Koneko's legs were starting to fall asleep. What's even the point of this waiting on this stupid stray anyway? she thought, wishing she could be at home to study for her upcoming exams. Should I say something to Rias? Absolutely not. She wouldn't dare to speak out against her club president about something so trivial when she knew this was the duty of the Gremory family, to destroy this stray demon. For weeks it had killed people, leaving the bodies out in obvious places, daring them to challenge it. She looked to her left and saw Issei yawning, clearly minutes away from nodding off himself. She wished she could punch him, but settled for kicking his shin so they wouldn't blow their cover.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for, Koneko?" he yelped, looking over at her. She gave him a withering glare.

"Stay awake, pervert. I'm not doing all the work while you take a nap" she said flatly. Issei opened his mouth, clearly about to protest, but he thought better of it after remembering what had happened the last time he had made her angry while on a mission. Satisfied, she back to look towards the house, hoping for a sign of the stray.

If only Rias would let us go inside. But she knew that the stray had set up some kind of powerful magic barrier inside, hoping to lure them into a trap. Rias was trying to find out whether it was some sort of new magic or the work of a Sacred Gear, and had instructed Koneko and Issei to keep an eye on the place, in case the stray left to feed again. Without a master, it needed a massive amount of energy to fuel this sort of spell. Issei in particular was less than pleased about having to stake out the place.

"Koneko, can't we just go in there and destroy this stray so we can go to bed?" Issei complained, yawning and stretching his tired legs. "I'm sure we can destroy it easily with my Sacred Gear and your strength."

She sighed heavily. "The president told us why, dummy. She's never seen this kind of magic before. That stray defeated a fallen angel inside that house. Without knowing anything about what kind of powers it has, we shouldn't fight it unless it leaves the house."

As she finished telling him off, a loud noise pierced through the still night air. Koneko tensed, adrenaline suddenly coursing through her petite frame like a wildfire. White, fluffy ears and a long tail formed on her body as she shifted into a fighting stance, ready to pounce, but she relaxed slightly as a crow flew over the roof where she and Issei had spent hours watching the demon's sanctuary. She relaxed her body slightly, but flushed when she saw Issei looking at her and laughing, his Sacred Gear gleaming in the moonlight.

"Getting so worked up over just a little bird? I thought you were supposed to be tough, Koneko!" Issei laughed.

She bristled with fury, wishing she could unleash her fury on him. She could feel his eyes on her, and turned to say something when she saw the crow bank sharply about and fly down towards them. It screeched loudly at the pair of devils and a purple magical circle began to form the bird's mouth. Koneko gasped. "Issei, watch-"

Before she could even finish her warning, a beam of pure purple energy shot from the creature's mouth, directly at Issei. Her vision turned grey as a massive explosion enveloped Issei's body. Koneko screamed in fury and launched herself at the familiar. She drew her fist back and drawing on all her strength, she brought her fist down. Just as she was about to vaporize the familiar, it melted into a pool of shadow and disappeared. Her fist slammed into the roof of the house and created a gigantic hole. She stared at the spot where the crow had been just an instant before , her tail lashing wildly in her frustration. Why couldn't I sense it my nekomata form? I can sense magic that strong from miles away.

She stewed for a moment in her own frustrations then suddenly looked around. Issei! Then she saw hos crumpled body at the edge of the roof, his sacred gear still faintly pulsing green around his wrist. A writhing black mass of tendrils enveloped his chest, curling up and around his arms like shackles. Horrified, she rushed towards him. This time I won't miss. She pulled back her fist and struck with all her might. A massive crash echoed through the night, but her fist sunk into the creature like it was made of the thick liquid. She gasped as her body went numb and it constricted around her hand. It's so strong! Her body blazed green as she tapped into more of her power than ever before, but even with as much as she dared muster, all she could do was separate herself from the creature and she slumped back. She was completely exhausted. As she slowly looked at Issei, his body now wrapped in a black cocoon, a massive male figure emerged from the house, cloaked in shadow, and snatched him up. He looked down at her and laughed.

"Poor little kitten. You tried so hard, but we finally, I've found the red dragon emperor. Once I can control both his power and the powers of the heavens, I can finally begin to make my dream a reality. My appreciation to you, little cat."

Koneko cried out in agony as his boot slammed into her head, and her vision went black.


Koneko

"And where do you think Issei could be, Rias?

"I told you already, I don't know Akeno. I've already asked my brother and Sona for help. They're helping us figure out what's going on here."

Koneko stirred. Her entire body was on fire and her head felt like she had slammed it into a locker.

"Rias, we have to do something soon. Who knows what might be happening to Issei right now?" Koneko recognized the vice president's voice, but she had never heard her voice filled with so much terror before. Her eyes filled with tears. Issei... I'm sorry. Why couldn't she have been faster?

Rias stood up so fast her chair slammed against the wall. "Akeno! Don't you think I want to save him too? I'm just not willing to lose any more of my family until we know what we're dealing-" Her voice faltered and broke as she saw Koneko's eyes open and full of tears. "Koneko! You're awake!" she cried, rushing to her Rook's side. "Are you okay?"

Koneko burst into tears and wrapped her arms around her club president. "I'm sorry! I tried to save Issei, but I was too weak. I failed you Rias." Her sobbing wails filled the room and Rias gently stroked her back. "It's not your fault, you did everything you could. Nobody could have known they were capable of that type of magic." She pulled Koneko's small body tightly against her own and held her until her crying subsided. "Koneko, you are a Rook of the House of Gremory, and I will not let you speak about yourself that way." Koneko whimpered and nodded, her face still tight against the body of her King.

"Koneko, what happened to Issei after the familiar attacked you?" Akeno asked, finally breaking the silence.

"The familiar hit Issei with some sort of magic and bound him into a cocoon. After that, a huge man came out and took him, and said something about using the power of the Red Dragon Emperor." She winced, remembering the brutal kick afterword. "And the magic he used was strong, I had to use almost all of my nekomata energy just to break free from it myself."

Rias shook her head in confusion. "I've never heard of any kind of magic like that." Akeno confirmed she hadn't either. "I've summoned my brother to meet me. I will confer with him about this magic. He may have seen something like it before." Koneko bit her lip and nodded. Her guilt still roiled inside her, but she laid back down onto the bed. "I'll be fine, President" she lied, holding back her tears again. Rias looked as though she wanted to protest, but turned towards the door, flipping her crimson hair over her shoulder.

"Let's go, Akeno. We have plenty of work to do if we want to get Issei back." she ordered. Akeno turned and left at her side.


Rias

Why would she lie to me like that? she wondered, her thoughts in turmoil. Issei's kidnapping weighed most heavily on her mind, but as a King and club president, she was obligated to care for of all her peerage, and she knew how much Koneko's insecurities weighed on her already...

Akeno's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Shall I summon the rest of the family, my lady?" Her voice was full of concern for both her friends, but she knew better than to ask questions until Rias was ready to talk to her

"No. But ask Asia to see to Koneko and make sure at least all of her physical injuries." came her curt response.

"As you wish." replied Akeno, splitting off to go and find her. Rias continued onward into the main room and flopped down onto one of the couches.She resolved to contact her brother, Sir Zechs, before contacting Sona and asking to meet at the bathhouse. She then finally let her mask drop, and she wept. Oh Issei, I didn't mean for this to happen. It's my fault for not being there. Her heart ached. This boy, who had saved her from Rizer, had saved her life so many times, was gone. And she had no idea how to save him.


Akeno

Akeno walked slowly up the stairs, her heart racing. If I can be the one to rescue Issei, then he'll have to choose me, right? She held onto her selfish fantasy for a moment and then let it go. Rias would never forgive me for that, much less the other girls. And he'd never love me if he found out who my father was. She approached Asia's room and knocked on the door. No response. She knocked once more and then opened the door. The room was empty and dark. She must be in Issei's room she thought, unsurprised. She turned and walked down the hall. She found Asia right where she expected, on Issei's bed. She squeaked and sat up as Akeno entered.

"Oh, Akeno! I was just here b-because I-"

Akeno cut her off. "It's alright, Asia. I know why you're here. I just came to tell you that Rias wanted you to look after Koneko and make sure she's healed after everything that happened last night."

Asia nodded in understanding. "Poor Koneko. I hope she's alright. I'll do all I can for her, but my Sacred Gear can only heal physical injuries." She cast her eyes downwards and sighed. "Akeno, do you think we'll be able to save Issei? If he doesn't come back, I don't know what I'll be able to do..." she trailed off as her eyes swam with tears. Akeno wrapped her in a tight embrace, her own eyes dampening.

"We're going to to save him."


A/N: So this is the first story I've ever posted, and I'm relatively new to this community, so any kind of constructive criticism is welcome. I have a clear direction in mind for the story (mainly Koneko and Asia's love moving from Issei to each other, as I don't intend on writing a lot of Issei) and plan to continue it, so let me know if you enjoy it or if I could fix anything/etc. Thanks for reading!