Issei had a lot to think about after his talk with Sasuke. Nearly two whole days of thinking, in fact. He trusted that Sasuke would keep his promise; he seemed to take Kiba's struggle too seriously to just go back on his word. What plagued his mind the most was that Sasuke wasn't wrong.

Was he really making things harder for Kiba by trying to help? He gave him the space he needed, tried not to drive him away and supported him whenever he got the chance. Sure, he didn't fully understand what Kiba was going through, but that wouldn't stop him from doing his best to help his friend in his time of need.

Friend... yeah, right. As if he had the right to call himself Kiba's friend. What Kiba had gone through utterly sucked, and it made him feel really guilty for how he treated him. That guilt was partly why he'd been so determined to keep Kiba from diving into the abyss head-first, but maybe he'd been letting the guilt steer him all around without figuring out where he was going.

He wasn't supposed to be helping Kiba for his own selfish reasons, but that was exactly what he was doing. Issei had never been good at handling his emotions. He felt things really strongly and if he let his feelings fester for too long, they overwhelmed him. It was better to shove them down and hope they went away on their own.

This time was different. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't repress these emotions. He had to deal with them. He just wasn't sure how. If he was going to help Kiba, though, he had to make sure he was doing it for the right reasons. And after everything settled down, he'd make up for his mistakes. If Kiba wanted his friendship, he'd be as a good a friend as he could possibly be.

In the meantime, he trained. In the late afternoon, when he wasn't busy with club activities, he honed his fighting skills with Koneko. With her tiny frame and cute face, it was easy for anyone facing her to think she wasn't much until she pounded them into the dirt. Koneko was the Rook of their peerage, and she knew how to make the most of her strength.

She'd broken down the mistakes he made during his fight with Irina and Xenovia so thoroughly that when she finished, it felt like he'd survived a couple of rounds against her in a fighting ring.

He was surprised that she was willing to work with him, but according to her, he had some promise. She was a harsh critic, not above using tough love to motivate him. In his weaker moments, her bluntness really irritated him. But she wasn't doing this just to insult him, she was putting in the time to help him improve. When he thought about it that way, he could live with it, because she did praise him when he did well.

He'd been doing this extra training for almost a week, and the results spoke for themselves. If he were human, the time he spent training would only help build a foundation, but he was a devil with the power of a dragon. His potential was off the charts, and even if his arms turned to lead and his legs felt like jelly after he was done, he got up and looked forward to doing it all over again.

So after school ended, he went over to the field behind the old school building, expecting to find Koneko waiting for him. He found someone else.

"Hello, Issei," Akeno said, standing a few paces away.

Issei flinched. "Akeno? What are you doing here?"

"I asked Koneko if I could train you in her place."

It did explain why she was dressed in her battle outfit – a shrine maiden's uniform that exposed her shoulders. Also, it didn't sound like she was mad at him.

"Why'd you do that?"

"You said you wanted to put our study sessions on hold, but I still wanted to spend time with you. Fortunately, I found out you were training your body instead of your mind, which is why I thought I could help you out."

Since Sasuke wasn't around, there wasn't an official reason to continue their lessons. Distancing himself was the right choice to make; at least, he thought it was justified. Akeno had been so good to him, yet because he thought she was trying to keep him from protecting Asia, he shouted at her.

No matter how angry he was, there was no excuse for what he did. She was just trying to help, and he threw it in her face. He figured she wouldn't want to be around someone like him.

Yet, here she was.

"Are you sure you want to train me?" Issei asked.

"Of course I do, silly! Why wouldn't I want to get all sweaty with you?"

Issei blushed, in spite of himself. "I thought... well, you were mad at me."

Akeno put a finger to her lip, as if she was pondering his response. Then she frowned. "Oh, I see. I must have given you the wrong impression. I wasn't mad at you, Issei. When I told you to watch your temper, I wanted you to remember not to get angry at Kiba."

His jaw fell open. "What? But, I shouted at you, for no reason."

"You were in the middle of protecting Asia's honour. I can't hold that against you."

Issei's gaze trailed to his feet. She wasn't mad at him, so he avoided her for no real reason. He was so afraid that he ruined his chances with Akeno, ruined the friendship he built with her. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know where to start and he didn't want to screw things up even harder.

"Sorry."

He heard grass crunching with every footstep Akeno made. Eventually, he was looking at her feet instead of his.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Akeno said. "Well, actually, you were avoiding me, but I know a way you can make it up to me."

"By training with you?"

"That's right."

He looked up, and when he saw the smile on her face, he realized that his fear was all in his head.

"Alright," Issei said. "I'll do it."

"Great," Akeno said. "Koneko taught you to dodge, right?"

"Yeah..."

Her violet eyes glinted, sending warning signs straight into his brain. "Excellent. I'm going to attack you, so that means you have to avoid getting hit. Get ready."

Lightning danced between her fingers, her control over her magic the only thing keeping it contained. Issei revealed his gauntlet and jumped before she could unleash it. He barely had time to breathe, just barely avoiding getting electrocuted by her bolt of yellow lightning. It scorched the grass where he had just stood.

He was incredibly thankful that Akeno's lightning wasn't as fast as actual lightning, or else barbecued Issei would be on the menu for dinner. It wasn't the first time that he had to dodge magical attacks: Rias dropped in on his fighting practice with Koneko one time, giving him a chance to dodge her Power of Destruction. She held back somewhat, since her magic annihilated anything it touched, but it forced him to get better at thinking on his feet.

If Akeno was holding back, however, he didn't notice. Her control over her lightning was nearly as amazing as the number of ways she conjured it up. Lightning bolts were her bread and butter, but she could create slow-moving orbs suffused with lightning, shockwaves that erupted from her body in a wide circle, even traps she made while he was dodging her attacks that caught him off-guard.

Throughout all this, her face was dark red, like she was getting a thrill from their exercise that couldn't be explained by adrenaline. It was kind of disturbing that he was on the receiving end of her bloodlust. It was also incredibly hot, and distracting enough that he lost his footing for a second, long enough for a stray bolt of lightning to hit him square in the chest.

He grit his teeth. The bolt wasn't strong enough to knock him off his feet, but it hurt, fraying his nerves something fierce.

"That's it," Akeno said, her voice drenched in lust. "Does it hurt?"

He panted, trying to catch his breath. "I can take it." He fell into his fighting stance. "Give me everything you've got."

"Ooohhh, Issei!" Akeno moaned. "You know exactly what to say to drive me wild!"

She snapped her fingers, unveiling her devil wings while her lightning orbs floated towards him. Now that she'd taken to the air, that meant he would have to look up to see her movements, adjust his movements to what she planned to do.

Issei quickly found out that lightning strikes were hard to dodge when they came from high above. His arms ended up being singed. Sweat soaked the blue shirt he wore for training. And his fingers were still twitching. But he was able to learn a lot from this impromptu lesson.

"I think we'll call it a day," Akeno said, floating down next to him.

Issei collapsed onto the grass, legs sprawled out in front of him. "Wow."

"You can say that again. It was pretty intense, wasn't it?"

"You're telling me."

Akeno pressed her palms on her thighs and sat in the seiza position with such poise that Issei nearly forgot she'd been exerting herself. Other than the sheen of sweat that lingered on her face and the faint blush staining her cheeks, she was as elegant as always.

"You were fantastic, Issei," Akeno said.

Issei smiled. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

Yet again, her kind words made him realize just how dumb he'd been.

"I'm really sorry for avoiding you," Issei said, sitting up.

"Why did you avoid me in the first place?"

He curled his hands into loose fists, wincing from the effort, and set them on the grass in front of his lap. "I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I thought you'd be mad and I didn't want to make things worse between us."

Akeno frowned, staring at her palms. "Were you afraid of how I'd react?"

Issei flinched. As nice as Akeno had been, there was every chance that she'd stop humouring him and kick him down when he least expected it. It had happened to him before. Once bitten, twice shy as the saying went, so he wasn't going to take any chances.

"I was," Issei said.

But he was being stupid. On the off-chance that Akeno was as bad as his worst nightmare, Rias wouldn't let her abuse him. And he knew, just by talking to her, that Akeno would never be that cruel.

"You shouldn't be." She looked up, gazing at him. "I'm your friend, Issei. I care about you and your well-being. If I've given you any reason to be afraid, then I apologize."

Issei frowned. "It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. I'm just..."

Afraid of wanting to commit myself to another girl. It was something he hated thinking about, and if he could spend his whole life never telling a soul about the trauma in his heart, he'd do it in a heartbeat. He had a good thing going, he didn't want to make things awkward for himself or anyone else he cared about.

"You don't have to share if you don't want to," Akeno said. "We all have our secrets."

He nodded, more to himself than Akeno. "Yeah. I'm still really sorry."

Akeno gave him a soft smile. "It's okay. As long as it doesn't affect our relationship, I'm sure we can move on, learn to communicate a bit better."

"That would be great." Issei's mouth pulled into a wry little grin. "You know, Akeno, you're really nice."

"What makes you say that?"

"For one, you're spending your precious time with a loser like me."

Akeno's frown returned. "You're not a loser."

"I'm not? I'm a huge pervert, my parents think I'm hopeless, most of the school hates me, and before the president came along, I barely had any friends worth mentioning. Dying was the best thing to ever happen to me."

Akeno's eyes widened like she'd been slapped in the face. But rather than run away, she stayed with him.

"If dying was the best thing to happen to you, then you're certainly making the most of your second chance at life. You've worked really hard to improve yourself."

Issei shrugged. "Well, I have to pull my weight. I don't want any of you guys to get hurt because I wasn't good enough."

Akeno smiled. "You see? A loser wouldn't think that way. If you were a loser, you wouldn't have gotten back up when you were beaten down. Instead, you fought Riser Phenex one-on-one to save Rias from a marriage she never wanted. You wouldn't have fought to protect Asia from those exorcists, either. We wouldn't be talking right now if you weren't willing to change yourself for the better."

Issei frowned. She was right: he did do all of that, but that didn't make him a winner or at least, not a loser. "Maybe that's true. You know what I don't get? You can have any guy you want, but you're here, trying to cheer me up."

"Maybe I don't want any random guy," Akeno said.

"But why me? Why not Kiba or someone else?"

"Kiba's nice, but we're just friends. And I haven't met anyone else worth mentioning, either. I'd much rather spend time with a guy who's incredibly brave and valiant, who'll fight tooth and nail for his loved ones if they're ever in danger, than some guy who might have all of the glamour, but none of the heart."

"Really?"

"I know what I want, Issei." She set her hand over his fist and squeezed. "Rias always says it's up to you to realize your self-worth. There's a lot of awful men out there, but you aren't one of them. Don't ever think you are."

Issei nodded, too choked up to form words. She smiled at him anyway.

One pep talk wouldn't solve everything, but he couldn't keep on living this life, chained by selfish guilt and trauma. When the chips were down, he wasn't going to buckle under the pressure, not again. Someone actually saw something great in him, and if nothing else, he could try to be worthy of that.

He wasn't a loser. It was high time he stopped acting like one.


When Issei went to school the next day, he assumed that nothing unusual would happen. School was still fine, but he was a devil now. Living in the moment as he did, he didn't really think about his future plans. Fantasies didn't count, but he doubted he'd be getting a job as a salaryman.

So when he heard that Kiba had actually come back to school, he was thrown for a loop. He almost didn't believe it, until he saw the guy himself during lunch break, walking around with a slight limp. Some girls were fawning over him, sparking a brief lash of jealousy in him. He let it go after seeing the look in Kiba's eyes. They were distant, in spite of the easy smile on his face.

Then Kiba stared at him. He gave him a nod, arching his head towards the corridor leading to the fields. Issei walked ahead and in only a few moments, Kiba had joined him. The girls he left were glaring at him, but they always did that. They found a spot near a large fence next to a grassy hill.

"You finally came back," Issei said, leaning against the fence.

Kiba fixed his gaze on the hill, at the students lounging around. "I figured coming to school again wouldn't hurt."

"I see. How are you doing?"

"Fine." He paused. "I'm better off than I was the last time we spoke."

Issei smiled. "That's good to hear."

His throat clammed up. There was something important he had to tell Kiba, but actually saying the words was harder than he thought. He had to help Kiba, but he couldn't screw this up.

"What were you up to while I was away?"

Kiba's sudden question made Issei cling onto the fence from how it just slammed into his thoughts.

"Doing some training," Issei said. He exhaled deeply. "It's been pretty tough, but I'm getting stronger."

Kiba clenched a fist. "I wish I could stay the same. I'm at my limit."

Issei frowned. "Sorry about that. If there was something I could to help you out, I would."

Kiba faced him, an intense, calculating look flooding his eyes. Issei forced himself to keep steady and not look away. Then Kiba shook his head.

"Thanks, but you've already done a lot for me."

Issei's eyebrows went up. "I did?"

"Yeah."

It was Issei's turn to clench a fist. The perfect chance to offer Kiba more help had come gift-wrapped on top of a silver platter. Yet, he wasn't ready to grab it. He didn't want to help Kiba out of impulse, he had a plan he wanted to act on.

"Does the president know you're here?" Issei asked.

Kiba frowned. "Yes, she does."

"You still want to destroy Excalibur?"

"I do."

Issei nodded. He loosened up his fist. "Before you get back to your hunt, do you mind meeting me after school?"

"To do what?"

"I have a couple of things I want to do first, but it's kind of a surprise."

Kiba's stare became unfocused, as if he was thinking about the offer. Eventually, he looked up at Issei. "Tell me when you want to meet. You'd better make it worth my time."

Issei smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be worth it."

They parted ways after that. It had gone better than he thought. Now, all he had to do was make things work on his end. Issei had come up with a plan overnight, one that would hopefully solve Kiba's problem. He thought about two things he needed to do: gather recruits that could help him achieve his goal, and convince Kiba that they could help him.

Finding the right recruits would be tricky, but he caught up with Asia before lunch break ended, and while they were hanging out, he saw that guy from the student council flirting with her. Saji was his name, and he was a recently reborn devil, just like him.

Somehow, in spite of his messy dark blond hair and hapless face, he held himself pretty highly and wasn't unpopular. Asking him for help would be worth a shot, so he organized a meeting after school at a local cafe. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

"Sorry, Hyoudou, but I can't," Saji said.

Issei frowned. "Why? We'll both be at risk, I know that, but this will totally help Kiba out!"

Saji shivered. "You haven't seen what I've seen. Rias Gremory might be reasonable, but Sona's merciless! She rounded up everyone in the student council on Wednesday and chewed out Tsubaki right in front of us, just because she was modifying Kiba's attendance record."

"Wait, what?" Issei said. Why would the vice-president help Kiba out? "You're joking."

"I wish I was. Sona and Tsubaki are as thick as thieves, so if Tsubaki couldn't avoid being punished, imagine what Sona would do to me."

Issei winced. "I hear you." He clicked his tongue. "Damn. I thought this would work."

Saji frowned. "From what you've told me, Kiba's going through some hard times. I wish I could help, but..."

"Yeah, I get it. I don't want to make things hard for you when it isn't necessary. Thanks, anyway."

His fellow devil nodded. "Sure thing, man. Good luck with your plan."

Saji went down the sidewalk, leaving Issei at a loss. So far, his first recruit was a bust, and it seemed that even if he knew anyone else on the student council, none of them would be willing to hear him out.

He shook his head. Grabbing his orange drink, Issei walked past the hedge decorating the cafe's entrance. Someone grabbed his shirt before he could go too far.

"Going somewhere?" Koneko asked.

Issei tried to pull himself away, but Koneko's grip was too tight. "Were you here this whole time?"

"I was," Koneko said. "I always come here after school. I never thought I'd hear what I just heard."

He frowned. "I'm busted, aren't I?"

"It depends." Koneko let go of his shirt. "Take a seat." Issei did as she said, spreading his legs for some breathing. He watched Koneko take a giant spoonful from her ice cream sundae and swallow it whole. "You want to help Kiba, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

They made eye contact. "I want in."

His own eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I want to help Kiba, too."

Issei took a sip from his drink, which gave him time to think. He assumed that nobody from his peerage would be willing to help him out, due to Rias wanting to give Kiba his space and not wanting them to fight the fallen angels or the Church. Maybe Asia would help them, but he didn't want her getting involved in something so risky.

"You sure you want to? It's going to be pretty dangerous."

Koneko nodded, frowning somewhat. "I don't want to keep this from Rias or Akeno, but we have to help Kiba, however we can."

Issei smiled. "Thanks a lot, Koneko."

She took another scoop from her ice cream, but her gaze had softened. She swallowed. "What's your plan, exactly? You want to help Kiba destroy Excalibur?"

"That's right," Issei said.

As long as Kiba was off hunting for the remaining Excalibur fragments alone, he was putting himself at risk of getting killed. If he had help, they could work together and complete Kiba's revenge, which would let him return home safe and sound.

"How are we going to find them?"

"We'll pay our friends from the Church a visit. I bet they'd rather see the Excaliburs destroyed than have them fall into the fallen angel's hands."

Koneko frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? They might stop at nothing to retrieve the Excaliburs, but they also might hold a grudge against you and Kiba."

Issei gnawed the inside of his cheek. "I know, I thought about that. But their mission has to come first, and our goals align. Besides, even if they won't help us directly, they might give us some information we can use to the find the Excaliburs or the fallen angels. It's worth a shot."

Koneko stood up. "Then what are we waiting for?"


There was an abandoned church located a few kilometres away from the city centre. Surrounded by thick trees, it was secluded from prying eyes. With a couple of futons to sleep on, it was an almost perfect base of operations.

It hurt Irina's heart to see a church without any worshippers, but she had to look at the positives. She was safe. Xenovia had fully recovered from her injury. They had some money left for food and other necessities. That meant they could continue their search for the remaining Excalibur fragments.

She walked down the stairs to join Xenovia. Her partner was sitting on the edge of the pool, soaking her feet and calves. It might have been rainwater than gathered itself over time, but it was clean and with a bucket in hand and some toiletries, it was good enough for bathing. Even if the water was dirty, Irina could purify water thanks to her training.

Working as an exorcist was a struggle sometimes, but it was the knowledge that she was serving a greater cause than herself that kept her steadfast. She would have liked to have more money and maybe the chance to stay in a nice hotel that wasn't too expensive, but she could find comfort in sleeping almost anywhere, and by the grace of God, she could overcome any trial.

"Hey, Xenovia," Irina said. "The water's feeling nice, isn't it?"

Xenovia nodded. "It's very soothing."

She sat a space away from her partner, giving her room to move around in the water.

"I'm ready to return to our mission," Xenovia said.

Irina smiled. "Great! I'm ready, too. But I'm not sure where we could start."

"There are only so many locations where the fallen angels can hide. We can search for lingering energy signatures the Excalibur left behind. If that fails, we can look for other clues hinting at the fallen angel's activity. They need to eat and drink just like us, so it's only a matter of finding where they buy their supplies."

"Whoa," Irina said. "You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

Xenovia frowned. "I was left with little else to do but think."

"But you still came up with a couple of leads. I wouldn't have thought about going after their source of supplies."

"I bet you would have come up with something better if it required stealing."

Irina pouted. "Xenovia!"

Xenovia's frown shifted into a tiny smirk. She was teasing her, again. At least it would be a funny story to tell when they returned home.

They were given a strict budget from their bosses, and they wouldn't receive additional funds unless they could prove that the money was absolutely necessary for their survival. Irina had floated the idea of stealing some money from temple offerings, but Xenovia had shot down the idea instantly.

Irina thought that the funds they'd re-appropriate would be going to a good cause. Surely they'd be forgiven for one transgression. But as Xenovia put it, stealing was stealing, and their lives weren't in danger. Not to mention the attention they'd be drawing onto themselves. Admittedly, it was pretty foolish of her to even think of committing such a heinous sin, so she was glad Xenovia had set her straight. Her choice had paid off in ways she hadn't expected.

A couple of days ago, Irina visited an art gallery on a break from shopping, where a really dazzling picture was on sale. The exhibitor was willing to part with the painting for a decent price. It would have cost them the rest of their money, but it was supposed to be a picture of a holy Catholic figure. Normally, that would have been enough for Irina to part ways with her money.

However, Xenovia was still injured. She needed all the help she could get, and if she spent their money on a painting, they wouldn't be able to eat. While stepping away from such an intriguing deal was hard, her duty to Xenovia and their mission was far more important.

"Are you sure you'll be ready?" Irina asked.

Xenovia kicked her feet, making the water ripple out. The sunlight poured in from the cracked windows, reflecting off the water with its orange rays.

"I can show you the scar, if you want," Xenovia said.

Irina held her hands in front of her. "That won't be necessary."

It wasn't that she'd be flustered from Xenovia exposing her body. They bathed together, after all. She'd quickly moved on after the first time it happened because it was going to happen again, and Xenovia wasn't the type to care who looked at her naked body. But seeing her scar would remind her of how close Xenovia had been to dying.

They were both prepared to give their lives for their sacred cause, but that didn't make the idea of dying any less scary. And Xenovia was a good friend and partner that she didn't want to lose, even if she did get all mopey sometimes.

"Then you should trust me when I say I'm ready. There's no point in rushing into the lion's den without being fully prepared."

Hearing that made Irina drop her hands and smile. "Okay, then. I trust you."

Xenovia smiled. "Thank you." Her smile quickly became a frown. "It pains me to admit it, but I have Asia Argento's kindness to thank for my quick recovery."

"I thanked her on your behalf," Irina said, frowning as well. Asia had healed the worst of her injuries, but she wasn't able to bring her back to full health in such a short period of time. Unfortunately, her Sacred Gear wasn't that strong. It didn't matter, in the end. Asia had chosen to help them when she could have easily refused.

"Isn't it strange, to be grateful for a devil's help?" Xenovia asked.

"It really freaked me out, at first," Irina said. "But it's not as if all devils are bad. Asia and Issei are still good people. I don't get why they chose to become devils, though. Could you ever imagine being a devil?"

Xenovia shook her head. "It's unfathomable to me. However, I can't discount the possibility, as horrifying as it sounds. Stranger things have happened." She scooped up a handful of water and watched it spill out of her fingers. "Do you think I made the right choice, letting Asia continue to live as a devil?"

Irina pulled her foot up, toes peeking above the water's surface. "I don't know. She wants to stay with her peerage, and the higher-ups won't let her return. It wouldn't be right to take her decision away from her."

"Perhaps. I would have been prepared to help her reach Heaven, for what she did before her ex-communication."

Irina frowned. "Yeah, me too."

Seeing Asia and Issei live as devils did shake Irina quite a bit. Most of the devils she had encountered had either been driven mad by their powers, or were actively evil. Rias Gremory's peerage were an exception. At the very least, they were civil, and even Kiba was mostly acting on his own to fulfill his vengeance.

For some reason, she regretted how violently their spar with the devils had turned out, how she turned her blade on Issei after Xenovia was stabbed.

"Do you think that we'll run into them again?" Irina asked.

"It's very likely that we will," Xenovia said. "After all, Kiba is one of them, and he has a vested interest in finding and destroying Excalibur."

Irina clenched her teeth. "After what he went through, I don't blame him. But... he'll probably try to kill us again."

Xenovia frowned. "I know. However, sympathy is not the same as mercy, and if he chooses to fight us, I will strike him down."

It was a hard line to balance on. She always thought being an exorcist would be cut and dry: slay the wicked, save the innocent. Negotiating with devils wasn't what she was trained to do, but her thinking couldn't be black and white if she wanted to be a true hero.

As she had learned throughout this mission, she had to be practical, do what she could with what she had. That was something Xenovia knew fairly well, actually.

Irina stood up. "Let's get going, Xenovia."

Xenovia climbed to her feet. "I'll grab my robe."

The church's front doors opened, and a man walked in. He had black hair that covered his left eye, and a black coat that covered his upper body. With his black pants, he looked like he'd come from a night on the town, even though it was only mid-afternoon.

"Who are you?" Irina asked.

The man continued to move forward, and the light shone on the sword strapped to his hip. Like Xenovia, she was dressed in her leotard. Unlike Xenovia, her Excalibur was clasped on her upper arm, ready to be unleashed. Their Excaliburs were still usable, but they had to be careful that they didn't face too much pressure.

"I asked you a question," Irina said. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The man raised a hand, palm forward. "I mean you no injury."

Injury? Did he mean harm instead? He was speaking Japanese, but at the same time, his accent was nothing like Irina had ever heard. Of course, she moved from Japan when she was young, but she made sure to remember her mother tongue as well as she could.

Xenovia had come to her side, gripping her own Excalibur. "What's your name?"

"Sasuke," the man said. He understood what Xenovia was saying? He came to a stop about three metres away from Irina. "You two are slayers, aren't you?"

"We're exorcists," Irina said.

Xenovia glanced at her. "You understand what he's saying?" she asked, in English. Xenovia didn't know Japanese like she did. The devils could understand and communicate in any language through their power's knack for translating. This Sasuke wasn't a devil. Xenovia not being able to understand was proof of that.

"Yeah," Irina said, "although, I don't understand everything."

"I can speak English as well, if that is okay with you," Sasuke said.

"That would be much appreciated," Xenovia said. "Why did you come here?"

"I am searching for the Excalibur pieces. I am certain that you can help me obtain them."

Irina gasped. "What?"


Searching for Irina and Xenovia was proving to be yet another bust. Finding a pair of weirdos in white robes was bound to be hard, but this was like finding a needle in a haystack, or an out of print anime in some anime otaku's VHS collection.

Issei and Koneko had searched high and low, and Issei was just about ready to give up. Koneko alone would probably be enough to help him convince Kiba about his plan. And who was to say that the exorcists would be willing to listen to him?

"This sucks," Issei said, after they crossed another street with nothing to show for it.

"I know," Koneko said. "Let's keep at it."

That was enough to boost his motivation. Koneko was with him, a comrade going through the same struggle. They continued to search, until they reached a park that was barely occupied.

"Hey, Issei," Koneko said.

"What is it?"

"How did your training with Akeno go?"

"It wasn't bad," Issei said. "She made me dodge her attacks. It hurt a bit, but Asia patched me up."

"I see."

He looked over his shoulder. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "I was surprised that she wanted to spend time with you. I didn't think she liked you that much."

"I'm still shocked that it happened," Issei said. He stifled a laugh. "Uh, no pun intended."

"Right," Koneko said. "I'd be shocked, too. You're a pretty nice guy –"

Issei grinned. "You really mean it?"

"You're also a shameless pervert."

Issei's face fell. With all the time he spent with Koneko, he knew that she was quiet, but a pretty solid person to be around. It was just she always found a way to remind him that he was a pervert. Since they were nowhere near their goal, he might as well get to the bottom of her problem.

"What's the problem with liking women a lot?"

"Nothing," Koneko said. "You just take it too far. Who says it's right to invade people's privacy just because you want to see girls naked? There are other ways to get your rocks off. Best of all, you don't get to be an asshole when you do it."

Issei frowned. "Yeah, yeah." He shook his head. "I guess it just felt different to see girls I know taking off their clothes, and well, I don't think there's much wrong with being honest about what I like and chasing after my dream, is there?"

"You can be tactful about it," Koneko said.

Stopping in his tracks, Issei turned around. Koneko was staring up at him, a pensive frown lining her face. A sigh passed through his lips. "You're right."

All this talk about his unsavoury moments reminded him of the time he peeked on Koneko with Matsuda and Motohama. She kicked his ass for it, but that hadn't been the first time she'd called him out on his actions. In fact, she'd been pretty cordial when they first met, before he showed his true colours.

"I'm sorry for perving on you."

"Thanks. Let's hope what I said gets through to you."

He wouldn't say some grand promise to satisfy Koneko. It wouldn't come off well if he went back to his old habits. However, Koneko was right: he could show his love for the female body in other ways, ones that didn't hurt anyone.

"I appreciate the advice," Issei said.

Koneko nodded. "Let's get going."

More time passed, but to no avail, as the exorcists were still nowhere to be found. At this point, they'd be wasting even more of their time. If they weren't around, then he had to proceed without them.

Issei pulled out his phone and sent Kiba a text. Meet me at the park with the big fountain.

"What's up?" Koneko asked.

"I want to meet up with Kiba," Issei said. "Put a stop to all this searching. We're wasting our time trying to find those girls."

"After all that work we put in?" Koneko shook her head. "Don't give up now."

"I don't want to. I thought this was a good idea, but we're wasting our time trying to find those girls."

His phone buzzed. Kiba sent him a reply. Be there in ten.

"Besides, Kiba's coming."

Koneko frowned. "Fine. I don't like it, but we're here to help Kiba, not those girls."

Issei smiled. "Thanks, Koneko. Maybe we'll get lucky and find them anyway."

Eventually, Kiba had arrived at the big fountain in the park they were in. Sunlight glittered through the pouring water, making it look like sparks were bursting in and out of existence, scattering all over the fountain.

"Alright, I'm here," Kiba said. He glanced at Koneko, visibly surprised. "Koneko? You're here too?"

"Issei can tell you why," Koneko said, nearly whispering the words.

Kiba turned his gaze on him. "Go ahead."

Issei steeled his resolve. "I want to help you destroy Excalibur."

Kiba's eyes shot wide. "Why?"

"You want to get revenge on the Church for what they did to you, right? If we help you, you can get this over with even faster."

To his surprise, Kiba smiled, and it actually felt genuine. "I appreciate that, Issei. I really do." In an instant, his smile disappeared. "But I won't let you help me. This is my mission, my burden to bear. It wouldn't be right for either of you to get hurt because you were trying to help."

Issei's nose flared. "Tell me, how many Excaliburs did you find while you were away?"

"None. I did find some fallen angels who knew about Excalibur."

"And you fought them, didn't you?"

"What of it?"

"You're limping," Koneko said.

Kiba frowned. "I'll be fine. The injury's recovering."

"You see?" Issei said. "We can help you find a way to beat those fallen angels. If you go it alone, you might fail, but you have a better chance of succeeding if you get help."

"I get what you're saying, but I can't allow you to join me. I've already lost so much. I don't want to lose any more of my friends."

Issei's scowl gave way to a guilty frown. "You're talking about the Holy Sword Project, aren't you?"

"I am."

Kiba went on to explain, in horrifying detail, how he had been experimented on by the Church and disposed of when he couldn't wield a Holy Sword, how he was only alive because his comrades helped him escape and Rias found him before he could die from the poison. It was much worse than he could have ever imagined.

When he finished talking, Issei was all the more convinced that helping Kiba wasn't just a way to soothe his remorse.

"Now do you understand?" Kiba asked.

Issei looked at Koneko, flinching from the palpable sadness she exuded, before facing Kiba once more. "I understand. I still want to help you."

"Why do you insist on helping me? What do you hope to gain from doing this?"

Issei put his hands on Kiba's shoulders. "Listen, Kiba. I haven't been a good friend to you. I was jealous of you and I treated you badly because that. We're not that close, I know that, but I can't abandon you, not after everything you've gone through. I don't want you to become a stray for no good reason. I want to help you because it's the right thing to do."

Kiba looked like he'd seen a ghost. He shrugged off Issei's hands, only for Koneko to move forward.

"I will help you too," Koneko said, in a soft voice. "I'd be really sad if I lost you, Kiba. And I don't want you to be hurt anymore."

A tender smile appeared on his face. "If you're going along with this plan, then there's no way I'll be able to do anything stupid on my own."

"Wait," Issei said, "so you're saying..."

"You two can help me. After all, we have a clear enemy."

"For real?" Issei grinned. "Hell yeah!" Koneko was smiling, too.

That was when Issei heard footsteps come from behind the arched structure standing in front of the trees. Sasuke emerged, quickly joining them. If it wasn't for the fact that he heard him move, he would have assumed he just appeared out of thin air.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Issei asked.

"I was looking for Kiba," Sasuke said, frowning. "Why are you here, Issei?"

Issei frowned. "I wanted to talk to Kiba. I'm going to help him destroy Excalibur."

Instead of responding, Sasuke faced Koneko, and Issei suddenly realized that they hadn't been introduced. "Koneko, this is Sasuke Uchiha. He was my first ever client. Sasuke, this is Koneko Toujou. She's part of our peerage."

"Nice to meet you," Koneko said.

"You too. Are you one of Kiba's friends?"

"I am."

"And you want to fight for him?"

"I do."

Sasuke's eye swooped up and down, before he nodded. "Okay." He turned back to Issei. "You remember what we talked about. What's your motive?"

"I thought about what Kiba needed instead of what I wanted," Issei said, calm because he knew what he was doing. "The best way to help him is to destroy Excalibur. It'll be incredibly dangerous, but we're going to help him every step of the way. You can't tell us to go away, because we won't, and Kiba accepted our help."

Sasuke's lone eye turned cold. He wasn't revealing that weird, gray eye, but that didn't make him any less imposing.

"Is that right, Kiba?" Sasuke asked, without looking away.

"It is," Kiba said. "They convinced me."

"What about you?" Koneko asked. "Are you going to help Kiba get his revenge?"

"I am. I just want to make sure that everyone is on the same page. We're helping Kiba. Nothing more, nothing less."

"We know that," Koneko said. "That's why we're here."

"I'm aware." He sighed. "If you know the dangers, and Kiba's fine with it... then so am I." He blinked once, and the tension disappeared. "Take the time to rest and prepare. We'll be headed out in the evening."

"Why not now?" Issei asked.

"I'm recovering from an injury," Kiba said. "I'll be fully healed in a few hours."

"That's good," Koneko said. "What are we going to do?"

"We know where the fallen angels are located," Sasuke said. "Also, I found some allies who'll be helping us out."

Issei blinked. "Who are they?"

"You'll find out tonight."

Yeah, yeah. "Just tell us when we have to leave."

"I will."

Koneko nodded. "Issei, send me the details once you get them." She stared at Kiba. "It was nice seeing you, Kiba."

Kiba smiled. "You too. I'll head back to my apartment as well."

Sasuke nodded, and Issei smiled at Kiba. "See you later."

Koneko and Kiba left together, but for some reason, Sasuke stayed behind. They made eye contact, and as usual, his face was pretty blank.

"I'll admit, I never thought you'd help Kiba achieve his revenge," Sasuke said.

Issei smirked. "Well, I'm full of surprises."

"Of course," he said, rather dryly. Then he frowned. "I was hard on you the last time we spoke. I apologize for that. I shouldn't have told you to stay away from Kiba, it wasn't my place to say that. I wanted you to realize what you needed to do."

"Don't worry about it," Issei said, even though he really appreciated the apology. "I needed that reality check. Now I can help Kiba for the right reasons."

Sasuke smiled. "Good."

Issei's smile wavered. "Are you sure we can do it?"

"We will," Sasuke said. "I'll do everything in my power to ensure that Kiba is able to move on. Everything."

Issei gulped. "I'll, uh, hold you to that, I guess."

Sasuke left as he arrived, into thin air. Overall, Issei had achieved what he planned to do, and he was looking forward to helping Kiba solve his problem. That being said, Issei knew quite well that the worst was yet to come. They weren't just going to destroy Excalibur, they were going to make sure that the fallen angels couldn't use the fragments for whatever they planned.

It would probably be the hardest thing he did so far, and he'd have to fight harder than he ever had, but he would have backed out a long time ago if he wasn't willing to make that sacrifice. Everyone else was putting their lives on the line, so he was going to do his best to make sure everyone got out alive and well.

To do anything else would be to spit on everything Kiba had fought for. Whatever it required of him, Issei would step up and meet that challenge head-on. Because that's what winners did.


Author's Note: If you're looking for more High School DxD/Naruto fanfiction, check out Irregular Metronome, the first in a trilogy of fanfics written by The Jingo. I've only read a few chapters, but the worldbuilding and character development were a treat to witness. Sasuke and Naruto were also integrated decently.