The Battle Never Ends

by Arthain

The Tyrant had surpassed death once before. This time wouldn't have been any different save for the determination of one young man and his desire to protect all that he cared for. But what should have been the end instead became a new beginning. A beginning somewhere else. A beginning where Night Raid was still needed.

4. Dance of the Fallen

Note on Incursio: Everyone keeps asking me if Tatsumi will have Incursio. I'm not ever going to say yes or no to this question because I want the story to tell it. What I will say is that a plain blade Murasame, Tatsumi's skill with the sword, and the art of assassination isn't going to amount for very much in the DxD Universe for very long. The power creep is very real as anyone familiar with the series is well aware of.

You're probably not going to guess what it is at this stage I have planned for Tatsumi but I know you won't be disappointed.

Chapter 3: Dance of the Fallen

"You were right, Tatsumi," Ieyasu said as he leaned sideways against the window. His gaze was directed outside into the yard where Issei was rushing onto the school yard mere moments before the gates were drawn closed.

"I'm always right," Tatsumi replied.

He wasn't sure if he was happy Issei was alive or not. No one deserved to die the way he had, but was he better off dead than alive? Tatsumi needed to speak with him to figure that one out.

Ieyasu let out a small, weak laugh. Tatsumi's friend had dark circles around his eyes and looked particularly exhausted this morning. He must not have gotten much sleep. "I'm not sure I'd go that far."

Just beside him was Sayo. "Tatsumi, have you… made any progress?" she asked hesitantly. She clutched at her arms anxiously, looking just as tired as Ieyasu did.

"It's only been a single night," Tatsumi pointed out. It was nice that his friends relied on him but that sort of expectation was just plain unrealistic. "But I have an idea."

Issei being alive made things easier in that regard. An assassin that had a target would not let up if they found that target still lived. They'd try again, a different night in a different way. Yuuma would come for Issei again. This time Tatsumi didn't intend to wait for Yuuma to strike the killing blow. He intended to do a little tailing after school to see if he could catch this Yuuma when she went in for the kill a second time.

Sayo touched his arm gently. Her eyes were wide and vulnerable, "please be careful Tatsumi. I don't want to lose a friend."

Neither did Tatsumi. He had lost Sayo and Ieyasu once before, he wasn't going to lose them a second time. "From what I've seen of this Yuuma, she's not much a threat to me," Tatsumi assured her.

Not so long as she was on the ground anyways. If she took to the air that might be a different matter. He'd need Bennia to deal with her then, which was why he intended to take her along with him.

"I don't know where all your confidence comes from, Tatsumi, but it's reassuring, that's for certain," Ieyasu said letting out another weak laugh. "Anyways, we should get to class before the President of the Stuck Up comes for us."

"President of the Stuck Up, is it?" Souna asked in a cold, emotionless voice.

All three of them jumped in surprise and whirled around. There was Souna Shitori, looking as beautiful as ever, staring at the three of them. Tatsumi swore she had some sort of strange technique that allowed her to sneak up on anyone at Kuoh Academy.

At her side was Tsubaki Shinra as usual, but more than that the entire student council trailed behind her giving Souna an even more commanding presence than Tatsumi was used to. It was like he was staring at a Commander, or even a King.

"His words, not mine," Tatsumi said quickly, pointing at Ieyasu. Sayo nodded her head vigorously in agreement. "I'd have said wonderful, personally." Sayo nodded her head again.

"Hey! Traitors!" Ieyasu cried out, aghast.

There was no change of expression. She simply adjusted her glasses and gave all three of them a stern look. "Thank you, even if I know you're lying," Souna said. "Ieyasu, you will serve ten hours detention over the next two weeks for verbal harassment. Tatsumi, I will see you at lunch for your continued punishment."

"Yes, Kaichou," Tatsumi and Ieyasu said together, neither wanting to make things worse.

"Good, and Sayo, don't let these two corrupt you," Souna said before she swept past them, her council in tow. "And the bell will be ringing shortly. I suggest you three get to class."

~o~

Click, Clack, Clack.

Tatsumi grumbled for what felt like the hundredth time as he stared down at the chess board. His white pieces were arrayed across the board in what, Tatsumi had to admit, was a rather haphazard formation. Only about half the pieces were actually guarded by other pieces. Souna, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Her black army of pieces marched forward with military precision, each one protecting another. While Tatsumi was taking a few of hers, she was inexorably consuming his entire force. Tatsumi doubted he'd last more than five turns before she placed him in checkmate.

Again.

Tatsumi hadn't really expected to do well against someone of Souna's obvious skill, but how effortlessly she beat him was kind of depressing. It'd been well over a week of this and he was still getting his ass ruthlessly handed to him every time he tried anything. At least he was getting a feel for how she played the game. She started very defensively, placing her pieces just right, and then marched across the board, destroying all opposition she came across.

She could at least show a little mercy, go easy on a newbie? No, that wasn't Souna. Tatsumi knew that. Once she set a goal for herself, she went for the victory mercilessly. It was something Tatsumi could appreciate if he wasn't on the receiving end of it. He was the same and the members of Night Raid had been similar.

"I spoke with my sister last night, Tatsumi," Souna said, throwing him a glance above the rim of her glasses. She moved one of her pawns forward.

"That's nice," Tatsumi said as he frowned at the pawn. He could take it with his, but would lose it the very next turn to one of hers. "She say anything meaningful?" Serafall was a bundle of childish energy, well most of the time anyways. Still, Souna wouldn't have brought it up unless it had something to do with him. Hopefully Serafall hadn't mentioned how he'd cried into her chest like a baby. "I'm assuming she said something about me."

Tatsumi decided to take her pawn with his, deciding it was better to go down fighting. As predicted Souna immediately took his pawn with her other. "She did, about how a devil attacked you the day you bought me this chess board," Souna said. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that ordeal."

Souna knew about devils? Well, he probably shouldn't be too surprised considering how powerful Serafall was. You didn't come to toss that much power around so effortlessly and not come into contact with that side of the world. Still, that made him a little sad. He'd hoped she'd unaware of the darkness that lurked at the fringes of society. Guess she wasn't quite as innocent as he once thought she was. There was no way she would be if she knew.

It did make Tatsumi a little curious as to how Serafall became so powerful and if her sister wielded the same amount. He was no stranger to super powered individuals. Esdeath had been powerful enough to wipe out a large country and Shikoutazer could level cities with a single blast. Then there had been his own Teigu, Incursio, crafted from the flesh of the Tyrant and capable of adapting and evolving to every situation it found itself in.

It even managed to reincarnate itself, twice, and even brought Tatsumi along for the ride the second time.

Maybe they both had Sacred Gears? Tatsumi didn't know exactly what they were, where they came from, or how to obtain one, but he assumed they were similar to Teigus in that they let the wielder possess strength and powers far above that of a regular person. Then there was always magic, that was something that did exist as well which didn't in the old world, and Sensei had made him read about the various pantheons and mythologies of the world. All of which she said still exists, or at least at one time did exist.

There were dozens of explanations, although while Tatsumi was curious he wasn't about to pry. If they wanted him to know, they'd tell him. He kept a great many secrets from them as well.

"You have nothing to apologize for, it's not your fault the devil attacked me," Tatsumi said, waving away her concern. Honestly he didn't want to be reminded of that day. He moved his knight forward to take her pawn. Tatsumi cursed as his knight was taken by her bishop. He hadn't even seen that, still wasn't used to them moving diagonal like that. "I just… want to forget that day happened." The death of that little girl and the older sister having to live with those horrible memories for the rest of her life.

She gave him a long, searching look. After a time set let a little noise out and nodded, a soft look coming to her face. "As you wish. I don't want to be the one to make you remember such a trying event. Only know that my sister is taking steps to deal with it."

"I hope she doesn't freeze half of Japan in the process," Tatsumi said, remembering the power she'd displayed.

Souna's frown worried Tatsumi a little. "That… is a possibility I hadn't thought of. I'll be sure to tell my sister to take it easy. If she's too enthusiastic several countries might disappear." Several? Tatsumi felt it better not to ask. "It's still your move."

Right, his move, how to delay the inevitable defeat? Tatsumi moved a rook up to protect some of his frontline. Souna moved a knight. Tatsumi a pawn. Bishop. Rook. Pawn. Pawn. Queen. Queen. Tatsumi was starting to sweat. It had been more than five turns and he was still alive, but not for long. All his big pieces were gone save for his Queen who had some miraculously taken Souna's Queen.

"You're getting better," Souna approved as she moved her bishop and took Tatsumi's queen. "Check." Tatsumi took the bishop with his last knight which was promptly eaten by her knight. "And checkmate."

Tatsumi gave her a doubtful look, "you honestly think this is getting better?" he asked, gesturing to the absolutely decimated board. He hadn't a chance of winning.

"Do not compare yourself to me, that is simply unreasonable. You must compare yourself to your earlier attempts," Souna said. She gave him a small, gentle smile. "You barely knew what each piece did then, now you're taking a few of mine."

Despite her words of encouragement, it didn't feel like a victory. With a grumble Tatsumi reached down to his duffel bag and pulled out his lunch. "Mind if I at least eat before you kick my ass in the next game?"

Another little smile came to her lips. "No, of course not, I shall do the same."

The two quickly cleared the table they were at, pushing the pieces to the side and setting the board against the wall. Tatsumi's cracked his lunch and a pleasant aroma wafted throughout the room. If only the food tasted as good as it smelled. He placed a small little squid tentacle with some rice and plopped the entire thing in his mouth. The ashen taste did little to assuage his tongue, but it was food and he needed food to survive.

He started in surprise as a foot gently brush his leg. He looked up to see Souna placing a container of sauce on the table. "As delicious as that smells, I'm sure it's a little dry."

"Oh," Tatsumi hadn't noticed. There hadn't been any reason to make it not dry, he couldn't taste the difference. Souna was expecting a response though. "Thanks." He dipped his next bite into the sauce before eating it. There was no difference in taste, but from the satisfied look in Souna's eyes as she dipped a piece of her own meal in the sauce, a hunk of marinated chicken from the looks of it, he had done the right thing.

If it made no difference to him and it made Souna happy, it wasn't really a difficult choice to make.

"Is it good?" She asked, "I am confident in the taste but I know that it probably doesn't compare to your mother's cooking."

"Nothing really compares to a mother's cooking, though, does it?" Tatsumi said, smiling wryly. The taste may not be there anymore, but he still had memories of a better timer.

"You are quite correct," Souna agreed, nodding her head a few times, "my mother could make anything taste good. I can only hope that someday I can cook as well as her." She paused, "would you be willing to taste some more in the future?" A pencil snapped in half across the room. "Saji, don't break school materials like that." Souna said without turning around.

"Well…" he trailed off, he wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Accept her offer to taste? He couldn't taste anything anymore. He was the worst person she could ask. All that would come out his mouth would be lies. He couldn't tell her that though and she was expecting a positive answer. Suddenly he felt a pair of eyes on him and a chance to change the subject. "Why do I get the feeling like someone is staring at me," Tatsumi asked, casting glances about the room. Tsubaki was there, as were a few others, calmly eating their own lunches as the tended to student council tasks. The only other boy in the room, Saji, was glaring daggers at the documents in front of him for some reason.

Her eyes flashed in annoyance. "Koneko, stop hiding in the ventilation and get down here," Souna said without ever looking up from her own meal.

"Nyan," Tatsumi looked up and saw the ventilation grate in the ceiling being shifted to the side. A white haired, golden eyed girl dropped down from the ceiling, flashing her white panties to the entire room as she did so. Tatsumi recognized her, it was hard not to. Koneko, the so-called mascot of the school. A short, white haired, golden-eyed first-year student that had her picture beside the dictionary word 'cute.'

"Souna, I've always wanted to ask this but… why do all the girls here wear these ultra-short skirts that flap up and expose their panties with the briefest of movements or slightest breeze?" He just had to know, it had been bugging him for so long.

"That is a rather vulgar question, Tatsumi," Souna said, disapprovingly.

"Then forget I asked," Tatsumi said hurriedly, not wanting to upset Souna, "just wondering if it was some middle-aged pervert that decided upon them."

"More like elderly," Souna said, sighing as if remember a bad memory. "Sirzechs has a rather strange idea on what is fashionable. It wasn't so much a problem when Kuoh was an all-girl's Academy, but now that it's co-ed I suppose I can see your concern, especially considering exhibitionist streak in… certain individuals here at school."

"I'm glad you're not like them," Tatsumi said, "I like a girl with some refinement."

Souna seemed taken aback by that frank comment. She coughed lightly and Tatsumi could have sworn for the briefest of moments he saw her blush, which obviously meant he was wrong since he was quite certain Souna didn't know how. "That almost makes up for your earlier comment," she said lightly. She turned to Koneko who had her chin resting on the edge of the desk as she stared at Tatsumi's bento box, and whapped her on the nose. "Chin off the table, Koneko."

Koneko shuffled back a few inches but never took her eyes off Tatsumi's lunch. "Hungry, smells good."

"Don't you bring your own?" Tatsumi asked.

"Ate it, still hungry. Ate Issei's too, and Ako's, and Tora's and..." Tatsumi couldn't help but sweat as Koneko listed off a dozen student she'd eaten from. He cast his eyes down at her slim form. Was there a black hole in there somewhere? Where did she pack it all?

"Well I'm a growing boy that still needs his lunch to keep growing," Tatsumi said as he started shoveling the food in faster. There wasn't any time to dip the bites now, fear that this little girl with a black hole for a stomach would eat it on him driving him ever onwards.

Souna sighed and turned a deep frown on the first-year. "Koneko, do not bother Tatsumi when he is eating."

"But…"

Tatsumi had a feeling he needed to come up with a solution here and now or he risked violent confrontations in the future. He may not even make it to lunch with a full bento box! His mother always made one for Mira, maybe he could bring that for her. Bennia just dumped it after they left the house, unlike Koneko she didn't have a bottomless stomach and so often skipped lunch so she didn't balloon out.

"I can see about having my mother make me a second box," Tatsumi supplied helpfully.

"You don't need to pamper her, Tatsumi," Souna said, her voice cold and hard. For some reason she seemed rather upset that Tatsumi had finished his lunch without having much of her sauce. "I can… deal with her so that she doesn't interfere in the future."

Everyone in the room shivered as if the temperature dropped several degrees.

"It's alright," Tatsumi said. No need to start anything. "My mother always makes too much anyways." Koneko was vigorously nodding her head in agreement like she knew all along. She probably just wanted the food.

Souna bowed her head and sighed as she adjusted her glasses. "Fine, but only so long as it doesn't inconvenience you, Tatsumi." She leveled her gaze on Koneko, "and I'll have to ask you to eat with the other student council members."

"I can do that," Koneko said in her soft, quiet voice.

Food, it seemed, was all Koneko really cared about. But for some reason Souna was acting a bit more protective of him than he would have thought. Was there actually something to what Ieyasu said about Souna favoring him?

Tatsumi wasn't sure what to think of that.

~o~

Rias Gremory. The most popular girl in school with a body guys drooled over and women desired with all their hearts. Her brilliant red hair proclaiming her non-Japanese descent was an object of much envy amongst the female students of Kuoh Academy. It was an unmistakable badge of identity that no one could mistake. If only everyone knew she was an evil devil, they may not be so envious of her then.

Tatsumi gave her a polite nod of his head as she passed him by. She threw him a sidelong glance filled with heat and a knowing look, like she was privy to some great secret about him that he wasn't. How dare she look at him like that! Anger surged through his veins, urging him to kill her, to ram five feet of cold, deathlike steel through her heart.

A hall filled with students was the only thing that kept her alive.

Tatsumi had to keep his focus on the primary goal. Killing Rias here would rid the world of one less devil, sure, but it would greatly hamper his ability to do more in the future. Until he had evidence of her evil deeds, or killed her in such a way no one could trace it back to him, society would condemn his actions and jail would be the best-case scenario he had waiting for him.

Thankfully the encounter didn't last long and she was soon gone, heading through the school to do whatever it was that devils did. Tatsumi only hoped that none of his thoughts had been written on his face. She would die by his hands, but it would be at a time and place of his choosing.

Best to play the part of the model student for now. Treat this like he did that time he was captured by Esdeath and made part of the Jaegers.

Besides, she wasn't his goal right now. Issei and Yuuma were. He could deal with Rias after the Fallen Angels had been taken care of. That was his number one priority.

Tatsumi found the young boy in the stairwell that Rias had come from, standing between his two friends. He frowned when he noticed the dazed look on Issei's face. Had she done something to him? He had to know.

"Issei, mind if we talk in private for a bit," Tatsumi asked as he ascended the stairs to him and his two friends.

"About what?" Issei asked suspiciously. His two friends just glared at Tatsumi. Tatsumi winced mentally. Now that he thought about it he and Issei weren't really on good terms with each other, not since he and Ieyasu sic'd the kendo club girls on them.

"It's about Yuuma," Tatsumi said, hoping that name might urge him to set aside his animosity.

It worked.

Issei's eyes went wide with surprise and he moved so fast it almost looked as if he teleported. "You remember Yuuma?!" he asked eagerly as he gripped the lapels of Tatsumi's uniform. "Like really remember her? No one else does!"

"I do," Tatsumi said. He pointed up the stairwell. "Mind if we talk about it?"

"Sorry guys, this is important!" Issei said to his friends.

The two of them threw him more suspicious looks but went on their way. Tatsumi beckoned Issei to follow and started for the top floor, curious eyes trailed after them as they went. Tatsumi and Issei weren't a common pair here at school. Tatsumi took Issei to the storage room filled with supplies for the third years. Thankfully there was no one there, it made things easier for Tatsumi. No one was likely overhear.

"You know of Yuuma?" Issei asked him eagerly.

"I do," Tatsumi said as he wiped the dust off a dirty chair and seated himself. "I was there when she killed you."

Issei froze, his hand instinctively going to his chest, "that… wasn't a dream?"

"No, it wasn't," Tatsumi said. "Yuuma was a Fallen Angel, and she killed you because you had a Sacred Gear."

Issei clutched his at his chest, a look of pain in his eyes. "That… doesn't make any sense! What the hell is a Sacred Gear and why am I alive?" he whispered.

"I don't know any more about Sacred Gears than you do, but it was Rias Gremory that 'saved' you," Tatsumi said. He got up and stabbed a finger into Tatsumi's chest. "You did die, you're not human anymore. You're a devil, her devil, her slave."

"So she was looking at me…" Issei whispered. Suddenly he realized what Tatsumi actually said. "Wait, slave?"

"Yes, anyone that's reincarnated as a devil is enslaved to the one that reincarnates them. She's your master now and forever. Why she hasn't bothered to collect you, I don't know. I imagine it's only a matter of time until she does."

"You saw all this?"

"I did," Tatsumi said. He was going to leave Ieyasu and Sayo out of this entirely. If no one knew they had been there, good. "I'll be honest, I thought you had black mailed some girl into going on a date with you, so I ah… followed secretly to make sure you weren't doing anything to her."

"Hey! That's cold! I'd never dream about groping those beautiful, luscious tits without permission…" Issei's face became filled with lust and desire. It was more than a little creepy to see him get so lost in his delusion, creepy and reassuring. This was the Issei Tatsumi had come to know and be aggravated by ever since starting here at Kuoh Academy. Lust made up eighty percent of Issei's existence. If that was still intact, then even if he was a devil he hadn't been dominated like Tatsumi's sister had.

"Ah, you might want to convince yourself of that first before you try to convince me," Tatsumi said.

Issei gasped and then quickly shook his head, "never mind that! What am I going to do now?"

"You could always run away and become a nun," Tatsumi suggested.

"A nun! That's absolutely ridiculous... Wait…" Issei's face became perverted again, "If the nuns are like the one's on Matsuda's 'Hot and Horny Nuns take it in all their Holes', then that's not a bad idea!"

Tatsumi was pretty sure a porn dvd didn't have much basis in reality, regardless Tatsumi was now completely satisfied that Issei was still Issei, even if he was a devil. Unfortunately, it left Tatsumi with a difficult decision. Did he kill Issei after using him to lure out Yuuma again, sparing him from a fate that was bound to eventually be worse than death? Or let him live and hope Rias doesn't corrupt him before he has a chance to kill her and free him from her servitude?

He was leaning towards the later. Issei really was just a victim of circumstance here and so long as Issei remained Issei, death wasn't a justifiably better alternative. Tatsumi would figure out exactly how he'd deal with Issei later though. Right now he needed to stop him from jerking off to his own day dream of molesting nuns. "It was a joke, Issei," Tatsumi said, shaking Issei out his stupor. "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. What are you going to do now?"

Issei's shoulders slouched. "I… don't know," he said honestly.

Tatsumi nodded. It was understandable. He was probably completely overwhelmed by everything he'd been told and had experienced the past twenty-four hours. "Just take it an hour at a time." He turned and left the storage room, leaving a dazed Issei behind.

He was satisfied with what he'd seen so far. Rias hadn't done anything more to than simply reincarnate him. An eye would need to be kept on him though, just in case.

~o~

The rest of the day had gone by quickly for Tatsumi and thankfully without any further encounters with Rias. Club activities had been hectic but arguably normal. He and Ieyasu had spent a significant portion of it helping their fellow club members with their own training. The other members were still idolizing him due to his win over Kiba that probably wasn't going to die down in the near future.

Still, it had been a nice relaxing time, especially compared to now. To say that Sensei stood as far above and beyond Tatsumi as he stood beyond his fellow club mates would be insulting to his sensei. If he was ten times better than his club mates, Sensei was easily a thousand times better than him.

She proved it with another overwhelming powerful strike that slammed him to his knees, causing the white tile floor beneath him to crack and splinter. The edge of her spear hovered just inches above his nose. It was the result of his latest attempt to actually fight back against Sensei, and it had been as easily thwarted as all the others. He had always before been on the defensive but this time he wanted to try something different to help better prepare himself for his battle against Yuuma.

It hadn't worked out very well so far.

A sharp grunt of exertion escaped his lips as he tried to keep himself from being cut. He wasn't even going to try and push her away, not with her freakish strength. She was as monstrously strong as always, forcing Tatsumi to the very limit with a single hand!

She wasn't even paying attention to him as she ducked beneath Bennia's scythe, before batting her across the grounds like a child's toy.

Bennia's normal scythe had been replaced with a regular steel one that was identical in shape and size. That special weapon wasn't particularly well suited for training, it was simply too dangerous. Sensei hadn't been worried about being hit by it, but rather Tatsumi by an errant strike. Considering he was currently sporting three scars on his chest from said errant strikes, he was thankful she had made that decision.

Tatsumi tried to use the brief opening Sensei had provided when she knocked Bennia silly to throw himself to the side. There was a quick screech of steel on steel as his blade rasped across the edge of her spear. He quickly spun on one knee to bring Murasame up in a diagonal strike—

She wasn't there. Before Tatsumi could even begin to search for her a white leather boot slammed into his chest. Pain flared across his chest and bloomed in his head. Bones creaked, muscles screamed, and the air was ripped from his chest as Tatsumi was doubled over that only all-too familiar leather boot. With a sonic boom Tatsumi was sent hurtling through the air. As he tumbled through the air he saw the, also all-too-familiar stone wall, rapidly approaching him. Grimacing in pain Tatsumi forced his body to right itself so he slammed into the wall feet foot.

Tatsumi gasped as sharp slivers of agony ripped up his legs as they crumbled and broke beneath the impact, he could see white bone sticking through his skin as his blood stained the white wall and tiles. That had not been a good idea! Looking up he gaped as Sensei's spear, blazing with a pure white light, screaming towards him. Tatsumi ripped through the waves of pain and forced his legs to move, to throw himself from the wall.

He bounced painfully off the white tiles, narrowly missing the spear of light as it tore through the wall like it was tissue paper. Tatsumi didn't have time to dwell on the fact that would have killed him if it had hit. He need to get up, he wasn't finished yet!

That leather boot forced his stomach back to the tile ground again. "You seem unusually reckless today, Tatsumi," Sensei said as she effortlessly held him in place.

Bennia quickly appeared at his side, concern etched on her face. It was nice that she cared. ((You almost killed him! I won't have anyone to tease if you kill him!))

Wait... that's what she was concerned about? Tatsumi didn't feel particularly loved anymore.

"Hardly, Tatsumi is tougher than this," Sensei said.

((What if that spear hit?))

"Its fine, Bennia," Tatsumi gasped out. His body ached all over and his legs felt like they were broken, which they were. "It wouldn't be good training if there wasn't an element of danger to it." It helped hone his reflexes and instincts to a razor edge. That was almost as useful as the practice itself.

"I had faith he would avoid it," Sensei added. She rolled him over onto his stomach with the toe of her boot before she bent down and opened his shirt. There were angry purple bruises all over it from where she had kicked him. "Pop his leg bones back into place."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth. There was a sharp crack and Tatsumi held in a scream as pure agony rippled up his legs. A second surge of pure agony followed the first a few moments later as Bennia popped the second bone back. A surge of golden light surged down Sensei's arms and into Tatsumi. He gasped as if dunked in ice cold water, warmth, cold, pain, pleasure, it whirled inside him like a tornado as her healing shifted bones, mended muscles, and reattached ligaments.

When the healing was over Tatsumi laid their panting for breath, sweat covered his face and chest. The healing was always quick, effective, but it took much out of him.

He felt a pair of gentle hands softly stroke his legs. ((Tatsumi, does anything else hurt?)) Bennia asked softly.

"No, just tired," which might be a problem for his plans. He felt his head get lifted as Sensei placed it in her lap. Tatsumi looked up at her and noticed it was difficult to see her face around her large breasts.

"I reiterate my earlier words. You seemed to be unusually reckless today, Tatsumi, is there some reason?" She asked. She seemed more curious than upset.

"My friends, Ieyasu and Sayo, found out about Fallen Angels and Devils yesterday," Tatsumi said, "watched Yuuma kill Issei and Rias take him away." Tatsumi closed his eyes and sighed softly. For someone who had such a powerful kick, Sensei's thighs were really soft. "They're terrified now. I want to reassure them by getting rid of that fallen angel before she can strike again."

"Ah, and you feel you need to get stronger, faster, for their sake?"

"Yes."

She flicked his forehead painfully. "Foolishness. Acting reckless will ruin your greatest asset, your ability to strike quickly and without warning. With that you can take down enemies far more powerful than you. Act reckless against them like you did against me and you'll quickly find yourself killed."

"Yes, sensei."

"Good," she turned from him and gave Bennia a calculating look, "and you as well, Bennia, have much to improve on. You've been overly trained in the use of your scythe. Your every action revolves around getting that one, single strike you need to reap your opponents soul. It makes it far too easy to predict how you'll move. It's perfectly fine against weaker or evenly matched opponents, but against those quicker and stronger, or those without a soul, you will find yourself swiftly defeated."

((Yes, sensei)) Bennia said, bowing her head respectfully.

"Just so long as you know. I know it's not very much like a Grim Reaper, but try to utilize more than just that over-sized scythe of yours."

((Yes, sensei))

A soft, comfortable silence settled upon the temple grounds as Sensei developed a faraway look in her eyes. He knew that look, it was one where Sensei was trying to decide if the time was right to speak of something. The silence stretched out but before it could become uncomfortable she smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's about time. Now that you're enrolled at Kuoh Academy, you'll no doubt become more involved in this side of the world. It's time you learned something about it. It's crucial if you wish to keep operating Night Raid as you have." Her fingers stopped as she looked down at Tatsumi. "Be sure to pay attention, Tatsumi."

"Why just me?"

"Because Bennia will already know much of this thanks to her role outside of Night Raid as one of Hades' Grim Reapers."

Sensei took a small breath and began. "Tatsumi, I know you're already aware of most religions and pantheons, it was part of our early training. You remember the biblical stories?" He did, she had made sure he had after his first encounter with a Fallen Angel. The biblical God and his followers, the Angels, watched over the humans from Heaven. Tatsumi tried to nod with his head in her lap and failed miserably. She continued on anyways. "Thousands of years ago God cast out some of His followers, a faction of angels that disagreed with His methods, His teachings." Tatsumi caught a flash of anger in her voice, but also a tinge of regret and… envy? "They became Fallen Angels and took up residence on the light side of the Underworld, or Hell as many call it. They weren't the only ones to inhabit the underworld however. As you might suspect a number of other races live there as well, youkai, Grim Reapers, certain species of dragons, and more. The most prominent of those races are the Devils."

((The Three Factions)) Bennia murmured quietly.

Tatsumi already knew of the existence of Fallen Angels and Devils, but he hadn't known they'd lived together in the Underworld. He didn't actually know much about the Underworld at all. He'd read quite a bit about 'Hell' in a variety of different books and they all seemed to have a different interpretation. Made it difficult to determine fact from fiction.

"Yes," Sensei agreed with Bennia. "At first the three factions waged war against one another. The angels against the devils and fallen, the fallen against the angels and the devils. Everyone had their reasons, their motives. Some selfless, some greedy, no faction can claim it only had good, pure intentions in that war. Ultimately though the end result is what matters the most, the near total annihilation of all three factions."

She paused, as if remembering a painful memory. "Tatsumi, do you swear not to repeat what I am about to say to anyone? Not even to those that already know?"

"I swear," Tatsumi promised. He'd keep whatever secret she was to reveal.

"Good. As I said before, all three factions faced near total annihilation. The Angels… they lost God." Tatsumi was more than a little shocked. The God was dead? The supposedly omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving and ever present entity that created all of existence? That God? Tatsumi was more surprised that anyone could kill Him than that He was dead. But then, Tatsumi wasn't religious. To those that were, he could only imagine how much of a shock that would be.

Sensei waited for his surprise to subside before she continued on. "God fell in battle, died, but not before killing the four Great Satans, Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus. Many of the Great Seraphs fought to protect His life but ultimately died as well. Where there had once been twelve, there are now only four, Michael the leader, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael." She shook her head sadly. Tatsumi wondered if she knew or was close to those that had passed. "A great many powerful and legendary beings in all three factions died in that war, especially near the end. This all happened thousands of years ago. While no real peace treaty was signed between the three sides after the death of God and the four Great Satans, all three sides were so battered and exhausted by the war that they entered into an uneasy truce."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Tatsumi shouted quickly. Sensei and Bennia gave him odd looks. "Are you saying that the God in the bible died thousands of years before the Bible was ever written and the religion that he's based upon created?"

Sensei looked away and coughed guiltily. Seriously? This was almost already more than Tatsumi could take in. He wasn't sure if he was prepared to hear more. "That… might be the case, yes. Faith had been on the decline and something had to be done to rekindle it." She coughed again and roughly cleared her throat. "It was Uriel's idea, I blame him. Regardless, that's not what's important here." Half the faiths of the world being founded upon the teachings of a dead God wasn't important? What the hell?! Or… what the heaven? He really didn't know how to react to this. "What's important is that the war severely crippled all three sides. Without God, no new Angels can be born, and the populations of the devils and fallen angels were so badly decimated they went into decline. The devils in desperation to save their race from extinction created a system call the Evil Pieces. A system by which they could reincarnate the dead or the dying into devils."

"My sister," Tatsumi whispered.

"No," sensei surprisingly disagreed with him. "Your sister was the result of greed, not survival. At first the devils merely wanted to survive so they reincarnated those that held similar beliefs and ideals as their houses. But like anything, after several millennia, it changed."

"Now it's not about the survival of the race, but how much that person can benefit them, empower them," Tatsumi muttered, thinking about how Gregorious Abaddon had deliberately targeted his sister because of her Sacred Gear.

"Correct."

The devils of today weren't concerned so much about saving their race, Tatsumi could almost accept that. Saving your race was a noble purpose, in a sense it was similar to what Tatsumi was doing with Night Raid, albeit through different means. However to purposely ignore and avoid individuals because they weren't 'useful enough' and to deliberately target the unwilling because they had something to offer?

That was something completely different.

"You're wrong about one thing, Sensei," Tatsumi said. Even as ignorant as he was of the supernatural world, he knew she was wrong on one thing.

"Oh? And what might that be, Tatsumi?"

"Four factions," Tatsumi corrected her, "there aren't three factions, but four. Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels… and humans."

"That's…" she trailed off, looking troubled. Then she smiled, a true, genuine smile as radiant as the sun itself. It pierced straight through Tatsumi's heart and washed away all his pains and worries. "You're right. Somehow… along the way I'd forgotten that. I stand corrected, Tatsumi. There are indeed four factions." The smile disappeared, taking away with it that warmth. Tatsumi's heart yearned to see it again. Even Bennia was leaning forward, her eyes wide and begging. "It's the duty of the Angels to protect humanity from the Fallen and the Devils. So long as they both still prey upon humanity, there can't be peace between them."

"Peace?" Tatsumi gaped at her. "How can they even consider peace? Devils are pure evil!"

"Define pure." That felt like a slap in the face. "Compared to the devils of that Great War, the devils of today could be nominated for sainthood. They all used to rape, murder, and then devour the souls of humans to empower themselves! Now rape and murder is uncommon, most just recruit and enslave. It still does not change the fact that in comparison to the Angels, or even humanity, they could be seen as evil. While they're no longer pure evil, they are still very much driven by selfish desire, greed, and personal ambition. It's ingrained in their base nature, their very essence. Some are worse than others, yes," Her gaze softened a little. "The Abaddon and Astaroth families are some of the more despicable ones. Other's such as the Sitri and Gremory are a bit more liberal. They treat their servants with kindness and you generally won't see them breaking their servants, unless it's to save them, like what happened to your sister."

"But they're still slaves." Tatsumi could still remember Gregorious Abaddon forcing his sister to love and adore him against her will. The way that magic crept through her mind, devouring her personality, subverting it, twisting it into something that wasn't his sister.

Any system that could allow that was pure evil, no matter how much you tried to justify the necessity of it.

Sensei nodded. "They are. There is no getting around that. The Evil Piece system makes an indentured servant out of whoever is reincarnated by it. It does not matter how well they may be treated, it is still a fact that they're bound to their master and if they kill the master or flee, they are hunted down."

With thousands of years to refine the system, they'd never bothered to. It meant they were satisfied with the way things were. They didn't want to work alongside humans. They wanted a method of control, just in case.

"That is the foundation of the three factions. It's something to keep in mind as you move forward." She smiled at him. "Do you have any questions?"

Tatsumi did, in fact, have one. "What's a Sacred Gear exactly?"

Sensei let out a small, pleasant chuckle, "I'm surprised you never asked before now."

There hadn't really been a reason to and… "I forgot, really I've been sort of trying to forget that night for three years. Hearing that Issei has one sort of brought it all back. I have a feeling I'm going to need to know what they are going forward."

"Yes, you probably will," Sensei agreed. "A Sacred Gear is a blessing, or miracle if you will, bestowed upon Earth and Humans in particular. It's part of His great system that governs the world. With only four exceptions, every single renowned figure in history, such as Julius Caesar, King Arthur, and Joan of Arc, possessed one of these miracles, these Sacred Gears. They're essentially weapons and abilities for Humans to further advance and protect humanity. They range from powerful artifacts capable of altering reality to simple boosts of intelligence, strength, or speed."

"And Devils are gobbling them up like candy," Tatsumi muttered. He already knew they were greedy and selfish, so it really was just par course.

"Yes, and before you ask Heaven and the Angels truly do protect a large number of Sacred Gear users. Unfortunately without God, they cannot protect them all. They lack His ability to watch over all of mankind at once."

"You certainly know a lot about Heaven and how it works," Tatsumi said mused.

Sensei smiled as she trailed her fingers across his cheek. "There are reason, but I'm sure they'd just bore you."

"You're probably right." It was hard to disagree with her when she smiled like that. And for some reason it just wasn't important anymore. What did it matter if Sensei knew or not?

"Any more questions?" she asked, sounding pleased that he no longer cared.

"No, I'm fine." There were a few, niggling little things he wanted to ask, but they just seemed so unimportant. "I should get to tracking down Issei before Yuuma finishes him off," he said as he tried to get up. A wave of exhaustion rolled over him, sapping the strength from his muscles and Tatsumi promptly fell back into Sensei's lap again. "That's going to be inconvenient."

"You're committed to this action?" Sensei asked.

"Issei is still alive. Yuuma will come for him again." At least they would if they had any common sense. They killed Issei for a reason, a reason that was still there.

"He's a devil," Sensei pointed out.

"I know," Tatsumi said. It was a bitter thing to admit. "But he's still Issei. I confirmed that today. Rias

Gremory may have claimed him as hers, but she hasn't actually changed him yet. While he's definitely confused and worried, he's not really in all that much distress at the moment, certainly not worth ending his life yet."

Tatsumi hated devils like Gregorious Abaddon, but that same hatred shouldn't be directed towards the victims, and death should only be used as an option to free them from a fate worse than death. Issei wasn't at that point yet.

"It's good to see that your hatred isn't all-consuming anymore," Sensei said, giving him a beautiful smile.

"Doesn't mean I won't kill Issei if I see him falling. I'll never hate him, provided he doesn't perv on Bennia—"

((You won't need to kill him if he does)) Bennia assured Tatsumi. A huge grim scythe appeared in her hands. ((My body is for you alone, I'll reap him myself if he tries to steal a peek!))

"—right, well, anyways. Aside from that, I doubt I'll ever really hate him." Tatsumi's resolve firmed and his heart went cold. "But I will save him the only way I can if I see him irreversibly corrupted by Rias. Then I'll kill her." He gave Sensei a sad smile. "You say that she's more liberal than the Abaddons and that she probably won't break him, but… I'm sorry I just don't have that sort of faith in Devils. I want to deal with her before she has a chance."

Sensei nodded. "I understand. Just promise me two things. One, that you'll only kill her if you've confirmed that she is as bad as Gregorious Abaddon."

That shouldn't be hard, she already was. She let Issei die which, as far as Tatsumi was concerned, made her an accomplice. The only thing she hasn't done to Issei that Gregorious had done to Mira, was dominate his mind. That was probably just a matter of time. Tatsumi couldn't see Rias letting a pervert like that run loose.

"I can do that. What's the second thing?"

There was a grim look on her face. "The second is you need to let me know if you do kill her, Michael and I will need to… deal with someone if you do."

Michael? Did Sensei have a boyfriend? "Sure." Whatever the case, it wasn't a problem. He told her most of what he did anyways.

"Good," Sensei said sagely and then a strange smile crossed her lips, "Then I have no further concerns. However, you can't be chasing down Fallen Angels as exhausted as you are, so as your sensei, I must do my part to ensure you are adequately prepared."

Alarm bells suddenly started ringing in Tatsumi's head. Whenever his sensei had that smile on her face, she was going to do something painful to him. "Ah, is it going to hurt?"

She let out a little laugh, a pleasant tinkling noise that almost swept away his fatigue by itself, "no, if anything it will be the opposite. Now, close your eyes."

Tatsumi did as she asked, wondering what it was she had in mind. There was some rustling of fabric above him and then he was raised up, his head placed between two incredible soft mounds. Tatsumi's eyes almost shot open in surprise. His head was nestled between Sensei's naked breasts! "Sensei! What are you doing?"

"Hush, Tatsumi, and make sure to keep your eyes shut. If you open them before I tell you I will unfortunately have to kill you." Tatsumi squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. He didn't doubt her for an instant. Not once in all the time that Tatsumi knew Sensei had she ever lied.

((Can I help?)) Bennia asked.

"Of course, you both need to have your energy restored, remove Tatsumi's pants."

"Wait, what?"

"And then mount him."

"WHAT?!"

((Gladly!)) Bennia said happily. Before Tatsumi could even try to protest his pants were nearly ripped of his legs. Moments later he felt hot, moist folds envelope him. ((Bennia like's this method of energy restoration!)) she said happily as she started bouncing up and down on him.

"I figured you might," Sensei said as she began to massage his chest. Soft hands and delicate fingers danced across his flesh, leaving behind trails of warmth that just seemed to seep into his body. No matter how unorthodox the method was, it worked. He could feel his fatigue just melting away as renewed energy rushed through his veins. With it came a wave of indescribable pleasure that raced up his spine to his brain and down to his loins. "That's it, just relax and enjoy." Sensei whispered in a voice far too soft to be entirely human.

That was all he could take as he felt what had to be the fastest orgasm in the history of mankind rushing through his loins as waves of pleasure crashed upon his mind, overwhelming his senses. "Bennia! I'm about to…"

"Of course you are, release yourself inside her so that she may be bestowed a portion of the energy I have given you," Sensei said.

((Give me your babies!))

Tatsumi couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. A loud gasp was ripped from his throat as a powerful surge of pleasure consumed his every thought, every sense. A wave of energy collected between his legs and was shot up into Bennia with incredible force. Bennia cried out in pleasure, clamping tightly around Tatsumi as her body shook and quivered.

Then Bennia collapsed on his chest and it was over. ((That was incredible!)) She gasped out as she laid there, their chests heaving in time with each other. ((I want to do it again sometime))

"I'd like to be able to see next time," Tatsumi grumbled. If he was going to have sex, he wanted to be able to enjoy it properly.

"Proper protocol most be adhered to, Tatsumi," Sensei said, "no man is allowed to see me naked and live to tell of it."

"But I'm allowed to feel your naked breasts on my cheeks?"

"Loopholes are interesting, aren't they?"

That they were. Loopholes or not though, he was definitely feeling refreshed. More than refreshed enough to get out there looking for Issei. He needed to find him before the fallen angel, Yuuma. If she were to strike again, tonight or tomorrow would be the most likely times. "So, ah, can I open my eyes now?"

"Are my breasts still bared?" Yes they were which meant no he couldn't. "Bennia, are you satisfied with a single round?"

((MORE!))

"Then we shall begin again."

"Uh… what about Yuuma?"

((This is more important than Issei!))

"I have someone watching Issei for you right now," Sensei said, mollifying Tatsumi somewhat. "I had predicted your actions before you arrived. He's at his friends place watching pornos. My… assistant will let me know when he leaves. Until then neither of us are satisfied yet, Tatsumi, and as a gentleman is it not your duty to see a woman properly satisfied?"

Oh great, if he said no he would be denying his manhood, and if he said yes, he would be playing into their hands. This was the definition of a lose-lose situation. If he was going to lose he might as well enjoy it as much as he can.

"Fine!" Tatsumi said as he clamped his hands on Bennia's rear. "If that's the way it'll be, I'm going to satisfy you so much you won't be able to walk!"

((Oh, I like the sound of that!))

~o~

Tatsumi found himself in a very strange state of being hyperactive and incredibly exhausted at the same time. It was an absolutely maddening state. He just wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep but his body was prepared to run a marathon. Sensei's technique was a very dangerous one. The limitless stamina and unending waves of pleasure had almost killed him. Bennia had been more than willing to accept every Tatsumi had to give, even long after her small body couldn't keep anymore inside.

The look of shock on Sensei's assistant's face when Sensei had ordered her to clean up the small pool that had formed due their 'recharge session' had been utterly priceless though. She kept covering her eyes and mumbling how she was going to fall as she did her best to clean it up without actually touching or looking at it.

((He's moving again, Tatsumi)) Bennia called from above. She was keeping to the boughs of the trees as she scouted ahead for him. Tatsumi would keep an eye on the ground while Bennia covered the sky.

"Got it," Tatsumi whispered back, knowing Bennia would hear him. He peered around the edge of the tree and made note of Issei's direction. He was heading back to the spot where Yuuma had killed him, the fountain at the center of the park. A typical reaction for someone in Issei's shoes to do, and something a Fallen Angel like Yuuma would know as well.

Already knowing where Issei would head made things easier. Tatsumi circled around Issei and headed for the fountain ahead of the boy, all the while making sure to keep a safe distance away from him. He knew from experience that being a devil would give Issei enhanced hearing and sight so he had to be extra careful not to be seen. It probably wasn't needed, lost as Issei was in his own thoughts, but Tatsumi didn't want to make any mistakes.

He settled down near the fountain, casually resting behind a tree and some bushes. As predicted Issei soon came into sight, making his way over to the fountain. He stood there for some time, just staring down at the stone, as if reaffirming everything that had happened.

A cold chill suddenly fell upon the park and the evening sky darkened as if some malevolent force was tainting it.

((Tatsumi!))

"I feel it," Tatsumi whispered. There was a fallen angel in the area. He summoned Murasame to his hands and waited for Yuuma to make her appearance.

Only it wasn't Yuuma that showed up. A tall dark haired man dressed in a long dark coat over a button up white shirt and fedora slowly stepped out from the shadows in the distance and approached Issei from behind.

Tatsumi cursed under his breath. There was more than one fallen angel here in the city. "Change of plans Bennia, we need to capture that one alive." Hopefully he would know where Yuuma was, if not… Tatsumi would be at a loss for what to do.

"How strange for someone like you to be wandering out at night all alone," The tall, dark-haired man said. There was a dark smirk on his lips as he stared down at Issei like a predator would their prey.

Issei whirled around and gaped at the tall man for a brief moment before launching himself backwards. The boy seemed almost surprised by the distance he had moved.

"Who are you?"

"Raynare had said she'd killed you. She's not usually one to make things up or perhaps…" the tall man stopped and sniffed the air. "Ah, I see, you're a devil now. Were you dropped because you ended up being less than they had thought?"

"Rias isn't like that! I think…" Issei deflated. So Rias hadn't actually approached him yet. Poor kid, had she really dropped him? He didn't realize that might actually be for the best.

"Rias Gremory? Hah! I understand now," the tall man said as he raised a hand above his head. "The heiress of the Gremory family can only have the best in her peerage. If you're not at her side, you really must have been a mistake." Black wings erupted from his back as a spear of blue light formed between his fingertips. "Let me put you out of your misery."

((Tatsumi!))

It didn't need to be said, he was already moving, hurtling across the open ground as fast as he could. His body, fully energized by sensei and bursting with energy, was only more than happy to put out. With flecks of white light billowing out behind him in his passage Tatsumi closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Even as the tall man finished forming the spear of light, Murasame swept up and cleaved through the upraised arm at the elbow, severing the arm in half. Spinning Murasame around Tatsumi quickly redirected it and rammed it through the man's back, being careful to avoid his vital organs. Tatsumi needed him alive.

"GAH!" the tall man out as the pain finally registered in his brain. Before he could even figure out why he was in pain or register the blade sticking out through his chest, Tatsumi acted again. A length of white-gold wire was whipped out from beneath his coat and with several precise flicks his wrist wrapped the white-gold wire around the tall man. Flesh sizzled and burned beneath the wire, even through the thick clothes the man wore. Hooking his leg around the man's chins, Tatsumi tripped him and carried him to the ground.

"Damn you it burns! Who the hell are you!?" the man roared as he writhed in agony beneath Tatsumi.

"Just a human protecting his friends," Tatsumi said as he gathered the ends of the wire in one hand and ripped Murasame out with the other. "Issei may be a devil, but he's really just a victim of circumstance. I can't have you killing him for such a pathetic reason."

"Let go of me you worthless hum-GAH!" The man cried out in pain as Tatsumi heaved on the wire. Tatsumi really did need to thank Sensei again for giving him this wire. It was just far too useful. Holy items were only good against Devils, but this wire had been specially crafted by Sensei to work equally well against the Fallen.

"Tatsumi!" Issei shouted in surprise as he ran over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured Yuuma, or I guess her name really is Raynare," Tatsumi should have realized the fallen angel would have used an assumed name while impersonating a human, "would try for your life again since she failed to kill you. I intended to kill her this time but unfortunately this guy showed up, so I'll just have to make due with him."

A dark red glow suddenly filled the fountain area as a magical seal erupted next to Issei. "I thank you, Tatsumi, for protecting what is mine," Rias Gremory said as she appeared atop of the seal in her Kuoh Academy uniform, did she ever change out of that? Next to her was Akeno Himejima and someone he had not expected, Koneko. She was a devil as well? That thought made his heart ache a little. He didn't like the thought of having to kill her, even if she was a creepy bento box stalker. "I did not think the Fallen Angels would try for my Issei quite so soon."

"Rias-senpai! Akeno-senpai, Koneko-chan!" Issei gasped out as he saw the three of them.

Rias gave Issei a warm smile, resting a hand possessively on his arm. "I am glad you're alright Issei-kun." She said as she moved past him. "I must say I am surprised, Tatsumi-san. I saw your skill when you fought Kiba-kun, but to think you could actually capture a fallen angel."

Tatsumi had to keep a tight rein on his emotions. He wasn't ready to fight her yet, didn't have enough information on what she could do or the numbers she had under her. Every time he turned around it seemed someone else he thought was human was actually one of hers. He had to play the part of a friendly student until he had all the information.

"It's a hobby," Tatsumi said carefully.

"A hobby?" Rias asked with an eyebrow arched. It didn't matter if she believed him, just so long as she didn't know what the truth was. "If it's just a hobby then you wouldn't mind handing that fallen angel over to me. He did try to attack my servant."

Didn't even try to deny that Issei was hers. Such arrogance. She lets him die, saves him only because he's useful, allows him to flounder around helpless and confused for an entire day and didn't even bother to come save him the second time until well after Tatsumi already had things in hand. Even if Issei was fine, she was proving to be a good example of everything that was wrong with devils. Their sense of entitlement was just too much.

"I don't think so," Tatsumi said, "I have questions for him, such as where Raynare is hiding and if there are any other fallen angels out there I should be aware of. I can't really get those answers from him if I give him to you."

"This is my territory, Tatsumi, it's my responsibility to deal with any threats here," Rias stated more firmly. "Especially threats to my own."

Tatsumi's façade nearly cracked. Her territory? Her territory?! This was Japan! This was human territory! It did not belong to her or any other god forsaken devil! His hand twitched with the urge to run Murasame through her heart.

"Koneko, please take the fallen angel from Tatsumi-san, I need to show Fallen Angel-san Gremory hospitality."

"Hand over, Tatsumi-senpai," Koneko said quietly as she slowly approached him.

"No lunch for you tomorrow," Tatsumi told her.

Koneko's eyes went wide with horror. Her personality did a hundred and eighty degree shift as she stood protectively between him and Rias. "Be nice to Tatsumi-senpai," Koneko said, berating Rias. Tatsumi just blinked in surprise as Koneko literally defied her master for the sake of food.

What the hell?

"Ara, ara, it seems Koneko's stomach has caused her to betray us," Akeno said, laughing. It wasn't a malicious laugh, but one filled with real humor as if she found the entire situation amusing.

Rias rubbed her forehead and sighed. Tatsumi fully expected her to break Koneko's will and force her to try and take the fallen angel by force.

It never happened.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Rias asked instead.

Tatsumi frowned, she didn't dominate Koneko? Strange. If ever there was a time to exert one's control over his or her subordinates, that was it. Her arrogance and sense of entitlement was no less than Gregorious Abaddon's but there was definitely something different about her. Maybe Sensei was right about the Gremory family? Tatsumi didn't want to entertain that thought. It would mean admitting that not all devils were evil.

And he wasn't quite ready to give up his plans to kill her either.

Regardless, he wasn't giving up the fallen angel.

"I'm going to pressure him for information until I have what I need and then kill him," Tatsumi said matter-of-factly. The cold-blooded manner in which he said that seemed to take them all aback. "Ultimately I am after Raynare, the one that killed Issei in the first place."

"I'm not telling a damn human anything!" the fallen angel growled at him.

Tatsumi pulled on the white-gold wire again, causing him to howl in pain. "If you won't tell me anything then you'll spend a long time dying." This wasn't like the devil from the other day. This wasn't being done for personal revenge, but to protect his friends. There was no length Tatsumi wouldn't go to for that.

Rias was frowning at him as if she was staring at someone or something she didn't understand anymore. He had probably shattered the image of the carefree second-year student she once had of him. It hardly mattered so long as she didn't suspect his own personal animosity towards her. Souna already knew, or at least suspected, that he wasn't just a simple student and she didn't care much. Tatsumi cared far more about her opinion than Rias'.

"You're not an exorcist?" She asked, her eyes on the white-gold wire he had tied around the fallen angel.

"A what?" What the hell was an exorcist and where the heck did that line of questioning even come from?

((An exorcist is a soldier of the church, a weapon of God and the Angels to smite down devils and the fallen.)) Bennia said as she floated down from the sky, causing all of them to start in surprise. Tatsumi had to hold in a groan, why did she reveal herself? So much for her being a surprise.

He'd have a long talk with her after this about the need for remaining hidden unless otherwise needed.

"A Grim Reaper, what's one of your kind doing here?" Rias asked, suddenly wary of the situation. Rias probably felt confident she could beat Tatsumi since he was just a 'human' but a Grim Reaper with that one-hit-kill scythe of theirs was a different story.

((Tatsumi is mine)) Bennia said as she clung possessively to him. She kissed him on the cheek. ((We need to get going. Your mother is going to be worried if you stay out too long.))

Annoyance at her appearance aside, she was right. His mother panicked easily and constantly worried about him. She always did, but ever since Mira was killed her worry had become borderline irrational. Tatsumi couldn't waste any more time here bandying words with Rias. He needed to secure this fallen angel and then get home.

"I'm afraid there's no more time for questions and answers, Rias-senpai," Tatsumi said as he stood up and effortlessly threw the fallen angel over his shoulder. "I have places to be, and people to rip answers from. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Lunch," Koneko reminded him.

"I suppose you've earned it," Tatsumi said. She had defied her master for his sake. Devil or not, that was worth at least one bento box.

With that said he turned and walked away, leaving behind three stunned devils, and a fourth one anxiously waiting for his mother's home cooked meal.

---

Author's Note: Asia Arc is now in full swing! The ripples Tatsumi cause will be small at first, but they'll grow in size. Leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter!

Note on Tatsumi's Energy Recharge: It's highly unrealistic and overly sexual but… it's the High School DxD universe, do I really need to say anything else to justify it? Highly unrealistic and overly sexual are basically two of its main calling cards.

Note on the 'Asia' Arc: It will end next chapter, although there will be a surprise to it. Also, don't expect a recap of the anime/manga/light novel. If you want that, go read/watch them. As I mentioned before, the High School DxD storyline will be used as guideposts, not a script to insert Tatsumi into. Tatsumi will be there for the fight at the Church, he'll just get there via a different path and with a different motivation.

Note on the Sensei's Exposition: Sorry for anyone already intimately familiar with the High School DxD Universe, but I can't assume everyone is. I tried to make it as interesting and concise as possible while not leaving out any important details.

Note on Sensei: For those of you that have figured out who she is, yes I know her personality is different from what's shown in the Light Novels. Honestly, I think what she displays there is a façade. No one can live through what she has, seen what she has seen, done what she's been forced to do, and still keep that sort of personality. So my explanation is that it's a façade, a mask she puts on in public and in private, or when the situation is serious, she becomes how I portray her. You'll actually probably see her other personality later on in the story. If you still can't accept it, consider this me waving my artistic license around and live with it. I'm being vague on purpose so I don't spoil it for those that don't know. And please don't mention her name in any review if you know who it is, people do read them before they read the story and you'll spoil it for some.