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.

12. A New Dawn

Author's Note: Hope you enjoy reading this chapter. It is a major pivot point in Tatsumi's life.

Chapter 11: A New Dawn

As carefully as possible Tatsumi eased himself into a sitting position with his back against the pillows and headboard. He didn't want to wake Bennia, the little Grim Reaper was adorably clinging to his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him as her chest rose and fell in a soft, rhythmic pattern.

Despite his best efforts though his movement disturbed her rest. ((I don't wanna get up yet)) Bennia groaned sleepily against his chest.

"There's a lot we need to do today," Tatsumi said as he rubbed her back. He still couldn't help admire how perfectly flawless the skin was, not a single blemish to be found anywhere. Tatsumi simply attributed it to her being a Grim Reaper. It certainly wasn't the strangest thing about her. "And those things don't involve sleep and sex."

((I didn't get enough of either last night)) Bennia grumbled as she shifted into a more comfortable position. A soft, gentle touch and he was hard enough for her to take back inside again, which she quickly did. ((I can still remember what happened.))

"So can I," Tatsumi murmured softly as he let himself enjoy the feeling of Bennia moving atop him. "I'll never be able to forget." Yesterday was a nightmare he wanted to forget ever happened but never could. His parents were gone and his life was irrevocably changed. He lifted his hands and stared at them. Sometimes they looked clean and pristine… and other times, such as right now, they appeared as if covered in blood.

Tatsumi could still remember Sensei's words, '…he attacked you, he murdered your family, and he killed all those innocents. You did not turn your blade against them. You were simply not strong enough to protect them.'

"Am I really allowed to push the blame aside that easily?" Even if he hadn't raised his blade against the innocent, Kokabiel had still come for him.

((Yes!)) Bennia quickly. ((Kokabiel didn't need to kill your parents and everyone around them, and he didn't need to bombard the entire area just to get you. He did that because he wanted to, not because he needed to for whatever stupid reason he attacked you for. It's entirely his fault!)) She grabbed his face and planted a long kiss on his lips. ((What you can't do is push aside this cute little Grim Reaper you have atop of you. If you don't pay attention to me I'm going to cry!))

Tatsumi wrapped his arms around Bennia and embraced her tightly. "Bennia, we really need to be out there getting our affairs in order."

((I don't see you pushing me away.)) Bennia pointed out. Tatsumi blinked. She was right, and what's more at some point he had begun to thrust back. ((Just thirty minutes and then we can go out!))

Thirty minutes… it wasn't that long and if it prevented Bennia from complaining all day, it was time well spent.

"Fine! But I'm holding you to that," Tatsumi growled as he flipped Bennia over onto her back. He had to admit, he could stand to forget about everything for a little while and for the next thirty minutes he did, his thoughts consumed by girl beneath him.

Thirty minutes later, after he'd had turned Bennia into a sleepy, quivering mess, he eased himself up onto his elbows and grabbed the spare cell phone off the bed side table.

((Who are you calling?)) Bennia murmured happily as she clung to him. She'd probably keep clinging until they finished taking a shower together.

"Souna," Tatsumi said as he added her as a contact in the phone. He added a few other numbers that had been in his original phone. That thing was now a smoldering metal scrap in a crater across the city.

((Oh, I see how it is. Now that you've finished filling me up you're going to fill her up!))

Tatsumi deadpanned as he stared at Bennia. She grinned and winked up at him. Was she being serious? "I need to speak with her to get new school uniforms." He hit the contact and dialed. "That's it."

((Oh that's how it'll start, sure,)) Bennia agreed.

The line connected. "Hello, this is Shitori Souna speaking."

((But then it'll end with you deep inside Souna filling her every crevice with your penis!)) Bennia shifted and let out luxurious sigh ((Just like you're inside me now. You couldn't pack in any more if you tried))

"…"

"…"

Bennia had both hands covering her mouth as she held in her laughter. The entire thing had been unnecessarily graphic specifically for Souna's benefit. She was no doubt envisioning Souna's face right then. Why did he have to be so completely attached, both physically and emotionally, to someone that got their enjoyment at his expense?

It was a miracle Souna hadn't just hung up halfway through it.

"I think she heard that Bennia," Tatsumi deadpanned.

"…Tatsumi!" Souna's relief filled voice bounced across the line, "you're alive!" There was a paused filled with some faint throat clearing. "It's good to hear your voice. I had feared the worst last night." There was another pause. "And I'm going to dismiss that earlier comment as your companion being silly."

((He really is inside—)) Tatsumi quickly silenced her with his hand.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Souna continued. "You need a proper woman in your life Tatsumi." Bennia's eyes bulged and her arms started flailing as she struggled against his hand. She really wanted to fire back a snarky reply. Tatsumi wasn't about to let that happen, sometimes Bennia was a little too smart mouthed for her own good. "But it truly is good to hear from you again. I had thought you'd been killed last night. I recognized the neighbourhood as where you lived and… Tatsumi, for what it's worth I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks, Souna," Tatsumi said quietly. His parent's faces flashed across his mind, bringing with them both joy and sorrow. "They're with Mira now. Maybe it's better this way, now only I have to suffer."

"Don't talk like that!" Souna's voice snapped harshly across the line. Bennia vigorously nodded her head in agreement. "No one should have to suffer. Now, I know you Tatsumi. I appreciate knowing that you're still alive, but there is a reason for this call beyond that."

She knew him too well. "I need some assistance," Tatsumi said. He took his hand off Bennia's mouth now that there wasn't any need to keep her quiet. "My home was destroyed and along with it nearly everything I own."

"Including your school uniforms," Souna finished figuring out where he was going.

"Yes. Bennia and I are going to be going around town today picking up some basic necessities such as regular clothes, food, and a few other things. The uniforms come from the academy though and so I hoped you could get me some. I heard from Sensei the place is under construction today so…"

"I can get you the uniforms," Souna promised him. "Are you able to make your way here?"

Here? "You're already there?" Tatsumi asked. If he strained his hearing he thought he could hear some hammering, sawing and magical spells being cast in the background.

"I am," Souna said cautiously.

((Well it's a shame you can't come with us.)) Bennia said cheerfully. ((I'm going to have lots of fun dressing Tatsumi! Those rooms might need to be washed afterwards.))

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Souna responded. "Tatsumi, give me two minutes."

The line went quiet but was soon followed by the sounds of wind buffeting the speaker. Tatsumi glanced out of the hotel window. It didn't look that windy outside. Then the wind stopped and Tatsumi could faintly hear Souna speaking with someone else. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but Tatsumi did hear the name Sirzechs being bandied about. If he recalled correctly that was the name of the director of Kuoh Academy. The conversation didn't last long and there was some more buffeting wind before Souna voice came back.

"Where are you right now?" she asked.

Tatsumi tried to think back to when they'd arrived. He'd been so tired and hurt that he hadn't paid much attention to where they'd gone. He'd left it up to Bennia to pick the place out.

((The Diamond Kuoh Hotel)) Bennia suddenly said. ((I've always wanted to stay here.))

He could feel Souna's surprise on the other side of the line. "That place is expensive."

"I'm not hurting for money," Tatsumi said. If Bennia was right they had quite a bit to their name. Enough to outright by just about any home in this city. "So price isn't really a consideration when it comes to clothes either."

"I see." The sounds on the other side of the phone changed like Souna had entered a building. "Please make sure you're properly cleaned from your… earlier activities. I will be there in fifteen minutes."

Tatsumi and Bennia shared looks. She grinned and mouthed 'you can thank me later' as she pointed to her crotch and mouthed 'threesome.' Tatsumi sweat dropped. He couldn't deny that he appreciated her very roundabout in getting Souna to come out to them but, really?

"Thank you, Souna."

"It's fine, Tatsumi," Souna said softly. "I'll see you shortly."

~o~

The diner wasn't particularly special by any means. It sat nestled amongst a row of stores along a busy street in downtown Kuoh Town. A pair of bright little neon sign hung suspended in the window, proudly proclaiming its name and stating it was open for business. It was a quaint little place, clean, and well kept. The windows were washed to a sparkling shine, the floor swept, and the tables wiped.

Dozens of people passed by it every minute along the busy street, but few stopped to step inside. That was fine with the owners, those few were enough to make the place feel comfortable. They brought warmth, laughter, and conversation without making the place feel overcrowded and claustrophobic. It was a place that was conducive to quality conversation.

There weren't any waitresses or waiters. Instead customers would go to the counter to order their food and drinks, and then take it to whatever open table there was. It was in all regards, a perfectly normal and uninteresting place where one could simply kick back and relax with a hearty breakfast or a peaceful dinner.

What one wouldn't expect, was to see two of the most powerful beings in existence, sworn enemies in virtually every book ever written, and rivals in all things under the sun, moon, stars and everything else, sitting peacefully across from one another each sipping calmly on a pair of milk shakes, one vanilla, the other chocolate raspberry. The small wooden table, barely two feet across, would offer little resistance should the two individuals suddenly decide to start Armageddon right there in the little diner.

"I suppose this isn't too bad," Serafall said as she sipped on the vanilla milkshake. She was careful not to spill any on her magical girl outfit. As amazingly magical as it was, it was bloody difficult to wash. Transforming clothes required a special sort of detergent or the color would be ruined and it needed to be washed just the right way at the right time of day so that they didn't lose their magical transforming qualities.

The magical wand was different, she had fifty others in her closet back home. Whenever she broke it she just grabbed another.

"Vanilla is the most wonderful of the flavors, it provides a pure, smooth taste that can't be match by anything else," Serafall's companion stated in that overly kind and polite tone she knew was utter horse shit. Serafall had seen what Gabriel could do, would do, when she was angered. The original Lucifer had called her a whore once, the next time Serafall had seen the monster he'd been bolting across the Underworld holding his balls and shrieking in fear, begging for someone to get Gabriel away from him.

The entire war had paused in shock for a few moments as they all tried to process what the hell they were watching. Lucifer hadn't looked particularly demonic that day, and Gabriel hadn't looked particularly angelic. No one knew what to do, so they all just watched as Gabriel did unspeakable things to Lucifer's manhood.

Sort of like what Gabriel had done to Kokabiel last night. It both annoyed and brought a smile to her lips. Seeing Kokabiel double over in indescribable agony had been simply exquisite, but it had also meant Gabriel had won their little competition.

There hadn't been any point in drawing the fight out after that, Serafall doubted Kokabiel would have been able to feel anything. It had taken men mightier than him weeks to recover from that strike in the past.

You wouldn't think she was capable of it though unless you'd seen it firsthand. Gabriel looked positively demure as she sat across from Serafall, dressed in a female Kuoh academy uniform. One could have easily mistaken her for a student, an exceptionally beautiful student with incomparable golden locks and breasts large enough to make Serafall seethe.

"It's not as good as chocolate raspberry," Serafall had to add. "The chaotic swirl of the two tastes fighting against one another for dominance is far more exciting than this bland thing."

Gabriel's eyes became lidded and dangerous. "If I didn't know better, Levia-tan, I would think you were trying to start a war. I would have thought you would be too busy stamping out those photos to risk that."

A surge of self-righteous fury burned within her. "So says the tasteless wonder that thinks this bland thing is better than my chocolate raspberry!" And bringing up the photos was a low, cheap shot. Her So-tan really got the best of her that time. Serafall was a Satan, she had an image to uphold. To some degree at least. They all had their quirks. There was a limit to those quirks though. Being seen having an orgy in a pond with a bunch of random humans went a step too far and now Serafall was desperately trying to convince people, who refused to believe her for some reason, that she hadn't actually had that orgy. "Not all the photos are terrible," Serafall said as her thoughts drifted back to several nice ones that had actually featured Tatsumi of all people.

"You mean the three photos that had Tatsumi with you?" Her smile became took on a dangerous tilt. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Levia-tan, but those are already being called fake. It's easy to tell someone just took Tatsumi from the photos of his time with your little sister and added them to it."

Sparks erupted between the two as they glared at each other. This was why Serafall couldn't stand Gabriel. She just had to ruin everything Serafall enjoyed on top of having such horrible taste in shakes! How could she possibly consider such a plain flavor, and vanilla of all flavors, to be better than her chocolate raspberry? It was blasphemy, if such a thing was possible. It had to be!

"No, no, I won't let you," Serafall said, shaking her head back and forth. "I won't start another war over milkshakes and photographs!"

"Oh my, such brutish talk from a little girl, I'm so aghast," Gabriel said in a light cutesy voice that made Serafall cringe. How could she possibly stand acting like that?! "I truly apologize if my superior taste in milkshakes offends you."

GAH! How could she hide an insult in an apology like that?! But she wasn't going to lose. "Nine in ten fans of Levia-tan agree with her!" Serafall said smiling cheerfully. Little sparkles began to shoot off her, punching their way through walls and the seat beneath her. "And the market graphs show that more people order her special chocolate raspberry than plain vanilla!"

"My, isn't it childish to be arguing over which flavor is better, Levia-tan?" Gabriel asked innocently.

Serafall almost started a new war right there. It took every ounce of will power she had to keep that smile on her face. She just wanted to throttle the ever cheerful Seraph right then and there! "If Tatsumi wasn't fond of this place I'd pile drive your face through the table." Serafall growled through clenched teeth.

Gabriel's eyes started to glow with pure divine power. "I'd like to see someone so…" her voice went low and dangerous as her eyes dipped to Serafall's chest for emphasis, "small, try it."

For the third time in as many minutes the next great war almost broke out. It was a great conflict that no one would ever know about. The war over which milk shake flavor was superior. The only reason it didn't cause the deaths of millions of humans was the existence of a single man that both cared about and knew would disapprove of the two of them destroying Japan in their battle.

That day, Tatsumi's existence saved nearly a hundred and fifty million people.

Serafall forced herself to calm down. She couldn't let Gabriel rile her up like that. Tatsumi would be sad, and that would make So-tan sad and she couldn't have that.

"There must be a reason why Gaby-tan wanted to see Levia-tan!" Serafall forced herself to sound cheerful.

"Oh! I had completely forgotten," Gabriel said, laughing embarrassingly. Serafall blinked in surprise. She actually sounded like she did forget. "I actually came to deliver somewhat good news to you and you got me caught up in a silly little debate over which milk shake was better."

It wasn't silly! Chocolate raspberry was the greatest flavor of all time! If only Gabriel could recognize and accept that there could be true peace between them. She was being stubborn like usual though.

Serafall reached across the table and took back her chocolate raspberry and Gabriel likewise did the same with her vanilla shake. "What did you want to deliver to Levia-tan?"

"These," Gabriel said as she pulled out a pair of vials that one would normally hold blood for testing. Instead of blood though they were both filled with a white viscous liquid. "Here you go." She rolled them across the table to her. "Consider that thanks for working with me to the end Kokabiel. I know quite well that could have gone very wrong, very quickly."

Damn right she owed her. Serafall just knew Tatsumi's predicament had something to do with her. She picked up the two vials and frowned at them, how was this supposed to be thanks equal to averting another Great War. "What is this liquid?"

"Semen." What? Serafall gave Gabriel an incredulous look. Why did she have two vials of semen? "Tatsumi's semen, to be exact."

"Oh, has the great Gabriel fallen? I wonder what Michael might say about that," Serafall said as lightly as she could. Inside she was ready to tear her apart. How dare this angelic bitch sink her teeth into her Tatsumi!? He belonged to her and So-tan! This wasn't thanks! This was rubbing it in!

"That's not taken from me," Gabriel muttered. Serafall felt a surge of exultation when she realized that Gabriel hadn't claimed Tatsumi. Serves her right! "But I did enjoy him a bit while he played with my follower, Xenovia-chan."

"Aww, is poor Gaby-chan upset that she can't be intimate with anyone?" Serafall had to get a good dig in. "Love, the ultimate expression of pure devotion and angels aren't allowed to feel it towards anyone but Him."

Gabriel scowled darkly. "I love Him and I agree with everything He has done… except that stupid rule," She slammed her fist on the table, causing it to creak and shift beneath her enormous strength. "Really? Force us to stand by and watch innumerable thousands of years of human love and copulation and not expect us not to desire to join in? Yearn for the same? For someone that was all knowing He certainly didn't know a thing about emotions and feelings. Why not just make us all androgynous eunuchs if we're not allowed to feel?!"

Serafall felt for Gabriel just then, but only a little and she'd never admit it. Having to remain celibate for over ten thousand years could make even the saintliest and patient of individuals go mad. Sadly, it was that very human and pure emotion, love, that caused more Angels to fall than any other reason. Serafall agreed. It really was the one true mistake in the great divine system God had created. Pure love and the joy that came from it should never force a fall.

"Well, the system is up to you, Michael and the others to control now, just tweak it," Serafall suggested helpfully. Rivalry didn't matter here. This was a feel woman unable to love, unable to experience joy and happiness because she was bound to a foolish rule in an outdated system. "Even if you find some way of raising humans to Angels, they're still going to have very human urges. They'll just fall eventually if something isn't done and neither of us want to feed Azazel more girls."

"Very true," Gabriel murmured softly. "I'll speak with Michael and see what we can do. Even if we can't alter the system, maybe we can make zones where the system can't reach." She frowned and shook her head. "Forget that, it's not important right now. Those are." She pointed to the vials in Serafall's hands.

Oh, right, Tatsumi's semen. Why was she holding two vials of his semen in her hands again? "So-tan doesn't need help milking Tatsumi," Serafall pointed out.

Gabriel deadpanned. "That's not it. Just analyze them."

Serafall wove her demonic power through her finger tips casting various analytical spells at once. The spells popped up around the vials, a dozen small blue circles around each. She carefully analyzed the contents of each vial. "I don't see how this can even begin to repay me for…" she trailed off, frowning. There was something off about the two vials. "What is this?"

"I believe I already mentioned what they were."

She threw Gabriel an annoyed look. "That's not what I meant. These both can't be Tatsumi."

"I give you my word that no word I speak here is false. That is Tatsumi in those vials, him and only him." Serafall was shocked at the proclamation. If her word was false, she'd fall in an instant, and yet there was no sign of that. Gabriel was speaking the truth! But if she was speaking the truth then it meant… "The one on the left was taken from Bennia, the one on the right from Xenovia. I didn't have Tatsumi enjoy himself in my follower for a silly, whimsical reason." Gabriel became serious. "Can I count on you to confirm what's in there with your sister?"

"Yes." If what she discovered here was accurate, and if the same occurred with So-tan… it would change everything. "I'll drag them to bed kicking and screaming if I have to."

"Good, I'm fairly certain of my hypothesis but the results of your test will confirm it for sure," Gabriel said as she leaned back with a satisfied smile on her face. "And if they do confirm it…"

"What do you want?" Serafall slowly asked. "You damn well know this is worth far more than allying with you to kill Kokabiel." She wouldn't be indebted to an angel.

Gabriel leaned forward with a serene smile on her face. That smug Seraph had bloody well known that fact. "I need your help again."

"With what?" She didn't like that smile on Gabriel's face. "And I'm keeping these vials," Serafall added, as she pocketed the two vials of semen. If they truly were Tatsumi's she wasn't leaving them in the hands of an angel.

The Seraph sitting across from her didn't seem to care, a testament to how serious she was. "I met with Tatsumi last night, he can't take any more," Gabriel said seriously. "I didn't see much life left in those eyes of his. This world is tearing him apart. This Night Raid he has created, that he and Bennia are the sole members of… it's not enough anymore. I need you to help me with a solution to this problem."

Serafall nodded, she had no trouble with helping Tatsumi and she agreed with Gabriel. She'd seen it firsthand what this world and his responsibility was doing to him. Had seen him break down in her very arms, the way he'd shambled about in the aftermath of Kokabiel's attack... This world was taking more from him than it was giving back. It was a miracle that imbalance hadn't already torn him apart.

One more loss is all it would take for the boy to either be driven insane or kill himself.

"What do you have in mind?" Serafall asked.

~o~

It was a more subdued city that Tatsumi found himself walking through with Souna and Bennia. The streets weren't empty by any stretch of the imagination, downtown Kuoh City never really slept, but the groups of people Tatsumi saw making their way up and down the sidewalks paled in comparison to the throngs he had seen before.

The attacks from the night before had scared a great number of people.

The stores were still open though, business always carried on as usual. If anything, the lack of people in the streets had made things easier for them. It was easier to get where they were going and the lines at the cashiers were almost tolerable.

The only delays had been when Tatsumi had tried on some new clothes. Bennia had insisted on helping him change which almost invariably ended up with her trying to do more than help him change which ended up dragging Souna into it as she tried to stop Bennia from doing anything inappropriate.

From there it just spiralled downhill and had even gotten them kicked out of one store.

Bennia didn't seem to mind. There was an amused smile on her lips as she floated above Tatsumi while she carried a large duffle bag over each shoulder. One of them was filled with electronics including a new phone for Tatsumi, a pair of cutting edge laptops, a touch pad, studio level microphones, cameras, and various other useful peripherals. The second duffle bag held an assortment of odds and ends that Tatsumi had found useful over the years both in and out of missions. It was also where his six sets of school uniforms were packed.

Even after everything that had happened to him, Night Raid was still needed.

All in all though, the day was a nice change of pace from all the death and horror he'd been forced to deal with last night, even if it was all over the news. It seemed like every second TV they came across had something about the explosions from last night on them.

Tatsumi gave the bespectacled beauty at his side a small smile. "Thanks for the help, Souna. I really do appreciate it. If it was just me and Bennia I'd still be in those change rooms making a mess."

((And you would have enjoyed every second of it!)) Bennia chimed in.

Souna tossed Bennia an annoyed look before she gave him a small smile. "It's not a problem, Tatsumi. I know you're going through a difficult time right now. As your girlfriend, it's my place to do what I can for you."

Oh, she was his girlfriend wasn't she? There'd just been so much happening all around him lately that it had actually slipped his mind. There hadn't been any chance to focus on romance. He'd barely gotten in two days of normal school in the past few weeks. "As my girlfriend? So does that mean if you weren't my girlfriend you wouldn't have helped me?"

Now she was giving him an annoyed look, "that's not what I meant Tatsumi, and you know it." She glanced about the quiet city. "Is there anything else you still need to acquire? I am free for the day since the school is being repaired."

His gaze dipped to the number of bags he and Souna were both carrying. They were filled with clothes, a pair of shoes and a pair of boots. "Not really." Tatsumi shrugged. "About all I need now is a place to live, and those notes again. The notes you gave me before sort of burnt to ash."

((And I'm hungry!)) Bennia added.

Tatsumi's stomach gurgled noisily. "There's that too," he added. Judging by the position of the sun it was just past noon.

"I can't help you find a new place but I did keep my notes from last year," Souna said, "the curriculum hasn't changed so they should still be good. They'll help you prepare for the makeup tests."

"Thanks."

"Before that, let's have lunch," Souna said and gestured to a small diner, "I've heard good things about that place."

((Isn't that where we met Mine?)) Bennia asked.

"It is."

"Mine?" Souna asked, frowning.

"Someone that helped me fight Esdeath," Tatsumi said quietly so that only Souna could hear. "Haven't seen or heard from her since."

"Ah, her," Souna said, understanding. She let it pass without further comment. The open street wasn't the best place to be discussing that sort of stuff.

Bennia darted towards the diner ((I call dibs on the chocolate raspberry shake they have here!)) she pressed her face against the glass and stiffened. ((Uh… maybe we should eat somewhere else…))

"What's wrong?" Tatsumi asked as he hurried over to her side. He peered inside and froze as well. "Uhh…" The place wasn't that busy on account of how few people were out and about today. Even if it was busy it wouldn't have been difficult to notice the two individuals sitting across from each other.

Souna came up beside him, a curious look on her face. "What is it Tatsumi…" she trailed off as she noticed what they were staring at. She grabbed his arm and turned on her heel. "On second thoughts let's just go to my place. I'll cook something."

"That sounds like a good idea." Tatsumi agreed and let her pull him away.

((I can always come back for the shake some other day)) Bennia added as she quickly followed after them.

None of them knew why Serafall and Gabriel were sitting across from each other in that diner glaring daggers at one another, but all three instinctively knew that they didn't want to find out.

~o~

Tatsumi closed the English note back and leaned back, stretching his arms. "Thanks for helping me with this, Souna," he said. The two of them were Souna's room sitting beside each other beneath a kotatsu going over the stuff Tatsumi had missed.

They'd gone through all the courses but one. Tatsumi had been at Souna's place ever since they'd fled downtown Kuoh City. The things he'd purchased sat in a guest room for the time being. Bennia had been with them for a time, then the boredom of watching them do math problems drove her nutty and she bolted for the Underworld stating she'd rather take souls to heaven then work through another quadratic equation.

It gave Tatsumi the peace and quiet he needed to burn through the stuff he'd missed. Souna, it turned out, was actually a great teacher. She knew just how to explain whatever he didn't get in a way that he could understand.

Souna took his thanks in stride, "I am simply doing what I can to ensure that every student at Kuoh Academy achieves a proper education. Your circumstances are more unfortunate than most and require a more personal touch." she trailed off and coughed. "Anyways, you're welcome."

Tatsumi chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, startling her. One trick Tatsumi learned was that Souna was incapable of maintain a straight face when he showed any sort of affection. "You'd make a great teacher," Tatsumi said. "You certainly explain things far better than the professors at school."

"Thank you," Souna said as she touched the place where he'd kissed her. She looked rather pleased. "It's nice to hear that. I do hope to open a school of my own in the future."

"With you as principle, it'll be a success," and very strict. No one would be able to get away with anything, teachers included. That was a good thing. Education needed to be taken seriously, you could play after school and on weekends.

"What do you wish to be in the future?" Souna asked, "and don't say Night Raid, that's not a healthy career choice. It's already nearly killed you twice. You won't reach twenty at this rate."

"If I don't live to twenty then that's really just a testament to all I'm worth." Tatsumi said, shrugging. Souna's eyes narrowed angrily. She didn't like hearing that. "I have no intention of killing myself, I can't save anyone if I'm just a corpse, but I'm not going to shirk from danger just because it might kill me."

"Fine, assume Night Raid is no longer needed and peace reigns, what then?"

"The battle never ends, Souna."

"Just assume it does!"

Souna was glaring at him. Did this really mean that much to her? Possibly. Tatsumi honestly couldn't envision a future where Night Raid wasn't needed. There was just too much darkness in this world. Tatsumi could spend an eternity fighting it and there'd still be more.

"I don't have anything, Souna," Tatsumi said honestly. He really didn't. Even as a child he'd simply been living. Everything he did had been to train himself or please his parents. Not a single action had been towards achieving a goal he wanted. "I guess it would be nice to have a family. Not having to worry about money would be good to. But those aren't really dreams or goals one works towards. They're more like… markers of success?" An arrogant and cruel face flashed across his mind. An overwhelming surge of rage consumed him, darkening his vision. Gregorious Abaddon. There was that! His revenge! That monster had to die. Tatsumi would never rest until that victorious and triumphant expression as he exalted over Tatsumi while murdering his sister was forever replaced with one of terror and pain! "But I will kill Gregorious Abaddon! When I find that monster I'm going to rip his entrails through his nose and hang him with them!" Tatsumi ignored the splintering noise and pain in his fingers as he imagined himself ripping him apart. "Then I'm going to really start hurting him!"

"Tatsumi!"

Souna's voice snapped him out of his rage. The kotatsu they'd been working at was ruined, he had ripped it in half, just like he had envisioned doing to Gregorious Abaddon. Souna was staring at him in concern, a gentle hand placed on his arm.

"Souna, I… sorry, I didn't mean to…" He looked away. He'd ruined her kotatsu.

"It's fine Tatsumi, it's just a table," Souna reassured him.

The door to Souna's bedroom suddenly burst open and a pink maelstrom of energy whirled into their room in a giant cyclone of sparkles and glitter. When the maelstrom ended Souna's older sister, the magical girl Serafall, was standing in the center of their room posing.

"The great magical girl, Levia-tan, has arrived to bring a magical happy day to your lives!"

Souna groaned and held her face in her hands. "Onee-sama, Tatsumi and I are trying to do homework together."

"Levia-tan thinks Tatsumi-chan and So-tan need a break!"

Tatsumi looked down at the ruined kotatsu. Souna's notes were now scattered about the room as well. "We're almost done, I'd rather just get a new table and push through the last subject.

"Levia-tan insists!" Serafall said as she spun. A pair of mystical circles appeared above her shoulders and two beams of blue energy shot forth, one hitting him in the chest, the other Souna.

Souna gaped at her sister, "Onee-sama! Why I…" her face suddenly flushed deeply and her body began to burn. The heat rising from her so intense it created waves of heat above her. "Y-You… b-but I'm not ready yet." She let out a sharp gasp and quickly crossed her legs tightly as she grasped her chest. "Th-there was only o-one subject left."

Tatsumi was about to ask what was going on when a sudden wave of desire slammed into him. His breathing quickened and his pants tightened. He felt a sudden urge to rip his clothes off and pounce on Souna and Serafall both.

"This is only going to have one ending, isn't it?" Tatsumi groaned through clench teeth as he tried to keep control. Unlike with Xenovia where the rational part of his mind just gave up and left, this time it felt more like his desires had picked up his rational thoughts and had tossed it on the street.

Souna had already ripped her clothes off and his eyes devoured that beautiful sight. "Damn it onee-sama!" she cried out as she threw herself on him. She was losing control of her rational side as well. "You put too much magic into it! I… I can't think!" Tatsumi actually saw the exact moment her rational mind was tossed out in the cold and desire took over completely. "I don't care! I don't care! Just give it to me Tatsumi! GIVE IT ALL TO ME!"

"Oops, maybe I over did it," Tatsumi heard Serafall say after a few moments. "You'll thank me in the morning… I think."

He and Souna were on the bed now. He wasn't quite sure how they got there but it didn't really matter. Souna was everything his body craved right then and it wasn't going to be denied a single inch of her, inside or out.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a flash of light. Serafall was standing there with a camera in her hands and a smile on her face. She was taking pictures, again. A small part of his mind was telling him that he should stop Serafall so spare Souna embarrassment in the morning.

Then Souna's legs came up around his waist and he just didn't care anymore.

~o~

A couple hours later found a very satisfied Serafall staring out the window of own bedroom. The large bay windows gave her a beautiful view of the night sky. She didn't often stay here in this room, she preferred her own back in the Underworld. This place had really just been created to keep up appearances if Souna had ever needed to house human guests that weren't aware of her devilish nature.

It had seen little use until Tatsumi came around, now at least one of them were almost always here for one reason or another. Ever since then Serafall had taken extra steps to reinforce and protect the place. The security wards around it were nearly as strong as the ones back on the main Sitri estate in the Underworld.

She wouldn't let Esdeath anywhere near this place.

Right now her baby sister and Tatusmi-chan were basking in the warmth of each other back in Sona's room. Serafall was truly grateful that Tatsumi existed. He had warmed up her onee-chan's heart, opened her up in ways Serafall never could. If only they could get over that final hurdle and have Tatsumi accept her not only as a woman, but as a devil.

Once that was achieved…

It was a great hurdle though. Gregorious Abaddon. That was the name Tatsumi had spoken. Serafall knew that man. While not a member of the Khaos Brigade and the Old Satan faction, he was certainly a sympathizer. About the only thing preventing him from joining them was his goal of beating Bedeze in the Rating Game. That would be forfeit if he publicly supported the Khaos Brigade. Tatsumi's animosity towards devils was understandable if his first encounter with them was Gregorious. That man wasn't even widely liked by his own kind.

"One thing at a time," Serafall murmured. She lifted a third vial of white fluid and held it up to the moonlight streaming in through the window, it matched the other two Serafall had placed on pedestals in her room. There was a slight difference, this one had a slight tinge of red that had nothing to do with blood. "You were right Gaby-tan," Serafall murmured. "For whatever reason, Tatsumi's semen adapts to match the race of whatever woman he is with." The vials Gabriel had given her had contained pure blooded Grim Reaper genes and pure blooded Human genes. This third vial, taken from her So-tan, contained pure blooded Devil genes. "Tatsumi is fundamentally different from other humans. There is something about him that adapts, evolves to match his surroundings." He might not even be human. The chances of Sona reincarnating Tatsumi as a Knight was slim but that didn't mean Sona had to give up on him. She could still be happy with him. Any children she and Tatsumi had would be pure-blooded devils. The Sitri line could continue pure and unbroken. "And if this works for devils… it would work for Angels too, wouldn't it Gaby-tan?" At least once they got around that annoying rule that forced them to fall if they ever fell in love. Had Gabriel suspected this all along? Was that why she approached him over a year ago?

No, this was a more recent development. She had approached him for some other reason. This came afterwards.

Tatsumi changed everything. If they could somehow duplicate this ability… they could save every race. Devils, Angels, the Fallen, even the youkai, nekomata and all the others. Every endangered species could be brought back from the brink.

Devils would no longer need to reincarnate humans, although convincing them of that may be even harder than convincing them to adopt the Evil Pieces system in the first place. Still, it was a huge step in the right direction, and one upon a road that led to peaceful co-existence between all races.

In the meantime, she couldn't wait to break the good news to her So-tan. It would take a great deal of pressure off her. Even if she couldn't make Tatsumi her Knight, she didn't have to feel guilty about her relationship.

x~X~x

Tatsumi woke to a beautiful scene. Souna was sitting atop him, straddling his hips, her beautiful naked body seemed to glow in the early morning light that filtered through the curtained window. There was a soft, gentle smile on her lips as she gazed down upon him, something Tatsumi rarely saw on her. Rarer still were her lack of glasses. Impossibly, she seemed even more beautiful without them. Her violet eyes held a sort of love and desire mixed together with regret.

Even if Tatsumi had tried to hide his wakefulness, his body let her know anyways. She let out a pleasant noise as he grew inside her.

"I see you're up," Souna murmured softly. Her only movement was to adjust her hips so he rested more comfortably inside her. "And just as eager as last night it seems." She touched the bed sheets around the hips. "We're going to need to change the sheets if we are to continue."

"Good morning to you too," Tatsumi said, yawning as he stretched his arms and legs. Souna was right, the sheets were a little uncomfortable due to how wet and sticky they were. "I may have been eager, but you were utterly relentless. How many times did you ask for my babies?"

Souna coughed delicately as her cheeks colored. "I'm just going to blame my onee-sama for that."

Right, Serafall. Whatever spell she cast on them had been potent. His urges just completely overwhelmed him and he had ravaged Souna all night, although she'd been just as rough in return. At least she didn't seem upset by what happened.

"She took pictures, you know."

Her eyes went flat and her hands clenched tightly. Now she was upset, but entirely with her sister. "Onee-sama! Don't you dare sell those pictures!" Souna shouted across the house.

"Too late!" Serafall's voice echoed back. "Payback for selling pictures of me!"

Souna covered her face with her palms and groaned. "Ruined… my school life is completely ruined."

"Is our relationship really that painful for you to admit?" Tatsumi asked.

Souna started, looking surprised. "No! That's not it Tatsumi," she said, shaking her head. "Never think that for a moment. I just would rather our private, intimate moments to remain that, private."

Tatsumi felt the same way but knew that so long as Serafall had that camera in her hands the pictures would keep coming no matter what they might want. "Well I'm just glad I was able to remember it all this time," Tatsumi said. Even if he had been sent into a magically induced sex craze, he still remembered each and every moment with vivid clarity. "That first time is still mostly lost in a fog of alcohol." It was kind of unfair that strangers knew more about what happened than he did.

"It is nice to remember properly," Souna agreed. "Perhaps next time we'll actually be in full control of our bodies."

Tatsumi let out a weak chuckle. That would be nice. Alcohol was in control the first time, and a spell the second. Tatsumi threw a glance across the room to the clock Souna had on her dresser. His eyes went wide when he noticed the time. It was late! Even if they left now they'd still miss a significant portion of first period.

He quickly sat up and shifted around on the bed so he wasn't sitting in a wet mess. Souna simply held onto his shoulders, shifting herself only when necessary to keep him inside.

Tatsumi gave Souna a curious look. Didn't she know how late it was? It didn't seem possible that someone who was always so in control not to. "We should get ready for school, Souna, it's late, we'll miss half of the day if we don't start getting ready now," he said as he tried to pull out.

She forced him back down to the bed and clamped her thighs around his.

"No, we aren't going to school today. Or tomorrow for that matter," Souna told him firmly. Tatsumi scratched his head confused. Was the Student Council President really going to skip two days of school? "I have notes from last year. I can teach you what you'll miss, probably more quickly than the teachers can since they need to cater to the lowest denominator, which isn't you."

"But I've already missed so many—"

"Which means a couple more won't make a difference," Souna cut him off. She placed her hands on her hips and gave him an intense stare. Suddenly she wasn't Souna his girlfriend anymore but rather Souna Shitori, the Student Council President that took no nonsense from anyone. "Tatsumi, you're allowed to take bereavement time. Mourn those that are gone."

Memories bombarded Tatsumi, twisted around his consciousness, demanding to be seen, recognized. His heart twisted as his mother's smiling face appeared before his eyes, it jumped at his father's proud eyes and sank with every jubilant cry or shout of encouragement from his sister, Mira. Years of memories and happiness assaulted him from everywhere.

Tatsumi gasped loudly and quickly forced himself to surface from that maelstrom of memories. He couldn't collapse here. He needed to be strong. His parents were dead, gone, things were better now. It was better this way. He could fight more easily since he had fewer people to lose if the enemies went for them instead.

"If I have time to cry, I have time to train," Tatsumi said harshly. More harshly than he intended. It wasn't even directed at her, but himself. He couldn't let himself get bogged down with memories of the past.

"Tatsumi!" Her voice was sharp like the crack of a whip. She grabbed his face and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Your parents are dead." A memory assault him, digging into his heart like a knife. A memory of his parents standing side by side looking on proudly as he stepped into High School for the first time. "Your mother is dead." Another memory, her happy smile as he was crowned Kendo Champion. His heart wrenched painfully as a tear trickled down his face. "Your father is dead." His father's strong back, always straight and proud, a pillar of support Tatsumi could always lean upon. "They are gone, you will never see them again!"

He grabbed her wrists. "Stop!"

He didn't want to hear this! He didn't… he didn't want to remember! He'd trained so hard, thrown away his entire life to be strong enough to protect the people he loved and he had lost them. All of them. His mother, his father, his sister. He was all alone now. Their smiles, their faces, their kind gestures and warmth. His mother's home cooked meals, his father's patient lectures, his sister's exuberant encouragement.

All of it. Gone. Never again would he be able to hug his mother. Never again would he look up and see his father reaching down to help him up.

It felt like his entire life had been ripped out from under him. A black pit rushed up to swallow him and all that he was. Crushing despair consumed him, drowning all the light around him. Why did he have to suffer? Why was everything always taken from him? Why was it that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many he saved, he only ever lost? Why? Why? Why?

"Tatsumi…" A pair of warm hands began to rub his back comfortingly. Tatsumi just clung to Souna, his face buried in her neck as tears streamed down his cheeks. "That's it… it's alright to cry," she whispered softly, comfortingly, "it just proves how much you loved them."

"Why?!" Tatsumi wept, "why does this keep happening to me? I try so hard and give up so much and yet life just keeps taking everything from me!" It wasn't fair! Why did he have to suffer when monsters like Gregorious Abaddon were allowed to do whatever they wanted with impunity? Both in the old world and here. Every time he turned around, someone he cared about was taken from him! "Why?!"

"I don't know why," Souna said softly, "but life hasn't taken everything from you." Tatsumi pulled back and stared at Souna through blurry eyes. Even through the tears he could see her beautiful smile. "You still have me."

She kissed him deeply. Passion, desire, love, it was all there. Souna's feelings and emotions flowed through that single kiss and into Tatsumi. His heart stilled and quieted as he let Souna carry him back onto the bed. All about Tatsumi he could feel the memories and emotions whirling about him like a storm. They threatened to consume him but between him and them was Souna.

The tears stopped and everything feel so surreal.

After what seemed like an eternity their lips parted. Tatsumi could only stare up in amazement as Souna gazed lovingly down at him. "You have me, Tatsumi. I love you."

"I—"

((Don't forget about me!)) Bennia suddenly burst into the room. She shot over to his side, her clothes disappearing one after another, before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. ((I'm with you forever and ever and you'll never be rid of me!)) She threw Souna a glare ((We're having my threesome tonight and I don't care what you have to say!))

Souna looked startled. "Wait… what?"

The mood was completely shattered by Bennia's impromptu arrival. Tatsumi just stared at his childhood friend and lover. Then impossibly laughter bubbled up from within him. The entire scene just seemed so utterly ridiculous he couldn't take it anymore.

He started to laugh. It was a loud, hiccupping sound thick with emotions. Souna threw a surprised look his way before turning a wondering gaze upon Bennia. He didn't care, he could always count on Bennia to make a situation too crazy to take seriously.

((A threesome! You, me, Tatsumi and a bed that doesn't feel like it was just pulled out of the washer!))

"It's not that bad!" Souna coughed and regained her composure. "I refuse to be a part of anything Tatsumi does not desire."

"A threesome sounds nice," Tatsumi managed to push out through his hiccupping laughter.

"I-I see…" Souna made to adjust her glasses before realizing they weren't there. "So be it. I suppose it will give me the chance to prove to you what a real woman is like."

((I've got three years of experience, you're so going to lose!)) Bennia said as let out a haughty laugh. It sounded so weird with her strange voice that resounded in your head. ((I know all of Tatsumi's weak points!))

Souna's eye twitched violently. Before she could say anything there was a camera flash from the doorway. As one the three of them turned to stare at Serafall grinning at them with a camera in her hands. Just how did she always know when something like this was happening?

"Onee-sama! Please!"

"Just be glad I'm not adding anyone extra, Sona-chan!" Serafall said, her lips twisted in an amused grin. "I still can't get anyone to believe I didn't take part in an orgy!"

Who knew Serafall was the one to hold a grudge?

((Will you at least get my good side?)) Bennia asked.

"I'll get every side!" Serafall promised.

A lascivious grin split Bennia's lips. ((Good enough for me!)) Then any choice in the matter was taken away from them as with an impossibly strong grip Bennia dragged them both back down to the bed for another round.

x~X~x

It was a beautiful spring day. The morning sun, just beginning its journey across the sky, had just finished turning they sky a brilliant blue. Birds chirped loudly in the distance, accompany the loud whine of crickets in the yard. Small wispy white clouds darted across the sky, carried along a warm, gentle breeze from the south. The breeze whirled around a large estate nestled on the outskirts of Kuoh Town where it swept past a sweaty young man doing exercises in the yard and through an open window where Bennia looked on.

She swept her bangs from her eyes as the warm breeze whipped her soft blue hair about her face. There was a smile on her face as she watched Tatsumi exercise, he truly did have a body that put most of the Greek Gods she knew to shame, but that wasn't what she was staring at. It was his eyes and his lips.

He was doing better today. She had smothered Tatsumi in as much love as she could yesterday. Sona did too, but Bennia was certain his improved mood was mostly due to her own efforts. She'd even gotten to do a few choice poses for Serafall that were sure to fetch a nice price. Unlike Tatsumi and Sona, she knew how to coerce some compensation from the overly energetic magical girl Satan.

The smile slowly faded away at that thought. Sona and Serafall were devils and neither had come clean with what they were yet. They needed to, now, before it was too late. They could justify hiding it up until this point. Beyond this though? It would seem like they were keeping it a secret just for the sake of keeping it a secret.

Hiding it any longer would only do more harm than good, no matter the state of Tatsumi's mind.

The rustling of fabric drew her attention to someone approaching from behind. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Bennia didn't bother to turn even as the individual let out a soft, strained groan as they stretched their arms above their heads. "Bennia? Is Tatsumi out there?"

((He is)) Bennia said softly. She just kept staring at the man she loved as Sona joined her at the window. ((He's doing better.))

"That makes one of us," Sona groan softly. Bennia just laughed quietly. Bennia may have initiated the threesome, but Tatsumi ended up outlasting the both of them. She didn't particularly mind, she was used to Tatsumi's nigh endless stamina. Sona was still getting used to it.

She was happy with the results though. It meant Tatsumi wasn't one of those men that wanted a harem but couldn't satisfy one. He was the reverse. A man that didn't want a harem but could satisfy one if he did. Who would be best to add to it next? Bennia often talked about adding everyone, but there were few she was actually serious about. She knew Tatsumi wouldn't take just anyone to bed and it was fun teasing him.

((Enough of that though…)) Bennia whispered to herself.

"What was that?" Sona asked curiously.

The Grim Reaper didn't respond as she eyed Sona up and down. The young devil hadn't bothered to get dressed, not really any ways. She wore little more than a blue chemise woven from a soft, sheer fabric. It did nothing to protect her modesty. That was probably the point.

((Don't you think you should tell him?)) Bennia said quietly so that Tatsumi couldn't hear. This elephant had sat in the room long enough. ((He needs to know you're a devil.)) She grinned widely at Sona's wide-eyed look of surprise. Bennia had caught her completely off-guard. She so enjoyed doing that to people. ((I could tell him for you! I'm not sure you'd like how that turn out though.))

Sona cast a furtive look out the window towards Tatsumi. "You knew?"

((I've known of you, Sona Sitri, heir of the Sitri family, since before Tatsumi and I ever came to Kuoh City. My shitty father told me all about you.)) He hadn't, but it was a convenient excuse to use. It was Bennia's business to know the names and faces of everyone of any importance, both for Tatsumi's sake and her own personal reasons. It had helped Tatsumi deal Retribution to devils that stepped too far out of line in the past. ((I tore up your initial offer to come to Kuoh Academy. I needed time to be sure of you before I let him anywhere near you or Rias Gremory.)) She turned back to Tatsumi and memories of all the horrors he'd been forced to face alone haunted her mind. It made her heart ache knowing the pain he'd gone through. ((Tatsumi had already suffered too much long before he ever came here. I needed to be sure you and Rias wouldn't make it worse.))

"You're more intelligent and observant than I had first taken you to be," Sona said, adjusting her glasses to peer at her intently. "You're not just a sex crazed deviant."

((And I didn't take you to be a coward,)) Bennia retorted. Sona rocked back as if she'd just been slapped. That was not what she had expected. Well too bad. ((I love sex, so long as it's with my Tatsumi anyways. I'm not ashamed of that, or of my body, but never assume that I am a shallow, one-dimensional person incapable of independent thought.)) She smiled. ((There's just usually little reason to take anything seriously! Tatsumi is serious enough for the both of us and I really do much prefer riling people up! Your expressions this morning have been amazing!))

"I don't know if I should take you seriously or not," Sona muttered irritably.

((See! That expression! Perfect!))

Sona frowned at her but she refused to rise and take the bait. "What did you mean earlier?"

((Calling you a coward?)) Sona nodded. ((Because you are. How about this! Tatsumi will find out by the end of the day what you and Serafall are. Either you tell him now, on your own terms, or I'm going to tell him myself and I won't be nice! I think you're good for Tatsumi. He needs that straight woman, that 'proper' woman in his life. I know it'll never be me! I don't want it to be me! Too boring.)) Bennia let the smile drop from her lips. ((But proper woman or not. The last thing Tatsumi can have standing at his side is a coward. Tatsumi isn't going to love you any more than he already does and—))

"I know," Sona cut her off. There was a determined look in her eyes now. It seemed she did understand. "All I'll be building from this point forward is suspicion wondering why did I keep it a secret for so long?"

((Now you understand!)) Bennia said cheerfully.

"Give me ten minutes to collect my thoughts," Sona said before turning away and walking back deeper into the estate.

Bennia Just watched as Sona disappeared into the estate. Sona was a very atypical devil, just like her sister. She was an atypical teenager for that matter. She acted far more serious and mature than her age should. It made it very easy to forget that beneath that confident façade she put up was an eighteen year old girl struggling to deal with her first love. Give Sona a mathematical problem or a puzzle to solve, and she'd work her way through it without issue.

Give her an issue of the heart to deal with, and she'd flounder about helplessly. She knew she needed to wait until Tatsumi came to love and trust her before she opened up, but her uncertainty of how he might take the revelation would have kept her from opening up until it was much too late.

She turned back to the window, but not without first sending a sidelong look to someone hiding nearby in the shadows. ((So what do you think?))

"Levia-tan thinks Sona-chan wouldn't have listened to me if I'd said the same thing!" The bubbly hurricane of pink and magical sparkles declared happily as it whirled out from within the shadows it had been hiding in. "Levia-tan agrees too that Sona-chan shouldn't wait much longer." The bubbly Satan came to stand in the same spot her younger sister had not a minute earlier. The cheerful smile on her lips faded away as she stared out the window at Tatsumi. "I'm just worried whether or not Tatsumi can take any more shocks to his system."

((He might not be able to take it…)) Bennia admitted. She didn't want to think that way but the possibility was there. ((But he needs more than me.) She hated admitting that as well. It didn't matter how much Tatsumi came to care about her, she couldn't fill the hole left behind by Mira and his parents by herself. It was too large for any one person to fill. ((This is just one of those times we need to take a risk and trust in Tatsumi's strength of spirit! And I'll be here of course to make sure things don't get too serious.))

"I'm good at that too!" Serafall said enthusiastically. The two of them started laughing together. Both of them missed the nervous look Tatsumi sent in in their direction due to their laughter.

~o~

Tatsumi kept a nervous eye on that open window across the yard as he continued his one-handed vertical pushups. He didn't know what had set Bennia and Serafall off, but he knew it had something to do with him and that usually meant something was going to happen at his expense. The way the two of them had ducked down beneath the window sill and cautiously stared at him from over the lip made things even worse.

It was bad enough being stared at, but when it was Bennia and Serafall staring at you with eyes filled with mischief, bad things were about to happen. Those two pairs of mischievous eyes peering at him from over the lip of the window distracted him so much he actually lost count of how many pushups he'd done, or how long it had been.

It was a relief then when Souna stepped outside. Tatsumi eased himself to the dew-covered grass and settled as he knees as he observed her. That soft blue chemise brought back a host of pleasant memories from yesterday. The fabric became almost invisible under the light of the sun, tinting her body blue instead of concealing it.

An easy smile came to his lips. "Good morning, Souna."

A sliver of worry wormed its way through him when the smile he got in return was hesitant and uncertain. "It is a nice morning," Souna agreed. Her voice soft and gentle as she stopped just short of him. There was no hint of the usual confidence she normally held. Something serious was happening here. She settled on the grass across from him, their knees mere inches apart. "We need to talk."

Tatsumi swallowed hard. "Are you pregnant?" That was the only thing he could think of right then.

Souna just blinked and stared at him, surprise visible on her features. She shook her head and quickly regained her composure. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about, but the possibility certainly exists."

"Oh." A lame response but what else could he say to that? "Then what's wrong?"

Souna seemed to steady herself, taking a long, calming deep breath to settle the nerves. "This… is something that has preoccupied my thoughts for some time now. When to tell you. How to tell you." It was always said that eyes were like a doorway into the soul, and right now Tatsumi saw nothing but vulnerability in those wide, luminous eyes of hers. "Tatsumi, I know that during your Night Raid work you've come across atrocities for which there can be no justification."

Painful memories flashed across his mind, the faces of all those that have died, twisted in agony and fear. "Yes."

She gently touched his cheek, tracing delicate little circles across his skin with her fingertips. "Your Night Raid brings you into conflict with the worst devils in existence. Monsters in every sense of the word." Tatsumi closed his eyes and nodded. He didn't want to remember… but there was a reason for this. Souna never said or did anything without reason, like how she made him confront his parent's deaths instead of bottling it up. "It's not all that unlike a Police Officer, or a Correctional Facility guard, is it?"

"They don't have to deal with…" Tatsumi trailed off. No, he couldn't really say they didn't have to deal with what he did. Humans were capable of both infinite good and infinite evil. Just like there were those that would gladly sacrifice their life for a stranger, there were also some absolutely monstrous humans that made Esdeath seem well-adjusted. Dorothea, for instance, and what she had done over in Canada before the law finally caught up with her. Tatsumi had thankfully yet to come across a devil as evil as her. "Well, at least not as often anyways."

"That's just because you're all there is," Souna said gently. "I imagine if there was only a single police officer for the entire world…"

That would probably be the single most unpleasant job in existence. Someone like that would most definitely be able to empathize with what Tatsumi had to deal with. "I have Bennia…"

He couldn't help but smile as her brow furrowed in annoyance. This was more like the Souna he'd come to know and love. "Fine, two. It doesn't change the point."

"I know, but I get what you're trying to say. Every moment of every day someone, somewhere, is being raped or murdered, but no one single Police Officer has to deal with every murderer or rapist."

She gave a sharp nod. "Exactly." The uncertain settled upon her once more but it wasn't as intense as before. It didn't dominate her features, but rested alongside firm determination. "Tatsumi, I just want a yes or no answer for this. Do you think it's fair to judge humanity based solely on the individuals someone like that hypothetical police officer would encounter while on the job?"

"No." That police officer would encounter the worst of the worst. It wasn't a fair representation of an entire species. Judging humanity based on the best, brightest, and kindest it had was just as equally flawed. Tatsumi was certain though that this had something to do with Night Raid and his feelings towards devils. "Is this about—"

Souna stopped him with a gentle finger on the lips. "Please, Tatsumi." He nodded. She took another long, steadying breath. "I feel the same way as you Tatsumi. An entire species should not be judged based on the actions of the worst of their kind. I would never judge humanity based on the actions of the criminals you've locked up in your prisons so…" she bowed her head low, offering her naked back to him. Never before did she seem so frail. "Think of me as you will but please… all I ask is that you at least extend my people the same courtesy."

Before Tatsumi's mind could grasp the odd manner in which she phrased those sentences a pair of black devil wings erupted from Souna's back. Absolute silence filled the yard as Tatsumi stared at those black wings, the symbol of his hatred. It was as if the entire world held its breath, waiting for how he would react. The strangest thing about it was that he was waiting too.

A strange feeling overcame him. A numbness that didn't make any sense alongside a trickling amount of disbelief. He didn't know what to feel. The wings didn't seem real. It felt like she was playing a trick on him.

Except Souna would never play a trick like this.

Before he was even aware of it his hand moved, tentatively inching forward to touch the edge of those black wings. They were surprisingly soft and warm to the touch. A shiver ran through Souna's body as he trailed his fingers along its edge. They were very sensitive as well.

"They're real."

"I am a devil, Tatsumi." Her voice was so quiet it was almost lost in the silence that engulfed the area. "And not a reincarnated one. I am Sona Sitri, the heir of the Sitri family, one of the seventy two great devil families."

Tatsumi continued to trail his fingers along her black wing, memorizing the feel and shape. This felt so real, so life like, that it couldn't be a prop. Where was the hatred? The anger? Why did he only feel numbness and disappointment?

"Heiress…" His gaze lifted and he found Serafall's worried eyes staring back at him. She was still hiding beneath the lip of the window but she did wave back… even as twelve black wings erupted from behind her.

They were both devils, and Serafall was something special.

She seemed to sense his question. "Serafall really is my onee-sama. She just had to give up the family name when she became the Leviathan, one of the four great Satans that rule over our people."

"What?" Confusion consumed his mind. That made absolutely no sense what so ever. "Is this all a joke? An elaborate illusion or something?" This had to be some sort of mistake. "Who would ever make someone like Serafall a Satan?"

"Hey!" Serafall cried out indignantly from inside.

"Was everyone drunk or something?"

"Sona-chan! He doesn't believe you!" Serafall wailed pitifully. There was a flurry of movement as Serafall erupted through the window, blasting out a good portion of the wall as well and leaving a stunned Bennia behind. She twisted in midair and landed with a twirl on the grassy yard. "Just because I'm a magical girl doesn't mean I can't be a Satan!" Then she proceeded to shoot out sparkles as she spun in place.

"To become a Satan you don't really need to be well adjusted," Sona said in a pained voice. Serafall let out an indignant squawk. Sona just ignored her and continued on. "You just need power and popularity and my onee-sama, as strange as it sounds, has both. She is the strongest female devil currently alive and she has her own kids television show in the Underworld."

"Oh." This was very quickly leaving the realm of reality and rapidly entering the realm of 'what the fuck'. At least that explained all the power she could throw around without effort, but it also caused an unsettling feeling to fester in the pit of his stomach. "That's why she's always around you whenever I am… just in case I found out and became violent."

"Well, maybe at first but now I just like teasing you two! You make such a great couple!" Serafall said enthusiastically as she pulled a camera out of seemingly nowhere. "But can you blame me! My Sona-chan is so cute and adorable I just can't stand to see a single hair on her head injured!" Serafall crowed as she twisted and turned in place, hugging herself tightly.

An over-protective big sister. One that that wielded enough power to obliterate his existence with ease and would do so without hesitation if he so much as thought of harming Sona.

"If I hurt Souna… I'm dead, aren't I?" Tatsumi stated flatly.

"No," Sona said quickly as she sat up. There was a look of firm determination in her eyes now. The hesitation and uncertainty were gone. "Onee-sama, you will not interfere at all, no matter what Tatsumi does to me."

"But—!"

"Onee-sama!" Sona whipped her head about as she snapped at her sister. Serafall lowered her head and looked away. Sona turned back and lifted Tatsumi's hands. Tatsumi could only watched, feeling almost detached from his body, as she placed his hands around her throat. "If you think killing me is the right thing to do. If you believe my death will bring you closer to your ideal goal of human peace. Then do what you feel must be done." She gave him a beautiful smile filled with so much warmth it actually hurt to look at. There was no darkness in those eyes, only love for him.

"Then kill me."

Tatsumi's eyes snapped wide. Mira was there beneath him, stretched out across the blood stained office floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared up at him, those once bright, cheerful eyes of her now a dull, empty brown. His hands were around her neck, squeezing the life from her. "please…. Tatsumi… kill me…"

Despair welled up inside him, sweeping him off his feet and sending him tumbling into the dark abyss.

A keening wail echoed shook the walls. Wind whipped in from the shattered window, carrying with it a deluge of rain pounding upon the building. The wind and rain whirled about him in a spiral, guiding him downwards.

No, no, no, no, not again! "Not again… not again!"

Every fiber of his mind and soul raged against the storm of emotions battering his existence. He didn't want to kill her. He wanted her to live.

The fingers tightened.

A wave of pure force thundered in to him, ripping him off Mira. ((TATSUMI!)) That single word, his name, shattered the world. The walls broke apart, the ceiling collapsed, the bodies dissipated and everything disappeared into a black void before his face thumped painfully of dew covered grass.

((Tatsumi, it's alright. It's over, that happened years ago.)) Bennia's calming voice soothed the pain and cut through the keening wail. That sound… it was coming from him. He clamped his mouth shut and a hiccupping sob was ripped from his throat. He felt Bennia lift him up and cradle him to her chest, her hands rubbing his back softly, gently. ((It's alright now, Tatsumi. It's alright now.))

Was it really? Would it ever really be over? It had felt all so real. He could still feel the soft flesh of Mira's neck between his fingers. Taste the ashen despair that consumed everything in that room.

"What was that?" What a strange, childlike voice. Tatsumi felt like he should know it. It tickled memories, a great many of them. "That was…" The voice paused and when it began again it was filled with worry. "I've seen that reaction before."

((Mira… did not die under normal circumstances.)) Bennia said hastily to someone. ((Please, never do that again.))

There was a brief moment of silence before the other voice spoke again and when it did it was filled with a dark violence. "I'm half tempted to murder Gregorious Abaddon myself."

"No!" Tatsumi shouted as he twisted around in Bennia's embrace. "He's mine!" He stopped and stared. There were two other girls there, people he recognized now. The memories of all their time together came rushing back in a torrent. Sona and her sister, Serafall. Black wings extended from their backs but for some reason, that just didn't matter anymore.

"I know, and that's the only reason I'm not going to," Serafall said softly. "After what he's put you through, you deserve to enjoy hunting him down and inflicting soul shattering agony upon his existence."

Soul shattering agony… that sounded about just the right level of pain Gregorious Abaddon deserved.

((Sona, please come)) Bennia suddenly said, gesturing her down.

"I don't want to cause another—"

Serafall stuck her leg out and tripped Sona. Sona had all of half a second to hurl a curse at her sister before she fell onto Tatsumi's chest. His arms automatically came up around her to cradle her against his chest.

"See! No problem!"

"I…" He had acted out of reflex to catch her. Those black wings of hers were directly in his face and he just didn't care. "This is a very strange feeling right now." The symbol of his hatred was right in front of him and he felt nothing.

No, that was right. He did feel something, but it wasn't hatred. All he felt were his feelings for the woman in his arms and they did nothing but fill him with warmth.

((As terrible an idea as it was, Sona stupidly putting your hands around her neck reminded you of Mira.)) Bennia said softly. ((That means that deep inside you, she is just as important to you as your sister was if perhaps in a different way. Devil or not, you've accepted her. It's really just a matter of convincing your stubbornness of that.))

Sona roughly cleared her throat her as she repositioned herself in his arms. Tatsumi found himself sandwiched between the two most important women in his life. "I deeply regret making you relive a painful memory, Tatsumi. That was not my intent."

"I—" He roughly cleared his throat as well. "I think I need some explanations…"

Sona gently touched his face. "I'm willing to tell you everything." There was no hint of deception in her voice or her eyes. "I truly am sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I wanted to tell you sooner, from the very start, but—"

"You knew how much I hated devils," Tatsumi finished for her. He shut his eyes tight. He was supposed to hate devils which meant he was supposed to hate Sona. They were supposed to be pure evil. The embodiments of selfishness, greed, arrogance, and everything that lurked in the dark side of a human's soul. Gregorious Abaddon, Cordain Shax, and so many other devils he'd killed over the years, monsters that had preyed upon humans for their own selfish desires.

Sona's earlier words came back to him. Was it fair to judge an entire species based on the actions of a select few? The worst of the worst?

Proof of her words rested in his arms in the form of the woman herself. Sona didn't really embody any of those traits.

Bennia poked his cheek.

He opened his eyes and gave her a long look. "You knew."

((I know every important devil)) Bennia told him.

"You didn't tell me."

((You wouldn't have listened)) Bennia told him gently. She tightened her embrace. ((I was there when Mira died. I was there when Cordain Shax tortured those little girls. I was there for all the atrocities you witnessed devils commit in this world. After all that, nothing I said would have made a difference. All you'd seen was the dark side of devil kind. You needed to see the light side before you'd listen to anything I'd say.))

Sona picked up from there. "Tatsumi, I'm not going to try and justify the actions of some of my race." her arms came up around him as well, holding him tight as if she was trying to force all her love for him inside. "I know there are some terrible devils. Families that treat humans as mere slaves or useful tools at best. Your Night Raid has made you come into direct conflict with the worst of my kind and I am sorry for that. All I ask is that you don't judge an entire race based on the despicable actions of a select few."

Don't blanket an entire race with a prejudice because of the crimes of a few. Judge the individual based on their own actions. That was what she was saying… and more. It went beyond that. She wanted him to accept her actions as proof of a greater point. That not all devils were evil. Just like humans, there were good and bad. Night Raid just ensured that all he ever met were the bad.

It wasn't so difficult a concept to accept as he thought it would be. Memories of the Old World helped support that ideal. A different ideal and intent were really all that differed between the Night Raid of old and the Jaegers. Between the Revolutionary army and those loyal to the Emperor. There had even been those like Budo that were good and righteous that fought for the despicable Prime Minister not because they agreed with their actions, but because they upheld the ideal of the Empire as a whole.

Run, Wave, Kurome, they'd been decent people inside. At the very least no worse than him. Even Bols hadn't been that terrible, he'd just been forced to do terrible things for an Empire that cared nothing about him.

This was similar, only instead of two factions of humans, it was two races. There were those horrible, despicable monsters such as Gregorious Abaddon and Cordain Shax on one side, and on the other side people like Sona and her sister.

A tiny whisper in the back of his mind wanted to hate her, despise her, lash out at her… but there was nothing for it to latch onto and it slowly disappeared into silence. Tatsumi could not look back on a single action or word that Sona had done in all the time he'd known her that could even remotely justify his hatred.

Bennia had been right. When darkness is all you've ever seen, it was difficult to believe there was any light. He wouldn't have believed Bennia if she had told him. Now he could. The woman he was embracing right now, Sona Sitri, stood completely outside the mould of a devil that Tatsumi had come to accept was absolute.

It still left so many questions unanswered though. Considering his occupation with Night Raid, he should be the last person Sona would want to associate with. "Why me? I know you didn't approach me at first because you envisioned this all happening."

'This' was the two of them becoming lovers. It didn't make any sense the more he thought about it. He was a mortal human, she was an immortal devil. An heiress at that, who would eventually be tasked with providing heirs to continue the family line. This whole situation just felt off.

"Like everything I do, there was a logical reason. First, I will say that like Rias, I do have a peerage of my own." Sona reached behind her and opened a small little pouch attached to a black band around her thigh. He hadn't even noticed that before. "I know you're intelligent. I wouldn't have fallen for you if you weren't. As you've no doubt deduced I approached you for two reasons. The first truly was to benefit Kuoh Academy and its Kendo Club, that was no lie." Sona reached into the pouch and pulled out some chess pieces. A rook, a knight and three pawns. "The second was for a more personal reason, this." She picked the Knight piece out of the five and held it up before his eyes. It looked like any other chess piece except Tatsumi thought he could feel something more coming from inside it. "I was fascinated by the skill you displayed during your championship match against Hikaru. It had all the hallmarks of someone who would make a great knight. I hadn't truly considered pursuing you at first, but then you and your family moved here, to Kuoh. We tried to get you in to Kuoh Academy immediately, but you choose a different High School at first due to—" She paused and frowned at something in the distance. She didn't want to meet their eyes for some reason, his or Bennia's. "Let's just say reasons. I thought I'd lost my chance again but then your school strangely burned down and you finally accepted the offer to come here. From there I took steps to get close to you. Unlike Rias whose lack of self-confidence prevents her from approaching someone unless she's in a superior position, I believe in approaching the person while they're still alive and healthy. I don't want to risk the chance of resentment lingering after reincarnation. Everyone in my peerage willingly agreed to be a part of it while they were still human, and their minds unfettered."

Tension he didn't know he even had slowly drained out of his body with those words. Choice. Sona didn't forcefully reincarnate people. Sona spoke with them, befriended them and then gave them the choice. He believed her. The words were spoken with too much sincerity. Her eyes weren't shadowed or masked. They were open, honest, and Tatsumi could see no deceit within them. Tatsumi even knew the motivation of a certain individual. He would have most certainly jumped at the chance to be reincarnated into Sona's peerage if only to be closer to her just like Issei would have with Rias.

He could find nothing wrong in her actions.

That everyone she asked had likely said yes was more of a testament to her ability to properly identify those who were both useful and willing. How could he fault her for thinking and acting logically? That was what Sona did.

"At first I truly thought you were just a simple human," Sona continued, rolling the knight piece in her fingers. "A skilled human, but still just a human. Then you met my onee-sama and I learned a bit more about you. After that it hadn't been difficult to dig up other news stories from the past several years that you were involved in. What I saw sickened me and I knew if it sickened me, it would be even worse for you. You'd never accept my offer to become my knight if you thought I was similar so instead I set out to prove to you I was different. I'm sorry for keeping what I am from you, but you would never have given me the chance to prove I am different if I hadn't."

She was right. He wouldn't have. Just like Rias. The fact that Rias actually apologized and said she'd change her ways proved that she also was a far different breed of devil than Gregorious Abaddon. He still had issues with her though. Rias was one person Tatsumi didn't think he'd ever like.

"So you wanted me as part of your peerage, as your knight," Tatsumi said softly. If he hadn't seen the dark side of what the system could do, he might have even considered it. "Why do I sense that something has changed?"

Sona's eyes became downcast as she stared at the knight piece in her hand. "This system, the Evil Pieces system, that allows us devils to reincarnate other species as devils is not all powerful. There are… limitations. Each pawn has a certain value, knights and bishops are worth three pawns, a rook five, and a queen eight." Sona handed her knight back to her sister. "This is all I have left to use. A single pawn is only powerful enough reincarnate someone of a certain strength. Even if their current strength is pitiful, if their potential is great, you need to use more pawns to reincarnate them. Saji, because of his Sacred Gear, required four pawns while Issei required eight." She gave him a sad look. "I had thought the knight would be enough for you until—"

"The battle with Esdeath," Tatsumi murmured. He could see where this was going now. The Tyrant inside him, the entity that had granted him that increased speed, strength and agility required to match Esdeath, even a playful one, for that length of time made him worth more than a single knight. "You can't reincarnate me even if you wanted to." That just made this whole situation even more confusing. "If I'm of no use to you, why are you still with me?"

Serafall suddenly threw her arms Sona and rubbed her cheek against hers. It was suddenly getting really crowded. "Tatsumi-chan! Isn't it obvious?" Sona looked away embarrassed by her sister's display of affect. "She said it earlier! Sona-chan loves you!"

Love? "That's it?"

"Devils can love too, Tatsumi," Sona said quietly, her beautiful violet eyes wide and filled with love, for him. It struck him like a thunderbolt, spreading a pleasant warmth throughout his body. "I know it doesn't make any sense to you, it doesn't to me either, but I do love you. My heart has decided on you and there's nothing I can do to change it." Her cheeks colored again. "I wouldn't want it to. If you were a devil I would have already dragged you in front of my parents and married you."

Seriously? How long had they known each other? Two, maybe three months? Couldn't be much more than that.

Serafall could apparently read his mind. "It's the way we are, Tatsumi. We're devils, we don't need years to decide if we love someone. I speak from experience when I say that when we fall in love it's sudden and absolute. One day you can be normal friends, and the next you're saying your vows to one another."

He wasn't sure if she was exaggerating or not, but Sona seemed to be proof that it was certainly faster than human relationships. Oh who was he to judge? He had fallen for Mine hard, and had fallen for Sona just as fast. It had taken an incredibly short amount of time for Sona to find a place in his heart. But then, Sona had also been very convincing too.

It was right there, at that moment, that Tatsumi realized he'd truly accepted Sona. As he stared into the eyes of the woman he held he didn't see a monster. He saw the woman he loved. Now he understood why the wings had seemed so irrelevant.

Because they were. Perhaps it was like she said. She'd proven herself through her actions and if he wasn't willing to accept her actions as proof of her sincerity, how could he expect others to accept his?

"Souna… or is it Sona?" What was he to call her? They were close phonetically, just a different emphasis on characters.

"Souna Shitori in public."

Tatsumi nodded. An alias to hide her race from humans. Most people wouldn't be familiar with the seventy-two demons of Solomon, but those that were would recognize the Sitri name.

"Sona I…" He paused as he stared up at her. Her face was calm, stoic, yet uncertainty broiled in her eyes. She had given her explanation and now she was waiting for him to decide whether he would accept her, or reject. "Usually when I think of Devils I see Gregorious Abaddon and all those like him standing a mountain of bodies surrounded by an ocean of blood. I think of all the humans forced to endure horrendous suffering because of their greed, cruelty and sense of entitlement." When he closed his eyes he could see it stretching out before him. The faces of all those devils, those he had killed and those still living, staring at him, laughing, mocking. Telling him that no matter how many of them he kills, there will always be more. He opened his eyes and smiled up at Sona. "But I don't see you beside them. You're not there. When I look at you I just see Sona, the woman I've, for some reason, fallen for as well." He

Sona's shoulders sagged as she let out a long shuddering sigh. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes drain away, replaced by relief. "I am glad you were able to see reason, Tatsumi. I was unsure what I would do if you had considered me the same as those monsters."

Serafall let out a very undignified squeal as she hugged her sister tightly. "Oh So-tan! Don't be so shy and serious! Tatsumi has accepted you completely! You should be all lovey-dovey and kissy-kissy and stuff."

"Ah ha…" It was also very, very difficult to envision Serafall as an evil devil. I mean, seriously, who can look at that overly cheerful, sister obsessed magical girl dressed head to toe in pink and think 'murderous psychopathic monster?' There was still a major problem with all this. "I'm human though and you're a devil. Aren't you an heiress? What about children, your heirs?"

"I haven't quite figured that issue out yet," Sona admitted, looking worried once more. "But I'm sure we'll figure… onee-sama why are you grinning like that?" she asked nervously.

Serafall was grinning widely, like a little kid that had found that hidden stash of candies their parents hid. She quickly whipped out a small vial of white liquid from somewhere and dangled it in front of them. "I took some of Tatsumi's semen from inside you last night, So-tan!"

"You what?!" Sona shouted in disbelief. "Don't you dare sell that too! If you do I'll never speak to you again!"

Serafall actually looked a little hurt. "But Sona-chan! I could get so much for it!" Tatsumi was sure the horrified look on Sona's faced matched the one he had on his. He would fight Serafall to prevent that from ever getting out, even if he knew it was a battle he could never win. Serafall just laughed and hugged her sister tightly. "Don't worry So-tan, your onee-sama wouldn't do that with something like this." She waved it in front of their eyes again. "Because inside here are pure blooded devil genes!"

"Onee-sama, please make sense. That's impossible. Tatsumi is human."

"Is he?" Serafall asked, causing them all to stare at her. There was a piercing look in her eyes as she stared at him, as if she was trying to peel back the layers of his skin to see what was underneath. It only lasted a moment but Tatsumi worried that even that moment was enough for all his secrets to be ferreted out. "Well whatever the reason Tatsumi adapts to whomever he is in so you don't have to worry at all So-tan! Any children you and Tatsumi have will be pure-blooded devils!"

It made sense. In fact, Tatsumi didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier.

It was due to the Tyrant inside him. It could adapt to any environment it was placed in and not only survive, but thrive. It really wasn't that difficult to believe that if it wanted to reproduce it could adapt to whatever creature it was mating with. If anything it was almost more ludicrous to think it couldn't. It would be an extreme oversight on the part of its evolutionary capabilities.

"Are you certain?" Sona demanded. "If you're lying to me onee-sama I will—"

"I'm not lying," Serafall interrupted her. "I have two more vials, both given to me from Gaby-tan." Tatsumi gaped at Serafall while Bennia just started to laugh. Gaby-tan? As in Gabriel? Tatsumi had a feeling if he called Sensei that she'd split him in half and roast him over a fire. "One was taken from Bennia and it has pure-blooded Grim Reaper genes," Bennia looked startled by that fact. She obviously hadn't known Gabriel had taken anything from her, "and another was taken from one of her followers and it has human genes. It's not a mistake." Serafall's smile went wide. "That can only mean one thing, So-Tan!"

((Another threesome?)) Bennia supplied before anyone else could say something.

"Ah, we just had one last night, I'm good!" Tatsumi said quickly.

"I agree," Sona added just as quickly.

((Awww... but don't you want to really confirm what she found out?))

"We are not going back to bed so soon," Sona insisted.

Tatsumi quickly extricated himself from the two girls as they argued back and forth. Sona was right, he was up no and he had no interest in going back to bed quite so soon. He needed to disappear until Bennia settled down.

What's more, he needed some time alone with just his own thoughts. He needed that peace and quiet. These past two few days had offered precious little of either and he desperately needed both.

---

Author's Note: So, what do you think? The big reveal is finally here! Tatsumi has finally learned that Serafall and Sona are devils and he's accepted them. Anyone that honestly thought it would turn out any differently… is probably correct to think that. Read Major Note below for that reason though.

Leave a review and let me know what you think!

Note on How devils fall in love: Maybe it's canon, maybe it's not. If it's not, consider it one of those things from canon I am changing. Because either that happens, or what's described in the below note happens. I think most will agree that what was written is the better one.

Major Note and Example of characters taking over writing the story from the author: The last part of this chapter, where Sona reveals her nature to Tatsumi, is a perfect example of the characters in my story taking my pen away from me and telling me 'no.' Figuratively speaking of course. Sona's reveal was supposed to be something far different.

The big reveal had been one of the defining reasons for my starting this story. What I had planned was just after the Kokabiel fight, as in basically the next chapter, a pissed off Saji, due to Sona being 'stolen' from him, would pick a fight with Tatsumi (There was earlier buildup to this I actually removed in later revisions because this scene no longer fit). Tatsumi, learning he's a devil and close to Sona, reacts in a typical Tatsumi manner and fights back, brutally. This drags in other members of the peerage who try to support Saji, not realizing he started the whole thing. Tatsumi basically beats them all down and is about to go for the kill when Sona appears and reveals she's a devil and asks Tatsumi to stop. She'll get everything sorted out.

Saji then uses Sona's distraction to get in a cheap shot.

That makes Tatsumi feel like he was betrayed. Words no longer matter at that point. Tatsumi basically just gives up on life letting the Tyrant take over. The Tyrant then brutally savages Sona and her entire peerage, eating and killing at least half of them, possibly even Sona herself, and forever destroying her ability to participate in the Rating Games or creating a Rating Game School. Gabriel brings him back to his senses and takes him away before Serafall finds out.

Serafall finds out anyways and basically marches on Heaven with an army of devils in tow, or Gabriel's piece of heaven at least. A huge battle breaks out that takes the combined effort of Sirzechs, Michael, Azazel, and all the other leaders, just to prevent the next Great War from starting right then and there. That leads to Serafall cursing Tatsumi forever and the whole big reveal about Tatsumi's past, both in the new world and the old, and a whole bunch of other stuff which I can probably still fit in, just in a different way.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached this point it no longer really fit. The way the Kokabiel arc unfolded completely altered this reveal. Tatsumi's parents were never supposed to die, he wasn't supposed to go Tyrant on Kokabiel and get his ass beat and Sona was never meant to be one of Tatsumi's love interests. That was another thing that the characters decided upon without my say-so.

What I described above all still sounds far cooler and more interesting than what you got… but the emotional impact I wanted wouldn't be there anymore. Tatsumi is already too hurt. At this point it'd just feel like I'm piling on the angst for shits and giggles and that's not good writing. Suffering needs to have a purpose, and that purpose has already been served by earlier events. We all know that Tatsumi is a flawed and fallible character by now. This basically led all the characters to say 'fuck you, Arthain, Tatsumi has already suffered enough, just get on with some happy stuff. You can make him suffer later.'

Any writer worth their salt knows to listen to their characters and so with great reluctance I discarded a scene I really, really wanted to write. That is why we got the end of this chapter instead of Tatsumi going berserk and rampaging as the Tyrant.

I lost a cool scene, but got a more meaningful one instead. Although I suppose it's more like we traded Tatsumi savaging Sona's peerage with Gabriel and Serafall kicking Kokabiel's ass. It's up to you to decide which you'd prefer.

In a way, this is a good thing. I wasn't quite sure how to handle the aftermath so that Serafall didn't absolutely despise Tatsumi forever since I like her and I have plans for her that involve Tatsumi in the future. Brutalizing Sona's entire peerage and killing so many friends, and potentially even her, is sort of a relationship breaker. That's not really something a simple 'I'm sorry' is going to fix. It could make for an interesting alternate timeline that eventually ends up with an insane Tatsumi working alongside Esdeath to destroy all three factions, but that's not what I want to write here. I know it sounds cool but can you imagine having to read something like that? I don't even want to write it! THAT would be a grimdark story that would make Warhammer 40k proud.