I'm Not a Protagonist!

by Elithanathile

Kai Kado wasn't exactly a normal teenager. But when he's forced into a red-haired devil's peerage, he has to deal with sunburning easily, being too weak to survive, and his own friends being way too overprotective. "So what if I got shot, I'm fine now!" He also has a lying problem. And a Hero Complex. And his girlfriend totally isn't a yandere. NoSacredGear!OC Main, Single pairing.

14. In Which Mistakes are Fixed

AN: Do you remember when I said this chapter might be shorter?

AHAHAHAHAHA

But! I got it done and ended up adding in a few things that I didn't even have planned until they popped up, so that's great. Also the next week is basically going to be rewriting the upcoming chapter to add in everything that I added or changed since I wrote it over a month ago. So that's going to be lovely.

This was originally going to be filler chapter trying to get through the training camp and make sure all the necessary foreshadowing was in place for the rating game, but it ended up having so much foreshadowing that I can't just call it a filler anymore. I also cried while writing this chapter for reasons I will not share because SPOILERS.

Can't think of any warnings this time except for the length since it got out of hand and I didn't want to make you guys go through another training camp chapter. Honestly though, if I keep going at this rate, I'll be writing 20k chapters a week, which sounds like a nightmare for both you guys and me.

Disclaimer: Honestly the world of Highschool DxD is incredible, minus the perverted parts, and I would be remiss if I didn't credit the author of the work, Ichiei Ishibumi.

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I was back.

The world was red, ribbons intertwining like all the colors of the world twisted together, all the same and all so different.

It felt like home.

And it was being destroyed. The hole was back, or more correctly, it had never left. Instead it had grown larger, bulges that looked like veins running in every direction from the depression.

The hole had stabilized, still pulsing but more… permanent. It grasped at the walls around it, striving to pull itself out, to expand. Or perhaps trying to pull everything else into it's gaping maw. And in the very center, like the center of a ring, I could catch a glimpse of what wasn't. The Nothing that was All.

I feared it, I desired it, and I missed it.

It was home and it was destruction and it was me.

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

I woke up feeling wrong, out of place. My entire body felt numb, contrasting the pain that had plagued it shortly before. The world seemed muted, colors were darker and duller, sounds were faint and faded. But more than that, it didn't feel like I belonged. This mortal world, the land of death and life, it wasn't where I should be.

So why was I here? Why not retreat, slink back into the place of shadow and dusk where Everything was Nothing and Eternity quailed before the All that was One. Memories and places I should know seemed so far away and faces I knew seemed plastic and fake. What was there to lose? And there was Nothing to gain.

"Kado?" A face appeared above my own, blonde hair framing worried a shapely round face and worried green eyes. She was one of the ones of Dark and Light, a denizen of the place that was. I didn't try to remember her name or who she was, just stared through her, as if by ignoring her she would disappear. She was, and I was not. And that was all that mattered.

A hand appeared and softly caressed my forehead, cool fingers tingling as they brushed my scalp and I almost recoiled from the thing that was real, but that would be acknowledging it, recognizing that it was real, and so was I.

"Kado-kun, please," the voice said. No, begged.

I took a deep breath for the first time in minutes and the dusk washed away, the lingering traces whispering promises that were threats and threats that were promises. I blinked, and the world came into focus, Kioko looked down at me with anguish in her eyes and it felt like the sorrows of the world crashing down upon me.

Then I moved, a twitch of a finger. And the world enveloped me, all the colors, sounds, and sights that seemed so far away engulfing me and sweeping me into an embrace. I could hear birds chirping somewhere far away, something metal falling somewhere in the kitchen downstairs, and could finally feel that I was laying on a soft bed that caved in beneath my weight, a seam from a blanket beneath me poking into my back uncomfortably.

I breathed, blinked, and moved. And I was back in my own body, constrained by the beautiful limitations of flesh and bone. Stretching, I propped an elbow beneath me and pushed myself up into a slightly more upright position, giving Kioko a tired smile.

"Hey beautiful, you miss me?"

A sharp sting of pain radiated out from my cheek and I blinked, accepting the pain from Kioko's slap. I winced, more at the battling emotions I could see in those green eyes than from the actual pain. "I deserved that, didn't I."

Then she was on top of me, the increased weight forcing me onto my back. Kioko pressed her face into my neck, running her fingers through my messy hair and probably finding a few twigs and leaves in there by the feeling of it. I could feel her take each shuddering breath with how closely her body was pressed against mine, and this time I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around her and softly whisper apologies into her ear.

Too many missed opportunities, too many times I had been afraid to reach out and touch her, comfort her. But right now wouldn't be one of them. Back in the clearing, with fire in my veins and glass in my heart, I honestly thought I was going to die. And I decided I never wanted that to happen if it meant I would leave Kioko alone again.

I didn't know about Kioko's home situation, and I'd never pressed her for any information. But she had let slip once that she lived alone, and she never talked about her parents. Maybe it was the sudden wisdom that came from having a near-death experience, but a lot of things suddenly seemed to click inside my mind.

Kioko based almost all of herself on me. She was always there when I needed her, and had been beside me when I woke up. If I died, she would have nothing left, would she. A ship adrift, with nothing left to keep her from following close upon my heels.

I'd always kept a certain distance from my family, and I believe that if I died, they would find a way to carry on, taking comfort in each other or in their friends. But Kioko had nothing but me. She was a broken human being, clinging onto me as the only thing to keep her together.

And when had Kai Kado ever abandoned someone who needed to be saved.

So I held her as she cried, feeling tears prickle at the corner of my own eyes at the sound of her sobs.

When the soft cries finally died down, Kioko slowly pulled her hands down from my hair and onto my chest, pushing herself up into a sitting position, straddling me and looking into my eyes. "I don't know what you did, Kado-kun. But you have to promise me to never do it again."

Without flinching, I looked back into her red-rimmed eyes. "I'm sorry, Kioko-chan. I can't do that."

Kioko breathed in sharply, breath hissing between her teeth. "But you… you saw what it does to you! You were breaking apart from the inside, your body tearing itself to pieces! You can't do something like that!" She was angry, but pleading.

But this wasn't something I could allow myself to budge on. "I'm sorry, Kioko-chan. But I need this. This is the only way I can fight back, the only way I can help Rias."

Before my girlfriend could voice her protests, I reached up and softly cupped her cheek, using my thumb to smooth the skin below her eye that was red from crying, brushing crusted tears. "But," I spoke as gently as I could, focusing on the minute movements of my thumb, "I will learn to control it. I will learn to use it safely so that I never have to worry you again."

Kioko bit her bottom lip, but slowly nodded. "Alright," she spoke, barely a whisper. "Alright, I believe you." She lowered herself back down onto me with careful movements, whispering into my ear "But you'll always worry me. I can live with worry, but please never make me feel despair."

I wouldn't. I had broken promises before. Hundreds of oaths broken and shattered behind me, far too many to Kioko herself. "I promise," I told her, wrapping my arms around her again. Maybe it was time I started promising myself, too.

Holding onto Kioko, I began to feel myself drifting away, falling back into sleep. I yawned and suddenly realized how tired I still was. "Hey, Kioko-chan," I murmured sleepily, tightening my arms around her back. "Sorry, I think I'm going to…"

Kioko smiled and nuzzled into my shoulder slightly. "Don't worry about it, Kado-kun. Just promise you'll wake up this time."

And the fact that she still trusted me to keep my promises after all the ones I had broken hit me with a wave of relief so strong I immediately dropped off to sleep, a peaceful smile on my face.

I dreamed of home.

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

Yawning, I slowly opened my eyes, stretching my arms wide before absent-mindedly rubbing my forehead as I yawned again. It felt like I had simply dozed off for a moment and was coming back to my senses, rather than having taken a nap. Sitting up, I rubbed one eye and used the other to find the clock I had set up on my bedside table when I first moved in.

It wasn't there. Confused, I looked around, slowly sliding off the luxurious canopy bed in the center of my room. Things seemed to have been cleaned up, the various papers and pencils I had been practicing with the day before having been tidied up, with no sign that they had ever existed. The bedside table was bare except for a lamp, which had come with the room. It looked more like a hotel room than where someone was actually living.

I suppose that Kioko must have cleaned the room while I was asleep. Unless the ninja-maid was an actual maid and did some stealth-cleaning while I was asleep.

Gazing down at the clothes I was wearing, I wrinkled my nose. They were the same clothes I had been wearing since that morning, and after training and rolling around in the dirt earlier I could really use a shower and a change of clothes.

Walking over to the large wardrobe next to one wall where I'd stored away the clothes forced onto me before being dragged to the training camp, I swung open the wooden doors prepared to see a school uniform or one of the standard-made sets of guest clothing.

What I wasn't prepared to see was a dozen dresses hanging from the ceiling along with a stack of carefully folded shirts and pants in a distinctly feminine style placed on the floor.

I stared for a few seconds, trying to wrap my head around why there was womens clothing inside my wardrobe. I heard the click of a doorknob sliding into place in the doorframe.

Frantically slamming the wardrobe closed, I spun around to see a faintly blushing Kioko holding a tray with steam rising from it in her hands. I'd been so… distracted that I hadn't even heard her come in.

Licking my lips, I held up a single finger. "I… take it this is your room?"

Kioko nodded, moving over to set the tray of food down on the table as her cheeks returned to a more normal shade. "When I brought you back from the forest, I panicked and brought you here first, instead of into your own room. Sorry about that, you probably would have been more comfortable in your own bed."

I waved off the apology, still overly conscious of the wardrobe directly behind me. "No no, it's fine. It didn't matter much which room it was while I was asleep." The scent of miso and fish assaulted my nose and I started forward to the table in the center of the room, rubbing my hands eagerly. "So is that food I smell? And is it for me?"

Kioko rolled her eyes but set began to set out small bowls of rice and vegetables, along with two sets of chopsticks. "I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed, but it seems to be a little late for that," she said, eying my non-sleeping form.

Suddenly remembering that the clothes I was wearing were covered in dirt and sweat, I hesitated. "Wait, shouldn't I clean up first? I'm still pretty messy from earlier."

Pausing, Kioko ran a critical eye up and down my body, humming. "Nope." She broke off her scan, making eye contact. "You're hungry, and I can deal with a little untidiness if it means getting to eat breakfast with my boyfriend."

Girls were either famous or infamous for being picky about personal cleanliness, depending on who you asked, and I was touched that Kioko was letting that fall to the wayside and being considerate of my hunger. As if summoned, my stomach rumbled. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to remind me that I hadn't eaten in what was probably hours.

After I sat down we both said gratitude for the meal and began to eat. I stopped just before placing the first bite of rice and fish into my mouth. "Wait, did you say breakfast?"

Kioko nodded, swallowing her first bite before responding in full. "When you woke up last time it was almost midnight, so you were really just finishing your night of sleep."

I winced at that, realizing that I had basically laid around the day before instead of training. Sure Rias had banned me from training for a day, but at least I had been working on magic during that time. "Mmm, I'll have to apologize to the peerage later," I mumbled, finally placing the morsel of food in my mouth.

Ah, there's nothing like a traditional Japanese breakfast to start out the day. Or really any meal. I can honestly say I wouldn't be able to live without food.

…Yeah, I'd better keep that one to myself and never speak of it out loud. I would probably be laughed out of whatever room I was in, and not because of how funny the joke was.

"Akeno's not teaching you anymore."

Startled, my head jerked up at the sudden blunt statement, delivered in a cold tone. "What? Why all of a sudden?" What had happened out in the forest wasn't her fault, she was just trying to help me and I overdid it. That was all there was to it.

Kioko put a bite of food into her mouth, chewing almost mechanically before speaking. "She said it was because she hadn't been able to help you very much, and it was her fault that you were so badly injured."

Furrowing my brow I leaned to the side, just about to find Akeno and reassure her that it was my fault, and she had nothing to do with the accident, but a soft hand lightly grabbing my arm caught my attention.

Somehow in the short period of time, Kioko had scooted around the table so she was next to me, and was looking up at me seriously. "I know what you're about to do, and if you want to forgive her, that's fine. But first, please consider that this might not be a bad thing."

"B-But it wasn't her fault-"

Kioko put a hand over my mouth, muffling my protests. "She told me how she was training you. She was literally attacking you with magic and taunting you to use some kind of magic spell to stop her. While she hadn't taught you any kind of magic." She removed her hand and gave me an expectant look.

Well yes, that was what had been happening, but it sounds a lot more negative that way. I stayed quiet, not sure what to say to defend my teacher but reluctant to just admit the accusations

Giving me a knowing look, Kioko carried on with her miniature inquisition. "And from what you've told me after your training practices with her in the past, that's basically her strategy for training you physically as well."

Ah, I did have a comeback for that one! "But isn't that the best way to learn?" I asked rhetorically. "Actually performing the action you're trying to learn?"

"Did she ever actually teach you how to fight, or was she just expecting you to pick it up by example." Kioko's statement made my next words choke in my throat. Akeno really hadn't, although she tended to be hard on me when I failed at doing something. The more Kioko spoke, the more doubts I was having about Akeno's tutoring.

Kioko looked into my face and sighed, backing away slightly and looking down at the food. "I won't say anything more about it. But just think, it's like Akeno forcing you to take a math quiz when she hadn't taught you the material." With that statement, Kioko sealed the final nail in the coffin, and she knew it, too.

We returned to eating our breakfast, in silence this time as I mulled over what I was going to do next. With all the facts laid out in front of me like that, it was looking like a better and better prospect to get another teacher, but I really didn't have many options.

I decided to voice the issue, although I wasn't sure if I was hoping that Kioko had an answer or whether it was an excuse to keep Akeno as the teacher, even with her… hands-on teaching style. "…If Akeno isn't teaching me magic anymore, then who will?"

Kioko carefully wiped her mouth with a napkin and placed down her chopsticks before speaking, taking the lull to think on her answer. "Firstly, you're assuming you need one. You would probably begin to figure some things out without any kind of guidance, and there's almost certainly something online if you looked hard enough."

Listening intently, I considered the given options. My first instinct was to reject that I could actually find legitimate instruction on magic on the internet, but there was a lot of stuff out there, and who's to say some of it might not be real? I'd have to sift the truth out of all the craziness though, so that would be a last ditch option.

"Second," Kioko went on, "I know that Rias is paying special attention to Issei right now, but you might be able to ask her for some pointers at least. And for hand-to-hand combat, that's Koneko's preferred form of fighting. I don't think that she has any particular style besides 'crush it into a pancake' but she might still be able to help you punch straight."

She pausing, shooting me a skeptical look. "Did Akeno ever teach you how to throw a basic punch?" I stayed silent again, but couldn't help thinking that punching wasn't that hard, right? Force plus mass equals pain? Looking smug, my girlfriend delivered her final option with a wearying look. "And finally, what about me?"

I looked blankly at Kioko for a moment before what she meant made finally clicked. She was the one who taught you about magic circles, you idiot! How do you forget that so easily!

Within seconds I was bowing my head in apology. "Sorry, sorry, so sorry! How did I miss something that was right in front of me!" I was perfectly aware of Kioko's ability to use magic, so why did it seem to slip from my mind at times like this?

The blonde-haired mage sighed, muttering something about "really worth it" before clearing her throat and speaking louder. "It's fine, I actually like how you don't see me as a magician and just treat me as your girlfriend."

"Yes," I said, head still bowed in shame, "but there is a line between being considerate of the person and neglect, and it is a very thick one!"

I was still mentally beating myself up when Kioko made her offer. "Well, would allowing me to teach you be an acceptable apology?" My head shot up, and I looked intently at Kioko for a moment, considering the offer. It wasn't much of a choice, honestly. Compared to Akeno, Kioko would be more interested in my actual progress, and it would be nice not having to worry about dying while training.

"Deal," I said, reaching forward to shake hands. As Kioko's thin white hand slipped into my own larger roughened palm, I gripped tight, pumping the limbs up and down once. I didn't let go just yet though. "Are you sure you're going to be able to deal with this though," I asked in concern. "You were pretty shaken by how badly I hurt myself last time."

Kioko brought her other hand up to grip mine, squeezing it between her palms and looking me straight in the eyes. "That's why I want to be there. Even if I can't help you and you end up hurting yourself again, at least I'll know that I did all that I could. That I wasn't useless again."

Taking a deep breath I nodded, accepting her resolve. Smirking, I pumped my arm once more. "Welcome to the effort then, partner. Are you ready to help save a princess?"

Kioko returned my smirk in equal force, her green eyes glittering mischievously. "Just try me, hero."

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

Since it was in the morning when we made the deal, I had barely finished breakfast when I was forced outside onto the large grass lawn in front of the mansion. It was sunny and warm today, same as the rest of the past week, so it was almost a joy to be outside and exercising.

What did cause me to mentally thank any gods that dealt with weather was Kioko's change of outfit, reflecting how serious she was with her new responsibility. Her usual blue ribbon had been adjusted and was now tying her hair back in a ponytail instead of her usual hairstyle. She was also wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of track pants she had borrowed from Kiba. I tried not to think about why any of the female devils clothing wouldn't fit her.

The sun gleaming off skin and blonde hair was a lovely sight, and I'm sure I dove into the training with more energy than I ever had under Akeno's tutelage.

Kioko wasted no time, standing in front of me with hands on hips, back straight and affecting a manner more reminiscent of a drill sergeant than my usual sarcastic girlfriend. "Alright, recruit! You think you've got what it takes to use magic?"

"Sarge, yes Sarge!" Was my firm response, sharply saluting as I hid a smile behind an expression of seriousness.

"Well you're wrong!" She barked back, her sharp tone beginning to attract attention, other members of the peerage poking their heads out of the mansion's door. "You aren't ready to touch magic until you can prove that you won't burn down half the mountain trying to light a fire!"

"Sarge, yes Sarge!"

Kioko advanced, the ponytail swaying behind her head. "So it's up to me to beat the necessary skills into you! If you're going to burn something down, burn down the enemies mountain!"

Holding in a snicker, I barked out "Sarge, yes Sarge!" This was certainly more relaxed than most of my training with Akeno had been. Hopefully it would be more useful, too. I still had some doubts about Kioko's teaching skills, but she was the best alternative after Akeno with how preoccupied Rias was preparing for the rating game.

Speaking of the black-haired devil, I had tried to find her directly after breakfast to reassure her that me getting injured wasn't her fault, but I hadn't been able to find her, and I had the sneaking suspicion that she was avoiding me. The other peerage members were pretty tight-lipped about the matter as well, even Issei, who usually tended to say whatever he wanted. Akeno couldn't hide from me forever though, and I'd forgive her one way or another!

Relaxing the rigid stance she had been holding previously, Kioko positioned herself directly in front of me, standing straight but without tensed muscles, her hands in front of her like she was cupping an invisible ball in her hands. "First, stand like this and pull the magic from your core."

Following her instructions I mimicked her pose easily, slightly over-aware of how close Kioko was, her hands practically brushing my own. Closing my eyes to focus, I easily found the deep glow of the ember that was my soul. It felt like it was buried about in the center of my chest, but a few dimensions away, distant somehow.

But what I was after wasn't the soul itself, but the residue that it gave off. In books it seems like magic comes so easily, like drinking water or breathing, it just comes. Demonic energy was different. I locked onto my soul, lifetimes away, and twisted, forcing the metaphorical coal into a different shape, into it's proper place.

I could feel the click of something falling into place, and felt the same electric feeling come pouring out of my soul like waves crashing on the beach. They weren't big, nothing to what I was sure Akeno or Rias' magic would be like, but it was still exciting each time I used magic, the knowledge that I had magic. I'm sure Kioko would be rolling her eyes right now if she could read my thoughts.

There was something just slightly different this time though. Normally demonic energy, when I used it at least, seemed flawed. It was willful but hesitant, and tasted like sparks of flame, or at least that was the best I could describe it. I had mentioned the odd taste to Akeno and she told me that it was always like that, and called it a reminder of what we had lost. Whatever that meant.

But now something had changed. The magic was confident, but willing to follow my direction as I moved it down my arms and into my cupped hands. More than that, the taste had changed. It was a bonfire in the night that never extinguished, only growing stronger. It was fear and fury and flee and fight and it was free.

I suddenly, desperately, never wanted to let this go just as desperately as it wanted to be used.

Akeno had never taught me any spells. Neither had Kioko, although I was hoping that would change. But the blazing feeling demanded to be used, to help. To further a Dream. There was only one way I knew to use it and last time I had seriously hurt myself, but it was not to be denied.

So I decided to minimize the damage. I forced all of the demonic energy into my right hand, sinking it into the bloodstream and mingling with the life-giving liquid there. Moving my physical body after what felt like hours, I grabbed my right wrist with the left hand, as if to pin the magic in place, to keep it from escaping.

Just like the day before, I could feel the glow, lighting up like the brightness of a thousand stars inside my hand. Fingers twitched sporadically, fighting to bleed off the massive amounts of energy suddenly infused into the limb.

I bit back a wince as something that felt like a tendon snapped on the back of my hand before stitching itself back together with a thousand pinpricks of healing flesh. Eventually it stopped, the glow slowly dimming as the energy was used up, dissipating into the flesh of my hand.

Taking a deep shuddering breath I opened my eyes to see Kioko staring back with wide eyes. "What… what was that?" She asked, something almost like awe in her tone.

Then the expected pain arrived, and I squeezed my hand into a tight fist until the fingers had turned white, biting back the scream that had formed inside my chest. Smirking instead, I focused on Kioko who was looking at the hand and it's white knuckles in concern.

"Magic," I said plainly, enjoying how Kioko's eyebrows drew together as she huffed, lightly hitting me on the shoulder as she rolled her eyes.

"Come on then, magic-boy, let's go get that hand taken care of. It doesn't look too good, and I remember what happened to you when you tried that last time." Kioko said, already pushing me back towards the house and the eavesdropping occupants leaning out of doors and windows.

As we neared the front door to the mansion I unclenched my right hand, before squeezing it into a fist again. Ignoring the pain caused by the simple action, I smirked. Now this I could use.

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

Once my "wound" was taken care of, which meant soaked in a basin of cold water until it stopped feeling like I had punched a concrete block to death with it, I discovered that Kioko had forbidden me from doing any more magic practice for the day, going so far as to place Rias in the same room with me so she could stop me if she felt me start to use magic.

It was honestly a bit overkill for something that wasn't even a wound, just painful. And how could I ever improve my new skill if I didn't get to practice it? Instead I got to spend the next hour watching Rias try to improve her Power of Destruction and getting ruthlessly shushed each time I was about to speak, so as not to ruin her concentration while playing with the deadly ball of death.

Luckily for me, the room I had been exiled to was the parlor where we usually had magic lessons, and there were a few books lying around that had been abandoned at some point in the training trip. So I managed to kill time by reading a fantasy series that had to have been Kiba's.

As it neared eleven, Rias finally relaxed her fist-sized orb of murder-death, slowly allowing it to dissipate into particles that faded in the air. Taking a few steps, the red-haired devil practically collapsed into the couch, taking a minute to breath deeply before pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket, because Rias, to wipe away some lingering drops of sweat on her face and forehead.

Poking my head up over the top of my book, I gave her a sympathetic look. "Magic training really takes a lot out of you, huh." I didn't expect that it would be so hard on the body, being more of a mental-and-spiritual thing. Seems like it really tired her out, though.

Rias shot me a glare, sitting up to regain some of her posture. "I don't want to hear that from the person who can't use magic without breaking himself." Touche, Rias. Thinking for a moment, Rias slipped into her lecture mode. "Imagine an explosion, like a grenade igniting in front of you."

I did as asked, noting my page number and setting the book down, closing my eyes to play along. It was better than the boredom at least. "Okay, done." Albeit what I was picturing was probably closer to an explosion you'd find in a movie than in real life, with fire and lightning everywhere.

"Now imagine grabbing that explosion and forcing it into a small ball, like a marble. But the force still wants to be pushed outwards, so it's constantly fighting you."

Wincing, I got the picture. "Huh, no wonder it's so difficult-"

She wasn't done. "Now imagine forcing more explosives into that marble without letting any of it get out, so the explosion gets even stronger, but by now if you let go it would kill you."

Okay, that sounded pretty bad. What was she doing practicing something so dangerous? Opening my eyes, I asked her directly. "Why do you need to do something like that? Isn't your power of obliteration thingy already enough to kill just about anything?"

Rias sighed, propping one upraised arm on the other, but looking subtly happy at being able to enlighten someone. "Currently, my Power of Destruction is about strong enough to completely erase stone, devil-skin, and bordering on damaging some of Akeno's magically reinforced materials."

Well that was sounding pretty terrifying to me, especially with how easy it seemed to be for Rias to use it. Why again was she trying to improve it? "And it won't leave a scratch on Riser Phenex," Rias finished.

That immediately killed any good mood I might have had. How tough was this guy? First Issei and now Rias were saying he was immortal. Luckily, Rias had the answers. "Are you aware of the identifying ability of phoenixes from mythology?"

That was easy enough. "Being made of fire and being born again after death," I promptly answered. Was that the problem here, that each time we killed Riser he would be reborn?

"Exactly," Rias said, nodding with a hint of pride in her voice. "And the devil house of Phenex is worse." Oh come on! Why couldn't she be engaged to an accountant or something! This would be so much easier if Devil Society didn't seem to be run by rule of the strong.

"How much worse?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer but fully aware that I would need to anyway.

Rias stood up from the couch, apparently having cooled down enough to be walking around, and starting pacing back and forth in front of the object of furniture while explaining. "The Phenex bloodline has three parts. Dominion over fire, influence over air, and Rebirth.

"The first two are magical affinities, but are so strong that Phenex are known for their command over fire, able to summon a firestorm with a gesture." The red-head was getting agitated as she spoke, her pace slowly increasing. "Their affinity for air is lesser, but when used to amplify their flames, becomes completely terrifying."

Rias was clearly worked up, not even speaking to me at this point, but to herself more than anything, gazing at the ceiling from time to time. "And their last ability, Rebirth. Unlike the mythical creature, they do not regenerate when they die. Instead, once a Phenex is harmed they heal almost immediately. Riser's mastery of this is great enough that he would survive so long as a pound of his flesh remained."

"Rias," I said, hoping to grab her attention. She either ignored me or didn't hear, instead devolving into muttering and staring blankly down as she paced back and forth, hands rubbing up and down her upper arms as if she was cold. "Rias," I called louder, but again got no response. Severely concerned now, I stood up from the couch, taking a step forward and grabbing Rias' arm as she passed by.

As my fingers wrapped around the cloth of Rias' uniform, her arm snaked backwards in a flash and latched onto my own arm, tugging sharply down and forcing my torso to follow. As my vision suddenly jerked around, I unconsciously blinked to clear my eyes and opened them to see a swirling orb of deepest black a few centimeters in front of my nose, tiny flecks of red swirling in the darkness.

It was so sudden that I didn't dare scream, not wanting to scare Rias further and get my face erased from existence. "Rias," I said in a calm tone of voice, slowly releasing the girl's sleeve one finger at a time. "Rias," I repeated, "Would you mind not blasting my face off?"

Slowly tracking my eyes up and away from the ball of murder-death in front of me. I looked to see Rias breathing heavily, eyes wide and unfocused, pupils shrunken into dots of blue on white. She wasn't making any further movements, which was good, but she still had an iron grip on my arm and it was starting to get painful, devil resilience or no.

Rias' blank eyes drew down from where she had been staring at the wall, locking onto my own pleading gaze. She simply stared without recognition for a moment, but then it seemed like she snapped out of whatever state she had been locked in, her pupils expanding back to their usual size as she snapped the arm that was holding her power of destruction backwards, hastily dispelling the black orb.

"Are you okay? What did I do?"

"Rias," I asked, voice shaking slightly, "could you let go of my arm please?" I wasn't scared of her, but I probably had a nice finger-shaped bruise on my bicep now, and my back was starting to cramp with the position I had been dragged into. The adrenaline rush that I had gotten be staring down into certain death probably didn't help either.

Gasping, Rias released her grip almost instantly, pulling the arm in tight until it was pressed tight against her chest, face paling. "I… I…" Stammering to say something, Rias took one step back, then another, before spinning and running out of the room, barely turning the doorknob before dashing through, slamming the door behind her hard enough to shake the doorframe.

Well I had no clue what had just happened. Rias had been having some kind of breakdown, then reflexively tried to attack me when I interrupted her in the middle of it. I was no psychologist, but I was pretty sure that didn't mean anything good. And if I knew one thing about Rias, it was that her peerage meant everything to her. She must have been absolutely devastated to have almost killed one of them like that.

I needed to go after her, say something, forgive her, whatever it took. But… my legs wouldn't move. They were frozen in place as if I was paralyzed, petrified from the waist down. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid. I'm. Not. Afraid!

And still they refused to work. As useless as two poles buried deep into the ground, I just couldn't move to go after Rias. I… couldn't. Gripping my hands into tight fists, I gritted my teeth, grinding my molars together. This wasn't about me, this was about Rias and how she was probably hating herself right now for something that wasn't her fault.

Breathing deeply, I pulled forth a tendril of magic and ran it up my left arm and into my thumb, where I sunk it into my bloodstream. I could hear rapid steps coming down the padded hallway, most likely a member of the peerage who heard the slamming door and had come to investigate.

They could probably help Rias more than I could. They could probably even help calm me down from the state of heightened anxiety I was in right now. But this wasn't about Rias. This was about me being too much of a selfish idiot to help someone right in front of me!

I activated the magic and inhaled sharply through my teeth as strength filled the finger. Blood pumped rapidly, muscles tensed and were ready to spring free. Curling my fingers into a loose fist, I made a motion like I was flipping a coin with my thumb.

The release of energy made a popping sound like a gun going off and my arm was yanked upwards, pulled along by the inertia. The energy in my thumb died away as the power of the magic was consumed, instead leaving behind before the intense pain that came after my sole magical skill. "See that," I said to myself, lowering my arm back down and glaring at it like it was the problem and not me. "I hurt myself far more than Rias ever would. So get out of the way and let me do this!"

The door to the room crashed open, both Kioko and Akeno rushing through the now open doorway with panicked looks on their faces. "Are you alright?" Asked Kioko as she slowed her pace, walking towards me with a worried look on her face.

Taking a breath, I moved, taking one step forwards. Planting my foot, I gave Kioko a fierce grin as I ignored the stabbing pain from my left thumb. "I'm doing just fine, Kioko-chan." For some reason that only made her eyebrows draw together angrily as she grabbed my left arm, pulling it up between us and shaking the limb back and forth.

"And this is just fine?" she growled, gesturing at my red and swollen wrist and thumb. "Can't you go an hour without injuring yourself?" Is that what she was so upset about? It was just pain! It wouldn't even last ten minutes before it faded, and what's the problem with it, anyway?

"What did you do to Rias-sama?" Akeno asked, anger clear in her tone. Another angry girl after me? "She ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. She won't even talk to me," Akeno added darkly, advancing towards me menacingly.

I took another step forward, looking Akeno in the eyes. "How long has Riser Phenex been Rias' fiancé." She had been thinking about Riser when she had her breakdown and I had a suspicion of why she had reacted like that.

In the blink of an eye, Akeno was in front of me, grabbing the collar of my shirt with one hand and yanking me forward until I was a centimeter away from her purple eyes. "You don't get to ask that! Now what did you do to Rias-sama!"

Kioko stepped to the side and held a spread hand to the black-haired devil's arm. "I would advise you to put my boyfriend down," she said, her eyes flashing darkly. "We were speaking, and I can guarantee that he was not the one at fault in whatever happened."

To compound the cluster of issues, I could hear more footsteps approaching the open door, probably attracted by the yelling. Looking firmly into Akeno's eyes, which were filled with worry and fear, I said as clearly as I could, "Did Riser ever visit Rias when she lived in the underworld?"

"What does that-"

"And is that part of the reason why Rias almost killed me when I touched her while she was having a panic attack?"

Akeno's face went to chalk white in the span of a few seconds, thrusting me away from her, stumbling to catch my footing. Since she was a devil, and a Queen at that, I was propelled back without control and crashed into the couch I had been seated in earlier, pushing the piece of furniture back, even with the deep carpet on the floor of the parlor.

And that was when the rest of the peerage arrived, Kiba blurring into the room with Koneko just behind him. Issei showed up slightly later, panting and with his Boosted Gear activated. I could barely see Asia peeking beneath his arm, green eyes trembling with fear.

Pushing myself back up into a sitting position, I glared resolutely back at Akeno, taking note of the faint crackling of lightning magic around her hand. This wasn't Akeno my teacher, this was Akeno the Queen and she was seeing me as an enemy right now.

Kioko still had her hand hovering barely above Akeno's arm and her dark green eyes were cold. Then there was a pulse of something and Akeno's body jerked violently to the side, her torso pivoting so fast I could hear her spine pop from where I was, before the Queen fell onto the floor in a heap.

In a blur of movement Kiba was behind Kioko, a broadsword lightly touching the back of her neck. Koneko had advanced into the room as well, her bright brown eyes fixed directly on where I was across the room. Asia yelped and ducked beneath Issei's arm, running over to help Akeno as Twilight Healing manifested in a flash of green light. Issei, for his part, stood in the doorway looking conflicted, his eyes flickering from one person to the other as he tried to figure out what to do, who was the enemy.

Marginally turning her head to the right, Kioko glanced back towards Kiba and narrowed her eyes. "That was a warning. She made the first move. Now remove your sword from me before I do something far worse to you for intruding, knight."

"Stop." Akeno didn't shout, but when she spoke everyone turned to her, either out of worry or out of confusion and I felt a burst of relief that she wasn't badly injured. I knew Kioko wouldn't kill Akeno, but I wasn't sure how far she would go to defend me.

The noirette was still on the floor, propping herself up with her left hand while she raised the right palm outward in a signal to halt as Asia worked on healing her shoulder. "Horikawa-san is correct. I did make the first aggressive move. Horikawa-san and Kai-san have done nothing wrong."

"She hit you," Koneko said matter-of-factly, not ceasing her steady march towards my own position. Why come towards me when I didn't even make any kind of move to attack! How come she hated me so much anyway? What had I ever done to her?

"And I had roughly handled Kai-san and was preparing to use magic on him," Akeno said in a stern tone, finally getting the small girl to stop a scant meter from my position, although Koneko never took her bland gaze away from me. I could tell that the admission had injured Akeno's pride, one of her facets as a devil, so I spoke up to reduce the impact.

"It was my fault as well." Slumping forward in my seat, I put my elbows on my knees, letting my left wrist and thumb relax as I hung my head. "I got too curious and asked about something I shouldn't have. I provoked Akeno."

I could see Kioko open her mouth to protest, but with a second glance at both Kiba behind her and my slumped form, she closed it again, pressing her mouth into a tight line. That was certainly a relief, the last thing we needed right now in this tense situation was another comment sparking up the argument.

"Why are you guys even trying to take fault in the first place?" Issei, finally taking action. He was still in the doorway, but he had dismissed his sacred gear and was standing with his arms folded, frowning at everyone in the room. "I know that Akeno-san didn't really mean to hurt Kado-san, and I know that Kado-san wouldn't do anything to hurt Akeno-san."

As if that solved the whole argument, Issei nodded decisively, unfolding his arms. "And since nobody meant to hurt anyone else-" I saw Kioko bite back a comment at that, "-we should just apologize and move on. We shouldn't waste time when we need to be working to save Buchou!"

A small smile emerged on my face, hidden beneath the shadow cast by my hair. This was why you could always count on Issei. Sliding off the couch with a small wince, I stood up straight and bowed low to Akeno. "I sincerely apologize, Akeno-senpai. I was too curious and got carried away, but I can assure you that I meant no ill will."

I held the position for a few seconds before raising myself back up and making eye contact with Akeno. After I apologized, Akeno would have no choice but to reciprocate or risk looking petty.

Akeno blinked, then shook her head with a smirk, waving off Asia who had completed the healing. "If my kohai apologizes like that, how can I do anything less?" Getting her feet beneath her, Akeno stood with the natural grace of her species and bowed in return, keeping her head low. "I humbly apologize as well, Kai-san. I was overprotective and saw a threat where there was none. Forgive my rash actions."

Relaxing now that the tense situation had been mostly resolved, I nodded. "Easily done, there is no reason to hold a grudge." I would just be glad to have the whole complicated thing over and done with, although I knew it wouldn't really end until after Rias had recovered from the shock of almost killing me.

Issei beamed from where he was standing like a proud father watching over his squabbling children. Giving out a cheer, Issei thrust his fist into the air in excitement, as if he had completely forgotten that we were just about to kill each other. "Great! Now who's ready to go train like crazy and protect Rias from the fried-chicken jerk!"

Asia immediately pattered over to the enthusiastic brunette, taking shelter behind his wide body to block her line of sight from me. Koneko took longer, staring at me for several moments before turning and walking away without a word. Seriously, what was up with her? Kiba waited even longer, his sword still steady at the back of Kioko's neck, but he eventually pulled back the tip and caused the blade to dissipate before walking over to Issei, casting a suspicious look back at Kioko and I.

Akeno was the last one, watching each member of the peerage as they walked to the now-stuffed doorway before she too followed after them. The usually-teasing devil was uncharacteristically serious as she turned back to the two of us still remaining in the room, one hand on the doorknob. "Don't speak a word of what you discovered to anyone."

And with that foreboding comment, she closed the door behind her with a quiet click, a sharp contrast to Rias' frantic exit of minutes before. I knew exactly what she was talking about.

I could only guess, but it would probably be an enormous scandal if it was discovered that the heiress to one of the great devil pillars had been harassed by another heir to a devil house. It matched far too easily with what I had seen of Riser Phenex, treating his peerage like property was only a step away from treating his fiancé the same.

It was too late to do anything about what had happened in the past, but it certainly reaffirmed my desire to punch Riser Phenex straight in the mouth the next time I saw him. Stepping forward to go begin training again as well, I was halted after barely two steps by Kioko's firm hand to my chest. "Kioko-chan?"

Kioko was glaring up at me, hair still done up in the ponytail from earlier in the day, and pushing hard on my chest to keep me from advancing. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

I blinked, confused. "I was just going to train with the rest of the peerage. I can't just take it easy while they're all working their hardest to save Rias-san."

"Oh no you don't!" Kioko barked out, pushing harder, forcing me to take a step back. I took another step as she kept pushing, my foot impacting the edge of the sofa that I had just barely vacated, forcing me to lean back and shift my balance to keep from falling down onto it.

Kioko huffed and gave me another shove, this time with both hands, finally forcing me to sit down. Looking down at me with both hands folded onto her hips, my visibly angry girlfriend glowered down with clear frustration in her eyes. "And did you forget what we had been discussing before that trigger-happy queen burst in and interrupted us?"

No, I actually hadn't, but I had certainly been hoping that you had. "It's not that bad," I protested, holding up my left hand as proof. The swelling had already faded slightly and I was used to the pain by now, so it would barely slow me down while training. Sure push-ups might be a bit difficult, but there were plenty of other exercises or training activities I could do as well.

"That's not the point," Kioko argued back, not letting up a bit. "The problem is your constant use of magic even though it damages your body!"

"How is pain hurting me?"

Kioko facepalmed, but I could still see one baleful eye glaring back at me through a gap in her fingers. "Ignoring the complete idiocy of that statement, it's not just pain, as you call it. The aftershocks of your power rip apart the tissues of your body, then stitch it back together using the same power that broke it in the first place, leading to a loop of destruction and reconstruction."

That actually explained a lot about why it hurt so much. I folded my arms stubbornly. "It's fine though, what's wrong with it breaking so long as it heals up afterward?" Sure it sounded bad, but if the end result was a healed hand, what did it matter what happened in the meantime.

"This is why it's so hard to deal with you," Kioko muttered, finally letting her hand drop from her face, folding her arms instead. "I can see two problems right off the bat. One, your body wasn't meant to be used like that, and if you keep carrying on like you have been, you'll barely be able to use your hands or body at all in a year.

"And two, have you ever considered what would happen if you gave your 'spell' too much power?" She used air-quotes again, something that made me want to smile, but I held off since I was pretty sure Kioko would see that as taking the topic lightly. Kioko moved on, not waiting for an answer. "You could destroy your body, or at least a part of it, so badly that you wouldn't be able to be healed at all."

Kioko gave me a flat look, clearly unimpressed with how seriously I was taking this. "Imagine this." And now I was having flashbacks to my conversation with Rias earlier. "You use your spell and give it a bit too much magic. Your arm explodes in a burst of fire and blood."

Startled by the blunt statement, I reflexively grabbed my left arm, as if checking to make sure it was still there. My girlfriend nodded, looking smug that I was finally getting the picture. "There you have it. Hopefully now you get why overusing your ability like a brand new toy is a bad idea."

I did, but I also made a mental note to keep practicing when I could. If I could control it to the point where I could get a burst of strength but didn't hurt myself, then I could keep using it without any negative repercussions at all, right?

Kioko stared intensely at my face, as if looking for a sign of guilt, before nodding decisively. "So I expect to not hear about any more of this destructive habit after this." Finally relaxing from her stern persona, Kioko slumped down on the seat next to me, resting her head on the top of the cushioned headrest and cozied up closer to my side.

"I really do worry about you," she murmured quietly. "And I can't bear the thought of you hurting yourself or not being able to keep doing what you love by the time we're old enough to be married."

I knew what she meant, and carefully put an arm around her shoulders, not saying anything just yet. I cast a quick glance at the door, but switched my attention back to Kioko, settling deeper into the soft couch cushion. Training could wait a bit longer. Taking care of my girlfriend came first.

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

Later the same day, after yet another lunch of curry due to Issei's culinary passion, we were all seated in the same parlor that had almost become a battlefield for another magic lesson. Settling into what was starting to be my regular seat in the corner of a couch with Kioko by my side, I noticed a few things that had changed from the last times I had been in the room.

First, that nothing seemed to be out of place. I didn't know if someone had come back in and cleaned it up or if magic was used, but it was like the fight had never happened. Relatively speaking, that meant that the couch I was now sitting on had been moved back to where it was before I was thrown into it. But it was still a little disappointing that the event had just been cleaned up and smoothed over like it never happened.

Second and more importantly, Rias wasn't in attendance. The rest of the peerage was gathered around on the various pieces of furniture, but Rias' long red hair was nowhere to be found. Akeno had told me just before the gathering that Rias hadn't come out or spoken to anyone since she had locked herself in previously. The glare that accompanied her words clearly said that the black-haired devil held me personally accountable.

Normally Rias would be teaching tonight, but due to her absence Akeno had proposed that Asia teach us about some of the holy artifacts and weapons that exorcists used against devils. It wasn't really useful while preparing for a rating game against other devils, but it wasn't a bad lesson on short notice. Asia even had managed to get a bible and a small vial of water from somewhere.

"Holy water can be created by a blessing from either a bishop or a priest," Asia said, sounding more confident than she usually did. She still didn't look in my direction though, her eyes flitting rapidly between Akeno and Issei as if she didn't know which way to speak. "Because it has been blessed by God it is extremely harmful to devils, feeling like acid if a devil touches it."

…That was a suspiciously specific description. As if to verify my guess, Asia's shoulders dropped low, her face suddenly growing despondent. "Which means I can't use it to cleanse myself anymore."

She tried it, didn't she. I just hope she didn't get hurt too badly. Akeno seemed preoccupied and didn't comment, but Issei called out encouragement from the sidelines, which seemed to cheer Asia up considerably. Kiba and Koneko were silent, but that was nothing new for them.

Asia forged ahead with a burst of confidence, bolstered by Issei's support. Honestly, they were such a cute couple. "The Holy Bible is another artifact used by exorcists. The verses within it are divine symbols, and so cause harm to any devil that hears or reads them." Was it the words inside the bible then, or the act of reading from a bible? It wasn't important enough to disturb Asia when she was doing so well though, so I kept quiet and let her carry on.

Asia mentioned a few other things, like how hearing the name of God —we all got a headache as she accidentally said it— would hurt a devil and that if a devil tried to pray they would gain a headache. It honestly seemed finicky, like bunch of rules copy-pasted together to form a rulebook. Why did saying God's name hurt each devil that heard it, but praying would only hurt the devil who attempted the action?

And that was where Asia stopped. The silence hung uncomfortably in the air for a time, Akeno still too distracted to pick up the slack left behind in time. Which was fine by me since I wanted to say something myself. "Wait, that's it?"

Asia blushed, embarrassed, but nodded, her gaze affixed on the floor. "Y-Yes, any holy energy harms devils, since it's against their nature. Those… those are the main things with that bring holy energy from heaven."

Sighing, I carefully levered Kioko away from where she had been pressed into my side, silent up to this point. I'd half-suspected she was asleep, but she seemed to be looking at me with curious eyes, wide awake. Standing up from the couch, I took a moment to stretch before stepping forward and gently shooing Asia out of the middle of the circle of furniture and over towards Issei.

"Ara ara, M-kun," Akeno began, finally paying enough attention to actually comment on something. "So rough, pushing a young girl like that. Don't you have any patience?" Issei seemed to agree with her judging by the glare he shot me as he scooted over on his own sofa, making room for Asia. Koneko nodded once as well, before returning to her back of assorted snacks she'd brought along.

I raked a hand through my hair, brushing the slightly too-long strands out of my vision. "I honestly mean no offense to you Asia, that was a very good primer of what to avoid as devils." The nun nodded, but she was also attempting to glue herself to Issei's side so I wasn't entirely convinced that she had forgiven me that easily.

"I just wanted to mention something to ensure we don't forget." I raised a finger up in the air, a bland look on my face. "Who here has been stabbed by a light sword, shot by a light gun, or impaled by a light spear."

Akeno looked surprised, but hers was one of the first hands raised. Issei was next, his hand shooting into the air, shortly followed by Asia's more hesitant arm, only half raised. When had she been harmed by light energy? My jaw clenched as I thought about the young girl being injured either in Italy or while in the company of the fallen angels. Koneko cocked one eyebrow, but her hand lazily rose as well.

In the end, the only people who didn't raise their hands were Kioko, who hadn't ever faced fallen angels or exorcists, and Kiba, who I assumed used the speed of his knight piece to avoid the attacks.

"Right," I drawled sardonically. "I think I'd like to hear a bit more about those, if you don't mind. I've been hurt far more by direct injection of holy energy than by the occasional headache, as annoying as they may be."

Akeno was giggling before I even finished speaking, either my words or my attitude amusing her for whatever reason. I don't think I'll ever understand her. "Fufufu, it seems like we've overlooked something after all. I do suppose we should discuss the topic."

Glancing at Asia, I noticed she had uncurled more from Issei's side, sitting slightly farther away now, although she still had a loose grip on the boy's sleeve. Turning around to go sit back down at my own seat, I froze as my devil instincts warned me of danger behind me.

"Fufu, well if you're so passionate about the topic, M-kun, would you please tell us what you know about the 'direct injection' of holy energy."

Forcing my expression into a smile, I turned back around to Akeno. "Of course! I would be glad to!" If this would finally clear Akeno's ire than it would be worth it. Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep breath and tried to think about how to go about this.

I really knew nothing about light swords or light guns, and probably even less about the light spears that the fallen used. I wouldn't be able to give any kind of advice, all I would be able to do is share my own experience.

First, start off with a joke. That's what all public speakers do. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Kai Kado, and I'll be your teacher and source of entertainment for the moment." That did get a chuckle from a few people so I assumed I was doing fine so far.

Resisting the urge to scratch the back of my head, I gathered my thoughts. "Okay… well the first thing I should tell you is that light guns don't shoot holy energy shaped like bullets, they shoot bullets made from holy energy."

The phrase hung in the air for a moment before Issei raised a hand, using the other one to hold his head. "Wait, what? That makes no sense! Didn't you just say the same thing twice." Turning my head, I could see Koneko nodding again while Akeno started giggling again.

Running what I just said back through my mind again, I cringed. "That was a really bad way to describe it, sorry." I took a second to think of a better way to explain it. "What I mean is that it's made of holy energy, which really hurts devils." Burns like lava in my veins actually, but I'd get to that in a second. "But it's still a bullet, so even if they shot a normal human with it, they'd still be dead."

Asia bent over holding her stomach and I suddenly realized that probably wasn't the best way to get the concept across either. Even Akeno had stopped laughing, probably putting the clues together about as well as I had. Kiba's usual face of bland interest was gone, replaced by something dark and cold. Exorcists didn't just hunt devils, they hunted other threats to the church as well. Heretics.

Clearing my throat, I moved on in an effort to get away from the clearly uncomfortable topic. "I assume that light swords work the same way, and exorcists probably carry both on them at all times, judging from what Issei reported of the exorcist that attacked him." Now it was Issei's turn to grab his thigh with a pained look on his face. Way to go, Kado. Just bring up everyone's traumas, why don't you.

"So!" I said, just a bit too loudly, bringing my temporary students attention back to me. "I suppose that brings us to the last weapon I mentioned. The fallen angel's light spear." My thoughts sped ahead, planning what I was going to say next even as I said something completely different.

"Fallen angels were once angels but were exiled from heaven for committing a sufficiently great sin. Even though they have lost their connection to heaven, they still retain the ability to use holy energy to create weapons, usually taking the form of spears." Way to explain something they already know, Kado. Why not tell them their names while you're at it?

"They are created out of the same holy energy as the light bullets and the blades of light swords, so they'll do physical damage just fine." I had stopped paying attention to the various reactions I was getting around the circle now, just trying to concentrate on getting through the "lesson" and quit bringing up painful topics.

"Getting stabbed by holy energy feels like…" I fished around for a description before latching onto one that sounded about right. "It's like you're being invaded or infected. You can feel the light energy cutting into you, burning like magma. It's like if I lit just my blood on fire, and then felt the flames spread through my body.

"The feeling really only spreads for a few feet, but when I got shot in the ankle all I could feel until about my knee was pain. Good news is that it doesn't really get worse from there, so I barely even noticed I had a hole in my foot-"

Asia doubled over and threw up onto the carpet beneath her, the dinner she had consumed just before re-emerging due to nausea.

She stayed there, panting, shaking like a leaf for a few seconds. Then there was a flurry of motion, Issei panicking and picking up Asia to carry her somewhere else, Akeno supporting the small girl's other side.

I'd moved forward as well, hoping I could do something to assist, but Asia tensed up as I drew closer, jerking back and away from me and I was immediately waved away. Kiba opened the door, already in place due to his speed, while Koneko escorted the entire group out of the room from behind, closing the door solidly after they passed through.

Which left me and Kioko alone in a room with a pile of vomit. I put my face into my heads and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms for a second before I raised my head back up, pushing aside the shame and guilt of being discarded as useless once again.

I sighed, turning to look at Kioko, who was still sitting on the couch, although now she had a pitying look on her face while looking at the door. "I wish Asia had told someone she wasn't feeling well," I said. "We wouldn't have made her teach us if we'd known she was sick." Really, that was just like her though. She probably thought she would be letting us down if she'd said anything.

Kioko's head swiveled to look at mine, eyes wide before she blinked, sighing as her shoulders slumped slightly. "Honestly, Kado-kun."

"What? What did I say?"

Kioko walked over to me and gently hugged me, turning her head so her right ear was just above my heart. I folded my arms around her in return, basking in her warmth and comfort.

"You never told me you were attacked by a fallen angel."

And just like that the spell was broken. Kioko's embrace felt like a delicate vice, and my hands recoiled from her back before hanging limply by my sides. I had completely forgotten that I never told her, not wanting her to worry.

"Yeah, I did." I said simply. I wanted to be closer to her, right? I'd told myself I wouldn't keep lying to her, wouldn't keep trying to protect her when she was the one protecting me. It was time I proved that I meant what I'd said.

Slowly pulling away, my hand found Kioko's own soft one and led her over to the couch, lightly tugging her to sit beside me. Taking a deep breath to center myself, I looked up directly into Kioko's eyes. They didn't judge, didn't blame. They just accepted.

"It all happened when we shadowed Issei and Asia, the time when I let Issei beat me at all the arcade games." Honesty, Kado. Honesty. "No, when he thoroughly defeated me in every game."

Kioko rolled her eyes as if to say that she'd already known it, but her hand squeezed my own for a brief moment, and I knew she understood.

"When Issei and Asia went off to talk by themselves, you started acting weird. You stood up and started to…"

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

"…So I left some money on the counter and ran out of the store, trying to find you as fast as I could." It was almost an hour later when I wrapped up, feeling lighter than air that I'd finally gotten that off my chest. It wasn't like I'd really been trying to hide it, but it was more of a floaty feeling that I'd come clean to Kioko and she didn't hate me for it.

We sat there in silence for a moment, the room still dimly lit by the light of the lamps on the walls. Opening my mouth to thank Kioko for listening, I was interrupted by the door opening and a disheveled head of red hair poking into the room.

Rias' eyes were red and had dark bags beneath them, even though she hadn't missed any sleep in the half-day she'd been locked away in her room. She visibly flinched when she saw me, but didn't back out, instead coming farther into the room and folding her hands in front of her.

I waited, not saying a word. Maybe it was slightly spiteful, but I'd already had a day of being pushed around by the peerage for something that wasn't my fault and I wanted to hear Rias apologize first.

Rias didn't disappoint, bowing her head low, something that must have been completely foreign to someone brought up in a noble family like Rias. "Kai-san, I have no excuse for my behavior, and I am truly remorseful for-"

"Rias, forget the prepared speech." Cutting her off, I wagged a finger in admonishment. I don't know how long she spent locked away hating herself for a mistake, but there was no need to drag this out any longer than needed. Rias never had to worry about prettying things up so I'd accept them. "All I'm looking for is two words, Rias."

The rumpled hair shifted as Rias straightened, looking at me with annoyance and something calculating. I made eye contact and held the stare, an easy smile on my face.

Rias broke first, looking away and using one hand to further rustle her strands of red hair while the other absently smoothed her school uniform. "I'm… sorry." The words were halting, and Rias couldn't look me in the eyes when she said them, but I could tell she was sincere.

I leaned back, linking my arms behind my head and taking a relaxed pose. "Then you're forgiven. That's all there is to it. You didn't intentionally hurt me, and you felt remorse about the mistake, so there's nothing to worry about."

Rias slowly nodded, but I could tell she didn't fully believe me. Slow steps bringing her closer, the messy hairess (heh) sat down on a chair across from where Kioko and I were seated, looking down at her hands and not saying a word.

We stayed there in a silence that wasn't comfortable but wasn't tense for several minutes, before I levered myself off the couch, extending and hand to Kioko to help her rise as well. "I suppose we'd better be getting some sleep now, another day of training tomorrow after all."

Rias minutely flinched at my words, drawing back into herself further but still not saying anything. Internally sighing, I walked past her seated form, giving her a pat on the shoulder as I left. I'd already said everything I needed to, it would be up to Rias whether she believed me or not.

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End AN: And done! Thanks and congratulations who actually stuck through all of that. Bonus points if you read this chapter all in one sitting.

1: Weird things are happening to Kado and that's not normal.

2: There was an entire 2.5k scene I wrote about how exactly Akeno "retired" from teaching Kado, but lets just say that it wasn't her own idea.

3: Rias' backstory is changed slightly, giving her another reason why she wants to be as far away from Riser as physically possible. Her canon reason, that he just saw her as the Gremory heir and not as herself was perfectly fine, but as I was writing this and the last chapter, it just made too much sense not to add in. Gives Rias more reason to flee to Earth, as well, which fit in nicely.

4: The peerage is slightly polarized against Kado now, not enough that it'll affect their battles, but they'll think back on this in the future, a time when they chose between the peerage and Kado and they chose the peerage.

That's it for now since I'm short on time and late already, but I hope to see you all next week for the actual rating game! (Which is only one chapter as of yet in contrast to the 22k words the training camp took.)