A/N: DxD community is the best, hands down. Writing for FT was great, and maybe it's a coincidence, but it was way less interactive then. I appreciate all reviews, but all the reviews for those stories were like 'great' or 'nice' and that was the extent of our chatting. You guys have been asking questions, responding to my responses, and I've had some lengthy discussions! Makes this story even more fun to write!
WARNING: This chapter is DARK. I want it to be scary and different from the other chapters so far. Life isn't rainbows and cupcakes and sin points. Dark stuff will continue throughout the story, but, since is the first major instance, I figured I'd warn you ahead of time.
It was now Friday. Katase had taken two days off from school, one due to 'illness,' i.e extreme soreness from Issie's brutality, and then a second for her final Kendo Club match before she officially transferred to the Occult Research Club. She and Issei were now eating lunch together in the courtyard while Issei told her about his meeting Asia after he had left for the evening.
"Hahahahaha!" Katase laughed, almost keeling over. "You! I can't... breathe! You abducted-ahahahahaha~!"
"It seemed like a good idea at the time!" Issei defended, turning away in clear embarrassment.
"How is...abducting someone...ever a good idea!" she forced out, continuing to laugh.
"Oh, sure, laugh it up. You won't be laughing tomorrow…" Issei grumbled.
{Flashback}
"So, Mr. Issei," Asia asked meekly. "Could you explain what's happening?"
"Yeah, I probably should, shouldn't I?" he chuckled sheepishly.
"I wanna know too, Issei~!" Yuuma exclaimed, running into the room and jumping on top of him again. "Why did you abduct somebody?"
"OOF!" he grunted, being tackled onto his bed by Yuuma. "I'll explain once you're not on top of me…"
"Sorry!" she said quickly, climbing off and sitting next to him.
"Anyway, so, depending on how you define abducting someone, I suppose we did sort of abduct you," Issei explained, sitting up. "Though not in the way you'd think of. I'm not explaining this very well, am I?"
"No, not at all. So many sin points right now. All of the sin points. You would not believe how many sin points this gives you…"
"So, first of all, you're 100% completely and without a doubt safe here, Asia," he smiled. That seemed to relax her a little bit, so now her face went from confused and a little nervous, to mostly just confused. 'Man, she believes everyone, doesn't she? Good thing we found her first.'
"So, what am I doing here? I'm supposed to be going to the church," Asia explained.
"Right, so, you have Twilight Healing, right? The Sacred Gear?"
"How did you know that?" she gasped.
"I get updates from Michael all the time," he shrugged. "And I've been very upset with him for the past few years about your situation, by the way. I'll have some more words with him about everything again soon, ok?"
"Um...Mr. Issei? Who is Michael?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Right, right. I should probably start a little bit earlier, shouldn't I? Also, just call me Issei. Mr. Issei makes me feel old…"
"Now you know how I feel," Yahweh pointed out.
'That's different. You are old.'
"...Brat…"
"So! You are a nun and a devout follower of the church. At the age of six, while living as an orphan with the church in Italy, you discovered that you possessed a magical healing power. The church discovered this and told you it was a gift from the Lord himself and proclaimed you as a saint, the legendary Holy Maiden. From then on, they kept you extremely sheltered, limiting all contact with the outside world, and you were frequently required to heal anyone and everyone they brought to you, even if they were begging you not to. Is that all right?"
"How...how did…" she stuttered out, her face contorted in fear and sadness.
"Maybe I really am terrible at talking to girls…" Issei murmured dejectedly, seeing her face. "I'm sorry about all that, Asia. That must have been really lonely, huh?"
"That's terrible!" Yuuma agreed.
"It...it was…" Asia sniffled. "I've never really...had any friends...or gotten to experience the world... They said that...since I was a Holy Maiden...I didn't need anything else... That the love of the Lord who blessed me was more than enough…"
"Well, I can tell you that that's not at all the case. On the off chance that God just so happened to be in this room, I would say that he would agree with me in telling you that everyone needs friends and you can never be given enough love," Issei said proudly.
"Cheeky brat…" Yahweh chuckled.
"I bet he would," Yuuma giggled too. "We'll be your friends, Asia!"
"I was getting to that part, but yeah. That's kinda my schtick, you know? I'd like to be friends with everyone, if that's alright with you, of course," Issei added.
"You'd really...be friends with a heretic like me?" Asia sniffed. "I was...excommunicated... Someone from the church like you...would never want to be with someone like me…"
"Don't be ridiculous," Issei waved off. "I've known you were excommunicated since before you got here. I really got into it with Michael about that, believe me."
"Mr. Issei, are you a stalker?" she asked. Yuuma burst into a fit of giggles.
"No! What makes you-actually, you make a good point. I do sound like a stalker, don't I…" Issei said dejectedly, falling on the floor in shame, slowly drawing circles on the ground. "A pervert and now a stalker...what else could possibly go wrong…"
"Um, did I say something wrong?"
"No," Yuuma kept giggling. "Finish the story, Issei. You haven't even gotten to why you abducted her yet."
"Right," Issei nodded, sitting back next to Yuuma as if he hadn't just been in the depths of self-loathing for accidentally making him seem like a perverted stalker. "Anyway, so your question was who is Michael. Archangel Michael of the Heaven faction. He's a good friend of mine."
"You...you mean…" Asia's mouth dropped open. "The Archangel Michael? From the Bible?"
"The very same! He told me you were coming to Kuoh and that I should take you in. Keep you comfortable, make sure you stay happy, and do anything you want. Issei Hyoudou is at your service!"
"B-b-but I'm just a heretic!" Asia shook her hands in front of her face in denial. "I-I don't deserve any of that!"
"No, you're right. You deserve way more than that," Issei said sternly, before kneeling in front of her. "Asia Argento, on behalf of the Heaven faction, I would like to offer a personal apology for your mistreatment as well as your excommunication. If you could find it in your heart to forgive us, I'd be grateful."
"P-please! I'm not-I'm not angry! I-I don't-" Asia stuttered out. "I mean-of course I accept your apology, but I don't think I deserve one."
"Asia," he looked directly into her eyes. "You do deserve one. I'm sorry I couldn't convince Michael to help you more, but from here on, you're in my care, alright? Oh, it would probably help if you knew what I was, wouldn't it?"
"Gold or white?" Yahweh asked.
'Eh, leave 'em gold. She'll be with us for a while and I don't want to have you keep taking your essence out of my wings if you don't have to,' he mentally shrugged. "Issei Hyoudou. Ultimate-Class Angel at your service."
Asia's eyes widened even more and her jaw seemed to drop to the floor as she looked at Issei's five pairs of glittering golden wings and shining halo.
"What about me, Issei?" Yuuma asked, tilting her head cutely. "I'm her friend too, you know!"
"Well then, introduce yourself to our esteemed guest!" he grinned.
"Fun! I'm Yuuma Amano! High-Class Angel and Issei Hyoudou's Ten of Crowns, at your service!" she smiled, releasing her three pairs of fluffy white wings and leaning onto Issei. "Nice to meet you!"
And with that, Asia passed out. "I was afraid that would happen…"
"Now what do we do?" Yuuma asked.
"Well, she'll be rooming with you for a bit, so please stay in your own room, ok? At least until she's comfortable here," Issei sighed, as Yuuma would 'find her way' into Issei's bedroom every single night without fail.
"Ohhh~," she whined. "Fine. Just for tonight though."
"I really need to get my own place…" Issei grumbled.
{Flashback End}
"And she just...and she just passed out!" Katase started to fall on Issei from laughing too hard.
"Go laugh over there!" he pretended to be angry, but his grin gave it away. "Yeah, yeah, I terrified an adorable sheltered nun. My bad."
"You really, really need lessons on girls, Issei!" she giggled some more. "Every day is dragging innocent maidens like myself into isolated locations so you can corrupt them."
"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"
"His sin score this week is through the roof," Yahweh added.
"You be quiet! We're at school!"
"Oh, lighten up, will you? Anyway, so did anything else happen after she passed out? Did she wake up again?"
"Not until morning, no. At least she keeps Yuuma out of my bed…"
"She sleeps with you?" Katase's jaw dropped. "I knew you were a pervert! You are building a harem, aren't you? Naughty, Issei!"
"I spend ten minutes trying to drag her out of my room into her own and then once I've fallen asleep, she uses me as a body pillow. That is in no way my fault," he holds his hands up. "It's hard to get a grip on that girl, she just doesn't stop wriggling around…"
"You should really carry around a tape recorder and listen back to some of the things you say," Katase giggled.
"Whatever," he scoffed. "Anyway, when we got up, she started treating us like we were God or something. 'Lord Issei' this and 'Lady Yuuma' that."
"Well, technically…"
"Yeah, yeah, technically I am, but she doesn't need to know that yet," he waved her off. "I nearly held her down in her chair just so she wouldn't insist on doing every single chore in the entire house. She even offered to be my personal helper for school! Is that even a thing?"
"I've heard of people bringing butlers to school," Katase pondered. "But only in anime. Never in real life. Maybe they'd let you have your own personal maid~?"
"As if I need more attention…" Issei deadpanned. "I'm already going to be overwhelmed on Monday."
"What's happening Monday?"
"Yuuma and Asia are joining the school…" he sighed.
"Already? That was fast!" she looked shocked.
"Yeah, well, Sona runs the school, so I had to make a deal with the devil," he shrugged.
"And the deal you made was…"
"I have to meet with Lady Leviathan and Sirzechs Lucifer."
"You say that like you're not terrified of meeting two of the Four Great Satans…" Katase said flatly.
"I'm not, really. They could probably kill me if they really wanted to, but it would restart the war and destroy the entire town. I'm not worried," he shrugged. "Besides, I'm a big peace guy. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"If you're sure," she shrugged. "So, you're coming on the stray hunt with us tonight, right?"
"Ah, that's tonight?"
"Yep and don't think you're getting out of it. Rias told me that it was part of your deal with Sona," Katase scolded. "I've got to get to class. See you tonight?"
"Yeah, see you then," Issei waved. 'I wonder why she wants me there in the first place?'
"Maybe she wanted to show off her power," Yahweh suggested.
'Wanted?'
"...Issei...you threatened her whole group with all your wings out... She's fully aware that they don't stand a chance…"
'Fair point. You don't think she'll be mad if I bring Yuuma and Asia, do you?'
"I think they'll mind, but I also think you won't be able to pry Yuuma off of you in time to leave her at the house and I know for a fact that you won't leave Asia alone."
'Even the finest sword when plunged into salt water will begin to rust...' Issei sighed to himself. 'Rias is gonna kill me…'
"STOP AMBIGUOUSLY QUOTING SUN TZU!"
{Line Break}
"I'm home~," Issei called, setting down his stuff in preparation for impact.
"ISSEI~!" Yuuma exclaimed, once more jumping on top of him. "You're back!"
"Nice to see you too, Yuuma," Issei sighed, returning the gesture. "How was Asia today? You get along?"
"Yuuma! Where did you go!" Asia protested, running through the house before seeing the two. "Lord Issei! You've returned!"
"Would you please stop calling me Lord?"
"Of course, Lord Issei."
Issei slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Yuuma, please, share with me your secret!"
"My underwear is pink today!" she said happily.
"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!" he groaned. "My life really is a Shonen anime!"
"Lord-I mean, Issei, what is anime?" Asia asked.
"YOU POOR CHILD!" Issei wept, running to her and comically crying as he tried to provide her with the warmth that was not provided to her with anime. "YOU POOR SHELTERED CHILD! This injustice will not go unpunished! Don't worry, Asia, I'll fix this terrible situation at once. Come! Fairy Tail awaits!"
"I-Issei!" she squeaked. "What are you talking about?"
"Come, Yuuma! We must fix this adorable, sheltered child!" Issei ordered, picking up Asia and heading upstairs.
"Yes!" Yuuma saluted and giggled as she followed Issei and the blushing and wriggling nun up the stairs.
{Line Break}
"Aye, sir!" Asia cheered along with the television. "Issei, do talking blue cats really exist? Can I have one? Please~?"
"Asia," he looked at her seriously. "Should such a creature breathe in this world I shall not rest until you have it!"
"Yay! Thanks, Issei!" she smiled, hugging him.
"I want one too!" Yuuma added, jumping on his back.
"Alright, I shall locate two talking blue felines that have angel wings!" Issei declared. "Should it take one year or one-thousand years!"
"Yay!" Yuuma cheered.
"But I won't be alive in one-thousand years," Asia pouted.
"Don't worry about the details," he waved her off. "You'll be fine."
"Humans don't live that long, Issei," she tried to explain.
"Well, I'll just fix that too," he ignored her sigh of defeat. "Anyway, I have to go. Rias wanted-"
"Can I come?" Yuuma asked. "You haven't done anything with me all week, Issei. Are you tired of me already?"
"No, Yuuma! Please don't cry!" he panicked.
"How does he not realize…" Yahweh deadpanned.
"Alright, alright! Fine, you can come!"
"Yay! Thanks, Issei!" she smiled, instantly stopping her fake tears.
"You did that on purpose…" he said flatly. She said nothing, only smiled brightly at him.
"Am I coming as well, Issei?" Asia asked.
"Unless you really don't want to. The house should be safe enough, but I don't relish the idea of letting you be alone at the moment. That's why you're starting school with us Monday."
"What?" she asked in surprise. "Really? I get to go to school?"
"Yeah, as long as you-"
"Thank you, Issei!" she squealed, darting up and giving him a hug. "Thank you so much! I've always wanted to go to school! They never let me go when I was with the church!"
"Hey, now, of course. If you wanted to go, you could have asked, you know?"
"I...I didn't want to give you any trouble or anything," she fidgeted slightly.
"Hey, look at me," he asked softly. "It's not, ok? Are you afraid that if you ask for anything I won't want to be your friend anymore?"
"N-no...I just…" she buried her face deeper into his chest and said nothing.
"Asia, it may be my job to look after you, but I've been fighting to get you out of that church for years. I meant what I said. I really would love to be your friend, Asia. So don't worry about stuff like that, ok? Be proud of who you are and speak up for yourself, eh?"
"Thanks, Issei," she smiled. "I'm glad you abducted me."
"Was that sarcasm?" he smirked. "From innocent little Asia? It only took three days, but my innocent little Asia has been corrupted! Oh, woe is me!"
"I'm not corrupted!" she giggled.
"Good!" he sighed. "Now, go with Yuuma and get dressed."
"What's wrong with this?" she asked him.
"Asia...you're wearing a nun outfit. Do you know where we're going?" Asia just blushed and looked away. "Of course you don't. Go ask Yuuma to borrow one of her outfits. We're going on a stray devil hunt!"
"D-d-devils?" Asia shook in fear.
"Don't worry, Asia. Devils are really nice most of the time. We're going out with some friends of mine to take down one of the evil ones. Besides, Yuuma and I will be with you the whole time. No filthy devil will hurt my adorable little Asia!"
"O-ok!" she squeaked.
"No, go change!"
"Yes, Lord Issei!"
"STOP CALLING ME LORD!"
{Line Break}
"Are you sure you want to try again? We're going on the hunt soon," Rias asked.
"Yes, president. I've been trying all week and I've only been able to get one contract!" Katase complained. "Everyone that summons me is a weirdo."
"Alright, I suppose you can go. I'll draw the circle for you. Just be back soon, ok?"
"Thank you, president!"
With a flash of crimson-colored magic, Katase arrived in front of a creepy-looking single-story home.
'That's weird...I've always been summoned inside the house before,' she thought to herself, walking towards the house. Noticing the door was slightly ajar, she decided to call out. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
She slowly pushed the door open more, peeking her head inside. Instantly, the smell of blood flooded her nose. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. But as scared as she was, she needed to keep walking forward. Someone summoned her and she wasn't going to chicken out now!
Katase slowly walked into the house. Deeper and deeper into the front room. The smell was getting stronger and stronger. It was vulgar. Repulsive. Disgusting. The smell of iron and burnt flesh. It was all she could do to keep from gagging. But still, she continued. Slowly walking into the next room, only to step in something warm and definitely wet.
"Oh, Satan…" Katase whispered, realizing what she stepped in was a pool of blood. She covered her mouth in shock. On the wall, nailed to a cross was a man. Not a man she knew, but a human being. Who was once alive. He could have had family or friends. Maybe even a wife or children. He was nailed to the cross. His arms were spread as were his legs. He had been stripped of his clothes and his body was covered in deep cuts. It appeared that he had even been castrated. She had never felt so utterly disgusted with a sight before in her life.
"Ooh~, this devil looks tasty," came a vile voice from the other side of the corner. "Mmm, a nice ripe one. A bit on the small side, but to tell you a secret, I like them better that way."
"Who's there? Come out!" Katase demanded, summoning every last ounce of her courage to not immediately run in fear from this feeling she got as he walked out of the darkness.
"Ooh~, a feisty one too!" he cackled evilly. The figure that emerged from the shadows had shoulder-length white hair and evil red eyes. On his face was a sickening grin and he wore a priestly garb. If it wasn't so utterly terrifying, she might have laughed at the irony.
"Who are you? Did you do this?"
"One question at a time, little devil," he sneered, drawing what looked like a light sword. "I'm Freed Sellzen. Exorcist extraordinaire!"
"What did you kill him for?" she demanded again, taking a single step back that she hoped he didn't notice. She wasn't that lucky.
"Aww~, did the little devil see my work and get scared?" he laughed again, cackling like a crazed hyena. "Don't worry, devil, I'll be sure to put you to good use before you die."
"And what does that mean?" The fear had started to catch up with her. She was trembling. She was terrified.
"What do you think it means, devil," he grinned darkly. "It means. You're my new little plaything. If you do a good job, maybe I'll let you live long enough to do it again. After all, what else are devil-sluts good for other than a good fuck?"
"D-don't touch me!" she yelled. "I won't let you!"
"That mouth of yours is getting annoying. Time to put it to better use!" he roared, charging at her with his light sword.
"KOGARASU MARU!" she screamed, summoning her Sacred Gear. She blocked his sword with the sheath just before it made contact.
"So, the little devil can do more than just bark," he cackled again. "Perfect! An easy conquest is no fun, no fun at all! It's always the same! They're so confident, oh, so confident! They're so sure that they can survive! Until I get to them...then they beg for their lives. Screaming for it! It's so good!"
"You're a sick freak!" she shouted, drawing her blade. "Stay away from me!"
"Not a chance, devil girl! I was promised a nun as part of my payment, but she disappeared! I haven't gotten any all week!" Freed licked his lips. "I'm sure you'll do."
Katase yelled and struck at him. Their swords clashed as she tried to push him back. This wasn't some Kendo Club match. This was a fight to protect herself. Her innocence. Her life.
Strike! Blocked.
Swipe! Parried.
Jab! Sidestepped and counterstrike with a glancing blow.
Over and over, but it was hopeless. Her sword was legendary. She had a Sacred Gear and he didn't. She was a Devil and he was a human. But none of that mattered. She was too weak to stand a chance. Every nick of his blade was agonizing. That's right. Issei told her Devils were weak to light. His sword was a holy sword. Mass-produced or not, on a Low-Class Devil like herself, it felt like Hell.
But Katase wouldn't give in. She kept swinging. Striking. Living. For as long as she could. She couldn't pray anymore and something told her that it didn't matter if she screamed. This fight was her own. No one would resurrect her if she died this time. The only thing she could think about was not dying. And him.
Conviction, determination, and the stronger will often makes a difference in a battle. That may be true, but if the difference in skill is too great, they become non-factors. Unimportant blips that fade away. Freed was too strong. With one final swing, she was disarmed. Her sword clattered across the floor as Freed held the light sword to her throat, shoving her against the wall. He slowly licked a drop of blood from his sword as he grinned at her injured and shaking form.
"Finally! I've been waiting for so long!" Freed groaned, moving terrifyingly close to her. "You look just deliciously pure! I can't wait to break you."
Katase was trembling in fear. She was going to die. This was it. He sliced open her shirt down the middle as she squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she could distract herself, she could pretend this wasn't happening. He touched her. She screamed.
"Keep screaming, devil! It makes it so much more fun!" he moaned.
'Issei...please...I need you…' she thought, whimpering.
"Let the fun...begin…" he whispered. Just as she felt his weight on her, a loud crash echoed throughout the room and the weight pinning her to the wall disappeared. She collapsed on the ground, trembling, hugging her knees to her chest.
"YOU!" a voice roared, gripping Freed by the throat.
"Damned be the soul lusts for death," spoke a second voice.
"RGHH KCCHHHKK~!" Freed tried to choke out, as he scratched desperately at the hand squeezing the life out of his neck.
"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TAKE FROM ME?" the voice boomed. "YOU DARE YOU WIELD MY POWER, MY STRENGTH, THE WEAPON UNTO WHICH I BLESSED WITH MY WILL TO TAKE INNOCENCE? TO END LIVES? TO BREAK WILLS AND TORTURE PURE SOULS?"
"Damned be the soul who preys on the weak."
Freed's vision was dancing with darkness. He had a minute left before he lost consciousness, at most. What was happening? Everything had gone perfectly according to his plan! He showed up just in time for that man to summon a devil and then had some fun torturing him. After killing him, he simply waited for the devil to arrive. And, as luck would have it, it was a perfect little devil-slut! He was going through withdrawal, dammit! The nun he was promised never showed up and he hadn't taken anyone's innocence in ages! And he had it! It was in the palm of his hands! Until THIS showed up!
"YOU WILL SEE THE DARKNESS THAT RESIDES WITHIN THE LIGHT YOU FOOLISHLY CLAIM TO FIGHT FOR!" he roared again. "HEAVENLY CROWN!"
"And damned be the soul who forgets that all that I give I may take away."
This power... It was overwhelming. Ten golden wings skittered the edges of his darkening vision as the hand squeezed tighter and tighter around his neck. The clothes of this strange creature changed, too, he noticed. Funny the things you notice in your last moments. They were definitely from the church and this was definitely an Angel. But who?
"I am the Lord thy God. You who have wielded my power of light for darkness, you who have taken from those who held nothing, you who have threatened the weak, and you who have stolen from God. I judge you by your sins and strike you down in my name," he spoke in a tone of regality. It seemed to echo off the walls of the home. "Θέληση του Εκτελεστή. May Cocytus weep upon your withered soul." (Will of the Executioner)
It was done. Freed Sellzen the exorcist was dead. His corpse collapsed on the ground, as lifeless as all the victims he preyed upon. His killer slowly walked towards the still horrified and trembling Katase, who was blind in fear. He knelt in front of her and slowly reached his hand out.
"NO!" she screamed, slapping it away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"Katase," he said softly. "It's ok now. Everything's ok now. You're perfectly safe."
"I-I-Issei?" she stuttered nervously, as if she wasn't sure if he was real. She reached a hand out and he slowly took it in his, as if proving it really was him.
"It's me, Katase. I'm here. You're ok now. Everything's fine," he murmured slowly.
"Issei!" she sobbed, throwing herself at him and breaking down as he hugged her fiercely. "He-he tried to-! He touched-! He-he-"
"Shhhh," Issei hushed her, gently lifting her up like an angel and carrying her as she continued to tremble. "He's dead now. He'll never hurt you again. Never ever. And if anyone else tries to come for you, I'll be right here. Ok?"
"You did well, Issei. Very well."
"Issei…" she continued to cry as he carried her into the street, slowly conceding to her exhaustion. "I...I think...I think I'm in love with you…"
"Katse?" he asked surprised, but she was asleep. He smiled and gave her forehead a small kiss as he carried her the rest of the way into the street.
'Better than I'd thought,' he thought to himself.
"Issei! Are you ok?" Yuuma ran up to him in panic. "You just kicked me off of you and disappeared!"
"What happened?" Asia gasped as she saw the prone and bleeding figure in his arms.
"Could you heal her, Asia? Yuuma, take down the barrier. Rias needs to see what happened," Issei ordered.
"Yes!" Asia quickly responded, immediately approaching and healing the sleeping girl's wounds who was still clinging to Issei like a lifeline and trembling in fear.
"Right away," Yuuma nodded, quickly locating a weak point in the barrier and destroying it. Within seconds a crimson teleportation circle appeared.
"Issei? What are you doing here?" Rias asked in shock. She and her entire peerage appeared from the circle, weapons and magic fully prepared for a fight.
"Katse," he said simply, turning with Asia to show her the trembling, sleeping pinkette.
"What...what happened?" she gasped, approaching and slowly reaching her hand out for her. Everyone in the Gremory peerage looked worried, even the ever-stoic Koneko seemed more than a little troubled.
"Luckily, nothing that can't be fixed with a little time," Issei sighed. "I got there in time to prevent anything happening to her that couldn't be fixed, but I was still too late."
"She..she wasn't…"
"No. I got there in time. Freed Sellzen, a stray exorcist. I've heard of him. He's an unstable, sociopathic murderer obsessed with killing devils. He particularly enjoys raping the female ones first before he kills them. He's known for torture and brutality and he has a type. He'll kill all devils and rape any female ones, but there's a particular type he's shown clear favoritism towards... Essentially, Katase to a terrifying degree of accuracy. Innocence. Short hair. Young. Happy. He's a sick, crazy, mentally-deranged lunatic who should have been killed long ago. They excommunicated him from the church when his methods were a bit too...brutal. They should have killed him. I yelled at Michael for weeks about it."
"Katase…" she whispered, gently touching her cheek as Asia finished healing her. "I'm...I'm so sorry... You too, Issei...I promised I would...I would protect her…"
"This isn't your fault, Rias," he told her. "I know you well enough to know that much. I can see it in your eyes. You were scared and disappointed in yourself when you saw her. That's all I need to see. You've more than earned my respect and trust to take care of Katase."
"Thanks, Issei…"
"I don't think she should be left alone. Can you come up with something to tell her parents? I'm keeping her with me for tonight."
"Are you sure that's-"
"She's staying with me."
"Right," Rias nodded. She was starting to be able to trust him, even though his power was terrifying, but more so than that, one look at Katase kept her quiet. "I'll figure something out."
"Thank you, Rias. I'll look after her for a little while but when she comes back...just...don't throw her back into the fire. I know you don't plan to, but let her take it easy. Even if you have to bend the truth about available work. Freed did some serious mental damage to her. She didn't recognize me at first."
"Of course," she nodded. "Thanks for what you did, Issei."
"It was no problem. I just wish I could have gotten here sooner," he nodded. "Yuuma. I want you to help Rias with the stray devil."
"You don't have to-" Rias was cut off.
"I made a deal to come with you, but, in case of unforeseen circumstances, I cede Yuuma to go in my place," he explained. "Yuuma. You can show them."
"Yes, Issei," she bowed slightly, releasing her wings and revealing her tattooed hand. "Yuuma Amano. High-Class Angel and Issei Hyoudou's Ten."
Everyone from Rias' peerage's jaws dropped in shock. "Y-you...you have…"
"Please keep this quiet for now, Rias. I could get in a lot of trouble for telling you this," he requested. "I'm already knee-deep in debt to you already, but I don't have much of a choice. I'm not leaving Katase and I'm not leaving you to go on the stray hunt down a member and without my help. I'd have Asia help you too, but she's not a helper, and she's not part of my deck."
"Um, Issei. What does Yuuma mean by she's your ten? And what deck?" Asia asked.
"I'll explain it another time. I do plan for you to join eventually, after all."
"Um, ok," she answered nervously.
"Remember as much as you can about the hunt, Yuuma. I'm rather curious. Make sure they're all safe, ok?" Issei requested.
"Of course, Issei," Yuuma smiled. "Anything you desire."
"Don't say it like that!" he blushed. "And keep yourself safe too, yeah? I already almost lost one girl tonight. I don't need you getting hurt either…"
"She'll be safe with us, Issei. Take Katase back," Rias told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"We won't be shown up by some Angels after all," Akeno teased.
"We'll be fine," Koneko said flatly.
"Thank you," Issei smiled at them, releasing his ten glittering-gold wings and shifting Katase so she settled in one arm comfortably. "Asia?"
"R-right!" she stuttered, standing in front of him, face bright red in embarrassment as he lifted her with his other arm and flew off into the distance.
"Did anyone else-" Rias started.
"Gold," Koneko nodded, having dropped her lollipop. That shocked the peerage almost as much if not more than Issei's golden wings. Koneko never drops candy.
"Well? We have a stray devil to hunt and I want to get back to snuggling with my Issei!" Yuuma announced. "Let's get going!"
"Aren't you going to tell us-"
"Nope! I have a stray to hunt. You're welcome to join me~. If you can keep up that is!" she giggled before shooting off into the night with a flap of her wings.
{Line Break}
Issei slowly made his descent onto his front steps, Katase asleep in one arm and Asia asleep in the other. It's times like these that magic made life so~ much easier, as he didn't need a hand to open the door.
Issei quietly entered the silent, sleeping home. He walked up the stairs, careful not to wake the troubled, sleeping girls, and carried them to their rooms. He went to Asia's first, gently placing her on the mattress and kissing her forehead goodnight, leaving a smile on the sleeping maiden's face. After using some soft holy magic to tuck her in, he brought Katase to his room and just sat down, the pinkette still clinging to him.
He looked at her in disappointment. Not in her, never in her. She could never disappoint him. Freed was an experienced, murderous, lustful psychopath with a thirst for blood. As promising, as hopeful, and as strong as she was, she didn't stand a chance. Even with that cheap toy he called a holy sword, Freed could take down anyone who wasn't at least High-Class. Especially if he crafted the situation. Freed practically fed on fear. Driving terror into his victims was undoubtedly a fetish of his and the scariest thing was how good he was at it. Even some of the strongest-willed were left quivering when he was done before he ran them through or nailed them up on a cross as they bled out slowly.
He could take solace that he got there in time. He would never ever forgive himself if he was any later. If Freed had gone any further. No matter who it was that told him it wasn't his fault, no matter what fate became Freed or himself. He would hate himself for the rest of his eternal life. Without a shred of doubt in his mind, that failure would never go away.
"But you did make it in time," Yahweh told him. "Who was it that said a simple choice of having tea or coffee can have astronomical changes on the world? Who was it that said actions or events that never occurred shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things? And who was it that kept his promise to protect those close to him?"
Issei said nothing. He just shed a single tear that fell from his cheek and landed on Katase's.
"That's right, Issei. It was you. All of those were you. Don't forget that, Issei. What you preach unto others you must be willing to endure twice over, whether that be rules or lessons or orders."
'Thank you, Yahweh...again…'
"Anytime, Issei. Anytime. Now, lay down and go to sleep. I won't add any sin points for staying with the girl...this time."
Issei chuckled sadly before laying down, positioning Katase next to him, as she immediately wrapped herself around him and left as little space as possible between the two. Issei smiled and gently kissed her head as he, too, drifted off into the dream world.
A/N: Before you ask, there is a reason for this besides making Issei Katase's hero. I wanted to show her character, her strength of will, and her determination. It wasn't enough to save her and if it wasn't for Issei she'd be dead, but it was there. That's what is important to note. She delayed and fought against every nerve in her body telling her to run in fear and faced said fear head-on. That's why I chose this. It allows Issei and Rias' group to become closer, including Issei and Katase, it reveals more about Issei to Rias, and it shows that Katase isn't just some girl with a sword. She has a will to be stronger for her own desires.
Last thing I want to throw out is that I have some exams coming up Monday and Tuesday, so I'll probably only be able to get a chapter out tomorrow before a few days of a break for that. Hopefully, I'll leave you with enough content.