"Yuuto don't." Rias cried out.

Not paying her any mind, Yuuto continued his advance, Issei trying to not disturb the girl in his arms moved in a way not to make any sudden movements. Despite doing so Raynare winced in pain at the slightest adjustment he made, and the fact that his current balance breaker now more resembles a decaying dragon, therefore having more edges and sharp corners did not help. Akeno, noticing this, reacted. Three red crystals separated the pair. Looking at Momo, Akeno gave her the go-ahead. "quickly now, Hanakai-san." Akeno ordered, her hand bleeding and her eyes a deep crimson.

Momo, not giving a second thought, followed Akeno's lead. In her right hand, a bow of light materialized in the shape of a star, using it, five light arrows fired creating more space in between Issei and Yuuto. "Sorry, Kiba-san." Momo said, finishing her volley of arrows. The two quickly made their way to Issei's side, as she came to a stop she took out a small marble and threw it up and to the center of the four of them. Aiming upwards at the marble she fired another arrow hitting the marble when it hit its apex, shattering it. A rain of arrows fell from the point where the arrow and marble connected creating an artificial wall of light all around the four separating them from the remaining members of Rias' peerage. Aiming the bow at Yuuto, she spoke again. "If you are going to go and get her to safety you should do so right now Hyoudou-san."

Issei's balance breaker subsided as he looked down at Raynare in his arms, he then looked at his two accomplices with worry plastered on his face. "What about you guys?"

"Don't worry about us Issei, we are going to be just fine. Go, you need to get her to Asia-chan, and we got a mess to clean." Akeno said as her eyes met Rias', she hadn't moved since Yuuto attacked Issei.

"Thank you, both of you." Issei replied as his eyes turned blue, getting an affirmative nod from Momo and an affectionate smile from Akeno. He and Raynare then dematerialized from the room without a trace.

Akeno pointed a bloodied index finger with a grin that showed off her extended fangs. "Now, Yuuto, I warned you about your hostility towards Issei." Her grin grew wider. "Punishment is in order don't you think?"

"What do you two think you are doing?" Yuuto growled out.

Momo was the first to answer. "I don't know about Himejima-senpai, but I am helping the one who saved my life save another that's all."

Giggling, Akeno brought her hands to her chest before she provided hers. "Keeping my promise to him, and I am about to make sure that the person that tried to take what is mine gets what they deserve." Her blood-colored eyes give a faint glow as she speaks staring a hole in Rias who was currently lost for words.

Rias, the subject of the glowing orbs with color matching her own, hair shuttered a bit as a chill ran down her spine. The person that was dressing her down with their eyes only looked at her with disgust. Rias' mind raced to try to piece everything together, trying with all her might to come up with something to remedy the current situation. She had to at least stop a conflict, but as she ran through any outcome that came to mind she internally froze in shock as thought back to the day prior. 'I'm an idiot.' a cold sweat started to form. "Akeno?"

"Yes, Rias?" Akeno replied coldly.

"On the scale of one to ten, how much do you like Issei?" As soon as the words left her lips the stare from Akeno only grew harsher and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Yuuto was confused, and Momo, knowing of Issei's and Akeno's relationship, was confused. Rias, however, knowing Akeno the longest nodded to the nonverbal and simply terrifying warning of a barely noticeable shift in looks. "I see... Even after I had my eye on him for the last year." She said looking down with a deep frown. "Well, I guess I have to take responsibility after all." Her lips quivered into a crooked grin. "First I almost lost Issei twice, then that priest used me, and now this... It is not really my week is it? Hey, Tepes remember the day we first met?" Akeno nodded. "Then you know that I am not going to let you have your way." She said, tying her long crimson hair into a ponytail. After completing the action held out her left hand with her palm facing upwards, A red flame started burning in it. Momo was shocked at what happened next, a white Kitsune mask with the red lower jaw of an Oni and the remnant of a red substance following indentations from the eye holes to the jaw. "Tell me Hanakai, have you heard the name Runeas Gremory?" She continued as her voice became distorted as she put the mask on. Nine tails of flame appeared right above her uniform skirt and her ears were replaced with those of a fox.

(...)

Issei was waiting for Raynare outside of his home, or should it be said their home. In the two weeks that had passed Raynare had since started living with Issei and his mother at the insistence of Reiko herself. The weeks-long respite was a welcome breath of fresh air, the rest and caring for his injured partner had been a welcome change of pace, he had even gotten to know his mother of this world better through his own experiences and not from the memories that were not his. While waiting Issei shifted now very much aware of the extra baggage he had on him as he tried to balance a school bag in one hand, a backpack meant to be Raynare's loosely strapped to the opposite shoulder, and an umbrella in that hand shielding him from the rain. Shifting his bag under his arm careful to not get anything wet he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

(...)

Saturday May 22

YAMAMOTO: We are meeting at the park at 13:00 tomorrow.

Sunday May 23

YAMAMOTO: Where are you? Me and Mako are waiting.

Tuesday May 25

YAMAMOTO: Is everything ok?

YAMAMOTO: You have missed two days of school.

(...)

Turning the phone's data on Issei was bombarded by messages most of which he ignored but the ones Mei left stung a bit as he looked at the date of June 9th clearly displayed on the lock screen, he sighed as his thoughts arose. 'Hopefully she is not too angry, it has been almost three weeks with no contact after all.' As he returns the phone back to its place.

'I would not worry too much dear wielder, though the situation is rather upsetting after she sees your companion's current state I am sure that flame would subside a bit.'

'Easy for you to say. Unlike the others, she and the other Issei were not...'

'Acquainted?'

'Yes.'

'For someone who has wanted to create his own bonds and memories with the ones the other Issei knew, you sure are shy of creating new ones with the people he did not. I know this is a new experience for the both of us but... This is your life not his, or anyone else for that matter. So do not think that you don't have a say so in that life. When I said I would aid in you devouring your fate, I meant that.'

Issei sighed at himself as he listened to Sarinna's words. He had reservations about starting new relationships and the fact that the ones that weren't completely his doing were just the series of events that befell him, but as he was in his thoughts Raynare had snuck up on him wrapping an arm around his, the two now underneath the umbrella. Raynare giggled as he dropped his school bag in surprise. Letting go of him she picked up the bag with a bandaged left hand, while her opposite arm was in a sling. "Issei, you need to be more careful. What if it was not me that snuck up on you like that." She said.

"Trust me, dropping my guard is one of the last things I would do around you." Issei replied while noting how different the female Kuoh Academy summer uniform was compared to the one he was used to, Raynare was insistent to add something of his to said uniform. "Are you ready to go?"

Raynare cocked an eyebrow. "So you have nothing to say, the winter uniform was one thing, but this is another. I went through the trouble of adding bits of my dragon to it." She announced with a small pout, twirling as she spoke to show it off to her apparent 'dragon'. The uniform consisted of a white short-sleeve button-up with the school crest about the size of a pin on the left side right on the rim of her breast pocket, she wore a borrowed loose black tie with the shirt and a short pleated red skirt with two black straps on its hem. She leaned in, giving him a view of her through the unbuttoned top three buttons of the shirt. The frown on her face was evident when Issei turned away in embarrassment. "You know, you can look... Even stare as much as you want. This is all for you and only you. I have forsaken my pride to be with you like this. Being a prude does not suit you." Her words poked at him, getting a reaction a devilish grin appeared as she moved closer to him, wrapping her left arm around his as she leaned in. "Then again it's not like we can have our fun in my condition."

"I'm sorry."

"Enough with that, you have been doing nothing but apologizing for the last two weeks." She leaned into him as they began to walk. "It's my own fault for seeking you through your little master."

(...)

A week without hearing from Issei depressed Mei. It was not like the two saw much of each other outside of school, not that they hung out at all, but for nearly a month the boy became a fixture in the young teen's life. Mei being herself fell hard for the boy when she saw more than the pervert he was labeled as. A conversation that started innocently as any other, over something silly as a dropped eraser turned into something more. It did not take long either, one thing led to another and a desk neighbor and a practical stranger had turned from a topic of conversation with friends and clubmates alike to one of two people close to her age that she cared about and for the most part loved most.

Mei stared at the desks beside hers, belonging to the boy that she had her heart set on and the girl who seemingly captured his heart. The thought made her sick as she laid her head on her cool desk. She didn't want to admit that this feeling of jealousy she felt was real. The pit in her stomach only grew larger over the past week. After he stood her and Makoto up she honestly wanted to give him the benefit of doubt which came easier when after a few days of not showing up to school she felt relief, the thought of him having something come up or being sick, not that she knew that supernatural beings can get sick. In Makoto's case, she said she was always healthier than the average person, and if anything came up she would heal faster too. Though she knows for a fact that Issei is supernatural it is not like he is a werewolf-like her best friend, if he was she didn't know if that made it easier or harder for her, for now, her unrequited love for the boy was in the forefront of her mind.

"It's almost time to change into our summer uniforms, I wonder how he would react to me in mine. That little pervert." Her voice barely a whisper, Mei's expression turning from an equally noticeable smile turned sour as the image of the girlfriend she envied entered her thoughts, and the feelings that she just stuffed down with that last came crushing on her again. Not that she was unaware of her attractiveness, but her fitness competing with Amano Yuuma's curves filled her with dread, how could she compete with that, and did she even want to. In a way, she was thinking of herself as the homewrecker and Issei as stolen property that did not belong with his girlfriend. The thought of it all made her sick with herself as tears started to form. "What's wrong with me... I should be happy that he found someone..." She got up from her desk sitting in Issei's next to hers, lying her head on her arms looking out the window at the setting sun. "I hate you, I hate so much Idiot."

(...)

"I am not laughing at you Hanakai-san..." A laughing Akeno was recovering from laughing at what her junior just said, apparently Sona Sitri had appointed her bishop with recruiting a Fallen Angel, and not just any Fallen but the one that had asked Issei for help a couple of hours ago. Akeno took a look at her phone to take a look at the time while the two walked to their destination, the time clearly read '17:39' and the date below read 'Saturday, May 22nd'. The two were on their way to Keisuke's apartment after buying the ingredients for the dinner Akeno promised him, but right now she had other things on her mind. Like the herculean task that her closest friend's surrogate sister put on her current company, Akeno gave the girl an apological look as she continued to walk and speak. "I hope you realize what you are in for, taking this task on. Do you have any idea on how you are going to complete this task?"

"I was going to ask Hyou-" She paused as a flash of red appeared in Akeno's eyes as she froze from the look directed at her. After yesterday's incident with the ORC, she had been glad none of the killing intent was focused on Kiba-san and Gremory-san, but now even if it was for a split second all of Momo's instincts were telling her to run. Shuttering a bit she sighed, moving to speak again only to be stopped by Akeno doing so first.

"If anything, I would not bother him right now. He took leave from school for a good reason."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not my story to tell, let's just say that the fire at the church was not a coincidence. I believe what you want me to explain starts there... But." Her somber mood turned into a grin as brought an index finger to her nose. "You don't need Issei to find her at least, though that can wait for another day. Mizuhara-san is waiting."