AN: Yeah, too lazy to think of one this time.

When first writing/editing this, I honestly thought this chapter was great. There's even an action scene in it, and I thought I'd done a good job. Then yesterday I read some fanfiction with surreal descriptions like I was trying to go for in the second scene, and now today it feels like it falls so flat in comparison. But it's what I've got, and I just don't have the skill to be able to pull something that incredible off. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway.

P.S. Yandere!Kioko's back.

Warning for a mention of torture, (all off-screen) and for character death.

Disclaimer: I can't even read Japanese yet, how am I supposed to have written something like Highschool DxD in it?

My hand fell back down to my side, and I didn't care enough to restrain the shiver that run up it's skin. What had I done wrong? Wrong enough that Kioko literally ran from me?

Well besides the whole lying to her thing, but she hadn't noticed, had she? And it's not like buying a girl clothes goes against the Unwritten Rules, right? I felt like pounding my head against the nearest light pole, as if that would help anything, but that probably wasn't a good idea when I was still injured.

I had the urge to try and catch up to Kioko, just to ask for an explanation or to try and apologize. But I knew that it was my fault this time, somehow, and it didn't seem right to try and follow after her for my mistake.

Placing my hands in the pockets of brand new jeans, I started to walk down the street with my head down. Man, would nothing go right today? If this was what they usually had to put up with, being a devil sucked.

Head filled with confusion and doubt, I barely put enough attention to where I was walking to avoid bumping into anything. So I was completely blindsided when I felt a pat on my back. I looked up to see an older gentleman in a suit giving me a sympathetic expression.

He patted me on the shoulder and said "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure things out." Then he went on his way, picking his way through the rest of the crowd as he walked down the street.

…What? Did I really look so pitiful that a stranger felt like they needed to encourage me? I really was slipping. Used to be that I could be a few steps away from death and nobody would notice a thing. But now one bad date and it's the end of the world for me?

Nope, not happening. I straightened my back and lifted my head higher. I was alive, I had a good family, a girlfriend, and even friends now! So I messed up? Well I've got the rest of my life ahead of me, and I'm not going to spent another moment of it moping around like this.

As I walked off in the other direction, forcing myself to whistle a popular tune, I put my mind to figuring out how to fix this. I'd considered doing something special for Kioko before, and this just meant I had even more reason to do so.

I wonder if her parents would let her have a pet? That would be something nice to do, right? Unless she didn't like pets? …Was it possible to not like kittens? I suppose if she was allergic…

Rolling the idea around in my mind for a time, I realized that I was already considering the type of cat to get Kioko and what to name it. Laughing, I decided I'd better find out if it was a good idea or not first.

I had almost pulled out my phone when I remembered exactly why I was planning something like this in the first place, and left it where it was. …This could be fixed, right? I hadn't hurt her, had I?

…I'd get the cat, just in case.

S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S

Partway to the abandoned church where the fallen angels resided, Kado seemed to perk up and even started whistling. I guess that old man was really persuasive, wasn't he? My heart eased even as my chest tightened up. (HE wasn't allowed to forget me.)

Did it only take that much for him to get over me? Just one comment and he was happy again? How much did I really mean to him? I shook my head and sped up slightly, the trees almost blurring by as I ran.

No, I should just be glad he's happy again. I'm doing this for him, so I shouldn't be so selfish. (All for HIM.) And even if he doesn't hold me highly in his heart, then it wouldn't change anything. After all, I fell in love with him, not the other way around.

A few minutes later I had reached the faded white chapel and was walking up the steps leading to the large wooden doors. They looked aged and weather-beaten, but somehow still seemed to stand firm in spite of it all. I could respect that.

So I gave a small apology before I kicked them down. Taking a sideways stance, I channeled the strength and age of the smooth stone beneath my feet into my legs. Take the time, take the experience, take the life, my teacher would say, and that's precisely what I did. (I took hers too. That was my first.)

The carved stone became brighter, newer, even as cracks opened and widened between the once-smooth connections between blocks. I stopped draining the life once my legs began to feel stiff, giving a word of thanks to the earth which had allowed me to use it's wisdom.

Then I pivoted on my left foot and swung my leg directly in the center of the doors, releasing a concentrated burst of life at the moment of impact, adding that much extra power to the kick. It really wasn't necessary, but I'd already decided that if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. (Let them fear me.)

The heavy doors blasted apart, spinning on their squealing hinges and impacting the inside wall with a ferocious bang. One old and overstressed hinge snapped off the wall and the weight of the door dragged the rest soon after it, hitting the floor with another loud sound.

I stepped onto the door and tried to look as casual as possible while staring at the two fallen angels, so denoted by the black feathered wings protruding from their backs. "Well hello there. I don't suppose either of you would be the feathered hussy that tried to kill my man, would you?"

I could already tell that neither of them was, not matching up with the image I'd seen from Kado's eyes. One was clearly male while the other had brown hair. Both were flying slightly above the ground with active light spears in their hands. That meant they were enemies, right? Still, might as well take my time. (HE suffered, so should they.)

At hearing my question, the male-with-a-sweet-hat's shoulders drooped slightly. I could barely hear a groaned "What the Michael did Raynare do?" even as he brought them back up into a fighting stance. So he didn't even know? Interesting, not that it would save him. Guilty by association and all that. (All were guilty. All but HIM.)

The female (A threat. Not for long though.) shot the male a glare from the corner of her as she responded. "I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about, but if you come into our abode with aggressive intent, we will protect ourselves."

Oh, she thought she had a chance? That was cute.

I tilted my head, feeling a genuine laugh bubble up my throat. "That's wonderful!" I closed my eyes, feeling the familiar thrill begin to burn in my chest. "I've needed a workout for a while. Can't get too fat, you know." (HE might not like that. HE might like them more instead. Better solve that.)

Then I turned on the Sight. There were two parts to the druidic arts, not including those augmented by circles, runes, and seals. The Sight, to see the breath of the world, and the Touch, to grasp it.

I opened my eyes and everything glistened in hues of redgraygreenblueblackcoldsaltyjoy in a snowglobe of jeweled kaleidoscopes. And it was gorgeous. How had I gone so long without this? A gleeful smile lit up my face, but I managed to rein myself in enough to remember there was something I needed to do.

Picking through the bliss, I eventually fixated on the black coming towards me. That's right, black was an enemy, weren't they? Or maybe that was red… Ah well, either way it's the same.

I focused the graygreen in my legs as the blacks got closer, seeming to move forwards too slowly. Why wait, honestly? So with a twist I was between them, some graygreen bleeding from my legs and returning to the breath.

Why were the black sideways? Right, I was horizontal, not them. I was kicking too, they weren't doing that either. I let a giggle escape me as I wondered why they even tried with their shiny white if they weren't even aiming at me?

Then the world blurred and more graygreen bled as a vicious snapkick hit the back of female-black's head sending it towards the gray floor as I grabbed the black-with-hat's face and brought it down into my knee.

I held back of course, there wasn't much point in killing them. Too much loss of light. Now barely graygreen feet on gray floor though, I wondered why I was attacking them at all. It wasn't like I needed to.

So I asked the graygreen and got an answer back. Crouching down next to the black-with-hat, I flicked his forehead and sent him back down to the gray floor. "The stairs don't like you. You were mean to them."

Black-with-hat was saying something, but it just didn't seem to matter as I watched his black swirl around in dark circles and spirals that looped in figure eights around his body. Always moving but never changing. I wondered what that was like, so I asked.

I reached a hand down to the black-with-hat and lightly brushed his chest. Then I Touched and was black. It felt like hatred and sorrow and loneliness and was that love? I giggled again as I felt the prodding to save the female-black even as it decreased, the swirling stilling slowly.

Silly black, you can't save her, she's already dead! Oh, you are too. It stilled before finally starting to vibrate with it's last remnants of self. They always did that.

I thought I heard something and turned to see the female-black on the ground, not even trying to get up while wet black fell from her eyes and red black from her mouth. Was it true love? Really really really? I couldn't leave them apart then! I reached, Touched, and was black-er, finally releasing the last graygreen into the breath. I didn't need it anymore.

This black was shifting around, restless. But it settled down once it found the dead swirling black, and that was cute.

Hearing something, my head snapped up as I heard something and saw a female yellow coming through the gray door. It made a loud sound that I didn't understand, but I did remember with a sense of pride that they graygreen hadn't liked her either. Maybe she was love like the other ones though? If so, I should let it be together too!

She had to be punished though, and I'd already let the graygreen go back, so it would have to be black. The yellow made another shiny white stick and threw it at me. Just a bit of black, and big feathers came from my back, easily lifting me out of the way. I felt the wings behind me and giggled as I realized that they were as big as female-black and black-hat's wings combined! True love indeed! I wondered what kind of wings me and HIM would make.

Then I used a bit more black like it told me to, and used the white to stab the yellow. Actually, that was kinda fun, so I did it a bit more. When I realized her yellow was starting to go into the breath though, I Touched it instead and took it into me.

It was spiky though and didn't seem to be happy with the black, so I let it go back. I had to pull it off me though, since it changed it's mind and tried to stick to me harder. I made a face and finished stripping it from me, letting it fade into the breath.

I stood up and walked across the room to the silverblue at the other end of the gray floor, letting my hands trail across the dullgreenblue seats as I went by. The dull made the greenblue unhappy, so I pulled it out and let it go to the breath. The greenblue was happier after that and it made me smile too.

I pushed aside the silverblue at the top to find the redblue stairs beneath it just like it had said. Walking down the redblue stairs I found a big grayred room with two things that drew my attention. The redsilver cross at the other end of the grayred room and the fuchsia lump in the middle.

Brushing a hand against the wall, the grayred told me that it was hurt, many people and the fuchsia had hurt it. It wanted to be grayblue again. I told it I couldn't do that, but I could hurt the fuchsia very badly. It said it would like that very much.

So I stepped forward until I was over the fuchsia. It wasn't attacking, it was just shaking and saying something I didn't care to try and hear. I made the white again, but then stopped before I brought it down.

There was something I had wanted to do, right? What was it? It was more important than killing the fuchsia, for sure. Oh, that was it! I needed to punish her for HIM. And I wanted to do it myself.

So I let the white fade. Let the black go into the breath. And closed my eyes. I frowned at the dim light I could see reflected off my eyelids. That was right, Sight turned my eyes red and glowing, didn't it. That was why I didn't want to ever use it in front of HIM, even though I really wanted to see his light. I wanted it so bad all the time, a burning need at the back of my mind. But I didn't for some reason, so it must be important.

I let the Sight fade and opened my eyes to a large stone hall, probably made originally for ritualistic purposes. On the other end of the room was indeed a cross, black with gold rings and shackles at the sides and bottom. This was no holy symbol, this was something designed for a human shape to be strapped to it.

It was a secondary priority though, and nobody would ever get to use it anyway. I turned my attention to the shivering wretch at my feet. She was completely ignoring me, mumbling about eyes. She had no right to be speaking or even thinking about him after what she'd done. (Mine. MineminemineMINEMINE-)

Wait, was Kado buying a kitten? That was adorable! Who wouldn't love that tiny little whiskered face? Evil soulless people like this lump of trash, probably. I was going to name it Kana, no matter what Kado said. I could probably get him to agree anyway.

Ah, but I suppose I'd better get this out of the way first. I gave a harsh kick to the body, but it barely responded, only flinching before it went back to it's muttering. Well this wouldn't be fun at all then! Guess I'd have to resort to desperate measures then.

"Wow, you are ugly!" My lips curled up into a smirk as the fallen angel beneath me froze and uncurled to look at me wide wide, frightened eyes. "It's true, isn't it," I said, moving closer and desperately enjoying how her breath rattled and she tried to retreat into the stone floor. "You're scared of us." (Good. She should be.)

Then she finally reacted, her arm jerking up and pointing at my torso, light beginning to foam from her fingertips. I casually batted the hand aside, then stepped on her arm when it seemed like she might try and run. I reached for the holster strapped to my thigh and pulled out the knife I carried for self-defense purposes. Or so I told people.

It wasn't a large knife, or even against school regulations. The stupid school uniform simply didn't come with any pockets so I had to resort to desperate measures. Kicking out with the foot I wasn't pinning the fallen angel down with, it impacted her face harshly and bounced her raised head against the ground. (Just starting/Never ending.)

"Hey, Raynare, right?" I flashed her a wide smile as I crouched down again, putting more of my weight on her durable wrist and enjoying her fear. "I think you hurt something of mine. So I just came to return the favor. No hard feelings, right?" (Scream. Please, please scream. Because HE's better than you.)

S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S

Emerging from the stairwell, I was careful to avoid touching the altar with my hands, instead using one foot to slide the passage closed. Making my way through a door behind the pulpit, I found a network of rooms and was able to find a washroom on the third door I tried. (HE wouldn't like me with blood on my hands. Too late for that though.) The first one had been a bedroom, while the second was locked. I made sure to wipe the fingerprints off afterwards, just in case. Wouldn't want any evidence, after all.

Humming slightly as I came back into the chapel, I made my way down the row in the middle, admiring the pews as I passed by. They looked much the same as when I had come in earlier, but they seemed to hold themselves slightly firmer. They seemed more full of life, if you will. I smiled at my thin joke and gave one bench a small pat.

I was just about to walk out the main door when I noticed that the blonde-haired girl was missing, a patch of blood remaining where she used to be. I was sure I'd killed her, even before I basically removed her soul, so there was no way she had simply gotten up and left. Someone else had been here.

It would be a problem if somebody was able to figure out that I was the person who had done this, so I would have to make sure there were no witnesses. Leaning down I tapped the floor, asking the old ground if there was anyone in the area. It let me know that nobody was on the floor of the church except me, but it simply didn't know about the outside area.

I gave it an affectionate pat and stood back up. If there was anyone outside, the only way to find out would be to go out and ask there, which would mean if the watcher did exist, they'd already be able to identify me. And I didn't want to take the risk that I wouldn't be able to hunt them down to silence them.

An alternate exit point it is then. "Wait," I spoke aloud, concentrating on what the seal was telling me. "Is he buying flowers?" I gasped out loud, eyes growing wide. "He totally is! He's buying me flowers! That is the sweetest thing!" I couldn't keep in my excitement and did a little spin that turned into an impromptu dance.

Flowers and a kitten? Maybe I should get upset more often if this is what he does in response! Just imagine me with a house full of flowers and cats! If that isn't bliss, than what is? (Hearing her beg and scream apologies beneath me as the knife slid slowly…)

My foot hit something uneven and made me stumble. I'd gotten a bit too caught up in my excitement and had accidentally stepped on the brown-haired fallen angel. Kalawarner, I believe Raynare had said her name was. She'd told me a lot of things while we talked, including what the ornate cross was for. I grimaced as I remembered that I'd had to leave it back behind in the underground room, it being too big to take with me.

I removed my foot from Kalawarner's stomach and went back to considering how I was going to leave the building. Pondering on how cute Kado was when he was apologetic could come later. So if I couldn't use the door, when then, that left the window, didn't it?

I picked one out that was closer to the back of the room and prepared to make a running dash, Touching and absorbing some of the ground's strength into me as I did so. Then after a moment of consideration, I grabbed Dohnaseek's hat from where it had fallen off his head onto the ground. I just had to find out how Kado looked in it.

Then I took off down the row, angling myself at the window and leaping up into a jump-kick. Releasing some of the stored energy at the moment of impact, the glass was blasted away from me, ensuring that I wasn't cut by any glass shards. I'd barely landed in a crouch before I was dashing into the forest, where hopefully the thick tree cover would prevent any watchers from getting a clear picture of my face.

And Kado was buying chocolates now?! Ah, have mercy on this poor soul, Aphrodite! She can only take so much before she breaks! Hopefully he'd be in a good mood after giving me them, and I knew that not having to deal with the fallen angels would relieve some of his stress. Wasn't I just the best girlfriend ever? (Never good enough, too pure for a murderer like you.)

S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S

Stepping out of the candy store, I caught a brief glimpse of white hair before something lightly impacted my chest. Immediately recognizing what that particular shade meant, I jumped to the side, trying to hide the small bag of chocolates behind my back.

I didn't think she was the kind of person who would extort candy from classmates, but I didn't want to take any chances. After the date today and the items for the apology, my wallet was already weeping!

"Hi, Koneko-chan!" I made my voice as chipper as I could, hoping I could protect the precious candies. "Do you usually come here to get your snacks? I notice you tend to be eating something most of the time."

Koneko simply stared at me for a moment before her head tipped to the side slowly. It probably looked cute, but I was feeling an aura of danger coming from the movement for some reason. "Are you… saying I'm fat?"

I was right. "N-No, of course not! There's no way that you could be anything like that with a body like yours!" You know, the whole "being a devil" thing. I'm pretty sure that's the only thing keeping most of the peerage looking so good, especially with their choices in food.

"Are you… saying I'm short?"

Instead of pacifying her, she took the comment the wrong way and the aura of danger intensified. I kept a close eye on her now-clenched fist as I panicked, trying to think of a way out. Why did girls have to be like this?

"Well, it's not bad to be short, is it? You're still really strong, and it means people like you more. It makes you really cute!" Taking back previous statements wasn't working, so try one of my 108 skills, the panicked compliment!

"Are you… saying I'm cute?"

Why does the sense of danger get worse as you say that! Girls are supposed to blush and get embarrassed at something like that! I finally gave up and threw my hands in the air. That one was actually on my own volition too, the spasms having finally stopped while I was in the store. "Fine, I get it! What do you want me to do as an apology then."

The feeling of imminent doom immediately disappeared as the small girl's eyes were riveted on the small bag of chocolates in my upraised hand. "…Chocolate. As fee."

So that was your goal all along! Restraining the urge to retort, I instead sighed and lowered my hand. "Not going to happen, Koneko-chan. I'm going to give these to Kioko."

Koneko paused, as if considering something. "…she won't notice one?" Seeing as this was Kioko, she probably would, but that wasn't the point here.

"Not the point." I raised an eyebrow, guessing where she was going with all this. "This bag is for her, and it's certainly not very considerate if I give something that I got for her to anyone else."

Having made my point, I tried retreating before the event could go on any further, but was arrested by a small hand grabbing my sleeve with all the grip of a pneumatic press. "Chocolate as apology." There was no room for argument in her voice.

I gave up on escape and turned back to the store with a sigh. A minute later, Koneko was happily munching on her extorted goods while I was counting the few coins still remaining in my wallet. Wasn't this basically the event of "Hey, you spilled something on my shirt, that'll be five thousand yen as fee?" But somehow I couldn't get upset with the girl, who had a composed but blissful look on her face. Maybe that was my self-defense instincts speaking.

Finally having cleared the troll's bridge, I crossed the street and picked up a bouquet of flowers and the small cat carrier from the bench where I had left them. Finally it was time for me to travel to Kioko's house and give the items as an apology!

One step into my journey, I realized that I didn't know where Kioko lived. How had I overlooked that crucial fact! And how did I not know that incredibly vital information about my own girlfriend!

Well, it was true that Kioko didn't talk much about herself, and I guess I was probably about the same. A mixture of boring lives and things that we wanted to keep secret. But somewhere in the mix, I'd completely missed even the basic facts that I needed to know about her.

It didn't seem right to call Kioko and ask where her house was just so that I could apologize to her, but it was looking like it was my only option at this rate. I glumly pulled out my phone and pressed the speed-dial button.

I held the phone up to my ear, and waited. Through the dialing tone, I could hear the faint sound of Flight of the Valkyries, Kioko's distinctive ringtone, coming from somewhere nearby. Was she seriously that close?

Sharpening my ears, I could pinpoint that it was coming from farther down the street, and was quiet enough that I could only hear it with my enhanced hearing. I started off down towards it, hoping that it was actually her and not just a coincidence. But part of me wondered why she wasn't picking up. Was she still mad at me?

I located Kioko before too long, sitting at a canopied table in an outdoor cafe, slumped over and staring intently at her phone with a worried expression. I hesitated, but pushed past it. It was the man's duty to apologize, and I had already decided to do so!

As I snapped the phone in my hand closed, ending the call, Kioko straightened suddenly, before collapsing onto the table, her head on top of her folded arms. I walked closer and carefully settled myself into the seat across from her, before clearing my throat when she made no motion of looking up.

"If you are here to try and pick up a girl who looks like she's just been broken up with, I suggest you leave. Me and my boyfriend are still very much together." Her cold words might have frozen the hearts of other men, but it made my own leap with joy. Maybe this wasn't as I thought.

I cleared my throat again, this time out of nervousness, and edged my seat slightly closer to the table. "Well, not exactly."

Kioko's head snapped up with a look of surprise and I took the opportunity to unload my arms onto the table, making sure none of the items fell off the glass surface. "Hey Kioko-chan, fancy seeing you here."

The plan was for that to lead into an apology, but that died a fiery death as the head of blonde hair slowly drifted back down to look at the surface of the table without saying anything. Come on, man! Think of something!

"So… if I wasn't me, I would be coming over to try and catch you on the rebound." Let me amend that. Think of something that isn't utterly stupid. The line that was supposed to be smooth instead came out stuttering and just slightly creepy instead. I have to do better than that, just think of something!

My inner monologue was interrupted by a snort of laughter coming from Kioko's bowed head. My eyebrows shot up in surprise at that sudden turn of events as she lifted her head up, a smile on her face. "Sorry, I know I should be flattered or something, but it's hard to stay depressed when you try and do something like that."

…Never mind, Stupid!Kado. Carry on. "Really?" A smile grew on my face as I felt a huge wave of relief. At least I had done something. And this was the perfect opportunity to offer an apology as well.

"I'm-"

"I'm sorry for running off like that!"

Just as I prepared to give ask forgiveness, Kioko surprised me by bowing her head low and apologizing before I could. Mostly I was shocked, but a small part was miffed that she had stolen my thunder like that.

Head still bowed, Kioko continued. "I can't explain why, but I was going through something that didn't have me in the best state of mind. I wanted to get my head on straight before anything else, but it was only after I did so that I realized you would blame yourself for it. So I deeply apologize for the worry that I have caused you."

It felt like a balloon was inflated inside my chest, pushing all the cramped feelings out and leaving a clear space in their place. I sat back in my chair and let my head fall back so I was staring at the red cloth umbrella above the table. "Aha, so that was it. And after I'd gotten all of these to make up for it, too."

My words were grumpy, but there was a big smile on my face. So it was something like that in the end. I seriously thought I had messed up, and I'm glad that Kioko's not upset. But there's something else about her explanation.

"I won't ask about what had you so worried," I said, "But please let me know if there's anything I can help with, or even if there isn't and you just want someone to talk to. That's what I'm here for." I'd trust that she had it handled, but I still wanted to do whatever I could.

I heard the rustling of plastic and looked back down to see my girlfriend biting into of the chocolates I'd bought with a happy smile on her face. "Hey! I bought those for the apology!"

"And an apology was given," she refuted, nimbly yanking the bag out of my reach as I tried to grab for it. "Just because you weren't the one who was giving it doesn't mean these should go to waste." Haaa… I wasn't really upset, but if I wasn't the one in the wrong, couldn't I at least have one?

Hiding my thoughts, I leaned back and folded my arms. "Well go ahead then, I did buy them for you after all. Man, I really was worried before." Hello, guilt trip, my old friend~

"Thanks, Kado-kun! You're the best." She popped another chocolate into her mouth and showed off a big grin with teeth stained brown. You have failed me, my old ally!

Giving up on the sugary confection, I relaxed and watched as she devoured the treat happily, rapidly going through the bag until there was one remaining. Weren't girls supposed to be worried more about how many calories something was or whatever? Although I knew Kioko well enough by now that she didn't care about anything like that. Maybe she had a way to bleed it off with her powers or something.

I was shaken from my thoughts as something pushed into my mouth, instinctively biting down on the intruder only to taste sweetness. Kioko was in front of me, leaning over the table to push the final chocolate into my mouth with a mischievous smirk. "There, now you can't complain that I didn't share."

Rolling my eyes, I relaxed and focused on enjoying the flavor. There was just something about sweet things that made them relaxing. Maybe it was because I didn't have them too often, but it just had a calming effect.

"And I have one more thing for you too," Kioko said, reaching down to pick up something that had been beneath her seat. "Guess we had the same idea." With a dramatic flourish, she produced a crisp gray fedora.

I accepted the proffered item and looked it over with a feeling of amazement. I didn't know how much these things cost, but it must have been quite a bit of money. "Thanks, Kioko-chan! This looks incredi… ble."

Slowly looking up, I locked onto to Kioko's innocent looking face. "…Kioko-chan, why is there some hair on the inside of the hat?

"…Kioko-chan. Don't look away when I'm accusing of you of something." Ah well, I probably should have expected something like this, and it's not like it already being used would affect the quality any. I plopped it onto my head and relaxed with a smile. I'd accept it in the spirit it was given. And anyways, I'd always secretly wanted one.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better, Kado-kun." Kioko was still looking away from me as she spoke, and I couldn't help the small part of my mind that said how nice she looked from the side.

Swallowing, I asked "Huh? What do you mean?" I was doing fine earlier, wasn't I? After the whole thing was done and over with, there wasn't anything wrong, was there?

She shook her head, a slight smile on her face. "You're always like this. You kept on jerking around before and making weird motions to try and cover them up. You haven't done that at all this time."

She had noticed that? I mean, it wasn't a major deal or anything, but it still put me off my pace to know that she had seen something that I had tried to hide. "Kioko-chan, I-"

I fell silent as she held up a hand, still not facing me, just looking off into the distance. "Don't worry, Kado-kun. I'm not going to press for reasons. I have my troubles, and you have yours. But… I notice things too, and can't help but worry, you know."

She turned to me and I almost choked at seeing the sheer amount of compassion and caring in her eyes. "I might not know what you go through, but I still want to help. I want this relationship to go both ways as well."

No… that's not how it's supposed to be… That's staggering, but I don't need that, I just want to watch over and protect you. You and anybody else I can help, I don't want to see you hurt when you learn what happens. This is why I'm dangerous.

But then… Why can't I break away? Why do I still stay with her? I couldn't say a word as Kioko smiled at me, a sad smile, as if she understood but couldn't do anything. But that if she could, she would do anything for me.

Like a tidal wave, the guilt swept back over me, engulfing me in secrets and lies, but with it came the determination. I wouldn't let her be hurt, I would keep her safe from everything, including me.

…So why didn't I want to leave her? Why did I want to stay by her side? Almost unbidden, a smile came to my own lips. "Yeah, I think I'd like that too."

I suppose… I am just that selfish after all. Someday I will have to break that bond between us, let her free to find her own happiness. But right now, I couldn't muster up the strength. I just wanted these days to go on a little longer.

S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S~~~S

"We have to rescue Asia!" I was incensed, the pitying looks the peerage carried not helping. So what if I was injured! I had promised to be Asia's friend, and friends don't let other friends be kidnapped!

Okay, it was too late for that one, but I was at least going to get her back. And I'd go alone if I had too, but I'd seen what Yuuma-Raynare could do, and I really wanted to have the others backing me up. But as I looked from face to face, not one would meet my eyes.

Buchou's face was in her hands, but she looked up eventually, her gaze on the table in front of her. "Didn't I already warn you about befriending the nun, Issei?" She sounded exhausted, but I couldn't let this go!

"You did, Buchou. But I'm friends with her now, and I can't just leave her with Raynare." I spoke as strongly as I could, trying to ignore the churning in my gut at the thought of what could be happening to Asia even as we waited. "We have to-"

"We don't have to do anything, Issei," Rias said, still looking down and her voice cold. My throat dried up as I remembered how casually she had taken care of Vaizor. This was a devil in front of me.

Rias continued, folding her arms and giving me a disapproving stare. "The nun has nothing to do with us. She was clearly a member of the fallen angels before, she's simply returned to them now."

I knew that Asia had been with the fallen angels, she'd tearfully confessed it to me that day in the park, along with her tragic past. And after hearing that, how could I abandon her? "I know, Buchou-" I started, but was quickly interrupted.

"You don't know anything!" Rias had shot up from her seat and was looking down on me now. I could clearly see a flicker of red in her eyes and it made my chest ache in hurt. "If we move against the fallen angels, it could set off another Great War!" She began pacing back and forth, clearly having already thought this through.

"This isn't just a scuffle, Ise! It could be an entire war! Millions of deaths, civilian and human casualties everywhere!" She turned to me, eyes burning and for once I didn't notice what the action did to her chest. "If I attack, it will be seen as an act of aggression by the entire devil race!"

That made no sense? How did one person attacking mean that the entire country was at fault? But she did seem serious, was this that big of a deal? I looked to the others in the room for some kind of hint, if Buchou was joking for some reason. Akeno was standing and looked somber, Koneko was calmly chewing on some chocolate candies, and Kiba was sitting in an armchair looking conflicted but not offering any kind of aid. I was on my own.

Buchou sat back down suddenly, drooping as she released a huge sigh. "I'm sorry, Issei, but it's simply not feasible. They could explain their actions as taking back a member of their group, while we would be seen as the instigators of the incident."

Was this the politics that dad was always warning me about? Maybe there was a loophole though. "So it's only a problem if you are the one attacking, right?"

Rias didn't answer, but Akeno spoke in her stead. "Due to her… unique position, Buchou is unable to make any signs of aggression. But not all of us are so constrained." That was what I thought! I still had a chance to rescue Asia!

I stood up and put a hand on my chest, mustering up my courage as much as I could. For Asia! "Then make me a stray, Buchou! I'll go and save her no matter what it takes!" I didn't want to leave the club, to leave the friends I'd made, but I would do whatever it took to save Asia!

The room was silent, and I imagined I could still hear the echo of my announcement in the air. The other occupants were speechless, staring at me with wide eyes. Then Buchou slapped her forehead, and mumbled out "This is what I get for trying to be subtle." Then she looked at me, making eye contact for the first time. "You're an idiot, Ise."

Huh? What did I do? Before I could object, Akeno was stepping forward. "Buchou herself can't go on the offensive, but as her servants, we are not so constrained. If we attack, Buchou can come and retrieve us, saying that it was all a mistake if necessary. It would negatively affect her reputation, but she would be able to come and save you if necessary."

So Buchou was trying to help? Why didn't she just say that? "But then wouldn't I still be facing them by myself? Didn't you not want that?"

Kiba stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Well, the plan was for Koneko and I to accompany you, ensuring that you could reach your friend unimpaired." Hearing her name, Koneko raised her head and made eye contact, shooting me a bland look, as if asking how I could be so stupid.

So they had planned this all without telling me? They were going to do it behind my back? I raised my hand as if I was in class. "So why not just all go up together instead of all this stealth and secrets stuff? Rias could still be hidden and then just come in when she needs to. It's not like we'd say anything about it."

Three pairs of eyes instantly shot to Rias, who looked a little sheepish from where she sat on the couch. "Rias~" "Buchou?" "…?"

The red-haired devil ducked her head, apparently embarrassed. Actually, that blush on her face was almost… erotic! Now that my mind was at ease, my heart was free to act as it desired! "Well," Rias coughed out. "I wanted to make sure that nothing tied it back to me. If it was discovered, than it all would have been for nothing."

Akeno reached down and gently patted Rias' hair, cooing "Aww, don't worry. You'll be able to sweep in and dramatically save Isssei-chan some other time."

The king immediately began spluttering out denials, even as Akeno thoughtfully tapped her chin and continued. "Perhaps I could even put him in some kind of… danger you could save him from? I'm sure he'd enjoy it~"

"Stop harassing my pawn, Akeno!"

Kiba was laughing awkwardly in the corner while Koneko's eyes were going back and forth between Rias and Akeno like it was a tennis match. My own eyes were drawn in by the swinging masses as the argument got tenser and tenser. But there was something I had to say.

"Hey, guys?"

"What?" the two asked, whirling to face me. Calm down, Akeno, that anger-filled face is giving off your true self!

I swallowed and scratched my cheek, giving the widest smile I could. "Thanks! Now let's go save Asia!"

End AN: *Gives too-wide grin* Hiiii guys~

As much as I'm disappointed in my writing skills now, I'm still pretty pleased with how the chapter turned out. And apologies for anyone who liked Dohnaseek last chapter as much as I did. That said, I did have way too much fun killing him this chapter. Couple clues for future chapters this time around, hopefully I can pull them off properly. And yeah, Mittelt's dead for sure, but her body's off somewhere. I probably won't go into that at any point, because Freed is a sick sick freak, but it kinda seemed in character for him.

The first scene wasn't completely necessary, but it shows you why he's a bit happier in the apology scene, as well as explaining that he was planning on getting items for an apology so it's not confusing when that shows up in Kioko's scene. (Yeah, you got me. I basically wrote this entire chapter around that one scene. I regret nothing.)

As for Kioko's scene?

MWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA~

I really shouldn't have enjoyed writing that nearly as much as I did, but for some reason I loved letting Kioko's true self out to play. That's what she's like when she's not holding back. Part of that is her natural personality, part of it is due to Kado's influence, and the rest is other factors in her past I mentioned in this scene. But let it be said that Kioko can be ruthless when she's got names inscribed on those silver bullets.

A quick note on the parentheses I use. I tend to use them to show inner thoughts that even the characters don't fully recognize, but I also try to use them slightly differently for each character. So for last chapter's Kioko, they tended to be focused on Kado since she was with him. Outside of his presence and focused on revenge, they're a whole 'nother story.

The apology scene has some plot-relevant points, but it was mainly to show how that ended up resolving. I get that normally problems like that in romance novels and even just regular novels usually take a lot longer to fix, but the two of them are teenagers and honestly regretful. Closest I can compare it to is when a misunderstanding in a romance novel actually gets explained the same day.

Also, I have no relationship experience as I have mentioned before, so this could totally be baseless.

Last scene is to explain Issei's side of things and how the church raid goes down slightly differently. Not a ton there except that Rias has a flair for the dramatic and Issei is slow on the uptake.

And if you're wondering where Asia's at, let me tell you. The church likes actual believers and isn't about to tell a murderer where a saint is.

See you guys next time!