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.

29. Feminine Charm

Chapter 27: Feminine Charm

The first thing Tatsumi noticed as he came to was the heat. It covered him like a blanket, seeping into his skin and warming him from the outside in. It pulsated almost like it had a life of its own, beating in time with his own heart. Within that warmth he could feel the press of another against him. The source of that warmth. It radiated from that person like a furnace. The woman, he could tell by the press of a pair of ample breasts against his chest, was wrapped tightly about him. Her legs were intertwined with his, one arm tucked beneath his back, and the other, her free hand, gently stroking his chest.

It was a pleasant sort of warmth.

His first thought was that it was Hikaru, the chest was much too large to be Bennia or Sona, but something was a bit off. The woman was a little too short to be Hikaru, and the chest too large.

Tatsumi slowly opened his eyes and found not what he expected. A head covered by a beautiful wealth of blond hair dominated his vision. The curls one could normally find there were missing, her hair was undone and loose. Her head was nestled against his chest and her eyes closed. His eyes lingered briefly upon her ample breasts, tracing their soft curves as they rose and fell in time with his breathing. It was Ravel resting atop him, as naked as the day she was born, gently stroking his chest.

At least the source of the warmth made sense.

He tore his eyes away from her naked breasts and forced himself to look her full in the face. She looked so adorable he didn't want to disturb her, but he needed to know how much he'd missed.

"Morning Ravel," Tatsumi greeted her. The little girl almost smacked into the ceiling, she jumped so high. He chuckled and glanced past her to his window. "Well, I guess it's more night really. How long have I been out?"

"A-Ah… this isn't what you think!" Ravel said, her words tumbling out of her mouth almost atop one another even as she gestured wildly in front of her. "I can explain!"

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow and decided to have a little fun. "You can explain why you're sleeping with me, naked, gently stroking my chest like a lover?"

"N-Not that… I mean… y-you were so cold! Warmth, that's right," Ravel quickly shook her head as tried to regain her composure. "Y-you almost died! You were so cold, lost so much blood. Hikaru-san was here at first but Sona-sama came and said she has responsibilities and she has to train and…" Ravel's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "Someone had to do it… Xenovia-san and Bennia-san are gone and I don't trust that stupid Fallen. Akame-san and Najenda just laughed and said you'd be fine." She coughed a couple times and roughly cleared her throat before glaring down at him like all of this was his fault. "I was simply doing my duty as your Manager! Is there a problem with that?"

"Your duties as manager includes sleeping with me naked?" Tatsumi asked. He almost burst out laughing as steam erupted from her face. Any more and she might pass out. "You didn't slip at all during the night?"

It was more than she could take. She looked away as shame and guilt flooded her face instead of embarrassment. "I-I'll see myself out… Tatsumi-sama should have a Manager that doesn't let her desires get the better of her."

Tatsumi blinked in surprise when he noticed the tears in her eyes. He had gone too far. He quickly sat up and wrapped an arm around her before she could crawl out of bed. She let out a soft squeak of surprise as he pulled her back into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, I was just teasing you. I think Bennia has rubbed off on me," Tatsumi said quickly. "You don't have to leave."

"Oh," Ravel said softly. She looked away, blushing heavily.

Tatsumi could tell she was still upset and ashamed of her actions. He needed to do something to cheer her up. "You were right though, I am feeling a little cold." She turned back to him, her eyes wide. He smiled at her as he pressed her tightly against his chest. "You wouldn't want me to freeze to death, would you?"

Ravel coughed loudly, "of course not! It is my duty as your manager to see to your well being!" She shifted in his embrace until she was properly straddling his waist before wrapping her arms around him. Her large breasts were pressed quite firmly into his chest. He could feel her body heat up as her flames surged through her body. "How is this?" She asked, smiling up at him.

"Perfect, just be careful down there. One wrong slip down there and you can't get married," he said jokingly.

"Not unless I marry you—I-I mean you don't have to worry about that Tatsumi-san!" Ravel said quickly as he made her keenly aware of what he could feel. Her face was consumed by a blush so intense it rivaled the flames she could conjure. "I won't make a mistake!"

Despite her words, or perhaps because of them, she squeezed her legs about him tighter.

Tatsumi just shook his head as he rubbed her hair affectionately. "I'll take your word for it." He glanced past her to the door and decided to shift the topic to something less perverted. "What did I miss?"

He didn't know how long he'd been out for. One day? Two? Shouldn't be much more than that.

Ravel cough delicately as she forced her blush down. "Ah, Bennia isn't here."

That was strange. Bennia was always around him, even more so lately. It was like he could do anything or go anywhere without her either tagging along or watching. "Where did she go?" Tatsumi asked, concerned.

"Themis-sama came for her," Ravel said. He could feel her body quiver against his as fear ran up and down her spine. "No one says no to Themis-sama. No one."

"I can't say that name rings a bell." Gabriel had hammered a lot of different names from a great number of pantheons into his head. So many in fact that many of them got lost and some jumbled together with others. Like, was the God, Baldur, Greek or Norse? He couldn't remember. Still, if it was enough to make Ravel react like that, she was up there.

"Themis-sama is from the Greek pantheon," Ravel said quietly. "The Titan responsible for divine justice. She is the strongest woman in existence, bar none. Only the Hindu Trinity Gods and Indra stand above her, along with Ophis and Great Red but they're exceptions."

"So… how much stronger than Serafall or Gabriel would Themis be?" Those two were the best bench marks for him to use because he was the most familiar with them.

"Remember how effortlessly Ophis swatted Gabriel-san from the sky?" Ravel asked.

"Yes."

"She could do the same."

"Oh." That much. In other words, she was in an entirely different league all together, several leagues possibly. She stood so far above and beyond Gabriel and Serafall it was like trying to compare a newborn to a veteran of a thousand battles. If someone that powerful came for Bennia, Tatsumi probably wouldn't have tried to stop it either. "Why did she take her?"

"I don't know," Ravel said, "Xenovia-san just said that Bennia-san told her to tell you that she'd be back as soon as she could be. Gabriel-san wouldn't let her speak of anything else. I think Themis-sama scared her. She wanted to be done with the subject as quickly as possible."

"A lot happened while I was out, it seems," Tatsumi said, casting his gaze to the window once more. He blinked and tilted his head when he noticed a pair of luminous eyes peering back at him through the window. Tatsumi waved and the coerulis that was on the sill disappeared into the night. It seemed Ravel wasn't the only one that had looked over him. "How long was I out?" he asked again.

Ravel bit her lip and hesitated. Was it that bad? Eventually she gathered enough courage to speak. "Two weeks."

"Oh that's… wait what?!" Damn he knew he was strong, but strong enough to knock himself into next week? That was talent. No, wait, that wasn't the issue right now. "What about all the training and everything else? What about all the missions that have come in since?"

"The training is all done," Ravel said. He seriously missed it all. "Sona-san wanted to spend the last few days working with everyone together and going over combat simulations. We've been able to do a few missions here and there. I-I took care of all the payments just like we discussed before! It hasn't been too bad. Even if everyone knows of us, not many people actually know our e-mail or how to get in contact."

"I've seriously missed so much," Tatsumi groaned. "Is there anything I didn't miss?"

"The Rating Game between Rias-san and Sona-san?" Ravel supplied helpfully. "That's in a few days."

"At least I didn't miss that," although it had been close from the sounds of it.

Tatsumi flopped back and stared up at Ravel's naked body. Most of the women of this world truly were incredibly beautiful. Ravel was no exception, even more so with her mature features. She was short, sure, and her face still had that childish hint to it, but beyond that her body was very much fully mature.

"D-Do you like what you see?" Ravel asked shyly. "I'm fairly confident about my looks but you have Sona-san and Hikaru-san…"

Tatsumi trailed his fingertips across her thighs and up her sides to her breasts. She shivered with pleasure and leaned forward to make it easier for him to cup her breasts. "Yes I do." No matter how embarrassing it felt to say that, no matter how much of a pervert it made him feel. He could tell she wanted his honest opinion. After the way he treated her just after waking up and for all the nursing she'd done, she deserved it. "I wish I could just keep staring at it."

"Oh," she blushed heavily once more, but it was a healthy blush. She didn't make any attempt to cover herself. "W-well I can't go anywhere until you're all healed up and better so I'll… just sit here…" She flushed again and she threw a glare at him. "Don't you dare say anything!"

"I won't, I'll just stare and touch."

"You better!"

The two of them just stared at one another before they both started to laugh. It shattered the awkward mood and lightened the air almost instantly. The two of them made quite the pair. They were both normally very serious people but when it came to stuff like this, very awkward. Even Tatsumi, despite having three girls already, still felt ham-fisted every time he came face to face with something like this.

It was probably one of those things he'd never truly get used to.

"Just listen to the two of us, can you imagine if anyone actually heard us?" Tatsumi asked as he let his hands trail back down her side to rest easily upon her thighs.

Ravel giggled loudly. "We will never speak of this to anyone. It would bring shame to the Phenex family name if they heard I had behaved like a young, virgin child in the presence of her first crush."

"But aren't you?" Tatsumi asked.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not, I'm not supposed to act like that," Ravel said imperiously. She managed to stay serious for all of two seconds before she broke out into more laughter. A large smile remained on her face as the laughter slowly ebbed. "Thank you, Tatsumi-san, for everything, and for being a part of my life."

"I should be thanking for you putting up with everything," Tatsumi said. He knew it couldn't be easy helping him out. Normal didn't apply to his life and she was going to get sucked into that abnormality no matter what she did.

But what did he do about Ravel?

He did genuinely like Ravel but there had to be an end to his harem. He wouldn't let it grow indefinitely. Sona, Bennia, Hikaru. He already had three. How many more until it was too many? Until he couldn't provide them the attention they deserved? Already he felt like he was ignoring Sona. It made him feel awful sometimes.

How much worse would it get, for all of them, if he added Ravel? He really needed to sit down with all three of them and have a serious discussion about the future and…

…

What the hell was that?

Up at the ceiling, perched atop the rotating ceiling fan were a pair of golden eyes peering down at him, spinning slowly in a circle with the fan itself. Tatsumi would have been more worried if they didn't have a very familiar feel to them.

"Koneko?" Tatsumi asked.

"W-What?!" Ravel shouted in surprise. Her head snapped up to what he was staring at. "Koneko! What are you doing here?! Wait no… did you hear all that?!"

"Nyan?"

Yup, that was definitely Koneko. This was giving Tatsumi serious deja-vu to that first encounter with Koneko when she'd peered down at him through the ceiling grate of the Janitor's closet at Kuoh Academy.

"Koneko, come down here," Tatsumi ordered. He was more worried about the ceiling fan breaking away due to the extra weight than Koneko actually being here.

"…okay," Koneko said softly. The eyes disappeared and a moment later a small, lithe form dropped from the ceiling and landed next to the bed. "…is Tatsumi-senpai a pervert now?" Koneko asked softly.

Tatsumi just deadpanned. "That's the first thing you ask? I should be the one asking you that." She went rigid with shock. She honestly probably didn't expect Tatsumi to turn it around on her. "I mean, you were peeping in on me. This is my bedroom, my private sanctuary where I was having a personal, private talk with Ravel. Even more than the bath, the bedroom is the one place I should be allowed to do this sort of stuff, so I ask, is Koneko-chan a pervert?"

Koneko seemed to wilt in front of him. "…maybe? If it's Tatsumi-senpai…" She looked up and glanced between him and Ravel a couple times. Before Tatsumi could even comprehend what was happening, Koneko's Kuoh Academy uniform slid down her body to the floor as she undressed before him. A moment later her uniform was joined by her bra and panties. "…does Tatsumi-senpai prefer yakitoras or nekos?"

"Hey! This is my moment!" Ravel snapped angrily. "And it's a phoenix! A majestic phoenix! So of course he prefers birds you stupid cat!" Ravel grabbed his left hand and squeezed it upon her breast. "See?"

Koneko grabbed his other hand and placed it upon her own small, budding chest. "…saw Tatsumi-senpai first. Taste tester and training partner."

"W-Well I'm his manager!" Ravel snapped back.

Tatsumi had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore. He was so utterly confused he didn't even register Koneko climbed into bed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her small breasts against the side of his face.

"Ah, Koneko, what are you—"

"H-Hey! Get off Tatsumi-san! He's still healing!" Ravel snapped as she copied Koneko, only on the opposite side. Tatsumi found his face squished between a very warm, large pair of breasts, and Koneko's small ones.

"…smells fine, smelt arousal grow. Tatsumi-senpai likes this."

Tatsumi was also having a hard time breathing. The both of them were squeezing their arms around his chest and he couldn't… breath.

"I will not lose to you!" What did she mean by that? Tatsumi found out a moment later when she enveloped his face with her breasts. Now he really couldn't breath! He struggled against them, trying to gasp for breath but it was a futile effort. Something was fueling both these girls way beyond their normal limits! He couldn't budge them!

What the hell!?

"…won't lose either!" he heard Koneko growl as a small, soft hand slipped between his thighs and started to dance across the sensitive skin. "Better than you!"

"No you're not!" Another hand joined the first. "I know what he likes better!"

That was it. Tatsumi gave up. Between the two girls and the lack of oxygen, it was more than Tatsumi could take. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell back into sweet, blissful slumber filled with dreams of a cat and a bird fighting each other.

~o~

Tatsumi awoke with a start, his eyes darting around quickly as he tried to figure out where he was. It was his room, he recognized that ceiling. The bed around him as well. There were also a pair of concerned eyes peering down at him, a set of blue and a set of yellow. Koneko and Ravel.

"Tatsumi-san you're awake!" Ravel said, sounding relieved. She held a hand to her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. "I'm so glad."

"…you suffocated him," Koneko accused Ravel.

"You wouldn't let him go—"

"Enough!" Tatsumi barked, cutting them both off. "Sit!" he pointed to a spot to the side, and off him. Both of them quickly shifted across the bed allowing Tatsumi to be able to actually sit up. He took in several large, deep gulps of air and, satisfied he could breath properly again, shifted around to face the two young girls.

They were both completely naked because of course they were. It wouldn't even occur to them to get dressed in a situation like this. At least Tatsumi felt absolutely no urge to stare at them inappropriately. He was far too annoyed to be consumed by thoughts of lust. He had wanted to wait until everyone was gathered to speak of this but it seemed he needed to hold a preliminary talk with these two.

Ravel fidgeted nervously. "Tatsumi-san I—" He stopped her with a raised hand.

"Look, I get that you both care about me, that's great," Tatsumi said firmly as he held each of their gazes for several long moments. "But there are limits! I haven't been setting them lately because honestly I didn't think it'd be a problem, but now it is." Both of them seemed to wilt under his words. "I'll be speaking to Bennia, Hikaru and Sona as well, although the latter I don't think I need to mention this."

"…sorry." Koneko said softly.

"I know you are, both of you." Ravel had been nodding her head vigorously. "That still doesn't excuse what happened. I'm not some piece of meat the two of you can fight over. If you want to fight it out, do it amongst yourselves and come to me with whatever resolution or whatever the two of you come to."

Sparks flew as the two glared at each other. Tatsumi could only imagine the battles that would happen out of sight from now on.

"This'll go for Bennia and Hikaru as well. No more will I allow any of you to just jump on me and have your way. It was funny at first, but between losing half a day in the hotspring thanks to Sona, Bennia and Hikaru and this today," he shook his head. It was just too much. Ground rules needed to be established. "If I say no, it's a no, and if I don't say yes, you can assume it's a no." He held both their gazes long enough to make sure they understood. "Am I clear?"

"Yes," The two of them said together.

"Good, now put some clothes on," Tatsumi said as he swung around away from them and stood. He almost collapsed under his own weight but he caught himself on the bed. There was no strength in his legs from not being in use for two weeks. He could feel his body quickly working to rebuild the muscle and fill it with renewed strength, but he'd definitely need to do some walking to help it along.

"Where are you going, Tatsumi-san?" Ravel asked as she climbed off the bed beside him. "Aren't you still cold?"

No, he wasn't. He hadn't really been cold, it had just been to make Ravel feel better. He couldn't say that though. "I haven't eaten anything in two weeks." As if in response to his words his stomach growled loudly. He could almost feel the acid trying to eat the walls of his stomach in its need to find something, anything, to digest. "I also need to work the life back into my legs but…" he threw a quick glance at both of them as the girls pulled on their clothes. "I could use a taste tester or two."

"Yes!" Both of them said, raising their arms together. Sparks flew once more as the both of them glared at each other.

It didn't take very long for the three of them to get dressed, Ravel in her purple and red, phoenix tail dress and Koneko in her Kouh Academy uniform. What did take them awhile was making their way through the estate to the kitchen. It didn't matter how many times Tatsumi made the journey, it felt like it took forever. A turn here, a turn there, down that corridor, up those flights of stairs, down another hallway and then four more stair cases, through a tunnel, around fourteen more corners, five more hallways, three dozen more staircases and an elevator to eventually make it to the kitchen.

Tatsumi honestly wondered for what had to of been the hundredth time that Azazel had designed this place with the express purposes of annoying the residents as thoroughly as he possibly could.

One day, there would be renovations that included a second, closer, sub-kitchen where Tatsumi could make his own meals, but that day would have to wait for a time when he wasn't trying to catch up on two missing weeks.

Tatsumi had asked for absolute silence as they made their way here. Ravel understood. It was so difficult to find one's way here from their rooms that it needed his full concentration to get here.

Once they rounded that final corner however and the door to the kitchen came into sight, Tatsumi let out a relieved sigh and finally allowed conversation to take place.

"Alright, we're here now," Tatsumi said as he stepped into the kitchen. It was a luxurious place equipped with quite literally every type of conceivable cooking appliance, in duplicates. A state of the art steaming machine sat alongside an eighteen element stoves. There was a tower of ovens, a stone fire place and sinks of every size and shape. There were cupboards enough to hold dishes capable of serving a two-hundred guest meal, and pantries and freezers large enough to contain the spices, vegetables and meat necessary to feed them all. This place was normally Tirade's domain, although he grudgingly shared it with Tatsumi when required. He knew everything that went on in here, or would go on.

While half the reason Tatsumi felt the distance between his room and the kitchen was so long was because Azazel was a dick, the other half was probably so that Tirade could have things prepared for him when he arrived.

Such as the all the fresh meat and produce freshly purchased or thawed, just sitting on the counter waiting for Tatsumi to whip up into something delicious.

Tatsumi didn't pay it much mind though. It was something he'd grown used to. He made his way over to the stack of food and began to pull out the ingredients he needed.

"…what are we cooking this time, Tatsumi-senpai?" Koneko asked as she watched on eagerly.

"I figured something simple to start," he said as he turned on an element on the stove the medium. "Grab the bacon?" he asked as he added a hint of oil to the bottom of a pan and threw it on the element.

"…bacon," Koneko said as wandered over the to the fridge and brought back a pack of partially thawed bacon strips.

"Thanks," he grabbed nine slices and tossed them on the pan. A soft sizzle picked up almost immediately. As he fell into a familiar routine of making a dish he'd made so many times before, his mind was freed to dwell on other things, in particular one curious little issue. "Koneko, I have to ask. Just why were you hiding above my ceiling fan?" He asked as he turned to Ravel, the girl was standing to the side anxiously waiting to be given some instructions. "Ravel, can you get me some apples? Koneko, onions."

Koneko was silent as she fetched him an onion bulb. It wasn't until he took it from her that she finally spoke up. "…wanted to see Tatsumi-senpai?"

"I appreciate the sentiment," Tatsumi said as he pulled over a large black walnut cutting board and started mincing the onions. The knife flew across the board with expert precision, turning the onion into tiny pieces in moments. "But you hesitated there. What's the real reason?" He gave Ravel a smile as she brought over some green apples. He swept the onions into a second pan and set that on another element, turning the heat to medium there as well. A little dollop of butter made sure they didn't stick to the bottom. "Stir them so they don't burn," Tatsumi instructed Ravel, handing her a small little spatula to handle the onions.

Ravel went at the onions like her life depended on them turning out perfectly.

"…does Tatsumi-senpai like cats?" Koneko asked softly.

"What do you think that is?" Tatsumi asked, pointing at a pair of golden eyes peering at them through the kitchen window. It was Bolt, the coerulis that had grown attached to him. He, along with several others, roamed his property now. Tatsumi quickly flipped the bacon over and started dicing the apples on the board. "I like most animals, well, so long as they don't try to kill me anyways."

Koneko was there with a large measuring cup filled with three cups of rice. She already knew from the start what he was cooking. "Tatsumi-senpai…" she seemed hesitant about something. "Is Tatsumi-senpai human or dragon?"

"Both? I think. I'm something in between, probably," Tatsumi said as he flipped the bacon once more and set the pan off to the side. They were done now. He took the rice from Koneko and took over for Ravel, dumping the rice into the large pan. He quickly went to work on them. "Can you get me some white wine and apple juice? Should be over by the fridge," Tatsumi asked Ravel, pointing across the room. "Can you grab some consommé from the other fridge, Koneko?"

The kitchen was silent as the two went off to get the ingredients he asked for. When Koneko returned with the consommé she was unusually silent.

He paused, giving her a long, sidelong glance as he took the stock from her. Her golden eyes were wide and luminous, a burning need to know simmered within them. Her posture though, the way she held her hands to her chest. She was scared of something. A fear of something within or without?

"What is it?" Tatsumi asked softly.

Koneko hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. When she did, her voice was low and soft. "Are you… ever afraid of losing control?"

He took a moment to think about it before responding. "Not any more, no," he said softly. Ravel was back with the white wine and apple juice. He dashed a healthy amount of white wine into the pan and sent it back with Ravel. He quickly mixed the apple juice with the consommé and an equal amount of water before he went to stirring the pan, allowing the alcohol to burn off. "But back when the Tyrant and I first became… acquainted that fear was there. That fear even manifested itself in the final battle against Shikoutazer. I pushed Incursio too hard, too quickly, and the Tyrant started to take over. It wanted to use my body and my soul as a means to reincarnate itself." He gave her a gentle smile. "Yes, it was scary at the time but…" he turned back to the rice and started adding the apple juice mix, an eighth of a cup at a time. "Do you want to know what was scarier?" He saw Koneko vigorously nod her head out of the corner of his eye. "Failing my friends. We were fighting against a tyrannical empire at the time and I needed all the power I could get to protect my friends and the innocents. If I saw my friends fall and the innocent die and it was because I held back, because I didn't give my everything…" Tatsumi shook his head sadly. "I don't think I could live with myself. In the end, the Tyrant very nearly did take over, but I don't regret it because I was able to protect that which mattered the most in spite of it." He poured the last of the apple juice in the pan and stirred it vigorously. He gave Koneko a small smile. "I don't know what you're afraid of but I do know that there is nothing worse than the regret of failing to save. It's even worse when you had the power to do so and held back because of a little fear. What's more, you have powerful friends that are willing to help you overcome your fears, just like I had Akame back then."

Koneko seemed to brighten with each word he spoke until she was practically bobbing her head happily by the end. "…Tatsumi-senpai is wise, not like Issei-senpai."

"Not sure I'd call myself wise," Tatsumi said, laughing. The rice was almost done. He brushed the apple squares into the pan with the rice and added some lemon juice along with salt and pepper. "But I do know what it means to overcome fear. I've had to do that plenty of times in my life."

He felt Koneko bump into his side and wrap her arms around him. "Thank you Tatsumi-senapi!"

He glanced down at her, "You're welcome?" He blinked. Were those cat eats poking up out of her hair and a tail waving behind her? "What?"

"Hey! That's cheating!" Ravel squawked indignantly.

Koneko released him and stepped back smiling. "…Koneko won't lose! She'll protect Tatsumi-senpai and Rias-senpai and all her friends!"

"Ah, sure," Tatsumi wasn't quite sure what to say as he stared at what quite obviously was not a simple set of cosplay accessories. He shrugged and looked away. She looked sort of like Leone when she went under transformation. He'd ask Sona about next time he saw her. "Anyways, anyone up for some apple risotto?" Tatsumi asked as he turned the elements off and portioned the meal out into three plates Ravel had graciously gotten for him. He added three strips of bacon to each one before balancing the plates over to a nearby table. "Best to eat it while it's hot."

"I'll taste test one!" Ravel said eagerly.

"…will as well!" Koneko agreed. She suddenly broke out three pairs of chopsticks for them.

"Well, I hope it's as good as usual," Tatsumi said as he cracked his chopsticks and took a bite. Instantly his mouth was assaulted by a strange host of flavours.

They both noticed. "What, is it too hot?" Ravel asked concerned. She quickly ate a bit of hers and shrugged. "Taste's fine to me." She frowned and stared at it. "It tastes really good actually!"

"No, it's not that," Tatsumi said as he took another bite. There it was again! A myriad of flavors that sparked old memories. Memories from a time before Mira had been killed… It hit him like a bolt of lightning, stunning him as he realized what was going on.

He could taste again.

He could finally taste his mother's cooking. Tears started trickling down his cheeks.

"Tatsumi-san!" "Tatsumi-senpai!"

They were concerned. Anyone would be. These weren't tears of sadness though. "No, it's alright," he said softly. "It's… finally alright."

x~X~x

A beautiful summer day found Tatsumi walking amongst the garden paths of his estate with his two oldest friends, Akame and Najenda. Only a few, pale wispy white clouds marred an otherwise clear blue sky. The sun hung high in the sky above, pausing for a brief moment at the apex before starting its inevitable journey down towards the horizon. With the high sun came the heat, a scorcher of a day that baked the ground. There was no breeze to ease that heat and so birds and animals alike sought shelter beneath the boughs of trees or the cool, refreshing water gurgling from any one of the innumerable fountains that dotted the grounds of Night Raid's estate.

The coerulis that Tatsumi had brought with him to the human world were no different. Tatsumi could only smile as the three of them played along the edge of one particularly large fountain depicting Tatsumi standing triumphantly over some nameless devil. Their play inevitably found them tumbling into the fountain with a splash. No doubt more to cool off from the hot sun than anything else.

Tatsumi didn't mind the heat himself. He could feel it on his skin, but it felt warm and pleasant. Not at all uncomfortable. He was used to heat far greater than this, could generate that heat himself. Tatsumi could literally breathe fire even without transforming although it did cause some problems.

Akame and Najenda didn't fair quite so well.

Akame had changed out of her usual attire into something cooler. She had traded out her pants for the same short skirt he was so familiar with seventeen years ago along with her calf-high socks and shoes. Her legs still looked smooth and young, although Tatsumi noticed a few old, faded scars here. It was difficult to notice them beneath the dark markings engraved upon her skin from activating Murasame's trump card. Akame had also ditched her usual top in favor of a tight sports bra that emphasised her bosom. She still wore her elbow length gloves and her red armguards and Murasame was belted at her waist. Dressed even as she was, she was ready to fight in an instant.

Najenda hadn't changed although Tatsumi could tell she wished she had. There was a disgruntled look on her face as she picked at her suit. Sweat glistened across her forehead and her suit had dark sweat stains across the front and back.

"I heard from Ravel that the training finished while I was unconscious," Tatsumi said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them when the two women had joined him on his walk. "How did it go?"

"It went well," Najenda said calmly as she adjusted her coat across her shoulders again. "Tsubaki in particular is a very quick learner. She already had complete control over the basic usage of her Sacred Gear. It hadn't taken very long for her to develop new ways of utilizing it." She gave Tatsumi a sidelong glance. "She could use someone to test—"

"Never again!" Tatsumi said quickly and firmly. "I've lost enough weeks of my life already."

"Pity, she'll just have to do trial runs against Rias' peerage," the smile on Najenda's face sent a chill running down Tatsumi's spine, "those poor fools."

Tatsumi wondered if he should warn Koneko. He wanted to, if for no other reason than to spare her the pain she'd suffer, but he knew she'd tell the rest and Tatsumi would rather they not know what was coming before it hit them.

He didn't want to be the only one on the receiving end of that suffering.

"What about the other two, Meguri and Momo?" Tatsumi asked as he stepped off the path and into the little square with the fountain. The courelis were rolling around playfully in the water now. They hadn't bothered to get out again. "They were both rather… lacklustre when I saw them last."

"Meguri is acceptable now," Akame said. She paused as he sat on one of the marble benches ringing the perimeter of the fountain square and joined him on it before continuing. "She is still not on the same level as the assassins of the empire and she never will be." Akame looked over to the large statue. "She doesn't have the same threat of death hanging over her head like we had. She fights for another's dream, a pleasant dream, not for survival and not to protect or save." She turned back to Tatsumi and nodded. "She doesn't need to be on our level and at least now she is not a total embarrassment."

"It's hard to judge Momo's progress," Najenda said, continuing on the heel of Akame's words. She covered the short distance to the fountain and stared down at the playing coerulis. "She has a better grasp of certain spells and is has a larger repertoire than before, but how well she can use them in actual combat is still to be seen. It—blast this heat." Apparently having had enough of the heat Najenda did something about it. She quickly undid the buttons on her suit and stripped it off. The thing was soaked in sweat as she dropped it on the edge of the fountain. "That's better," Najenda said as she stretched her arms above her head.

Tatsumi averted his gaze to the side. Even if Najenda was wearing a grey bra beneath her suit, it was still inappropriate to stare. Especially as she splashed water from the fountain across her face and chest, turning her grey bra almost transparent.

"So what do you think of Sona's chances of beating Rias?" Tatsumi asked, trying to find something of interest in the boughs of a distant tree.

"I'd say it was all but guaranteed," Najenda said. She sounded amused like she knew why he was looking away. "Except you went and helped that girl Koneko get stronger. I did some research on her race after I saw those ears and that tail. She's probably at least ten times stronger now than before."

"Even with Hikaru?" Tatsumi asked.

"Depends on the Generals," Akame said softly. "Kings I guess. None of them can defeat Hikaru, but Hikaru can't be everywhere. Only the King needs to be defeated, nothing else. Sona is strong, but Rias has several pieces that are greater. If any one of them reaches her before Rias herself is defeated…"

"Before Rias only had two that I felt could reliably defeat your girl in battle," Najenda added. "Rias herself, and that child, Issei. Rias can't attack for obvious reasons, too dangerous to expose her to Hikaru. That only left Issei. Sona could have shut him down any number of ways, we've already discussed several and I imagine she intends to employ them. However to shut down Issei while reserving Hikaru to take out Rias when she shows herself will require a number of resources, especially while dealing with the other members of Rias' peerage. Koneko gives Rias just that many more ways of beating Sona."

"How do you know all this?" Tatsumi asked, turning back to Najenda. He made sure to keep his eyes locked to her face and not get distracted by her wet bra. They seemed to know more about Rias and her peerage than he did, and he'd been around them far longer.

"We weren't training three members of her peerage, but five," Najenda said, shrugging lightly. "Sona paid in full for Hikaru even though you got knocked out. She took responsibility for that since it was Tsubaki's Mirror Alice that hurt you so badly. Sona herself was the fifth." Najenda smiled. "She didn't need us to make her stronger, but me to help her better utilize what she already had. We spent a number of days strategizing, and to make a proper strategy, one needs information on their opponents." Najenda nodded over to Akame. "She helped as well."

"Oh?" Tatsumi asked, eyeing Akame.

"Infiltration was a success," Akame said quietly. "We know the place will be the Mall, we know the Moderator will be Sirzechs wife, Grayfia. We also the capabilities of Rias and her peerage, along with the training they went through."

"Won't Grayfia be a problem?" Tatsumi asked. "She's related to one of the competitors."

"We thought the same," Najenda said, "but this match will be under too much scrutiny for Grayfia to be anything but impartial. I have it on very good information that a certain Satan will get very disruptive if she senses any sort of favoritism happening."

"Ah." Nothing more really needed to be said on that. "Then why do you make it sound like Sona is still going to lose if everything seems to be at her advantage?"

"Because she can still lose," Najenda said. "Sona definitely has a slight advantage right now, but Rias does have the tools she needs to win. What matters most is how the two utilize said tools. On an individual level, Rias has the stronger peerage, but Sona has more, and she has Hikaru. Strategy, luck and because it's this world of all places, guts, will determine who wins and who loses."

"Hope I didn't violate our agreement with Sona by helping Koneko," Tatsumi muttered.

"We were paid to help train Sona's peerage," Akame said, "not to not train Rias'."

Oh, semantics, but then it did provide the loopholes necessary… oh who was he kidding? He doubted Rias or Sona would care very much. Sona might scold him for helping Koneko if she lost, but that'd be the extent. She might not even do that much. She may even thank him for helping the girl. She might even still do that even if she did scold him.

"It's in a couple days, wonder if we can watch," Tatsumi mused. He wasn't very well liked in the Underworld and he didn't want to keep imposing upon Lord Phenex. Even if they were doing it at the mall here in the human world, Tatsumi didn't have the means to watch it properly without their help.

"You can," a clear, beautiful voice floated gently across the square. The three coerulis suddenly bolted out of the fountain and disappeared into the bushes. Tatsumi looked up to see Gabriel descending from the sky with Xenovia at her side. Their wings unfurled behind them. Xenovia was dressed in her usual skin-tight exorcist outfit.

Gabriel had decided to wear her beautiful white dress that looked as if liquid light was wrapped around her body. Tatsumi mused idly for a moment whether or not he should tell Gabriel that descending like that allowed him to see up her dress. At least she had her legs crossed so that he couldn't see anything forbidden.

"I heard you'd gone to the Vatican from Ravel, how did that go?" Tatsumi asked as the two angels settled on the stone near the bench. There was a pure and innocent expression on Gabriel's face. The Seraph was definitely acting the part right now "Last time you caused a riot."

"Yes, I am filled with great sorrow over that incident," Gabriel said, sounding genuinely concerned by what happened last time. "A mistake not made a second time. Our arrival was kept secret and private with the Pope. Michael had felt it best that I personally informed our representatives here in the human world of the changes that have occurred. He will know how to best inform the faithful of them."

"Changes?" What was she talking about? "Anything I need to know about?"

"Oh my, I forgot you didn't know," Gabriel said lightly. Her lips pursed in thought as she crossed her arms beneath her bosom, pushing them up to the point where Tatsumi thought they'd pop out of her brilliant white dress. "A change happened in Hades and the Grim Reapers are no longer ferrying any souls to their final resting place." Gabriel looked away, the sadness on her face was genuine. "Until Bennia's father can get things under control, or at least partially under control, each faction will have to see to their own." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I may be busy and away often as a result."

"Its fine," Tatsumi said reassuringly. "We each have to do what we need to. I'm sure you'll just train me that much harder whenever you have time."

"You are so understanding, thank you," Gabriel said, smiling.

"I know you enjoy beating me all over your sanctuary too much not to let me skip out on that," Tatsumi added. Gabriel's smile shifted just a hint, but it was enough to convey a completely different meaning, one that told Tatsumi he was completely correct in his assessment. "Enough about that anyways," it didn't have anything to do with Night Raid unless Grim Reapers started messing with Humanity. "What did you say earlier about us being able to watch?"

Her eyes widened with feigned shock, as if she'd forgotten all about it. "My apologies! Yes, before. As I was saying, a great number of individuals, not all of which are devils, have been invited to watch the first game. That dear, Azazel, has been promoting it to everyone." That, pure smile and an innocent expression was back upon her face. "I would be happy to help Tatsumi-san watch the game."

"Thank you—"

"If Tatsumi would be so kind as to do something for me as well," Gabriel continued right over Tatsumi.

Alarm bells immediately started ringing in his head. It wasn't just the light, easy smile on her beautiful face that didn't fit the personality he knew lurked behind it that set them off. Nor the kind, gentle eyes that were just a touch too hard to be genuine. It was her posture. The way she leaned forward just a touch more than was necessary, showing off a more than generous amount of skin of those large, bountiful breasts. The way her head was innocently cocked to the side. How her arms gently embraced her body, like a lover would.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret saying yes?" Tatsumi asked no one in particular.

"I would never consider forcing you to do anything, Tatsumi," Gabriel said softly. Her eyes became downcast as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "If you don't wish to attend the party with me, I will not hold it against you. I will understand if you do not wish to be seen with me." Another tear rolled down her cheek. "I will still help you watch the game."

"To think you'd become such a brute," Akame said sadly, shaking her head from side to side. "Wave never treated Kurome like this."

"Hmm, every time I think you've grown, Tatsumi, you've show me just how much further you have yet to go," Najenda said morosely.

"Wait, why are you two siding with her when none of us knows what she wants?" Tatsumi protested. "And those tears couldn't be more fake if she used an eye dropper!"

"Tatsumi still has much to learn about women," Akame berated him. "Did these past two weeks unconscious truly make you so soft?"

His eyes darted between the three women. Najenda had a pitying look on her face, Akame a disappointed one. Gabriel looked like a puppy that'd just been kicked for no reason. Tatsumi knew all three of them were playing him, but what was this overwhelming feeling of guilt welling up inside him?

Eventually the looks just became too much. "Argh! Fine!" Tatsumi shouted, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "I'll attend this party none of us know anything about with you."

He was totally going to regret this, but what could he do about it?

"Thank you, Tatsumi," Gabriel said, giving him a beautiful smile that sent slivers of pleasure racing up and down his spine. "I did not wish to attend the Elder Devil Gathering alone."

Tatsumi blinked. "The what?"

Gabriel's smile never left her face as she explained it to him. "It's being affectionately called the 'Elder Devil Gathering'. The Young Devil Gathering was a few weeks ago, you attended that. It's more than just that gathering however. There is a party being hosted tonight where all the young devils gather and mingle amongst each other. The elders have their own at the same time where they gather and mingle with each other. With the advent of the Peace Treaty, Fallen Angels and Angels have been invited. There will be other deities there as well or so I've heard."

"I'm pretty sure most of the elders in the Underworld hate me right now," Tatsumi pointed out. "As Diehauser Belial rightly pointed out, I did not conduct myself very well."

"Oh, this and that are different," Gabriel said, waving away his concern. "No one ever really lets personal feelings get in the way of politics. They may hate you, but they'd rather you be there where they can manipulate you or the people around you into a more favorable position, than up here where the only time they may encounter you is at the other end of your sword."

A sinking feeling of dread welled up from the pit of his stomach. "I'm really going to regret this, aren't I?"

Gabriel just smiled and there was nothing innocent about this one.

~o~

It only last a few moments, but Tatsumi was almost disappointed when the soft white light that enveloped him slowly dissipated. A part of him yearned for that warmth once more, the comfort and joy it brought. He'd never been teleported anywhere by an Angel before and the experience was far different from that of a Devil's. Whenever Sona or Ravel had ever teleported him anywhere, it had been quick, sudden, almost jarring, like you were being picked up and thrown the whole way. It was nothing like the warm embrace of the Angels.

He had to admit, he preferred it.

Tatsumi couldn't dwell on the comfort long as there was another difference between an Angel and a Devil. Devil's rose up from the ground which meant you had two feet on solid ground when it was over. Angels descended from the sky, which meant Tatsumi was in free-fall at the moment, the wind roar past his ears as he fell towards the ground five miles below.

He quickly activated the Shroud of Longinus, creating two large soft blue gossamer wings behind him. The shroud had changed due to its owner. Even without assuming his Tyrant form, the wings still took on a draconic look. His wings caught the wind and he quickly halted his free-fall, using them he flew back up and settled beside Gabriel and Xenovia once more.

Gabriel had changed out of her dress from this morning. She wore her formal battle armor, the same form fitting golden armor she'd worn to the Peace Conference. A pair of knee-high golden greaves graced her feet, styled into high heels. A white miniskirt made out of pure light flared out around her hips, covering her upper thighs but leaving the skin between her the hem and her knees bare. It moved with what seemed like a life of its own, always positioning itself to hide the forbidden garden beneath. Her golden breastplate perfectly accentuated her enormous breasts, making them appear even larger than they actually wear. Her shoulders and upper arms were left bare and a pair of delicate white gloves covered her hands up to her elbow. Golden armguards, similar in function to Akame's, but different in design, protected her forearms.

"You could have warned me we'd appear five miles up," Tatsumi said.

"My apologies, Tatsumi, it slipped my mind!" Gabriel apologized.

He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, wondering if she was being serious or not, before deciding it simply wasn't worth it. He was more interested in where they were. It was obviously the Underworld. That purple sky and artificial moon in the sky gave it away, but he didn't recognize any of the surrounding landscape, which meant he was somewhere completely new.

Spread out beneath them was a vast clearing carved out from the center of an enormous forest that seemed to stretch on to the horizon. Within the midst of that clearing were multitudes of lights, both mystical and mundane, covering an area greater than Kuoh City. A massive building dominated the small city. An enormous two-hundred story tower that just seemed to rise endlessly into the sky.

"I thought the meeting was taking place at a hotel," Tatsumi said as he stared at the small city below.

"It is," Gabriel said. She pointed to the enormous tower. "That's the hotel. Devils so do like to show off. Everything else in this area is… entertainment for the guests staying there."

"This whole place is a resort?!" Tatsumi boggled, as he stared down at what could only be thought of as a decent sized city below. "It's bigger than Kuoh!"

"As I said, they like to show off," Gabriel said, shrugging lightly. "Let us land. Our ride awaits us."

"Ride?" Tatsumi asked as he descended with Gabriel and Xenovia. Gabriel didn't respond. Tatsumi gave Xenovia a questioning look and she just shrugged. She didn't have any more of an idea than he did. Their ride became visible as they neared a small park at the edge of the city. "Why are we taking a limousine to the gathering?" Tatsumi asked as he stared at the long vehicle. "Why don't we just fly over?"

"Security reasons," Gabriel said as she landed softly beside the luxury vehicle. She waited for him to land beside her before she continued. "This place is on the edge of Gremory territory. It's a shared border with three other families. I have been told there is quite a bit of tension here. Flying within city limits without permission is strictly forbidden."

"Oh," Tatsumi said as he got into the limousine.

It was luxurious, spacious and just as gaudy as his estate making him wonder how much of the needless display of wealth there was Azazel trolling him or Sirzechs. Once Gabriel and Xenovia had seated themselves inside the limousine got under way, rumbling through the city towards their destination.

"What should I expect when I arrive?" Tatsumi asked the Seraph sitting beside him. She seemed to know quite a bit about this gathering.

"The usual," she let out a long sigh and Tatsumi realized she wanted to be here even less than he did. "Politics will occupy the start of the night and it will eventually devolve into drinking, carousing, gambling, and every other vice known to mankind." He could already see the irritation building in her eyes. "I will, of course, be required to patiently stand by and vapidly nod my head as irritating devil after irritating devil shower me with hollow compliments in a vain attempt to trick me into their bed all while staring unashamedly at my chest or trying to peek beneath my skirt."

That sounded more than a little unpleasant and for the first time realized that perhaps Gabriel would have a much harder time than him and perhaps found this obligation even more annoying. For some reason that made him feel a lot better about all this. He glanced over at Xenovia, wondering if she'd be subjected to the same. Her outfit was even more revealing than Gabriel's, if for a different reason. The skintight bodysuit left nothing to the imagination. Every contour of her body was visible.

"I will be fine, Tatsumi-san," Xenovia said, noticing his look. There was a grim look on her face as she held up her hand. The handle of Durandal broke through the dimensional barrier at will. "Unlike Lady Gabriel, I don't have to vapidly nod my head to appease a bunch of perverted devils." A smile came to her grim face. "My body is for you and you alone, Tatsumi-san! I gave you my first, my purity. My body belongs to you. Once Lady Gabriel finishes with that room I'll be happy to bear your children!"

"Now, now, Xenovia, no one is to know about that," Gabriel gently chastised her.

"Ah, my mistake," Xenovia said, bowing her head low to the Great Seraph. "Please forgive me for my transgression."

"You're forgiven."

"Ah, that's great," Tatsumi said, looking away as he swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "W-Will Sona and Hikaru be there?" He cursed his fumbling.

Gabriel shook her head. "The younger devils have their own little gathering with peers, members of other families around their own age. We just watch on from afar. We're supposed to amuse ourselves with their fumbling but I never really found much joy in that."

"You don't mind seeing me fumble."

"You're wrong, Tatsumi," Gabriel said firmly, startling him with the intensity of her words. "I make you fumble so that I can correct your mistakes and help you grow. I want you to become a better, stronger man. There's none of that here. It's purely for amusement." Her eyes darkened ever so slightly. "I find it repulsive. I tolerate it for the sake of the greater peace, but I will find little joy in tonight's gathering."

"Is that the real reason why you asked me to come along?" Tatsumi asked. "So you're not surrounded by people that take pleasure in the humiliation and suffering of others."

She smiled and gently brushed her fingers across his cheek. "That is half of it, yes, but there is another reason. Another is supposed to be here tonight and she's interested in speaking with you. A job, perhaps, for Night Raid."

Tatsumi couldn't ask anything more as the limousine rumbled to a halt. He glanced out the window and found himself in front of an enormous entry way. A long red carpet had been rolled out from the large sliding doors to the limousine's back door and all along both sides was a wall of guards and servants, holding back a host of curious devils. Many of them held cameras and other recording devices.

Gabriel was the first to step out and the place lit up as a hundred camera flashes went off all at once. They continued to rapid fire as Xenovia and then Tatsumi stood out. It was a rather surreal feeling standing there beside Gabriel and Xenovia with what had to be a thousand devils all snapping pictures and recording their arrival.

If this was what being a movie star in Hollywood felt like, Tatsumi could do without.

Gabriel wasted little time on the red carpet, striding across it as quickly as she could while still maintain proper decorum. The vapid look and innocent smile already fixated firmly upon her face. She looked every bit the patient, kind, gentle, innocent and naïve Seraph that most of the world knew her as. Tatsumi supposed she was kind and gentle through and through, but she wasn't innocent nor naïve and while patience was one of her virtues, he knew it wasn't endless.

Tatsumi followed quickly behind, wanting to remain out here as little as she did. The large glass doors slid open on their arrival and the three of them entered an enormous and elaborate foyer. He followed Gabriel as she made straight for the elevator. Attendants were on hand to quickly usher them inside. If any of the employees here thought little of Tatsumi, they wisely kept their opinions to themselves.

When the elevator stopped at one of the upper floors the doors opened to reveal an enormous, multi-tiered room. The main floor seemed as if it stretched the breadth of the building. The center of the room was raised up ever so slightly and upon it were dozens of female devils and fallen angels, all erotically dancing amongst one another in extremely provocative clothing, if they had any on at all. Half of them seemed to be naked… and enjoying the coin and bills thrown at them by the few devils, fallen angels and other mythical beings in attendance.

All around the dais were decorated tables, some were occupied but most were empty. Most people seemed to be mingling about, either at the raised dais or at one of the two long buffet tables that lined either side of the room. The one on the right was loaded with more food than Tatsumi had ever seen in one place in his entire life while the buffet tables on the left were loaded with an equal amount of alcohol.

A tiny little table in the corner held more mundane things such as water and juice.

Two sets of inner balconies ringed the room with stairs leading up to them in each of the four corners. Upon those balconies Tatsumi could see some of the more important figures in society speaking amongst each other in private. Diehauser Belial for instance was speaking with what Tatsumi knew to be the Asmodeus on the second tier on the left. On the third tier on the right near the corner Tatsumi recognized Sirzechs and Michael speaking together. Grayfia and Irina were in attendance there, Irina with Michael and Grayfia at her husband's side.

Above the dance floor was what Gabriel had warned Tatsumi about. There had to be nearly a hundred little portals looking in upon another room in the hotel. Some weren't so bad, the larger portals gave a nice overlooking view of the room as a whole, but some of the smaller ones were in very inappropriate places. One hovered above Rias' chest, staring down her dress. Another had found a way up Sona's skirt and a third up Seekvaira's dress as well.

Every now and then a portal would try to sneak a peek up Hikaru's dress, it was the same black one she'd worn on her date with him, only to be destroyed as an irate coerulis zapped it whenever it appeared. How she managed to smuggle one of them into the gathering Tatsumi didn't know since last time he saw the little thing, it was playing back at his estate. Still, that little cat was doing her best to protect Hikaru's modesty.

From what Tatsumi was hearing from the whispered about the room, no one was upset that Hikaru prevented them from sneaking a peak, and instead took the presence of the coerulis as a challenge to be overcome.

"This world is full of perverts," Tatsumi said, giving the room a deadpanned look.

"It's not entirely hopeless," Gabriel said too quietly for anyone but him and Xenovia to hear, "but I do confess there are certain aspects of your world I prefer to my own. I don't have to worry about people looking up my dress there." She gave him one last gentle smile. "I should greet the important dignitaries. Hopefully I can get through most of them before Serafall finds me. Take care Tatsumi and be careful."

Wait, after dragging him to his party and saying how much she appreciated his presence here, she was going to just leave him here? He blinked a few times, shock paralyzing him just long enough for Gabriel to disappear into the crowd with Xenovia in toe.

Well, now what was he supposed to do? He had agreed to come here, but not actually do anything once he was here. That made this a game of survival. He simply needed to last until the gathering was over, or at least until the mood shifted and people were allowed to leave. He couldn't just leave right now. It was different this time. He'd arrived with Gabriel and that had meaning. If he left early or snubbed people too much, it'd reflect poorly on Gabriel, Night Raid and the entire peace efforts.

Besides, Gabriel had said there was someone here who may have a proposition for Night Raid. Perhaps he could try to figure out who that was. If that was all sorted out he could use work as an excuse to leave early.

He looked about the room and realized that wasn't going to happen. How was he supposed to find this person? Gabriel hadn't given him anything, neither name nor description. He didn't even have a gender! Was it a devil? A Fallen Angel? Perhaps that dragon over there or that female dressed in a Greek toga? Or perhaps it was the face palming armored woman standing beside the old man who was drooling over the naked devils dancing on the dais? There were even several Grim Reapers in attendance! Maybe they wanted Night Raid's assistance for something. He heard from Gabriel things had gone pretty badly for them recently.

"This is hopeless," Tatsumi muttered under his breath. With nothing else better to do he headed for the buffet table.

Might as well eat while he was waiting and hope whoever wanted to see him would approach first.

On the way over he saw something strange happening through the portals. Koneko looked startled, almost scared, as her eyes followed what appeared to be a black cat out of the room. When the cat reached the elevator Koneko bolted from the room, chasing after it. Tatsumi quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Hikaru's number. He didn't quite know how the cell phones still worked in the Underworld, but they did, so long as the person he was calling was also in the Underworld.

The devils hadn't quite figured out how to create cross-dimensional phone calls. They didn't really need to for the most part. Magic could take care of that in most situations.

Through one of the portals he saw Hikaru frown at the purse she was carrying through. The look of disgruntlement on her face disappeared when he saw that she noticed his name on her phone.

"Yes, Tatsumi, is there something wrong that can get me out of this place?" Hikaru asked quickly. It was strange seeing Hikaru talk from one direction, and hear it from another.

"You don't like us spying on you?" Tatsumi asked dryly.

She looked startled and glanced about the room. "You can see me?"

"Got invited by Gabriel, and yes. You'll need to treat that coerulis of yours something extra special later. She's saving your modesty something fierce. The devils here are making a game out of who can get a viewing portal up your dress first."

He saw Hikaru's face get darker with each word he spoke. "I ask again, Tatsumi, is there something wrong that can get me out of here?" There was a note of desperation in her voice. It made Tatsumi wonder just how many people actually wanted to take part in all this.

"Yes, actually," Tatsumi said. He saw a palpable wave of relief wash over her face. "Something spooked Koneko and I can see Rias and Issei chasing after her. I don't know what's wrong, but I want you to watch her." He paused. "Don't interfere unless you have to, but I'd feel better if you were there, just in case."

He didn't care much about Rias, but Issei wasn't too bad once you got past his perverted tendencies and he genuinely liked Koneko. He didn't want anything bad to happen to those two.

"I'll let Kaichou know," Hikaru said as she started towards her King. There was a brief pause before she continued. "Is this Night Raid business?" There was a hint of hope in her voice.

He paused, thinking, before finally nodding. "Might as well. Reconnaissance is also something we do. Watch, listen, and report everything back to me afterwards."

"I will. This should help me convince Kaichou to let me go," Hikaru said. She paused again. "I owe you one."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to repay me," Tatsumi said, laughing.

He saw her blush through the portal. "You're right, I will. I promise you that," Hikaru said. The line went dead as Hikaru hung up. He watched until she spoke with Sona. Their words were too soft to make out and their mouths covered. But Sona did nod her head and with that Hikaru was gone, disappearing from the room and out of sight of the portals, although one did try to follow her. The coerulis made sure it didn't make it to the elevator.

Strangely, it was about that time that a spout of water whipped about inside Sona's dress, blotting out the portal that had made its way inside it.

Tatsumi turned away from the portals. "Well, now that, that's taken care of…" he trailed off when instead of finding the banquet tables before him, he found a beautiful, young woman with long, black hair and ruby eyes. She wore an elegant purple dress that flared out about her hips and cascaded to the floor in waves. It shimmered every time she moved, shifting from opaque to semi-transparent. The cut in the front was almost scandalous in how low it plunged. Any more and Tatsumi was certain there wouldn't be any point in wearing anything in the first place. "Yes?"

Was this the person Gabriel had mentioned. She didn't seem obviously like a devil, but then, neither did the majority of the people in this room at first glance. Few had their wings out on full display, not even the Seraphs did.

"Greetings, Tatsumi-san," The beautiful woman greeted him with a slight bow that did expose her chest to him for the briefest of moments. A little smile played across her lips as she noticed his eyes dip. Her eyes darted to the portals before returning to his. "Is it always business for you and Night Raid?" she asked curiously.

"Not always," Tatsumi said cautiously. "But we're always prepared to move in case something arises."

She nodded like she understood. She crossed her arms beneath her bosom and pushed them up ever so slightly, exposing just a hint of her areola. Tatsumi swallowed hard and as she took a step forward he found himself involuntarily taking a step back. "I've never seen Night Raid in action." Her eyes lit up with genuine excitement. "It does seem so interesting up close!" She took another step forward and he a step back. "I had thought all those rumors of cloak and dagger missions, behind closed door meetings, espionage, and sneaking about all exaggerations! But I see now it is the exact opposite!"

"Ah, thank you?" This woman seemed overly excited about Night Raid. Was she a fan of them or something? He didn't quite know how to handle her. He took another step back and bumped into something solid. He glanced over his shoulder and a large drop of sweat rolled down the back of his neck as he realized she'd pushed him back against one of the large pillars that held the upper balconies up.

He started in surprise when she laid a soft, gentle hand upon his arm. "I would be interested in learning more about Night Raid," she whispered softly. She quickly continued before he could become alarmed by her request. "Nothing sensitive, of course. I would never try to pry into your inner workings, but it's just you do such interesting stuff I can't help but be intrigued! Anything you wish to tell me, I'd be willing to listen." Her fingertips gently caressed his skin. "There are some private rooms around here we could retire to and speak privately if you don't wish to speak openly."

The way she spoke hinted that talking wouldn't be all they'd do if she managed to get him into one of those private rooms.

"Why not ignore this tramp and spend some time with a real woman?" A new voice cut into the conversation. Tatsumi's head snapped to the side, hoping to find rescue, and found the exact opposite. He recognized that face. The black hair and violet eyes, the features that looked so similar to someone Tatsumi was intimate with.

He did not recognize the seductive look on it.

Lady Sitri, Sona's mother, sashayed her way to his side, sidling up next to the other woman. Her blue dress with its silver accents was styled differently, but no less revealing, than the first woman.

"I am not here for so crass a reason as you, Lady Sitri," the first woman said, glaring at the new arrival. "You made your opinion of this fine man well known during the Young Devil Gathering. I'll have you know I don't share your opinion of him."

"Oh bother that," Sona's mother said, waving away the words with a gesture. "I let my emotions get the best of me. That was my mistake." She grabbed his arm and pulled it between her breasts. The motion caused both her breasts to pop out of her dress, giving Tatsumi an eyeful of those wonderful globes. Now he knew where Serafall got her chest from. "In hindsight, I realized a man like Tatsumi is good for my dear Sona. She needs someone strong and hard-headed. Someone who can't be pushed around easily." She smiled seductively up at him. "It makes me very interested just how wild you can be in bed. Those pictures my eldest took only provided a brief glimpse into those escapades."

"Ah, you realize your daughter and I are in a relationship?" Tatsumi pointed out.

Sona's mother let out a tinkling laugh. "What does that matter? I'm also the one that gets to decide whether you're a compatible fit for her." Her eyes dipped to his groin. The blasted thing betrayed him at that moment by going erect. "Which is to say, I wish to see how well you fit inside the Sitri family."

The first woman rolled her eyes and sighed. "You see how she is? All these terrible puns she makes. She just wants to ride your dick. She's the reason her daughters are as eccentric as they are. They were desperate to be anything but what she is."

Lady Sitri threw the other female devil a dismissive look, "and is that not the reason why you're here?" Her eyes hardened ever so slightly. "Who are you anyways?"

"Seri, Seri Shax," the female devil said with a smile.

Tatsumi's head snapped to the first woman so quickly the entire room probably heard it crack. This woman was from the Shax family? This was the sister of the man who had tortured and killed all those families and the sister that had tried to exact revenge?

She seemed to notice his discomfort. "You said it yourself, Tatsumi-san, not all devils are evil. I can't deny that most of the family is evil. Lord Shax and his wife are tyrants, and not the good tyrants like you are, while you've already seen first-hand what two of their children are like." Seri said, scoffing loudly. "They're both better off dead. They bring shame to the Shax family name."

"I see…" Tatsumi said slowly, unsure what to make of this new development. "You really feel that way about your family?" The thought of hating his parents or Mira never once crossed his mind, let alone desiring their deaths. But then… he wasn't part of the Shax family.

"Yes?" She shrugged callously. "One needs a family worth valuing before any value can be placed upon them. If you had siblings and parents like that for a family, I don't think you would either. You were blessed with a warm, kind family, so it makes sense for you to value family." She gave him a warm smile that was very unlike a devil. "Unlike the Shax family, I know the value of working with the Satans as opposed to against them." Her eyes narrowed. "Besides, only the foolish and the stupid get their jollies from torturing the weak and defenseless. Everyone has a use, a purpose. Why ruin it with needless pain and death?" She stepped forward, pressing her breasts up against his chest. "But enough of that. Unlike Lady Sitri, I do not simply wish to use you to satisfy my sexual urges." Her eyes became lidded and desire surged within those ruby eyes. "You and I both have much to gain by helping each other and what better way to exchange information secretly than with a simple late night rendezvous?"

"If Tatsumi-san wants any chance of marrying my daughter, he'll turn you down and accept my offer," Lady Sitri dropped the ultimatum. "All I need to remove Sona as heir and any chance of the two of you ever marrying is to have another child, and that's something I've held off on by choice, nothing more."

A soft, tinkling laughter cut in as someone else appeared. Tatsumi glanced to the side and almost sighed in relief as Lady Phenex approached from the one side that wasn't completely blocked. Lord Phenex's wife was dressed in a beautiful crimson gown. From the hips down it was a solid piece of flowing red fabric that sparkled every time it shifted. Above the hips was something else entirely. A pair of thin, red strips of fabric went up her chest and tied around behind her neck. There was just enough fabric there for the dress to be considered decent. It exposed more skin than either Seri Shax or Lady Sitri.

"Oh my, it seems Tatsumi-san has gotten himself trapped."

That was one way of describing this situation.

He pleaded to her with his eyes. Get him out of this mess! He couldn't just run, that would look really bad. What's worse turning down Lady Sitri would hurt things with Sona, whereas Seri was actually willing to provide him with information to help bring down the worst elements of the Shax family. He had to admit, that was actually tempting. Tatsumi had heard old stories from Akame back when he first joined Night Raid of the original assassination teams. Some members had slept with their targets to get close to them. This was similar, which made this a situation he didn't know how to handle. It seemed no matter the outcome, he had something valuable to lose.

What's worse, Seri Shax was sounding more and more every moment like the woman Gabriel really had mentioned was waiting for him here. There was legitimate Night Raid business to be had with her.

"What are you doing here, Lady Phenex?" Sona's mother demanded. "Why not go play with that husband of yours. He seems lonely over there."

"I hate to agree with Lady Sitri, but I do," Seri added. "Please do not disturb Tatsumi-san and I. I am trying to arrange a business meeting."

"My husband sent me here, actually," Lady Phenex said, laughing lightly. Thank the lord! She had no idea how good it was to hear those words. "He saw Tatsumi-san in trouble and felt it best to try and rescue him."

"Someone like Tatsumi-san doesn't need to be rescued," Lady Sitri said, seductively as she rubbed her breasts her and down his arm. "He's the one that does the rescuing, and right now I need to be rescued from the boredom of this party."

Seri Shax rolled her eyes. "Can you be any more desperate?" Seri demanded, sounding and looking every bit as disgusted as Tatsumi. "There are dozens of men here willing to plunge their dicks into you, go bother them."

"I've already sampled them all," Lady Sitri said dismissively. Her eyes raked Tatsumi's body up and down. "Tatsumi is fresh meat, and if the look on my daughter's face in those pictures is anything to go by, he's very delicious meat."

Yup, Tatsumi wanted out. Like right now. He wanted to be as far away from here and this woman as possible. His relationship with Sona be damned, he wasn't letting this woman anywhere NEAR his manhood. The danger signs and red flags being thrown up were so numerous even the blind could see it!

Number one rule of dealing with a yandere is that you do not stick your dick in crazy!

"I ah—" Tatsumi never got to finish that as Lady Phenex sidled up to his other side. Before he could even process what was happening his arm hand been pulled between her breasts and his hand had somehow found its way down under her dress and between her thighs! "Lady Phenex, what is this?"

"Both of them!" Seri said exasperated. "Her idea of saving you is dragging you to a private room herself."

Tatsumi swallowed hard and glanced nervously at Lady Phenex. All that relief he'd felt earlier at her arrival quickly changed into something akin to dread. Lady Phenex was not here to defend him. He was trapped on all three sides by women that wanted to take him somewhere 'private.'

"You realize your husband is watching, right?" Tatsumi asked desperately, hoping the man's attention would cause her to behave.

"And?" She asked archly. "I want another child and my husband is very affectionate after each time I cheat on him. That's how we conceived all our other children." Was she serious? The beautiful smile on her face suggested that she was. "Won't you help an old woman save her species? I promise I won't steal you from your girls. Just a single night to stir up my husband's drive is all I ask. My husband has been very accommodating of you in the past, and we will continue to be so in the future. Is this really so much to ask?"

The world was ending, that had to be it. The day sleeping with a member of the Shax family sounded more appealing to him than a Phenex or a Sitri had to mean the world was coming to an end! Ragnarok had come! The end was nigh!

It was at that moment someone decided to take pity on him.

"Now children, don't you think you're being rather forward towards someone several thousand years your junior?"

Tatsumi's head snapped to the new voice, desperately hoping it was someone here to save him and not add to the colossal mess he found himself in. Standing just behind the three women was yet another beautiful woman, although this one was beautiful in an entirely different way. She looked like a female at the pinnacle of physical perfection, not just in beauty, but strength and poise as well. There was real meat on her bones, muscles with definition in her arms and the one leg she had exposed from beneath her white toga. A wealth of blond hair topped her head and amusement danced in her warm, blue eyes. She was the woman Tatsumi had seen earlier wearing the Greek toga.

Lady Sitri glared at the woman. "How about you go elsewhere—"

"I have business with him. I think I'm going to insist," The woman said, her eyes flashing dangerously as she took a step towards them. "Get away from him or they'll be spending the next year scrubbing you off the walls!"

Lady Phenex and Seri Shax were quick to let Tatsumi go and back away. Lady Phenex looked rather upset by the sudden interruption and Tatsumi realized she'd been legitimate about wanting to commit adultery with him.

"This isn't Greece, Athena, don't think you can order me around without consequence!" Lady Sitri snarled, but she backed away as quickly as the others.

"When you wield even a fraction of the power I have in my pinky, I'll take your threats seriously," the woman identified as Athena retorted. "Until then, the others see more benefit in making good with the Greek Pantheon than helping you satisfy your urges, now shoo, be off with you."

Lady Sitri snarled angrily before she whirled around and stomped away, thunder clouds brewing above her head. Lady Phenex was already striding away back towards her husband. Tatsumi could see a comforting smile on his lips. When he noticed Tatsumi looking he winked and nodded towards his wife. Tatsumi just deadpanned when he realized that meant the offer would remain open indefinitely.

"Think on my words, Tatsumi-san," Seri said, curtsying to him. "I was being sincere earlier. We both have much to gain by helping each other." Athena stared at Tatsumi with an empty look in her eyes as Seri quickly hurried on. "I'll see about contacting you another time when there are fewer distractions." And with that she was gone, hurrying off into the room and away from Athena.

"Vultures, both of them," Athena said as she watched Lady Phenex and Lady Sitri disappear. She gave him a sidelong glance and chuckled. "You have the look of a warrior, not a politician. I had a feeling you wouldn't know how to deal with those leeches."

"Thanks," Tatsumi said, "they each had something I wanted…" or some reason for him not to offend them.

"That's what makes politics so sickening," Athena said, "the people that try to use you always have something that you want. The issue is, what you're usually forced to give up is worth far more than anything they'd ever give you. After all, coming out on top is the entire point. I have no patience for it and thankfully here in this place filled with so many children, I don't have to tolerate it."

"Must be nice," Tatsumi said as he raked a hand through his hair. He was glad that was over. "I was starting to get a little nervous when Seri Shax, a daughter of an enemy, sounded the most appealing of the three."

"Who?" Athena asked, confused. She shook her head like she was dismissing an errant thought. "It doesn't matter. Politics is a messy business I dislike but I've lived long enough to understand it. Lady Sitri is the worst of the two. You give into her once, and she'll demand twice, thrice, and eventually more than you can provide." Tatsumi could see that, easily. He hadn't any intention of accepting her offer, he just didn't want to offend Sona's mother. "Lady Phenex was obviously trying to hasten payment for saving her daughter. They still feel like they owe you and until then, you're free to demand whatever you want from them. Sleeping with Lord Phenex's wife is considered a scandal. The price required to cover that up would use up the rest of what they owed you. Is a pleasant night worth that?"

"Not even slightly," Tatsumi said. He personally didn't feel that Lord Phenex owed him anything, but the man himself did and Tatsumi had to admit that sense of indebtedness had come in handy on more than one occasion. "Which by default makes Seri the best option."

"I suppose?" Athena said slowly, giving him a weird look. Did he say something wrong? "Whatever the case, you were best off turning the both of them down and accepting the consequences of that later."

"Argh, this is all so complicated!" How did Najenda deal with it on a daily basis back in the old world? "Thanks for saving me from all that."

"You're welcome. I admit, I had my own reason for searching you out as well."

At least she was honest about that. He looked about the room, searching for Gabriel. He found her and Xenovia both over by the buffet table. There was a harried look on her face as Serafall buzzed about her in her magical girl outfit. For some reason Serafall had a white version of her outfit in her hands and was waving it in the air in front of Gabriel. His eyes met the Seraphs for a brief moment before her eyes flickered over to Athena. She nodded to him once before returning her attention back to Serafall and whatever crazy antic she was trying to get up to this time.

Finally, this was the person he was here to meet.

"Gabriel said there was someone here that wanted to speak with me, is that you?" Tatsumi asked.

"You and Night Raid," Athena said, not denying it. "There is an issue I'd like dealt with in Europe, and I felt it best to enlist your aid before things got out of hand."

Finally! Work! This was something he could get behind. "I'd need to hear more before I can make a decision one way or another."

"Of course," Athena said. She threw a glance about the room. "Let's retire to a private room to speak."

Tatsumi couldn't help but be filled with a sudden sense of apprehension. "This isn't going to become sexual, is it?" he asked warily.

Athena blinked in surprise for a moment before suddenly laughing. "Oh yes, I'd forgotten both of those harpies said the same thing. No, not tonight. I simply felt it best to discuss business where prying ears can't listen in."

"Well then, lead on," Tatsumi said, gesturing for the Goddess to take the lead.

Athena smiled and took the lead, guiding Tatsumi to the far side of the room. They stepped through a black oak door into a small room with an amazing view. It jutted out partially past the edge of the tower and the entire far wall along with a portion of the floor and ceiling was made out of glass providing them with a breathtaking view of the surroundings.

The room itself was sparsely furnish, only a single, plush couch flanked on either side by simple side tables. The couch was large, easily large enough for two to have an enjoyable night upon.

Athena locked the door behind them, causing a series of demonic seals to light up that ensured their privacy.

"Sit," Athena said as she rounded the couch and sat on it.

"You sure nothing will happen?" Tatsumi asked cautiously as he sat beside the Goddess. This close to her he could feel the power thrumming through her. If she wanted to take him, there was probably very little he could do to stop her.

Athena just laughed. "My aren't we paranoid? Well, after dealing with that out there," she gestured to the door, "I can't entirely blame you." She smiled. "No, we're not going to have sex. We're not even going to cuddle." Tatsumi let out a sigh of relief. "I'm not some easy woman that spreads her legs because she has an 'itch' like those harpies back there. I have standards, and more importantly, requirements. Someone has to prove they're worth placing between my legs."

"Thank you, that's refreshing to hear," Tatsumi said. He meant it. A woman in this world that had standards was a rarity it seemed. "So, what's this issue you wanted dealt with?"

"There is an issue between Pantheons that could break out in war if not dealt with delicately," Athena said as she lounged back upon the couch. "Recently Hades, who is now deceased, stole something of mine and sold it to a particular Norse God. I want you to get it back for me."

"That's it?"

"I'm willing to go to war to get it back," Athena said. "I don't want to. People will die if I do, many of them innocent and that is not something I want. I hope to exhaust all other options first, which is why I am here speaking with you."

Tatsumi appreciated Athena's honesty and made him want to help her all the more. "What is it that you want me to get?"

She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Most people think it inconsequential. To that pervert Odin, it's a means to blackmail me into sexual acts I do not wish to partake in. To me, it's one of the few treasures I still have left. It's a memento of my first time. Of the night I spent with the first man I ever truly loved."

"Ah, and what is it exactly?" He needed to know what he was looking for if he wanted to fetch it for her. He had already decided he would. If it prevented deaths from occurring in the first place, that was even better than getting revenge for deaths that had already happened.

For some reason his words caused her cheeks to flush a little, "you are not allowed to speak of this outside this room."

"Of course."

"It's the only pair of panties I ever wore. Ajax had a thing for them. They're blue, with grey little frills."

Tatsumi nodded, "alright, do you have any thoughts on how to go about approaching this?"

Athena blinked, looking rather surprised. "You did not laugh, strange."

"Should I have?" Tatsumi asked, curiously. "I've encountered far weirder things than that in my life here. If you say it holds as much value as it does, I believe you. What it is, is irrelevant outside of knowing what to look for."

"Huh," Athena looked genuinely surprised by his words. "You're probably odder than we are. Still, it is nice to know you are taking this seriously."

"Anything Night Raid related must always be taken seriously," Tatsumi said. "Alright, let's talk about payment. Night Raid, as much as I'd like to, can't work for free. Being a charity doesn't keep the lights on or us warm in the winter."

"You do not have to worry about payment," Athena said, "the Bracelets of Aias that I know you've used belong to me. Gabriel is overly late in returning them to me, it's one of the reasons I'm here tonight. I can lend them to you as payment, or perhaps gold and silver, platinum and jewels. We are quite wealthy, unlike the Angels."

"There would definitely be some coin requirement," Tatsumi said as he latched onto that solid point.

"The payment doesn't have to be entirely in gold you know," Athena pointed out.

"I know," Tatsumi said. "And as you say, this mission appears to have a variable difficulty level to it. That makes it hard to judge ahead of time how much it's worth. Still, I stand to risk upsetting Odin, the price won't be cheap."

"Then how about in Japanese terms we start with one billion yen worth of gold bullions for retrieving my precious reminder," Athena proposed, "and we add jewels, artifacts and other rewards after that depending on obstacles and difficulties you encounter."

That would be more than enough, more money than he had ever seen in his entire life, combined. It was also probably just right as the starting cost for going up against the leader of an entire Pantheon. "What I think, Athena, is that we have a deal," Tatsumi said, smiling happily. "On one final condition."

"And that is?"

"We don't start until after Sona's Rating Game. I wish to see that before I do anything else."

Athena just smiled, "I have no objection to that. Azazel did invite me to stay and watch and there is something I need to attend afterwards."

"Then we have a deal," Tatsumi said, extending his hand out to the Goddess.

"We do indeed," Athena agreed, shaking his hand.

Finally, Night Raid's first real mission.

The night sky was suddenly lit up by a giant explosion as a distant mountain disappeared in a brilliant explosion that sent a funnel of smoke high into the stratosphere. What appeared to be a dome shaped barrier of some sort was breaking apart into tiny little shard like pieces before dissolving before their eyes.

"It looks like the party is going to end early," Athena said, sounding amused. "As laid back as the devils are, they're not going to ignore an attack like this." The Greek Goddess stood and stretched her arms above her head. "You should head back before your date becomes worried I kidnapped you."

"Gabriel is not my date," Tatsumi said quickly.

A knowing little smile came to her lips. "I don't believe I mentioned a name."

Tatsumi just flushed as the Goddess left the room, laughing. A moment later Xenovia appeared, looking slightly worried as she poked her head into the room.

"Lady Gabriel wishes to see you," Xenovia said quickly. "The Khaos Brigade has attacked."

"Are they still here?" Tatsumi asked as he quickly rounded the couch and left the room.

"No, Lady Gabriel said they've left."

There was no need to ask how they knew that. Many of the portals that had been hovering above the dance floor had been shifted out over the forest surveying it. Through them Tatsumi could see what appeared to be a battleground of sorts. Koneko, Rias were downed by a tree, both looking rather sickly. Nearby was someone dressed in what appeared to be red battle armor of some sort shaped to resemble a dragon. The color reminded Tatsumi of Issei's Sacred Gear.

Hovering in the sky above was an enormous dragon.

Hikaru was nowhere to be seen, which was good. Either she had already left, or she had yet to be found.

Gabriel was quickly coming towards him. She had that naïve, innocent look on her face she always adopted in public, but Tatsumi could see the relief in her eyes. The party was ending early and she was not sad to see it happen. She wasn't alone, either. Michael and Irina were approaching as well.

"Oh, Tatsumi-san!" Gabriel said worriedly, "were you able to properly enjoy the party? It has ended so soon I fear few were able to really enjoy it."

"Define 'enjoy,'" Tatsumi said dryly. He could see amusement dancing in her eyes now. She had noticed his discomfort and had deliberately chosen not to save him. Misery liked company and all that, he supposed. "But Night Raid has a new mission and Hikaru," Tatsumi nodded towards the portals, "should have something for us. I sent her after Issei and Rias."

"I see, that is good," Michael said in his warm, gentle voice. "Then there is little reason for us to remain. Most of the others have already started to leave. Let us be off as well."

Those were sweet words to his ears.

---

Tatsumi and his sense of taste: Now that I've tied up that loose end, a bit about it for those that didn't pick up on it. Tatsumi lost his sense of taste when his sister was killed. Everything tasted like ash. It wasn't that his taste buds had changed though, his mind had twisted as a result. Despair, regret, pain. It had altered his ability to perceive that which he once enjoyed. He no longer tasted 'food' but his own 'despair' whenever he ate.

Michael, during the Peace Conference, washed away the final bits of that despair and regret. It allowed his mind to start to unravel and straighten out. At first only fringe stuff came back, like citrus, but in this chapter, enough time has passed and he's been surrounded by enough good things, that his mind has finished straightening out.

Also, about the Apple Risotto… I know that there is a mistake in the cooking. It usually takes 15-20 minutes for the rice to fully cook and there was no way 15-20 minutes passed in that conversation. Please overlook that little mistake?

Author's Note: So, what did you think of this chapter? There was a lot happening in it but it helps to serve to solidify the shift from one arc to the next. The Rating Game battle between Rias and Sona is the next chapter, and then things shift to Europe.