

"So it's a date then," she said brightly.

…

That… That was almost clever of her. He didn't know what impressed him more. The fact that she had just led him into a trap or the patience required for her to spring it.

"Yes," he said, amused by his own failure at perception, "I suppose it is."

The mall was located a few blocks away from Kuoh Academy. It was a newly constructed outlet, filled with stores that catered to the latest fashion and accessories. A contemporary-styled fountain was the centerpiece of the plaza, spewing spring water into the air in meticulously timed intervals. Surrounding it on all sides, ringing the fountain in all directions were long, neatly-trimmed bushes; clearly placed by the designers of the mall for decorative purposes. A head popped up from the mound of trimmed foliage closest to the plaza, features drawn into an expression of self-disbelief.

"I can't believe I keep on getting involved in stuff like this."

Akeno grasped the hem of the boy's shirt and dragged him back down.

"Oh shush, Yuuto," the girl smiled, "it's not like you were going to do anything today anyways. Besides, complaining doesn't suit you."

Kiba glanced at his fellow peerage member sourly.

"I wouldn't be complaining if there was actually something going on. All they've been doing is going into clothing stores and coming back out. I keep telling you guys it's just a normal date, but none of you will believe me."

"You don't know that," Raynare snapped. The redeemed angel was peeking over the hedge besides Akeno and gnawing on her thumb at the same time, "Who knows what that… that scarlet woman will do when our backs are turned!"

Kiba stared at her and then at the multitude of familiar faces around her. He shook his head when his gaze fell upon the figures using the same block of shrubbery for cover.

"I understand why you're here," the boy nodded in the direction of Adelmar and his Paladin squad, "You're his bodyguards, after all. But is there a point to you guys being here too?"

Erich met the devil's accusation with as much knightly grace as he could muster behind his visored helm.

"Safeguarding the Nephilim is our primary concern."

"I understand that," the boy frowned, "but is all that… armor… necessary?"

The Templar patted the front of his elaborately crafted cuirass.

"It pays to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

The knight shrugged.

"Who knows what kind of assassins could be lurking behind the bushes waiting for an opportune moment to strike."

Kiba stared at the man in disbelief.

"We're currently lurking behind the bushes!"

"Yes," the warrior nodded confidently, "Which is why when those assassins see that we have already concealed ourselves in their positions, they will lose heart and flee."

"You know what? I'm not even going to begin to question that logic," the sword-user glared at the group of exorcists, each of them draped in gleaming suits of ornate warplate, "The point is you stick out like sore thumbs! This was supposed to be a covert mission and you're attracting all the attention!"

"Nonsense," the knight beside Erich scoffed, "We Templars are masters of urban camouflage."

"Sticking leaves on top your heads," Kiba stabbed an accusing finger at the wreaths of twigs, branches, and other plant material decorating each man's helm, "does not in any shape or form, construe as camouflage!"

"Oh be silent, sword-devil," another knight grunted from his place cramped up against his brothers, "We have maintained our cover for some time and yet have not been detected."

"You have not been detected because people are too weirded out to say anything!"

The devil pointed to a gaggle of shoppers who were crossing the street and casting judgmental looks back at them. Before Erich and his fellow exorcists could defend themselves, they were interrupted by Raynare's alarmed gasp.

"Oh no! Both of them just went out of sight!"

"Don't worry guys!" Issei's grin suggested he had a plan in mind, "I knew something like this would happen so I came prepared!"

The boy held up, of all things, a walkie-talkie, before proceeding to speak into it.

"Big Boobs to Little Boobs, do you copy, over?"

Dohnaseek glared in the devil's direction.

"Really? You couldn't come up with a better codename than that?"

Issei wasn't listening though. He was more focused on the fact that static was the only sound that answered back.

"Big Boobs to Little Boobs," the pervert tried again, "do you read, over?"

The boy looked up in confusion when again nothing but static answered him.

"I don't understand. Gasper and Mittelt are supposed to be watching them from another position. They even volunteered for the mission!"

Asia tugged gently on his sleeve.

"Um, I think I know why they haven't been answering," the former priestess pointed off into the distance where two diminutive figures could be seen behind the Plexiglas window of a large clothing store. They all watched, perturbed, as one took off a large, flower-festooned hat from the head of a store dummy and placed it over the head of the other. They became even more perturbed when it was the boy who blushed and not the girl.

"That's either the most heartwarming thing I've ever seen," Kiba said slowly, "or the most disturbing, and quite frankly, I don't want to find out which one it is."

"I see them!" Raynare suddenly exclaimed. The relief in her voice made a few of them smile, "They're just walking down the street. Both of them are holding bags, but that's it."

Akeno frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe we've misjudged the situation. Maybe they really are just shopping for clothes."

Koneko had picked up a juice box sometime during their adventure and was currently sipping on it through the straw. She cast a quick glance at where the others were looking and a brief smile flickered over her normally impassive features.

"You do realize," the petite girl said in her usual unperturbed way, "that the path they're walking on leads directly to a Love Hotel?"

A score of gazes shot in the direction she was nodding to. The building that loomed in front of the distant pair fit perfectly with the nekomata's description.

"Oh my, Buchou," Akeno's face had darkened to the point where literal thunderclouds were hanging over her head, "I said I wouldn't mind if you got ahead of me, but this… this is too far ahead!"

Raynare, for her part, seemed to have gone almost catatonic from shock.

"Ah… No… I was… I was going to do that!I had everything planned out! I was going to borrow a throne from Michael and then we were going to do things on top of it! I even had the rope prepared!"

Asia peered up at her one-time enemy and frowned.

"Why would you need rope?"

"For stability," the redeemed angel answered absentmindedly, "in case the squirming becomes too much."

The former priestess's frown grew.

"Why would there be squirming?"

Xenovia placed a hand over each of the younger girl's ears.

"Some things shouldn't be common knowledge until you're older," the way the exorcist spoke was almost sisterly in tone.

A creaking sound caused all of them to turn to the source. Erich had stood up, fully armored, helmeted face glaring in the direction of the distant couple.

"It is clear what we must do, my brothers," the man's voice was fairly trembling with indignity, "The Nephilim has fallen into the clutches of that vile seductress. It is our duty as guardians of purity to redeem him from the abhorrent pleasures of the flesh. We must strike now before his soul is fully tainted!" the knight rose grandly to his full height and struck a suitably heroic pose, "Therefore, I declare a crusade against this foul establishment and all those who visit its unholy halls! Attack now, my brothers, and we shall drive a white-hot rod of unerring justice into this den of evil's most vulnerable nether regions!"

In the silence that followed, Dohnaseek took off his wide-brimmed hat and swept a hand bemusedly through his dark hair.

"Is it just me or did that sound incredibly wrong right about now?"

Before anyone could reply, Erich had already surged into motion. The man vaulted over the bush with a fierce shout, halberd raised high in both hands. His comrades-in-arms let out a full-throated roar and followed their leader's example, leaping over the various obstacles they had been hiding behind and rushing forward in a frenzied charge. Surprised onlookers scattered out of their path as the squad of knights barreled over chairs, tables, and anything unfortunate that happened to be in their way.

"What…" Kiba blinked at the resultant aftermath, "…What just happened?"

Adelmar gazed after the running warriors with something akin to amused dismay.

"Knights Templar," the Paladin sighed, "cockblocking young heroes since the Twelfth Century."

In the meantime, two feminine figures had stood up and were looking each other up and down.

"Just for the record," Akeno levelled a hostile stare at her counterpart, "I don't happen to like you."

"The feeling," Raynare smirked back, "is completely mutual."

"But sometimes a lesser conflict must be set aside for the greater good," the black-haired beauty continued without batting an eye, "Sometimes lesser differences must be put aside to prevent a great evil from happening."

The former Fallen bared her teeth in a rictus of a smile.

"Agreed."

The two girls stared at each other in stony silence before abruptly nodding at the same time. Then, before anyone could so much as blink, they were vaulting over the bushes and running in long graceful strides towards the same building that had so aroused the Templar's wrath.

"Hohoho," Akeno's rapidly fading voice drifted into their ears, "getting that far ahead is simply not allowed, Buchou! It's simply indecent!"

"I don't care if it's indecent!" Raynare's shrill voice followed a moment later, "As long as it's done to me first!"

Kiba blinked at the vacant spot where the two had been standing a split second before. The look the sword-user wore was one of acute consternation.

"Them too?"

The words had barely left the boy's mouth when another amid their throng jumped up, a different sort of indignity plastered over his face.

"They're going to interrupt Arisato-san's quest for boobs!" Issei gasped, "As a fellow breast aficionado, I can't let that happen!" the pervert spun on his heel to address them, "Come on guys! We've got to help him!"

Koneko rose, as did Asia.

"He helped us so we have to help him," the former said solemnly.

"I support Arisato-san's efforts in finding love," the latter said just as solemnly.

Issei beamed at his new allies.

"Operation Minato's Boobs is a go!"

"That sounds horrifying," Dohnaseek complained, "Why do you always have to make it sound so horrifying?"

The boy's response was to scramble over the bush and along with the others, charge headlong towards the hotel. Kiba stared after them then turned to the figure who was just now standing up.

"I understand why they're going after them, but you too?"

Irina's face was flushed with guilt but also with determination.

"If I help him now, maybe he'll find a way to kick Ise into me too!"

Before the girl could leave, another figure had joined her in rising.

"If I don't get to see Metatron-sama again," Kalawarner's look of determination matched the exorcist's, "I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"

Kiba threw his hands up in the air.

"First of all, I didn't ask. Second of all, what does that have to do with anything!?"

The answer he received was the sight of both of them speeding off into the distance. The boy sighed and turned to those who still remained.

"Well, at least there's some rational people left."

The devil's face fell as five more figures rose to their feet.

"My boy," Adelmar met the sword-user's dismayed gaze with a chuckle before patting his shoulders reassuringly, "sometimes a man must simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the chaos for what it is."

For the workers and staff of Hotel Temptations, it was supposed to be a normal Tuesday. The sun was shining outside, the customers came in a steady stream, and nothing that happened was outside the ordinary. That changed when ten armored figures barreled through the double glass doors leading to the lobby, halberds in their hands raised high to strike.

"Be on your guard, my brothers," the one leading them snarled through the ironclad visage of his helm, "Who knows what kind of blasphemy we'll find in this vile nest of debauchery!"

The receptionist manning the desk near the entrance blinked at these new arrivals and their curious choice of everyday wear before deciding to finally raise her voice.

"Um, excuse me? Can I help you gentlemen?"

Menacing faceplates swiveled to regard her, followed by a score of gauntleted hands lowering vicious-looking blades.

"Yes you can," the first knight growled as they stomped near, "You can begin by telling us where that foul temptress has taken the Nephilim to."

The woman stared at the halberd tips pointing at her face and then at the prayer-scrolls and oath-papers lining every inch of their gleaming warplate.

"I'm sorry, but is this some sort of cosplay contest I wasn't aware of? Because we do have rooms catered for that as well."

All ten knights gasped.

"She's trying to tempt us!"

"She's been corrupted too!"

"I'm already thinking bad thoughts!"

"There is only one recourse left to us, my brothers," Erich's voice shook with emotion, "We must initiate a full head-on assault into the depths of this hive of villainy! We must save the Nephilim before the taint affects him as well! Leave no place unturned! Break down every door if you have to! If it means preserving the Nephilim's purity, then we will gladly subject ourselves to the depravities occurring within!"

His fellow warriors roared in approval and immediately surged up the stairs leading to the second floor. The receptionist stared after them in confusion before realization flashed across her face.

"Wait a minute! You can't do that! There are couples using those rooms!" she began frantically pressing a button attached to her desk, "Security! Security!"

What answered her summons was not security at all, but two breathtakingly beautiful figures striding through the double glass doors. Both of them were elegance defined. Both of them were gracefulness made manifest. And both of them were currently radiating a type of fury that only a fellow female could understand.

The receptionist took one look at the identical expressions of wrath etched onto their features and her outrage promptly dissipated into terror.

"W-What can I do for you ladies?" she stammered as both girls stalked near.

Akeno wore her usual pleasant smile, but the way lightning seemed to flicker in and out of her eyes suggested things that were far from pleasant.

"I have come to understand that all hotels have some type of registry. We would like to see that registry."

"I-I'm afraid I can't do that," her quarry squeaked out, "It's c-company policy to keep the identities of our clients c-confidential."

The black-haired beauty turned towards her companion and placed a hand over her cheek. The smile that graced her lips was terrifying beyond measure.

"Oh my, Raynare-san. Did you hear that? This nice woman says she can't help us."

The former Fallen's smile matched her devil counterpart's in fearsomeness.

"That's a shame, isn't it Himejima-san? And even after we tried to solve things civilly too. No matter. We'll do things my way."

A dainty hand settled over the top of the reception desk and then proceeded to press down. A spider web of cracks instantly materialized over the oaken surface, followed by the telltale groans of supports being strained to their breaking point. The table lasted for a few more scant seconds before giving away, body, legs, and all; falling in amongst themselves in an avalanche of broken wood and splintered timber.

The receptionist stared down at the demolished remains of what had once been her workplace and understandably panicked.

"Oh screw this! They don't pay me enough to keep scorned girlfriends from their boyfriends!" she dug into the shattered table's drawers and pulled out a thick binder, "Here! Take it! Just don't kill me! This is only my second day on the job!"

Akeno snatched the binder from the woman's hands and began rapidly flipping through it. Raynare ignored the destruction she had just caused and hurried over to peer over her shoulder.

"Come on! Come on! Which room is it!?"

"Hold on! I'm looking!" the Fallen-turned-devil reached the end of the binder, frowned, and then began flipping through it from the beginning again, "Wait! They're not in here!"

"They must be using an alias!" Raynare suggested.

"Good thinking!" Akeno exclaimed before developing a predatory look, "Hohoho, since when did you become this crafty, Buchou?"

The faint smattering of footsteps they all heard was followed by the appearance of a hotel employee dressed in a revealing uniform. She halted at the top of the steps and gazed in utter confusion down at the lobby's occupants.

"Yuri-san! Yuri-san! There are strange men in weird costumes battering the doors to our rooms down! They're evicting all of our paying customers!" the woman hesitated at the sight of her friend sitting helplessly behind her now much broken and much demolished desk, "Just what is going on today!?"

It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Fate decided to answer it anyways by sending a boy careening through the hotel's glass doors.

"Oh no!" Issei gasped as he caught the tail end of the hostess's words, "They've already started! Come on guys! We've got to stop them before it's too late!"

The pervert immediately surged up the stairs before pausing in front of the scantily-clad figure at the top of the steps.

"I like your boobs, miss," he said politely to the bewildered woman and then proceeded to zoom down the hallway behind her, "Don't worry, Arisato-san! I won't let them get between you and your boobs!"

His two allies were hot on his heels. One looked just as determined as he was. The other one, however, was blushing furiously as she navigated up the steps.

"In Fifty Shades of Nephilim, the two main characters were in a lot of different positions," Asia said shyly, "Maybe we'll get to see something similar?"

The former priestess had barely disappeared around the corner when the doors to the lobby swung open again, admitting a slim form draped in the garb of an exorcist. Irina's gaze roamed uncertainly around her surroundings. The expression on her face alternated between looking ashamed and excited.

"As a representative of the Church, I shouldn't be here… It's indecent… It's… It's immoral!" the girl's cheeks abruptly turned scarlet, "But… But if Ise proposes to me here, I don't think I'll be able to hold back!"

A black blur flew past her. It raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The only thing that distinguished it as remotely humanoid were the words it chanted over and over like a mantra.

"Metatron-sama! Metatron-sama! Metatron-sama!"

The five knights following slowly in the blur's wake paused to take in the surrounding chaos. One of them let out a small chuckle at the scene that greeted them. Adelmar raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Something amuses you, Sigmund?"

The younger knight turned to regard his superior.

"Nothing, Brother-Castellan. Just a stray thought that occurred to me."

"Share it then, by all means."

Sigmund nodded and scratched idly at the scar that marred his otherwise handsome face.

"We are Knights of the Cross, are we not? Champions of Humanity. Defenders of the Faith. Esteemed by both our Templar and Hospitaller brethren as exemplars of martial virtue."

His comrades inclined their heads in agreement.

"Yet here we are, in the lobby of a Love Hotel of all things, about to investigate the love lives of two teenage children," the warrior turned to his superior again, "I do believe this is the furthest away from the job description as it gets."

The senior Paladin's lips twitched.

"This moment does lack a certain gravity, doesn't it?"

Even Tareyn gave a snort that passed for laughter.

"Swore an oath to protect the Nephilim in life and in death. Came to see him get laid," the knight tilted his head, "Sounds about right."

Nestled in the corner of the lobby and hidden away from sight by a row of potted plants, two figures were watching the events unfold with equally bemused expressions.

"You know," the one with blue hair finally turned to one with red, "you can be quite evil sometimes."

The satisfied smirk spreading over Rias's face suggested that this had been her plan all along.

"Of course," the girl said primly, "I am, after all, a devil."

Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay. Recently work has been very unforgiving to me. My daytime job is a mechanical engineer involved with the oil industry, and as you can imagine, the recent hit to oil prices has had an adverse effect for the company I work for. Things have been a little hectic for me, so this chapter was a few weeks late in coming out.

Now, I wanted to address some of the reviews for the previous chapter and some reviews that will inevitably occur for this one as well. Specifically, the ones that disagree with the light-heartedness in tone. Really, my take on it is this. When you're writing a crossover, it's important to meld the two different series in a way that plays to both universe's strengths. That goes for tone as well. You've already seen some of the seriousness from the Persona series in the past few chapters. Now you're going to see some of the light-heartedness that is the bread and butter of DxD. That being said, there will be plenty of moments in future chapters where things get darker and the plot becomes more epic in scale. Kokabiel? Nidhogg? They're small fries when compared to what will come next. My only request is for my readers to buckle up and enjoy the ride when those chapters come to fruition.