Life 7: Change of Plans

What in the ever-loving Hell am I looking at right now?

Noé couldn't say he was expecting much of anything when he'd taken on a Summoning request that night. He tended not to in order to keep his expectations from letting him down as is out of principle. It kept his life simple and reduced the number of problems he had by getting too hopeful about things.

But to say he expected the summoning request to once more slap him into a room covered in anime and manga paraphernalia was something low on his list. Much less when said paraphernalia was all from various magical girl series of some sort.

And he also absolutely did not expect to come face to face with a towering, muscular wall of a man dressed in a cosplay of one of the characters in this room. A very poorly fit cosplay to boot.

If one had to describe Noé's expression at the time, it was strained, flat, and devoid of color from pure shock, and maybe a bit of trauma.

"Ah, you've arrived-nyou?" said the client, absolutely failing at affecting a falsetto, further cementing in Noé's shock in the moment. The verbal-tic is what clinched it. "Are you okay Mr. Devil, nyou?"

"No, I'm not okay," Noé brought his hands to his face, dragging them down as a pained groan left his throat. Gremory, what the hell kind of clients does your peerage serve in this damn town?! I could handle Morisawa, that guy was chill. But this?! This is another problem entirely! How do you handle this?! "Okay… let's just get to business. Why did… I don't know what to call you…"

"Mil-tan-nyou!"

"Doesn't help. Look, you summoned a Devil for some reason, what would that be?" Just play it politely, hear them out, and maybe I can get out of tonight without any problems.

Suddenly, Mil-tan's eyes flashed brightly. Noé would have called this an attempt at some magical girl schtick of some kind as they struck a pose, but the sensation Noé felt was more like raging battle spirit than an aura of cuteness. His shock only deepened as he pulled away a bit on reaction alone.

"That's right-nyou. I called you, Mr. Devil, because I want to make a wish-nyou. I want you to make Mil-tan a Magical Girl-nyou!"

"Then teleport to another world, I'm not fucking Kyubey," Noé felt at least something in him snap as the utterly deadpan reply flew from his mouth.

"I already tried that-nyou."

"What," Noé's eyes fluttered as he could only flatly respond to that declaration. Now he really didn't know what was going on with the person before him.

"But it was impossible-nyou! There was no one who could give Mil-tan magical powers-nyou! The only option left was to ask my arch-enemy, the Devils-nyou! Mr. Devil! Please give Mil-tan fantasy-like powers-nyouuuuu!"

Noé covered his ears as Mil-tan's speech turned into bellows, loud enough he was sure the neighbors in the apartment complex were going to wake up. Or maybe they were just used to this by now and didn't bother. He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

"Look I ain't got the means to even do that!" Noé barked, feeling his ears ringing a bit even after he uncovered them. "Your damn vocal cords could sure as hell suffice though! And do you even know how Devil contracts work?!"

"I'll even give my soul if that's what it takes-nyou!"

"We don't take souls! That's old fashioned and inefficient!" To at least check it, Noé pulled out his phone and opened a new app on it, one installed by Rias through magical means. He was a tad impressed Devils had figured out how to do things with smart phones to say the least. Opening up the file for his current client, Noé input the desired wish… and to no surprise of his own, the cost was outright death. "… yeah, selling the soul wouldn't work. Not worth enough."

"There has to be some method isn't there-nyou?!"

"Stop crying dammit!" Noé shouted, an eye twitching as Mil-tan continued to bellow. "Think about your neighbors, damn. Okay, look… how about we just sit down, and you… tell me why in the hell you want to be a Magical Girl, alright?"

Mil-tan's face suddenly splits into a scary-looking grin, prompting Noé's look to become even more stilted as a nervous chuckle left his mouth.

"Then let's what Magical Girl Milky Spiral 7 Alternative together-nyou! The story about the magic starts from there-nyou!"

"What the hell kind of title is that?!" THIS IS THE WORST! Was what he screamed in his head.

On returning to the ORC room the next day, Noé did not have what one would call a settled expression on his face. Conflicted, was perhaps the more accurate term to use for his tense jaw and the glint in his eyes. Rias on the other hand was looking quite amused, and suitable confused herself, as she looked over the returned flyer in her hand. Once again, Noé being summoned didn't even produce a proper contract, though this time the experience was perhaps… even more exhaustive than before.

Being made to marathon an entire anime series in a single night would do that to somebody.

"Well… two times in a row… certainly not the kind of thing I expected to see happen," Rias remarked, Noé's eyes shading over. "Again, you failed to make a contract, but the client was incredibly pleased with the time you spent with them."

"Again, might as well just kill me now," Noé growled, turning away as Rias chuckled.

"I have to say it's… something else," Rias said as she folded the flyer, "Though it's definitely odd for a Devil to get two cases like this as their first summons."

"Perhaps Noé has a natural trait that attracts those kinds of people," Yuuto mused, earning him a sharp glare from beneath Noé's hands.

"He's a magnet for weird people," Koneko curtly added.

"Can I add you people to that tally?" Noé sniped in response, Koneko giving a hum.

"Touché."

"Look, again, it's not my damn fault the client asked for something more than their soul was worth!" Noé stated, putting his arms behind his head, "What else was I supposed to do when he… they, I don't know! All I know is they were dead set on the damned magical girl thing no matter what I said."

"It certainly seems so. Magical powers… hah, who do they think Devils are, anime mascot characters?" Rias surprisingly reflected Noé's exact thoughts on the situation. "Either way, it's not a concern for now. You're just starting off after all. I'm sure you'll actually start getting some fitting clients who don't request desires above their worth soon enough."

"Ugh, with my luck we'll just have to see. So, am I free to go or have we got another thing? After last night I just want to relax a bit."

"You're free for now, no extra summon requests today. If something does come up, I'll call in as usual. If you produce a contract out of your next job with me, I'll be sure to reward you, as per our own contract"

"Yeah yeah," Noé raised a hand as he stood and left the office. As he departed down the halls, that ever familiar blue bird belong to his father alighted on one of the windows. "Again? No way we got another hunt contract that soon…"

Having arrived at the Back Alley office, Noé was a bit surprised to find his father wasn't present in his workshop as he expected. Though it was clear the man had been present before his arrival, Noé finding some fresh formula sheets on the main desk as he looked around. As he shifted some of the papers around, one of the sheets suddenly flashed. Noé flinched away, and as his vision cleared, he found that now there was a message floating in the air; In the Training Room.

"… just tell me that through the familiar instead of something like this," Noé grumbled. Sometimes his father's liking for the oddly complex was more of an annoyance than anything.

Sighing, Noé trotted down from the office to the main foyer below. While most would think the Back Alley was a pretty ordinary, small office building nestled away in Kuoh Town's main district, being the workshop of a Sorcerer meant the building's exterior hid something far from ordinary within it. A door that would have normally perhaps led to a utility closet instead opened up into a stairwell that descended downwards, further than what would be considered allowed for a building such as this. As he descended, the space eventually opened up into a wide chamber that was a pure, cold steel-white color.

Waiting for Noé at the center was Van, messing with a few runes in the air as if he were adjusting something within the room itself, as Noé could feel something within the air shifting as he approached his father.

"No work from Rias, I see," Van commented, Noé nodding as he scanned the runes before Van swiped them away. "You do remember I said I was going to teach you a bit about the Darklight, right?"

"Ah… kinda slipped my mind because of recent events. Sorry,"

"Heh, not like I blame you," Van chuckled, Noé looking to the side. "First off, can you draw it out on your own? You did use it during your last fight with that Stray Lear, right?"

"… I did?" Noé glanced at his right hand. He hadn't been thinking about it during that fight, but he did recall the same sensation coming up as when he'd first drawn that power out. What was it again? It was something… a weird mix of things… something cold and warm at the same time. As if one hand is touching ice, while the other was in a flame… dark and light… a null between holy and unholy…

Focusing on the memory of that sensation, Noé lifted his right hand, spreading his fingers as he sucked in a deep breath and released it. The first rule of magic he had been taught long ago was the image. If he could imagine it, then it could be made into existence. As his focus sharpened and the image in his mind cleared, sparks of dark crimson began to show across his arm. And moment by moment, those sparks grew into streams, surrounding Noé's arm as they swirled to his palm and began to gather together, forming a baseball sized sphere in his hand. Noé grasped the sphere, stopping the swirls from gathering further into it.

"Good job. Your control over your own energy is sharp as ever," Van said, Noé chuckling.

"If I wasn't good at this you know I wouldn't be able to handle the Boosted Gear as well as I do," Noé remarked, though a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. More sparks of energy formed at his arm, forming wispy tendrils of energy that flowed into the sphere of power. "Though… keeping this thing in check is a bit harder than I expected it to be. It's taking all my concentration just to keep this damn thing from exploding."

"Soon enough, forming Darklight will be as natural as any other power you use," Van said. With a flex of his left hand, small orbs of light and darkness formed in his palm. Striding over to Noé, Van lifted the twin spheres to the Darklight energy. "Let me show you how these powers react to it…"

As Van lowered the spheres towards the Darklight, Noé tensed as he felt something like a magnetic force beginning to push his hand back. It was as if the light and darkness gathered by Van were trying to push back on the Darklight, yet flecks of both were starting to drag off the orbs, fading into the sphere and mixing into it. Eventually, the two spheres had been completely absorbed, and the one in Noé's hand had grown to about the size of a softball now, sparking on occasion as its form flickered.

"What the…?" Noé tightened his hold on the sphere to try and keep it from flickering, but found it was as if the ball were actively resisting being held back now. "That what you meant by vampirizing?"

"As I said, Darklight is the 'Null', what exists between Light and Dark," Van repeated, Noé nodding. "As such, where the latter two try to resist it, the former attempts to overtake them. Light-based powers dim when they come into contact with you because your aura, being aligned to this 'Null', naturally does the same thing. The same goes for powers based in the Demonic as well."

"Ehh?! But I'm a Devil! So then how the hell can I use a power that messes with both sides of it?"

"Perhaps Devil was never truly accurate in nature," Van stated, Noé raising a brow. "As I told you before, this is something you will need to ask Luna about. I can only teach you how to control this power, not explain its origin. And speaking of control… you may want to release that sphere before it becomes too unstable."

"Huh?" Noé looked to the sphere as its sparking grew stronger. His eyes widening, he quickly threw his arm up to the side, opening his hands as the sphere forcefully roared out into a blast, slamming into the distant wall of the chamber. "Yeah… getting this under control would be a good idea."

"Well then…" Noé felt a chill go up his spine as Van gained a smile that was the opposite of friendly. With a snap of the man's finger, multiple spheres formed around him. Made of fire, wind, ice, electricity, light, and dark. "We have all night to train, don't we? Let's see how quickly you learn to use this power compared to your Draconic ones… also, no using the Boosted Gear. Fight me in your natural state."

"… this is gonna suck," Noé's shoulders slouched as Van chuckled. Shaking his head, Noé clapped his hands on his face, taking a stance as he gathered more Darklight into his hand. "But fine, let's go!"

It was business as usual for the ORC the following day. Rias had to wonder why Noé arrived at school that day in quite the mess, and he'd refused to elaborate as he all but dragged himself around the campus the whole day. At some point the teacher had just excused him to leave and nap in the nurse's office for a while. So, now here Rias was, with Akeno as usual as they filed papers and checked for any new requests, of which Koneko and Yuuto were already out on new ones.

"First two contracts, yet he didn't actually make one… and yet the clients enjoyed the time they spent with him," Akeno said as she tapped the papers in her hand straight. Rias hummed as she toyed with one of her yet unused pawns, the piece ivory white and edged in gold. Yet all the other pieces on the board besides a single knight, rook, bishop, and the other seven pawns had a crystalline red color. "He may not be part of the Peerage as officially as you may prefer, but even then, he's still helpful."

"An extra hand is never unwelcome when it comes to our business," Rias said, "But I also know Edelweiss is no fool. He sees that he can benefit from this arrangement, and so he's merely playing along so long as it works out for him."

"Hmm? Well… I get the sense he doesn't fully trust us. I can understand why though." Akeno said, Rias glancing at the vice president. "Look at it from his perspective. Aside from his sorcerer father and being aware of his powers, he's had a relatively standard life where he kept out of wider affairs. And then all thanks to some bad luck, suddenly he finds himself under the care of the Gremory Clan, unknowingly thrust right into the politics of Devil life. I wouldn't be surprised if his continued assistance will come with… prices."

"Well, I suppose greed in a Devil is never a bad thing. At the least, he's shown ambition… and he understands he's better off working up the ladder than something… potentially less pleasant," Rias remarked, leaning on a hand, "But at least he possesses ambition. But I can't help but be curious what exactly his bloodline is. Neither Father nor Brother would answer when I asked about it… which means he can't just have been born of a common bloodline. There's also the mysterious absence of his mother to consider. Why would she feel the need to be away from her family? And what even connects her to mine?"

"So, our cute new provisional is likely another noble hmm? Hmhmhm, half-blood or not, if word like that got out, it would make quite the political drama, wouldn't it? It really does make you wonder, just who is he?" Akeno mused, Rias giving a chuckle.

"I'd be very interested in finding out the answer to that. I suppose it'll be worth managing his freewheeling to discover that," Rias then looked at the other stack of papers next to her, "Now as for tonight's summoning requests… oh, there's another extra. Akeno, would you call our dear provisional?"

"Of course. Just give me a moment," Akeno stepped out of room with that remark, Rias giving a hum.

"You may only be working with me to find your own answers at your leisure, and you may not be my Servant. But in a way, being a protectorate still makes you mine to care for, Noé Edelweiss. I'll enjoy unraveling the mystery about who you are as time comes."

A red sport motorcycle roared down the roads of Kuoh despite the late hour of the night. Atop it was a figure in a particular red jacket, the black helmet obscuring the rather annoyed expression of the rider as the bike tore down the streets.

"The hell kind of Devil has to answer a request like this?!" Noé screamed over the wind and the engine of his transport as he continued on. In most cases he only ever rode it to get around town on his days off and other situations. It had taken a good deal of saving his pay from contracts with his father, not to mention convincing to even be allowed to get a license for it, to even get.

So needless to say, Noé didn't ever consider the idea he'd be using it to drive his way to a summoning request. For whatever reason, when the summoning had started, the circle had suddenly shorted out before Noé could be transported. And since it was basically courtesy to do so, now Noé had to take the long way to meet his would-be client, if mainly to ensure there was no issues on their end with the summoning attempt.

"Gagh, if they snap at me, I'm blaming Rias for it!" Noé decided, keeping his gaze forward as he sped through the neighborhood. As it settled in, he was also nearing one of the more wealthy-looking areas, he had to wonder just what kind of person living in this part of the city had to be to want to call in a Devil. I better not be getting called in to do goddamn housework…

After about another minute of riding, Noé arrived at the home his GPS was locked to. It was simple enough, one story-tall but decently spread out. He could assume the owner lived alone, since otherwise it'd make keeping summoning a Devil quiet. Shutting off the bike and removing his helmet, Noé approached the door and rang the doorbell… only to find the ring was a bit too loud.

"Huh?" Looking down, Noé spotted that the door was ever so slightly ajar, enough to allow the interior sound to carry out. "That's not safe at this time of night. The hell?"

As Noé pushed the door open, he froze the moment his foot passed the threshold. Hairs stood on end as his senses flared to immediate alert. Something was around, and whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant.

"Ddraig, what do ya' think?" Noé asked, peering in through the door. The hallways were dark, but he could see a very faint light coming from further down, likely the living room.

"Tread lightly… no idea what we may be walking into. But… this reeks of a trap."

"My thoughts exactly."

Entering slowly, Noé kept his back to the wall as he neared the faint light source. As he neared the archway, he stopped when he heard a slight splish under his shoe. He at first thought water, but that thought was proven wrong when a metallic smell hit his nose… the smell of blood. Bending down, Noé put two fingers to the dark puddle, pulling it back to find that familiar shade of dark red coating his fingertips.

"The hell…? Something happened here…"

Moving into the room itself, Noé froze as he saw the definite source. The far wall of the living room had a body nailed to it in an upside down, crucified position. The body had been completely eviscerated, blood and viscera oozing from numerous, messy gashes along the flayed body, with the stakes pinning the corpse in place being driven in through the head, hands, chest, and legs. Noé had grown accustomed to the messy sights left behind by Stray Devils, but this brought a different kind of sick feeling to him.

This wasn't something done out of pure violence by a creature gone-near mad… this was an act of utter sadism meant to inflict as much pain as possible. He knew for a fact by the look of it, the victim had not been given a quick death. It had been slow, drawn out, meant to be as painful as humanly possible.

And on one wall, scrawled in the victim's own blood was a statement: Punishment of the Wicked.

"Ah fuck…" A realization set in for just what kind of person would leave that kind of message in Noé. And then he heard a cackle from behind him.

"Ahhh, I'm surprised you were able to read that. I just happened to borrow that phrase from the Holy Scripture you know?"

Shooting around, Noé came face to face with a young man sitting on the nearby couch. He had silvery white hair and red eyes, seeming to not be much older than Noé himself. And then there was the priest's attire he wore, attire that at once clashed against the evil smile he gave once hie and Noé's eyes met. His immediate air was that wicked kind of happiness. The one a murderous psychopath has once they spot their next victim.

"If it isn't a Devil! My name is Freed Selzan!" The young man stood up and took a bow… then to Noé's clear confusion began dancing in place as he spoke again in sing-song, "A young priest who's part of a certain exorcism organization! I cut off the heads of filthy devils that come and then get my meals!"

What the hell kind of nutjob did I just run into? Noé thought, already balling his right hand into a fist.

"Now, just because I introduced myself doesn't mean you have to, Devil! I don't need to remember your name, because you're going to die soon, just like that filthy man who was trying to call you here! And don't worry, I'll try not to make your death hurt too much! Soon enough you'll feel so good you'll want to cry! So, let's open a new door why don't we-AGH!"

Noé didn't bother to let the priest finish before smashing his fist right into his nose. The priest yelped as he went flying across the room, blood spewing from his freshly broken nose as he crumpled across the floor. To Noé's surprise again, he got up quite quickly, howling in pain as he clutched his nose.

"Geez, how sturdy are you? I threw that punch full force," Noé muttered, shaking his right hand as the priest stood up.

"Owowowowow! What the hell kind of rude Devil are you, interrupting a man and then breaking his beautiful nose?!" The priest shouted, Noé scoffing.

"I'm a Devil. Why the hell do I need to listen to some psycho priest who killed my client?!"

"You're mad about that?! That's just plain odd! Humans who summon Devils are scum. Scum indeed! Can't you understand that? Well, you're a scummy Devil, so of course you don't!"

"Uh… what," Noé couldn't think of a clear way to even respond to that. This priest just came off as increasingly deranged by the moment with each word out of his mouth. "Whatever. Though I didn't think Exorcists were in the business of killing humans who only engage in Summoning! I figured it was policy you only go after Strays and leave Devils to their business!"

"Haaaaa?! What the fuck is with that? Some Devil is lecturing me?" The priest crowed, then letting out an amused scoff,"Hah! That's hilarious! I bet your master gives you rewards for being funny! Okay then, shitty Devil, listen to me! Devils use human's greed to survive. Relying on Devils proves that you are no longer human! That's it, the end! Bzzz! So, I killed him! I make a living by killing Devils and those they contract with! That's my job!"

"So, in short, you're just batshit crazy," Noé's dry remark earned him a deranged glare from the priest.

"Haa~~?! What are you talking about? Devils are trash! Don't you know they're a shitty existence? Seriously did nobody teach you common sense? Go start your life back over from a toddler why don'tcha? Wait, it's useless to tell that to a Devil like you! More like I should kill you! Hahahaha! Isn't that just the greatest?! It's just the-"

BAM! Once again, the priest went tumbling across the floor and into the wall as Noé's fist connected to his face in a straight jab.

"BUZEEEAHHH! You punched me in the nose again!"

"Will you shut up!? You're seriously pissin' me off now!"

Noé's now bloodied fist stood in the air as the priest(?) flopped to the ground writhing as he held his nose. A growl came from the young man as he stood back up, a very angry chuckle coming from him.

"Oh, now you've done it! Whatever! Killing you is gonna be so much more fun!" He then reached under his large coat, whipping out a large revolver and an item akin to a sword's hilt. With the flick of a switch oh the item, the air hummed as a white blade shot from the top of the item, illuminating the room as the priest(?) swung it around. "You're irritating me, so which do you prefer? Should I shoot you, or should I cut you? Oh, here's what I'll do! I'll stab your heart out with this shiny blade, then blow your brains out with this fancy gun! How sweet will that be?!"

"Heh… I needed to blow off some steam."

The priest took a swing with his sword, Noé stepping to the side as the Boosted Gear took form. As the Gear roared out the first Boost, Noé's left hand flew forward, slamming into the priest's gut and sending him skidding across the floor. The priest took a shot with his gun as he hit the wall, Noé blocking with the same gauntlet, the air ringing as Noé blocked several more shots.

"Ohohohooo~, what's this?" The priest cackled, "You've got some fancy toy hahhh? And here I thought you were just some shit reincarnated Devil! You ain't normal, are you Devil?!"

"Not at all," Noé snickered, falling into his usual stance as he raised his fists, "Let's keep this quick."

The priest cackled as he raised his gun, firing wildly as Noé charged. He weaved past the bullets and closed the gap, and as his right fist rose, the priest swung his light-sword, the fist and blade colliding. The air whipped around as Noé's flurry was met by rapid slashes from the priest. Noé's left hand shot forward, grabbing the blade of light and wrenching it down. As the priest looked confused for a moment, Noé's fist slammed into his face for the third time now. And as the priest bent backwards from the blow, Noé followed up with a left hook to the side of his head, smashing the priest to the side and into the floor with a slam that audibly cracked some bones.

Yet rather than be left limp, on the ground, the priest started cackling, standing up and looking back to Noé with a wild glint in his eyes made more intense by his bloodied face.

"Oh yes!" The priest howled, laughing as he reloaded his gun and took aim. "This must be Heaven smiling down on me tonight! It just wouldn't be satisfying if I killed you easily! Oh, what joy, what mad fortune this is! I so rarely get to play with Devils who can actually put up a fight! Let's go all night then why don't we?! I don't want this fun to end now, Devil!"

"Hahaha, the hell are they making you exorcists out of these days?" Noé chuckled, a smirk splitting his face, "I thought I'd have to hold back since you're just a human… but looks like you're actually worth taking seriously."

"Ohhhh? That was you not being serious? Hahahaha! Oh, to be insulted so by a trash Devil! Now I have even more reason to cut you to ribbons!" the priest lunged forward, raising his sword up, "I'll just leave a few extra cuts on that annoying face to pay you back for the nose!"

"Try me!"

Noé dodged as the sword came down, realizing in that moment the priest was swinging faster despite his injuries. Dodging and parrying the sudden flurry of swings, Noé dropped down when the priest's gun flew up, narrowly avoiding a point-blank shot. As he rose up, Noé swung his right leg up, kicking the gun from the priest's hand, twirling away when he tried to slash his leg with the sword. As Noé flipped back to his feet, he angled his head as the light sword thrust towards him, wincing as he felt the blade cut across his cheek. He had to be thankful for his light resistance, or else that would have been worse.

"Hah?!" The priest looked confused as Noé pulled back, clearly befuddled by only having cut him with the blade. "The fuck?! You Devils are weak to light! Why the hell did I only cut your face instead?!"

"Surprise, there's one who's resistant to the stuff!" Noé scoffed, the priest growling at the smug grin Noé gave him in return. And that was when the priest noticed Noé had picked his gun up from off the floor. "So, how about we…"

"W-Wait, please stop!"

As Noé lifted the gun and the priest got ready to lunge again, both stopped at the sudden new voice. Noé's eyes widened as he turned, spotting that the new arrival had been the same nun he'd met several days ago, looking from the priest to him with a worried expression about the fighting. The girl?! Noé thought. What was her name… Asia, right? The hell is she doing around an exorcist like this?

"Ohhh, if it isn't Asia, my assistant! Did you finish doing what I told you and put up that barrier?" The priest angled his head like he was asking for a mundane thing. As if there wasn't a mangled corpse crucified on the wall at the other end of the ruined room. One Asia soon set eyes on.

"N-Nooooo!" Asia's face shifted to terror as the sight sunk in for her. The priest seemed downright delighted to hear her scream.

"Ahhh! Thank you for that adorable scream! Oh, right, this is your first time seeing a corpse like that, isn't it Asia? Then look carefully because this is what we do to humans entranced by Devils!"

"You mean because you're a sick fuck!" Noé snapped back, keeping the stolen gun trained on the mad priest as he laughed.

Asia looked back to Noé. A part of him hoped that the girl wouldn't recognize him, what with not using his glamour to hide his natural hair and eye colors like before. But Asia seemed to indeed notice, her hands raising to her chest as that realization too dawned on her.

"Father Freed…" the girl stammered out. "Th-That person…"

"Ehhhh?" The priest, Freed, cawed. "No no no! That shitty example of existence standing right there is a Devil! Hahahaa! What the heck are you thinking? Devils aren't people!"

"A-Are you… Noé?" Asia asked so almost as if wishing he would say no, even if it was a lie. With a tense look, Noé let out a breath. Perhaps this would at least be the way to make sure the girl decided not to get involved with him. So, with a thought, Noé's hair and eyes shifted to the muted browns he used for his glamour. Asia lifted her hands to her mouth as a shocked gasp left her, Noé's glamour fading in that same moment. "N-No way… that's… it is?"

"Haaa? What a minute, do you two know each other?" Freed looked downright appalled at the idea, sticking his tongue out in disgust "This is a surprise! Oh, is it forbidden love between a Devil and a maiden of the Church? Gagh, how disgusting could that be?! Are you serious?!" and in a move that made Noé tighten his hold on the firearm he had, Freed lifted his light sword to Asia, the girl backing into the wall, looking at Noé with a sadistic smirk, "Hahahaa! Don't you two know? Humans and Devils could never coexist! Especially those who are from the Church when Devils are our biggest enemies! Also, we're a group of heretics deserted by God! Asia and I can't survive without the support of the Fallen Angels we serve!"

"Fallens?" Noé repeated. Is he talking about the same group that attacked me? And… so that's why Asia is here… but, wait… "The hell do you mean heretics? You I can understand. But Asia doesn't seem the sort."

"Ohhh? The shitty Devil doesn't know? Kahahahaha! Then how about I tell you?!" Freed moved the sword closer, Asia flinching as the blade hummed in her face. "This little girl here has an oh-so precious Sacred Gear! You might know about them, you might not, I don't care either way! Normally, the Church highly values those with them, never letting them out of their sight. On oh, was little Asia gifted with a most wondrous ability! The power to heal all wounds with but a touch! But one day, her poor bleeding heart came across someone… that someone being a Devil! Learning this, the Church cast Asia out for heresy, because how could a power from God be used to heal some of our mortal enemies? It's a grave sin that this little one here committed."

"I… I only did what I thought was…" Asia stammered, tears welling at her eyes. Freed cackled in mad delight.

"What? What you thought was right? Puh-lease! You're a sinner just like me! Face it! So now if you'd excuse me, I have Devil trash to kill! The proper way we-GYAGHOOO!"

Freed didn't get to finish the sentence before the stolen gun fired, the bullet just grazing the top of his left shoulder. Freed howled as he stumbled back, using his sword to cut down the rest of the shots Noé fired, not stopping until the gun's cylinder was emptied. As Noé strode forward, his eyes burning in fury as his right gauntlet glowed with a surge of Darklight, Freed ready to receive the blow, Noé was stopped when Asia lunged forward and grabbed him from behind. Not that it did much, as she hardly had the strength to actually make Noé stop.

"Noé, please, you don't have to keep fighting!" Asia pleaded, "Father Freed, please forgive this man and let him leave!"

"HAAAAA?!" Freed let out a shocked sound in response to that, though his face went stern too. "Are you kidding me?! You're asking me to forgive some Devil shitstain?! Do you know what you're saying?!"

"Yes, I do! I beg you Father Freed, please forgive him!" Asia let go and stepped in front of Noé, spreading her arms out. "He doesn't deserve to die! So, what if he's a Devil? I… I can't stand it anymore! Why do we have to kill people? You can't kill people just because they contract with Devils, and you can't kill Devils for no reason! It's just wrong!"

Why the hell is she standing up for me? Thought Noé. We barely even know each other. I can't be worth that much trouble to her.

"Haaaaaaah?! Don't talk shit, stupid bitch! You would've learned that Devils are trash at the Church! Seriously, is there something wrong with your brain?"

"There are good people, even among Devils! No group is purely evil!"

"Bzzzz! Wrong! They're Devils, they're all bad!"

"T-That's what I thought until recently," Even with the mad priest staring her down, Asia stood firmly in place. "But… Noé is a good person! Just because he's a Devil, doesn't mean he can't be kind! Killing someone is unforgivable! That kind of act, God would never allow it to exist Himself!"

Noé was surprised to feel it himself, but he found himself impressed by the strength of will Asia was displaying. From the initial panic of seeing the mutilated corpse, now to putting herself between the mad Freed and himself… the young Devil honestly felt at least a hint of admiration for the previously scared girl in picking herself up in such a way. Geez… guess I'm letting that "better nature" get the better of me… Noé tapped Asia on the shoulder as he stepped forward, Freed starting to raise his sword as his face twisted in rage.

"Good one, Asia… at least let me knock this bastard flat!" Noé's right hand shot upwards, catching the light blade as it descended. The coating of Darklight around his gauntlet reacted immediately, the dark tendrils drawing in the light blade itself until the blade broke apart. As Freed was staring at the now empty hilt in confusion, next he knew, Noé's fist went flying, slamming into his sternum as Noé carried the punch into a charge, slamming Freed into the wall hard enough to leave an indent in the drywall. Freed hacked up blood as the full blow rumbled through him.

"Fucking… shit…" Free coughed as he fell to a knee, and as he looked back up, he came face-to-point with the now extended energy blade of Noé's gauntlet.

"Let me make this clear. I'm not gonna kill you, despite having plenty reason to," Noé said, "Instead, if you wanna live, I've got conditions. First: You run back to your Fallen Angel masters and tell 'em to buzz off. Tell that Raynare idiot that Edelweiss said hi… if she comes running, I'll deal with her myself. Second: You let Asia go. Actually, no let's be more precise. She goes with me after you scurry off."

"I don't seem to get anything out of this. What the hell kind of deal with the Devil is this?!"

"You get to live," Noé adjusted the blade to just under Freed's chin. It seemed convincing enough to the Stray Priest.

"Good point. I mean that Fallen Angel might be pissed at me for just letting some shit Devil take Asia though. She's worked really hard to get her here."

"Do you actually care what she does?"

"You make an excellent point there as well! Because I do not!" Freed cackled as he stood up, edging to one of the windows and throwing it open, Noé keeping the energy blade trained on him the entire time. "Just know, it's not my fault if anything happens after! See ya' later, Devil! I'll come back to kill you later!"

"Yeah, don't expect to be able to do that."

Freed cackled as he threw down a pellet, a flash of light illuminating the room to a blinding degree. When it faded, there was no sign of the priest except for the carnage in the room and his discarded weapons. With a huff, Noé dismissed his gear and turned to Asia. Whatever strength the girl had mustered to act seemed to fade, as she collapsed to her knees in a shuddering mess not moments after realizing Freed was truly gone.

"So… now you know," Noé muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "To be fair… I'm only half-Devil, actually. But… not it's not a thing.

There was another thing that set in for Noé as he looked to the side. I didn't think this through at all! His internal self looked less slightly despondent and more on the verge of panic. I was talking all that crap in the spur of the moment! What the hell am I even going to do with her?! Hell, how the fuck do I explain this to Dad?!

"I… I don't mind," Asia speaking up got Noé to cease his mental panicking. "Even if you're a Devil… it doesn't change the fact you helped me then. And you even helped me now so… ah!"

"Right… that," Noé rubbed the back of his head as Asia looked away from the corpse. "It's not like I can do anything. Only thing we can do is leave it to the authorities to find… messy as this is."

"Should… shouldn't we at least bury him?"

"Not our place," Noé stated, holding a hand to Asia. She took it and offered the help up. Before they left, Noé scooped up the discarded weapons and dropped them into a magic circle. One thing he'd been told was to never let "mundanes" find anything relating to the supernatural, even if it amounted to tampering with a crime scene.

Once they were out, as Noé kicked up the stand on his bike, he realized he only had the one helmet on him at all. Shaking his head, he tossed the item to Asia. Her hair would probably fill out the difference despite it being sized for him.

"Uhm… I…" Asia stammered.

"Put it on. You're a normal human, so you'd actually get hurt if this thing crashed."

"R-Right."

As Noé threw his leg over the set and revved the engine, Asia fumbled a bit to get the helmet on right. Noé stifled a chuckle at how much the object clashed with her habit. Cautiously, Asia took a seat behind Noé.

"So, uh… w-what should I do? It doesn't look like there's a belt."

"It's a motorcycle, so of course it doesn't have one. Just… hold on tight. I won't go that fast."

"Also, uhm… where are you going to take me?"

"My house," Noé said, Asia blinking under the helmet's visor. "It's not like I have many other options. Rias would frickin' kill me if I took a nun back to her place… and to be honest my house is probably the safest place in Kuoh Town to hide out in. Wait… why are you so calm anyway?! You're basically my hostage more than anything! Isn't basically being kidnapped by a Devil concerning?!"

"Yes but… that Devil was you, Noé. You're a good person, so I can trust you. It doesn't matter that you're a Devil."

Dammit this girl is too pure. Noé shaded his eyes as he let out a groan. Further complicating his feelings right now was the end result of Asia finally taking a hold. He realized in a moment how suspiciously thin her habit turned out to be as a soft sensation came to his back through his jacket. Clean thoughts, clean thoughts… not the kind of thing to suddenly think about when on a motorcycle…

Clearing his throat, and mind, Noé revved the engine and pulled away, hoping to at least put part of this night behind him as he sped away with Asia.