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.

40. Growth

Chapter 38: Growth

A disgusting feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach as she knelt in front of the toilet. It rushed through her, unbidden and unwanted, surging up her throat and—

Sona bent over and emptied her stomach into the toilet. A vile, putrid stench rose up from within and she hurriedly hit the handle, flushing the foul smelling liquid away. As the green disappeared, and the clear returned, she saw her reflection in the pool of water: Tired, blood-stained eyes peered up at her from within a mass of messy, unkempt hair. Her transparent blue chemise clung to her by only a single shoulder strap, the other having already fallen away some time before.

She looked like crap.

Being ill in the morning was definitely something Sona could do without.

"So-tan! Are you alright?" the whirlwind of energy that was her older sister asked as she flew into the bathroom. Sona didn't look up as she entered, too tired and ill to care. She knew the look that'd be on her face. She could feel the worried nervousness about her normal energetic self. It'd have been touching if it wasn't completely unneeded. "Can your beautiful onee-sama get you any medicine? A healing spell? A doctor? I'll use my magical girl power to kill that nasty virus that's making you sick!"

Sona shook her head but said nothing as another unpleasant feeling surged through her. There was no need to hold it in as her body expelled what surely had to be the last of whatever it was she had eaten last night.

Sona flushed the toilet once more and waved her worried sister away. "No, I'm fine. Just something I need to get used to and don't you dare try to kill it."

"Your onee-sama is just worried. Devils… don't get sick like this. Not unless they've been—kill it?" She gasped sharply. "Someone poisoned my onee-sama! Or it's a parasite!"

Sona let out a long, tired groan. "Would you stop? This is going to be happening for a while so just get used to it." It wasn't even her first morning. The first time she thought the same as her sister. But after the third morning straight… "Look on the counter."

She'd have pointed but her gurgling stomach pulled her attention away and she was once again too preoccupied with making sure her aim was on point to entertain her sister.

"Counter… counter…" she heard her sister shuffle around a bit. "Oh! Is this it…" her voice trailed off and a hushed, stunned silence fell upon the room. When her voice came back, it was barely a whisper. "Is this true?"

"Everything points to it," Sona grumbled as she flushed the toilet again. "Onee-sama is going to be an oba-san… in six or seven months."

Sona was certain her sister's squeal of joy was heard clear across the entire breadth of the city.

x~X~x

Tatsumi hesitantly stepped out of the limousine onto the sidewalk in front of Kuoh Academy. It was the first day back after his impromptu trip back to his old world. He wasn't looking forward to today. The hesitation had little to do with fears of being mobbed by the other students. That had all but died down after the first week in no small part due to Bennia's thinly veiled threats against the female students.

It had everything to do with his appearance.

Unlike before he had not come back without some noticeable differences. Aging years almost overnight wasn't something one could hide.

((Seriously, it's not as bad as you think)) Bennia said as she stepped out beside him. She grabbed his arm and pressed it between her ample breasts possessively. Her adult form was as distracting as ever and in a way a blessing. The few guys outside the gates were so busy staring at her tits they didn't notice his miraculous aging. ((No one will notice the difference.))

"If you say so."

((I do say so! Besides, you can't avoid this.))

Bennia started forward, dragging him along with her. Tatsumi quickly found his feet and fell into step beside her. With no other choice, he put on a brave face and hoped no one would ask too many questions.

That hope lasted a whole five seconds.

"Yo, Tatsumi and—what the hell happened to your face?"

Tatsumi winced mentally as he turned to face his friends. "Ah-hah… nice morning, isn't it, Ieyasu, Sayo?"

His two friends, dressed in their Kuoh Academy uniforms, were standing just inside the gate, almost as if they were waiting for him.

"Thursday mornings suck, the only good thing about today is that tomorrow is Friday," Ieyasu complained. "But seriously dude, what the hell?" Sayo smacked him upside the head. "Ow! What? Don't tell me you didn't notice either!"

Tatsumi shot Bennia an accusatory glare. No one would notice, right? The very first people they met that didn't have their eyes glued to her chest had noticed! She gave a sheepish laugh before throwing an annoyed look at Ieyasu.

Tatsumi brought his free hand up to his face and traced the blemishes on his skin that definitely weren't there five days past. "Things happened that I'd rather not talk about."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sayo asked, concerned. "Will you age again? You look like you should be in college. If you suddenly became an old man…"

He shook his head, "don't worry. What happened to me won't happen again." Thankfully he'd been able to undo some of the aging by absorbing the body he had left behind here. It had definitely been a strange experience going through that recombination process.

"I hope not dude," Ieyasu said, "get any older and they may not let you through the front gates."

"Really?" Tatsumi said hopefully. "Then I can skip school and not have to take any more tests!"

Ieyasu dropped to his knees in front of him, his eyes filled with worship and adoration. "Teach me your ways, senpai!"

Sayo whapped him upside the head again. "You're not getting out of school that easily!"

"I concur," Sona said as she stepped through the front gates of the school with her Queen, Tsubaki at her side. She took one look at him and blew out a long sigh. "I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm not."

"He does have quite the attraction for trouble," Tsubaki said, adjusting her glasses. "Have you reconsidered the leash I showed you the other day?"

Wait, leash? He didn't like the sounds of that!

"The one with the GPS tracking and remote vitals monitoring system?" Sona asked. Tsubaki nodded her head. Sona threw him a sidelong glance. "It's tempting."

"I object!" Tatsumi stated firmly. He would not have a leash put on him!

A little smile flittered across Sona's lips. "I wasn't being serious, Tatsumi." There was a brief pause. "At least not too serious."

"Ah-ha… can I go to class now?" A crowd was starting to gather and he didn't know if he could endure the stares for much longer.

"Of course, Tatsumi," she threw a glance at the other two. "That goes for you two as well."

"Of course, Sona-senpai," Sayo said quickly. She gave them a quick bow and pulled a struggling Ieyasu away.

"You'll tell me your secret right?" Ieyasu called back as he was dragged away. "We're friends, right!?"

Tatsumi just shook his head as a small chuckle escaped his lips. That was Ieyasu for you. Tatsumi didn't know if he honestly wanted to find a way to skip class or was just trying to cheer him up, but it helped him feel better.

Sona sidled up next to him, opposite of Bennia who had his arm clasped between her breasts in a death grip. "You will tell me what happened, won't you?" she whispered under her breath. Her face was impassive but Tatsumi noted a hint of concern in her voice.

Tatsumi nodded. "At lunch, sure. Don't worry, this is a one-time thing and… you're probably not going to believe me."

"Tatsumi, with you, I'm willing to believe God came back to life to play a practical joke on you." Tatsumi started to sweat nervously. If it was a practical joke, it was in bad taste, but for her to hit so close to the mark… His thoughts must have showed on his face or something because Sona let out a soft groan. "Lunch then, I'm going to need time to process this…" With that said she left his side and headed into the school, Tsubaki following ever faithfully.

"We should go too," Tatsumi said to Bennia. While she had no qualms about arriving late, who was going to chastise a Goddess, that didn't mean he was going to encourage it.

((Of course, dear!)) Bennia said as she cheerfully escorted him to class.

Today was going to be a very long day.

~o~

The student council room fell silent as Tatsumi finished explaining what'd transpired to cause his sudden and unexpected aging. Turning from the window where he'd been staring out into the school courtyard he was greeted by a wide range of expressions.

He'd kept some more intimate stuff and stranger things from them. They didn't need to know the details of the various dimensions and worlds he'd been bounced around or what he and Mine had gotten up to at night.

Sona sat in her usual place at the desk next to the window, a pensive expression on her face. The chess board and pieces were neatly tucked away in a special compartment just beneath it. Atop the desk was the remains of Sona's bento box. Her entire peerage was here as well, summoned at her behest. They sat scattered about the room, taking up most of the rest of the desk space in the room.

Hikaru was the only one not seated, choosing instead to stand next to him. Bennia stood across the room, leaning against the wall next to the door. Tatsumi knew there was a Mini-Bennia sitting on the floor outside. He could hear the muffled sound of sound effects wafting through the door whenever someone passed by. She, Xenovia and Hikaru were the only ones that didn't react to his words. They already knew what happened.

"Tatsumi, I was trying to make a joke when I said God came back to play a practical joke on you," Sona finally said after some time. She gave him an accusatory look. "It wasn't meant to be taken literally."

"Hey, don't look at me," Tatsumi protested, raising his hands protectively in front of him. "That wasn't exactly my idea of a holiday."

"So you were actually thirty-four and became twenty-seven when you combined with the you of this world?" Irina asked, sounding confused. Her face was scrunched in deep thought as she tried to piece everything together. She stood next to her friend, Xenovia, near the chalkboard behind Sona's official desk. "How does that work?

((Matter can not exist in the same place at the same time.)) Bennia spoke up. ((It's a contradiction and the universe will act upon it instantly. If it can't merge them together, it'll obliterate them both.)) She gave him a long look. ((It normally obliterates. Fewer complications later that way.))

"Does something like this happen often?" Tatsumi asked her. Bennia didn't normally act serious, but when she did she was capable of offering incredible insight.

((First time in my lifetime,)) Bennia admitted. ((But I've spoken with Ymir after you gave me a heart attack. It was quite common near the start of the Universe's creation. He said there were lots of problems back then. Mostly to troll God, but there were real accidents. You're lucky you befriended Ymir.))

"Strange how that seemed to have worked out."

If he hadn't met Ymir in Niflheim and had spontaneously decided to bring him along, he'd either be obliterated or answering a lot of uncomfortable questions in a police department.

"What was the name of that store with the leash?" Sona asked Tsubaki.

"I believe it was—"

"And that's enough of that," Tatsumi quickly cut in. Sona didn't sound like she was joking there!

Before anyone could say anything else, the air in the center of the room split open. A harried Lenneth jumped through and glanced about the room. When her eyes found his she flew across the room to him.

"Tatsumi, have you seen Ymir?!" she asked, the words coming out so quickly they were tumbling over each other.

"Uh, no? Should I have?" Tatsumi asked cautiously. Could he even go missing? He was the Universe. He was everywhere at once. He'd never admit it but hearing that name so soon after just talking about him made Tatsumi a little nervous he'd said something to offend him.

((How do you lose someone like Ymir?)) Bennia asked. ((Can't you just talk to a chair?))

"I tried that! He wouldn't respond," Lenneth said, panicking.

"I feel like I'm missing something here," Saji said as he glanced back and forth between Tatsumi and Lenneth. "Talk to a chair?"

There was an annoyed tick pulsating on Sona's temple as she stared at him. "Tatsumi, did you kidnap the Universe while God was playing a trick on you?" she asked archly.

"He came of his own accord!" Tatsumi protested quickly. "I'm just giving him a place to stay!"

Sona palmed her face and let out a long, resigned sigh. "That was meant to be rhetorical."

"Ah ha, ha ha…" He hadn't meant to confirm her suspicions. The fewer people that knew the truth about Ymir, the better. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and threw a quick glance out the window. "A-Anyways, if he's missing then we just need to think about this logically. Where would… oh… I see him."

He really should have suspected this first. After all, it was a primary reason for him leaving Asgard in the first place.

"Where?" Lenneth asked as she rushed to the window and pressed her face against it.

"Over there. Near the forest," Tatsumi said, pointing to the far side of the school yard. "Next to Gasper."

Lenneth hurried over to the window, her eyes lighting up happily as she followed his gaze to Ymir in the yard below. "That is right. He did say something about exchanging dresses."

"It seems he's making good on his promise," Tatsumi said as he watched Gasper and Ymir trade dresses. Gasper seemed to be having the time of his life trying them on with Ymir. The two didn't even seem to notice the gaggle of girls starting to crowd around them. "Never seen Gaspar that excited before."

"Or so uncaring of being outside," Sona added. Everyone had made their way over to the window by this time and were looking on.

"Why don't you go down there and make sure those girls don't mob them," Tatsumi suggested to Lenneth. "Who knows what Ymir might do if those girls ruin his dress and share time with Gasper."

A look of sheer terror came across Lenneth's face and she was gone faster than you could blink. The window blew out as she smashed through it without a care in the world. A moment later she was standing between Ymir and the girls, carving little runes into the ground to create a barrier to keep them away.

((You're pure evil,)) Bennia snickered beside him. ((You know Ymir can't do anything to them.))

"I blame you," Tatsumi said.

((How?))

"For corrupting me."

((Oh! I'll gladly take credit for that!))

Tatsumi chuckled and threw a quick glance over his shoulder at the clock above the door. "Well, look at that. We'll have to wait for another time as the bell's going to ring soon." He gave Sona a wide grin. "You wouldn't want me late for class, would you?"

Sona threw an annoyed look his way before waving him off. "You are right. Class is important." She gave him another long look. "Just promise me you'll consult with the people that care about you before you engage in potentially existence obliterating actions."

"I promise."

x~X~x

The spear was a beautiful work of art. The long golden haft was polished to a shine and the gleaming steel blade on the end was engraved with so many divine runes the metal was all but invisible beneath the blazing glow. A priceless artifact that was as deadly as it was beautiful. It could penetrate all defenses, stone, steel, alloys of all types, diamond and even dragon scale.

Tatsumi knew all to well from experience just how easily that spear could shear right through his scales. The wind screamed past his ears as he spun on the ball of his left foot and threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding that very spear as it tore through where his chest had been only moments before. Being able to see its trajectory before it reached him was the only reason he'd was able to avoid it.

The ability he'd developed in Asgard while fighting Garmr was coming in handy here. It was the only reason he was keeping up.

Even as he dodged, he countered. Heat surged through his system as he flared his life force, his touki, into overdrive. The pristine white tiles beneath his feet crumpled. A clawed fist, clad in scales stronger than the hardest metal in the world, thundered force, air rippled and burst as he sheared through it faster than sound. Neuntote, a wicked harpoon shaped spear, pierced forward afterwards, a follow-up to guarantee victory.

It didn't matter to his beautiful, agile opponent. Even as Tatsumi committed to his attack her future images shifted and flowed like light, bending back and around. His fist sailed harmlessly above her chest its passage caused her beautiful white dress made of liquid light to flutter dangerously, almost exposing her to Tatsumi before the sight disappeared as she continued to move. Her divine spear screamed faster than thought, spinning around her like a whirlwind, shearing through the white tiles to intercept Neuntote. The air was split by an ear-piercing squeal as the two powerful weapons clashed. Neuntote was throw off-course, harmlessly sailing past her like Tatsumi's earlier strike.

Against most, Tatsumi could have recovered. Neither the strike nor the harpoon had been overextended beyond his ability to recover. But against this woman, it didn't matter. The circlet on her forehead that blazed with her divine light, boosting her ability to process information far beyond anything Tatsumi could deal with. He could think several steps ahead, could even see the steps his opponent would take, but with that circlet and her own natural ability she could react faster than him.

That sight of his, which would be a boon against most, ended up being a liability here, causing him to commit to actions that had no hope of success.

With a brief flash of skin, a delicate foot clad in simple, white sandals struck him in the chest with all the force of a freight train.

A painful gasp was ripped from his throat as he was sent hurtling across the white-tiled courtyard. He bounced painfully off the tiles once before his wings flared out behind him. Claws came out, tearing into the tiles even as his wings caught the wind, slowing him down. He dug a deep furrow across the pristine white grounds as he brought himself to a halt.

He didn't pause to collect himself. The sound barrier shattered several times over as he launched himself forward once more. His enhanced kinetic vision picked up every little detail of the beautiful, golden haired woman. Her clear blue eyes that sparkled with equal amounts joy and concentration. The white dress she wore that look more like liquid light than cloth. Her circlet, blazing upon her forehead enhancing her thought processes by several magnitudes.

Gabriel Celeste, the most powerful and beautiful woman in Heaven.

She spun and twisted about, dodging the whirlwind of wicked steel that was Bennia in her adult form. Twin death scythes spun and twisted, following Gabriel as she moved almost as if they had a life of their own. Trails of darkness followed their passage creating a beautiful and yet terrifying lattice of death lingering in the air.

It was still taking time for Tatsumi to truly process and accept the fact that Bennia was a Goddess. In her adult form with those wide hips, large breasts that threatened to spill out of her dress and mature face, she certainly looked far closer to his envision idea of a goddess and yet she had always been Bennia to him. It was just too difficult to merge that carefree, mischievous girl he knew before with the Goddess of Retribution, Nemesis. Perhaps he didn't need to. She didn't seem to care if he did or not, if anything she preferred it if he didn't.

Still, all that godly power wasn't helping her much now as Gabriel ducked and weaved around Bennia's attacks as effortlessly as she had his own.

The wind howled in his ears as he surged forward, even faster. He ripped Neuntote from the ground as he passed by.

An instant later Neuntote split the air, searching for its target. The smile on Gabriel's lips widened ever so slightly as she flicked Bennia's wrist, redirecting one of her scythes into Neuntote, causing both of them to go wide of their intended target.

He and Bennia shared a look and in that singular instant a thousand thoughts passed between them. A plan formed. Actions put into motion. Bennia kicked Tatsumi in the side of his chest, causing him to go into a rapid spin. Tatsumi buffeted his wings at the same time, increasing the centrifugal force of the spin by many times. Neuntote, which had been knocked wide, was suddenly sent screaming back towards Gabriel.

Her eyes went wide as she was taken by surprise by the sudden strike. Tatsumi watched as if everything was in slow motion. There was no way she could avoid it. Every future image he saw witnessed her getting struck. This was it! Neuntote closed upon Gabriel. A meter became centimeters, centimeters became millimeters. The wicked edge of the black harpoon like spear reached her, slowly splitting open her beautiful dress made of liquid light as it searched for the soft skin found beneath.

Tatsumi had less than a millisecond to register the sudden change in the images he saw before all Heaven broke loose.

The circle upon Gabriel's head blazed with an insane amount of light. Divine light filled his vision, momentarily blinding Tatsumi even as a thunderous roar echoed around the courtyard. Neuntote never landed. He didn't feel the bite of flesh. All he felt was the painful feeling of white tiles being ground to dust with his face. His chest ruptured and pain flared across his body, momentarily drowning out all other thoughts.

It only dimmed as he came to a skidding stop at the white wall that surrounded the courtyard.

"Ugh… what was that, a meteor?" Tatsumi groaned painfully. Pain flared across his chest as he struggled to his knees. A harsh, ripping cough tore through his body and a stream of blood spilled from his mouth onto the ruined grounds. He covered his mouth with his hand and fought through the pain. He had to get up, Gabriel wouldn't let him off that easily.

"Not quite," Gabriel's soft, musical voice came floating from across the courtyard. He glanced up and found her standing where she'd been before. She was standing a perfectly pristine chunk of the courtyard that was surrounded by a large circular furrow. There was a look of genuine concern on her face. "I may have struck you a little too hard."

She hadn't followed up… strange. He glanced down at himself and grimaced at the gaping hole in his chest. His scales were obliterated, the flesh burned off, and the muscle ripped to shreds. He could see his rib cage and some of his organs pulsating.

One of his lungs had collapsed. That explained the extremely uncomfortably feeling in his chest and the blood in his mouth.

"Ok… that explains why it hurts so much," Tatsumi groaned as he struggled to his feet. His body didn't want to cooperate at first. He redirected some of his touki from enhancing his muscles to healing his body, speeding up his regeneration. He'd be fine. He'd survived worse with that damned Mirror Alice counter. "Bennia?" he called out, looking about the courtyard for her.

He found her on the other side, picking herself up as well. ((Over here,)) Bennia called back, giving him a pained smile. She looked better off than he did, but the blue dress she once wore slid off her body, ruined beyond its ability to continue functioning as clothing. She gave him a wide grin. ((We almost got her. That she resorted to that attack is proof.))

"Oh?" Tatsumi asked as he eyed Gabriel. She didn't even look winded. True, he'd almost landed a strike. There was a large tear in the side of her dress that exposed a good deal of her right side, but even if it had landed, it would have been their one versus her hundreds.

((She used it to beat me before,)) Bennia said as she shrugged off her reaper's cloak, letting it fall to the ground as well. Tatsumi had to look away as she stood there naked save for her purple boots and arm length black gloves. He loved both version's of Bennia, but her adult form was far more distracting. He had to stay focused. ((You can blame that spell for collapsing the hot spring into the training room.))

Tatsumi raised a questioning eyebrow and Gabriel coughed guiltily. "Michael spoke with me after that. Have no fear Tatsumi, I won't be using that spell in the training room again."

"Thanks… but," he gave Bennia a curious look. "I don't get it. If you two were almost evenly matched back then, and this was before Bennia became a full-blooded Goddess with Themis' help, why is Gabriel kicking both of our asses now?"

Weren't Gods and Goddesses supposed to naturally be stronger than Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils? Even if that individual was a Satan or a Seraph?

((It's not that complicated,)) Bennia said as she summoned her twin scythes to her hands again. For a split moment there were two Bennia's, one back where she was and another striking at Gabriel. The great Seraph however was prepared and her divine spear whirled through the aim, effortlessly deflecting both of Bennia's strikes. ((As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm not very powerful as far as Goddesses go.)) Bennia went full-on offensive. There was never just one of her there, sometimes there were as many as three or four Bennia's all existing at the same time as Bennia used her divine power to strike in the past. Throughout it all Gabriel flowed like light, weaving around the strikes and countering as well. Bennia always disappeared before the strike hit. ((Nemesis isn't all that well-known, or worshipped.)) She continued as she and Gabriel danced a deadly and beautiful dance. ((In the minds of Humanity, I was just created to fill in the gaps of the stories of the greater Greek Gods and Goddesses. My power is correspondingly second-rate to them. My brothers and sisters are all the same. We're still far stronger than the average devil, fallen or angel, but at our peak, we're only about equal to the greatest Seraphs and Devils. Someone like Athena could beat this annoying Seraph anywhere, anytime, blind-folded and with one arm tied behind her back.))

"My, aren't you underestimating me just a little?" Gabriel asked, smiling innocently as she slammed an enormous spear of light into Bennia's chest, sending her bouncing across the courtyard. The Seraph gave him a little smile and gestured for him to attack.

Skin was starting to knit across his chest and the scales would soon follow. He would be fine, and it was better to attack, otherwise Gabriel would be the one to go on the offense. That she gave him time to recover at all was her apology for hitting him 'too hard' as she said.

"There's more to it than just that though," Tatsumi said as he shot towards Gabriel, taking a slight detour along the way to grab Neuntote. Gabriel was ready for him as he came crashing down upon her. The divine spear left behind trails of blazing light as she expertly redirected each of his strikes. "From what I heard from the others, you two were almost equal when you fought in the training grounds."

"I didn't have my circlet then," Gabriel said.

((And more importantly,)) Bennia cut-in as she suddenly reappeared above Gabriel, twin scythes descending upon the High Seraph. Gabriel was quick to react. Her spear springing about her in a whirlwind of steel and light, knocking the scythes away. Even with Bennia drawing her attention she never lost focus on him. The butt of her spear slammed into his solar plexus, sending him skidding back several feet. ((It's all about the location,)) Bennia grunted as she let herself get thrown a few meters away.

"There is that," Gabriel admitted as she settled into a battle stance, eyeing the both of them warily.

"Location?" Tatsumi asked as he rushed in again, more cautiously this time.

There was a flurry of steel as Tatsumi probed Gabriel for the weak points he knew he wouldn't find but had to try anyways. He noticed Bennia slinking silently to the side, but so did Gabriel. It soon became a game of positioning as much as battling as Tatsumi tried to position Gabriel so her back was to Bennia while she tried to keep them both in her vision.

((Location matters a lot,)) Bennia said as she continued to circle around Gabriel, trying to get behind her to strike. ((She's a lot stronger and more durable than I, but I'm much faster and can process more thoughts simultaneously than she can. On Earth, without the aid of artifacts, she wouldn't be able to touch me.))

"My, I think I'd have more luck than that," Gabriel said with a hint of steel in her voice.

((I almost won before Themis restored my full power,)) Bennia shot back. ((You'd have no chance now… not without that circlet of yours.)) She lunged forward and Gabriel reacted instantly, swinging her spear around to confront Bennia. Only the not-so-small Grim Reaper turned Goddess darted back again.

There! A small, infinitesimally small opening caused by Bennia's feint. Tatsumi only noticed it because he knew where Gabriel would be. Gabriel's circlet didn't make her all-powerful. She could only react to what she knew was going to happen, which was why he needed to hit her with something so surprising she couldn't anticipate it. Neuntote screamed towards Gabriel's shoulder, eagerly seeking its target. The Seraph spun back around, spear lancing towards him to force him to back off.

Only he didn't. He didn't so much thrust Neuntote, as he threw it at her. It sailed harmlessly past her face as she weaved out of the way, but that momentary distraction was enough for him to slam the palm of his other hand into the shaft of Gabriel's spear, throwing it wide. The hand that he had used to throw Neuntote at Gabriel shifted with her movements, reaching for her dress. She bent way back at the knees so that she was parallel to the ground, her wings flaring out to either side of her to help stabilize. She twisted her wrist, spinning the spear around brought it down upon him.

Tatsumi smiled and tripped her. Thrown off balance he was able to easily catch her spear between his arm and his ribs.

She was ripe for the picking as Bennia reappeared above her, scythes descending upon the falling Seraph.

Even if she could think faster than either of them with that circlet, there was still a limit to the range of motion she had available to her. The body could only be made to do so much. If he limited her body movements to only a few options, he didn't need to think faster than her, all that extra time she had to think of a counter was useful for was watching her own impending doom.

Or, at least that was the idea. Tatsumi forgot one crucial fact about all Angels.

Gabriel still had a free hand. A hand that even now was filled with divine light that was forming into long, beautiful spears of light before their very eyes.

Gabriel smiled up at them.

"Oh shit," was all Tatsumi had time to say before a beautiful, yet very large spear of light painfully slammed into his chest, picking him up off the ground and throwing him away from the Seraph.

Tatsumi quickly righted himself and landed gracefully on his feet some ways away, rubbing the sharp stabbing pains in his chest. Tendrils of smoke lazily rose into the air from the scales that had been charred black by her strike. Across the way he found Bennia picking herself up off the ground as well.

Bennia shot the circlet on Gabriel's forehead an annoyed look. ((You see what I mean? We had her beat! But noooo! That stupid circlet of hers! With that circlet, I lose that speed advantage. It'd probably end up being a stalemate again. However…)) she drawled that word, ((if we were in Greece, Olympus or Hades, I'd be able to trounce her. There, I am close to the center of my mythos. As a result I'd gain a substantial increase in power, speed, and everything else while Gabriel would gain nothing.))

"I guess that makes sense," Tatsumi said. At least Hades and Olympus did, anyways. "But wouldn't Gabriel gain something by being closer to the Vatican?"

Gabriel shook her head, "no, unfortunately not. If I were in the Vatican, perhaps, but Christianity is celebrated the world over and there is no place in the world where I am not known. I fear outside major places of worship, my power neither grows nor diminishes while on Earth. A boon and a bane one could say."

"I think I understand," Tatsumi said as he glanced about the white courtyard and the large church that stood serenely within it. "This is Gabriel's home. The very center of her being, her existence. Here she is at her strongest."

Here, in this place, she would stand supreme amongst all beings within the Christianity mythology. Well, those still alive at least.

((At her strongest and using her strongest divine artifacts,)) Bennia added. ((That we're forcing her to go to this extent to win is something at least.)) She blew out a heavy sigh. ((I was really hoping to show you something special, Tatsumi.))

"Special?"

Normally when someone said they wanted to show you something special, it was a good thing. With Bennia, one could never be too certain.

"Yes, I thought your strikes were rather targeted," Gabriel said, sounding rather amused. She seemed to know what Bennia was hinting at.

((You said you didn't mind before.))

"I believe I simply stated I wouldn't mind as much as you think I would, and that I didn't mind enjoying things so long as they did not interfere with my duty."

((You seem to have a lot of problems with it right now.))

Gabriel let out a soft, tinkling laugh that sent thrills of joy racing up Tatsumi's spine. "No, I don't, but things unearned are also undeserved."

Bennia gave Tatsumi a wide grin. ((I'll definitely earn it for you! Just you wait, you're going to like it!)) Without another word she teleported across the courtyard and began to assault Gabriel anew. Her black scythes cutting towards the beautiful Seraph with renewed purpose.

Tatsumi had absolutely no idea what the two of them were talking about. Regardless of whatever crazy thoughts were floating through Bennia's head right now, Tatsumi didn't want to go down without at least some sort of victory. He felt like he was finally closing the gap, even if it was only a little.

He drove forward, diving into the fierce melee combat between Bennia and Gabriel. The three of them danced with each other, a deadly dance of blazing divine steel, wicked metal and blades of death. Their battle took them all across the courtyard. Pristine white tiles were cut and sliced, ground into powder, or ripped from their place and hurled like projectiles.

In the middle of it all, Gabriel continued to effortlessly beat back their assault.

It frustrated him. Rationally he knew it was foolish to think he could defeat Gabriel easily at the very height of her power, but that irrational part of him that wanted a victory anyways kept growing by the second as Gabriel beat them back.

It was that smile of hers. It felt like she was treating them like children, never mind that comparatively speaking he was a child to her.

He had to do something to cause her to mess up enough for them to eke out some sort of victory! The perfect surprise attack that Gabriel wouldn't see coming and had no way to react to!

The epiphany came so suddenly he froze and nearly got his head cut off by Gabriel's spear. He managed to avoid it just in time.

"No day-dreaming, Tatsumi," Gabriel chastised him.

"That's not what it was," Tatsumi said, using her words as an opening to hit Gabriel where she wasn't expecting it. "I just remembered something."

"Oh? I do believe I've mentioned before that strays thought are dangerous in battle," Gabriel told him, "almost as dangerous as day-dreaming."

Tatsumi spun blocked Gabriel's spear with the haft of Neuntote. It took both hands to stop her from throwing him off his feet. "I know, but it was something that person told me before sending my soul to my world."

The strength lessened ever so slightly, allowing Tatsumi to shift a foot closer to the Seraph. "That's nice," Gabriel said, still smiling. "Did He say something strange like mentioning my measurements?"

Why would he do something like that? Had that been a problem back then? Tatsumi only learned earlier today that the person who had pretended to be Seri Shax had quite possibly been a fragment of God thrown into the future prior to his death. He knew God and Ymir had arguments about breasts sizes but he honestly hadn't expected God to be that hung up on them.

"Not that, no," Tatsumi said. "It wasn't something all that important but I felt maybe you should know since, well, he's your God."

"He's such a considerate boy," Gabriel said to Bennia as she came in to strike her from behind. The spear disappeared, whirling around to deflect Bennia's scythes. Before Tatsumi could bring Neuntote to bear upon her, the spear was back, blocking him.

"He told me… if Angels weren't meant to have children, they wouldn't have genders."

Gabriel froze, a stunned look on her face. Even through her dress of liquid light Tatsumi saw a brief surge of desire appear as her nipples went hard.

It was only for a single moment.

It was all he needed.

Neuntote was too slow. He struck, a clawed fist streaking for Gabriel's exposed chest. She broke free of her stunned silence when she noticed. Her circlet flared. Divine light filled the courtyard. She moved impossibly fast, twisted away from Tatsumi. Energy gathered all about her.

Tatsumi wasn't being blown away without something. He felt fabric brush across his scales. He latched onto it.

A thunderous roar filled his ears.

He bounced five times, this time he had the presence of mind to count, before he continued sliding across the courtyard coming to rest at the wall.

"Hi wall, my friend, we meet again," Tatsumi groaned as he sat up painfully. It wasn't just his chest that hurt this time, his entire body hurt. The entire front of him was blackened and smoking. Once again Gabriel had beaten them both. This time though, Tatsumi had taken with him a consolation prize.

Gabriel's dress, or at least a significant portion of it, was clutched tightly in his fist. It felt just like it looked, like he was holding liquid light. It was an alien feeling. There weren't any words he could use to describe how soft it was. It was like there was a piece the concept, comfort, made manifest in his very hands.

Bennia's laughter floated to his ears from across the courtyard. ((A considerate boy? Bahahaha! Yes!)) Tatsumi glanced over at her and found her propped up against the far wall, too tired to get back to her feet again, or perhaps she didn't feel the need to. ((Look Tatsumi! Stare and admire! I didn't think you had it in you to use Him to distract her! Oh, the look on her face! Totally worth the beating!))

His eyes were drawn, unbidden, towards the beautiful Seraph standing upon a few, pristine white tiles surrounded by a circle of devastation. Her spear was held loosely in one hand, the butt against the ground as the remnants of her beautiful dress fluttered to the tiles about her feet.

Tatsumi had seen a glimpse of this before, back during the Peace Conference after Ophis swatted Gabriel out of the sky. Back then though, it had only been a part of her dress.

Gabriel Celeste, the Messenger of God, one of the four Great Seraphs that managed the Divine System and the most beautiful woman in heaven, stood before Tatsumi as naked as the day she was created. Her enormous breasts, warm and supple. Those gentle, perfect curves. The wide hips, parted as Gabriel leaned heavily on one foot, drew his gaze to those pink lips with their golden crown, glistening with moisture that was most certainly not sweat.

"My, that was a dirty trick," Gabriel said softly, making no move to cover herself. "Using Father's words to distract me."

"You've always said to use everything at my disposal," Tatsumi defended himself.

A soft smile came to her lips. "I know." She let her spear disperse into particles of light, signalling the end of the training session.

Tatsumi let out a long breath, pulling his touki back into his core.

He was unprepared for the wave of exhaustion that rolled over him as all the fatigue that had built up over the course of the battle slammed into him at once. He fought against his own exhaustion and the urge to just let his eyes close and drift off to sleep. His draconic transformation unravelled as well, his scales, wings and everything else being drawn back inside. With that came a fresh wave of pain as his charred scales were replaced with charred flesh. His clothing hadn't fared much better than he had, not with Gabriel routinely charring his scales and flesh off his body with blasts of light or tearing through his scales with that spear of hers.

Tatsumi let out a groan and flopped backwards onto the cold tile floor. Far too tired and in too much pain to care much about his state of undress.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Gabriel made her way over to his side, her large, naked breasts bouncing with each step. He swallowed hard as she came to a stop directly in front of him. She had plenty of time to recreate that dress of hers.

Yet she hadn't.

"It was a dirty trick, but sometimes tricks are needed," Gabriel said softly. She lowered herself to the tiles beside him and drew his head into her lap. Her breasts dropped into his face as she leaned forward. A gentle light sprung up within the palms of her hands and she started healing him, infusing his body with a pleasant warmth. "A trick like that may help you survive a battle in the future you might not have survived otherwise."

"Thanks?" Tatsumi mumbled into the unbelievable soft breasts. He didn't know what to do anymore. Gabriel, who put so much effort into protecting her modesty, was seemingly doing nothing now. All he could see were her bountiful breasts and she smelled wonderful, like dew or honey. Tatsumi couldn't take his eyes off her naked breasts.

((Argh, she's too accepting of this! I wanted more of a reaction!)) Bennia grumbled from across the courtyard. Gabriel raised her head and, did something. He couldn't see her face from this angle because of her breasts. Bennia though, saw whatever it was. ((Hey! What was that!? Angels aren't supposed to do that!))

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Gabriel said innocently. She leaned back, pulling her breasts out of his face and gave him a warm smile. "Now, Tatsumi, why don't we discuss everything Father spoke to you about?"

~o~

A sigh of relief escaped him as he stepped off the invisible staircase and back on to the solid ground of the training room. It meant that ordeal he'd just been through was well and truly over.

The training with Gabriel hadn't been so bad. In fact, Tatsumi considered that the highlight. He and Bennia had made incredible progress against Gabriel. They were still far from her level when fighting her in that place, but Gabriel no longer seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. This mountain he could never scale. Her level of strength was something Tatsumi could now see himself attaining some day.

And with how rapidly his strength had been increasing of late, that would end up happening sooner rather than latter.

That was fine, Tatsumi was looking forward to the next training session.

It was what had come after the training that had been the real ordeal.

He had absolutely no idea Gabriel could be so utterly ruthless when it came to prying information she really wanted from someone.

She dug at him from every direction, prying up every single word He had said, every action, every intonation. Constantly coming back at him in ways he didn't even consider. From that very first encounter at the Elder Devil Gathering to the final moments after he'd caught Tatsumi's flailing spirit.

Gabriel hadn't been cruel or anything, nor had anything she'd done been unpleasant. In fact, if anything it had been the complete opposite, and that'd been the problem. With each new piece of information she'd reward him. A light touch here, a shot of warmth there, bending or tilting her body to give him that perfect pose so his eyes could drink in her beautiful body in new ways, tinkling laughter, sparkling eyes, gentle smiles, pleasant scents.

It had been too much, left him craving for more and more. He'd become filled with an intense sense of loss and emptiness whenever that warmth disappeared or the touch ended. Maddening even.

He couldn't even complain either or ask her to stop! He hadn't wanted her to! She'd given to him the epitome of every man's fantasy.

For someone who was more used to suffering than joy, that pleasure was so intense it was borderline torture. He was equal parts glad it was over and upset he didn't have any more information to give her. He wasn't sure how much more he could have taken.

((Wishing she was still stuffing her breasts in your face?)) Bennia snickered as she stepped off the staircase onto the tile floor beside him. She threw a sly glance behind her to the staircase as Gabriel stepped off it. ((I'm sure you can come up with something else to get her out of that dress.))

A part of him very much wanted to take her up on that offer. Tatsumi squashed it ruthlessly.

"Those circumstances were extraordinary," Gabriel said, smiling softly. "I most certainly would not do something such as that in the human world."

"There's also nothing else for me to say—" The rest of his words died in his throat as something did occur to him. Something he wasn't quite sure he wanted to bring up so soon after that drilling.

There was a wicked grin on Bennia's face. ((Seems like you remembered something you forgot to tell her!)) She threw a look over at Gabriel. ((Shall we head back up?))

"Oh my, I thought I had thoroughly drained Tatsumi of everything he had," Gabriel said, sounding surprise. "I must be out of practice."

There was a little click as Bennia hit pause on a tape record. ((And that right there, is why I always keep one of these handy.)) She hit rewind and then play, "…thoroughly drained Tatsumi of everything he had…" played back in Gabriel's unmistakable voice. ((Oh the misunderstandings this could create!))

"You're terrible," Gabriel chastised her.

((And I enjoy every second of it!))

"It's not about God," Tatsumi assured Gabriel. "You drained me of that. This is something else I remembered from school. Before this whole incident happened."

"Oh?" Gabriel asked, arching her brow. "And what happened at school that would give you pause at such a time?"

There was no point in beating around the bush. "Sayo is an Angel," Tatsumi stated firmly. "I saw a crest on her chest similar to what Xenovia has on her hand."

"Sayo… your friend?" Gabriel asked, frowning worriedly. "Only Michael, Raphael, Uriel and myself should have Brave Saints, and our crests are all on their hands." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, it glowed white," Tatsumi said. A thought occurred to him. Sayo was an Angel which meant her benefactor was an Angel. Her new sensei. Gabriel would be able to confirm a number of things for him. "Tsuchimikado Natsume." Gabriel twitched ever so slightly. Confirmation one. "You know who she is."

The Seraph was silent for a time as she weighed her options. Tatsumi could see that she was trying to figure out if she should confirm or deny what he asked. Eventually the former won out. "I do," Gabriel said.

"Is she really the Virtue of Courage?" Tatsumi pressed.

Gabriel hesitated for a moment before answering. "She was… before she fell."

"Fell?" That didn't sound quite right.

"Yes," Gabriel said, nodding her head slowly. "Natsume isn't her real name, it's the alias she assumes when she comes to Earth. After Father died she, like Haniel and all the other Virtues, Fell. She's no longer the Virtue of Courage, but rather the Vice of Fear."

"Couldn't she still be?" Tatsumi asked thoughtfully. "Courage and Fear sort of compliment each other. Courage requires Fear to exist because it isn't so much the absence of Fear, but rather continuing to walk forward despite of it. For us to be courageous, there must first be something we're afraid of—" he stopped when he noticed the look on Gabriel's face. It was the look of someone coming face to face with a truth they wished they hadn't. "What, did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's… nothing," Gabriel said, her voice filled with a quiet disbelief. "I just, need time to think, later. Go on, what was it you wanted to speak of about Sayo? You went off on a tangent earlier."

"Oh, right," Tatsumi said, remembering what it was he wanted to mention. "Well, I'm positive Sayo is a Brave Saint, and judging by how cheerful she was, I don't think she's fallen either." Sayo was devoted to the church and to her religion. She would not have agreed to become a Fallen Angel, and if she had Fallen after becoming an Angel, it would have weighed upon her spirit and reflected through her actions. If anything she seemed more upbeat than usual. "Is there any way an Angel can have sex without falling?"

"No," Gabriel said without hesitation. A moment later a look of uncertainty reflected in her eyes. "At least there shouldn't be. We don't know of any way. It's why we're constructing…" she trailed off, frowning slightly. She rethought her words and continued. "Well, I guess I just want to say 'we' don't know of a way of circumventing the system but perhaps it's more accurate to state that 'I' don't know of a way." Her eyes hardened ever so slightly. Tatsumi could see she'd picked up on what he was hinting at. "I think I'll pay your friend a visit. I'll bring my Queen, Xenovia, with me. It's only courteous for Brave Saints to get to know one another."

"Don't be too harsh with her," Tatsumi said quickly.

Gabriel gave him a confused look before realization dawned on her. She let out a little laugh and gently patted his cheek. "You have nothing to fear, Tatsumi. Even if she is a Fallen, I am still fond of her."

---

Author's Note: Let me know what you think about the chapter. The important bit was the battle between Gabriel and Tatsumi. To help you, the audience, gauge how much stronger he's become since the start of the story. Because I've woven 'location and proximity to faith' as a factor of an individual's strength (like with the Nasuverse), Gabriel, using her artifacts and standing in the center of her personal sanctum, would be fairly close to the top ten. If she'd fought Bennia and Tatsumi anywhere else (including other parts of Heaven), she'd have lost and fairly handily as well.

I could have gone on longer, it's not really a cliff-hanger spoiler and all that, but this was the best place to break it up. If I didn't stop here, the next few chapters would either be too long, or too short.

Next chapter though will start the final arc, the Rating Game between Rias and Diadora… except I won't be writing about them. That's just the 'timeline' point we're at. There's actually going to be a rating game between Sona and someone to be revealed next chapter.