Ryuko was only barely aware of her situation beyond the pain. She felt some sort of power activate near her, and two familiar presences near her...but she could barely make that out, let alone anything else. The pain was all but overwhelming for her psyche, to the point she wasn't even aware as something sunk into her being-

The pain was still there, but it was...elsewhere. It was like what was happening to her body...just didn't matter anymore. No, that wasn't quite it. It certainly mattered, and she was aware of it. It just...wasn't overwhelming her awareness anymore. She felt...oddly clinical. Detached, almost. She recognized the two figures that had approached, but...

"Rias?" she asked in confusion, only barely noticing the echoing quality of her own voice, as though it were traveling down a long tunnel to be heard. "Akeno?" Part of her reminded her that she shouldn't be so flippant in how she addressed upperclassmen if she was trying to be normal and not pick fights, but the more important question... "Why do you have wings?"

It was true. A pair of black wings somewhat reminiscent of bat wings in their structure but far narrower sprouted from each older girl's back, seeming to phase through their uniforms as though they weren't there...and there was something off about their clothes looked at this way. It was almost as though it...wasn't clothing? Why would her senses represent it that way? It was obviously...

Life Fibers. There was no trace of Life Fiber energy in their outfits or their beings, as though they'd never made contact with them in their entire lives.

"Akeno!" Rias spoke firmly. "Why is she...?" Her voice quavered, as though it was taking all of her self control not to show more of a reaction to something.

"I don't know, Rias-sama," Akeno responded immediately, energy flowing out of her hands and into Ryuko's...body? Why was it down there? And from there into Ryuko herself? "This is...all that is there. I don't understand. It's almost as if she's...not entirely human..."

"Oh, I'm not," Ryuko pointed out, trying to shrug her shoulders...only to stare as waving threads of light flowed off one entire half of her being, her ethereal imprint only half resembling her physical body, the other half made of...Life Fibers, that's what it was. Just...the first time she'd seen her essence represented so literally. "It's...hard to explain...I guess I really am only half human..."

Rias nodded, meeting her eyes and plainly doing her best not to look disturbed by what she was looking at. "Ryuko Matoi," she began carefully. "The reason for our wings...we are Devils. And when your blood fell upon our summoning circle as you spoke a desire with all your being, we were called forth for a contract. However, due to the extremity - and...oddity - of your situation and call, we were both summoned."

Ryuko stared at Rias as she took all that in. "So...that's why the old school building feels odd?"

Rias and Akeno exchanged startled glances. "Y...yes," Rias offered carefully. "That's where we meet up. We normally don't let our fellow students become aware of this side of things, but...there was something about you that drew our attention. And when we learned a Fallen Angel was targeting you as well, we-"

"Moved to cover your bases, got it," Ryuko agreed. "So...why am I only somewhat feeling my body?"

"Due to the nature of the situation, we cannot simply...act, here," Rias explained. "As such, since Akeno has the training to do so as a Miko, she has...extracted your soul from your body temporarily, so we can discuss our courses of action."

"...oh..." Ryuko murmured, uncertain what she was feeling. Lifting her arm - or at least that's what it felt like - she stared at the humanoid portion of her ethereal impression. "I'm...honestly surprised to learn I have one..."

Rias and Akeno remained silent for a time, waiting for Ryuko to continue. When she did not, Rias cleared her throat. "This is where the...complications arise," she explained carefully. "You called us here to make the pain you're in stop, and...as best as we can determine, the pain is because the part of your being that isn't human is incompatible with magic...which makes no sense. Humans are compatible with magic by nature..."

"Save for the Gear - which reads as recently absorbed, somehow - there is no magic in her being," Akeno pointed out. "It could be that the other half of her being shielded her human essence from magic until it was forcefully exposed as it was now..."

"...Gear?" Ryuko asked, confused even further.

"That's not important just now," Rias explained firmly.

She's talking about me, partner, a voice whisper-roared in her mind, calling her attention to something not quite visible hidden amongst the Life Fiber side of her being. Turning, she saw the face of a crimson dragon floating there...and wasn't afraid. We'll talk later, partner, the voice continued. For now, focus on them.

"Since the issue is your body reacting to magic, we need to remove the magic," Rias continued, plainly having not noticed any distraction on Ryuko's part. "However...it seems your body absorbs new power to heal itself, and the only power we have available to remove the magic is also magical in nature, and..."

"Curing poison with poison doesn't exactly sound sensible," Ryuko agreed ruefully.

"It's not," Rias agreed. "However, our other choice to end your pain is..." She hesitated, plainly not wanting to voice it.

"No, I don't want assisted suicide," Ryuko corrected dryly.

"Well...there is another option," Rias explained carefully, holding out eight intricately designed...chess pawns. All eight glowed oddly in reaction to Ryuko's energy. "I can attempt to reincarnate your human side as one of my Devil Servants, a member of my Peerage. That would make your human side inherently magical as you became half Devil, and the symbiotic nature of the other half of your being should adapt to magic as a result...but..."

Ryuko raised an eyebrow...metaphorically speaking, anyway. "I'm sorry, you just said your way of saving me involved binding me to you as a Servant. Please, how could anything after that require hesitation?"

"Light magic such as what you are impaled with is poison to Devils," Akeno explained. "It...may kill you even before the transformation is complete."

"So my choices are live in unending agony since my body won't let go of power that might heal it even if it's killing it, or risk dying in worse agony on the chance of being able to recover and be able to use magic without half my being killing me with an overblown allergic reaction?" Ryuko clarified. "Oh, and being part of your 'peerage', whatever that entails." She tapped her chin playfully. "Gee, tough choice..."

Rias' eyebrow twitched. "This is quite serious..."

"Yeah, so was everything else I've been through," Ryuko snapped back. "Not gonna treat this any differently." She let it turn over in her mind for a time. She really didn't like the idea of being someone's 'Devil Servant', but she liked the idea of letting that Fallen Angel have a victory over her even worse. Besides, if the Chess Pieces and that dragon in her aura were anything to go by...this could lead to some interesting battles. And next time, she wouldn't hold back until after she was certain her opponents didn't have any cheating tricks like this one. And getting even with Raynare... "Okay, let's do it," Ryuko stated firmly. "But first, a few ground rules."

"Ground...rules?" Akeno asked in surprise as Rias' eyebrows raised.

"First, I'll accept your leadership in a combat situation," Ryuko began, counting on her fingers. "But I know how I fight better than you do, so until you get a handle on that, I'll be calling my own shots there. Second! Outside of battle or preparing for battles, I've got my own life to live and you're not sticking your oar in there. Third! Just because I serve you doesn't mean you own me, so don't go getting any ideas!"

"I...ideas?" Rias asked in confusion. "I...I don't understand your meaning..."

Ryuko blinked in surprise. "...huh. Maybe I didn't need to make a point of that," she allowed. "Still, after what our Mom did to me and my sister...seemed important to-" She paused as she saw the looks of shock, understanding, and absolute revulsion race across Rias' and Akeno's faces. "...I'm guessing that's the exception for this sort of thing, rather than the rule?"

After a time, Rias managed - barely - to get control of herself. "So...your 'Ground Rules' are, in essence, to treat you the same as I do any of my peerage, as a loved and cherished member of my family I seek to nurture, help grow, and guide to reach their full potential?"

Ryuko blinked in surprise. "...huh. Maybe this won't be so bad. In that case, just two things left then." She counted on her fingers. "One, if I come out of this in one piece, I'm going to kill that bitch Raynare. Second...you get to explain this to Satsuki and the others while I watch."

Rias frowned. "Umm...normally I would use magic to keep your family from realizing something-"

"Play games with my family's minds or memories and I'll kill you myself if I have to punch out the Reaper and steal his scythe to do so!" Ryuko snapped, the Life Fiber side of her spirit lashing violently in response to her wrath and pulling the neurochemical energy out of several nearby plants and insects and reducing them to so much bio-chemical sludge.

Rias and Akeno stared at the sludge in awe and more than a touch of fear. "D...duly noted..." Rias observed, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"Alright, we have a deal," Ryuko agreed.

Nodding, Rias held out the eight Pawn pieces. "This...may sting," she offered as she pressed them against Ryuko's physical chest.

Ryuko's eyes widened. "Oh, you did not just-"

And all she knew, again, was pain.