I apologize for the horrendous chapter last week. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this chapter more, although I do have to apologize beforehand because this chapter is a little short. Thank you to CrazySasori, who helped me even more this week. I really appreciate all of the help. This is the start of a new arc in the story, one that has not been covered by the anime yet. I've only read through Volume 3 so far, so I apologize if not everything is correct according to the light novels. I sincerely hope that you guys enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 6

"Get off of me! That's a legitimate credit card!" C.C. yelled as two policemen tried to handcuff her. As one was just about to handcuff her, C.C. quickly swung her head back, hitting him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground in agony. In response, the other policeman tackled her to the floor and secured her while his partner got back to his feet.

"Somehow I seriously doubt that you are 'Lelouch Lamperouge.'" The manager replied, checking the ID that C.C. had provided. Obviously, he could tell that the green haired girl that was being arrested looked nothing like the blond man whose picture was on the ID.

Gino quickly dialed Lelouch's number as C.C. was being led to a squad car by the policeman who was trying to stop his nosebleed. It took Lelouch two rings to pick up.

"Lelouch, get down to the jail in Tokyo. I think you'll want to see this." He said, snapping his phone shut. Remembering why he was standing in front of a Pizza Hut in the first place, he turned to Ravel.

"Sorry that today ended like this." Gino apologized.

"It's fine. Do you know that woman or something?" Ravel asked.

Gino nodded, "She used to work with Lelouch. I've never really talked to her before though."

"Watch out, this could be a weapon." A policeman said, carefully picking up Cheese-kun.

Lelouch's eyes widened as he took in the sight of C.C. in a jail cell. She was dressed once again in her old white outfit. He couldn't help but be reminded of the first time that they had met as he took in the sight of her sprawled out on the floor of the cell, staring at the ceiling.

As he approached the cell, golden eyes darted to his figure, "Hello, Lelouch."

"How do you recognize me?" Lelouch asked, surprised at her reaction.

C.C. pointed to her forehead.

"I can't be Geassed like everyone else, remember?" Lelouch was a little shocked at the comment. From what he had heard from Jeremiah and C.C. it definitely seemed like there was a connection between Devils and the Geass Order.

"Fair enough. So, how exactly did this happen?" Lelouch sighed, not believing his eyes.

C.C. lifted herself off of the ground, shifting to a seated position, "Well, I tried to give them an ID to pay for my pizza, but apparently, I don't look like a 'Lelouch Lamperouge,' so they attempted to arrest me for identity theft."

"Of course you don't look like me." Lelouch groaned, but C.C. completely ignored him.

"They were being a little rough so I might have punched out a few policemen, but other than that, nothing too serious."

Somehow, he wasn't surprised, "All right. I'll bail you out."

"So where do you live?" Lelouch asked as he finished filling out the paperwork to pay C.C.'s bail.

"Nowhere, I mostly wander Japan, looking for the best pizza." C.C. replied, collecting her Cheese-kun doll from the evidence department.

"Do you need somewhere to stay? I do own a castle."

"Hm." C.C. thought about it for a moment, "Does Pizza Hut deliver there?"

"I can't answer that. I've never tried."

C.C. didn't respond and the two merely began walking in silence, until C.C. decided to speak up.

"So, Lelouch, is it safe to assume that something happened to you after you died?" C.C. asked as Lelouch opened the door, exiting the police station.

"Yes, I was reincarnated as a Devil." Lelouch replied.

"All right, then I'll come with you." C.C. announced.

"Wait, you are?"

C.C. had a confused look, "You were the one who offered."

Lelouch smiled sheepishly, "Right, I did." He took them down an abandoned alley and began his incantation.

"Hm, I've seen better castles." C.C. observed as the light died down.

"If I want a larger castle, I'll have to move up in society." Lelouch replied, leading C.C. to his bedroom. As he opened the door, he saw a sleeping Raynare and tried to talk softly.

"Given that I only have one bed, I think you'll just have to share with Raynare and me."

"Oh, so are you trying to start a new harem?" C.C. asked, plopping herself onto the bed.

"What? No! I have a fiancé, it wouldn't be right." Lelouch said.

"Oh, you're engaged? I never thought that you were that kind of man."

They were interrupted by a knock on their door.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Rias." Came the reply.

"Rias? What does she want?" Lelouch said to himself as he opened his door to reveal his fiancé.

"Do you want to explain to me why you suddenly ran off earlier?" Rias asked in a demanding tone.

"Oh, about that." Lelouch began.

"He picked me up." C.C. said from over his shoulder.

"What did you say?"

"No! Rias, it's not like that!" Lelouch said hurriedly.

"It is like that." C.C. said in a monotone voice.

Lelouch quickly whipped around, "Why would you say that?"

"So Lelouch, do you want to tell me the truth?" Rias said suspiciously.

He sighed, there was no way to escape it.

"I made a contract with her to gain my power of Geass and she's been helping me ever since. Now she needs a place to stay, and I offered to let her stay here." Rias nodded slowly, accepting his explanation but still determined to keep an eye on C.C.

"Well then, I came to tell you some good news. I'm coming to stay with you!" Rias said happily.

"Wait, why?"

"Don't most engaged people live together?" Rais asked, pushing past Lelouch.

"I suppose. But isn't this a little sudden?" Lelouch replied as Rias began unbuttoning her top. Although he had seen Rias naked before, her lack of decency was still astounding sometimes.

"You know I can't sleep unless I'm naked." Rias replied, unhooking her bra, subtly trying to overshadow the other girls.

"Well, maybe this sleeping arrangement won't be that bad." Lelouch whispered to himself, appreciating the view.

"Lelouch! You have to get up!" Leluoch groaned as he heard his fiancé yell at him to get out of bed. Since their engagement was announced, Rias joined him, C.C. and Raynare in the castle. He had to regularly sit through fights, mostly between Raynare and Rias, although C.C. never missed a chance to cause trouble, even at school, where she had joined Lelouch's class.

He had to admit, sometimes it was hard to sleep with the tension between the girls, but it's not like he was expecting Raynare to take to Rias exceptionally well. At least C.C. wasn't really getting involved. Whenever Raynare and Rias were fighting, C.C. would just sit back and enjoy the show with a pepperoni pizza.

"Seriously! We're going to be late for school!" Rias yelled, tossing a pillow at Lelouch. Raynare nodded in agreement, pulling up her socks. C.C. was merely lying on the bed, already in her uniform, leafing through a Pizza Hut menu.

"It really is amazing that Pizza Hut delivers to the Underworld." She mused as Lelouch tried to cover his ears.

"Give me ten more minutes!" Lelouch yelled, using his emperor voice.

"Lelouch! Get up! As your knight, I'm not letting you be late to school!" Gino cried, appearing in the doorway of his room, along with Kallen, who stood back to watch. Lately, Lelouch had not had a chance to talk to her and she seemed to avoid talking to him at school. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying her best to avoid meeting him, although he couldn't imagine why.

The blond strode across the room and pulled the covers off of Lelouch. He really regretted teaching Gino how to use a magical circle. Now the blond could appear in his house any time.

After twenty minutes of struggling, Lelouch was sitting in his seat behind Rias.

"Lelouch, I'm letting you know that since the school's being cleaned right now, we're meeting at Issei's house." Rias whispered.

"Quiet in the back!" Jeremiah yelled. Since he had become Lelouch's rook, he decided to come teach at Kuoh Academy, after Lelouch's teacher mysteriously disappeared. Obviously, it was all a coincidence that she disappeared right as Jeremiah was looking for a job, but still, Lelouch couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Just follow me after school." Rias whispered again, Rias whispered again, just as Jeremiah took the chalk he was currently writing with and fired it into the wall behind Rias and Lelouch in anger. Lelouch and Rias both felt wind whip past their heads as the chalk embedded itself in the wall behind them, stunning the entire class, including the normally unflappable C.C., who was actually engrossed in the lecture. In fact, this class seemed to be the only one that C.C. wasn't currently failing, although she still had a tendency to answer "pizza" on tests.

"I'm not warning you again!" He said, before returning to his lecture about the reign of Lelouch vi Britannia, despite the fact that they were supposed to be learning math. In fact, the only subject Jeremiah seemed to teach was history about either Lelouch or Marianne vi Britannia.

Not that Lelouch cared in the slightest.

"Why are all of you guys following me?" Issei groaned as the entire Occult Research Club, along with Jeremiah, who had volunteered to be the club advisor and chaperone, followed him home.

"We're having the meeting at your house, don't you remember?" Rias asked.

"Wait what?" Issei asked, suddenly very nervous.

"Ara ara, does Issei have something to hide?" Akeno giggled.

"What? I don't have any porn!" Issei growled.

"No one ever said you did, buddy." Gino said with a smile on his face.

"Issei, am I not good enough for you?" Asia asked, clearly upset.

"No way! You're great!" Issei reassured.

"Pervert." Koneko said, shutting him up.

Lelouch merely watched in amusement. Honestly, he was intrigued to know what kind of environment Issei had grown up in to become so perverted. To Lelouch's surprise, Issei's house looked surprisingly normal from the outside.

"My oh my! What handsome young men and what pretty girls! Issei, you must have spent a fortune to convince them to come with you!" Issei's mother said, eliciting a giggle from Akeno and a laugh from Gino.

"I'm not paying them! They're my friends!" Issei growled back, prodding Gino and Kiba to wave politely.

"Well, since I've never thought that Issei would have normal friends, I have to say, I'm not sure what to do!"

Even Lelouch had to smile at that.

"Mom! What do you mean by that?" Issei asked.

"I'm going to get you some tea and then we can all look at Issei's baby pictures!" Ignoring him, the woman shuffled away, leaving an amused Occult Research Club and an annoyed Issei behind.

"By the way, do you guys have any pizza?" C.C. asked curiously.

"Well, I have to say. You don't look perverted at all in this picture!" Gino said, amused by Issei's younger appearance.

"Say, weren't we supposed to have a meeting?" Issei asked, annoyed and embarrassed that the meeting had become about looking over his photos.

Kiba didn't respond, too engrossed by a particular picture. Issei leaned over to see what had the blond so quiet.

"Oh yeah, this picture is of me with one of my old friends and his father. He carried around this cool European sword." Issei explained.

"Do you remember anything else about this boy or his father?" Kiba asked with a serious expression.

"Uh, not really. I was really young back then." Issei replied, not understanding Kiba's interest.

"I see."

"What's wrong?" Issei asked, concerned for his friend.

"This is a Holy Sword."

"Come on Issei!" Rias yelled as she smacked a line drive straight at Issei.

"Ah!" Issei had no time to do anything but to duck as the baseball flew over his head and into the outfield, where Gino easily made a diving catch.

The Occult Research Club was busy practicing for the Ball Tournament, where all of the clubs in the school had to compete in baseball, soccer, basketball, and tennis.

"There's no way to win the Ball Tournament if you keep diving every time a line drive comes at you!" Rias yelled before driving a soft grounder at Lelouch, who was busy playing second base. The black haired Devil scooped up the ball and made a weak toss to Koneko at first.

"Great job, Lelouch!" Rias said, drawing an annoyed look from Issei.

"Of course he does a good job when you don't hit anything hard at him!" Issei complained.

Rias merely responded with another hard line drive. As Issei ducked, he could see the ball flying straight at Kiba in left field. Fully expecting Kiba to catch the ball, Issei was caught off guard when the baseball smashed right into Kiba's face.

"Kiba!" Issei yelled out as the blond merely rubbed his cheek.

"Kiba, is something wrong?" Rias asked, concerned about her knight.

"I'm sorry, I've just been thinking a lot." Kiba replied, offering a smile, despite the bruise that was already starting to form. Gino grimaced. There definitely going to be some rumors about domestic abuse the next day at school.

On the other hand, Lelouch merely looked at Kiba oddly. The blond had been a little distant lately, to say the least. Something was clearly bothering him.

Rias sighed and picked up a baseball book, prompting Jeremiah to step in her place, as he was the team's unofficial coach.

"All right! Master Lelouch, get ready!" Jeremiah yelled as he picked up a bat.

"Wait what?" Lelouch managed before Jeremiah ripped a line drive right into his chest.

Still sore from being hit by a baseball yesterday, Lelouch walked into the clubroom only to find not only the Occult Research Club, but also the Student Council.

"Sona?" He asked, surprised to see the president, who politely waved in response. She and Rias had apparently been in the middle of a conversation, but they had stopped once Lelouch appeared.

"Hey, don't talk to our president like that!" A male voice rang out. Lelouch found that the voice belonged to some boy who he vaguely remembered as the newest member of the student council.

"Who exactly are you?" Lelouch asked, not that he really cared.

"I'm Saji Genshirou. I'm a second year and the president's pawn! I'm worth four pieces!" He said proudly.

"Is that supposed to impress me or something?" Lelouch asked, although inwardly, he was slightly intrigued. Saji could be a useful tool to beat Sona if he ever had to fight her.

"Why you!" Saji was quickly stopped by Sona.

"Saji, he's a king and the patriarch of the Murmur Clan. Don't underestimate him. Not to mention, none of his servants are worth less than five pieces." As she said that, Gino, Kallen, Jeremiah, and Raynare all stepped protectively in front of him.

"Yeah, don't underestimate the Occult Research Club." Issei added.

"While I can't do anything about what he does, I won't take that from the biggest pervert in school!" Saji snapped.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me!"

Lelouch groaned as the two began to glare daggers at each other, prompting to Sona to interrupt.

"Now then, I have some business to attend to." Sona continued, standing up, "Rias, I'm looking forward to the Ball Tournament."

Rais nodded in response, "As am I."

"Lelouch, get in the game!" Jeremiah yelled at the end of the bench, where Lelouch was sitting. The Occult Research Club was currently winning their basketball game against the Student Council in one of the final matches of the Ball Tournament. So far, neither team had lost an event, although they had tied in the tennis match.

"Wait, me?" Lelouch asked, not believing what he was hearing, although he really shouldn't have been surprised. It had been decided previously that Lelouch would be the eighth best choice to put in the game. After all, Akeno could not stay on the court without "accidentally" electrocuting someone, C.C. was too concerned with eating pizza to practice, Jeremiah was coaching, and Asia had no athletic skills to speak of.

"Yeah you. We're winning by ten points and there's ten seconds left. There's no way you could possibly lose the game for us by now." Jeremiah replied, dressed in a white polo shirt with black stripes and a pair of slacks, much like a professional coach.

There was a whistle and Issei came off of the court, leaving Lelouch with Gino, Rias, Kiba, and Koneko.

"All right Lelouch. I'm going to inbound the ball and you'll pass it right to Kiba, got it?" Gino asked, eliciting a nod from Lelouch. He stepped over to the sideline as the ref handed him the ball. As soon as it met his hands, Gino quickly inbounded it to Lelouch.

"Kiba!" Lelouch cried out as he quickly whipped the ball over to the blond haired knight.

Kiba didn't respond, getting hit in the face by Lelouch's pass.

"Gah!" Jeremiah screamed, throwing his clipboard on the ground as the Student Council raced to grab the ball. Luckily, the final horn blew, signaling the end of the game just before Jeremiah tossed a chair onto the court.

Kiba staggered back from the slap he had received from Rias.

"You know, we're lucky that we still won that game! What's wrong with you? Are you awake now?" Rias asked, clearly furious with her knight.

Even though the Occult Research Club had won the Ball tournament, Kiba had barely contributed. In every event, he was merely going through the motions with a distant look on his face.

"Rias, take a moment to calm down." Lelouch said, trying to soothe the crimson haired Devil. He turned to Kiba.

"I'm sure you have an explanation."

Kiba nodded slowly, "I've begun to remember the basic things."

"What basic things?"

"My reason for fighting." Kiba replied, "I'm living so I can destroy Excalibur and seek my revenge. Destroying that sword is my reason for living."

Wordlessly, he turned around and walked away, leaving behind a confused Occult Research Club.

"Man, I'm actually kind of worried about Kiba. I had no idea that all of that had happened to him." Issei told Asia as they walked home. After Kiba had ditched the rest of the group, Rias had gone ahead and explained the situation to Issei, revealing the truth about the Holy Sword Project.

Kiba had been artificially treated to adapt to the use of holy swords, but when he and the others who received the same treatment were not able to use Holy Swords, they were seen as failures and disposed of. Worst of all, it was the Church who had conducted the experiments and killed those who didn't have any use for them. Issei clenched his fists. Where did the Church get off denouncing the Devils when they themselves did evil things? He was starting to understand why Kiba wanted revenge so badly and why he hated priests so much.

To think that Kiba had been used as a guinea pig and then thrown aside when he had outlived his usefulness was incredible. Issei never had imagined that Kiba of all people could have gone through that. He always seemed so happy at school. Maybe everything he did at school was really all just an act.

Issei took his key and unlocked the door, pushing it open. As soon as he entered the house, he could feel danger radiating from the kitchen.

"Asia, stay behind." Issei said protectively, pushing her back. He slowly crept up to the doorway of the kitchen, where his mother was sitting at the table with two girls.

"Issei, welcome home! Is something wrong? You look a little pale." His mom asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Who is this?" Issei asked, pointing to a girl with chestnut hair.

"Issei, don't you recognize me?" The girl asked.

"Here Issei, this should jog your memory." His mother handed him a photograph. Issei's eyes widened as he looked it over. It was the same photo that Kiba was so interested in.

Lelouch cautiously took a seat on the couch opposite of the two guests in the clubroom. He felt uneasy looking at the blue haired girl and while the chestnut haired one seemed friendlier, he knew better than to think that she would be friendly to Devils.

"Recently, there have a string of thefts from the Catholic Church Headquarter Vatican, Protestant Church, and Eastern Orthodox Church." Irina began. Issei was staring at her in amazement. First off, he had no idea that his childhood friend was a girl, not to mention that she was heavily involved with the church.

"What was stolen?" Lelouch asked, keeping a close eye on the blue haired girl, Xenovia.

"The Excaliburs held by each of the respective churches." Irina responded.

"Wait, but how can Excalibur be stolen from three different places?" Issei asked, confused.

"The actual Excalibur doesn't actually exist anymore. It was broken and turned into seven different swords." Xenovia replied, unsheathing her sword.

"I hold Excalibur Destruction." She said as Issei shrank back from the feeling of dread he was getting just from looking at the blade. Meanwhile, Kiba merely looked on with a scowl on his face at the sight of the Holy Sword.

"And I hold Excalibur Mimic." Irina said, holding up a rope that transformed into a large blade.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but you still haven't explained to us why you're in this town specifically." Lelouch said as the two sheathed their swords.

"The Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox Church each posses two Excaliburs. One from each was stolen and the thief fled here." Xenovia replied.

"So who exactly stole them?" Rias asked, worried about the events transpiring in her territory.

"We know that the Grigori stole them."

"The Fallen Angels? Well, I guess that makes sense. After all, high ranking Devils don't have any use for Holy Swords anyways."

Xenovia nodded, "And we know that the main culprit was one of the leaders of the Grigori, Kokabiel."

Lelouch looked at her worriedly. If they were dealing with the leadership of the Fallen Angels, they would be in for a tough fight. He actually wasn't planning to deal with the Fallen Angels until he had become one of the Four Satans.

"Our request, no, our order is that you must not interfere with the upcoming fight." Xenovia continued.

Anger flashed through Rias' eyes as she heard those words.

"Do you think that we're working with the Fallen Angels or something?" Rias snapped, angry at that thought.

"Our superiors think that it is possible. If you have, we will not hesitate to kill all of you, even if you are the younger sister of the Crimson Satan." Xenovia replied without any fear.

"Then you must realize that we have ties to your superiors. I would never tarnish the Gremory name by working with Fallen Angels. Never." Rias said with conviction.

Xenovia's face seemed to lighten up at that, "Well, that's good to hear, although we won't form an alliance with you. That would upset the balance of power, and we both know that we can't have that."

"So, is it just the two of you?" Lelouch asked, relieved that they wouldn't be dragged into any altercations with the leader of the Grigori.

Irina nodded, prompting a worried look from Rias.

"Aren't you two being a little reckless? You two are going to die if you go alone."

"To accomplish our goals, it's fine to die. Our only orders were to get the Excaliburs out of the hands of the Fallen Angels. If we die doing that, so be it." Xenovia replied, once again with a serious look on her face, "Come Irina. I think it's time for us to take our leave."

As they stood up, both pairs of eyes turned to Asia.

"Ah, is it the Witch, Asia Argento?" Xenovia asked, "To think, that you became a Devil. Can you still believe in God?"

Asia could do nothing more than to stammer with her eyes pointed to the floor.

"Ummmm."

"Just look at her Xenovia. There's no way that a Devil can believe in God." Irina whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Issei clenched his fists. Even if he had been friends with her when he was younger, he would not stand idly by while his friends were mistreated.

"No, I'm sensitive to the people who have betrayed the teachings but still feel guilt due to their memory of the teachings. She definitely is one of these people."

"Really? You still believe in God even though you're a Devil?" Irina asked, astonished.

"I can't just forget it. I've believed in it for my whole life." Asia responded, eyes still glued to the floor.

"Then we should just kill you right now so you don't betray the teachings anymore." Xenovia said, getting ready to pull her sword out.

Issei had enough. He angrily stood in front of Asia with his arms spread out protectively. Lelouch watched on in heavy interest. There were times when he actually really admired the bravery that Issei had sometimes. For him to stand up to two wielders of Excaliburs was very impressive. Maybe Issei was more useful than he let on.

"Don't come any closer to her! You called her a witch right?"

Xenovia nodded, "That's what she is."

"How can you say that to her? She gave all of you her kindness and tried to help all of you, but in the end, not one of you ever tried to become her friend, even when she needed one!"

"The job of the Holy Maiden is not to have friends. The most important thing is the charity they provide to others. If all the Witch wanted was to have friends, then maybe she was never fit to be Holy Maiden."

Issei gritted his teeth, and was only able to keep himself from attacking the girl because of the looks that Lelouch and Rias were giving him.

"None of you can know what it was like for her! All you have done is selfishly turn her into a Holy Maiden and then turn your back on her just because she tried to help everyone she came across. You guys are all fucking heartless! I swear, if you ever try to harm Asia or talk down to her again, I don't care if you have a Holy Sword or not. I will kill you or die trying!" Issei growled.

"Is this some kind of declaration of war? I must say, I expected your servants to be better educated than this." Xenovia told Rias with a mildly amused look on her face.

"Issei, she's right." Rias began, but she was cut off by Kiba, who stepped in with fire in his eyes.

"This is excellent timing then. I'll be your opponent."

"Oh? And who exactly are you?"

"I'm your predecessor, although I would be classified as a failure." Kiba said, grinning for the first time in days.

As I mentioned before and as you've seen this week, my updates are going to slow down to about one a week until I get to Winter Break. Luckily, my workload's been pretty light this first week, so I thought that I would get this chapter out before the weekend. From what I gather, I think that Xenovia ends up becoming a part of Issei's harem in the light novels, so I want to let you guys decide. Should she be a part of Issei's harem or Lelouch's? As usual, feel free to PM or leave a review if you want to make any suggestions or leave your thoughts on this topic.