A/N: I wanted to note two things. One is that Yuuma and Raynare are the same person, but they're kinda two halves of a whole-ish. Raynare is her Fallen Angel name and appearance, while Yuuma is her Angel name and appearance. Her personality is her Yuuma personality that shows up when she's around Issei, that's the real Yuuma. Secondly, I want to make sure they understand her and her backstory. She's timid, shy, and fearful. She's terrified of what other people will think of her. She's sweet and innocent at heart and Issei strives to keep that side of her out in the open where others can see and love it as he does. Living at the Grigori, she felt as if she had no one. She was alone and felt unwanted. With Issei, she finds someone who cares about her. Who wants to be around her and spends time caring about her. She's scared of that feeling of safety, warmth, and being wanted going away, so she clings to it, fearful of letting go. That should be more clear here, but I wanted to spell that out to make sure everyone knows who my version of Yuuma is.

This was his worst idea yet. A terrible idea. Why did he do this again? He had no idea, he just knew that he shouldn't have done it. His mind had betrayed him. What was the point in continuing if his brain would give him ideas like this? Why oh why did he bring Yuuma downstairs?

"So, this is the girl, hmm?" his father asked. "She's definitely a cute one. I'd say she's a keeper."

"Dad~!" Issei groaned while Yuuma just turned red in embarrassment.

"Now, dear," scolded Miki. "I'm sure Yuuma is very nervous right now. I mean, she's meeting her true love's parents after spending the night in his bed. It's understandable that she'd be a little uncomfortable. Don't worry, Yuuma dear."

"NEITHER of you are helping AT ALL!" Issei complained as Yuuma tried to stay slightly behind him to hide her bright red face. "Yuuma is just very confused right now. Could you two please go upstairs so I can talk to her?"

"Now, just because you're going to be in charge of Heaven soon doesn't mean you're in charge of us," Miki chastised.

'He's...he's WHAT?' Yuuma thought to herself.

"We'll go upstairs when Michael gets here. For now, I want to get to know my future daughter-in-law."

"We just met this week! And she only asked me out so she could kill me," Issei defended.

"She did what now?" his mother asked.

"Did...did I forget to mention that part?" he chuckled awkwardly.

"I know you have moral standards, but you may want to cast one of those memory adjustment spells if you want to live, Issei," Yahweh suggested.

Ding Dong

"Looks like you two have to go upstairs! That's Michael! Bye-bye!" Issei told them, pushing the two towards the stairs. "Off you go. Chop-chop."

"We're not done talking about this, Issei!" Miki scolded. "We'll be back!"

"That's what they all say…" he mumbled to himself, quickly heading to the door. "Morning, Michael. You have news for me?"

"Good morning to you as well, Issei. May I come in?" Michael smiled.

"I hope that smile means something good...sure, come on in," he gestured.

"Thank you, Issei. I wouldn't say necessarily something good per se, more of-oh? Who's this?" Michael asked.

"Uh...Michael?"

"Yes, father?"

"When was the last time you checked the system?"

"I believe it was yesterday evening before dinner. I had paperwork to do so I could come to meet with Issei this morning. Why do you ask?"

"You're in the clear, Issei! Quick, come up with something convincing while I distract him!"

"You realize you just said that out loud...right…?" Issei deadpanned. "Alright, Michael this is Yuuma. Yuuma, this is Archangel Michael. Before either of you flip out, I'd like us all to sit down at the table. Sound good? Good."

Yuuma followed his 'lead,' which was him forcibly shoving the two of them into the dining room and into seats while opening and closing her mouth trying to understand why it was that the Archangel Michael, the second-in-command of Heaven, was currently here and talking with Issei as if they were good friends.

"Alright, Yuuma, I'm sure you probably remember Michael, though Michael may not remember Yuuma. I'll try to explain."

"Come on, Michael. You remember Yuuma. She was the one that always followed Azazel around, remember? She was so little then. Look how she's grown!" Yahweh spoke with pride.

"That sounds familiar, though I can't say I remember her. I'm truly sorry, I'm not as good as father is with names," Michael apologized.

"Father…?" Yuuma asked.

"Alright, first why don't I explain who, or I guess what I am, to you, Yuuma. Pay attention, ok? And don't freak out. Ready? Good. Alright. So, you are aware of the system of Sacred Gears and Longinus. There are thirteen known Longinus, however, there are fifteen Longinus that God actually made. I'm currently the wielder of one of the two undiscovered ones. Are you following?" Yuuma nodded. "Good. Alright, so the Sacred Gear I possess is known as Heavenly Crown. You've heard of the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing I'm sure? This is rather similar to those, however, instead of hosting the soul of one of the two Heavenly Dragons, mine hosts the soul of the God from the Bible."

Yuuma's mouth opened in shock. "S-so you...in...soul...God...father…" she sputtered out.

"It's been a long time, Yuuma," Yahweh greeted. "Don't worry, Issei's a great host."

"Looks like someone's getting soft on me," Issei teased.

"Quiet, brat!"

"Ok, you with me so far, Yuuma?" she nodded. "Good. So, Michael, on Monday Yuuma invited me out for a date. We went yesterday and I figured out from our recent discussion as well as her general actions throughout the day, that the reason she invited me was to either kill me or capture me to get rid of any unknown variables in town for when Kokabiel came by. She was...rather upset towards the end to put it lightly...so I took a guess that it was the former and it turns out I was right."

"So, Yuuma is a Fallen Angel whose initial goal was to take you out of the equation for Kokabiel's attack?" Michael asked as Issei nodded and Yuuma looked down in shame.

"Now...er...I guess you'd figure it out eventually," Issei chuckled sheepishly. "I kinda...sorta...got her story of how she fell and...I might've used my Balance Breaker to bypass God's system...and I kinda forcibly forgave her."

Michael stared at him for the longest thirty seconds of Issei's life in what could be described as a hodgepodge of confusion, shock, amazement, pride, anger, and disbelief.

"Okay…" he said slowly. "So...you forgave Yuuma by ignoring the system we have in place for Fallen Angels to earn their forgiveness...because you alone decided she deserved it?"

Yuuma's eyes started to water as she got a worried look on her face. She was scared. What was going to happen to him? Would he fall like she did? Were they going to punish him? Would he be- warmth... Once again, she felt warmth. Issei had noticed her panic and took one of her hands in his, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I did. And I don't regret it in the least," he said confidently, making Yuuma tear up even more. "Unfortunately...that's not all…"

"Alright, what did you do?" Michael sighed.

"Oh, this is a big one," Yahweh chuckled. "He accidentally killed her. The idiot thought he was stronger than the system I created to run the world."

"You what?" Yuuma asked, looking at him in confusion, while Michael just shook his head.

"I don't know if I should be surprised or not, but Issei, why don't you finish the story...though I think I know where this is heading.

"Yeah…" he answered sheepishly. "So, apparently, bypassing God's system is...really really difficult. None of what I did should have been possible. After I forgave Yuuma I sorta lost control...I guess...and the power I used to forgive her and the system rejecting it started to tear apart her soul...a little bit."

'My...my soul?' she shivered slightly, lightly grabbing her head in various places as if to make sure nothing was trying to escape.

"Don't worry, Yuuma. You're perfectly alright. I just...kinda broke a major rule to make sure that you didn't accidentally die," he admitted. "So, I realized you were dying...and sorta...used my Brave Saint card to bind your service to me and Heaven until one of us should die."

"Idiot…" Michael rubbed his face in annoyance.

"I'm really sorry! I just...I couldn't live with myself if you died after I promised not to hurt you. If you want to hate me, I understand. I essentially forced you to become my servant, so, if you want, I won't ever order you to do anything. Even if I lose my deck because of it, you can do whatever you like and hit me or hate me or do anything you want. I'm really really really-" Issei was cut off by giggles from Yuuma. She kept giggling until she broke out into laughter. "Oh no...I did so much damage to her brain she's broken. What am I going to do?"

"He's an idiot," Yahweh confirmed.

"Issei, you dummy," she giggled more. "How could I possibly hate you? You...you saved my life! You made my dream come true! I'm...I'm an angel again! I've wanted to go back to Heaven for as long as I can remember! What is there to be even slightly angry about?"

"What is-what do you mean? I forcefully, for all intents and purposes, enslaved you for all time! That's one of the worst things I could have possibly done!"

"So? I would be dead if you hadn't saved me, Issei. Even if I was enslaved, I owe you everything. Besides, why wouldn't I want to serve you? I get to spend my life helping Heaven and the person who...did so much more for me than anyone else has ever done? That's...the best present I could have ever asked for," she smiled. "I guess you could say you enslaved me, but I don't really care. I haven't known you very long, but just from what I've seen, and from what you've said, I don't have anything to worry about. For whatever reason...I feel...safe...when I'm with you. Safer than I've ever felt before. I'll stay with you, Issei, forever. Or at least as long as you'll have me by your side."

"Yuuma," he said, eyes wide.

"Hopefully, she can teach you more about women. You suck at talking to them," Yahweh said.

"No, I don't!" Issei snapped back.

"So, um...you're...you're God?" Yuuma asked. "How...exactly...are you inside of Issei? I don't mean any disrespect my Lord, I'm just...you know, just ignore me. I'm probably just-"

"Now, now, my child. All will be explained in due time. And for all intents and purposes, I'm not God anymore. I'm just the soul of the Heavenly Crown. That title fell from me long ago. You may call me Yahweh or father if you wish."

"Um...yes, my Lo-er...father?" she said, slightly uncomfortably.

"I like this one, Issei. You'd better be good to her. ESPECIALLY if you plan on getting one of those harems you seem to talk about so much."

"I DO NOT TALK ABOUT HAREMS ALL THE TIME!" Issei shouted, blushing. "YOU talk about them all the time! You and my parents! I've never given my opinion one way or the other!"

"You do realize that I'm in your soul, right? And you've allowed me to view your mind more than once?"

"Uh…that's just...um...no comment…"

"Alright, I think we should move on," Michael interrupted. "I'll come up with a suitable punishment for you later, Issei, but for now, let me tell you what I came here for."

"Right...sorry…"

"Yuuma, just so you know, please don't share anything we talk about outside of this room unless explicitly given permission by myself or Issei, who is now, essentially, your direct superior for all matters in relation to Heaven. Understood?" Yuuma nodded quickly, straightening herself up to what she hoped was a more presentable position. "Good. Now, under your theory which is the assumption that Kokabiel is coming to Kuoh to reignite the war-"

"Hold on a second, Michael. We have Yuuma here. We can just confirm everything with her. Will you answer some questions about what your group is doing here, Yuuma?" Issei asked.

"Of course!" she nodded. "Anything I can do to help."

"Alright, so, you already confirmed that Kokabiel is in charge. The theory I came up with is that Kokabiel stole Excaliburs Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency in order to provoke the Heaven faction. He plans to bring them to Kuoh to assassinate the two devil heiresses with the swords in order to reignite the war. Is that all correct?"

"You...you figured out all of that? How?" Yuuma asked, bewildered. "That's most of it...I just don't understand how you-"

"Detective work is kind of his only real talent," Yahweh shrugged, earning a giggle from Yuuma.

"Jerk…" Issei grumbled. "Anyway, is there anything else that I missed? And can you confirm my theory?"

"That's almost all they told me. The only other thing I know is that we're supposed to have a Sacred Gear delivered here soon. I think it was a nun that was excommunicated. I guess Kokabiel arranged for her to be transported to Kuoh so we could extract her Sacred Gear to strengthen our forces," she admitted. "But I don't really know anything else."

"Excommunicated nun…" he muttered. "That's too coincidental to ignore. The Holy Maiden had Twilight Healing, right, Michael?"

"Yes, she did. And yes, they did excommunicate her. In all likelihood, Kokabiel used a Fallen Angel to come to her 'aid' in her time of need. In reality, he's just tricking her so he can kill her for her Sacred Gear."

"Wait, we have to kill her to take the Sacred Gear? They just said it was a ritual!" Yuuma asked in shock.

"Well, it is a ritual, but the ritual kills the host," Michael explained.

"So...I'm part of a conspiracy to kill even more people, huh…" she looked down in further shame.

"Close, but not quite," Issei said. "You were a part of a conspiracy to kill more people. And when you were part of that conspiracy, it was unwilling participation. Besides, you're with me now, so none of that matters, right?"

"How can you say none of that matters!?" she snapped, surprising him that the timid girl seemed to be gone. "I tried to kill you! The only reason I asked you out was so I could kill you and bring your corpse to Kokabiel! Then...then I would have murdered a nun to steal her Sacred Gear for myself! Then I...I would have used it to hurt even more people! To kill even more!"

"Yuuma," he said softly, embracing her tightly as she once again started to cry without realizing it. "With every decision you make, there are consequences. There are results and changes to everything around you. Choosing to have coffee instead of tea could end up saving the world, theoretically."

"I'm...completely lost…" Yahweh admitted.

"So, yes. If you had gone through with killing me, maybe all of that would have happened. Maybe you would have become cold and heartless. But you know what? You didn't. You couldn't. No matter how hard you tried to convince yourself to kill me, you couldn't do it. To me, that means that none of those other things matter. You made the choice to allow me to live and in turn, I made the choice to forgive you. And I will always make the choice to forgive you, Yuuma," he reassured. "That part of you who is capable of killing innocents? It's not there. It will never be there. I'll always, always keep it at bay, You already said you'd stay with me. Something that didn't happen doesn't change that fact, ok? So, don't make such a big deal out of it. You're safe, I'm safe, and you can help us protect all those people that could be in danger, and that's all that matters."

Yuuma just continued to cry into Issei as he rubbed her back. "Is that everything, Michael?"

"Almost. Firstly, you can't go to Heaven until we get this whole thing with your deck resolved. I don't really want to explain her return without the forgiveness process… Also, I was going to tell you that the Holy Maiden will be in Kuoh at some point this week. I'd like you to keep her safe. Do anything you have to to ensure she trusts you and feels safe and welcome with you. I also want you to fully coordinate with the devils here. Between you and their peerages, I'm sure this threat can be averted. I'll contact Azazel again and tell him what we know. In addition, I'm sending you some...reinforcements. They'll arrive sometime this upcoming week," Michael explained.

"What aren't you telling me?" Issei asked suspiciously.

"Well, that's all I have time for. I'll leave you two alone. Looks like you have some work to do," he said, as Yuuma whimpered slightly.

"You're lucky Yuuma's more important than whatever it is you're hiding…" Issei grumbled.

"I'll see you later, Issei! Don't forget, you aren't off the hook for anything, so don't expect it to go unpunished." With a wave, Michael left, returning to Heaven.

"Crafty Angel…" Issei said, mostly to himself. "Alright, Yuuma. Why don't we get some breakfast?"

Yuuma shook her head and hugged him harder as he tried to gently pry her off him. "I don't think she wants you to let go just yet," Yahweh chuckled.

"How am I supposed to get breakfast for us like this?" he whined, standing up and carrying her with him.

'Warm...safe…' Yuuma thought, burying her face into him again.

{Line Break}

"Issei...Issei... Ahem…" she cleared her throat lightly as he started to show signs of waking up. "Proverbs 12:11. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."

SMACK

"Ow! Hey, Issei! What was that for!" Yuuma pouted, rubbing her head.

"Huh…? Yuuma!" he asked, startled as he scrambled to sit up. "Why are you in my bed?"

"Why'd you hit me?"

"I didn't...wait...my alarm clock was destroyed. Why did you wake me up with a proverb?" he asked, bewildered.

"Father told me that's how you like to be woken up," she told him, shyly. "I...didn't want to sleep by myself so I came in here and he told me that you liked being woken up with his Proverbs, so he gave me one to read to you."

"Hahaha! I told you! You will ALWAYS wake up to my wisdom!" Yahweh cackled evilly. "But this...this is just the beginning! Soon, everyone will wake up to denounce the sin of sloth! Muahahaha!"

"Why can't there be a mute button for my soul…" Isse grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Just...don't listen to Yahweh, ok? I do NOT like waking up to his Proverbs. It was the worst bet I ever made…"

"Oh...I'm sorry! I'll never do it again, ok? Please forgive me!" she begged, holding her hands together.

"Relax, would you," he sighed, rubbing her head affectionately, as he moved to get up. "Yahweh was just pranking me and you happened to be the easiest way to go about doing it. I have to find a way to bring that confidence of yours up, you know? You don't have to be so worried about disappointing me, you know."

"Right...I'm sorry…"

"You're so CUTE~!" he gushed, hugging her affectionately. "Don't apologize so much, ok? You didn't do anything wrong."

"O-ok!" she squeaked out.

"Now," he sighed. "You have to go back to your own room."

"Why?"

"Because I need to get dressed, you need to get dressed, and then we need to eat breakfast so I can go to school."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, you can stay here and get bombarded with questions from my mom...yeah...that's not a great idea. Unfortunately, it's our only option," he rubbed his face in annoyance. "I love mom to death, but she can be...difficult...with these sorts of things. Sorry about what you're about to go through."

"Wait a second, why can't I go with you?" she asked, flailing slightly as he started to carry her to the door.

"Because you aren't enrolled at the school. If you really want to, I'll talk with Sona about getting you enrolled, but for now, you have to stay here. Now go get changed," he told her, rubbing her head and gesturing to her room.

"Ok…" she said sadly, walking to her room.

Issei shut the door and sighed for the umpteenth time. 'She really is adorable but we have got to work on her self-confidence and dependency issues.'

"Yes. Yes, you do."

'I have no issues spending most of my time with her, but she has to be able to do things without me, too. It took ten minutes for me to convince her she had to stay in the guest room until we could find her a more permanent living situation instead of sleeping with me and she came in while I was asleep anyway! She's just so...so…'

"Irritating? I thought you liked her?" Yahweh asked, suspiciously.

'SWEET AND ADORABLE!' he mentally groaned, finishing up putting on his uniform. 'That's the problem! She's just the sweetest thing, it breaks my heart to see her even a little sad or disappointed, but I can't feel like that just for stepping away long enough to shower!'

"Hmmm...I see. Well, I'm sure you'll think of something."

'Hold on a minute! You don't have any suggestions for me?'

"..."

"..."

"..."

'You're the worst…' he deadpanned, leaving the room to find a smiling Yuuma outside of his door.

"Ready for breakfast?" she asked.

"Sure, let's go," he smiled back.

{Line Break}

Issei was on his way to school thinking about everything that had happened this past week. He started going to public school, made a few friends, discovered his home is devil territory, uncovered the plan to restart the bloodiest war in history, went on a date with someone who planned to kill him, saved said date who planned to kill him from a terrible fate, and broke several rules of the universe and Heaven. Truly, fate had it out for him. Either that or he was in some sort of poorly-written anime that has questionable choices for main characters.

It was probably just fate. Fate always had been a cruel mistress. I mean, he was expected to go to school and leave Yuuma behind? With that terrifying creature known as a curious and protective mother? While she looked at him with those sad eyes and adorable pout that-

'NO! The more you think of it the more of a hold it has on you!' he reminded himself, as he crossed the bridge towards school. His special bridge where he met Yuuma for the first time.

"So, I see the girl failed to kill you," came a male voice from above.

'I was so distracted thinking about everything that happened, I didn't even notice! Dammit!' Issei thought to himself, jumping slightly before putting his guard up. "Who are you?"

"I take it you killed Raynare? You must be pretty tough to kill that girl, but you stand no chance against me. She may have more power, but she's inexperienced and foolish," the Fallen Angel above him said. He wore a trench coat and black fedora that shaded his piercing gaze.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who's Raynare?" Issei asked.

"You must have memory loss, boy. You can't even remember the name of the woman who tried to kill you?" he sneered. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Humans always were lowly creatures."

"Oh, dear, you mean Yuuma, don't you? I suppose I would change my name too if I had to work with someone like you," he shook his head. "Poor old man, didn't even know the real name of the woman he worked with."

"What was that?" he barked.

"Listen here, crow," Issei snapped. "You're going to leave. You're going to go back to the Grigori and confess your crimes and accept any punishment they give you. In exchange, I won't rip your wings off and kill you myself."

"Wrath, Issei. Be careful," Yahweh warned.

'He. Hurt. Yuuma. I don't care.'

"Cocky brat, aren't you? Just because you can extract information out of some pathetic whore like Raynare doesn't mean you can do anything about me. Says a lot about her that she failed though, doesn't it? Kalawarner had no trouble with her target," he spoke with a mixture of cockiness and pride.

"What did you do?!" Issei roared. "Did you kill another innocent? In case they were some sort of unexplained variable in your sick plan for war?!"

"You really got a lot out of that bitch, didn't you? I don't know who it was, brat, not that it matters. Some pink-haired slut who thinks she's hot shit with a sword."

"Oh, no…" Yahweh groaned aloud. "You should not have said that."

"Who was that?" he asked, looking around. "Show yourself!"

"Your name," Issei spoke with a cold, emotionless tone. "Give me the name of the first man I'll kill with my bare hands."

"Cheeky brat! It's the last name you'll ever learn! Dohnaseek! Now, prepare yourself to-"

"DIE!" Issei yelled, releasing his five shimmering gold wings and unleashing his holy aura. "As repentance for your sins and crimes, I sentence you to death by my hands! May Cocytus have mercy on your soul!"

"Five wings?" he asked in shock, stumbling in the air. "Fuck, I need to get out of here!"

"Heavenly Crown," Issei announced, replacing his halo with his holy crown. "Αλυσίδες του Θεού."
(Chains of God)

'I...can't...move!' Dohnaseek thought in fear, as he struggled to try and escape. No matter how hard he struggled, he was stuck. Out of thin air, chains made up of the brightest light he'd ever seen wrapped around his whole body, pinning his legs together and his arms to his sides. "What did you DO? What sort of holy magic IS this?"

"I have judged you, Dohnaseek, for your sins. I have ruled that your sentence is to be carried out. Now, I shall become your executioner," Issei declared in a regal tone, holding out his palm as he approached the frantically struggling Dohnaseek.

"You can't do this! What...what on earth ARE YOU?" Dohnaseek yelled.

"I am the Lord thy God. Disappear," he said simply, pressing his palm to Dohnaseek's head. The Fallen Angel began to scream and writhe in pain as holy magic filled his system. His body slowly began to fail, its basic functions ceasing until he gave one final twitch, and passed on. "The ultimate divine punishment of angels, Θέληση του Εκτελεστή, (Will of the Executioner) taught to me by the Lord himself. Good riddance to a forgotten soul."

"Don't you think that was a bit too far?" Yahweh asked as Issei rid himself of his wings and Sacred Gear.

"It was a quick death developed by you, to provide satisfaction to the wronged and mercy to the instigator. He was only in pain for a brief period," Issei answered, disregarding the question entirely. "I need to get to the school."

"Don't lose yourself to wrath, child. Not because it's a sin, but because those who fall to wrath rarely come back the same as they once were."

Issei ignored him and ran the rest of the way to school, avoiding passersby without even a glance in their direction. All he cared about was finding out if she was safe.

He arrived shortly after, though he was one of the first there. Usually, he got to school about fifteen minutes early, which was when most of the students got there. They had time to see friends, enjoy the schoolyard, or do other things they couldn't do during class. Since he sprinted most of the way, he was over thirty minutes early, so, he resigned himself to wait.

Five minutes went by and students started to file in at a slow pace.

Ten minutes and most of the students were there.

Twenty minutes and no one else was entering as practically everyone was already there.

Thirty minutes and the bell rang, but Issei wasn't ready to leave yet.

Forty minutes and he knew...it was really true. He'd waited too long...he was too afraid of the consequences of acting. As a result, someone died. Because he was too scared, one of his friends died. The first person to talk to him, to be openly friendly to him died because he was too concerned with politics. How would he tell Murayama? Should he tell her it was his fault? What about her family? The family that lost-

"Issei! Hey, Issei!" came a voice, running through the courtyard. "What are you doing out here? Class started-EEK! ISSEI!"

Issei had immediately sprinted over and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You're...you're alive."

"What's gotten into you? Put me down!" she squeaked, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Are you hurt? You're ok? You are Katase, right? Turn around. No, wait, stay still. I need to make sure you have no stab wounds anywhere. Moving could exacerbate-"

"What are you talking about, Issei? Stop! What are you doing! Pervert!" she exclaimed as he tried to inspect her for damage.

"You don't appear to have any-wait a second, pervert? I'm not a pervert!"

"Then why are you grabbing and inspecting me? Hmm? Do you have some sort of a lower back fetish? Is that why you tried lifting my shirt? Or were you looking at my butt?"

"I WAS NOT!" he defended. "I'm trying to make sure you don't have any stab wounds!"

"Why would I have stab wounds, Issei? Think with your brain and not the perverted side! And to think, I thought you were better than this! You're a Catholic, I think, act like it!" she scolded.

"Hold on a minute, let me-wait a second…" he paused, narrowing his eyes and looking closer. "Come with me."

"Issei! I just told you to-hmmph!" she was silenced as he covered her mouth with his hand.

"I'm gonna need you to trust me and not say anything, ok? Can you do that?" she nodded. "Good. Follow me."

After he took his hand off of her, he led her quietly up to the roof, avoiding anyone in the school. "Now will you tell me why you're acting like this? Do I need to tell Mury that you really are a pervert? Dragging an innocent maiden up to the roof to have your way with her?"

"THAT IS NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!" Issei defended.

"Sure seems like it," Yahweh said, crunching on what sounded like popcorn.

'WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT EATING IN THERE? YOU BETTER NOT GET CRUMBS ON MY SOUL!'

"What a strange sentence…" God muttered to himself but was ignored.

"Ok...deep breath, Issei…" he told himself aloud. "Katase is still alive. That's my question. Why are you alive?"

"Are you saying you'd rather me not be alive?"

"No! No, not at all! Have you met anyone suspicious lately? Have you had strange gaps in your memory? Have you had strange dreams of seeing yourself die? Have you sworn to yourself that something happened only to find out that no one else has any memory of it?"

"Slow down, Issei!" Katase sighed. "One question at a time! No, I haven't met anyone suspicious and I haven't had any gaps in my memory. I guess I did have a dream that felt real though…"

"Tell me everything that happened, every detail!" he insisted.

"If I tell you, will you tell me why you're acting so...whatever this is today?" she asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips. "Girls don't like being touched, groped, and inspected without their permission, you know."

"I apologize, but I was worried you were dead or dying, alright? Now, please tell me what the dream was about!"

"Alright, fine! I'm not some helpless damsel in distress you know," she huffed. "Now, let's see. I was coming home from the store when a woman came and asked me for help. She was pretty tall for a woman and had blue hair. Oh, she had massive tits too! I mean, those things were huge! And they were out in the open too! I mean, not all the way, but she wore this red outfit that made them-"

"I know I said every detail, but I do not need you to describe this woman's breasts to me. Could you get to the point?"

"Right, sorry. I got a little carried away, didn't I? So did they, I guess… Anyway, she asked me if she could help her move something with her car. She said it wasn't particularly heavy, it was just too big to move with one person. Being the wonderful and helpful person I am, I decided to follow her and help her out!" she declared proudly. "But, when we got out of view of the other people, she seemed...different. I don't know how to explain it. Then, these massive black wings came out from her back and she turned around and grinned at me! Like, an evil smile grin! Like in the movies! Then she said something to me and stabbed me with light that she made appear out of thin air!"

"Did anything else happen?" Issei pressed, getting more and more concerned.

"No, not that I remember. After that, I woke up. It was a really real feeling dream, but it was just that. My mom yelled at me for not going to the store, so I had to go out this morning. That's why I was so late," she admitted.

"I have another question that may seem very inappropriate, so I apologize in advance," he breathed. "When you woke up from this dream, were you naked?"

"WHAT?"

"Were you naked? Did you not remember going to sleep or have memories of wearing clothes and then somehow wake up naked?"

"WERE YOU PEEPING ON ME? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE?" she yelled, covering herself with her hands. "You really ARE a pervert! I was just messing with you before, but you-hmmph! HMM! HMMPH HRRMMPP HMM!"

"Would you stop wriggling and yelling?" Issei said, trying to hold her still. "EW! Don't lick me!"

"What are you doing? Let me go, Issei!" she backed away slowly.

"Please, Katase. Listen to me."

"No! Were you really expecting me to just let you do perverted things to me just because I thought you were cute? Move. I have class to get to!"

"Katase, just...this is important. Please...just...just hear me out."

"Why should I?"

"Because I care about your safety!" he snapped before sighing. "Listen, Katase, the world isn't all that it seems. There are things out there you would believe only exist in your nightmares. Things you wouldn't believe could even exist there. For every shred of this place you call reality, made up by our individual knowledge and awareness, there is an endless expanse of what you've never seen."

"Issei, what are you talking about?" she asked, backing away more, her voice shaking. "You're scaring me."

"I'm not human, Katase, and you aren't either," he admitted. "That dream you had. It wasn't a dream at all. It was real. Painfully real. Terrifyingly real. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it from happening. I had every opportunity to prevent it, but I didn't. So, for that, I apologize. For now, if there is any part of you that can still trust me...just keep this quiet just for today. Please...I'll explain everything to you after school and answer any question you could ask that I could possibly answer if you'll just trust me one last time."

"I don't know what any of that means, Issei," she warned. "But you'd better have a damn good excuse for doing these...these things to me. You don't get to use my trust in you to start touching me under the pretext of caring about my safety-"

"PLEASE!"

"FINE!" she yelled. "Fine...this last time...I'll trust you. I expect you to come up with something good. I liked you, Issei. I'm just...really upset right now. I have to go to class."

With that, she walked off. "Wow, you handled that really poorly," Yahweh commented.

'Don't you think I know that?' he snapped. 'I was just...I was scared, ok? The description he gave...it was undeniably her. It couldn't have been anyone else. When she didn't show...I was certain. But then, she came! She was alive! I couldn't think about anything other than making sure she was safe. She was my first friend my age since Irina...I didn't want...I couldn't lose her...especially if I could have done something to stop it.'

"I understand, Issei. Fear is a powerful force. Fear that you're going to lose something important to you. Fear that you won't be able to protect someone and fear that they'll hate you for failing them. As a leader, as a person, as an Angel, and as a man, Issei, you will experience fear of all kinds. You will grow stronger because of that fear, but you must face it head-on with a clear head and an unwavering conviction. Your conviction, Issei, is your blade. If you keep it sharp and strike strongly and precisely, you can cut through anything, but if you let it dull, it will break, leaving you alone and defenseless. Remember this, Issei, and next time, you won't need to beg to regain the trust you nearly lost."

'I...thank you, Yahweh...thank you…' Issei breathed out in relief, as he collapsed to his knees.

{Line Break}

"My, my, skipping class? Such a naughty underclassman," Akeno teased as she poured another cup of tea.

"Thanks, Akeno," he thanked, taking the cup from her and sipping it slowly.

"So, what can I do for you, Issei?" Rias asked from her desk.

Over the past week, the two had come close to what you would describe as friends. Issei had spent some time in her clubroom's company, interacting and getting to know them. They still seemed weary, as he was an angel, but they were able to get along amicably. Rias seemed the most willing to accept him as a comrade, while Kiba and Koneko proved more difficult.

"I'll ask pretty straightforwardly, I guess. Are you the reason Katase is still alive or is it Sona?" he asked.

"How do you know about that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It's a bit of a story, so get comfortable," he sighed. Issei told her about his meeting with Yuuma and how she decided to come with him, bending the truth to say she just agreed to go with him instead of admitting that he used the power of God to forgive her and then made her a Brave Saint, about discovering and confirming Kokabiel's plans with the Excaliburs and the danger they were in, and about his fight with Dohnaseek. "I know it's asking for a lot, but Katase is my friend. The first one I've had in years. I just want to know what happened to her."

"That's...a lot to take in," Rias admitted. "Well, to answer your question, yes. I've had my eye on Katase for a while now but haven't taken her in. She's well-known in the Kendo group and rarely alone, so it's been difficult to get an opportunity to ask her. Koneko was tailing her the other day when a Fallen Angel killed her. I resurrected her as my second knight."

"So, she's in your peerage now?" Issei asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you," he kneeled. "Thank you...so much...for saving her. I owe you more than words can express."

"That's not necessary, I was happy to rescue her. In fact, Kiba should be bringing her here shortly," Rias waved him off, internally smirking at being owed a favor. "But I will keep that in mind for the future."

"Then, before she gets here, I have two more things to say." Issei stood and faced her. 'Yahweh?'

"On it!" More hammers, crashing planks, and buzzsaw noises rang out. "Good to go!"

"If you EVER do ANYTHING to hurt her," Issei started, with a terrifying tone and pace to his speech. Slowly, as he spoke, his wings began to appear, white and feathery as the clouds. This time, he was doing something different though. His wings came out, not all at once, or in pairs...but one at a time...slowly...as if cementing in their minds that he was stronger. He was far out of their realm of ability to touch should they try. "I will NOT sit here and let it happen. She may be your servant, but she did NOT ask for it. It is MY fault that you were forced to intervene. Should she be treated well, you have me in your debt. As muscle. As a diplomat. Anything you could request that I could give you is yours. But should you harm her...should you DARE to hurt someone under MY protection..you will learn why the Angels strike fear into the hearts of those who sin."

Rias was frozen in fear. What had once been a casual, friendly, peace-loving, mid-tier Angel, was now a force of nature. Five pairs. Five pairs of shimmering white wings, dripping with holy power lit the room up with a holy glow. His gaze penetrated through where she sat.

"Do we understand each other?" Rias could only nod. "Having an Angel with my power on your side is not something you should take lightly, Rias. Y-"

"President? I brought her!" came a male voice from outside, as the door opened. "President!"

"AHHH!" Katase screamed. "WHAT IS THAT?"

"E-ev-everything's f-fine, K-kiba," Rias stuttered out, as Issei moved to the side, still not facing the door. "I'm perfectly safe."

"Don't forget that I'd like nothing more than to be friends, Rias, but those that fall under my wings will be weathered from the storm," Issei spoke in a more normal tone as his wings receded and his halo disappeared.

"ISSEI?" Katase yelled. "What on earth just-how did-where-"

"Now, now, Katase, calm yourself," Issei said, walking past the shell-shocked Akeno. "Remember you said you'd trust me one last time? That's why you're here. I just made...we'll say a deal I suppose...to make sure nothing happens. If you want to speak with me when Rias finishes, come visit me. I sent you my address earlier."

"What did you do to our president?" Kiba demanded, still trembling slightly.

"I offered her a choice. Her greatest wish or her greatest nightmare. I will maintain my belief in the righteous, whether it is in a room full of devils or gods. Someday, Kiba, we will all drink together and celebrate the peace we've built by accepting the corpses we've left behind." With that, Issei walked out.

"Don't you think that was a little bit too far?" Yahweh asked. "I get the whole 'treat her well, or else' notion, but, really? 'We'll all drink together and celebrate peace by accepting each other's corpses?' THAT'S what you say? Way to appear friendly."

'Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.'

"Don't give me ambiguous, unrelated Sun Tzu quotes! Issei! Hey, Issei!"