Life 8: Escalation

If Noé had to note one thing as he drove back home, it had to be how glad he was that no officers were on night patrol for the route he took. Being caught without a helmet on would be the worst complication to all of this, especially when he was still more than a bit covered in that priest's blood from the beating he'd doled out, not to mention the still stinging cut on his cheek. Much less explaining why a girl in a nun's habit was with him. The last thing he needed was that.

As the bike rumbled along, buzzing down as Noé pulled up to the gate of his house, he coaxed Asia off as she pulled his helmet off, then looking up at the house as Noé pulled the bike through the gate to its spot on the other side.

"Your home is… rather normal," Asia noted, Noé scoffing as he took his helmet back when she held it out.

"Were you expecting some kind of seedy joint in the middle of town?" He snarked, Asia quickly shaking her head.

"N-Not at all!" said the nun, sounding a bit panicked, "I just… a part of me maybe assumed you wouldn't be… living in such a normal place… is all."

"Well, when your dad's a sorcerer, callin' the place 'normal' isn't entirely accurate," A point demonstrated as they approached the all too familiar to Noé door to the Back Alley. Giving a sigh, Noé opened the ornate door, Asia's eyes widening as she saw it leading into an office rather than a hallway, "Dad! Hooked to the front door again!"

"Ah, shit! Sorry! I was working on a spell formula so it must have… I'll fix it."

"And maybe get out… something happened and we kinda need to discuss it," Noé pulled back and shut the door, and a moment later it shifted back into the normal entrance. Opening it once more, then Noé guided Asia into the main entryway, kicking his shoes off as they went in.

As they did, Asia continued to scan around, again observing how normal it all looked to be. Pictures framed on the walls, a few odds and ends for decoration. As they entered the living room, Asia stopped when she spotted another framed photo atop a decorated stand. It looked somewhat recent, as she recognized Noé on it, though in his glamoured appearance instead.

Two others were standing with him in the photo. One, Van, standing just to the side with a hand on Noé's shoulder as he smiled to the camera. The other was a woman who Noé stood as the spitting image of, clearly annoying the teenager as she stood with her arms wrapped around his neck with a beaming smile on her face. Her hair and eyes were the same muted browns as Noé's disguise… yet with what she knew now, Asia had to assume that too may have been a false appearance.

"This is…" said the girl, Noé peeking over.

"That? Ah, just the photo Mom insisted we take during my first year of high school," he stated, Asia humming as she observed the image some more. "Don't expect her to be here though. Mom travels all over the place, so she's only ever here when fancy strikes her. But… she's never absent when it's something she knows is important to be around for. Every holiday, every important frickin' event in school, somehow, she's always sure to be there for it."

"So… is she…"

"The Devil in the family? Yep," That blasé confirmation stirred Asia a bit. Clearly Noé had been aware of his heritage for far longer than she had presumed he might have been. "Still don't know everything about her though… some parts of that apparently, I haven't been ready to learn."

Both turned as they heard a door clacking shut. A second later, Van came trotting down the stairs, looking like he was about to say something. Instead, the man simply paused, his eyes stopping at Asia as he registered the girl's presence. Then he looked to Noé. Then back to Asia. Then to Noé again. Then back. Then again. Then back.

"What did you do?" And the final turn came, Van spat that out.

"I did nothing that would actually be illegal!" Noé said, not even countering the accusation of 'doing something.' "This is just… an unforeseen consequence of a situation that went to shit."

"Explain."

"Long story short, I went to the job Gremory called me about. But, had to take my bike cause for some reason the summoning circle didn't work. I got there, and, well… guy was dead, fought a crazy stray priest… and uhm… now I have this nun with me. Her name's Asia. She kinda needs a place to stay."

"You didn't think it through, did you?"

"I did not."

"And I can only imagine what the consequences will be…" Van rubbed his temples are Noé failed to properly whistle. He knew perfectly well his impulsive decision didn't even resemble a plan one bit. "What are you going to tell Rias?"

"I ain't gonna tell her shit," Noé bluntly stated. "I'll tell her about the priest, no hiding that once the news gets ahold of it tomorrow… but I'm not going to tell her about Asia. Not her business."

"I-I don't mean to cause any trouble," Asia took a bow. Van shook his head as he stepped forward.

"This is Noé's fault for being an impulsive idiot," Noé shot his father a look, but there was no attempt at protest, "However, I'm sure he had good reason for making such an impulsive choice. Let's just sit down for now, so we can hear the full story."

Van led the two into the living room, taking one of the single chairs while Noé and Asia sat on the couch. With the expecting looks from the two on her, Asia felt a certain pressure as they waited. Taking a breath, the girl gathered her nerves, looking to the father and son both.

"I met Noé a few days ago, when I first arrived in this town," she began, "The reason for that… is because I was excommunicated from the Church. Noé knows this, but… I have a Sacred Gear, a Twilight Healing. Supposedly it's rare, one that isn't found much."

"Wait, wait…" Van held a hand up, "you're telling me the Church, one of the biggest hoarders of Sacred Gears and artifacts even vaguely called Holy, let someone with a Twilight Healing go? They know about that Gear and what it can do."

"I had the same question in my head, to be fair," Noé added.

"Well…" Asia tented her hands, lacing her fingers together. "Before that, the Church had called me a Saint before. See… I'm an orphan. I was found at the steps of a chapel by a Sister as a baby. So, I only ever really knew the church. Then, one day, the Twilight Healing awakened in me, when I found an injured dog on the road. After that, people from all over came to my home to be healed. They called it a divine gift from God."

"… and this is where we get to what that priest mentioned," Noé said, Asia nodding.

"One day, I found an injured boy while on my way back to the convent. I didn't think of anything of it at the time since I'd helped so many people beforehand. But, well… then it turned out that boy was a Devil. The Church couldn't let it stand that their Saint could also heal their enemies so… I was cast out. For a while, I made do, traveling from place to place and healing people. And then… before coming here, I was visited by a group of Fallen Angels who knew about my powers."

"Which then led you here… and the rest is history," Van surmised, Asia nodding. "Well, it's not unusual for those the Church exiled to begin working under Fallen Angels, if they don't go to the Association first. Why didn't you try to go to them? They would've taken you in in a heartbeat, especially being a Gear holder."

"I… didn't know about the Association until a short time ago. Had I known… maybe I would have, I don't know," Asia's gaze lowered to the floor, her hands bunching around her dress. "At first, the work I did for those Fallen Angels wasn't unusual for what I knew. Simple purification rituals, helping ensure the Church they resided in was consecrated, all normal things for a Sister. But… tonight, what happened when I was with Father Freed…"

"Relax," Noé said, placing a hand on Asia's shoulder. "Like I said, this place is safe, promise."

"Heh, if anyone tried anything they'd be in for a nasty surprise if they set any of my barriers off," Van noticed Asia giving him a questioning look, the man sighing as he leaned on a hand. "You may have already realized it, but to be frank, I'm a Sorcerer. Or Magus, whatever term you feel like using. They're interchangeable. Noé was never destined for a normal life, even if he'd never been born a Half-Devil."

"So, like… one of those… wizards or witches?" Asia said, Van letting out a wry chuckle.

"I can only imagine the things the Church told you about my kind," mused the man.

"Just… I'd always been told those who practiced that kind of magic were heretics. Those who would contract to Devils, make use of their magic, turning away from God's grace to… I'm sorry, I'll stop!" The girl bowed her head, and to her own surprise, Van let out a laugh. An admittedly wry one, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Ahh, even now they're still teaching their brats that's how we work huh?" Van said, leaning on the opposite hand. "Look, I don't feel the need to drill a bunch of information into your head, I'm sure you've had a weird night. But we mages don't quite operate that way. Our pacts with Devils are transactional in nature. I get access to their resources and the political leverage their status offers; they get first dibs on any new magic formulas and tools I concoct in my workshop. Not to mention information, which is more valuable than anything else."

"I promise he's not a bad guy," Noé assured.

"Hardly," Van chuckled, "Anyway, it's not much but there's a few spare rooms you can sleep in, Miss Asia. If you want to get out of the habit, there's probably something in Luna's closet that would fit."

"Dad…" Noé nodded towards Asia, then mouthing the next bit, 'Her chest is way smaller.'

"Ahem… or we just figure something out… whether or not this arrangement will last is another question," Van muttered, giving Noé a not-so-subtle glare. "For now, consider yourself under our protection in case those Fallens try anything. We'll figure out where it goes from here tomorrow."

"I… I'm not really sure what to say," Asia stated, "I'm not sure what is even going on right now… but I feel like this must be a trial from God. I… didn't know the truth of things, and even now I'm unsure of it. But… if I keep believing, then one day my wish will come true… I know it will."

"Well just don't include me in your prayers," Noé joked, Asia giving a chuckle. "I don't think Heaven would appreciate one of theirs giving thanks for getting help from a Devil much."

"That they wouldn't," Van mused, "Now get to bed. You'll be wasting daylight at this point."

"Not that Devils need daylight much," snarked Noé, earning a chuckle from Van and a stifled giggle from Asia.

The next morning, it was almost business as usual as Noé woke up and went about his usual morning routines. It was a day off from school so he could only ponder how to make use of the free time, what with the sudden change in situation with Asia now suddenly being included into all of this. So, it was as he was busy cooking some French toast, eggs, and bacon that his thoughts were letting themselves run as he went about the task.

I can't imagine those Fallens are gonna sit quietly now that their little Saint is gone… he figured. It's not hard to assume they'll come after her, especially so they can keep their hands on her Gear. Not like that'd be a problem, considering what happened when they jumped me… still, there's some questions about that. What the hell are some scouts doing pulling a Gear Holder into their cabal? They would've directed her to the Grigori instead of some out-of-the-way place like Kuoh. Something about this feels off…

It also set him for him he still needed to report in to Rias at some point in the day alongside this. Letting out a sigh, Noé shook his head and focused back on his current task. He'd prefer that over the other thoughts in his head for the time being.

"Uhm… g-good morning!" Looking over, Noé saw Asia entering the kitchen, somewhat nervously at that. Absent her habit, instead she was in a simple white sundress that somewhat miraculously fit her despite belonging to Noé's mother. "I smelled it as I was coming down. I'm uhm… surprised you do the cooking."

"Cooking, cleaning, basically every chore in the house," Noé remarked, getting to setting three plates. "Dad is always busy with his research and is more of slob than he'd admit. Mom taught me everything she knows, since with her being out all the time it's not like she can keep things tidy. So, it falls to me," taking a step to the doorway, Noé leaned out, "Dad! Breakfast is done, get on down here before I drag you down myself!"

"Already up!" Van called back.

Noé nodded and turned back to the table, spreading the plates out as Asia sat down, the girl staring at the arranged dish as Noé also pulled a pot of coffee from the cooker to set at the table.

"You take coffee, or something else?" He asked while grabbing a few mugs.

"I like coffee fine… though uhm, with some milk and sugar in it. Please?"

"So, the way I like it too huh?" Noé mused, Asia raising her brow in surprise as he sat down and started pouring. "Surprised a thug like me likes sweet things?"

"I don't think you're a thug!" Asia responded as if offended, Noé chuckling as he sat down, a finger flicking at one of the earrings he had set in, a pair of small hoops that matched the ones further up. Asia had to admit she found it a tad surprising to know he had piercings.

"Funny thing, even just having simple piercings like these make people think you're a delinquent here in Japan," mused the boy, "So I usually don't wear them. But today's a day off, so I decided to throw them on."

"Well… they're rather fashionable… I think. I don't know much about how boys dress… or fashion in general," as Noé chuckled again, Asia's face flushed a bit. Van then strode in, both teenagers greeting the man as I took his chair.

"Morning you two," Van replied, turning to Asia, "So, how did you sleep, Miss Argento?"

"Fine, thank you," replied the girl, "Honestly, I haven't slept in a proper bed in some time. It was a nice change."

"Good to hear," Van hummed, taking the first bite as he glanced at his phone, "So, Noé, what's the plan today?"

"Well, first I need to report to Gremory," replied the son, "After that… I dunno, come back here, relax? If Tsuno drops by who knows… wait, no, probably a bad idea if he shows up with Asia here."

"Perhaps… well then, I suppose even then you'll be free to take Asia around town afterwards and get her some things," Van stated, Noé flinching, "Since you brought her here, may as well take responsibility and help provide what she needs while we figure out where to go from here."

"Ugh… yeah, sure," Noé groaned, shoving a whole chunk of his French toast into his mouth at once.

"Well… I suppose, since I might be here for a while," Asia finally took a bite of her meal, her eyes lighting up as she chewed. "Wow! This is really good! You're a great cook, Noé!"

"Ah… ahem, th-thanks," Noé coughed into a hand, Van chuckling as the boy's face flushed a bit. "Shut it old man."

The growl only came with Noé's blush deepening. He certainly was not used to that kind of reception to things.

"Uh… hello? I know it's a day off today but uh… anyone here?" Despite having said he would report to Rias, as it was, Noé was more than somewhat hoping his arrival to the ORC room would go quietly so that he could just leave without any incident occurring. "Nooo? Okay then… I guess I'll leave…"

"There you are! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

"… fuck."

Noé sighed a bit as the other door in the room flew open, Rias appearing along with Akeno. The crimson-haired girl had quite the unpleased expression on as Noé's eyes lidded at her.

"Okay, first question, why were you worried?" Noé grumbled. "You know damn well I can handle myself."

"Well what else was I supposed to think? We went to investigate that house after you didn't report back, and with what we found… seriously, what happened? It was a complete mess!"

"The news has been on it all morning," Akeno stated, flashing her phone to show an article, the title non-too subtle in its statement of the brutal murder that had happened the night before.

"I was going to explain that," Noé said. "It turned out the reason there was interference last night was some Stray Priest who got the client first. I fought the guy off, so that should be the end of it. What's the big deal?"

"And you didn't bother to at the least come back here after that?" Rias said, her eyes narrowing. Noé looked to the side. "We found traces of a barrier there as well, leftovers from a ritual… and barriers have to be maintained by someone if they're not rune based. Which would mean there would have had to have been a second person there along with that priest. There's something you're not telling me, aren't you?"

"Nope, the whole truth," Noé said, not a hint of a lie in his voice. But Rias didn't look a hint convinced. "Look, I didn't come in because I brought it to my dad first. It's as much his job to oversee Kuoh as yours, so what's the harm? I mean, I could have just texted or called you, but that didn't feel appropriate."

"You're not telling me something," Rias accused, Noé shaking his head. The girl's eyes narrowed. "There wasn't anyone else there? At all?"

"Nope, just the Stray Priest," Noé stated, again not at all hinting he was boldly lying to Rias's face. Yet she still didn't seem convinced about it. "Look, that's all that happened, alright? I can only assume that priest might be with those Fallen Angels that attacked me before, but that's just a guess."

"There's no risk of them retaliating, is there?" Akeno asked, Noé shaking his head.

"I told the guy to leave town else I'd finish him off," he said, "Besides, those Fallens are probably just a bunch of low-rank scouts. Not even that bastard seemed to respect them, so he was happy to leave. Not like any one of us in this room couldn't stomp that group flat with a shrug."

"While true…" Rias agreed, "The problem isn't whether we could easily handle them. It's the ramifications of doing so. If their superiors believe there to be any pretense to retaliate, they won't hesitate to take it. But… if they're really that low ranking, then maybe not even that. But it's a risk… one not worth taking without due cause."

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Noé flipped a hand. "No going off and beating their teeth in on a whim. Not like I do that as is. I don't really care. If they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. But I guarantee nothing if they go after me again."

"We'd have no reason to stop you," Akeno said, chuckling, "In fact, if such a reason does come, we'd quite happily help you in getting rid of those pests. One of our clients is dead because they recruited a wild sort. That's almost reason enough to justify something, wouldn't you say, President?"

"Perhaps, but it's still hard to justify," Rias said, Noé shrugging. "Are you positive there's nothing else to this situation you're leaving out?"

"I told you everything that was important, and that's all it needs to be," Noé said. Rias sighed, shaking her head as she put a hand to it.

"If there is, clearly, you're not intent on telling me. Fine. Just don't do anything reckless that would cause a mess. That last thing any of us need is a political mess, even if my father and yours could leverage things."

"Again, I get it. If something does happen, then you'll be the first to know. Maybe we can have some fun cracking heads," Noé turned and left. Rias watched as he departed, then going to the window to observer as Noé trotted away from the old building and out of sight.

"He's quite the skilled liar, isn't he?" Akeno mused, joining Rias. "If we didn't know better, I'd have been quite convinced he really wasn't hiding anything from us."

"My question is why he would," Rias sighed. "It can't be that bad… I doubt he did something as reckless as basically kidnap a nun or anything."

"Hm… Noé does give off the idea sometimes he acts on impulse," Akeno hummed. "He is half human after all. Perhaps sometimes, that human nature gets the better of him and causes him to act before thinking. After all, he's only ever been around humans despite his heritage. I'd say he's far more empathetic than us Devils tend to be as a result."

"Akeno, you say that like you aren't also half-human," Rias hummed, "Reincarnated Devil or no, that fact hasn't changed."

"Well, unlike Noé, I feel I've long discarded my human heart," Akeno said, giving a chuckle, "It does make him interesting to watch, however. He's quite the case of a Devil, a true paradox. Do you think whatever secret he's keeping is because he made a promise to somebody? He did tell us he keeps his word when he gives it."

"Perhaps," Rias mused, "A Devil who's so insistent on keeping his word, hm? It does make him intriguing… and makes me want to know what else about him has been influenced by his upbringing. What I would give for the chance to meet his mother and learn what kind of Devil she even is. But for now…" Rias gave a chuckle, "How about we begin planning to deal with some pests? Noé's bullheadedness may be the thing we need to handle this situation without causing a problem. After all… we'd only be lending our aid to a protectorate of my house."

If I could thank something… maybe I'd be a praying man, but who knows. Noé had the thought to himself as his mood managed to take a good upturn. After returning home and fetching Asia to run those errands that were needed, before doing so, he'd taken the time to bring her along to getting something to eat. So now, here he was in a local fast-food joint, getting to amuse himself with the sight of a former nun pondering the hamburger sitting before her like it was some alien object.

Which in some respects it kind of was.

He still found it cute.

"Uh, Asia?" Noé spoke up, Asia flinching.

"Y-Yes?!"

"Kehehe… alright then princess, here's how you eat one of these," To demonstrate, Noé picked up his own burger, pulling the wrapping open and taking a suitably sized bit out of it. "You use your hands, see?"

"I-I never would've guessed they could be eaten like that! Amazing!"

"Thus is the world of the common folk. Hehe."

Asia giggled at the joke, and following the example, took a small bite, and her face instantly lit up before she swallowed.

"It's delicious!"

"Lemme guess, the stuff you ate at the church was way simpler?"

"Yes. It was mostly just things like soup, bread, and whatever vegetables the garden had. We had meat every now and again, but not often."

"That is… kinda sad, being completely honest. Food is the joy of mankind! Everyone deserves to have good meals whenever they can."

"You really like food, don't you?"

"Well, it's also because I enjoy cooking," Noé mused, "I feel those two things go hand in hand."

"I think so too," Asia mused, taking another bite, her smile spreading as she kept eating away.

After getting their proper errands done, mostly being toiletries and a set or two of simple clothing Asia could change between as needed since the odds of her staying for some few days was likely, the next place Noé took the girl too was the local arcade that had been a frequent hangout of his since childhood. On arrival, Asia looked amazed at the activity going on. When he caught Asia spotting something that made her stop in place, he let out a chuckle.

"See something?" Asia flinched at his remark, Noé humming as he saw her staring at a plush doll within one of the many crane machines, seemingly the rat-looking animal. "Ah that Rache-kun one huh? You like it?"

"N-No, well…" The nun hung her head a bit, obviously trying to hide a blush. "Yes."

"Hehe, lucky you I'm pretty damn good at these crane games," Noé slid a couple of coins into the machine, Asia watching as he set his hands to the buttons as the tone of the machine chimed. "I came to this place a lot when I was younger. As frustrating as cranes can be, I've had plenty of practice…" Noé hummed as he watched the machine, smirking as the arms caught the doll and lifted it up, "And there!"

"Ah! Amazing!" Asia clapped her hands as the doll fell into the prize container, catching it as Noé tossed it to her. "Thank you very much. This Rache-kun is a treasure I could only get because I met you."

"Aw come on, it's just a dang plush doll," Noé's answer was curt, but he was also hiding a slight flush of his own. This is… absolutely a date, isn't it? He thought, letting out a slight sigh. Well, if it is… there is a place that'd be cool to show her. "Well, I got an idea of where to go next. Come on!"

"Okay!"

"Wow! You can see the entire town from up here!"

"Hehe, yeah. I found this spot with an old friend back in elementary, and we'd always come up here to act out whatever new scene we saw in the latest sentai episode. I was a dork… and in some ways still might be."

The area was a small sort of park just at the upper edge of the business distract, the plaza opened to a walkaround of a man-made pond. Sure, it was out of the way, and potentially dangerous since Asia and I were the only ones around at the time, but… still, I like coming up here.

"I also tend to come up here when I need to think. The atmosphere is good for when you just need to relax," Noé said, Asia looking at him.

"Noé, I don't mean to pry but, have you always lived in this town?"

"As long as I can remember," Noé confirmed, Asia letting out a hum. "Mom has told me plenty of stories about how she and Dad traveled a bunch before I was born. But, after that… apparently things just changed, and they took up residence here while Mom kept on traveling. For most of my life I didn't really know why, I just assumed they figured a quiet place like this was a good place to raise a kid."

"But… did that change once you learned your mother was a Devil?" Expectedly, Asia got a nod from Noé, and his eyes flashed to their normal gold as a breeze blew past them.

"Parts of it started to click. Kuoh is a bit weird by nature, hell, Japan in general. It's something of a supernatural backwater, a place where people can lay under the radar since the Shinto gods and the Kami are hands-off in how the place is run. Its why Devils have jobs overseeing areas in here, since sometimes you get those who'd mess with how things should be. I learned about the same time my dad's job was doing the same thing, since the Devil he's contracted with manages the oversight of this region."

"I see… either way, despite that, it sounds as if you have a very loving family," Asia commented, her arms bunching around her new plush. "My life in the convent wasn't bad per say… sometimes it was simple, boring even… but I knew I was loved, at least… I thought I was. But… it was also lonely. Everyone was older than me, and after my Sacred Gear developed, the distance between me and them only grew…"

"Hmm… say…" Noé said, "You mentioned you had a wish you wanted to come true. What kind of wish was it?"

"I want to have friends," Asia said, beaming with a small but glowing smile. "Friends that I can do all kinds of things with, like every other girl. Together we'll buy flowers and books, and chat… that's my dream. I don't have any friends, you see?"

"Well… I think you can say you at least have one, don't you?" Noé turned to Asia, chuckling as she blinked at him. "Come on, don't look all surprised. At this point we might as well consider each other friends. Sure, we didn't buy flowers, or books… but, we've eaten together, shared our stories with one another, and had fun. I think that qualifies anyone to be friends. Even if I'm half-Devil, and you're a former nun. Or is that not quite what you had in mind?"

"No. No, not at all!" A smile came to Asia's face as she shook her head. "It's just… I know you decided to do this, but I'm causing you so much trouble."

"You're not causing trouble at all. I brought this on myself, so I need to take responsibility for it. I'm the kinda guy who keeps his word when he gives it. I don't take those kinds of things lightly," Noé then glanced back to the pond, letting out a huff. No time like the present… "But what's actually troublesome, is the person who's been following us this entire damn time."

"What?" Asia peered past Noé, and for a moment, nobody was there. But then, the one to appear did so in a drift of black feathers, lightly landing above the pond. Noé recognized her as the one who'd been leading the Fallen Angels who'd attacked him. Raynare, if he remembered correctly.

"My my, seems our first run in wasn't just some fluke," Raynare said. "You were aware of my presence this entire time, weren't you?"

"You seem to be under the assumption I'm some complete newbie to all of this," Noé scoffed. "It was less detection and more the fact you suck at hiding where you are… that or you wanted me to know you were around."

"Oh don't act so high and mighty," Raynare spat. "Not only do you kill one of ours, but you even have the gall to take one of my own subordinates? Heh… though perhaps I should only expect that kind of behavior from a lowly Devil."

"Ohhoho, ain't you the picture of a jackass?" Noé bit back, Raynare scoffing once more.

"Asia, you know you can't stay with this Devil," cooed the Fallen, "Come on back, why won't you?"

"No!" Asia said, stepping out a bit. "I won't return to a place where I have to kill people!"

"Well, you heard the girl," Noé said, standing in front of Asia. "She doesn't want to go back with you, so leave it at that. But I got a question, what do you actually want? I doubt some low-rank scouts would be allowed to keep a Gear user in their Cabal."

"A squalid, Low-Class Devil like you shouldn't address me so frivolously," Raynare's tone hit a certain chord with Noé. Simply raising his left hand, a ball of fire quickly formed in his palm, rocketing forward and right past Raynare's head, singing her hair and slamming into the pillar behind her.

"The one who needs to check their mouth isn't me," Noé growled. "Remember what happened last time you tried to fight me? Or did the blow to your head cause you to forget how hard I hit you?"

"That was because I wasn't prepared," Raynare said, but Noé could tell part of her was shaken by the close-save that was his warning shot.

"Then prove it," Noé flicked his arms, the Boosted Gear flashing into form. "Asia, stand back."

Raynare took the first move in lobbing a light sword at Noé. He punched right through the construct with his left first as he stepped forward, carrying the motion back through to his right hand as he threw the limb forward, emerald light shining from the gauntlet and flying forward as a bolt. Raynare dodged past the bolt as she produced a new spear, swinging it in an arc as Noé closed in. Rather than do his usual block and counter move, Noé slid past the spear, catching it in his left hand. As the spear began to dim while sparks of Darklight flickered across the gauntlet, Noé wrenched it forward, but…"

"Not happening!" Raynare let go of the spear before she could be pulled forward, angling back and using her wings to lift into the air, Noé's retaliating punch whiffing through the air as it was thrown. "Perhaps I can't beat you in a direct fight, sure… but who needs power when you only have one foe? Did you forget you should be defending the girl?! Mittelt!"

Noé turned as he heard a sudden scream, wheeling around to spot Asia being grabbed by one of the others he recognized from that night. The one dressed in Lolita style that he'd almost taken a wing from. She had Asia by the arm, a light dagger aimed at the girl's throat.

"Well hello there!" Mittelt cawed, giving Noé a snarling smirk as she hovered the dagger closer to Asia, "Might wanna play it carefully here now y'know? One wrong step and poor Asia's pretty little face might get cut up!"

"Strange, I thought you wanted her alive!?" Noé snapped, Raynare chuckling as she lowered to the ground.

"Oh, we do. We're not going to kill Asia… no, rather… use the fact you've clearly become attached to her to our advantage," Raynare chuckled. "It was obvious after Kalawarner got herself killed; the next time we went after you would mean it'd end with someone dying… the better option was to make sure that was you. So, what better way than making sure you can't actually fight back?"

"Getting really damn ahead of yourself," As Noé growled, his Gear shone in its next call, his aura starting to become visible as he looked between the two. I should be fast enough… if I just distract one and go for the other, I can get Asia and deal with them quickly. But… there was one more, wasn't there? For all I know he was waiting outside of my range to come in next… damn… this is always easier if saving someone else isn't on the list.

Noé decided the gamble was worth it. Raising a hand as he began to turn, his intent was to launch a fireball at Raynare and then bolt for Mittelt to grab Asia. All in all, in a hectic situation without help it was the best idea he could do… only for his running thoughts to halt when the sudden echoes of gunfire rang in the air. Noé felt several flares of pain all at once, blood spewing from fresh holes in an arm, a leg, and his side.

"Guaaaaaagh!" For how strong he was, for his ability to resist light, it still held true that Noé was a being of flesh and his foes had more than just light at their disposal. He knew Freed couldn't have been the only stray priest still working under the group. Yet even Noé hadn't foreseen some of them coming to aid Raynare in a sudden surprise move.

And for all his ability to resist light powers, Noé couldn't boast of a similar resistance to being outright shot. So, when the consecrated bullets fired from the surrounding trees hit him, the pain he felt was a burn unlike anything a flame could even come close to doing to him as he fell to a knee. It wasn't the consecrated nature that did it, just the mere fact being shot alone was never not painful no matter how strong one could be.

"Hahaha! And how does that feel?!" Raynare cawed, stepping over to Noé as he clutched his bleeding left arm, while Mittelt held Asia back as the girl screamed. "Not so high and mighty now are you?! So what if you can resist light? So what if you killed Kalawarner? You're still as vulnerable as any to things like this!" Raynare yanked Noé's head up by the hair. But where she expected a pained grimace, instead she found a defiant glare aimed at her, Noé's jaw grit tightly against the pain.

"Yeah, this fucking hurts…" Noé growled, "But it's nothing… I'm sure Asia felt way worse than this when she was exiled. I can deal with physical pain… what about you?!"

[EXPLOSION!]

As his right gauntlet gleamed, Noé threw the limb upwards in time with the call. His fist slammed right into Raynare's face as power burst from the tool. The Fallen Angel was sent screaming back through the air as the sickening crunch of breaking bones sounded, blood spewing from the fresh wounds as Raynare crashed into a pillar. As more gunshots echoed, Noé lifted barriers to his sides to stop the shots dead… then he heard a wild laugh from behind.

"You're open!" Mittelt lunged from holding Asia in place, pouncing on Noé was he was kept on the ground, driving her light dagger into his shoulder as he tried to stand up. Noé screamed in pain again, but again grit his teeth. Tensing his left arm, Noé threw his elbow back as Mittelt moved, driving it into her side and sending the Fallen Angel sprawling across the ground, but he hadn't nearly been able to put the same power into it as he had the punch to Raynare.

"Keep at it…" Noé panted, ripping the light dagger free and crushing it in his hand. "You might get somewhere…"

"I'll go with you, just please, stop hurting him!" Asia screamed, Noé looking at her with a shocked gaze. "Lady Raynare… if I go back with you, will you leave Noé alone?"

"You think I can guarantee that?" Raynare growled, slowly standing as she waved a hand to the side, likely waving off her minions on the side to stand down. The Fallen Angel streaked off some of the blood on her face, a light spear flashing into form as she stepped towards Noé. "Why should I not just kill him?"

"Please!" Asia begged, getting between Noé and Raynare. "Just… please let him go. I'll heal all of your wounds and return with you… but only if you let me heal Noé and you leave him be after this."

"Asia, there's no need," Noé growled. "I can handle them… I've dealt with worse injuries before. I've fought worse than these two."

"And he's a threat!" Mittelt shouted, her own light spear forming. "You think we'll just let some Devil with power like this roam freely?"

"Maybe you can handle it but… I don't like seeing you pain," Asia said, "And I know you said you would protect me… so please, let me do the same."

"… alright," Raynare said, "But… we can't just let this pass. Rather… let's arrange things. Tonight, the church on the hill in this town. We'll be there… we'll end this there, properly. Away from the pitiful humans who don't need to see us fighting."

"Like hell!" Noé snapped, his aura flaring. "Asia, you don't have to do that! I can finish this now, so just…"

"Please?" Asia turned to Noé, and the look in her eyes was almost pleading. "I can't… even if we've only known each other for a short time… you're my first friend. And I can't bear to see my friend be put through this kind of pain for me. So please, Noé, let me protect you in this little way."

"You should listen to her," Raynare mocked. "We still need to finish this of course… but I'll give you that courtesy. Fine… but you heal us first. And if he tries anything, the others here won't hesitate to shoot him dead."

"Alright."

Asia produced the twin rings of her gear. Raynare and Mittelt stood still as Asia got to healing their wounds, in seconds any evidence of damage vanishing. And as much as Noé wanted to make a move, knowing there was an unknown number of stray priests with guns trained on him meant he couldn't even then. After Asia was done healing the Fallen Angels, she turned to Noé, bringing her hands across his wounds one by one, the bloody marks closing up and vanishing without a trace sans the tears in Noé's clothing.

"Asia… you don't have to," Noé said.

"I'm sorry… goodbye, Noé," Asia stepped away, turning to Noé with a sad smile. In a glare of black feathers from Raynare and Mittelt, all three vanished. The only thing left was the Rache-kun doll Noé had gotten for Asia.

When he was sure the priests were gone as well, Noé plucked the doll from the ground, his fingers tightening around the plush toy as a growl rose from his throat.

"Idiot…" Noé let the growl loose, letting it rattle through his throat as his arms went slack to his side. Letting his anger get the better of him wouldn't help. In that moment, he recalled a lesson from his mother from years ago, words that always came in handy when he felt his sense of control loosening.

"When it's down to the wire, when everything feels like it's a mess… relax, calm down, and think. Let go of everything distracting you and focus. Clear your mind and think only of the goal you want to accomplish. And then do it. Without letting anything get in your way."

"If they want a fight… then I'll give them one… I'll give them one hell of a fight."

As he turned, Noé pulled out his phone and got to texting. He wanted to be sure. To be absolutely sure that what happened in the next few hours would be quick and absolute. The night that came next would not be calm, and it absolutely wouldn't be clean. But it would certainly be thought out and precise.

He'd make up for his own failure by making sure Raynare knew just what kind of hive she'd kicked.