I do not own the Persona series or High School DxD. Everything belongs to their respected owners.

"Shit… That's freaking insane."

Ryuji was the first one to put his reaction in the most blunt yet genuine way possible as Akira had just finished telling everyone the battle he had just fought in. At this time, everyone was gathered around the dinner table and eating the combination of pasta and curry. Akira's plate was not as empty despite his hunger, but he was too busy explaining the events that had occurred.

"To think that there is more than our Personas and the Metaverse out within the world." Yusuke said in thought, a hand to his chin just as he finished cleaning his plate. "It seems that there is still so much that we have yet to discover and learn about." He put his plate down as he shifted a bit on the couch.

"Well, I know that I'm shocked. But… I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not considering there was Yaldabaoth…" Ann voiced her own opinion, wiping her lips with a napkin. She put her plate on the arm of the couch which she was sitting on. "…Did I actually manage to say the name correctly?"

"Anyways, that was my exact reaction, Lady Ann." Morgana commented from his spot on the table which was in the middle of the flat surface surrounded by his human friends. His mouth sounded like it was full of food. Before anyone could say anything though, the cat swallowed and continued. "But let's gather what we know so far. There are Devils which this Gremory person is. Next, we have Fallen Angels just like Raynare."

"If there are Fallen Angels, wouldn't that mean that there would be normal Angels?" Haru asked, cupping her chin in her hand with a curious expression. She was standing right next to the sink. "I mean… where else would Fallen Angels get their name from?"

"That does sound like it makes perfect sense." Makoto agreed with her fellow college student and friend. She brushed a few strands of hair that were covering her face behind her ear. "Probably they did something that Angels perhaps wouldn't do." Seeing Haru hand her a glass of water, the brunette gladly took it and sipped.

"If that were the case," Yusuke followed up with his own words. "Then that would mean that the Angels have their own set of rules. Not only that, but it also implies that such beings have the ability to sin. At least that is what I think."

Ryuji looked towards the blue-haired boy. "But I thought Angels were pure beings? Like… they wouldn't do all kinds of stuff that would be considered bad." The blonde scratched his head as it began to itch. "Man, this is just getting even crazier by the second." He slouched in his seat. "Though I guess first seeing the Metaverse was the most bizarre thing to ever happen."

"Speaking of bad stuff…" Ann let out a small sigh after taking another satisfying bite of the dinner they were all enjoying. "Didn't Gremory-san say something that Fallen killing Hyoudou-san for some kind of reason?"

Morgana nodded his head. "Yeah, she said he was killed because he had something called a Sacred Gear. Gremory-san seemed pretty confident as well that the Persona ability is a Sacred Gear as well." He tilted his head while closing his eyes with a thin line created by his lip. "But she also saw me in my humanoid form as well as summon my own Persona. So, there's that chance that she would be reconsidering that idea."

"Actually, now that I think about it," Ryuj placed his arms on the table and leaned forward. Both eyes were on Akira as the black-haired teen was still in the middle of eating. "How did you manage to end up summoning your Persona in the middle of the park? You didn't accidentally press the app since its gone. You weren't in the Metaverse or even Mementos as well." After his small moment of talking he paused and felt eyes on his person. Slowly looking around, he saw that everyone was staring at him. "What?"

"It's an extremely rare occasion that Ryuji is able to come up with some smart things." Futaba jested with a small grin. She took her can of soda and took a huge gulp before placing it on the table she was sitting at.

"Shut up!" The blonde muttered, leaning back into his seat.

"But he's got a point." Morgana put of a look that practically screamed that he meant business. Or… that would be the look. It was hard to tell on Morgana's cat face. "I don't even know how we were able to summon our Personas in that situation. Heck, it's amazing that I was even able to transform into my humanoid form to begin with."

"Either way, what should we all do?" Haru asked, gaining the attention from everyone this time. "Gremory-san seems to have a pretty good idea of your abilities right now, Akira. She's even heard and seen Morgana speak. What if she finds out more about you?"

"Which is why we all need to be careful." Akira finally spoke up as he was the one that was finally addressed. "I'm not sure, but she may be suspicious of all of us. If any of you are approached by Gremory-san, try to make sure that you don't reveal anything unnecessary to her. This includes you both as well, Makoto and Haru." He then straightened his back yet kept his weight against the table. "I'll try to see how much I can get out of Gremory-san. But if any of you run into a Fallen Angel, either run or do not hold back when fighting. They're tougher than the average Shadow. The one who I fought managed to get both my legs due to me underestimating them. A mistake I won't let happen again."

Everyone nodded their heads in confirmation, already agreeing to the simple plan that Akira had created for them. But then Makoto began to chuckle. "Just like old times, right? All of us gathering together and planning our next move. Brings back good memories."

Taking the time to let those words sink in, all the Phantom Thieves reacted in their own different way. Akira nodded with a normal nod that was his signature expression. Ryuji grinned and verbally agreed. Ann smiled while pumping her fist. Yusuke closed his eyes but a small grew on his lips. Futaba grinned at the memories. Haru smiled. Morgana smirked.

All of them being misfits in their own fashion. What happened to them all was what caused them to become who they are. All the hardships. All the sacrifices they made. All the pain they endured. It was certainly worth it.

"Well…" Ann stood up while stretching. "Who's ready for dessert?"

Taking a second to comprehend what the female said, everyone else look at their stomachs with conflicting expressions.

TakeABreak

The Phantom Thieves walked through the school gates of Kuoh Academy as if nothing had even happened. But even so, each of them still carried the weight of new knowledge in their minds. Soon though, each of them saw a group of girls pointing behind them with angry faces. Stopping, all of them looked over their shoulders and each of them took on their own form of surprise.

Walking towards the school entrance was the last person they expected to see: Issei Hyoudou, alive, breathing, and apparently back from the dead.

"What?!" Ann exclaimed turning around completely to face the perverted boy as he walked towards the gates.

Akira looked around, and he soon saw Rias standing behind a tree a bit distant away from Issei. She seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked away guiltily while Issei was looking completely clueless about something.

"Dude," Ryuji whispered a bit loudly but nobody other than those close to him could hear such. "Didn't you say that Hyousou-san was supposed to be dead? Then why the hell is he up around kicking as if nothing happened?"

"Hmm, it seems that there is perhaps more to this Devil and Fallen Angel business that we have anticipated." Yusuke furrowed his brow in thought. "It's best if we tread throughout our day carefully."

"Agreed." Akira nodded.

TakeABreak

The rest of the day and the next few days afterwards were spent being unable to get together with Rias and anyone associated with her to contact him. One would assume that he was avoiding her as an over the top reaction.

It wasn't quite that, especially the reaction bit after what Akira and the other 3rd year Phantom thieves overheard Issei saying to his friends. The used-to-be-dead boy kept talking about a girl named Yuuma but no one remembered her, not a single person. The male-brunette also kept talking about a date as well. A date with Yuuma to be specific but once again no one remembered her. Not a single soul. Akira's first guess was that this 'Yuuma' character was in fact Raynare considering the park was free of any people and the time was perfect to be having a date.

In other words, it was a perfect setup for the Fallen Angel to murder Issei.

However, the Phantom Thieves also noticed that Issei was sincere. The way he talked and the words he said truly did make them believe that not even they had any idea what was going on. As far as they could tell, Issei was perfectly innocent and was in complete control of his own actions as well.

Getting back to the meeting times though, there were two more people the Persona-users could add onto their list that were associated with Rias: Kiba and Akeno.

Why Kiba? The second day after Issei's mysterious return to life Kiba pulled Issei out of the class to take him to the Occult Club which apparently belonged to Rias according to what Akira heard Issei talking about one day. Why Akeno? Because she was always seen hanging around near Rias and was unnaturally close to her as well. It likely wasn't a normal relationship.

It was extremely tough to get together with the red-head considering that the schedule that he had planned out did not work out at all. He already had a job and he knew that his boss wouldn't allow the change.

Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke came to this kind of conclusion as the three of them were approached by both Rias and Akeno. It was already after school and Akira had rushed off for his part-time job. At the two girls, the female-blonde was the first to address them. "Ah, Gremory-san, Himejima-san, is there something wrong?" Ann asked.

"No, there isn't. Thank you for your concern though." Rias answered with a small shake of her head, addressing the three of them. "I was just wondering where Akira-kun is. We promised that we were going to have a chat together but then I haven't heard from him since. I was hoping that the three of you knew where he is."

The trio of Phantom Thieves looked at each other. With a of shrug his shoulders, Ryuji was the one to answer. "He's at his part-time job." He looked back at the two females. "A first name basis though…" He muttered.

"Could you perhaps tell me where he works?" Rias questioned, not hearing the male blonde's comment.

Yusuke took out a small notepad and quickly began to scribble on it. "You will find Akira at this location." Ripping the piece of paper out, he handed the writing over to the two Great Ladies as the red-head took it into her hands. "I am actually curious though. What is it that you must discuss with him?"

"That's a secret." Akeno sang out from the side as both females thanked them and began to look for the area where Akira worked.

They didn't notice the three they had just left not move as they simply watched. Taking out his phone, Ryuji was the one who sent a text.

[Gremory-san and Himejima-san are going to meet you at work.]

TakeABreak

"So, Akira-kun works here?" Akeno asked, turning to Rias.

The Neko no Mise was a strange place and that wasn't just by café standards either. It was a café that at first glance, looking nothing more than the simple sit-in café but there was something more to it than just that. The Neko no Mise actually had a separate section of the building that was meant to shelter many cats such as black cats, fat cats, rare breed cats or ex-stray cats. So while one would enjoy a drink for example, they could also be accompanied by a cat as long as the feline was not fed or given drink by the customer.

It was a strange but it was equally as effective since business was pretty well.

Sitting at a table with the view of the window were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. They had just arrived and for them it seemed to be a lively place. It was clean, the service was good, and it was absolutely adorable when they decided to play with the cats for a little bit. It took a lot of willpower to separate themselves from the felines as they remembered that they were on business.

"Apparently." The red-head responded.

"Sorry for the wait. I had already taken my break and had to work until my shift was finished."

Both Rias and Akeno turned their heads and saw Akira standing there with his school uniform back on, school bag hanging from his shoulder, and Morgana poking his head out from the opened area that the zipper did not close.

"Oh my, that is a cute sight." Akeno said off the bat with amusement, staring at Morgana and Akira. "Do you usually carry a cat around in your bag?"

"I've grown used to it, so it's not so bad." Morgana stated, getting a surprised reaction from Akeno. As Akira took a seat, Morgana creeped out of the bag and leapt up onto the table before stretching. "Mmmmm, that's so much better! It's tough to constantly keep still inside the bag though. Akira insists on me wandering the café like other cats, but who else is going to help him get through the shift by telling him what is needed to be known?"

"…The cat is talking." Akeno looked over to Akira. "Why is the cat talking?" She then began to look around and noticed something. "More importantly, why isn't anyone noticing this?" Not letting anyone answer, she attempted to pick Morgana up as the cat began to fuss around.

"…There was something you wanted to tell me?" Akira easily brought Rias' attention back to the reason why she was still around the café in the first place.

Rias looked at Akeno and Morgana as the female continued to tease the feline. But a quick tap from the black-haired male brought Morgana back to a calm persona and the feline walked back. With silence between the four of them, the red-head felt like she could continue. "Yes, there is. I wanted to continue the explanation from before."

"Go for it." Akira nodded his head.

"But I would also like for you to answer questions that I have but later due to how we both must have busy schedules." She replied. Rias folded her arms, noticing the immediate silence from the male. Was he really that protective of secrets that he held?

"Go for it then." Morgana answered, laying down on the table in a relaxed manner. "This guy here doesn't really know much about his power."

"And you do?" Rias question, getting a look from Morgana. It may have been on the cat-face, but it was sure giving away an expression that made the feline look annoyed. Deciding to take the silence as a yes, she began to give away information. "Anyways, you've already noticed Issei-kun is back from the dead. But that is only part of the story."

"Tell me something new." Akira said, now being on the receiving end of an annoyed look himself. "Sorry, continue."

Rias narrowed her eyes slightly. "The fact is that Issei-kun has become a Devil now. A Pawn to be exact."

Morgana looked up with a small look of interest. "Pawn?" Was the question that was on both his and Akira's mind. "As in a chess piece Pawn?"

"That is correct." Rias nodded with her small reply. "You see, we Devils have a system called the Evil Pieces which is set up just like chess. There are 15 chess pieces in total and they are used to reincarnate other being into the Devils; 8 Pawns, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, and one Queen."

…Weren't there actually sixteen pieces when it came down to chess? Akira stored that into the back of his mind. "Why would Devils need to do that? The way you're talking makes me think that there are a lot of Devils still walking around."

Rias probably saw this question coming as she had a good yet lengthy answer. "A long time ago a war was waged between the Three Factions: Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. This was known as the Great War and caused heavy causalities on all sides before it was over. In all means of the word, it was cataclysmic to all three of the Factions." She paused before allowing the information to sink in. "We Devils developed the Evil Piece system in order to get our numbers back."

Akira and Morgana shared a look. Looks like the Phantom Thieves were right when it came down to the fact that there were Angels in the mix as well since there were Devils and Fallen Angels. But they did not expect something like a war that ended and caused such results.

"When a being is reincarnated using one of the Evil Pieces they take on the traits of said piece. Each piece has its own strengths." Rias continued.

…He then slowly began to remember the thought that he had a couple of moments ago. "So you must be a King piece then." Akira deduced before looking at Akeno. "And she must be the Queen."

Akeno giggled. "It seems I've been found out."

Despite the quick deduction, Rias did not find herself surprised in the slightest. This was one of the best students in Kuoh Academy academic-wise. "How did you know that?"

"Well…" Akira glanced out of the window they were next to briefly. "The Queen is the closest piece to the king and you two are always together." A single eye behind a pair of glasses looked at the two ladies. "The Queen is also the strongest piece on the board and the most fitting to protect the King. It wouldn't be wise to leave the King unprotected."

Being given an explanation, Rias leaned forward. "Do you play chess?" She asked.

"I've played shogi. Does that count?" Akira replied with a question of his own.

"…" Rias wasn't really sure how to answer that question so she avoided it. "You are correct about the Queen being the strongest piece asides from the King." She said with a nod of her head. "Although, I think we should start from the bottom rather than the top, so that would be the Pawn." A small pause before continuing. "A Pawn in a front line fighter and the lowest of all the pieces. But…" She said with a smirk. "A simple Pawn can become very strong. Like in normal chess, a Pawn can promote to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight."

…Once more, the two Phantom Thieves out of the four of them shared a look. "Imagine what it would be like with a team of nine Queens, counting the original one." Morgana commented. "That would be terrifying."

"The next piece is the Rook." Rias continued her explanation. "A Rook has superhuman strength and possesses both high defensive and offensive capabilities. However, they normally aren't that quick."

Akira made such a comparison to Ryuji. The blonde was like the muscle of their group, being more active than most of them after all. The blonde could even take a few decent hits before dropping down. But, he was part of the track team before and even when leaving could still run so that's where similarities could possibly end.

"Then there is the Knight. A Knight possesses great speed and mobility which allows them to perform high-speed techniques. However, they have low defense. " Rias said.

Just like Yusuke, enough said without a doubt.

"The Bishop is the next piece. The characteristic of the Bishop are their enhanced magical abilities that allows them to conjure a variety of different spells. However, more powerful spells and abilities consume a lot of magical power and it takes a long time for it to return on its own."

Easily could make the comparison to both Ann and Morgana considering that they would mainly focus of their own magical abilities provided to them by their Personas. "Huh… You think I would make a good Bishop, Akira?" Morgana asked as he looked up to the Wild Card. Apparently, the cat had the same idea.

"You're not joining her side." He stated.

"…I'll just take that as a yes then." Morgana sweat dropped but knew that he meant well. "Let me take a guess though. That means that the Queen piece is the strongest of all these Evil Pieces."

"That is correct…" Rias trailed off, looking at the cat with narrowed eyes. "Sorry, I actually don't know your name."

"…Morgana." The cat answered flatly.

"That is correct, Morgana-chan." Akira had to put a hand on top of Morgana's body in order to prevent the feline from pouncing. "The Queen possesses all the abilities of the weaker pieces and, as such, is very powerful."

"What about the King?" Akira was the one to ask once more.

"The King is the master and a top-class Devil that the Evil Pieces were given to in the first place." Rias replied. "All of the pieces are the King's servants."

"So, as King you can do anything you want to do to your servants?" Akira asked bluntly. This was something he needed to confirm before this went anywhere else.

It was slightly reminding him about how it was with Kamoshida and how the man thought of Shujin Academy as his own palace. Therefore, everyone was like a slave to him. But Akira was getting off-topic and that's where similarities ended.

"Technically speaking, I could." Rias stated, causing Akira to stare at her emotionlessly while Morgana glanced over with a sharp look towards her. "However, I take care of my servants and to me they are like family. But there are some Devils that don't have the same thought process as I though."

"Interesting…" Morgana muttered. There were bound to be others that weren't as courteous.

"Hyoudou-san?" The human male of the four of them said the name in question form.

Rias looked at Akira with a bit of confusion when he said that name. But then realization came to her face when it had hit her. "Issei-kun is well taken care of, I assure you." She replied without hesitation after with a warm smile.

"That's good to hear." Akira nodded his own head, still with a straight face. "There was something about a Sacred Gear you mentioned but you never explained what it was."

Rias nodded before elaborating. "A Scared Gear is an artifact that was bestowed upon a human by the God of the Bible."

God of the Bible giving artifacts like that? Really? "Sounds extravagant." He commented.

"They are, but they are also extremely rare. Because of their power, Devils often try to recruit humans with Sacred Gears into their ranks." Rias state knowingly. She had done the same with Issei after all.

"Is that why you brought him back? For his Sacred Gear?" Akira asked with an even look on his face.

Rias bit her lip. There was just a feeling inside her that said that she had to choose her words wisely. "That is… correct. However, in doing so I saved Issei-kun's life and as I stated before, he won't be mistreated in my care."

Akira nodded his head in satisfaction while Morgana stood up to stretch once more. It was a lot to take in but it also answered a lot of their questions. Their eyes looked up to see the looks on Rias' and Akeno's faces. They seemed to be anxious about something, well, at least Rias did. Akeno had a smiling poker face going on.

Akira thought about the option he could say next. What is it? Spit it out. Wipe that look off your face. Naturally, out of the three options, he went for the forth one. "You both are scaring me." He stated with his usual straight look, not even having the feeling of fear dwell within however.

"Well, it's just since you've heard the explanation of the Peerage system, I would like to ask you to join my peerage as my second Knight." Rias offered with a friendly smile. "Kiba-kun is my other Knight."

"No thanks." He said bluntly with a shake of his head as Morgana snickered. "As interesting as that sounds, I think I'm going to keep my humanity. I can't imagine coming into this world as something and then going out as something else entirely."

The red-head sighed. "While I'm sad to hear that, I won't push you much on the matter. But the offer still remains if you ever change your mind." Rias stated with a glimmer of hope. The next time she would bring such a topic up he had to make sure he'd drop the anvil of bluntness onto her. "Although, if you don't' mind me asking, could you perhaps explain what that thing you summoned was? Perhaps why you had to rip a mask off as well?"

Honestly should have seen that coming.

"Alright, this is where I step in." Morgana rolled his neck and sat proudly. "You see, everyone wears a mask deep within their heart." He began to explain. "Such a mask is worn to protect their inner vulnerabilities. By ripping off their protective masks and confronting their inner selves, a Persona is summoned."

"Basically, not a Sacred Gear." Akira added.

"I… see…" Rias said, seemingly disappointed that the ability that Akira wasn't a Sacred Gear. But still, there was a bit of satisfaction to her learning the mystery behind what the boy had summoned since Morgana pulled off the same trick as well. Looking up at a clock, she began to stand up. "I'd like to talk to you a bit more about your… Persona was it? However, we have some matters to attend to." She gave a small polite bow. "Allow me to offer another piece of information as a sign of good faith."

"And that is?" An eyebrow was raised.

"My peerage is not the only one in Kuoh Academy." Rias said before leaving the café with Akeno.

Akira just looked out the window as Morgana walked back into the school bag. "What do you think?" He soon asked as he stood up and grabbed his bag.

"I don't think she lied during the entire time she talked to us." Morgana said as he took a ride and exited the café as well to go to the apartments they were living in. "I'm still not sure if we should trust her though. I feel like she's leaving some information out.

Humming, Akira reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone with the screen that was turned on. He was not surprised at this considering how he had called someone before meeting up with Rias and Akeno and kept it on. Seeing as how it was connected to the call still, he hung up and brought up the group chat the Phantom Thieves used as began to send a text.

[So what do you guys think?]

No flames please.