It felt as though his weight was leaving his body. At once his body dissipated and connected to a network he could never hope to understand. The world was connected by thin threads that connected across space and time. True peace was found within the millisecond of space time. Until his body returned to its mortal coil and weight returned to him yet again. "Ah what the fuck?!" He hits the ground hard.

"Looks like you aren't strong enough to teleport yet."

"Great. So now what, I walk?"

"You don't have to fill out the request just yet. It's safer to teleport."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me." His eyes narrowed in on the address detailed on the back of the thin brown sheet of paper. "Be back soon!"

"Wait, seriously?" She looked at him from the doorway, moving a bang out of her face. "He's gone. Should someone follow him?"

"He's nearby. Just keep a watch on the sky." Akeno told her.

"If anything suspicious happens, we rush over there."

Naegi's feet shook as though hurricane winds were smacking them. His body tumbled up the stairs. "Okay what do I have to do… I tell him Im… Why am I knocking?" The door sounded dense, as though it was meant to keep an olympic bodybuilder out.

"Who's there?"

"I'm Gremor- I'm Naegi from the house of Gremory. You ordered a demon?"

"You new?" The door opens to reveal a man with dark brown hair and bright yellow eyes. His aged face showed signs of intoxication.

"Sort of…"

"Well don't worry about it too much. I'll go easy on you. I really just want to talk to someone." Three taps echo around in the small apartment room.

"Talk? That's it?"

"Well yeah." The man pulled out a piece of paper similar to the one Naegi carried. "I get bored, sitting in this room all alone."

"I can understand that…" Conversation has a way of coming naturally after a while. Yellow eyes had a friendly and approachable demeanor and even complimented Naegi's incoherent babbling. Granted, that was only after having a few more alcoholic beverages.

"Wait you really think that I'm fun to talk to?"

"Kid, we've talked about… wait what have we talked about?" He chuckled. "Nevermind. Look, this was fun. You're contract is complete."

Red light that could rival the sun's illuminated the room. Singeing paper was the next sound, followed by those same three thumps. "Thank you. I'll be leaving."

"Lock my door!" He hiccuped a little, a smile on his face. Moonlight gently washed over the sides of the building, giving it what appeared to be a sort of ethereal glow. An array of colors surrounded the street. Perfect green leaves on deep brown stems contrast with the industrial gray of the sidewalk. Only the moon held strong enough light to pierce through the thick smog covering the town. The street was just quiet enough for him to only hear his footsteps. Naegi sighed softly and once again began leisurely strolling. A glow came from behind him right before a spear struck him in the back of his knee. Once again the flesh bubbled and boiled. His blood evaporated as it struck in the same spot.

"Looks like Raynare didn't finish the job." A heavy boot stomped on his spine. Naegi gasped as it felt as though his ribs were crushed under the pressure. "Shut up." That same boot strikes his side with enough force to send him into a nearby tree, causing splintering bark to fall all over him.

"I've got to… get to the club." He breathed heavily then dragged his hand through the dirt to lift himself. Shaky legs hardly maintained their balance with each millimeter he moved. A spear struck from one side through his other, burning through the bottom of his lung.

"You, aren't going anywhere." Naegi's eyes shut after an oncoming spear materialized in the angel's hand. Death's luminous glow flooded the street, causing him to once again form the shield around his eyes.

"Open your eyes!" A booming voice called to him. His gear activated itself and was glowing brightly. "I won't let my user die, not now. Clap your hands in his direction."

"Guess you're that dragon she talked about. Alright." Naegi did as he was told, his knees swaying. Death's light seemed dim compared to the one his will created. Twin dragon heads on the back of his gloves burned with fury, creating a sort of flash bang. An ear piercing shriek came from the evil creature as it retreated. A gentle breeze pierced through the boiling holes in his body. What barely shook the leaves on the trees above nearly made him topple. Each step brought a more intense wobble to it. Naegi gushed blood from each area possible. His clothes were stained and most of all, he felt closer to death than before. Darkness consumed him for mere seconds before gentle raindrops tapped his head, pulling him back to the world with one hell of a grip. Well, that and the fact that hope was before him. The doorknob clicked wonderfully as it turned and brought his salvation. "Sorry… Blood… carpet." Every other word was ripped brutally from his lung, even with his minimalistic speech. Once again, he allowed darkness to wrap it's cold grip around him as his physical form was surrounded by the thick red liquid that pulled him into demonic life in the first place.

Akeno turned after hearing the deep breathing. "What happened?" She asked, walking over and inspecting the wounds. Her fingers tenderly search for the presence of a pulse. "Still alive. Just barely."

Hanzo walked in, holding a vacuum. "Blood all over the carpet huh… you know. That's just great" An attempt to soften the heavy atmosphere. "Rias, he's back. Might want to hurry up."

"Naegi?" She witnessed Akeno holding what appeared to be a lifeless husk. Emotions peered through her facade, though she turned and maintained composure. "Get him into the guest room. Hanzo, you're clearly ready to clean up. Akeno and I will see what we can do to seal the wounds and heal him." Her face turned to Akeno, revealing a sort of pride to it.

For hours they tried to find some way to repair the damage to the inner organs. Soon enough, a mixture was made that allowed the tissue to regrow and seal itself. Now with steady breath and a readable pulse. Rias began to try and heal his body. Akeno stopped her. "His breathing is normal now. He's not going to die. Unless he almost gets himself killed again. He wanted to go out and complete the contract, knowing the dangers. It will be a learning experience. He'll know this pain for years and that's what's going to stop him from making bad decisions like that again. Now, I'm going to go help cleanup."

Rias responded with a somewhat shaky smile. After the door to the room shut. "And I let him make that decision." She whispered softly. "They call me King and yet I have no authority. I couldn't even stop my pawn from almost getting himself killed." She furiously nibbled on her thumb again. "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this. I- I couldn't stop you, or them. Guess I need to figure out how to lead."

Naegi's left eye twitched after the door had been nearly knocked off its hinges with a powerful kick. Hanzo's eyes widened before he inspects the door for damages. "Can't have this get fucked up too…" He repeatedly opened and closed it, getting a frustrated look from the red headed matriarch. "Hey Kid! Wake up." A glass was placed gently on the drawer next to the bed. "This is yours. Well, mine now. But it was yours. If you want it back, wake the hell up." In a matter of a few seconds, there was once again the sound of liquid being poured. "This is the carton from your house. That shit is delicious."

"Hanzo, he was near death a few hours ago. Can't expect him to wake up on command."

"Oh he'll wake up. He'll get up and take it back. That or you know, just drink it for the vitamins. Have you seen this kid's fridge? He has nothing in it. Aside from like an expired gallon of milk that hasn't been touched. Tell me when he wakes up. I have to talk with him about something." He shuddered then closed his eyes, seeing red everywhere.

"Yeah… when he gets up." If there was a word she had to remove from her vocabulary it was the word if. See, If has a strength to it. Really, any word that doesn't guarantee an outcome can destroy the very foundations of what one holds true, as well as there mental stability.

Hours passed and she couldn't bring herself to move. She needed to verify that she hadn't gotten him killed, for the sake of her sanity. "Well looks like I died again." He sat up, gasping deeply and gripping his side. "This isn't my room."

"You're awake." Looking into her eyes, he found nothing except sorrow and pride. "I was worried about you." She repeated.

"My bad. Guess I really fucked this one u-" Right before he completed his sentence, he witnessed the cup on the stand before shaking his head.

"No. It was my fault. I was the one who told you about the danger. I knew what could have happened… and still, I let you go. There was so much I could have done to stop you."

"Calm down. It's not your fault. Think about it for a second, I'm the one who walked out of that door, knowing I can't fight a fallen angel."

"But…"

He interrupted. "No buts. There's nothing to argue about. It's completely my fault."

"Do you regret your choice? Becoming a demon?"

"No, not really. Not like it will keep me from living a normal life."

"You think so? I've never really had a choice."

"Were you turned into a demon young?"

She giggled then stared at the door. "No. I was born one. Not all demons are turned." After a moment of silence, she moved to exit the room. "Rest up. I'll get one of them to keep watch." Naegi appeared to be far too deep in thought to even respond to the question. Soon he saw a small light and his eyes felt heavy.

Rias crossed her arms over her chest and started pacing around his door. Her long red hair messily covering her face, as well as the pride in her eyes. "You need to stop worrying." Purple eyes pierce through the hair to meet her own.

"How can I? I cou-"

"You're our leader. Start acting like it. You can't be insecure after every little slip up."

"What do you think of him?" Rias asked, her voice still tingling from the power of anxiety.

"I met him like 3 hours ago. You can't expect me to know anything about him. Only way to see what he knows is to train him. His gear is definitely strong but it will take time to learn. He seems to be devoted to help the club, but that got him into trouble. It could be his downfall."

"Downfall huh… Got it. Thanks."

"So is that a yes on the training?" Her eyes burned with anticipation.

"Tell Hanzo to prepare the field." The two shared a smile before going to their respective rooms. Night passed with nothing happening.

"Wake up, cunt!" Due to the fact that he didn't hear the door open, Naegi assumed the knight was gentler with it.

"Oh yeah definitely just insult me immediately you know. Not a big deal." He whispered.

"First, you bleed all over MY, well the club's, but really MY carpet like some unhygienic 13 year old girl. Then you don't drink the oj I so generously stole from your fridge and now there's flies in the room. I hate flies!" One was split in half on the ground, seemingly cut in one motion.

"So why did you try to wake me up?"

"Oh. It's training day. We're gonna teach you how to use your gear."

"Can I shower first?"

"Nope." With an arm that could easily wrap around the slimmer boy's body, Hanzo dragged him off. "You can't teleport so I'm dragging you over there. They're already waiting." After a nauseating journey consisting of jumping and the occasional flight, Naegi lands on the ground, throwing up once he can feel the weight under his feet again.

"Why didn't you tell me… we could fly?" Naegi wiped the side of his mouth.

"It's more gliding than flying. Teaching you to activate your wings would take too long. Flex your back by the way." Two dark wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. In contrast to the ones held by fallen angels, his were much more jagged. Tainted wings still had the elegance and grace of those presumably given by God. Their dark color perfectly absorbed the light around them, leaving them forever shrouded in darkness. However his had rough angles to them, and flapping felt nearly impossible.

"I did that in seconds. You couldn't have taught me before basically kidnapping me?"

"No I couldn't. Cause I didn't want to wait to punch you until you make up for that blood on the floor."

"I said sorry, but I mean…"

"Stop mumbling! Activate your gear, I won't even use my weapon."

"Doesn't sound fair but that hasn't stopped me before." With his hair now fittingly flowing in the wind to add to the drama, Naegi activated his gear.

"Start." Pooling all his strength into his legs, Naegi dashed straight forward. Hanzo struck a defensive stance afterwards before seeing the young man smirk. He clapped his hands together, shutting his eyes in the process. After the flash of light blinded his opponent, he twisted his feet and turned his shoulder to land one punch right in the gut. After feeling the rough surface, he twisted to add to the pain. "Not a bad strategy, using what I don't know about your gear." Instantly, it felt as though his organs shot through his spine after the much larger fist caved his stomach in. "But don't show your move off until you can guarantee a kill." Now with two hands clapped together, Hanzo brought what felt like 100 pound weights down on his back. Naegi was thrown comfortably into his own hole in the ground, blood comfortably leaking from where the fists struck.

"I'm dying here."

"If you're really going to give up then I might as well fix the landscape." Eyeing a cabin in the distance, he turned to walk away. Naegi jumped out, launching himself in the air for a gravity assisted punch. His fist was met with an open palm. "Sorry. Borrowed your strategy. You thought I was slow because of my size." Quickly tapping his back, Naegi wet his fingertips then sent blood into his opponents eyes, a miracle kick to the wrist allowed him to break free of the grip. Winded with absolutely no strength in his left arm, he stood and watched, hoping he at least did something.

"Is… training over?"

"No." Without bothering to wipe the blood from his eyes, Hanzo approached the boy who nearly lost his footing. Approaching with an arm comfortably prepared to swing, his footsteps shaking the ground beneath them.

"Damn. Here I was thinking I could take a break."

"You won't get a break all day. You have two more exercises after this."

"Wh-" In that moment the distance was closed, his gear lit up and allowed him to see the fist moving towards him, as well as the heavy swing that came with it. He pivoted out of the way, gently pushing Hanzo to make him lose his balance just enough to trip over the very hole made by his body earlier. As he was falling, Hanzo grabbed the boy's shirt and tossed him, the angle causing Naegi to slide through the dirt. An ever changing field of vision and his eyes reluctance to see what's in front of him made it difficult to see the brown haired giant stand up. "Now training's over. 10 minute break then you move onto Akeno."

"Oh great… 10 minutes… that's." His eyes shut and his held tilted to the side before snapping back due to a wild shake.

"No sleeping." He said facetiously before teleporting away, leaving Naegi to ponder what horrors would await him during the next trial.