I don't own DxD.

Akeno stood in front of Sophia, who looked completely unfazed by the situation. Yellow lightning arced off Akeno's skin. The underlying hatred in her violet eyes was palpable. The two boys stood within this ionized atmosphere, watching and waiting for something to happen. Shin's hand twitched as he prepared himself to restrain Akeno, Sophia, or both if he had to. He might even have to use that so that she could come back and take care of things.

Sophia raised her hand. She turned and smiled at Shin. "I got this," she said.

Akeno narrowed her eyes. "I'm asking you again. Who are you and why are you with Shin-kun?"

"Akeno, she's-"

"I'm here on behalf of the Grigori," Sophia said, crossing her arms. "No, I'll be more clear here. I'm here on a mission that was supposed to be under and off the books."

"A mission?" Akeno asked, calming down slightly. It wasn't until the implications of said mission crossed her mind that her temper flared again. Acting on nothing but a hunch, Akeno opened her palm and fired a blast of lightning at Sophia.

The lightning, however, never hit its mark. A blue barrier appeared in front of her, blocking the lightning.

"That's enough." Shin had his hand outstretched. "I'm not going to have you two fight out in the open where you can cause collateral damage."

Sophia gave him a look of thanks and nodded. She turned her violet eyes to Akeno and smiled.

"Sophia, don't do anything to antagonize her," Shin said, dispelling the barrier. "Come on. Let's go talk inside."

"But Shin! Are you really going to let this Fallen into your house knowing what they tried to do to you just several days ago?" Akeno asked incredulously as the two walked past her.

Sophia stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder. "Trust me. If that was me several days ago, I wouldn't stoop so low as to ask a boy out on a date where I know he might be followed. I'd resort to more subtle means." As she smiled, trails of black mist wafted from her hands. The mist floated in the air for a few seconds before blowing past a plant. The plant rapidly withered before crumbling to dust.

Akeno gulped, watching the entire sequence of actions. Her magic. It was different from what she was used to. Not even Sirzechs or Mathers had this unique and odd signature in their magic. It felt like… Shin's, was what her mind came to conclude. Akeno calmed down, retracting her magic signature and nodding.

"See, we can get along," Sophia said, grinning.

"Come on. We're closed for the day so we can discuss this inside," Shin said.

"What about Rias-sama? She should know about this," Akeno said, walking past Shin as he held the door.

"You can tell Rias later. Right now, I need to keep this just between the four of us," Shin said.

The three sat down at a table as Shin closed and locked the door behind him. He sighed and grabbed one of the chairs before sitting down next to them. Shin was silent for a few seconds before opening his mouth.

"First thing's first. Introductions. This is Sophia Asterope, a Fallen Angel from the Grigori. She's here on a…"

"Pest Control Assignment. I'm sure you two are aware of who I'm after just by guessing," Sophia said.

Issei's face grew dark. The betrayal was still fresh in his mind. He shook slightly and clenched his fists. "Yuuma."

"Yuuma? She's using that alias again? But yes, Raynare. I'm after her," Sophia said. "Her and everyone who's working with her. I've been given control of whether or not to bring her back dead or alive so if you still have any… lingering sentiments…" She stopped her words when she saw Issei flinch. Her hunch was correct. Despite all that happened, beneath that goofy smile and upbeat attitude, Issei still had something towards Raynare. What it was he didn't know but it was strong enough to warrant feelings of hurt and betrayal. Sophia sighed. Her eyes drifted over to the other occupant. The Queen of Gremory had opted to observe her.

"I…"

"You don't have to answer that question. But… Shin, since she knows I'm here, I'd like to speak to Rias Gremory. This way, I won't get attacked while I do ou- err, my job," Sophia said, quickly catching herself.

"Why are you after her?" Akeno asked. "I assumed that she acted on behalf of the Grigori given how she was after Ise's Sacred Gear."

"She's not. Raynare went rogue weeks ago. She broke into the lab and stole a prototype Sacred Gear Extractor. Azazel wants her found and the prototype brought back. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter," she answered.

Akeno nodded, still not trusting her intentions.

"So Mister Jailbait, have you picked up any nuns recently?"

Her question made Issei choke on his spit. His eyes quickly darted to Shin who looked away. He sighed and nodded, not sure why the Fallen was asking for this information. Next to him, Akeno gave him a scandalized look.

Issei did what!? She thought as Sophia spoke up.

"Good, we'll need to talk about that later too," Sophia said. "For now, you two know why I'm here. Gremory's Queen can report back to her and she can come down here to meet with me. Any more questions?"

"Yeah, I did. I asked it when you two got here," Akeno said.

"And what was the question?" Sophia asked.

"Why are you here with Shin?" she asked.

Sophia went silent. She looked over to Shin and asked him for permission with her eyes. The status of a Contractor was not something someone revealed easily. Contractors kept each other's identities secret as a measure of good faith and a measure of maintaining their current anonymity. The Age of Heroes had long since passed and many Contractors had found peace in the mundane. So in a sense, having their status as Contractors exposed to a Supernatural World that long thought them gone was like having one's social security number being plastered on every screen across the Earth.

The look in Shin's eyes said enough. Sophia blinked and nodded ever so slightly. "I'm here with Shin because of his family. His family are mages and are the perfect allies to allow me to move around undetected. I mean if they could hide from the likes of Cleria Belial, then I'm 100% positive they can help me move around right under your noses. Unfortunately, Shin was the only one I found."

"Hey. I'm letting you stay with me. I can just kick you out to the park bench again," Shin said, crossing his arms.

Sophia paled and raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. But I really am grateful that you were here."

"So you went to Shin's family instead of one of us?" Akeno asked.

"Yes. The details are beside the point. I want you to bring something to the Gremory Princess to convince her of my good intentions," Sophia said.

"Good intentions?" she asked.

"This…" Sophia snapped her fingers as a folded piece of paper appeared in a swirl of black mist. "Is information on the Abandoned Church outside of town. It has surveillance data gathered from earlier about how many. Perhaps she could find this useful and be open to meeting later?"

Akeno gingerly accepted the paper and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned the paper for any relevant information. Her eyes widened at the information. The fallen before her had managed to get the location of the hideout, the level of security around the surroundings, and the estimated number of people inside. Akeno's eyes darted from the paper to Sophia repeatedly. She put the paper down and sighed. Information like this was useful but needed to be verified.

"How can I trust this information?" Akeno asked.

"I'll vouch for her. I was there when we scouted the church. The information on that paper is legit," Shin said.

"Look, asking for a meeting is just me showing goodwill. I don't need the permission of the heiresses to move and do my job. I already got permission from the Shinto Faction. However, it would look better for me and for the entire faction to notify you," Sophia said.

Akeno looked down at the paper and sighed. As much as she hated Fallen Angels, Rias needed to be notified. She fought to push her bias and hatred down and folded the paper again. "I'll go deliver this to her. It's up to her whether or not she wants to meet with you. Like you said, you don't need our permission. Just letting us know is enough."

Sophia remained silent and merely nodded her head. The orange light of the setting sun shined through the windows. Issei and Shin waited with slight apprehension as the girls stopped talking. After a few minutes, Akeno got up and pushed her chair in.

"I'll be going now. I need to get this to Rias-sama," Akeno said.

Shin got up and walked after her. "Hey, I'll walk with you back to the school."

Akeno nodded with a smile. She glanced over her shoulder and for some odd reason that completely evaded her, gave Sophia a smirk of triumph. The reaction she received was less than satisfactory but didn't do much to dampen her mood. And so, the two left, leaving behind a hungry Issei and an extremely confused Sophia.

"Sorry I couldn't show up to school," Shin said as the two walked down the street.

Akeno shook her head and offered him a smile. "No, no. You were busy with a crow that wouldn't stop bothering you so it's fine," Akeno said.

Shin shivered, hearing the slight malice that he heard in her tone when she referred to Sophia. It was not his place to pry. He and Akeno weren't that close yet. This was something he would have to get from her later but for now, he would enjoy the walk. Issei was right in some regard. Normal people like them would never get to walk next to someone as stunning as Akeno.

"Hey, Akeno-senpai, how is Issei fitting in? He's not causing much trouble for you and Gremory-senpai right?" Shin asked.

"Ise? He's fitting in just fine. Kiba and Rias like him and Koneko… well, she just needs a bit more time to warm up to him given his circumstance," Akeno said.

"I see," Shin said.

"Hmm? You have a smile on your face that makes you look like a proud mom," Akeno said.

"I do? It's just that I wanted Issei to make more friends beyond me, Matsuda, and Motohama. The latter two are… bad influences on Issei but they're good guys. I'm just glad Issei has a group he can finally fit into," Shin said.

"You're part of that group too."

"Huh?" Shin glanced at her in confusion. As far as he could remember, he wasn't a devil. Rias never reincarnated him as a member of her peerage which he attributed to Vivi and his older sister.

"You. You're part of our group too," Akeno said.

"But I'm not a member of her peerage," Shin said. His confusion was palpable. Akeno and Issei were people Shin could refer to as the main characters. He was just Issei's friend who served as the stepping stone. A mere side character.

"You don't need to be a member of her peerage. You're our friend which makes you one of us." Akeno walked ahead and stopped right in front of him. She reached out with both hands and clasped his cheeks. "So don't ever think that you and Issei are in different worlds. You'll always be a member of the Occult Research Club even if you're not a Devil."

Shin stared at her with wide eyes before smiling. "Yeah, thanks. Come on," Shin said, removing her hands from his face. "We need to get this report to Rias-senpai. If we can nip this Fallen Angel thing in the bud before it becomes a problem, then we can go back to our normal routine."

"Are you ready?" Shin asked. Sophia stood outside the door of the Occult Research Club. Her posture was stiff and her face had some anxiety visible on it. Rias had not hesitated in calling her for a meeting. The information that he and Akeno had delivered was valuable after all. And Shin could tell that Rias knew that the rogue Fallen Angels should be taken care of before they could become a problem.

"Yeah, um, I already met with Rias a while back when I met Issei. I kind of told her off and called her stupid for leaving him out," Sophia said.

"You did? Well, you better hope she doesn't remember that meeting and everything goes well," Shin said.

"You know… Issei was right when he called you a good source of support. I can totally feel the support coming from your sarcasm," Sophia said.

"Come on, let's just go inside," Shin said.

The two entered the Old School Building and ascended the stairs. Rias and Akeno were waiting for them when they entered the room. Rias sat behind her desk, looking down at a few pieces of paper. The new thing that the two learned about Rias was that she wore glasses. It was odd. Shin and Sophia knew that Devils and other supernatural beings had perfect vision.

"Rias-sama, Shin-kun and Sophia are here," Akeno said.

Rias looked up and put her papers down. She smiled and gestured for the two to take a seat on the sofas in front of her desk.

"I'm sure that you two don't need me to tell you why I called this meeting," Rias said. Her ocean-blue eyes drifted over to Sophia. "Though, it appears I'm not the only one who lost sight of her subordinates."

"Oh… so you remember that," Sophia said, laughing nervously.

"I do. It was good advice which is why I check in on them to make sure they're okay. Issei is currently at home if you wanted to know, Shin," Rias said.

"Yeah, he sent me a picture of the food they're having for dinner," Shin said.

"I see. Now, let's get on with this meeting. As per the information that Miss Sophia has provided, the Fallen Angels are based at the edge of town using a church that was abandoned long ago by the Vatican. And in addition, the area is guarded by surveillance spells and bomb spells triggered to go off at the slightest pressure. The Fallen have also recruited a sizeable force of rogue exorcists working for them. Did I leave anything out?" Rias asked.

"No, you've gotten them down," Sophia said.

"Now, before we discuss any plans of action against them, do you require my peerage's assistance in eliminating this cell?" Rias asked.

"Not necessarily though I would prefer it if you did," Sophia said. She held her hand out and summoned a small projector. She placed it on the table and switched it on. The images of four Fallen Angels were projected in front of them. "These four are Raynare, Kalawarner, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek.

"They're not really anything special. Just some foot soldiers who decided to grab a prototype and ran off. All of them have a single pair of wings so for a High-Class Devil such as yourself, this should just be as easy as stepping on a bug," Sophia said.

"If they're this weak, then why not just inform us and eliminate them?" Akeno asked.

"That would be fun but I'm also here for diplomatic purposes," Sophia said.

"Wait, I thought you were only here to locate the Fallen. That's why you wanted my sister to help you," Shin said.

"Yes but I'm also here as an envoy. I wanted your sister to help because… well, I'm sure you're very aware of how your sister is viewed amongst… certain circles," Sophia said, wording her words carefully. As a Contractor, she was fully aware of what life was like for people like her. Their era had long since ended but she knew that descendants of people like her still clung to the fantasy of what her predecessors were. Her eyes drifted to Shin.

Shin's eyes said it all. He was aware of Akane's stellar reputation amongst certain circles. "Though, I think you lucked out with me. If it was Onee, Rias would be in the hospital with fourth-degree burns," Shin said. "So as the neutral third party, I'll oversee this collaboration and interfere if needed."

Rias and Sophia smiled. Akeno tried to smile but everyone in the room could feel her apprehension at working with a Fallen. Rias glanced at her Queen and gave her a reassuring look. "Shin is here to oversee. We'll be okay."

"So when can we move against them? I'd like to either capture or eliminate the four as quickly as possible," Sophia said. "The longer they stay alive, the bigger their chances of striking and causing collateral damage."

"As if they haven't yet, but I can see your point," Rias said. "We'll move out later tonight. If that's it, then I can guess we can conclude this meeting to be over?"

Sophia nodded and stood from her seat. She held her hand out. "I look forward to working with you, Princess of Gremory."

Rias smiled and shook her hand. "And I.. you… err? Do you have a title or epitaph that I'm not aware of?"

Sophia smiled. Her eyes glowed and every plant in the room began to wither. "Please. Refer to me as Sophia. Nothing more and nothing less."

Rias felt a chill run down her spine. A primordial fear locked within her genes recognized the power radiating from her but she herself did not know. "I see. I look forward to working with you."

Shin waved at Akeno as Sophia turned to walk out. Upon getting out of the room, Shin ran up to her.

"Did you really have to use your Contract in front of her?" Shin asked.

Vivi manifested next to Shin and eyed the girl carefully. "Your Contract. I've seen it once or twice when I used to work with Her. You know Tranquility don't you?"

"Ah, I should've known that your Sponsor would know this. Yeah, my Contract is Tranquility and it is from a certain Goddess. I'd like it if you two kept her identity a secret," Sophia said with a smile.

"Hey, hey, I'm not going to piss off an Ancient God just to expose you to Rias. Come on," Shin said. "We need to get ready for later. Let's get Issei ready so we can-" He was interrupted by his phone buzzing incessantly in his pocket. Sighing, Shin reached into his pocket and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Shin? SHIN!?" he winced upon hearing Issei's frantic voice.

"Whoa, what is it? Did something happen?" he asked.

"Asia! It's Asia! We went to go get some food from the convenience store near the house and… and…" Issei's voice was raspy and in a panic.

"Issei, calm down. What happened?" Shin asked.

"They took her! They took Asia! The Fallen ambushed us with some assholes and took her!"

Contract

A powerful magic that signifies the relation of Sponsor and Contractor.

Different in nature from normal magic, Contracts are based on a clear ideal/concept that is represented by the entity that sponsors them.

It matters not the Domain. Death, Fire, and Recreation. It is all the same.

It is a compendium of abilities of humans labeled as magic that turns the impossible into the possible.