As always, a big thank you to all who read/reviewed and continue to like and support my story. To all the new readers, welcome!

Here's a gentle reminder that I do not answer romantic questions posted in reviews as of yet and a thank you to those who refrained from asking there. You guys are the best, only a little longer!

berilium – Yes, they meet again.

NAFNAF509 – Thanks a lot! Will do!

Kirinthor – Rias makes her move this chapter, expect her to take much more active role

War historian – I know and I'm not. As a former dependent of a veteran who still has it, I'm well aware of what it implies.

The Ultimate Balance Chaos – Thanks!

Notasavior – Read on and find out! Riser arc begins soon!

LordxSesshomaru – I know you do. By the Maou, I know you do.

Sennybee98 – You're confusing PTSD with psychopathic behavior. If anything, he'll be more conscientious of his actions and reluctant to use any more force than absolutely necessary. And yes, Riser is screwed no matter what. As for Ryuu, since it's been ten years, anything can happen.

ItsFytos – Thanks! Glad to have you onboard!

NinjaFang1331 – Thanks!

CrimiK – Why? Issei has Divine Dividing in this story, why would he need Dividing Gear?

monkiepawn – Glad to have you aboard for however long this goes? Though it is DxD, pretty sure I can keep it up for a long while.

Thorvaiso(Guest) – If I can somehow right a story that interrupts a binge-read spree, then I'm clearly doing something right. Thanks for the love and support!

IronWolfe – Thanks for the like and understanding. Fear not, his romantic life will come to fruition in due time. Will write as fast as mortal life permits!

slydino – Thank you! And it's wrapped up for now in this chapter. Will do!

NawtsuDragneel - Um, Asia's a devil and has wings. Falling out a window doesn't seem as inconvenient anymore.

Darkhero252(Guest) – Nice to hear you like it, will update as fast as I can.

Disclaimer: See 1st Chapter

" " – Speech

' ' – Thoughts

( ) – Albion, mental

( ) – Albion, speaking

Just a reminder that this is a DxD story that is also rated M. It wouldn't be DxD otherwise. You have been warned.

Chapter 11: Clipped Wings

Down. Up. Glide. Down. Up. Compensate for air pockets. Down. Up.

No longer concerning himself with the more subtle nuances of flight, Issei tried to lose himself in the repetitive wing motions. He'd been flying for some time now; combined with his insufficient and troubled sleep, his wing arms were starting to tremble with exhaustion. After leaving the suite, he had burned as much energy he had on hand to reach cloud altitude and surpassed it, alone above a darkened field of white. It didn't matter though, he couldn't feel it.

'I almost hurt her.'

Ignoring the tears that threatened to trial down his face, he continued upward.

'I'm dangerous.'

He felt sick, physically ill. He had nearly raised a hand against someone who ignored his reluctance and secured a place in his heart.

'I'm a monster.'

Issei let out a roar, not one of anger, but one of fear and frustration. A pitiful excuse for a dragon's roar indeed.

(Are you quite finished?)

'Leave me alone.'

(That's not an option for you. Not ever, certainly not now.)

'I don't care.'

(Sorry to break it to you, but I do.) Suddenly, Divine Dividing materialized on his back. Issei had but a mere moment to gawk at the second pair of wings before he was forced on a downward trajectory. His original wings, his flesh and blood wings, burned with the strain of trying to slow down.

'Albion, what the hell are you doing?!'

(Taking us somewhere quiet.)

Issei continued to struggle against Albion's flight control, only to groan as he finally lost strength. He idly noted this for future reference; in flight, the Light wings were by far superior. Retracting his scaled ones, he instead tried to wrest control back from the Heavenly Dragon, though to no avail. He may have altered the course a few times, but Albion was quick to readjust their heading.

After a few minutes, they broke the cloud cover, leaving a trail of vapor as Issei hurtled down to earth. Albion increased their speed to incredible extremes; to the casual observer, human or not, they were a shooting star, nothing more.

They passed the small mountain range that lined one side of Kuoh and then soared over the adjacent forest. Too late, Issei noted their trajectory and started thrashing, trying to break free of Albion's control.

With a single thought, Albion activated the teleportation technique they had created to micro-jump through the wards that surrounded the old training clearing. While it did put a strain on their power, it was necessary to bypass Artemis' enchantments. Reappearing in the clearing's center, Albion pulled up to avoid crashing and dissipated the wings.

Coming to a rolling stop, Issei flung globes of white fire in every direction. The vegetation they came into contact with burned away, but the flames stopped forty meters in every direction. It appeared that Artemis had planned for the possibility of him trying to escape and had taken precautions. Great, this was all too familiar to him. Back in a cage.

"Let me out." Divine Dividing was his only ticket out of here now.

(No. Not until we've talked.) With that, Issei began to feel light-headed. Compounded with his exhaustion, he keeled over with the fortune of not landing face down. Within moments, he was unconscious.

"You couldn't tell where he was headed?"

"Up. He could be anywhere now."

Rias, Akeno, and Kiba were gathered around the desk in the Occult Clubroom. The desk had several papers crossing it: maps of Kuoh, notes on Gremory flier locations, and other minutiae that may help find their missing dragon.

Meanwhile, Asia and Koneko were sitting together on one of the couches. Asia had her hands clasped and was trying to pray, only to repeatedly receive an instant migraine for her efforts. Koneko just impassively continued with her midnight snack, though she paused when Asia flinched yet again after another failed attempt.

"You shouldn't be worried."

"I can't help it. Issei is out there, and he needs our help."

"Maybe. The convict should be ok without us." Koneko shrugged. She'd do what Rias asked, nothing more.

"How can you say that?" She looked up to see Asia staring at her wide-eyed. "Issei is our friend, we have to help him!" Koneko didn't say anything for fear of offending the former nun, who continued on her impromptu sermon. "He didn't ask for this! He's suffering because someone wanted him dead or imprisoned! Issei is hurting because of someone else's fear and greed! It's only right that we help him when he needs it most!"

Koneko flinched as if stung. She hadn't thought of it that way. While Asia didn't know it, she had unintentionally brought up several points that paralleled Koneko's own past as Shirone. After Kuroka had killer her master, Senjutsu practitioners had fled the Underworld en masse, though she hadn't been as lucky. Having been taken captive by the family of the murdered peerage King, she had been held in custody by the Devil government for weeks on suspicion of collaboration. She would have been executed or held indefinitely were it not for the kindness of Sirzechs Lucifer.

Lucifer had pardoned her, citing several examples in the past, specifically the civil war between the Old Maou faction and the current government. Those days had been bloody, where families were torn apart by their beliefs. Sirzechs had made an argument that as a child, Koneko could not be held accountable for her sister's actions, and to satisfy the Pillar Clans' demand for her to be kept under supervision, he had entrusted her well being to Rias.

Politically, it was the best move. Shirone would be cared for, Sirzechs got good press for being merciful, the elders were put in their place, and Rias had an opportunity to show the Underworld what kind of person she was. Shirone had been distrusting at first, but after first meeting Rias, she understood that the rumors of Gremory kindness for their peers were not unfounded.

Rias had treated her very well and loved her like a sister. After a year with her, Rias knew everything about Shirone, now renamed Koneko Toujou. Her likes, dislikes, and more. In that time, Rias also learned that Koneko now had extreme abandonment issues. When Rias would eventually leave for the human world, Koneko could regress. So she made her an offer. Become an official member of her household and never want for family again.

With such a grievous history, Koneko did now feel ashamed at how she had treated the convi~…Hyoudou. To call someone out on what they had no control of? That was more than unfair; it was the same justice that the Devil's government would have shown her.

"You're… right. We should help Hyoudou." She kept her voice level, like she always did. But to the three at the desk, they were surprised at the distinctive change in how she referred to their comrade.

"Well then, let's get started." Rias signed a slip of paper before handing it to Kiba. "Kiba, get that to Sona, it'll excuse us from school for the time being. After that, you'll check the warehouse district as well as those surrounding. Plenty of places there for him to hide.

Akeno, you and Asia will search residential areas. You have the biggest area to search, though the least likely to find him. Issei might not be himself right now, but I believe he wanted isolation so chances of him being there are small.

Koneko," the Neko in question straightened when addressed, "You and I will be on the perimeter. With any luck, if he's left Kuoh, we'll find some indication of that and alert the others to call off their searches and join us."

"Now, I know we are all thinking it so I'll be the one to ask." Kiba cleared his throat. "Say we find him. We alert the others and wait before confronting him. What happens if he doesn't want to come back with us?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone processed this. Truly, there was no way for any of them to really quantify or relate to the amount of pain Issei had gone through and apparently still was. It made for a delicate situation; his unpredictability made him a time bomb, a sentient pyrokinetic reptile with Holy power at his fingertips, but a time bomb nonetheless.

"We will just have to deal with it as the problem unfolds." Rias and Akeno both called separate glyphs into existence, while Kiba walked out the front door. Within moments, the Occult Research Club was temporarily divided.

"You haven't dragged me in here for a long time."

Issei 'stood' in the same black void where he had first met Albion. He had only been here once before, the day when he had been alerted to the dragon's presence. All the training he had done with Divine Dividing had been in the confines of another White Dragon Emperor's memories, never in this place.

(We needed someplace private, where we could meet… face-to-face.)

Issei turned to face the eerily pale glow and took in the mountain of reptile sitting before him. "So the solution was knocking me out?"

Albion growled. (Do not test me on this and spare me your attitude. You are not of the proper mind to be preaching to anyone just now.)

"Ha, proper mindset! You can see my memories, you know what I almost did!"

(But you didn't. And that makes all the difference.)

"No, it really doesn't. I nearly hurt Akeno. Fuck, I could have killed her, you know that! My only childhood friend, the person whom I would have been content to spend eternity with, and I almost killed her!"

(Yes, you could have hurt her. Are you quite finished?)

"You don't get it! I~" Before Issei could finish, Albion's avatar lurched forward, filling his field of vision with white scales and sharp teeth. Before he could react, Albion had knocked him on his back with a swipe of a giant paw before pinning him to the 'floor' with it. He struggled for a moment, trying to break free, but found it impossible. Instead, he glared at the colossus sitting on him. "What the hell!"

(You are sounding like… what's the phrase this era? A broken record? How about I tell you what I saw. I saw my partner relive some of the darker moments from a time and place that ended his childhood. I saw him suffer and cower beneath the reality of what he had done in order to stay alive. I watched as he nearly lashed out against the world. And what you fail to see, is that the one you are so fearful of losing did everything in her power to help you and yet you fled like frightened prey.)

Issei fumed there for minutes in silence, trying to make a decent comeback. To be equated to prey was one of the worst insults in the broader dragon community. Wingless, broken-scaled, chipped tooth, dulled claw, these and more were veiled jabs that other beings would find odd, but to most dragons in reptilian form they were indeed low blows. And Issei could not refute his elder's claim because deep down, he knew it to be true.

(You took flight instead of confront your fears with perhaps the one person you would always trust to confide in. How long would you have flown? Where to? Did you forget, that if Rias was of a mind, she could declare you a Stray and set every Devil living in the human world on a hunt for you!) Another provocation, one that Issei did rise to.

"I wouldn't be hunted so easily. Let me out of here so we can leave Artemis' trap."

(Your death proved you are in fact easy prey. As for releasing you, that's not going to happen. Not until I have your word you will go back and make things right with your Fallen. You said before that you were reluctant to leave her. You professed her to be yours? I saw what you did with her in the baths. You marked her as your own, did you not?)

"FUCKING VOYEUR! I'LL~"

(GO BACK AND FIX THIS, HATCHLING!) The roar of the Vanishing Dragon terrified him beyond belief; this was the first time he had ever been placed on the receiving end of a dragon's roar. And this was one of the first of their kind, one of the ten Legendary Dragons that ruled the void before the earth was brought into being.

"I can't." Issei laid his head back in both submission and defeat. "I can't go back. Can't you see? I'm dangerous, especially to them." His signature white fire spiraled into being as he clenched his fist. "There's no good way this ends if I do so."

(And just how do you think this ends if you abandon all you hold dear?) Albion's tone was calmer now, clearly trying to soothe the boy's conscience rather than shatter it.

"I don't know… Can't you just pull me back into another sequence of memories?"

(No. For many reasons, foremost of which, I am not the Welsh Dragon.) Albion huffed, his voice filled with longing and memory. (I am not one to tempt my wielders with greater power at the cost of your well-being nor shall I manipulate you to lose yourself in the madness my full power brings. You need to learn to accept reality, rather than immerse yourself in times long past. While it was undeniably necessary in the pit for your survival, your happiness now hinges on what you do next, and that is why I will no longer shelter you through the lives of others.)

"I can't do this…"

(You're afraid of what you can do. You know that your Holy Fire, however you acquired it, can destroy your new family with but a thought. You no longer trust yourself.)

"I…I'm no longer sure if I ever did."

(Well then. You're afraid because you feel you have too much power? Is that the case?)

"Yes. Why do you ask what you already know?"

(Because, now I will help you in the only way I can see how.) The void around him began to brighten, signifying the end of Issei's time there. Just before Albion's image was lost to him, he heard the dragon's last chilling words.

(Consider yourself grounded.)

It was early morning now. Having searched through the night, Rias and Koneko had stopped near the outskirts of Kuoh for a much needed breakfast. Neither girl was dressed in the Kuoh uniform; they were dressed in casual wear. Walking around in a school uniform on a school day would bring unnecessary attention. Not that they didn't have it.

"Koneko," Rias sighed. "Can we move this along?"

Koneko's mouth was currently full of pancake, so instead of replying she nodded. Tilting her head back and swallowing the food, she glanced mournfully at the buffet line where the damage in the supply she had inflicted was being repaired by the chefs. It had been a while since she had been able to go to a buffet; this one especially had breakfast recipes to die for. However, Rias was right. They did have other priorities. Stacking her dish on top of the twenty or so others she had consumed, she wiped her mouth and nodded again. "Ready."

The two girls stood up. Having paid before sitting down, they could leave at their own leisure. As the doors swung shut behind them, the ring of disbelieving diners gaped at the amount of plates the tiny girl had left behind. Just where did she put it all?

Now a decent distance from the restaurant, Rias discretely activated a communication spell and held the tiny circle to ear, much like a phone. "Any luck?"

"None here." Kiba sounded out. "Though there is something you should note. A couple workers on a late night shift saw a shooting star minutes after Issei's disappearance. I'm not entirely sure the events are related, but something did come down on the other side of the mountains."

"We'll look into it. Akeno, how are you and Asia doing?"

"As well as can be expected." Akeno replied, a hint of weariness in her voice. "If there's any of him here, we're not finding it with all the humans around. Rather hard to discretely cast many spells here."

"We'll find him," she reassured her worried Queen. "We just need time."

Ending the spell, Rias paused as she noted that Koneko wasn't by her side. She spun on the spot, her hair whipping back and forth as her heart nearly stopped at another of her household's mysterious vanishing acts. To her relief, Koneko was still on the street, staring intently at the mountain range Kiba had mentioned.

"Koneko, is something the matter?"

"I think I found him." The stoic Rook pointed towards the mountain. "Kiba was onto something."

"Alright, we've got no other leads." With that, the two devils made their way to the city limits. Passing by the entrances to the town, they inevitably stumbled on a dirt trail that lead to the mountain. Rias frowned then reactivated her communications spell. "Akeno, where exactly were we when I reincarnated Issei?"

"We were at the old clearing that Issei's father took him to train. On the other side of the… We're on our way."

"Koneko and I will push forward, there's no telling if he's really there or for how long he'll stay." With that, Rias and Koneko both began the long trek up the mountain. It was a long path, clearly not intended for the weak of body. Koneko had no problems, but Rias herself was beginning to have some difficulty with the arduous climb.

One problem with the Young Devils in Rias' generation was their general laziness. Choosing to simply master their born skills and trade peerage members, most of Rias' peers weren't interested in self-improvement beyond their personal acceptance of combat readiness. There were four exceptions: herself, Sona Sitri, Seekvaira Agares and Sairaorg Bael. Aside from each being exceptional strong in their own right, they were known for their determination and will to improve. Thus, they trained. However, in Rias' mind right now, only Sairaorg would be mad enough to attempt this climb.

Koneko would continue at her own pace, find a sunny spot to sit and wait for her winded master to catch up. While she said nothing, Rias knew that she was trying to offer encouragement by not leaving her in the dust, though that wasn't very comforting in the long run. Several times, Rias had tried to conjure transport glyphs or use her devil wings. Each time she was stymied without fail.

'I suppose Issei's father was a training freak.' She groaned. 'This course is killer enough, he had to make it so that one can't use magic here as well?' She had of course tried to reach out to Akeno and Kiba again, but apparently the wards prevented that as well. Resigned to her fate, she trudged on, following the tiny Rook.

Eventually, they reached the upper limit of the trail for now they were going downhill on the other side of the mountain. Thankfully, it did not take them long before reaching its end. The two girls rounded one last bend in the path and saw Issei sprawled in the dirt before them.

"Issei!" Rias cried out, rushing forward. Koneko was fortunately just behind her and was able to catch her King when Rias rebounded off a shimmering barrier that sprang into being. Once Rias had recovered, she tapped the barrier, frowning as she did so. "A god's magic. Then how did we get past it last time?"

With a start, she remembered that the last time, Issei had summoned Akeno via flier. Gazing at the prone Pawn, she took in his current attire and discarded the possibility of him carrying one on his person. The sweatpants he wore now had been picked out by her and Akeno, both agreeing that its slim fit did wonders for how his butt looked, doubly so when he was shirtless. Just like now.

Shaking off her stray thoughts, Rias racked her brain for any possible way to breach a god's barrier. These were tricky things, the gods typically got things done by throwing divine power around, no finesse involved. One wrong move and the backlash from divine magic such as this could wipe the three of them out, possibly even kill the others if they were in the vicinity. So what to do?

One solution came to her, though she did not like it. Turning to Koneko, she struggled with how to put her request, letting the Rook tilt her head in confusion. "I know it's a lot to ask, but we need Senjutsu to break through."

Instantly, Koneko's fear-stricken face broke Rias' heart. After Kuroka's betrayal that started the anti-Youkai sentiment among devils, it had become widely known and accepted that the use of Senjutsu drew in the energies of the user's surroundings. Kuroka had gone insane from the viler emotions of the Underworld; Koneko would risk the same thing here and now if she tried. Issei's tormented being would undoubtedly poison Koneko immediately. Sadly, the delicate manipulation of life energy was the only way short of Holy magic that could get them past the field.

"Please… don't make me… I don't want to." She sniffed. "Please… I don't want to."

"I know." Rias hugged Koneko tightly. "I know, it's unfair to you, and I'm sorry for asking. I…" Rias sniffed as well as she looked back at Issei's downed form. "I don't know what else to do."

They remained that way for a minute more before a yell interrupted the quiet. Whirling, they both saw Issei thrashing on the ground as if in a seizure, clawing at the dirt.

"Another nightmare!" Rias gasped. She rushed back to the barrier, hammering it with her Power of Destruction in the hopes that she could dispel it through brute force. "Damn it, not now!"

Koneko was silent, her fists clenched as she shivered with indecision. Hearing Issei scream once more and remembering her words with Asia, she made her choice. Two white cat ears sprang from the top of her head while a white tail emerged from beneath her skirt. "Rias, let me." Shocked, the Gremory heiress could only lower her arms as the Nekomata stepped forward for her turn.

Placing her hands on the barrier, Koneko began to focus on the energy surrounding them. The green of the forest, the silver of the barrier, and the crimson of her master. However, what stood out to her was Issei. Rias was renowned for her power and skill, but now, if Rias was an unshuttered lantern, then Issei's strength blazed like that of a dying star. Dying star. She had to hurry. Letting her own chi flow around her hands, she extended her arms up, around and down, carving a perfect circle into the barrier. She then poked the greying matter and with a heavy thud, the entryway was clear. Koneko stepped aside now, her part in this was over. Odd, shouldn't she be feeling tainted from the world's energy by now? However, she didn't hide her Neko traits, she rarely got the chance to not feel pressured to hide them.

The speed shown by Rias bordered on teleportation as she rushed to Issei's side. Remembering how he had reacted with Akeno, she chose to be cautious. Casting several spells on Issei, overpowering all of them to compensate for his extreme resistance to just one of them, she hoped that he'd be easily restrained then cared for. It would not do for a repeat of the previous night to occur.

The spells worked as intended, altering gravity around the demidrake enough so that he ceased convulsing as he was pinned to the floor. Now that he was motionless, Rias knelt by his side and placed her hands over his. Closing her eyes, she began to meditate. She was not as adept in the mind arts as her parents and brother; indeed, in her haste to escape to the human world, she had neglected many studies that were expected of the next Gremory head. Rias regretted that now as all she could do was send constant thought and intention of peace and calm to the dragon beside her.

It worked. Issei visibly relaxed, letting his tense musculature cease its attempts to thrash and claw free. He did not wake yet, but this was still a step in the right direction.

A small shadow appeared beside Rias as Koneko moved forward, waiting for instruction. Her tail twitched as she saw the peacefully slumbering Pawn lying there. Under normal circumstances, Koneko would have been the first to criticize him, calling him a convict, or reckless, or worse. Now, all she could see was someone else that could best understand the type of pain she had gone through. She wouldn't smile, the situation didn't call for it nor was it in her nature. But she would give him her respect.

Rias wiped her brow, the exertion her magic had wrought were beginning to show. "It's time we went back. Can you carry him?" Koneko wordlessly stooped to grab the prone male in a fireman carry. It did look ridiculous, as she was barely a third his size, but she managed it somehow.

Not a moment later, Akeno, Asia and Kiba arrived at the edge of the clearing, prompting the Rook to quickly conceal her more exotic traits. Asia and Akeno appeared winded from the climb, though Kiba was barely breathing harder than usual. It did irritate Rias to a degree that he was so lucky. Stupid males.

Both Akeno and Asia rushed forward through Koneko's impromptu entrance to see whether Issei was unharmed. It did make for an awkward arrangement though. Both girls were examining Issei looking for any sign of injury, all the while Koneko herself stoically held the boy, almost buried under the concern for her passenger. It was almost comical; Rias would have laughed if the situation were any different.

"Is he well?" Kiba was at her side, waiting patiently for a reply. Equal measures of concern and wariness were obvious in his voice.

"No. No, he's not." She gestured, and a circle appeared outside the boundary field. "It's up to us to help him heal."

When he woke, Issei was instantly alert, unlike his other awakenings in the past few days. He was immediately aware that he was back in the spare room of the ORC's clubhouse. Equally obvious to him was that both Rias and Akeno were now pressing their bare forms against his own. No one else was in the room, though Asia's scent lingered. That was all his nose informed him of, what was more pressing was that the skin around his wrists and ankles buzzed slightly. Finally opening his eyes, he beheld the first of undoubtedly many precautions.

Magic circles held his arms and legs down to the bed. The red glyphs rotated in place, speeding up when he tested the viability of an escape. They held. Good. Whoever set these up was clearly thinking ahead.

Putting his head back to the pillow, he snorted to blow a few strands of Rias' hair away. Though surprisingly, he did not flinch away from her touch. If anything, having both the older girls in such intimate contact with him soothed his frantic mind. Odd. What had happened since Albion knocked him out?

"Are you well?" He looked down in surprise. By removing the idle strands, he had revealed Rias' tender face. She gazed up at him in concern, though she did not move from using his shoulder as a pillow.

Issei sighed again. "I wouldn't know if I really was now would I?" He glanced back to the restraints. "Yours, I presume?"

"…Yes. I~"

"You did the right thing. I wouldn't trust me either. Not after my… outburst… last… how long this time?"

"It's the day after. Late afternoon. We spent most the night and morning searching for you, so since we were already skipping class we took the time to rest."

"Ah. Personally, I approve of more sleep. Can never get enough."

"Well, we've slept awhile. I think it may be best for us to be somewhat productive with our time. None of us will function well in class tomorrow if we don't get a good night's sleep, something we won't get if we remain here any longer." Rias turned away from him to lie on her back, now leisurely resting on his bicep and brought her hand to his, about to dispel the enchantment. She nearly did, but hesitated. "There won't be any… repeats… of last night?"

"I wish I could guarantee that."

"I wouldn't have believed you if you gave me a yes or no." With a gentle tap, she freed his left arm before curling back to him. "Promise that you'll try to hold together?"

"On one condition." At her hesitant expression, Issei asked, "Please, whatever you all did to help me… don't stop, even if I'm a danger to you all. I know it's selfish, and I could hurt any of you, but…"

Considering their current state of dress and the implications that could be construed from his words, Rias nearly turned the same color as her hair. However, there was unspoken, desperate plea born of helplessness in his eyes that grounded her in reality.

'He's serious. Even if he won't say it, he trusts us to take care of him.' With that, her mind was made up.

"I always take care of my household. You are all family to me." Hugging him a little tighter, she then relented and sat up. "You never have to ask."

With one arm now free, Issei brought his hand to stroke Akeno's hair. It was indeed a conflicting feeling for him. Whatever he had done last night, he had nearly hurt her, possibly even killed her. And yet, here she was.

'I… I'm still a monster. I deserve far worse than this.' He continued to gently run his hand over her head, causing her to stir. 'But maybe… just maybe. Maybe this could work after all.'

Due to his gentle ministrations, Akeno moaned slightly as she woke, blinking the last traces of sleep from her eyes. Upon seeing her night's quarry holding her so, she immediately lifted herself above him to capture his lips with her own. Surprised, Issei's eyes widened with the force she was using before accepting it, moving his hand to the small of her back to better press her contours against him.

Off to the side, Rias gazed at the two lovers with well-hidden envy. To be able to hold someone like that, someone you cared about, freely with no restraints save for those involved set in place. It was everything she grew up wanting, and it troubled her that she found herself wanting it even more now.

'Is this… jealousy?' Rias shook her head. 'Get a grip, Rias. Akeno has wanted this just as long as I have. She has the greater right to him.' Even though she thought the words, it didn't stop her from wondering how Issei's lips would feel against hers, how it would feel with his hands running down her own form. Her heart fluttered at the thought, and it was great sadness that she turned away to leave the room. 'I guess my story doesn't have such a happy ending.'

"You. Are. An. Idiot." Terse words were spoken between kisses as Akeno seemingly tried to kill him with the force of her passion. "But. Damn. It. You. Are. My. Idiot." With that last word, Akeno bit his lower lip, trying to at least get the message across that he was being very foolish. Unsurprisingly, she was disappointed when he didn't physically react.

"Perhaps." One word. How did he learn to undo her planned argument with only one word?

"Why did you run? Ep!" She placed a finger over his mouth to shush him up. "I think I know what happened. You had a nightmare and panicked. But why did you run?"

"I was scared."

"Of me?"

"Of hurting you."

"Oh, Issei," she settled down to lie against him, "Why can't you understand that I'm here for you? Remember what you asked of me in the church?"

"Vividly. I asked you to keep me from going to far."

"And how would I do that if you keep pushing me away?" Akeno pouted. "You're not making it easy."

"I'm sorry for that." Issei shut his eyes and fell back against the bed. "I guess I need more help than I thought."

"Will you tell me about it?" Akeno was hesitant to ask, but they both knew he'd need to come to terms with it sooner rather than later.

"Pain. For lack of a better word, suffering. Lots of fights blurred together. Me getting hurt," Issei nodded at a scar on his shoulder, "much too often before my skin hardened into armor."

Akeno wordlessly collapsed against him. "Please, don't bottle this up again."

"I don't want to worry you."

"You do a fine job of it as is." She swatted his shoulder. "Just don't push me away anymore."

They lay like that, together, for a little while longer. Both were loath to leave, each for their own reasons. Meanwhile, Issei could only hope that he was strong enough to hold back when he next had a flashback. At the same time, Akeno wished he would open up a little more. Still, this was progress. Slow as it was, it was a good sign, one she could accept for now.

Dusk. Issei had made a habit of swinging up to the roof of his apartment building to watch the sunset. When Asia's training in magic had reached beginner level, Rias had directed her to repair the hole in the window that Issei had made in his outburst. Now reinstalled, Issei had been extra cautious to carefully open and shut the window for fear of damaging Asia's delicate work. He'd been doing this for four weeks now.

Nearly a month had gone by since his panicked flight. Nearly a month since his first panic attack and less than a week since the third and last. That time though, he wasn't alone. After the second attack, Akeno had quickly summoned Rias and together the girls managed to restrain and calm him. Since then and for whatever reason neither girl had deemed fit to share with him, Akeno and Rias had decided that they would both sleep with Issei, both living in the unused rooms. Neither seemed particularly happy about the arrangement but wouldn't say anything, at least not while he was in the room. He could catch words here and there due to his sensitive hearing, but even so, he was smart enough to figure it out.

Two years of living with Kuroka had all but desensitized him to the female form. He was still respectful, though the two girls continued to flaunt their forms before him trying to catch his attention and to be honest it unnerved him. Akeno he could understand. They were… together… though neither had put a label on the exact nature of their relationship. Rias on the other hand seemed equally intent on getting closer to him. And if he was honest with himself, he was becoming equally attracted to her, and that knowledge terrified him.

Several times now, Rias had gone with him on jobs of a more delicate nature. She was the brains, he the brawn. It worked several times now, whether it be for a business agreement in which case he played the strong and silent bodyguard or simple muscle for an exorcism. Each time, she deferred the signed contract to him instead of taking it herself.

Even after that, she always found time to be with him, either in comfortable silence as they worked on separate assignments in the ORC room, or idle conversation about current events. While benign, Issei couldn't deny that his trust in her was rising from it. What terrified him though, was that he was slowly becoming attracted to her as well as Akeno.

True, he couldn't equate their relationships. The history up till now he shared with Akeno as well as their one time in the baths was built on mutual attraction, understanding, and respect. Was it love? He was very convinced it was, until he began to form similar feelings for Rias. She was just as kind, respectful, and genuinely caring for her peerage, ignoring the typical relationship between master and servant. That she did so, made her more appealing.

It troubled him to no end that he had unwittingly began to fall for Rias as well. What was worse was that only after both girls began to share his bed did the dreams become more manageable. No longer did he violently react; instead, he gasped awake but was immediately soothed by their reaffirming presence. The imagined smell of blood was replaced by lavender and sugar, while his pounding heart began to slow to match theirs.

Ultimately, his feelings were unclear. And he had no idea what to do, nor could he really ask anyone for aid. He didn't want to bring it up with Kiba, nor did he want to fracture the unsteady trust he was building with Koneko. Asia was too naïve and seemed to fall over herself trying to spend more time with him, not that he minded, so she was out of the running as well. And he did not trust anyone at school. Not with that rumor mill still spreading wild tales about forbidden rendezvous between himself and Kiba. It was funny, surrounded by people he would gladly name friends and possibly family, he still felt so alone. In a way, for the first time in ten years, he truly was.

Albion. In the time since his ejection from the mindscape, he had heard nothing from the Vanishing Dragon. No attempts at contacting him succeeded, all efforts to reach him ignored. Issei had even reluctantly used one of the Senjutsu techniques he had learned from Kuroka to try and divine the Heavenly Dragon's presence and barely registered Albion's existence. A blessing in disguise perhaps, if using Senjutsu couldn't detect Albion even with knowing what to look for, then nobody around him could.

Additionally, when Albion had pulled his vanishing act, he had taken his power with him. Issei had tried several times to manifest Divine Dividing, each time expending tremendous amounts of energy to materialize his second set of wings, and each time was met with failure, collapsed and gasping for breath. For all intents and purpose, he was only as he now appeared and nothing more.

Issei scoffed as he watched the sun sink behind the mountaintops. 'Some White Dragon Emperor I am. Do I even have claim to the title anymore?' He kicked at a loose shingle, watching as it sailed off the edge and into the street below. It shattered upon impact, the pieces clattering against the pavement.

'Consider yourself grounded.' He almost laughed. 'All things considered, I suppose there's no other way to put it, is there?' Even though his relationships had improved, he still didn't fully trust himself. It seemed until he did and open himself up to someone, Albion would be content to lie in wait, possibly even for his next host if it came down to it. Considering that Albion was one of the oldest beings still alive, it was entirely plausible that there was a list of things Issei would need to do in order to satisfy the elder dragon's criteria.

Noting that it was almost time to start on more requests, he swung himself over the side of the roof and caught himself on the windowsill below. Easing himself into the room, he shut the window behind him before dropping down to the floor. Padding to the kitchen for a last minute snack, Issei nearly ran into Asia, who apparently had the same idea.

"Oh, Issei! Are you doing well?" Asia's smile, carefree innocence, and genuine concern were not to be rifled with. The Vatican clearly had committed their greatest sin by excommunicating her and causing her any pain. Doubly so for each tear she had shed.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Ready for another night of work?"

"I think so. I want to be helpful to Rias and the others!" She said it to convince herself more than him. Understandable, this was the first time she had ever worked on a Sunday.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Grinning to reassure her, he reached around her and grabbed some quick ingredients. Bread, cheese, a slice of meat and a quick application of heat melted the pile together into a passable meal. In the meantime, Asia stared at the process with interest.

"You know how to cook?"

"Err, not exactly. More like I know the basics, but anything else is beyond me." It was true; Akeno had been the one to make most the meals, becoming the de-facto ruler of the kitchen, a title that Rias continued to challenge when time permitted.

"Do you think Akeno would teach me?"

"Why don't you ask her and find out?" Akeno sang as she waltzed into the kitchen. After sneakily stealing half of Issei's sandwich when his back was turned, she primly sat down across from Asia. "I wouldn't mind teaching you, you know."

"Oh, really! Thank you! This is a wondrous day… night! Clearly our wonderful Lord- owie!" In her excitement, apparently Asia had forgotten one of the first rules of becoming a devil.

"Don't hurt yourself," Akeno warned. "Cooking meals is a fruitless endeavor for any of us if you're blessing the food every few minutes."

"I'm sorry," Asia sniffed, "but I can't stop believing in our God ~ ouch!" She flinched again. "This is harder than I thought."

"You're still relatively new to this; it may pass, it may not." Akeno shrugged. "What about you Issei? Are you interested in spontaneous prayer like dear Asia?"

Issei snorted. "Hell no. I respect higher powers, but that doesn't mean I'm going to heap admiration and hopes upon them."

'Besides,' he mused. 'Most of the Legendary Dragons are dead or missing. Great Red and Ophis haven't been heard from, much less seen in centuries. I guess Asia was right when we first met, we really are a dying race.'

Issei was brought out of his reverie when a magic circle tailored for Asia's use appeared. "Well, I'm off! Wish me luck!" The irrepressibly optimistic girl took two steps then 'eeped' through the portal. The crimson glow died out, leaving the Angel and Dragon alone.

"Well, now that we're alone…" Akeno sashayed behind Issei, hoping to embrace him from behind until an embrace of his own interrupted her. Spinning on his heel, he twirled her around before wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her close to him. "…Oh, my. Rather forward aren't you? What would my father say, knowing that a fearsome beast has ensnared a delicate maiden?"

"Delicate?" Issei poked her side. "You're many things, but made of glass isn't one of them."

"So you can be taught after all." Akeno's smile turned predatory, "How about we test that right now."

"No, you have work." Indeed, another circle had opened up, this one belonging to Akeno. "If you really want, we'll pick this up again later."

"I'll hold you to it." Reaching one arm back to pull his face to hers, they two devils kissed before she casually strolled through her summoning glyphs. The Fallen added an extra sway in her hips, knowing that the full-blooded male had eyes only for her at the moment. With that, she was gone.

For a few minutes, Issei stared at where Akeno had departed, then sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying in vain to suppress a headache. Love really was confusing. Shrugging and deciding to address the issue sooner rather than later, he turned back to his meal only to cry out in frustration that most of it had been already devoured.

After making another makeshift snack, Issei wandered the apartment for a few hours, waiting for a summons. Surprisingly, not one of his assigned magic circles surged into being. While he was bored, he inwardly rejoiced that he may not need to suffer through the backlash of his relatively nonexistent magical power.

Time marched on, and eventually Asia returned, smiling and clad in a rather revealing sailor cosplay outfit. While Issei congratulated her on another successful assignment, he swore to find out who was having sweet, naïve Asia dress up in what clearly came from a lingerie shop. After she had gone to bed, he followed suit, though sleep was long coming. His mind was hard at work trying to formulate a plan that would punish the sick mind that had Asia wear that outfit without any proof of his involvement.

Lost in thought, he was surprised when a circle appeared in his bedroom. Odd. Normally, Akeno teleported back to her room to change first before coming to bed. So this was Rias then.

His assumption proved true when Rias stumbled out of the glyphs then spun to place magic circles over every possible entrance. The door, windows, heck even covering the walls, every civilized entry point and most of his unorthodox exits were blocked off. After making contact with solid surfaces, the sigils faded, darkening the room once more.

"Um, Rias? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry Issei, but I don't have time to explain." She all but ran to the bed and pushed him back before straddling his waist. "There's something I need you to do?"

'I don't think I like where this is going…'

"I need you to take my virginity!"

'That's it? That hardly requires a sealed room~'

"WAIT, WHAT!" He cried! "You don't just ask that to happen!" Forget sensitivity to the female form, neither Kuroka and Akeno had been so forward or blunt in the request.

"I know, it's not ideal, but I'm almost out of options." As she said this, Rias had divested herself of her corset and skirt, and was now unbuttoning her shirt. "This won't take long."

Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Issei was sure to grab her shirt collar before she shrugged it off, keeping a false pretense of modesty in place. She had flaunted her form before, so there wasn't really anything he hadn't already seen, but appearances were important. "I'm sure whatever the problem is, I'm not the one to go looking for answers, especially if sex is the solution."

"What would you have me do, ask the same of Kiba? He's too gentlemanly for this."

"And somehow I'm not?" First the comment that it wouldn't last long, now that he was less mannered than the pretty boy? All right, that may be true, but still, hearing it didn't make it any better.

As he sat fuming over the quite accurate comment, Rias flicked her hands and let loose with a precise blast of her signature black and red energy. The button-down he was holding closed was vaporized, along with the bra beneath as well as his own tee. Now they were both topless, leaving him in just his sleep pants and her in silk panties.

Issei yelped as his skin began tingling like mad. "Are you trying to rape me or murder me? It's getting hard to tell." Blunt, no consideration of how his words would be taken, and to no one's surprise, exactly in line with his usual quota of idiot things better left unsaid. However, it did get Rias to stop.

"I…I…" Rias had been in process of undoing his pants before Issei caught her again, by her hands this time. "I didn't…"

"Look," he sighed. "Just… try and explain exactly why you're doing this. Granted, I'm still new to the whole devil business, but I'm rather sure this isn't par for the course."

"I… I'm sorry, you're right." Rias moved off him, sitting at the edge of the bed. Issei lifted and flipped his body around so that he landed softly beside her, one arm over her slender shoulders in comfort. He could do that much at least.

"I just came from my family home in the Underworld. My fiancé is pressing for us to marry as soon as possible. My parents," she sniffed, "promised me that they wouldn't force me to until after I finish university. Now, it seems that they've changed their minds."

"So your plan to willingly enact prima nocta?"

"A last ditch effort to break off the engagement by violating the terms." Rias wiped her eyes to rid herself of unshed tears. Issei immediately unsealed a handkerchief and offered it to her, which she gratefully took. "I'm sorry for my behavior. I wasn't thinking straight in my desperation."

"That may be true, but there's really nothing to apologize for." Startled, she looked up to see him give her a wry grin. "From my point of view, all you've done is try and secure whatever happiness you can for your future. Considering we didn't actually do anything, is there anything to be sorry for?"

"Are you crazy?! You'd just shrug off something like this and forget about it?"

"Crazy, most likely. I can't really relate to your position. My dragon parent would never have approved of an arranged marriage, so I can't quite understand what you're going through. That being said I'm still here for you."

Rias wordlessly laid her head upon his shoulder and leaned into him for comfort, something he allowed. Mere moments later, the Gremory circles she had placed around them winked fiercely before shattering. Another circle appeared on the floor, putting Issei on guard. He instinctively suppressed his aura and presence. Considering all she'd said about her family, he wasn't feeling too trusting at the moment, better to err on the side of caution.

From the circle, a beautiful woman emerged. Silver hair and eyes, with red lips and a very matured figure, the newcomer was quite apparently a powerful devil from the energy levels Issei could detect, though for the life of him he could not fathom why someone this strong was wearing a maid outfit for Ophis' sake. Then again, looks weren't everything. He had to hide a grin of anticipation for the possibility of fighting her, his first real challenge since his parole.

It was a somewhat detached thought that came to him that Albion would approve of this woman for no other reason than the color of her hair.

The maid ran a critical eye over the two teenagers before addressing Rias directly. "My lady, you are to return to the Underworld with me. Your parents are most displeased with your actions, and I do not believe they will look kindly on this last transgression." As she finished, she looked to Issei who bristled at the unspoken accusation. So what he wasn't as refined as Kiba, could the supermodels of Hell stop equating him to the epitome of lechery and debauchery?

"That's enough Grayfia," Rias snapped back, surprising both Issei and the silver-haired maid. "Issei is my servant, and I'd appreciate it that you treat him with the same respect you do me. My brother's Queen or not, I won't let you disrespect my servants."

Grayfia nodded. "Very well then. My sincere apologies." She bowed slightly to Issei before returning her gaze back to Rias. "However, that does not change the fact that I am here to escort you back."

"May I bring Akeno with me?"

The older woman was silent for a moment, before she nodded. "It is only right for your Queen to be at your side for this occasion." She lifted her hands and with a flurry of red light, Rias was fully dressed once more.

'Magic. Handy thing, that is.' Issei noted. With a slight frown afterwards, he once again lamented his inherent inability to use the even most basic of spells. Aura manipulation was nice and all, but he was woefully out of practice with it. Even at his best a decade ago, all he could do was detonate, mold, or ignite his aura; fancy magical constructs would always be beyond him.

Rias sighed and gathered herself up for what would undoubtedly be a rather awkward family meeting. Before she made any move to Grayfia's side, she turned back to Issei, who was still seated and hugged him to her bountiful chest. Issei's head was now firmly entrapped in her bosom, a fact that nearly made him combust right then and there. He was sure he was generating extreme amounts of heat right now, it was a wonder he hadn't scorched her newly acquired clothing.

"Thank you again. For understanding." It was a very sad smile that adorned Rias' visage, something that tore at Issei's heartstrings. Releasing him, Rias turned back to the Queen and stood by her in a newly formed circle. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." With that, the two women disappeared.

Issei sat there for a time, staring at their departure point before letting himself fall back onto the bed, arms outstretched to either side. 'When did this get so complicated?' He cursed. 'I'm in way over my head here.' He contemplated trying to reach out to seek Albion's counsel, but shook his head and abandoned that train of thought. In all likelihood, what had just occurred may have disappointed the great dragon even more.

With a sinking thought, he realized that by requesting Akeno's presence at the meeting, Rias had inadvertently left him to his own devices for the night. With the girls gone and Albion unresponsive, for the first time in a long time, he was on his own for the night. Wearily bracing himself for an uncomfortable night, Issei slipped under the covers and tried very hard not to think about anything from the time before his reincarnation.

Issei felt very alone, reminding him of darker times.

He failed spectacularly.

AN: Please leave me a review to let me know what you think! A gentle reminder that I will not answer pairing questions in the review section.

Next up: A challenger appears! Enter the Yakitori!