A/N: Hey guys. (This is a slightly long A/N if you don't care about this you can skip most of this, the boxed paragraph is important).

I know I've been gone significantly longer than I said I would be. Right after I finished uploading the 'Update' chapter, I was getting stressed about school and I couldn't think of anything for BDE. On top of that, I was wrapping up my senior year of high school and was applying for college so just more stress was piled on.

Fast forward to now, and I feel a lot better. Senior year ended well, got into college, and settled in.

Since I'm not two seconds away from having a heart attack, I think I can finally get back to writing. I can't promise any schedule with college going on, but I'll try not to upload once a year xD.

Quite frequently during my year hiatus, I got emails telling me of people following, reviewing, and messaging me, waiting for the next chapter. So I got my shit together and I'm gonna give you guys the next chapter.

I'm gonna ease myself back into writing. I'm sure I'll be back up to speed in no time. I also wanted to change a couple of things about the story so I'll be going back to chapter 3 so it's consistent and lines up with future chapters. I'll explain that in the outro A/N.

Thanks to everyone who waited this long. It means a lot to me that so many people like this story and want to see it continue.

Chapter 4, commence!

Chapter 4: Regrets

Silence…

All she could hear was silence.

A lone woman sat on a bed in a dark room. The only source of light was the sun, seeping through the curtain-covered window. Even with the poor lighting, anyone could tell by looking at the woman that she was a sight to behold. Golden hair flowed down her back, emerald eyes, and a face that was a tad on the cute side. By almost any standard, she was beautiful.

Well, at least that's what people saw when she was out in public.

In private, she dropped her facade, keeping a steady frown present on her face. Her once silky golden hair was ruffled and out of place. Her eyes lost all the life they once had, not shining with even a fraction of their former selves. To put it simply: She was a mess. She wasn't sure others have noticed but one thing was for sure, she was broken beyond repair.

She had remained sitting on her bed for hours, staring at a photo in her hands. A picture of her in high school with a boy standing next to her with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Staring at his bright smile, the woman raised her finger, bringing it up to the photo, and traced the boy's face.

"Why?" The woman said to herself. "Why couldn't I say anything back then?"

The woman's hand started shaking, fighting back the tears threatening to fall from her face.

"If… If I had said something, I could've stayed by your side… But I didn't. Fafnir was right, I was and still am a coward…"

The woman, Asia Argento, sat completely still on the bed reminiscing about that day.

It'd been 30 years of nothing but regret and misery for Asia. From the first moment she was told about the plan to kill Issei, all she felt was disdain and disgust for everyone around her. Kiba, Xenovia, Koneko, Akeno, her, and everyone else. Had they forgotten what Issei has done for them? What he risked for them? What he sacrificed for them? Not just when fighting Rizevim, Issei sacrificed himself every single day of his life for them, always putting their needs before his. When someone had a bad day, Issei would do everything he could to cheer them up. When someone needed help, Issei was already on it, helping in any way he can. He may not know what he was doing or what he needed to do but he showed initiative, figuring it out as he went.

Unwillingly, Asia could recall every single event from that day, and the days after that had led her to this point, serving to punish and torment her in her dreams.

When the idea of betraying him was brought to her attention, Asia felt something she rarely ever felt.

Rage.

She was infuriated. How could she not be? Blasted by a wave of anger, shock, and disbelief, Asia was sure she was hearing things. How could she even fathom the thought of betraying her own brother?

The person who helped her find her way to the church. The person who accepted her and became her first friend. The person who gave her a new life and a home to return to. The person… who gave her a loving family that supported and spoiled her.

Asia couldn't ask for anything more; she was incredibly grateful for all Issei had done and wished to pay back that debt by being there for him.

Asia wanted to shout, Asia wanted to scream. She'd never felt so enraged in her entire life. She wanted to let out all her anger and frustration upon the people she thought were her family. She wanted to tell them that they were out of their mind if they think she was going to agree with this plan.

Only nothing was said.

Her mouth remained sealed shut, not uttering a single noise. Fearing what would become of her if she dared spoke out against her peerage and the leaders, she choose silence. Even when the love of her life was in danger, she still couldn't muster the courage to speak out against her peers.

It was pathetic.

Throughout the entire meeting, Asia's heart screamed at her to say something, anything at all. Even still, her brain couldn't form a single sentence. She just stood there with a smile on her face and nodded when someone asked her a question.

After the meeting was over, Asia rushed to a secluded area to breathe and calm herself down. They were going to attack Issei and she didn't anything about it. She never felt so frustrated and helpless in her entire life.

She tried to rationalize that this needed to happen because if they didn't, the Underworld and Earth could be in severe danger.

But it was an unjust justification and deep down, Asia knew this.

When the day finally came to enact the plan to get rid of Issei, Asia thought she had mentally prepared herself. She thought she had come to terms with the situation and knew this is how it had to be. However, once they encountered Issei in the streets of Lilith and she saw his contorted face, that was it. The dam that held her emotions back gave way and her feelings poured out.

Tears streamed down Asia's face. She wasn't ready for this at all. Of course, she wasn't. She could never bring herself to betray Issei of her own volition. Everyone around her was so focused on Issei that they didn't know or care that Asia was crying. She was so wrapped up in her sorrow that she didn't realize that the chase had already begun.

Even after the 'veil' hiding her emotions was removed Asia STILL didn't do anything! She stayed quiet, all the while Issei was pummeled by magic, fighting for his life.

Although Asia was conscious for most of the fight, she knew once everyone else was defeated there would only be her, Gasper, and Rias remaining. Issei would most likely not even bother saying a word to her, he'd just get out of the picture.

Asia had assumed correctly.

After maiming Akeno and Irina, Issei shot forward to the two Bishops making a beeline toward them. Asia barely had time to register that he was in front of them before she felt metallic claws wrapped around her head. When Issei slammed both her and Gasper's heads together, that was it.

The lights were out for Asia.

When Asia came to, she saw Gabriel sitting next to her, healing Asia with her magic. Asia also saw Gasper and Koneko was awake as well although the Nekomata was certain on the cusp of passing out again.

Gabriel didn't utter a word to Asia. She didn't ask how she was doing or if anything hurt, she simply stood up and walked over to four who were severely injured and sat next to them to tend to their wounds with Rias sitting on the opposite side of the Seraph.

A part of Asia was glad that Gabriel reacted that way.

Asia forced herself to sit up and looked around her, taking in the results of the battle.

Despite all the setbacks, Issei put up a valiant effort. He was able to severely injure Kiba, Xenvoia, Rossweisse, Akeno, and Irina. He was able to put Koneko, Gasper, and herself out of commission. He was even able to hold back the combined forces of the Maou and Seraphs for a time all by himself. Issei played every card he had and did everything he possibly could.

But it wasn't enough.

The fight was over and Issei had lost.

She sat a little distance away while the Maou and Micheal surrounded the Dragon. Asia watched as Sirzechs beat Issei into a pulp and proceed to slash his right eye.

Asia darted her eyes away when she heard Issei's scream.

When Asia turned her head back, she saw Sirzechs and Micheal picking Issei up while Ajuka stood in front of the defeated Dragon. Were they going to beat him even more?

It was almost too much for Asia to bear.

Just how much could she take of this? How much more would it take to make her do something about it?

'No more.'

Asia spoke to herself; she has had enough. She steeled herself; finding the courage to ask the Maou if Issei could be spared. If she could somehow convince them, Issei would be detained, giving Asia time to figure out what to do next. She had finally made up her mind. It might've been at the last second, but Asia pushed herself up, finding it difficult to find her balance. Once she recovered her footing, Asia took a step forward, doing what she should've done from the start: help Issei.

And maybe, just maybe, Issei would find it in his heart to forgive her in time.

Unfortunately, Asia's window of opportunity was sealed shut.

Asia watched in horror, as she saw Ajuka tear Issei's pawn pieces out of his body, giving them back to Rias, and as if that wasn't enough, Sirzechs threw Issei's almost lifeless body into the ravine.

Asia's eye's widened; her walking, breathing, and the entire world came to a halt. She couldn't even begin to process what just happened. Issei was just thrown off a cliff… by Sirzechs… with not a shred of remorse or mercy, just agitation, and annoyance. Her heart felt like it was about to explode as the pressure built inside her. It took everything Asia had to not cry and scream right then and there. She couldn't let herself be the victim of the questions that were sure to follow if she did.

Her face, however, must've shown some form of discomfort as the rest of the peerage who were awake looked at her with puzzled looks as if they were completely oblivious as to what they just did!

Something finally snapped inside Asia when saw this and she realized something that she should've seen from the moment she first stepped into the Occult Research Club.

These people weren't her friends. And they sure as hell weren't her family.

All they were power-hungry, manipulative, deceitful snakes. Ready to turn their backs on someone the moment that person stops being beneficial to them. They extort and use them for all they're worth, leaving them broken and alone once they had their fun. Who calls a group like that their friends? Who calls a group like that their family?!

A torrent of emotions flooded and swirled around in Asia's mind. She could barely think straight as someone lightly grabbed her on the shoulder.

Asia swerved her head around to face the person. Her eyes lit up with fury and rage as she saw who it was.

Rias.

"Are you alright, Asia," Rias asked, "You look like you're ready to kill someone."

Oh, Asia wanted nothing more than just that. She wanted to put her hands around her King's throat and suffocate her. Alas, she couldn't do it. She didn't have enough strength to do it and even if she did, she would have to fight off the rest of her peerage and top of that the Maou and Seraphs. If Issei couldn't defeat them, what chance did she have? So, Asia did the only thing she could do.

She forced a smile on her face and made up an excuse.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just angry at all the time we wasted on Issei, we should've gotten rid of him sooner."

Asia immediately wanted to throw up after saying that; she didn't believe that at all however, she needed to say something believable. Knowing that the people she was talking to were true Devils, Asia was certain that they wouldn't ask her any questions.

"Ok, I just wanted to be sure," Rias replied with a soft smile, "You were all over the place during this entire battle so I wanted to make sure you were okay. A King must look after their servants after all."

While Asia kept her facade up, on the inside she was fuming. The irony of Rias' statement was unparalleled. From where Asia was standing, a King only looks after their servant if they have value, substantial value at that. If they don't, they're nothing more than the trash on the side of the street.

It made Asia sick to her stomach.

Before the healer could dwell any longer on her thoughts, she saw Serafall talking to someone through a magic circle. Asia couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying but did see Serafall have a look of shock on her face. After the transmission was cut, Serafall shared what she was told with the rest of the leaders. Then the Maou, and Micheal turned around with a look of urgency on their face. Taking the initiative, Rias walked forward to ask her brother what was going on while the rest of the peerage waited to hear what Sirzechs had to say.

"Brother, what's going on? Who was Serafall talking and why do you all look so worried?"

Sirzechs looked towards his sister, her peerage, and back at Rias. Sighing, he responded to his sister with a solemn voice.

"Azazel… Azazel is coming. I'm not sure where he picked up the idea or how he knew we were even here, but he's on his way.

Rias, Gasper, and Koneko's eyes widened and Gabriel perked her ears as she heard this. Azazel was coming here? If Azazel found out what they'd done, he would no doubt fight them himself or even worse declare war on Angels and Devils.

"Wh- What? A- Azazel is coming here," Gasper whimpered his legs shaking at the very thought of invoking the Fallen Angel's wrath.

"Yes," Sirzechs replied, "He's coming here."

"What are we going to do? We are in no condition to fight and he'll no doubt ask what happened here."

Rias tried her best to keep herself as calm as possible. Panicking wasn't going to help anything.

"I'm fully aware," Sirzechs answered, "He's too perceptive for his own good. Anything short of an immaculate excuse isn't going to stave off his suspicions."

Micheal stepped forward to add to the conversation.

"Not to mention that Azazel has always seen Issei like a son. If he were to find out he died by our hands, I have no doubt he'd hurl a light spear into our faces and surely declare war on the Angels and Devils after that."

"Then what can we do," Koneko asked speaking up for the first time, "What could we possibly say to not arouse suspicion from Azazel?"

Everyone muttered thoughts of agreement, wondering what they could do. Every minute they wasted, the closer Azazel was getting. They needed some sort of lie.

"I have an idea."

Everyone turned to look at the person talking, Rias. Once she had everyone's attention, she laid out her plan.

"We could make ourselves look like the victim of Issei's assault. We'll sit on the ground tired and beaten as Azazel approaches us, which shouldn't be hard to do given our condition…"

Rias looked around at the state of everyone, most of them were bruised and bleeding in several different places. The rest of her peerage and Irina were brutalized and maimed. The only people who had minimal injuries were the Maou and Seraphs which made sense. After quickly checking everyone, Rias continued her explanation.

"I highly doubt Azazel will attack from the get-go regardless of whether we were on the ground or not, even so, to be on the safe side, we should. Once he lands the Maou and Seraphs could explain how Issei had gone rogue and suddenly attacked us without warning. Then before Azazel can start asking any questions, you could teleport us back to the Gremory Estate to be treated for our wounds. There won't be any account from Issei. There's nothing else here to suggest that we were the ones to attack him. Azazel will have no choice but to agree with us or at the very least, he won't ask any more questions."

After Rias finished elaborating her plan, she looked toward her peerage and the leaders to hear their thoughts.

"Hmmm, yes I think that just might work," Ajuka replied, stroking his chin, he continued, "It's the best shot we have; there's no time to think of anything more detailed. Does anyone have any objections?"

Ajuka looked around at everyone, but no one said a word.

"Alright then, let us begin."

That was the last thing that Asia can vividly remember from that day. Everything else rushed past her like a blur. She can vaguely recall seeing Azazel in the sky and landing in front of them. However, once Azazel started walking towards the group, Asia's body shut down going completely limp as she hit the ground below her. She knew that her injuries weren't completely healed and were only superficially taken care of. Despite that, she thought it was enough to keep her awake for a while.

How wrong she was.

Gabriel most likely only did the bare minimum to wake Asia up and stopped right after that. Once again, Asia felt happy in a strange way that Gabriel did this. Nevertheless, it was strange. Why would the Seraph do that? Questions aroused in Asia as consciousness fled her mind.

Did Gabriel not agree with Micheal and Maou on this plan?

Was she forced into doing this by Micheal?

Was Gabriel regretting her decisions just like her?

These were the questions that plagued Asia's mind as the last of her consciousness faded away, leaving her mind in a dark place.

Was it finally happening?

She could feel something rising within her.

Flickers of her consciousness sparked in her mind as she tried her hardest to wake up.

She felt more and more of her mind come back to her with each passing moment.

At last… Consciousness was returning to her.

With her mind waking up, she worked on opening her eyes. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, her eyes felt so heavy.

She can't remember the last time her eyes felt so heavy.

Over and over again she tried, with each attempt being as unsuccessful as the attempt before.

Wanting to wake up now more than ever, with everything she had, she used all her strength to open her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, her eyes split apart. A white light seeped through the small crack as she forced her eyes to open more and more.

The light rushed in even more as the crack between her eyelids grew bigger and bigger.

This gave her motivation to keep going. She was so close. She could feel it.

With one final push, she opened her eyes fully as the light enveloped her entire vision.

She had done it.

She was returning to the world of the living.

"Uggghhhh….."

With a sluggish groan, Asia's eyes fluttered open. Immediately squinting when the harsh sunlight entered her eyes, closed them reflexively.

Opening her eyes again, this time prepared for the amount of light that was present, Asia lifted her head slightly and tried to prop her elbows so she could use them to lift herself. As soon as she tried to move, however, a sharp pain traveled throughout the healer's entire body. It was as if lightning coursed through her body, zapping and burning everything it touched.

The pain was unreal to Asia. She opened her mouth but nothing came out as she yelled an inaudible scream. Slowly, Asia reeled her head back, softly putting her head back on the pillow she was resting on. She didn't have any energy to talk nor any to think, all she could do what lay there in silence.

The pain was nothing like she recalled from when she passed out, this was much worse. Afraid of causing the pain to surge again, Asia lay down motionless, staring at the ceiling of the room she was in. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, however she knew it must've been hours as the sun started to change colors. What was once a vibrant white slowly turned into a mellow orange, casting a shadow on everything it touched.

Deciding to try again, Asia propped her elbows, this time she was much slower and meticulous about it. The pain was still present yet it wasn't nearly as bad as it was before. Slowly but surely, Asia used her elbows to push her entire body to sit up. After she straighten herself out, Asia pushed the covers off of herself dragging her lifeless legs across the bed and onto the floor. Both feet caused a slight jolt of pain as she planted them on the floor, quickly settling down after that.

Now that she was finally out of bed, Asia looked around to see where she was. The decorative walls, the expensive pieces of art, and the huge bed all led to one conclusion.

She was in her room at the Gremory Estate.

Scanning the room, it seemed that nothing had changed. Everything seem to be exactly how she left it. However, once her eyes met her desk her heart dropped. For the first time since she awakened, Asia croaked out her first words.

"Wh- Where is my diary?"

The diary that housed her feelings for Issei and all the memories she made with him was gone. Asia knew for a fact that she left it laying there on the table before the last time she left her room. It was one of her greatest treasures.

It wasn't just that either. Asia looked across the room again, this time with much more carefully, and realized a lot of personal belongings were gone as well. Someone must've come in and thrown all stuff she had that had to do with Issei out.

"Issei…"

The sudden thought of the love of her life released all the memories that were temporarily suppressed within Asia's mind. How she didn't voice her disagreement with getting rid of Issei during the meeting. How she left Issei to face the threat of Angels and Devils alone. How she saw Issei getting beaten by Sirzechs.

How she watched Issei get thrown off a cliff by the very same person who she thought of as her family and left to die!

All while she stayed back and did NOTHING!

The crying had already begun. Asia brought her knees up to her chest and hung her head down in shame. Tears and snot ran down her face as the crying continued.

A sudden thought ran through Asia's mind while she wept.

"Wait… Wh- What about that?"

Almost instinctively, Asia jumped out of bed and got on her knees to look under her bed. The pain that shot through her body was immense, but she didn't care.

She just had to know.

"Pl- Please still be here. Please still be here!"

Asia's voice slowly came back to her as frantically looked under her bed, desperate to find what she was looking for.

After moving the last object, Asia slowly looked toward where she normally kept it. Her eyes widened when got her answer.

There it was. A small square piece of paper was placed face down, nestled gently against everything else. Asia reached forward to hold it, all the while her arm shook incessantly. Lightly, pinching the corner of the paper with her fingers, she brought her arm back, bringing the paper with it.

Rotating the paper around Asia, went from crying tears of sorrow to tears of joy.

The piece of paper was a picture of her and Issei the day they graduated from Kuoh Academy High School. Issei had his arm wrapped around her with a smile brighter than the sun on his face.

When Asia saw this, she let out a sigh through her tears.

"Thank God…"

Asia knelt and held the photo on her chest. Her head throbbed violently from speaking of God but she couldn't care less about that right now. She was relieved to find the thing she treasured the most.

The tears of joy went back to being ones of sorrow after the glow effect wore off. Asia cried even harder than before, holding the photo tightly to her chest.

"Issei… I- I- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…."

Asia apologized over and over again but knowing that it wouldn't make the situation any better made her feel even worse.

But couldn't stop saying it.

She repeated herself hundreds of times, only stopping when her throat became too sore for her to speak. Asia knelt there in silence with only the sound of tears accompanying her. Asia didn't know how long stayed like that but quite frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted to be close to Issei, even if that meant doing so through a photo.

It was well into the night when Asia opened her eyes again, the picture still held tightly to her chest. Looking down at it, she once again was thankful that it was still in her possession. Asia had kept it separate from everything else due to how special the picture was to her. She was so lucky that she did, otherwise, she could've, no, she would've lost it too.

The tears had died down substantially from when Asia started. She had run out of any energy to give.

Even the energy to cry.

All Asia was left with was drowsiness and fatigue.

She debated on whether or not she should hold the photo while she slept. While Asia wanted to, she couldn't risk someone walking in and seeing that photo in her hands. It would bring with it unnecessary questions that Asia wouldn't be able to lie about. Not to mention that it would undoubtedly lead to the photo being thrown away and Asia refused to let that happen.

So, begrudgingly, Asia set the photo back where she originally found it and moved everything that she had displaced back as well.

Once she finished hiding the picture, Asia slowly stood up and crawled into bed. The pain in her body still made it difficult for the healer to move but Asia was getting better at dealing with it each time.

Pulling the covers up, Asia found herself staring at the ceiling of her room once again. She continued to do so as a lone tear streamed down her face.

"Issei," Asia whimpered, "I'm sorry."

Asia apologized one more time as all the energy she had left fled from her body, leaving Asia to drift into a deep sleep.

Asia once again woke up to the sight of the ceiling and harsh sunlight. However, this time, she heard something different. She heard the sounds of tearing cloth and the wringing of water right next to her.

Turning her head to see who it was, Asia saw a woman in a black and white dress with a red ribbon tied around her neck. A ruffled white headdress sat on top of her face with knots of strings resting on either side of her head. She had short black hair and baby blue eyes that were looking down towards Asia's arm removing the dirty bandage from her body. From what she wore and what she was doing, Asia assumed that she was a maid.

The maid crumpled up the old bandage, putting it down next to the other dirty ones. As she turned back around, she saw Asia awake, looking right at her.

"Oh, you're finally awake," the maid said, "I wasn't sure how much longer you would be out."

After she finished her sentence, Asia asked the first question that came to her mind.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Arya," the maid replied, "I'm here by the orders of my master, Sirzechs Lucifer, to tend to your wounds.

The mention of the Crimson Satan was enough to make Asia grit her teeth. She despised the man she once called family. Not to the same level as Rias, but pretty damn close.

Seeing the expression on her face, Arya voiced her concern.

"Are you alright, Asia," Arya asked, "Was I too rough?"

Asia, completely forgetting she was in the presence of someone else, cursed herself mentally. Luckily Arya had asked the perfect question for her to make up an excuse. With that in mind, Asia answered.

"Yeah, could you be a little more gentle? Sorry… I know that you're just trying to do your job."

"It's no problem… really. I'll be more careful. Thank you for letting me know."

Arya gave a quick smile before turning her attention back to Asia's arm, making sure she moved and positioned it as tenderly as he could.

While Asia watched Arya bandage her wounds, she thought about what she first said when she woke up. Arya said she wasn't sure how much longer she be out. What did she mean by that? It hasn't been that long right? Just a few days at most is what it felt like to Asia. But from the way Arya was describing it, she was out for way longer. Initially hesitant to ask, Asia called out to her caretaker, causing her to stop working and look at Asia.

"When I first woke up you told me that you weren't sure how much longer I would be out. How long have I been? No more than a few days, right?"

Arya shook her head from side to side before responding to the question.

"No, you've been out for a little over a month. A month and four days to be exact"

A month?!

Asia was out for an entire month?!

A few days? She could see that being the case.

A week? Believable.

A couple of weeks? Somewhat understandable.

But a whole month?

Asia was shocked, she didn't think her injuries were that serious.

Reading her patient like a book, Arya told Asia exactly what she wanted to hear.

"You're surprised? As a healer, you must know how badly you were injured. The concussion you got from colliding with Gasper was pretty severe. Not sure if you wanted my professional opinion, but realistically you shouldn't have woken up yet. I'd say you would've come to maybe a couple weeks from now, but it would seem you've woken up early."

Arya paused, waiting to see if Asia would say anything, but no words came out of her mouth. After a few more moments with no response, she wrapped up her thought as she finished bandaging Asia.

"As for Gasper, he has already awakened and is working on rehabilitating himself. My best guess is that the vampire blood within him accelerated his healing process so he was able to wake up faster than you."

The thought of Gasper sparked yet another question for Asia. She didn't care about them, not in the slightest, nevertheless, she was curious. How were they doing?

"I see… What about the others?

"I can't say anything about your peerage's condition with complete certainty," Arya explained, "As I was only assigned to you. The rest of your peerage and the Angel was given different maids to tend to them. However, I can tell what I know, if that interests you."

Wanting any amount of insight into their conditions, Asia nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Arya began to inform the Bishop what she knew.

"After your battle with the Red Dragon Emperor, you passed out and Gasper and Koneko followed suit as well. I've heard rumors that the Maou and Seraphs talked with the leader of the Fallen Angels but I'm not sure if that's true nor do I know what they talked about."

Asia nodded she knew this part of this story, she wanted to hear what happened since she was asleep.

"As I said, Gasper has already woken up and has been the longest out of everyone. Koneko woke up shortly after him. Both seemed to be relatively okay. Both are having a hard time finding their balance while walking and easily get disoriented but that will get better over time. So overall, they're doing fine.

I cannot say the same for the rest of your friends, however. Everyone else was egregiously injured. It took an entire team to perform surgery and stabilize them. And now we have a maid in there with each of them at all times to track their condition and make sure they can respond if something does go wrong. As for the injuries themselves, I don't even know where to begin. Where do I even start?"

Arya thought about how she wanted to word this. After a few seconds of thinking, she began talking once again.

"Both Kiba and Xenovia are in a rough position. Xenovia had a whole collection of arteries and veins burst within her causing massive internal bleeding. Not to mention the extreme amount of blunt trauma that was applied to her. The force was so much that many of her bones fractured and the bones surrounding the point of impact were completely broken. She also suffered a concussion like you, but her's was much more severe. I doubt she'll wake up until next month at the very earliest. However, Kiba got the worse of the two regarding the long term. While in the short term, Xenovia looks worse for wear, she eventually heal in due time. Kiba, however, may not. He was slashed in such a way that Excalibur cut deeply into his shoulders, chest, and back, tearing the majority of his muscles. He was stabbed through the stomach as well. Even if Kiba recovers with minimal scarring, I'm unsure if he'll ever be able to lift a sword higher than his chest ever again.

As for Rossweisse, her injuries might be just as bad, maybe a little worse. She had lacerations starting at her right shoulder and going down toward the left side of her waist. The lacerations weren't surface level either, they went deep. Some went so far that they pierced her lungs and caused blood to rush in. She had been having a difficult time breathing since but she had slowly been recovering. Out of everyone besides you, Gasper, and Koneko she got off the easiest."

Arya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the final two that were left.

"Then there's Akeno and Irina. They have, without a doubt, suffered the greatest injuries. Akeno lost her Fallen Angel wing, it has been completely ripped out from her body; there was no saving it. As you're probably aware, once you lose a wing, it's gone forever. Akeno won't be able to fly for a long time and they will more than likely be visible scars from where the wing was ripped out. Lastly, Irina is in the same boat as Akeno, only much worse. Every single one of her wings was ripped out. If she didn't have the halo over her head you wouldn't be able to tell she was an Angel. Both of them are still hooked up to our machinery and I'm honestly unsure of when they will open their eyes. That sums up everyone, do you have any other questions?"

Asia lay still as she took in all this information. While she watched Issei pummel them all into submission, she didn't know the true extent of their injuries. Issei did quite the number on them. He might've lost the battle but he did as much damage before he eventually went down.

Asia, in a strange way, was proud of him.

However, thinking about Issei again made Asia want to cry. She had been holding it back this entire time, but she knew she couldn't last much longer. Knowing what she was about to do, she tried to finish this conversation with Arya so she could have some time alone.

"No, I don't. Thank you for taking the time to explain the situation to me. I appreciate it. I'm getting tired again, I would like to rest if that's ok with you."

Asia hoped that she didn't project a sad tone or anything that would say otherwise.

"I understand, you still haven't fully recovered take all the time you need. Once you're well enough, I will bring you to my master and Rias. They will give you the details I don't have."

The mention of Sirzechs alongside Rias once again left an awful taste in Asia's mouth. However, she didn't show it on her face and ended the conversation.

"Ok, thanks again. I will talk to you later," Asia said as she shut her eyes.

Getting up from the chair she was sitting in, Arya made her way to the door. After softly closing the door she walked down the hall, her footsteps becoming softer and softer until they faded away completely.

Asia couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Another episode of crying had begun. She can't remember the last time she cried so much. But then again, she can't remember where she lost someone she knew, especially someone dear to her heart.

Once again, Asia curled into a ball bringing her knees to chests, crying into them.

"Why? Why did it have to be you Issei? Why did you have to die? It should've been me… I'm the one who should've died!"

Asia wrapped her arms around herself, grasping onto her shoulders. She gripped so hard that her nails pierced her skin, causing blood to trickle down her arm. The pain barely even registered in Asia's mind. All she could think about was how she turned her back on Issei. If even Irina wasn't going to take Issei's side, then Asia at the very least should've, but she didn't.

She remained a coward until the very end.

Wallowing in her cowardice, Asia crashed down onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Yet again, Asia was greeted by the ceiling of her room and the sunlight invading her eyes.

She swore that these last few days have been like clockwork.

Her eyes were pink and irritated from spending the last few days crying almost nonstop. Her vision also was a little blurry when she opened her eyes as well. Most definitely a side effect of the constant crying.

Throwing the covers off of herself, Asia pushed herself out of bed, and to her surprise, she was able to stand up on her own. Making her way to the balcony on the other side of the room, Asia slowly put one foot in front of the other, trying to find her balance.

After almost falling over twice, Asia was able to walk with little to no difficulty. Reaching the double doors that led to the balcony, Asia turned the knobs and pushed the doors open. A strong gust of wind blew against her as she stepped outside for the first time in over a month.

Asia looked around, taking in the view of the gardens of the Gremory Estate. Past that, she could see rolling hills, forests, and mountains that lay beyond. All the while the sun started to set behind the mountains.

It was a beautiful view.

If only she knew what lay within the walls of the estate, she would never step foot in here. It was because of the Devils that resided in these walls that she lost the only person she ever loved. All because they thought he no longer had value as the Red Dragon Emperor. Every single time Asia thought about it, it only made her angry and upset. But it also came with uncertain questions.

Was this just the start? Who else would they cast aside? How long would it take them to do so? Would do it in the same manner as Issei?

Asia shuttered at the thought.

Staring off into the horizon, Asia was nervous about the future, She didn't know what it would entail and was scared to find out.

A light knock on the door broke Asia from her thoughts. She turned around and saw Arya standing in the doorway. Seeing who it was, Asia turned her head back. She didn't want Arya to see her tear-stained face.

Greeted with an empty bed, Arya looked around the room to see where Asia was. Seeing her on the balcony, Arya made her way over, stopping when she reached the doorway leading outside.

"Good morning Asia," Arya stated while doing a curtsy, "I see you have recovered enough to walk. That's good."

"Yeah," Asia replied, "Though I'm not back to 100%, I can move around with little difficulty."

"That's good to hear," Arya began, "Unfortunately, as much I would like you to rest for a few more days, I need you to come with me. My master wished for you to speak with him as soon as you were able to walk, and as my master, I have no choice but to obey his wishes."

"Okay, I understand," Asia conceded, "Just give me a few minutes and I'll meet you outside my room."

"Very well… I shall wait for you. Be as quick as possible, there's no time to waste."

Agreeing with the wish of her patient, Arya swiftly exited the room leaving Asia alone once again.

Closing her eyes, Asia whispered to herself as tears ran down her face as she thought about Issei. It pained her to think about him, but what pained Asia, even more, was the thought of moving on, but she had to come to terms with reality.

Issei was gone.

And he wasn't coming back.

"Issei, I know I'm the last person who deserves this, but I hope that you can forgive me…"

Asia looked up into the sky as the receding sunlight touched her face.

"...Wherever you are."

A/N: There it is. The long-awaited chapter 4.

I thought it would be cool to have a parallel to chapter 3 with it being seen through Asia. I may come back and revise this chapter as well once I get back into the flow of things or maybe not, we'll see.

As for the changes to the story, there aren't too many. I'll keep it as brief as possible so I can keep this A/N as concise as I can. I want to Issei's attitude toward the peerage, while he still won't actively seek them out he will hold a grudge, resentment, and some hate for them. I realized it was silly for him not to so that is going to change.

Secondly, I'm scrapping who Issei's allies are for now simply because I'm not sure who I want to be his allies yet. Besides, even if he ends up having that many allies, that's why too many to have right out the gate. So yeah, who's gonna be Issei's allies is still unknown.

I used to have somewhat of an idea of how I wanted the story to go but now I'm not so sure. Some of my earlier concepts for the story I had in mind are stupid now that I think about them. I have a couple of things I know for sure I want to have but I'm stumped about everything else. If you guys have any suggestions, feel free to share them with me.

I'm not abandoning the story again. I just need some time to come up with an idea for the future of this story.

Again, thanks to everyone who waited. It wasn't fair to have you guys wait this long and I apologize for that.

That's all I have for now. See you guys hopefully not in a year! XD

Next Chapter: Rising Tensions