Dinner was always good, always nourishing, but tonight's meal had an extra kick to it, so tasty and delicious that Issei rushed through his food, beaming through every bite.

"What's gotten into you?" Issei's dad asked.

He swallowed, grinning. "I've got a date! It's this Sunday."

His dad adjusted his glasses, peering at him with clear sight. "As I live and breathe."

"That's wonderful news!" Issei's mom said, smiling just as widely as he was. "What's her name?"

"Her name's Rei. She studies history."

And she actually said yes.

"What year is she in?" his dad asked.

"I dunno, I didn't ask. But she's smart. Really smart."

If Issei had his phone with him, he would've shown his parents a picture of Rei. One of the tamer ones, anyway. Earlier this afternoon, Rei sent him a risqué photo in her halter top and miniskirt, holding her canary yellow jacket behind her back as she struck a pose. Even though she didn't flash anything naughty, it felt like she wasn't wearing any clothes at all, the way she gazed at the camera with her bedroom eyes.

"Do you hear that, Miki? Our son's about to date a girl. And she's going to university."

There was a warmth in his dad's words, pride that sent a thrill through Issei's body. Finally. The door knocked, loud, clear.

"Go and get the door, Issei," his mom said, definitely not in the mood to hear a no. Or sass. "Then you call tell us all about this Rei."

When she put it that way... Issei went over, pulled it open. His heart dropped into his stomach.

Koneko was on his doorstep.

"Yo," she said.

"... Hi," he said, blinking, barely believing that Koneko was right in front of him. Her hair was a bit longer, but otherwise, she was the same old Koneko. His friend.

"Don't talk to me."

Never mind.

"I want to talk to you."

Her golden eyes were blank, devoid of any emotion. It made him frown.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

She frowned, too. "You broke your promise."

"I never promised –" Issei cut himself off. He wasn't going to dig his own grave. "Look, I'm sorry about that. Believe it or not, I stopped spying."

Her throat hitched. "I know."

"How? You –"

"What's taking so long?" Issei's dad asked. He joined him at the door and smiled. "Ah, Koneko. It's been a while."

"Good afternoon, Goro," Koneko said. "I apologize for not visiting."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that. You must've been busy."

Koneko stared at her shoes, silvery hair falling over her eyes. Wasn't like she'd show anyone how she was feeling.

"Yeah."

"Well, come on in, then."

She looked up. His dad was still smiling, and frankly, he probably would've accepted her even if he knew the full story.

"Thank you," she whispered, making eye contact with Issei. She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to.

"Door's open," he said.

Her mouth opened. She was about to speak, until she didn't.

Issei's stomach was doing backflips as Koneko entered his home, and he couldn't stop them even if he tried. Why was she here, to apologize? To give him back the manga he loaned her? He didn't have a clue.

If his dad disapproved of Issei keeping his distance, he didn't mention it, as he kept Koneko occupied until they reached the kitchen, where his mother was busy watching the dishwasher.

"Look who decided to show up," Issei's dad said.

His mom's eyes flew wide, but as her surprise went away, a frown replaced it. "It's you."

"Good afternoon, Miki," Koneko replied. Hesitation laced her voice, so utterly alien that it brought forth an awkward tension that throttled the air in the kitchen.

"What's the matter?" his dad asked. "I thought you'd be over the moon to see Koneko."

His mom's frown deepened. "She broke Issei's heart."

Issei flushed from two parts embarrassment, three parts shame and a dollop of panic, while Koneko was stunned, looking at him with a frightened gaze.

"Is that true, son?"

His dad wore a neutral expression, like he wanted to believe his mom but needed evidence. He had no choice but to talk, now that the cat was out of the bag. Why couldn't his mom keep her mouth shut?

"Yeah, it's true," Issei replied, voice flat. "This is the first time we've spoken in over a week. I, uh, spied – peeped, I mean – on Koneko by accident, but I didn't know she was there. I apologized and I meant it, I really did, but she said she didn't want anything to do with me."

A beat tapped against Issei's skull.

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Goro!" his mom shouted. "Show some sympathy! We welcomed Koneko into our home, treated her like our honoured guest, but she still chose to cut ties with our son the second he failed to meet her standards!"

Issei didn't dare try to gauge Koneko's reaction. His mom somehow managed to put two and two together, and now, she was pissed on his behalf.

"It's fine, Mom," Issei said. "I shouldn't have been surprised. I just couldn't help myself."

"The heart doesn't care about logic or time, Issei," his dad replied. A regretful frown had crossed his face. "If you felt heartbroken, who am I to say you weren't?"

The heart truly was a strange thing, if someone who wasn't even his girlfriend could break it.

"Excuse me," Koneko said, almost whispering. "I have something to say."

"I hope you're ready to apologize," his mom said.

Koneko made eye contact with him, and this time, he saw her golden eyes unrestrained, tears about to flow freely. "I'm sorry, Issei. I didn't mean to abandon you. I was being stupid."

"You're not stupid," Issei said, on reflex. "I let you down. I let myself down."

"But –" She sniffled; she was starting to get choked up. "Your mom's right. I hated what you did, and I didn't care how you'd feel if I cut you off. I shouldn't have left you alone, I should've helped you. But I didn't."

Issei's breath came out in a shudder, and he was forced to blink the moisture away. This was getting heavy. Too heavy for him to bear.

"If it wasn't for you, I would still be spying all over Kuoh. You helped me plenty, Koneko."

Koneko swallowed, thickly. She began to wipe her eyes with her palm, barely making headway until his dad handed her a wad of tissues. She only needed two to clean her face, make it pristine.

"You okay?" Issei asked.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" she asked, still choked up.

"You apologized." Issei smiled, and he was surprised at how easily it emerged. "Besides, how I can stay mad at you? I just wanted a chance to make things right."

"Thank you. You're too kind."

In the end, that was all he needed. Part of him wanted to be mad at her, just so his suffering would have meaning... but after seeing her cry? There was no way her apology wasn't the genuine article.

"You should count yourself lucky, Koneko," his mom said, eyes rimmed red. "It's not every day you get a second chance."

"I won't take it for granted. If there's anything I can do –"

"Don't let your anger make decisions for you," his dad said. His lips quirked into a half-smile. "You're still young. If you never make mistakes, how will you grow?"

Koneko nodded. Something in her demeanour had changed, but he wasn't sure what.

"Is it all right if I talk to Issei in private?"

Both of his parents looked at him for answers. Well, he didn't object whatsoever, so they gave him some privacy. Koneko watched them go, guilt suffusing her features.

Neither of them spoke, as if they were waiting for someone to break the ice.

"Well, that just happened," Issei said. "Didn't expect that."

"Neither did I." Koneko's hand slipped behind her back. A second later, she revealed his copy of Dragon Ball. "Here."

"How'd you do that?" he asked. She definitely wasn't holding it.

"Magic."

Issei blinked. "Oh, right. How far did you get?"

"Just finished Volume 6. I loaned it from another client of mine. It's great."

He smiled. "See? I knew you'd like it. I'm about halfway done with Kamen Rider Black. It's so cool."

A smile broke through, and it looked good on her. "Totally. We should watch it together."

His heartbeat started to race. Man, he almost forgot... "Our deal's still on?"

"I never cancelled it."

"Hell yeah. Now that's what I'm talking about."

It was such a relief and a pleasant surprise that they could pick up where they left off. Now that Koneko was back in his life and he was on the verge of going out with Rei, the sky was the limit for him.

"Oh, yeah, guess what?"

"What?"

"I've got a date on Sunday. I met this girl on Monday, and we hit it off. She gets me, you know?"

Koneko frowned. "I know about your date. I've been keeping tabs on you."

"Huh? Why?"

She sighed, the type of sigh that signified a release of tension, the steadying of wound nerves. "Let's go to your room. I need to say this in private."

Just like that, Koneko led him to his room, away from his parents' eavesdropping ears, and made sure he kept his door shut. Good thing he invested in a lock.

"Your friend is a fallen angel," Koneko said.

A fallen... what? Issei laughed, not mockingly but just... this was crazy. Rei, an angel.

"Of course she's an angel," Issei said. "She's gorgeous."

Koneko didn't laugh.

"You're... you're not kidding."

"Nope."

Rei. An angel. Koneko sounded more serious than she'd ever sounded, and she wouldn't joke about an accusation like this.

"Why does it matter if she's an angel? Is it because you're a devil?"

She frowned, and it was on the verge of becoming a scowl. "She's after you, not me. You're not a ordinary human, Issei. You have a special power lying dormant within you, a Sacred Gear."

Issei looked down at his stomach, peered at his hands. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then again, she did say her power hadn't activated, whatever it was.

"Are you sure about this?" Issei asked. "I mean, why me?"

"When I have ever lied to you?"

Never.

"Exactly," Koneko said, taking his silence as agreement. "Be careful, Issei. I don't know what this fallen angel's plans are, but she's bad news."

Issei rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I'm not saying you're wrong, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. Like, how would she know about this special power of mine? For all I know, you could just be jealous that this angel moved in while you were gone."

Koneko rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. If she was an angel, I wouldn't be worried about you."

He chuckled. That spicy blend of caustic honesty and genuine concern was classic Koneko.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," he said.

As he set his newly returned manga back in his collection, a lightbulb switched on in his head.

"You know, I just realized something."

"What?"

He faced Koneko, holding back a mighty grin. "I spied on you, you spied on me. Now we're even."

Koneko stared at him like he'd told her that pigs could fly. It didn't faze him one bit.

"I'm not wrong, am I?"

She clutched her forehead, sighing roughly. "You idiot."

... but she couldn't hide her smile.

According to Koneko and what he could find at the local library, fallen angels were angels who had been banished from Heaven due to falling prey to some kind of vice and breaking God's laws in the process.

Rei didn't seem like a fallen angel at first, second or third glance. She could've been hiding her wings. About the only giveaway was her insight into humanity, but that wasn't enough to say that she wasn't human at all.

"Something on your mind?" Rei asked. They were waiting to cross the street, on their way to their next destination.

Issei smiled. "Just thinking. Heaven must be missing an angel, because you're here on a date with me."

Rei smirked. "Aww, you're sweet." She grabbed his hand, interlaced her fingers between his. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Not really," he said, off-hand because he was actually holding hands with a girl. "Your palm's super smooth."

"Isn't it the smoothest palm you've ever felt?"

"Yep. The softest, too."

Rei giggled.

So far, their date had gone pretty well. They ate lunch at a diner. He bought this pink bracelet for her that she currently sported on her wrist. She picked out some neat clothes for him. Simple, maybe, but he wasn't made of money and this was the first date he'd ever been on. Besides, they were having fun, which was what really mattered.

The eye candy didn't hurt, either. Rei went with a modest outfit today, wearing a lavender button-up blouse over a black dress that cut off mid-thigh. No stockings, though – and now he was imagining Rei strutting around in a miniskirt and stockings, owning the zettai ryouiki.

Absolute territory. In other words, more angel talk. Koneko dropped a real bombshell on him yesterday, and thanks to her, he couldn't get it out of his head. He couldn't blow off this date even if he wanted to – he didn't – and if Koneko was right, he was shit out of luck.

How was he supposed to be careful? Did he even have anything to worry about? It probably wouldn't hurt to put his fears to rest.

"Hey, Rei, what do you think about supernatural stuff?"

Her mouth formed a cute little 'o'. "You mean like monsters and ghouls?"

"Well, yeah. Angels and devils, too."

"I think it's pretty neat," she said. "The human imagination sure is vast."

"So you don't think they're real?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Issei's head whipped to face Rei's, so fast that his neck strained itself from the whiplash. "Huh?"

There was an edge to her smile, one that bled into her violet eyes. She held his gaze as his heart beat a mile a minute and his palms grew clammy. But then she laughed, all wind chimes and mischief.

"It's a joke," she said. "Relax, Issei, I'm not going to hurt you."

"You promise?" he asked, immediately regretting it. That wasn't remotely manly.

"I promise."

What a relief. She was the same old Rei he'd come to know and really appreciate, sweet, sensitive, sexy Rei.

Issei rubbed his palms dry against his pants. She hadn't seemed to mind it, but it was better if he covered his bases. Too bad his trousers were paying the price, they were the best pants he had. Same went for his gray jacket and black collared shirt. It looked nice, and Rei thought so, too... but he had a long way to go before he could call himself stylish.

"Ready?"

Issei took hold of Rei's hand. "I'm ready."

Their date began to wind down after a while as they spoke about topics that wouldn't give him a heart attack. Their last stop was a huge water fountain inside a nice park. It sparkled when the sun's rays or the moonlight touched it. No one else was with them, which made it perfect for a young couple eager for some privacy on a sunset stroll.

"I had a lot of fun today," Rei said. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

Issei smiled, cheeks heating up. "This was the best date ever. I don't want it to end."

Suddenly, Rei let go of him and ran to the head of the fountain, looking so cute with that bright smile on her face.

"Since our first date went so well, there's something I want you to do for me, to commemorate this special occasion."

Did this mean... he was going to get lucky?

"Anything," Issei said. "Anything at all."

Rei was right in front of him, leaning forward in a bow.

"Would you give me a kiss?"

She was staring at him with those bedroom eyes, hungry, wanting.

"Yeah. Of course."

He took in a deep breath. She was waiting, lips puckered up, no lipstick in sight. That was fine. Man, how was he supposed to do this, just kiss her?

Issei closed the gap and pressed his lips against hers. It was wet. Her eyes were still open, for some reason. Maybe if he started moving his lips? Yeah, like in the movies. She tilted her head a bit, opening her mouth wider, letting him taste more of her mouth. Rei tasted like cherries, and he was so glad he brushed his teeth twice before coming out.

Kissing felt really nice. It was making him light-headed. Air, he needed air. He shot back, taking lungfuls of fresh air, coughing and hacking.

"Sorry," he said.

Rei touched her lips with a pair of fingers.

"Was that your first kiss?"

Issei nodded, before standing straight. "Um, yeah, it was."

"I thought so."

It was Rei's turn to move in. She was still smiling. Hopefully, he didn't screw up too badly. Wait a second, why was he hoping for anything? Hope didn't do jack, he did, by putting himself out there.

"I'll just have to teach you how to do it right."

Rei captured his lips, showing him how to move his mouth properly, how to lean back and breathe without ruining the moment. She grabbed his waist and held him, snugly. That was when she started using her tongue, too, and it was divine. He didn't know how long it lasted, because it felt like forever.

By the time she stopped kissing him, he was tingling all over, breathless without being desperate for oxygen.

"Wow," Issei said.

"You liked it?"

"Uh huh."

Rei put a hand on his cheek, and it was still so smooth the way it didn't have any bumps or calluses or scars, so soft even as his face burned like a raging volcano. Her violet eyes were shining, alight with lust and affection in equal measure.

"You're so cute, Issei."

"I am?"

"You're adorable. My kind of guy. If this is what dating you is like, we have to do it again."

Issei beamed. "Any time."

Rei patted his cheek before removing her hand. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

So caught up in his arousal, Issei barely noticed that Rei's voice had become deeper, sultry rather than sweet.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Issei said. The sun had set, casting moonlight on them both. "Maybe next time. I'd love to introduce you to my parents."

"I'd love to meet them."

Issei couldn't stop smiling. Wow. This was amazing. To think, that he was worried over nothing.

Thank God everything went well.

Issei ran home, safe and sound. Unharmed. His date watched him leave, before sitting down on the edge of the fountain, crossing one leg over the other. She gazed at the trinket on her wrist, smiling to herself.

"Come on out," she said. Her voice was refined, carrying far.

Koneko flinched. How did she – no, it didn't matter. She had a job to do. Tightening her gloves, she left her hiding spot up in the trees and approached, coming to a stop one metre away from the fallen angel calling herself Rei.

"Did you enjoy the show?"

The fallen one hadn't even bothered to make eye contact. The bracelet was more important.

"Want my answer? Look at me when I'm talking to you."

She stared at her. There was a sly smile that crossed her face, but it couldn't disguise her naked contempt. "I have to thank you, little devil. I wouldn't have made it this far if you didn't let him slip between your fingers."

Koneko frowned, willing her eyes to be cold, dead. "He's your responsibility now."

"Oh? Abandoning him already?"

"No."

She took a step forward, then another, until she loomed over the fallen angel.

"If you hurt him, if you break his heart, I'll find you... and then I'll kill you."

A thrill of fear choked her. Momentary, smothered with expertise. She'd take it.

"I'd love to see you try," she said, holding on to her smile, her sneering disdain. "But you won't get a chance. I'll make sure to treat Issei better than you ever could."

Koneko scowled, wanting nothing more than to crush this evil bitch with her fists. She forced herself to calm down and stay her hand, knowing full well that there were consequences for stepping out of line. It was close, though, far too close for comfort.

"Don't flatter yourself," Koneko said. "You'll never get what you want."

"We'll see."

The fallen angel stood up, taller, possibly stronger, and took flight, leaving Koneko behind with a parting smirk. This wasn't the worst-case scenario, but it was pretty close. She shouldn't have cut ties, why did she have to be so damn stubborn?

It was Koneko's fault this happened, Koneko's fault that her warnings amounted to nothing. but that creature would never catch a whiff of her turmoil. Never.

Either way, Koneko had given the fallen angel her first and only warning. Her job was done. All she could do now was wait and see... and protect Issei every step of the way.