Hey everyone! Sorry! I know this is delayed, but I have reasoning at the bottom! You prolly wont like it, so I warn you ahead of time and ask for your forgiveness. As usual, no huge and boring author's note at the start.

R&R!

To say Issei was having a good time was an understatement. He was having an amazing time. Now that he'd finally come around with Albion, it was like having a father, not a pestilence.

{And then there was the time when Selmak and I had unintentionally raised the next Red Dragon Emperor. That was an….awkward time. When Selmak had figured it out, he shut down.}

'Why?'

{Issei, Ddraig is my eternal enemy, and Selmak raised the boy. It destroyed him. Think about it.}

'Yeah, I suppose that would be pretty upsetting. To know that the kid you raised is now your mortal enemy.'

{Indeed.}

Issei had been sitting alone in the student council room now for about ten minutes, happily conversing with Albion. Ddraig had been wonderfully absent, and Issei was not about to go scouring his mind for the red menace.

"Hyoudou, Rias and Sona would speak with you now." A girl said as she opened the door. Issei honestly couldn't remember her name, mostly because he knew she didn't know his.

'I should probably learn her name.'

{Tsubaki Shinra.}

'Why do you know that?

{Because I pay attention.}

Issei stood up, preparing to follow Tsubaki. He figured it was probably going to be a strategy meeting or something. Maybe a meeting about getting him into the norm of things so that he would be able to fit in as well as possible.

It was, in fact, not.

"Mr. Hyoudou," Sona said. "Given the current situation, and the reason for your presence here, we called this meeting to begin discussing the issue at hand." Issei did his best to hide his confusion.

"I'm sure you're confused," Rias said. Issei managed to hold back a snort. "But we'll be explaining everything."

"It's probably fallen angels," Issei said flatly. "I've already put together what this is about, and I'm sure to a reasonable degree that the issue you're experiencing involves fallen angels." Rias looked gobsmacked, while Sona had a smug happiness on her face.

{I believe you were the subject of a bet, my boy. Well done.}

'Wait, I'm your boy now?'

{I prefer to avoid using the word partner. It is a word that Ddraig often uses. While I do not outright refuse to refer to you by it, I like to use my own methods of relating to you.}

'Oh. Huh. Thanks for that tidbit on Ddraig.'

{Of course my boy.}

'That raises the question though-'

{Later. You have an audience.}

Issei snapped back to reality and saw that Rias looked rather frustrated, and Sona was happily counting some money in her hand.

"I told you he was intelligent, Rias."

"Well excuse me for not having seen anything to suggest it, Sona." Rias snapped back. However, the moment the words were said, she suddenly clapped her hands to her mouth. "I am so sorry Issei. Please forgive me." Rias then bowed deeply in apology.

"Rias, don't worry about it. I took no offense, and honestly, I don't blame you for saying that." Issei said in a way he hoped was confident. Rias looked relieved. "Regardless, yeah. I think it's probably fallen angels that you're gonna be dealing with."

"I-uh, thank you for that insight, Issei," Rias said. "Do you have any proof as to this statement?" she said with an exploratory tone. She sounded like she wanted him to be wrong for more than just winning back the money she lost. He couldn't really blame her. He held no particularly high regard for the fallen angels.

"Considering I was murdered by one here in town about three weeks ago, I believe they're becoming an issue here."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah…" Issei said with a somber and slightly embarrassed expression.

{Please be careful. Good intentioned though these ladies may be, they are devils in the end.}

'What's up?' Issei asked. Unintentionally, a questioning look made its way onto his face.

Rias and Sona looked at each other while Issei continued to ignore them.

"He does that a lot," Rias said matter-of-factly. "Any idea why?" Sona only pinched her nose.

"Rias, I'm not in his mind. My best guess would be he's speaking with his dragons, though we can't be sure."

"You're being unusually snappy today, Sona. Is something wrong?" Rias asked with genuine curiosity. Sona suddenly clammed up and blushed profusely.

"NO!" she yelled. Rias was taken aback. This was very unlike Sona. Had she been told something? Thankfully, Tsubaki was there to sate Rias' curiosity.

"Lady Rias, I believe Lady Sona is upset because she nearly lost a-mpf!" Tsubaki then had her mouth covered hastily by Sona. Rias, being smarter than your average human, was immediately able to tell why Sona was upset. Her confused face quickly gave way to a nuclear smirk.

"You almost lost at chess to him?" she said incredulously. "How?" Sona glared at Tsubaki with a face that said "You will suffer the pain of a thousand deaths later."

"Yes, Rias, I almost lost. But I did not lose. Therefore, I will not have to marry him." She then stuck her nose in the air. Issei then suddenly shook his head.

"Sorry about that. Anyways, as I was saying, I have reason to believe that your issue stems from fallen angels.

"I have a hard time believing that, Mr. Hyoudou. I'm sure you're aware that this is devil territory. The only reason they'd be here is if they're trying to start another war." Sona said sternly. "I think my experience in this world outranks yours, and I highly doubt that any of the Biblical factions have any interest in rekindling that kind of conflict."

Issei's confidence in his assessment began to flag. What if she was right? What if she was just a rogue fallen angel who wanted to kill a human for some reason?

{Be confident, my boy. You can do this. You are the WHITE DRAGON EMPEROR. You will not be intimidated by such paltry displays of willpower.}

"I-uh," Issei started. Sona's gaze only intensified. "I…" Sona's brow then furrowed.

[For the love of everything boy, SPEAK!] Ddraig suddenly boomed in Issei's mind. It was harsh and grating compared to the confident smoothness of Albion's voice. Unfortunately for Ddraig, this had the opposite of the desired effect.

Issei, after years of being used to that kind of yelling from Ddraig, fell into a habit of his. Whenever Ddraig started yelling, he would shut down and wait until it was over, sometimes for over an hour.

To Rias and Sona, it looked like Issei had passed out while standing upright. His eyes dilated and became unfocused, and his shoulders sagged.

"Mr. Hyoudou, are you alright?" Sona asked. Issei just continued to stare off into space. Rias turned to Sona.

"Well done, Sona. I told you last night that he was easily intimidated," she said patronizingly. "And now he's gone and shut down." Rias then pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll see if Akeno can help get him out of this. We don't need him freezing like this every time someone starts to disagree with him." Rias then grabbed his hand, intent on leading him away. She was surprised to find that he simply followed her, almost like he was completely unaware of literally anything going on around him.

"Come on now, Issei. Let's go talk to Akeno." Rias said softly. She began leading him towards her clubroom, hoping against hope that Akeno might be able to do something. The very last thing she needed was news to get out that a devil had incapacitated an angel in any fashion, even if it was unintentional.

"Rias, I don't know what to tell you," Akeno said as she stopped examining Issei. "I'm not a psychologist, and whatever is going on inside his head is far stronger than any of my spells can handle."

"Are you sure, Akeno? Sona just gave him a look, and then he shut down like this." Rias said as she gestured to Issei. He was currently sitting on the sofa in the ORC club room, staring off into space.

"I'm sure, Rias. I have a feeling that whatever caused this is a bit deeper than just shyness, though." Akeno then ran her hands through her hair. "I really have no idea how this works. I'd say the best we can do right now is wait for it to go away."

"Alright then. I guess we're just going to have to wait this out. For the time being, can you keep watch over him?"

"Sure. I'll leave the class issues to you." Akeno said. "It's the least we can do for him." Rias gave a strained smile.

"Indeed it is. Hopefully, this doesn't come around to bite us."

"Alright, you two, where are we going?." Gabriel asked. "I can't exactly just go somewhere without knowing why."

"I promise you'll like this, Gabriel," Griselda said as she was leading Gabriel by the hand. Mirana was walking behind them to make sure that Gabriel didn't bolt. "Mirana and I have done it tons of times, and we still haven't had anything to complain about."

Eventually, Gabriel found they were approaching a small building that looked like it was meant to host only five to ten people comfortably. It was made of red brick and had a somewhat rustic feel to it. Once they were close enough, she was able to read the sign on top of the building. 'Profoso's Professional Wing Care' it said.

"Professional wing care?" Gabriel asked with confusion. "Why would I need that? I already can brush my wings myself, you know." Mirana giggled a little. Gabriel couldn't help but feel a little unnerved at that, because the giggle that had been released by Mirana sounded almost mischievous.

"But you've never had it done professionally, Gabriel. Profoso spent a lot of time on earth around birds, and learned how to care for feathers really well." Griselda said. "Trust me when I say that you're never going to want to stop coming here after you're done." Griselda then knocked on the door.

When the door opened, Gabriel was met with the sight of a rather young looking angel. He couldn't have been older than fifty. However, his eyes had a spark of wisdom to them that suggested his age was much greater than his appearance let on.

"Ah, Griselda and Mirana, how nice to see you both again," he said. He then went down on one knee. "It is my humble honor to serve the great Seraph Gabriel."

"Oh stop it you goof," Griselda said playfully. "She's here for a treatment, not to be groveled at." The man then stood up, looking at Gabriel.

"It's my pleasure. As I'm sure you're aware, my name is Profoso. Seeing as you're here for a treatment, I'll be taking care of your wings for you. Please, come inside." He then stepped back into the small building, gesturing for the ladies to follow him. Mirana and Griselda followed readily. Gabriel followed after them, still a little confused.

'How have I never heard of this place?' she wondered. 'Surely I came across the zoning papers for the construction permission.' As she walked inside, Gabriel took in the details of the room. First, there were several tables across the room, each of them looked like it was meant for someone to lay face down on. Right next to each table were a series of platforms that looked like they were meant for her wings to rest on. Each and every table was extremely well furnished, with soft-looking velvet pads on each of them.

The room itself had a warm and homey feeling to it, with the scent of cinnamon and lavender in the air. Normally, Gabriel didn't think those scents would mix, but somehow they mixed perfectly here. It simultaneously woke her nose up and calmed her down.

"And what kind of treatment would you lovely ladies like today?" Profoso asked. He began moving about preparing tables, as well as setting a variety of brushes next to them that baffled Gabriel. How many brushes did you need to care for your wings?

"I think I'll just take an oil brushing," Mirana said. "I've been pretty good about my wings lately."

"Very well Miss Mirana." he said jovially. "Please, make yourself comfortable at table four." he then gestured to a table near a corner. "How about you, Miss Griselda?"

"I feel like I've been in a bit more combat than usual lately. I've been helping to train someone, so my wings are feeling a little sore from combat application." Griselda replied. "So, how about a full brushing and muscle treatment?"

"Of course. Table five is waiting for you." He then turned to Gabriel. "And for you?" Gabriel had no idea what to say to that. She'd never had her wings cared for by anyone else. She'd simply learned how to do it, then always did it herself.

"Uh, do you have options I can pick from?" she asked. Profoso smiled.

"Of course I do. Here, I have a paper with all of the options on it. Feel free to take your time picking." Gabriel accepted it gratefully and watched how Mirana and Griselda got prepared. She watched as they both lay face down on their tables, and then allowed their wings to appear. However, Griselda ended up baring her back, something that Mirana did not do.

"That's probably for the muscle treatment she was talking about.' Gabriel thought. Deciding to look at the paper she'd been handed, the number of options was astonishing. Wing brushings, oil coatings, rachis strengthenings, downy straightenings, the list was confusing. Sure, she knew these terms, but putting them next to each other almost didn't make any sense. She watched as Profoso, now not taking orders, moved quickly about the small building, grabbing more and more materials. Gabriel, not wanting to be left out randomly picked an option.

"Ah, Mr. Profoso?" she said. "I think I'm ready." she watched as he immediately dropped what he was doing and flashed her a smile.

"And what would you like?" he asked.

"A full treatment, please." Profoso beamed when she said that.

"Of course, ma'am. Please allow me a moment to prepare the proper facilities for you." He then walked out of the room, into a small sectioned off part of the building.

"A full treatment, Gabriel?" Griselda asked. "Wow, you really do like to go big, huh?"

"What?" Gabriel asked. "It's not like that's going to take six hours, is it?"

"No, but it'll take some time," Mirana replied. "A full treatment is a massage, a wing brushing, an oil treatment, downy straightenings, and a full defraying. Given that you've got twelve wings, that's going to take a while."

'Wow.' Gabriel thought. 'I figured it was just a full wing brushing. How did I not know how much actually went into wing care? Do my wings look okay?'

"Alright, Miss Gabriel. I have everything ready for you. Please make yourself at home on table six."

Gabriel moved towards the designated table and laid face down on it. She cocked her head to the side so she could see Mirana and Griselda, hoping that she'd be able to have a conversation with them while she received this 'full treatment.'

"Alright, now, seeing as this is your first treatment here, Miss Gabriel, I must ask. Are you alright with full contact on your wings, or would prefer I stayed away from the contact sections?" Gabriel thought on that for a moment.

'I'm usually not able to reach the base of my wings, so it would be nice to have those areas brushed.'

"That would be fine," she said. "Full contact, please."

"Of course," Profoso replied. Gabriel then flexed her wings, allowing them to flare into existence. Quickly laying them on the platforms next to her table, she allowed them to relax. She heard him snap his fingers, and she watched the platforms change shape.

Even though they were comprised of metal, she observed as they molded and bent themselves into the exact shape of each of her wings. Profoso then began to pour oil over her wings, but not drowning them in the oil.

Gabriel watched as he did the same for Griselda and Mirana, genuinely curious as to how this would work.

Meanwhile, inside Issei's mind, a massive shouting match was occurring.

{WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS DDRAIG?!}

[DO WHAT? TELL A BOY TO ASSERT HIS WILL? HE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I SPEAK TO HIM AT ALL!]

{THE BOY IS SUFFERING! BECAUSE OF YOU!}

[YOU HAVE NO PODIUM TO STAND ON ALBION! YOU ARE FAR MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS SUFFERING THAN I!]

Issei, on the other hand, was hiding in a small corner of his mind, hoping that they wouldn't notice him and turn their rage on each other. Issei did his best to turn his thoughts to things other than the world around him, both mental and physical.

'Gabriel is nice to think about. She wouldn't be yelling at me.'

{YOU PEST! HE IS LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF YOU!}

[HARDLY! YOUR EXCESSIVE PAMPERING OF HIM HAS DONE NOTHING FOR HIM!]

'Maybe Gabriel would even teach me something. That'd be nice.' Issei registered on the edge of his dwindling consciousness that someone was trying to get him to wake up, but he didn't care. He just wanted all the yelling to stop.

Akeno set another bowl of water down in front of her, continuing to clean various objects in the room. Issei was still sitting on the couch, distant as when he had arrived. It felt rather sad, honestly. The poor boy was suffering from something none of them could help with. They didn't even know what was really wrong with him. Akeno sighed.

"I'm sorry for whatever happened to you. I hope you come out of this state soon." she placed a hand on Issei's shoulder. "Perhaps we should lay you down. That should at least keep you a little comfortable." She then pushed him down onto his back on the couch, laying him flat. She retrieved a blanket and draped it over him to prevent him from getting too cold while he was like this.

"Mm…." Issei muttered as he was laid back. Akeno sighed again. At least he was making noise. Hopefully that meant progress recovering from whatever state he was in. She placed a hand on his forehead, and found that he was extremely cold. Sighing, she grabbed another blanket and placed it over him.

"Please recover soon. Rias is beyond distressed right now."

"I cannot believe you Sona!"

"Rias, you're overreacting."

"No! An envoy of the entire heavenly faction is out cold on our territory and it's your fault! For Satan's sake! My brother told me he's a brave sai-!" Rias cut herself off. Sona glared at her.

"A brave saint of whom, Rias? A virtue? Believe me, I understand the gravity of this situation, but yelling at me will not change anything."

"I don't think you do, Sona! If he was a virtue's saint, then I wouldn't be nearly this distressed!" Sona, he's Gabriel's saint. Her ace!" Sona then went stock still. "Yeah," Rias said as she crossed her arms. "I thought so. Now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go tell the teachers why Akeno won't be present today."

"Rias-"

"Don't." Rias said with a deadly glare. "I really don't have the energy to deal with this anymore." She then spun on her heel and walked away.

Rias walked into the ORC clubroom running her hands through her hair. Akeno knew that was a stress reaction.

"Rias, why are you so stressed? He'll be fine. He's not hurt, and his condition seems to be improving. Sometimes he'll respond if I talk to him."

"Akeno, there's more going on here than him just being an envoy, okay? I can't say much more than that, but I need you to know that this is actually a war-hanging-in-the-balance type of thing."

"I understand, Rias. Here, why don't you come talk to him? That should help you feel a little better." Rias smiled. Her queen was always so considerate. She walked up to Issei, who was currently lying on one of their sofas.

"Issei," Akeno said softly. "Rias wants to talk with you. Can you sit up for me?"

"Mm." was Issei's reply. Rias was pleasantly surprised when Issei did in fact sit up from his supine position. Akeno then gestured towards Issei.

"Go ahead, Rias. He'll wait for you."

"Hello Issei." Rias said as softly as Akeno. "I'm sorry about Sona. I know she can be mean, but she only has good intentions."

"Mmhmm." Issei replied. His eyes were still full of a faraway look.

"Issei." Akeno said. Rias watched as his focus suddenly sharpened to a razors edge.

"Yes?"

"Why are you like this? I promise I'm not angry." Akeno said. "I just want to help." Issei then lost focus again, and laid down. Akeno sighed.

"See, Rias? He's doing better."

"That's good. But why did he suddenly snap to attention when you said his name a second time?" Rias was genuinely confused by that.

"My best guess is I sound similar to someone. I don't know who, but they're important to him."

[Last time I checked, he was not your son! You are a parasite! You simply live in his body to use it up until your next wielder!]

{You are NO better Ddraig! You would sooner toss him aside as a piece of worthless chaff than work with him! At least I have been trying to mend my relationship with him!}

Issei sighed in his mind again. He'd been able to hear someone talking to him, but he hadn't been able to make them out for more than a moment before they got drowned out by the two dragons again. All he'd heard was his name, but he hadn't been able to place the source of the voice. It was a woman, but he couldn't tell whose.

[I am done with this! Don't bother waking me up! I refuse to put up with you any longer Albion!]

Issei then felt the tremendous presence of Ddraig fade to the back of his mind. Maybe Albion would be willing to talk some more?

{I am sorry, my boy. I shall not bother you for some time.} Albion too then faded into the recesses in his mind.

'Well now what am I supposed to do?'

Issei snapped upright with a gasp. Well, he would've snapped upright if there wasn't a tremendous weight on top of him. His stomach clenched painfully when he tried and failed to sit up.

Looking down, he saw that there was a mass of smooth dark hair laying on his chest. As he scanned some more, he found that the owner of said hair was none other than one Akeno Himejima. She was breathing evenly, indicating she was asleep. All the windows had their curtains drawn across them, and there were no active lights. Not even candles. Wanting to sit up, Issei shook Akeno's head a little.

"Um, miss Akeno? May I sit up?" She snapped like a rubber band, recoiling from her resting place. There was a momentary look of panic on her face, but it was rapidly replaced with relief.

"Issei, you're awake!" She immediately pressed her hand against his forehead. "And your temperature has come up! Are you hungry? Thirsty? What do you need?" Overloaded with choices, Issei could only do one thing.

"Uh…."

"Do you want to make something yourself? I can let you do that. Or perhaps you would like another blanket?" Issei simply sat there and listened to her spout off questions rapid fire.

"Uh...could I have some water?" he asked tentatively. Akeno beamed in response.

"Of course! Here, let me go get you some." Issei swung his legs off of the sofa he was sitting on and began trying to contemplate why it was that Akeno was being so nice to him. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd had an episode at school, and she'd never cared then. He hadn't told anyone about how high up the chain he had friends in heaven. He most CERTAINLY hadn't told anyone that he was Gabriel's ace.

Akeno came back into the room with a glass full of water, as well as a small plate with an assortment of snacks. She still had the smile she had when he'd woken up. "Here you go." she said. "I hope you're alright with snacks too."

"Uh...thanks." Issei said as he hesitantly took a cracker and the glass of water. Akeno was being extremely suspicious. Why did she suddenly care so much more about him? 'Might as well ask her myself. No point in theorizing.'

"Um, Akeno, mind if I ask a question?" Akeno's smile brightened somehow.

"Of course, Issei. I'll answer it the best I can."

"Why do you care so much suddenly? I came to this school for years and had episodes like this, but you didn't care. Why now? It's not like I have a ton of influence." Akeno's smile died faster than a squirrel on a highway.

"Issei, I did care, and I do now. I just couldn't do anything then. You were human."

"And? Doesn't stop you from talking to people here at school."

"But they aren't my friends Issei." Issei wanted to laugh. Friends? They most certainly weren't that even now. He felt that she was at the most an acquaintance. His face obviously showed his distaste for that comment given that Akeno suddenly found the floor very interesting.

Issei sighed. "Thank you for caring anyways." he said. "How can I repay you for taking care of me while I was having an episode?" Akeno jumped for the lifeline he extended.

"Oh, don't worry about it! Please, consider it a favor, okay?"

'One I will no doubt be repaying at some point.' Issei realized. "I'm gonna take a walk." He said as he stood up.

"Would you like company?" Akeno asked. "Or would you rather be alone?"

"I won't drag you with me." was his steady reply. He noticed that he was being incredibly non-stuttery with the dragons not commenting on his every word. Turning around, he headed for the door. Akeno continued to stay seated, which he took as her decision.

It was the middle of the night on campus, and Issei couldn't tell if the lightning was intentional. It felt like every lamp was positioned to cast as much shadow as possible. As he walked off campus, he suddenly got that horrific feeling he got on the day he'd been approached by Yuuma.

He was being followed again.

'Ddraig? Albion? Hello?' He asked. There was no response. 'Clarent?' No response. Great. He was really on his own then. Thankfully, Gabriel had at least taught him to summon Clarent to him at any time, which he did. The marred obsidian blade felt comforting in his hands, like a lifeboat in a dangerous sea.

Picking up his pace towards Rias' house, he heard a moment of footsteps trying to match his pace. That was good news. It meant that whoever was following him wasn't supernatural.

"Who's there?" he yelled into the darkness as he turned around. A man rounded a corner. He was relatively tall, and wore a grey trench coat as well as a fedora.

"Why, young man, you can't recognize a man you've wronged? I'm hurt." he said as a sadistic smile curled across his face. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you then. Does the name Raynare ring a bell?"

"Not really, no."

"I see." he said as he took off his fedora. As he did, the shadow over his face disappeared and Issei saw that the man had genuine fangs. "Then I'll let you know something. My name is Dohnaseek, and the fallen angel you murdered was named Raynare. And as such, I am going to return the favor." A blue spear of light formed in his hand.

"Prepare to die, mongrel. I'll let heaven know that you died like a coward."

Okey dee. Next chapter done! Nothing to see here! Nothing for anyone to complain about at all!

Okay for real though, sorry again. College has been taking my feet out from under me, what with two chem classes, one with a lab. My other classes aren't so bad, but chemistry has been nuking me.

My Beta, PurplePigeon, has been as helpful as ever. He helped me put something together from a loose idea for this chapter, and he even gave me ideas for what to put in here and there. In all honesty, this story is just as much his work as it is mine. Sure, I put the words on a screen, but Pigeon literally keeps this story alive. 100% epic man right here.

For everyone else, though; I'm sorry about the delay between chapters these days. I try my best to make sure you get stuff you want and like. I'll see if I can get my next chapter out before the end of February. (great time frame, i know.)

Review Response time!

Guest who decided to flame me: RIP. Sucks that you hate my story. Not sorry I wrote this. Have a good day!

TokitaKun: Indeed, o reader mine. Gabriel is quite possessive. As to your other review, I can't really tell you why Serafall or loads of other powerful beings didn't say anything.

Till next time!

Tchiao!