Life is war. War is conflict. Through conflict, you hone yourself. Through honing yourself, you live. How many battles has it been? How many battlefields had I wandered by that point? I can still remember my old life, as sad as that is. A job I enjoyed, college to get a degree I wanted, and more family and friends than I could count. Came the day that I first summoned my Sacred Gear.

I was stupid back then. Too brash and obnoxious to think that I was anything but the most special boy in the world. I never saw them coming until it was too late. I thought I had a handle on my Sacred Gear, its properties, but I didn't know shit. Given my demeanor, I attracted all the wrong kinds of attention. It's tough to be human. I know that now. There are so many hungry things that want your power, your flesh, your soul. That's what you kids haven't really learned yet.

How does that quote go? There are more things in Heaven and Earth that are dreamt of in your philosophy? That's a smartass way of saying you don't know shit. Years after the fact, I'm still learning that people and things I thought were myths or stories are very, very real. Take a piece of advice: never assume a legend isn't true. You'll save yourself a lot of pain that way.

Back then, I liked to talk a big game. Liked to say that I could handle anything. Maybe that was even true to an extent. I had always been a brawly bastard, and I knew my way around a proper scrap. Enough so that I thought exterminating a few "dogmen" should make me a big fucking hero around Michigan. But werewolves are pack animals, see? They don't take kindly to the wanton slaughter of their brothers and sisters. They were more organized than I thought, more connected than I could have imagined.

The clans in the Northern Peninsula took notice of it and sent their, no pun intended, dogs of war after me. Real vicious fuckers. If I had to compare them… maybe mid-class devil status. Except getting scratched or bit meant maybe becoming one of them. They hunted me down and ambushed me on a camping trip. I had taken their family from them, so in their minds anything was fair play.

I couldn't protect any of them enough for it to matter. The only one whose face I remembered was this smug prick named Barkely. The others didn't matter. He was the alpha, the leader of this pursuit squad. And while they were tearing my friends apart I fought him alone. My Sacred Gear, my Rho Aias was more than a match for his teeth and claws. I wasn't as face or as strong as he was, but he couldn't hurt me in any way that mattered.

And it was there, surrounded by the mangled remains of the people I had come to love, that I understood what it took to do this job. To be a hero. I know I must seem like a sour asshole at times, but it's for a reason. It was too late to save my friends, and so I had to steel my nerves and use them. They did what they could to mess with my head, to make me lash out and drop my guard, but every second they toyed with them gave me more time to internalize my hate, my power. The rotten bastards got cocky, and thought they had broken me.

I will never forget the look of terror and surprise on that werewolf's face as I tore his lower jaw off with my bare hands. Dumb shit never saw it coming. And despite all their ranting, all their insults and baiting, ironically they were the ones that fell for it. They came upon me like a horde of animals, snarling and biting at me without a thought in the world. That was the difference between us. That was what made us, humans, better than them.

You sacrifice more than your body in this line of work. You lose friends, you lose the ability to even get close to people. Weakness is death in this game, boys. Remember that. Maybe I could have spared my friends some pain if I attacked out of anger, if I had tried to driven them off, but I would have died to, or been cursed with lycanthropy. Instead, I made a choice and took on the burden of being a human. Of not yielding to monsters or devils.

I've told you boys about Balance Breakers, right? The ultimate trump card of your Sacred Gears? I awakened mine that night. [Step of the Indomitable Will] is its name, and using it I dashed their entire squad to pieces. Once I was done, I gouged the whereabouts of the other clans from what was left of Barkely and left him there to die. I had a mission to complete, and people to avenge.

Maybe that's how the President took notice of me. I slaughtered dozens of werewolves, even slew a whole clan right off the map of Northern Michigan. It would've been hard to miss the rampaging giant going about. Either way, I remember the first time I met him. I had just finished my work and had crushed a household of werewolves trying to integrate into the town nearby. I used the surrounding rumors to moonlight as a building inspector and try to find a new target. Lo and behold there's a nice young man offering me a drink and a story. Some odd noises in a gorge not too far from the town. A place where locals didn't dare go. Maybe I could go check it out?

I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

What I found wasn't any wandering tribe of dogmen but a single young man standing in nearly knee deep snow. Chinese, tall, and handsome, he was the very picture of an Asian prince. Even the way he held himself was regal. Like I should just kneel before him on principle. He talked to me, addressed me as a friend. I can still remember how it went.

"So you must be the Wolf Hunter?" he spoke smarmily.

I shook my head. "Never heard of that name before. Usually they just call me 'bastard' or sometimes 'I yield! I yield!' Maybe it's a cultural dialect."

"Bloodthirsty. Someone like you could be doing a lot more than mucking about in this frozen hellscape. What say you join me, instead?"

"And why, pray tell, would I do that?" I spat onto the ground. "The way I see it, you have nothing to offer me."

"Why do you kill them? You never leave any of them alive, even the pups. And yet I don't sense as much bloodthirst from you as I expected to."

"They're monsters and I'm the monster-slayer. Simple as."

He made an amused sound. "I agree. You and I are not so different. We both feel a responsibility to rid the world of evil existences. Devils, Fallen Angels, Monsters. I think we can agree they do more harm than good, right?"

"Yeah. So, what, you're some kind of hero as well?" I folded my arms and jutted my chin out.

"I'm putting together a group of like minded individuals. I want to test how well the human spirit holds up against the supernatural world. How far humanity can push themselves on their own power. I want you to be one of my officers. Given your skills, I don't imagine that would be a hard role for you to fulfill," he crossed his arms as well and gave me a proud smirk. "What do you say?"

Truth be told, it wasn't such a bad idea. I hadn't seen my family in years by that point, and all the loneliness was beginning to get to me. Only so long a man can keep killing before he longs for something more civilized. Still, I was too proud at the time. I believed my own hype and had gotten used to being the big fish in a small pond. I didn't see why I should listen to this guy.

"I say that I'm not impressed. Tell you what, how about you show me what you're capable of and maybe I'll consider."

"Oh? Is that a challenge?"

I smiled. "Consider it proof of employment."

"Well, I'd hate to be a terrible boss," the man extended an arm and to my shock a light bloomed.

There were no words for how it felt. In the cold and the wind, it was like a soothing ray of sunshine on my skin. By the time it faded, there was only a spear clutched in his hand. A masterwork of craftsmanship down to the end of the shaft. But more than that the sheer power it radiated was nothing short of divine. Something in my mind told me that this wasn't even going to be a fight. For a moment, I scarcely even thought he could be human.

The pressure that weapon gave off was enough to send me to my knees and raising my hands in surrender. Definitely not my proudest moment, but if there was one thing I had learned with bitter experience was that arrogance often wasn't worth the price you paid. I told him I'd join and that I would be happy to help his ambition. All I wanted to know was his name.

And there, in that field of snow, surrounded by holy white light his words carried across the howling winds.

"You may call me Cao Cao."

0-0-0-0

Issei was at a loss for words. Ajax leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes misty. What could he say to all that? To think that their leader was powerful enough to defeat Ajax without even attacking. The guy must have some serious mojo. If he could only get a scan of that spear thing…

"What happened then?" Beaufort asked, enamoured with the tale.

Ajax just chuckled. "Well, after that I followed him around. Once I learned the ropes he cut me loose and told me to form my own team. To carry my own ambition and pass it on to others as he had to me. It wasn't much later that I started this cell."

So that's how this whole thing got started. Issei took a mental note of it and let his elbow rest on the table. He wanted to meet the president, but the guy sounded way too important for a schmuck like him. Maybe if he climbed the ranks some more, he could talk to the guy in-person and ask for a scan of his weapon. If he could do that, he'd be able to take down Abella for sure. Speaking of, his thoughts drifted back to the Magical Transponder. The first relay beacon was already built, now he just needed to get around to doing the second and third. It would take time to parse the data and correlate the findings, but he could write a program to do most of the heavy lifting.

What really stuck in his mind was Rias Gremory and her peerage. Training began this weekend, which meant he had to get in as much tinkering as he could right now. On top of that he still had his date with Aika. Idly, Issei wondered if Innovate Clear was somehow offloading the mental stress that should have been building up. It wasn't like he was a ball of neuroses before he got his Longinus, but he thought that anyone should've been feeling the pressure right now. His multitasking was also superb. Way, way better than it had any right to be.

It could've been a minor benefit to the Sacred Gear. Something to help balance the amount of information inflow and outflow. It wouldn't do if your wielder had a brain aneurysm because they couldn't work through all the data in their head. Damn it, he was still just reaching in the dark! What he wouldn't have given for a real expert on Sacred Gears!

Issei leaned back in his chair and sighed as his friend and his boss continued their light banter. Projects kept piling up, he kept promising his time away, and all of it was holding him back. Even cutting down sleeping, eating, and waste as much as he possibly could, it barely left him with ten hours spent tinkering on a weekday. There must be a way to increase his productivity!

Fabricators, mental augmentations, sub-cerebrum bionic chips. New designs rushed in, and he took time to angle it through the lens of his specialty: modularity. A baseplate neural chassis that would allow him to swap out different cybernetic attachments on a whim was the first thing that came to mind. He penned down some light blueprints and gathered together the foundational materials so he could begin working tomorrow. If he powered through the next three hours he could finish the first beacon and do enough prep work to get most of it done after his date with Aika tomorrow.

I still can't believe it's almost been two months since I lost you guys, he thought a tad melancholy. What with witches, devils, imminent monster threats, and heroes, I bet you guys are enjoying your peace and quiet up in Heaven.

Hopefully that big luau in the sky had rockin boobage. It wouldn't be Heaven without it, after all. Just looking at the progress he had made already was mind boggling. How strong would he be in another month? A year? Pretty soon, everything he was doing now would seem like banging sticks on rocks. He just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Day after day.

Issei toiled through the night, only passing out moments before dawn broke. He would skip first period and blame it on nightmares or his medication or something. By the time he awoke and returned to school, it was already well into the second hour. He garnered some disapproving looks from the ladies in the office, but they were still being lenient with him. Pretty soon his excuses were going to turn up stale though. He'd need to think of new reasons to keep cutting class. After all, it wasn't like he learned much of anything in those anymore. If anything, he was actively trying to do worse than he could so he didn't look suspicious.

So he spent his time making notes, fixing equations, and running minor calculations. In an attempt to keep his thoughts in a concise order he'd made a production schedule. First and foremost were the beacons for the transponder, then after that it would be pure research into his first working flight suit. A thing of pure beauty he had glimpsed in a dream of all things. It would combine everything he had worked towards this whole time. Built-in weapon systems, propulsion rockets, advanced targeting algorithms, and a whole slew of mounts and rigs for extra gadgets. He was already envisioning a floating turret array, set to change its properties based on the "core" he loaded in.

Oh yeah, it was all coming together.

A small cough to his side snapped him out of his fugue. When did class end? Kiba stood there with a helpless smile. The blonde devil pulled up a chair and sat next to Issei idly giving a glance to his notebook. The young inventor was confused as to what he wanted until he remembered he promised to train with Rias and her peerage. But that wasn't until tomorrow.

"Kiba?" he asked.

"Ah, excuse me. I saw you sitting in here and wondered what you were up to. I didn't mean to pry," the young man laughed. "You seem so engrossed in that notebook of you."

"Ah, yeah. It's where I put all my designs."

He blinked. "Designs?"

"Yeah, take a look," he pushed it over to the devil.

It didn't hurt to be friendly with the guy, and it wasn't like he could replicate or even understand half the things written in there. At most he'd be able to get the gist of things based off the diagnostics and blueprints. He could see that he was trying to be polite though. Kiba wasn't an idiot, but this was a bit beyond his paygrade. He set the book down and slid it back to Issei who accepted it.

"Impressive stuff. I didn't take you as much of an inventor, no offense," he said.

"None taken. A friend of mine said that it was 'hidden depths'. But, that being said, I still have barely any idea of what I'm doing," Issei laughed.

How much does he know about my Sacred Gear? How much does Rias know? He thought to himself. Irina hadn't outright said he possessed a Longinus, but it was hard to ignore the sort of power that radiated off of him. For a devil as magically-inclined as the Gremory woman, she must've had her suspicions.

"My President wants me to relay to you that training will happen tomorrow. We plan to spend the weekend in one of the areas that we've blocked off. That way we can let loose without disturbing the people in town or risk being seen," the beatific young man explained. "It has all the facilities we need, so don't worry about bringing anything. And, if it's alright with you Issei, I'd like to ask something of you."

This was new, and a bit concerning. There was a fire in Kiba's eyes that perturbed the hero. It wasn't malice, but it was intense. Like he had something to prove. Hesitantly, Issei nodded.

"Y-Yeah, dude?"

"I'd like to spar with you personally. To be truthful, I really wanted to fight Irina but given everything between our two factions I didn't try. However, I'm told you may be able to replicate some of her abilities. Specifically her sword's."

Issei leaned back. "Sure dude, just promise not to, like, disembowel me or anything."

And like a switch had been flipped the devil went right back to smiling politely. "Of course, dude. All of us promised to go easy on you. Not out of pity, mind you."

"Yeah don't worry. I'm sure you guys could paste me if you really tried."

"Keep training, Issei. One day, you'll be strong enough to face any of us," he patted him on the shoulder and stood. "But, ah, you should probably get going. Class starts in forty seconds."

"Oh shit!"

Issei took off at a frantic pace, blazing through the halls to get to his next class in time. Kiba watched the curious young man go. There was something odd about the boy he couldn't pin down. Rias had been right, he had changed in more than just his demeanor. That notebook of his… he would need to ask his leader what her thoughts were. If his hunch was correct then this could be the advantage they needed.

0-0-0-0

He met with Aika outside the school as-promised. Since they didn't have time to change, they were both still in their school uniforms. Seeing her brought to mind the idiotic words he'd blurted out in class, and he approached her already blushing. She gave him a near sadistic smirk as she tugged on his hand.

"So, what movie are we seeing?"

"You wanted to be wowed, so you get the choice. There's a - supposedly - decent romance film, an anime flick, and some pretty terrible action movie we could go see," he said as they walked together towards the theater.

"Mmm, tough choices. I do enjoy a bad film, but… how about the romance?"

That surprised him. If there was one thing you could say about Aika it's that she wasn't a prude, but he never took her for a romance lover. In fact, the only "films" he could imagine her liking were the ones where two dudes were railing each other. He gave her a secretive glance and caught a fierce patch of red on her cheeks. It caused a small chortle to bubble up in his throat, but he managed to swallow it. However, a single laugh did escape his lips and she shoved him with her hip.

"You know I don't have to take pity on you, Master Blaster," she grumbled cutely. "Can't blame a girl for wanting to be serenaded before she gets pounded into the mattress."

He made a face that was only barely not a smile. "Eugh, you need to touch some grass Aika."

"I touch plenty of things that are way better than grass I'll have you know."

"Gross!"

The tentative couple made their way to the theater still going back and forth. If there was any good to come of this it would be that he was becoming inoculated to her endless innuendos. Seriously, he cringed everytime one of her not-so-ladylike quips reached the ears of some poor innocent bystander. People must think that he was some kind of sex-crazed pervert!

Well, he guessed that was a fair assumption.

The two quickly got their ticket and their snacks in short order. His date quickly excused herself to the restroom, forcing him to hold the food, her purse, and the tickets as he sat down on a bench. Who knew being a gentleman was so tiring. And expensive! He heard a soft chuckle to his side and saw an older man sitting there with a wan smile on his face. Issei gave him an odd look and he waved a hand.

"Forgive me. Just reminds me of how I was when I was young," he smiled. He looked like a jolly man with watery blue eyes.

"O-Oh, it's fine. Truth be told, I'm still not used to all this stuff. Keep worrying that I'll mess it up."

He laughed louder this time and slapped a hand on his knee. "Ha! You really do remind me of myself! Listen here boy, all romance is bravado and confidence. Nine times out of ten if you act like you know what you're doing everything will turn out like you do."

"I don't suppose that extends to knowing how to kiss?" Issei ribbed the man.

"Bah, that's something best left to personal experience. No way to get better at the hanky-panky than some hands-on treatment," the man jostled him with an elbow and the two shared a laugh. "My old lady and I got up to plenty in our day. Still do!"

"Well, pray for me then, sir. I can't help but wonder if all my other responsibilities will end up getting in the way."

He made a knowing sound. "Hard to balance everything, son. However, and it might be the old silver fox in me saying this, there are few things in life the love of a good woman doesn't trump. All the money in the world won't buy you a single moment of true, blue loving."

Issei soaked in the advice and mentally filed it away. Was that true? His tinkering and his duties as a hero had pretty much eaten up all his time. He barely even talked to his parents who had spent the last two months worrying about their son. But then, what Ajax said rang in his mind. Being a hero meant sacrificing those things. If he wanted to save lives, to slay monsters and demons, then he had to accept the fact that he may never find love. Might never have a family. Was there truly no way for the two to reconcile?

"I've returned Captain Whack-It. And I see you haven't cut a whole in the popcorn bucket, so props to you," Aika sniped as she took some of the buttery snack. "Ready?"

Issei tossed a look to the older gentleman who laughed from behind his hand and gave him a nod of solidarity. He stood and, still balancing all of Aika's stuff and the food, followed behind her into the theater. As he left, he heard the old man trading words with someone. He chanced a look behind and saw him giggling with an equally mature woman like a couple of schoolchildren. They looked happy.

All-in-all, the movie was pretty good. The ups and downs of the relationship were realistic, and the performances were as heart wrenching as they were funny at times. Issei wasn't much one for sappy romance, but he could say that he enjoyed it. It even left off on a heartwarming scene of the two love interests raising their newborn child. As the young couple left the cinema his mind and heart were astir with new, complicated feelings. What did he want out of his own life? Was being a hero worth it if you never formed any meaningful relationships? Was it fair to his partner if he tried to continue his work and sacrificed his time with her as a result?

Is it really right to keep stringing Aika along? He wondered to himself. It had only been two dates, and yet… he felt something. Something that was foreign to him. Something he'd never felt with all his pornos and nudie mags. He was fighting dangerous people and engaging in very dangerous situations. What if they came after her? What if she started asking questions?

His concerns came to a screeching halt as he felt something grab his hand. Aika interlaced her fingers in his as they stepped out into the cool night air. His heart began to pound as she leaned on his shoulder. No sarcastic remarks, to crude jokes, just close contact affection. Part of his brain wanted him to jump back flustered, but an even bigger part of his brain threatened to kill that smaller part if it fucked up this moment. So, in turn, he gave her hand a squeeze as they walked the streets.

"I promised you dinner too, didn't I? I'm not super hungry, but I could go for something sweet. And cold," he mused aloud.

"Smooth. Okay, you've piqued this fair maiden's interest. However if thou doth fail to impress ye will be forced to carry thine faire lady home on thine back," she leaned onto him with all her weight, nearly making him stumble. "Doth thou understand, Sir Spanks-a-Lot?"

"Aye, thine worthless plebeian doth understand," he responded sardonically.

The Cold Front was still open when they arrived. Even though it was late out, the fact it was a Friday meant there were plenty of people enjoying the small ice cream shop. It wasn't packed like before, but it had a fair few customers. However, one of them did catch his eye. Primarily because she was fidgeting outside the store like she expected to burst into flames if she stepped inside. The fact she was also directly in front of the door also wasn't missed.

"U-Um, excuse me?" he began.

She jumped and turned around. She definitely wasn't from around here, that was sure. Her hair was blonde and fell back to past her shoulders, and her eyes were a sparkling green. Between that, the cross, and the sisterly robes she wore he got the sense that she was from the church. Maybe she was Irina's friend? In any case, the girl quickly stepped out of the way and bowed to him.

"S-Sorry, I've just never really been to this place before. I thought maybe I could try it out. I really wasn't paying attention to where I was standing!" the girl talked at a mile a minute, her words nearly gibberish.

Aika smiled. "Easy there, it's cool. This place is pretty awesome. How about you come in with us?"

"R-Really!? You mean it!?" her eyes lit up. "Thank you!"

He held the door open for the two girls and quickly stepped inside. The nun's wardrobe drew some eyes, but no one made a fuss about it. They stepped up to the counter where their newfound friend was quickly enamoured with the many different selections. It was cute to watch as she asked Aika about nearly every flavor they had. Eventually, she settled on a small cone of plain old vanilla and he and Aika decided to share a large bowl of lemon custard. As they got up to the counter she pulled out her wallet only to stopped as he touched a hand to her wrist.

"I've got it," he said idly as he took out some cash and paid for it. "I imagine they're pretty stingy with money at the church. This place isn't super expensive so it's on me."

"No, please, I couldn't!"

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth sweetie. You wouldn't believe the amount of money I've been able to wring out of this lug," Aika threw an arm around the girl.

"Ha, ha, you're so funny," he fake laughed. "Don't worry about it…?"

"Asia. Asia Argento."

"Asia, then. I'm Issei and this is my girlfriend Aika."

Aika became rigid as his mind caught up to his mouth. What did he just say? His mouth worked open and closed for a few moments before he decided to just steamroll through that one-liner. He replaced the dawning humiliation by - vigorously - pointing out a place for them to sit. The three teens took their spot near the back of the shop and began to eat their dessert. The impeccable taste of the custard thankfully managed to dull some of the awkward sexual tension between him and Aika. Tension that quite obviously flew over Asia's head.

"Mmm, this is great! I can't even remember the last time I had ice cream," she sighed cutely as she savored the delight.

"Not a lot of it in the church?"

"Not at all! Money was always a bit tight, and things like this were really rare. Ever since I, uh… transferred, I never thought I'd have any again."

"Speaking of, you must be helping out Irina then?" he said. "She's taking care of the church now."

Asia stiffened momentarily before nodding, hiding most of her expression behind her ice cream. A shy one then. "Y-Yes. Although I'm still pretty new in town…"

"Well any friend of Irina's is a friend of mine! If you ever need some help give me a call," he handed over his cellphone number. "I'm pretty much the master of navigating all the cool spots in this town, so if you ever get tired of being cooped up in that old church just let me know."

"So rude. And with your girlfriend right here," Aika nudged him with her elbow.

Asia blushed. "No, no, no, I would never steal him away! Ever! I-I promise! I-"

"Woah, relax hun. I'm just joking. He's lucky enough one girl is interested in him. If he had two then I'd start to call shenanigans."

He rolled his eyes and took the distraction to eat more of Aika's side of their shared bowl. Asia seemed like a nice girl, and if she was here to help Irina he'd help her too. Maybe he could get the full details from his friend once he had some time. With training tomorrow it would need to wait a few days, but it wasn't like it was a pressing concern of his. The three continued talking for the next hour, mostly about mindless stuff. Issei felt that the blonde nun was a bit more naive than she should be. Sheltered in the church maybe? Irina had her space cadet moments, but Asia put her to shame.

At the very least, it was good to see that the girl was enjoying herself. Something told him that she was a shy one by nature. He wanted to make her feel welcome. He knew what it felt like to be an outsider. It helped that Aika was there to brazenly push her out of her comfort zone with lewd puns. Seriously, he needed to get a muzzle for her. He paused for a moment, then reconsidered that idea. It would probably just excite her.

He stood and cleared their trash as the two girls finished making conversation. Something about a future shopping date so Aika could, in her own words, get her some far cuter threads. As a trio they exited the Cold Front and stepped into the slightly balmy air. Not wanting her to go home alone, Issei steered the group towards the church. With Abella still around, and Asia being so sweet, she wouldn't stand a chance if she encountered that monster. After awhile of walking and talking there was a sudden chill that ran up Issei's back. This feeling…

It wasn't like with the devils, it felt holy, but somehow wrong. He likened it to an abandoned church left to rot and decay over time. Something that had, at one point, been a bastion of light. He tucked a hand into his jacket and felt his fingers latch around the pistol there. Aika took notice of his sudden stiffness and stopped.

"What? Accidentally spot some lewd magazine in a gutter?" Aika smiled, but quickly grew worried as she noticed the sheen of cold sweat on his face. "Hey, Issei, are you okay?"

Where was it? Where was it!? It felt close, but he didn't see anything. Fuck! If only he had his goggles he could try to track the magical signature. As it was right now the enemy could come from anywhere. From the alley to their left, or even from above if they used the clouds as cover! His heartbeat began to pick up as the feeling closed in. Asia looked terrified as he grit his teeth. They needed to get to the church!

"We need-" he began but was cut off as a man cleared his throat.

Issei whirled around as the ominous sensation crystallized behind him. Standing just a bit down the road was some dickhead in a stupid trenchcoat. He removed his equally stupid fedora to expose hard and stern features. This guy wasn't normal. Issei could get off a shot on him and hopefully buy time for the girl's to escape. Issei, very slowly, removed his hand from his jacket and tapped a finger on his watch. The signal for reinforcements had been sent out and his team would be here any minute.

"Dohna- Uh, Dohna is everything alright?" Asia stuttered. "S-Sorry, this is my, uh, guardian while I'm here in town."

"Asia. I wondered where you ran off to. Let's go."

The sister took a step forward but was stopped as Aika put a hand on her shoulder. In a hushed voice his girlfriend spoke to the young girl. "You don't need to go with him if you don't want to. You can stay with me or Issei tonight."

"Yeah…" he growled, more at this "Dohna" guy.

"No, no! It's okay! He's supposed to be my minder while I'm here and I'm way overdue for curfew. He's probably just worried," she smiled. "Sorry for the scare. I didn't have a cell phone so I couldn't call him."

"Asia! Let's get back now. The others are worried about you," any softness in his voice was hard-edged and forced. Like he was putting on the act so he and Aika wouldn't try to keep her.

The young nun pulled away from them and joined Dohna down the street. Issei watched her go with a mixture of terror and outrage. He could stop her. He could open fire and try to get the guy to back off until his boys got here. This guy didn't seem so tough, and there was plenty of cover. But if he did that he could cause innumerable problems for Irina, for Asia! Not to mention he'd be exposing himself to Aika. In the end, the hesitancy cost him as Asia gave them both a slightly sad wave and followed the older man as he left. They were just going back to the church after all, there was no need to be so jumpy.

Maybe… maybe he was some kind of Vatican bigwig or something. Sent here to help Irina, Xenovia, and Asia get a handle on things. It made sense that more reinforcements would be coming. He felt a soft hand place itself on his back.

"Hey, you okay?" Aika questioned softly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just… guy gave me the creeps, you know?"

"Yeah, me too. Say, let's head on home. My mom is probably thinking we're at a love hotel right now."

He escorted her home, the tension still visible in his neck. Whatever alleviation he felt was gone now, replaced by a gnawing fear as he finally made it to her house. It was a slightly less enjoyable mirror of their first date. Aika let go of his arm and planted a much more ladylike kiss on his cheek compared to the vicious throat punching she'd done before.

"Thanks for the good time, Master Blaster. Leave it to me to plan the next one, kay?" she winked and giggled. "And you should know something, Issei. I am a third date kinda girl."

With a blown kiss she closed the door behind her. Third date girl? What did that mean? His addled brain sifted through its contents until he realized her meaning. A blush broke out on his face as he simultaneously wanted to shut down and jump for joy. Third date! More like Third Base! He was gonna do it! He'd make Matsuda and Motohama proud!

The rest of the night went simply enough. He reported his encounter to his team who, in turn, promised to investigate his claims. Ajax didn't seem all too happy about more Church agents in town, but there was little that could be done. Issei returned back home to grab some sleep in his own bed for once. Tomorrow would be a tough day of training, and he wanted to be at his best.

Not too much more now.