Here it is, chapter 3 of Devilry in Motion, and the date with "Yuma". Hope you find this chapter enjoyable.


"How despicable," Rias grimaced behind her hands, crossed as they were before her face. "She actually has a gang of thugs accost her dates so she can come across as a hero? That's something I'd expect of…" She cut herself off, remembering that Koneko was still in the room. The young Rook had been in the middle of telling her master about the date she tailed Yoko on when Rias interjected with her opinion.

"Ara ara, it's almost impressive, really," Akeno said, crossing her arms under her breasts. "You'd think she was a devil already." Despite her joking tone, her eyes were harsh. She tilted her head when she saw a small frown on Koneko's face. Having known the girl for years, Akeno was at least able to tell her frowns apart, and Koneko wasn't frowning in disgust like she normally would towards perverts. "Is something wrong, Koneko-chan?"

Rias pulled herself away from her internal cussing of a certain phoenix to give her Rook a concerned look. "What's the matter, Koneko?"

"…It's weird."

"What's weird?"

"…Ikawazu-senpai."

"What about her?"

"…After all that, she turned Katase-senpai down."

"Wait, seriously?"

"…Basically."

Rias and Akeno shared a wide-eyed glance. "Well, that's unexpected." With prompting from Rias, Koneko continued her story. Once she finished, Akeno tilted her head, pressing a palm against her cheek. "Ara ara, I suppose we know now why all those girls never have a bad thing to say about her. If she says the same thing to every girl she dates, it's no wonder."

"…Why…" Rias muttered, narrowing her eyes down at her desk. "After all that effort—the thugs, the expensive café, the sob story—why go through all that and not carry through with the seduction? What's her endgame?"

"Maybe she's hoping for a threesome with Katase-san and her friend?" Akeno said, shrugging. "She plays matchmaker and gets a two-for-one bargain."

Rias nodded after a few seconds thought. "That's probably it," she said, lips curling at the thought.

"Are you sure that you want someone like her in the peerage, Buchou?" Akeno asked, frowning slightly. "Not to say I doubt your decisions, but would Ikawazu-san really be a good fit with us?" She said, with Koneko giving a small nod of agreement.

Rias sighed, a heavy sound that practically made the desk beneath her creak under its weight. "I see where you're coming from, but I have my reasons for wanting her to join." She and Akeno shared a significant look that figuratively and literally went over Koneko's head. "Besides, as you said, she'd make for a good devil. In fact, her penchant for scheming and manipulation could be useful in Rating Games, if it can be translated into strategic planning."

"I suppose you could use every advantage you can get over Sona-kaichou." Akeno said with a closed-eyed smile.

Rias narrowed her eyes on her Queen, but decided that responding would just be playing into her hands. Instead, she turned to give Koneko a smile. "Good work, Koneko. Thank you for the hard work."

"…It's fine, it was worth it…mostly."

"Hm?"

Koneko pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to Rias. Rias raised a brow but took it, Koneko leaving straight after. Looking over the receipt, her eyes practically popped out of her skull. Akeno read it over her shoulder, and muffled her laughter behind her hand.

"Looks like Koneko-chan enjoyed herself despite everything."

"…It's a good job I'm rich."

"Ufufufu."

Rias sighed as she opened one of her desk drawers, slipping the receipt inside it. Out of sight, out of mind. "That aside, we should discuss the drop-off in how many contracts we've been getting lately." She said, picking up the sheet of paper she had been reading before Koneko gave her report.

Akeno turned serious, a rare event that Rias secretly wished would happen more often. "I noticed that as well. I haven't been requested by Mrs Konoe in weeks; she was one of my top customers."

"We may have to start having our familiars hand out more leaflets in order to rebuild our customer base. However, unless we find out the cause of the drop-off it'll just be putting a band-aid on the situation." Rias muttered, reading the report. "From the look of it, Sona is having the same problem. And according to her investigations into the matter, the drop-off isn't due to customers being murdered or injured."

"Threatened, maybe?"

"Possibly, but from her servant's observations, their ex-customers don't seem to be in any sort of distress. In fact, they seem to be more at ease than ever." Rias's eyes narrowed on the document. "However, it seems there are eye witness reports of what appears to be a nun lurking around town."

"Stray, or missionary?"

"Unconfirmed, but the latter is more likely since she hasn't shown any overtly malicious behaviour. Not to say that being from the church and having malice are mutually exclusive, of course. But if a Stray was behind this, it's hard to imagine them doing so without violence."

"If she is a stray, she's most likely working with the Fallen," Akeno said. The small twitch in her face whenever the fallen angels were mentioned would have been missed if Rias hadn't known her Queen for so long. "I wouldn't put it past them to find a way to sabotage us without actually doing anything that would violate the treaty."

"Even so, we can't be sure that she is behind the drop-off. Even if she is, as long as they don't directly attack us there isn't much we can do about it," Rias said. She leant back in her seat with a sigh. "Regardless, for now we should definitely work on increasing leaflet output. Something for our future member to take care of when she joins."

"Ara, have I rubbed off on you, Buchou?" Akeno licked her lips, an appreciative gleam appearing in her eyes. "Keep that up and it might be literal instead of figurative."

"Don't you have things to do?" Rias said, narrowing her eyes, trying to ignore the red tinge dusting her cheeks.

"No; well, I suppose something has just come up—"

"Ugh! Just get out of here before I douse you in cold water."

"Kinky."

"AKENO!"

"Ufufu."


"Your dream will be granted?" Yoko repeated, raising a brow at the leaflet in her hand.

On her way to her date with Yuma—and she would take with her the fact that she was nervous to her death—Yoko had been stopped by a cute girl in what she could only assume was some sort of cosplay. After all, what kind of normal outfit included a pair of bat wings? Yoko had no idea what she was cosplaying as, but she imagined it was from the kind of things Matsuda and Motohama watched alone in the dark. She had been handed a strange leaflet and the cosplayer left before she could finish looking it over.

The leaflet was somewhat ominous, what with the strange occult-ish magic circle printed on it and the occasional red rose dotted around the page. Further inspection showed no indication of what the leaflet was for; it could have been anything from a themed café to a swinger's crack den—the nude women on it made the latter seem more likely. There was no address, phone number, email address, nor any other sort of contact information, nor was there any mention of special offers.

"Some sort of promotional event?" Yoko mused, looking at the back of the leaflet, but it was just a copy of the other side. Yoko shrugged and shoved it into her back pocket, deciding to chuck it in the first bin she saw. Looking at her watch, she saw the time; 1:30. She carried on, huffing at being slightly behind schedule. Soon enough she reached the local park.

Further she went until she reached the centre of the park; a large fountain with a few benches surrounding it. Loitering around the edge were her former gang members, the ones she beat up yesterday. As she approached, she could see Yamada sulking on one of the benches, his ridiculous pompadour drooping in the heat. Her lips twitched into a smirk. She'd give him something to sulk about.

"Banchou!" One of the guys noticed her approach, and they all jumped to their feet, except Yamada who took his time. He had finally stood up by the time she stopped in front of them. He gave her a sullen look, but she ignored it as Kimura spoke up.

"You wanted to talk to us, Yoko-Banchou?" He said. He gave Yamada a dirty look, which was returned.

"Just wanted to make sure that we don't have a repeat of yesterday," she said, moving her gaze across the lot of them. They shifted in place, each giving Yamada not so subtle looks. When her gaze landed on Yamada, she said, "I don't want any screw ups this time, so Kimura," she turned to him, who straightened at the attention, "you'll be the one doing the talking today. Stick to the script and I won't give you anymore bruises."

Most of them nodded, but Inoue decided to pipe in. "What about my sister's bokken? You snapped it! Haruna-nee beat me up because of you!"

"Suck it up, you shouldn't have borrowed it," she said.

"That's what I said."

"But—"

"I'm sick of this bullshit!" Yamada yelled, cutting off Inoue's whining. The others watched on, petrified, as Yamada pointed at Yoko and glared at her. "Why the hell do we have to keep doing this for you? We waste time every week doing this farce for your benefit, but what do we get out of it? Nothing! You're a washed-up has-been, Ikawazu, and I'm sick of being your lapdog!" Yamada sneered, spitting into the fountain.

"…You don't have to do anything," Yoko said, after letting the others to stew in their nerves for a few seconds. She looked Yamada straight in the eyes, speaking in a calm and steady tone, "After all, all I've done is ask if you wanted to help me out. If you want, you can cut ties with me right now, and we'll never see each other again. You'll never have to 'waste time' on this 'farce' ever again. All you have to do is walk away."

"You bet your ass I'm walking away!" Yamada said, leering down at her. He turned to his friends and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."

Instead of the exodus he had been expecting, the others stayed in place, looking uncomfortable.

"Oi, what're you all waiting for? We can finally stop this bullshit."

"Er, yeah, we don't actually mind," one said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, we're not gonna abandon Yoko-Banchou just because you said so," Kimura said, crossing his arms with a sneer.

"You…" Yamada stared at them in a mix of shock and anger. He turned to Inoue, "Come on, Inoue, you seriously want to help her after what she did to your sister's bokken?"

Inoue shuffled on his feet, scratching behind his ear. "Well…to be fair…it was my fault for borrowing it...I guess…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to this guy, Inoue," Kimura said, putting a hand on Inoue's shoulder. He glared at Yamada, "You might want to abandon Yoko-Banchou, but we have a little thing called loyalty."

Yamada gaped, not believing what he was hearing. "You…" He looked at each of his fellows in turn, but their initial discomfort had gone, replaced by confidence and certainty. He looked at Yoko, and the small curl at the corner of her lips snapped him out of his stupor. "Fine! If you idiots want to be her on-call thugs for the rest of your lives, then be my guest. I'm gonna go and do something with my life!"

Yoko watched as he stormed off, satisfaction coiling in her gut. 'In one fell swoop not only have I removed a troublesome element, I've also alienated him from his friends, and reinforced said friend's loyalty to me by coming across as the reasonable one in that confrontation. It was a gamble—I was expecting at least Inoue to go with him—but things turned out even better than I planned.'

"What a douche." Kimura said, spitting on the ground.

"Yeah."

"Fuck that guy."

Yoko turned back around with a clap, returning their attention onto her. "Thank you, guys, for sticking with me. I'd be lost without you lot helping me out," she said with a warm smile.

"Of course we'd stick with you, Banchou!"

"Yeah, like we'd leave you out to dry."

"Don't worry about today, Banchou," Kimura said, stepping forward to the front of the group. "We'll make sure to stick to the script. This time it'll be like always, now that bastard Yamada isn't here to screw it up for everyone."

"Excellent," Yoko said, nodding. She looked at her watch. "Right, it's quarter too, you guys head on over. I'll follow after you in a few minutes."

"You got it, Banchou!"

The boys left, each of them giving their own affirmations and assurances as they went. Once they were out of earshot, Yoko rolled her eyes. "Idiots, the lot of them. Yamada might be the only one of them who had a brain. At least he won't be a problem anymore."

She stared at the fountain, wasting the minutes as she watched the water flow down. Yoko didn't like fountains very much. She didn't see the point in them. All they do is draw water in, eject it out, then repeat the process ad nauseum. Sure, they looked pretty, but there was absolutely no substance to them. All they did was take up space and invite idiots to gawk at them.

Yoko scoffed, shaking her head. Like she hadn't been doing that herself for the last—she checked her watch—five minutes. With one last look at the fountain, she headed off in the direction the boys went. As long as they hadn't been dragging their feet, she figured she'd get there just in time for one of her signature dramatic rescues.


"Urgh…"

"Ow…"

"What the…" Yoko stared, wide-eyed at the scene before her.

Scattered around the fountain—the one in town, this time—were her subordinates, as planned. They had surrounded her date, Yuma, again, as planned. But in a clear deviation from the tried and true scheme she had implemented time and again, they were already beaten up.

"Oh, Yoko-chan, you've arrived," Yuma said, turning her alluring purple eyes to her young date. "Good afternoon."

Yoko just stared, stumped. 'This…this has never…what?'

"Oh, you must be a bit shocked by all this," Yuma said, gesturing at the battered thugs around her. She chuckled, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Well, I was waiting here where we agreed to meet, when these young men approached me. They must have thought I was an easy target, being alone and outnumbered, so they tried to accost me. I thought I'd teach these little boys just who they were messing with."

"Urk…" Kimura groaned, trying to push himself up. His nose was clearly broken, and the fact he was trying to push himself up with one arm didn't bode well for the other's condition. "D…Demon…"

Yuma's eyes flashed, and she stamped on the back of his hand, heel first. Kimura screeched as her high-heel dug into the back of his hand, ominous crunching loud and clear even over his cries. "How rude. First you assault me, then you insult me," she sneered, digging the heel further in, ignoring his whimpers and moans. "Good luck jacking your micro-penis now both your hands are busted." With one last push, Yuma removed her high heel, leaving Kimura to curl around his hand and cry.

Yoko watched, mouth going dry, forcing her to swallow. 'This…wasn't part of the plan…'

Yuma walked over and grabbed Yoko's hand, rubbing Yoko's shoulder with her other hand. "Well, let's not waste any more time on these low lives, hmm?" She gave a dangerous smile that, despite everything, made Yoko hot under the collar.

Yoko let herself be tugged along, her date leading the way, while Yoko stared at the battered forms being left behind.

By the time Yoko had gotten her wits back together, Yuma was pulling her into a shop. Looking around, she realised they were in a women's clothing store. "I hope you don't mind, Yoko-chan, but I wanted to buy some underwear," Yuma whispered in her ear, pressing her chest against Yoko's arm. "See, I forgot to put on any underwear this morning, so I thought I'd buy some now."

Yoko's face flushed, and her eyes darted down to Yuma's breasts. Her date wore a top with an almost criminally low neckline, showing off a large portion of her generous cleavage. Looking carefully, she could see Yuma's nipples straining beneath her shirt; she could feel one pressing into her arm. Yoko's gut clenched and her mouth went dry again. She wrenched her gaze back up, into the purple orbs that constantly bewitched her.

Yoko managed a nod, barely even able to form words. She had no idea what was happening. One moment she was watching Yuma brutalise one of her old friends, and the next she was driving Yoko crazy with desire. In all the dates she'd been on, she had been the one in control, the one doing the flustering. She'd never dated anyone so…forward and…sensual.

Yuma let out a sultry giggle, sending the hairs on the back of Yoko's neck skyward. After Yuma had picked a few sets of lingerie—Yoko stopped looking at them after the second set that looked like string—she beckoned Yoko to follow her to the changing rooms. Pushing Yoko down onto a chair, Yuma winked and stepped into one of the booths. The curtain was just short enough that she could see Yuma's ankles, and with them the clothes that fell to the floor.

Yoko gulped. 'She's totally naked in there…' She tugged on her collar, trying to fan her neck as the temperature rose. The date had only just started and the woman's clothes were already on the floor. Annoyance battled with arousal. 'How the hell have I let control of this date get so far away from me? She keeps throwing me off my game! Well, no more. I'm going to get control back the first chance I get!'

The sound of the curtain opening had Yoko looking up, and her machinations went out the window as her jaw dropped. Standing in the booth was Yuma, wearing one of the sets of lingerie. It looked like a camisole, if camisoles were 95% see-through. Black lace cupped Yuma's large breasts, struggling to keep them contained. The front parted as it reached her mons pubis, which was covered by more lace connected to thin straps wrapping around her broad hips. Yuma struck a pose, jutting said hips to the side, and Yoko realised that she was still wearing her high heels.

"Hmm, the look on your face is all the feedback I need." Yuma said, smirking at the gobsmacked expression on Yoko's face. With a slow turn, she showed Yoko how the string of the panties settled between her cheeks; Yoko bit her lip to hold in a whimper as the curtain closed.

'…words…sentences…how do…' She shook her head hard enough to make herself dizzy. 'Snap out of it, Ikawazu! Stop being distracted by the sexy! So maybe the routine failed earlier, and maybe I didn't expect to be watching her try on lingerie, but it isn't too late to wrest back control of this date. You're being pathetic—acting like the Perverted Duo over nothing you haven't seen before. I've been in changing rooms at school, I've seen actual boobs, some sexy strips of lace shouldn't be enough to fluster me. Sure, those girls at school might not be as…mature as Yuma, but you're Ikawazu Yoko, the Flower of Kuoh, you're the one who does the flustering, the one who makes girls' hearts skip a beat, the one who turns on the charm. So snap. Out. Of. It!'

"Oh dear." Yuma's voice came from behind the curtain. Yoko squared her shoulders, mentally bracing herself for whatever her date did next. "I'm having a bit of trouble with this one. Yoko-chan, could you come in here for a moment."

Yoko jerked, as if a giant arrow had pierced her stomach. But, she took a deep breath through her nose and pushed down the nerves trying to bubble up. "Of course, no problem." She mentally celebrated the smoothness of her response. Her face was still burning, but she managed to force her blush down by at least half. After taking a quick look around, Yoko slipped around the curtain and entered the booth. Yoko bit her lip at the sight not even half a metre away from her.

Dressed in only a pair of pink panties, Yuma had a bra pressed against her bosom with both arms, the hefty orbs spilling out of the cups. She glanced over her shoulder, and smiled, her hooded eyes burning into Yoko's own. "I can't quite hook it on right, like this. I hope you don't mind doing it for me." She gave her breasts a subtle shake, and Yoko couldn't help but watch her flesh ripple.

"My pleasure." It took all of Yoko's mental concentration this time to avoid stuttering. Raising her hands up, she decided to turn the tables on Yuma and trail the tips of her fingers up Yuma's back as she moved them to the bra straps. 'So soft.' Yoko swallowed, managing to make it inaudible. In stark contrast, Yuma let out a sensual moan as Yoko's fingers crept up her skin. The unexpected noise made Yoko falter, and she couldn't help but glance backwards in case someone heard. Studiously ignoring how hot her face was, Yoko hurried up and hooked the bra. Over Yuma's shoulder, Yoko saw how the bra barely contained her breasts, and how tightly it pulled them together.

"Thank you, Yoko-chan." Yuma turned around, pushing her bra-clad chest against Yoko's. Leaning against Yoko, Yuma moved her lips next to Yoko's ear. Yoko was, in that moment, struck by Yuma's scent. She couldn't find the words to describe it, but everything about it appealed to her senses. Yuma's hot breath caressed her ear lobes, earning a shudder as she said, "What do you think?"

Thinking was a tall order in that situation, but Yoko rose to the challenge. This was the big moment, her chance to truly get control of the date back in her hands. Resting her hands on Yuma's womanly hips, Yoko leaned in close to this time whisper into Yuma's ear. "I think you look gorgeous, beyond what words can describe."

"Hmmm." Yuma pulled back, just enough for Yoko to see her smirk. "I assure you, I look better natural." And in a swift, smooth motion, completely contradicting her supposed issue from before, Yuma reached behind her back and unclipped the bra with one hand, letting the flimsy fabric fall to the floor.

For not the first time that afternoon, Yoko's thoughts ground to a complete halt. Her eyes froze on Yuma's, drinking in the triumphant look in them. Without any conscious effort on her part, her eyes jerked downwards. Yuma's left arm covered her nipples, leaving her breasts to mould around her forearm. With a deep, sultry laugh, Yuma put her hand on Yoko's shoulder, span her around, and pushed her lightly at the curtain.

"Out you go," she said in a sing song tone.

Yoko mechanically exited the booth, staring blankly ahead as she returned to her seat. '…This might be a bit harder than I thought.'

When Yuma next opened the curtain, wearing the second set she picked out, Yoko's brain shut off like an immortal stuck in space, protecting her teetering mental state. She remained like this until Yuma was ready to leave. It didn't make her much of a conversationalist, but Yuma seemed satisfied with her absent nods of approval. She recovered enough mental wherewithal to offer to buy the lingerie, but Yuma almost blew her mind again when she said she didn't want to buy any after all.

"I enjoy the breeze." She said with a wink. Yoko wanted to be annoyed, but the thought that her date was going commando kept distracting her from it for the rest of the day.

The rest of the date went in a similar vein. In a café that Yuma had dragged her to—which to Yoko's dismay, was one she had already taken a girl to—Yuma kept rubbing her foot up Yoko's leg, almost making her spill her coffee the first time. Between that and the questions from a waitress Yoko had charmed in the past, Yoko's nerves were on edge throughout the entire visit. Yuma seemed amused, watching her attempts to placate the upset girl that Yoko had promised to visit but never did. The unrepentant game of footsie made Yoko's usual charming persona stutter and just made her look even guiltier.

After the café they went to see a movie, one that Yoko was pretty sure she wasn't old enough to see. Yuma seduced the ticket seller with ease to allow Yoko in. Erotic scenes played on the big screen, Yuma whispering into her ear the entire time. The relentless double attack left Yoko hot and bothered for the entire two hours of the film's runtime.

Somewhere between the café and the theatre, Yoko resigned herself to never getting control of the date. For once, she decided to let someone else take the lead. It was a surprisingly therapeutic decision, and despite becoming increasingly more flustered, she paradoxically became more and more relaxed. For once, she wasn't the perfect playgirl, Ikawazu Yoko. She didn't have to go through any farces, no sob stories. She didn't have to control the flow of the date, be the one with all the plans.

As the day went on, a light feeling grew in her chest. Even when she wasn't actively seducing her, Yuma made her heart race. She imagined that it was what she made girls feel like when she flirted with them. She took shy glances at Yuma, when she thought the woman wasn't looking. The woman's confidence, both in her body and her behaviour, made Yoko feel like a fake. Yuma spoke and moved with an ease that made Yoko feel clumsy in comparison.

Yoko didn't like to feel vulnerable, but she thought that maybe it wasn't so bad every now and then. The idea that she could just be with someone without putting on airs was as scary as it was appealing. The idea that she might have found that someone was enough to make her head light. She chanced another glance, only to look away with a blush when Yuma caught her eyes.

Almost too soon, evening began to approach, and Yoko found herself walking through the park with Yuma. The same park where she had alienated Yamada. The sight of the fountain reminded her of the state her subordinates had been left in next to another fountain. She almost paused at the reminded of what happened to them, but Yuma soon tugged her along.

"Looks like our date is just about over." Yuma said, every word like a sensual caress on her ears. She took a few steps ahead of Yoko, looking at the fountain. The setting sun cast Yuma in an almost ethereal glow, one she seemed to bask in. Yoko followed her gaze, once again finding herself staring into the falling water.

Funnily enough, the fountain didn't annoy her as much as it did that afternoon. This time, she found herself appreciating the beauty of the serene view. That, combined with the sunset acting as a backdrop for Yuma, made for a picturesque view. As Yoko considered pulling out her phone to take a picture, Yuma turned back around.

"Before we part ways, could you do just one little thing for me, Yoko-chan."

In that moment, Yoko would have done anything for her. "Yes." She managed to say. The suave lines she normally deployed failed to form, leaving only Yoko's honest desire to please her.

Yuma smiled. "Then, die for me."

Black wings burst out of Yuma's back, sending dark feathers into the air as they flapped behind her. Her smile turned dark, even more dangerous than when she brutalised Kimura's hand. Her warm, sensual, teasing eyes turned cold, taunting.

Yoko couldn't even react. It was like a family picnic being trashed by a runaway truck, sudden and incomprehensible.

"It was fun, watching you get all flustered over a little skin and attention. I love watching arrogant fools like you when the tables are turned on them. So different from the front you put on with all those over girls. Honestly, the entire time I've been watching you you've sickened me. All that effort, everything you do to seduce them, and not once have you followed through. Such a waste of time and energy. You have to be the most frustratingly pathetic human being I've ever seen, and that's saying something."

Each word felt like another truck through another picnic.

"There's no chance a loser like you could be a threat to us. Even with one of the Sacred Gears given by God. Even if you had The Longinus itself, you wouldn't be able to use even a percentage of its power properly. Not someone as short-sighted and aimless as you."

"…What…what are you saying…"

"Hmm, what does it sound like? I'm letting you know what a worthless waste of space you are before I kill you. Honestly, I'll be doing the world a favour by removing such a blight from it."

Worthless.

And as a spear of light pierced Yoko's chest, all she could think about was that maybe that woman had been right all along.

Collapsing to the ground made the pain even greater. Her whole body rattled, her vision flashing white for a moment.

Yoko watched as her blood spurted from her chest, like a sick caricature of the fountain next to her. Only her blood wouldn't return to her body, to be expelled and returned indefinitely. In a moment of delirium, Yoko mused that even a fountain was more worthwhile than her. The water feature she had sneered at would remain, innocently fulfilling its purpose, while she died a pointless death, capping off a pointless life.

"Ahh, that was almost better than sex. A great climax after so much build up. Honestly, if I had to watch another one of those cut and paste dates again I would have gone mad. 'Boo hoo, mommy didn't love me'. Give me a break. Bleed out and die, Ikawazu Yoko. So long and good riddance."

The flapping of wings soon became a distant noise, soon being drowned out by the rushing water from the fountain.

'…Is this…really it? After everything, this is how it ends?'

The pain in her chest went beyond the giant hole in it. Tear leaked from her eyes as it began to sink in.

'…She was right, wasn't she? I really am…a waste of space…I guess that's what I get…thinking that someone…anyone…could…actually…' She coughed, blood splattering her chin. 'Heh…what a waste of time…my life has been…mother was right…in the end…I'll die…alone…unloved…how pathetic…'

Her vision began to fade, the encroaching blackness covering her view of the sunset. '…whatever…I guess…it isn't all bad…at least…I don't…have…to…try…any…more…it's…kind…of…a…relief…actu


Rias frowned down at the body at her feet, biting the nail of her thumb. "Why didn't the leaflet summon me? Did she throw it away after all?" Even as she said it, she knew that wasn't it. She could sense its presence in the girl's pocket. "Surely she wanted to live. Did she bleed out before the thought could cross her mind?"

Koneko said nothing, merely staring at her deceased senpai with a blank expression. She thought about telling her master what the Fallen Angel had said, but decided against it. She knew that her master was sheltered. Knew that the older girl had the perfect life, never knowing true hardship. Rias could never imagine it, losing the will to live. A feeling that Koneko was all too familiar with. Her sleeve was damp, having wiped the older girls tears away before she summoned her master.

Even someone like Ikawazu Yoko deserved some dignity in death, she thought. That, and she didn't want her master to come to the same conclusion she had. Rias would never forgive herself, and preventing that was the least the Rook could do for her King.

"Well, she doesn't have to know she didn't summon me." Rias said, nodding to herself. "I doubt she'd have remembered me appearing anyway, if it had happened."

More proof of how sheltered her master was. Koneko knew from experience that one doesn't easily forget their final thoughts, when they think death is upon them. She hoped that Rias would never experience it personally.

"Live for me, Ikawazu Yoko. Enjoy your new life as a Devil."


Bit nervous about this chapter, not sure how well it came out in the end. It could have been longer in the date part, but I felt that going into too much detail would just be pointless filler. Please, tell me what you guys think.

Anyway, I've decided to start answering questions/addressing reviews at the end of each chapter, so if you have a question ask away. I'll answer as best as I can, without giving too much away that is.

DschingisKhan: lol, I'm glad you find Yoko less likeable than Issei, it means I did what I set out to do. Issei himself is pretty unlikeable, but I feel like it's totally unintentional on Ishibumi's part. I wanted to make a character whose intentionally unlikeable from the get go. I like initially unlikeable characters, they tend to become my faves once they develop. Also, I hope I've given a small insight into your wonderings on why Yoko does the things she does. I hope your interest in her and this story continues :)

Derek23: I won't be doing a harem list, sorry. I don't like them, they're kinda like micro spoilers. If I know if a character is going to be in the main character's harem, when they appear in the story it won't be as exciting. Instead of wondering if they will or not, giving some mystery and intrigue, I'm just like "Oh, here's harem member number 7, yay". Besides, I don't like affirming stuff before I'm ever certain. I don't like it when I see a character in a harem who I like, then later on the author has changed their mind and put them with someone else. So yeah, sorry, but if I ever do a harem list, it will be when they actually join it. Also, about lemons, maybe? I dunno, I've never written lemons before. They might be in the story, but that won't be for a good while yet.

Leblanc23: Yeah, I wanted to show that there are people who don't fall for her act. Don't want Yoko to be a mary sue or anything. Yoko is far from perfect, she's full of flaws, but it's my hope that that's what makes her interesting.

Ok, that's enough for now, it's like half twelve in the morning and I want some sleep lol. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks.

P.S. about update rate, I'm sticking to one chapter every two weeks for now, but I'm hoping that as the story picks up more steam I'll be able to do at least one chapter every ten days, then maybe even one a week. But, it's early days yet, I'm getting used to writing again. Don't want to overwhelm myself.

Until next time!