Chapter 5. Lingering Shadow

Mittelt descended to the floor below the stairwell in a hovering fashion with her small wings. While holding the walkie-talkie as she inspects the small rectangle device noticing an orange, dusty barbecue thumbprint on the power button and a small stain of blood on the back. She raised a single perplexing eyebrow while the walkie-talkie is still turned on.

"Uhm… hello," Mittelt answered, pressing the walkie-talkie close to her as she blows away the orange thumbprint from the power button.

"Good you, answer. I would say it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, but the circumstances of my passing would say otherwise."

"You're Gabriel Amakusa." She accused.

"That's right and you're…"Gabriel lingered, purposefully waiting for Mittelt to answer him.

Mittel snickered as she twirls in a pose diligently and courtly lifted her skirt. Her black angelic raven wings proudly frilled upward as hundreds-inch five-pointed stars of glowing pink light construct sprouted behind her, exploding into pink sparks of light the second, as she released them.

"I'm Mittelt and I am a totally, awesome Fallen Angel in the history of ever!"

"Right…" Gabriel doubted with a fake cough. "Wait… what… you can't be serious Arachne… calm down… that's what she looks like!"

"Hey, what's going on?!" Mittelt pouted with puff cheeks.

"It just… Uhm… How old are you?"

"I'm eleven, why?"

"Are you serious?" Gabriel deadpanned with a dumbfounded flat tone, "Arachne cool it for a second!" came his muffled voice, "I don't suppose you can relay a message to one of your leaders."

Mittelt scoffed, "As if I'm here to kill you! You dirty Devil!"

Gabriel sighed, his breath could be heard through walkie-talkies, "Really hoping I was talking to the dominatrix." He mumbles to himself in agitation through the walkie-talkie, "Look I just want to talk, I'm not looking for a fight. I'm at the behest here of my master, the governor of Kuoh, Rias Gremory. If you try to attack me, you will be treated as a hostile entity and I will defend myself. Just please hand over the walkie-talkie to your leader, that's all I ask."

Mittelt taps her chin for a second while she humped in farce contemplation, "Nope."

"Fine just so you know… HEY! ARACHNE, DON'T!"

Mittelt shifted behind the stairwell as Arachne leaped blow from the five floors above, shooting a spider web string by the palm of her hand at the ceiling, halting her descendent propelling halfway to Mittelt's floor as she did a barrel roll flip, releasing the grip of her spider web. Landing in a split hunch, her right palm placed on the cold floor and her left hand inclined forward. The shadow of her bangs conceals her silver eyes that gleam with steely determination.

Mittelt grinned as she threw her spear at her. Arachne jumped over the spear in a hunch frog leap passing between her legs, destroying the stairwell floor into rubble as she dashed Mittelt.

Mittelt hovered, took an inch back, unfurled her wings, and shot a pink beam of light energy from her palm at Arachne. Arachne evaded taking a right leap at the wall as she ran, held by her momentum, and leaped at Mittelt with a right-angle kick aimed at her cheek. Mittelt blocked the blow with her right forearm but winced at the sheer force sent flying in a spiral on the other side of the hallway bumping towards a wall with a loud thud. Mittelt gasped in pain as she wobbled but immediately regained her composure, materializing her light spear and a small pink light construct of a spartan shield.

She soared toward Arachne with a charged spear at her torso, Arachne leaped behind her and twisted her body in a midair roundhouse kick at her back, but with a spun Mittelt blocked the strike with her shield. Arachne kept her momentum as she landed and now spun a low 180-sweep kick and stop to a quick halt beneath Mittelt's midsection as she did a backflip uppercut kick towards Mittelt's chin, but missed by the graze of the Fallen Angel's nose while landed by the palm of her hand with a hunch.

A large gust of air came from the palm of Arachne's hand as she propelled towards Mittelt with a double launch kick. Reacting by instinct the Fallen Angel hunched by her shield bracing the impact force destroying the construct shield, causing an echoing boom that shattered the nearby windows on their floor.

Mittelt rolled in a tumble, her wings clouding her vision, some of her black feathers draped, scatter on the floor. Still clutching her light spear like her life depended on it.

Arachne landed gracefully in a backflip, as both hands on her index finger and middle finger clenched together. Her right hand is close to her cheek while her left is hunching pointed semi-forward towards Mittelt.

Who hastily got up still in a daze, her vision clouding her as she was seeing double hazy Arachne. She shook her head regaining her senses and flipped her spear to throw it at the Stray. In a dash, Arachne appeared right in front of her much to Mittelt's shock as her blue eye pupil shrinked in horror.

"You…" with her clutch fingers, Arachne striked below Mittelt's right elbow, where she held her spear as she dropped her weapon and dissipates.

"Are…" Arachne grabbed Mittelt's wrist and twisted it, folding her arm on her back.

"So…" With her left clenched fingers striking both Mittelt shoulder blades where the joints of her wings were connected, leaving her arm numb, and her pair of wings draped on the floor in a limp.

Arachne let go of Mittelt's wrist and grabbed the Fallen Angel's shoulder twirling her in the Stray direction spun by the soles of her dressed shoes. Mittelt closed her eyes in a tight clench bracing for the last strike, but immediately wide-open feeling two dainty arms around her upper waist.

"CUTE!" Arachne closed-eyed cheered, squeezing Mittelt into a bone-crushing hug as she collapsed to the floor in shock, relying on her knees and laying on a kneeling Stray Devil for support. Arachne buried her head in Mittelt's chest with glee, pressing her embrace even more.

"What?" Mittelt bewildered as Arachne squeezed her tighter.

"That was probably the cutest and the most badass thing I ever saw that wasn't in front of a tv or my laptop."

Mittelt gasped and nudges her head to the right back corner of the end of the hallway.

Gabriel walked around the two girls in front of them causally rotating his M. R. Handcuffs.

Wearing his casual clothes that weren't his standard uniform, consisting of black leather except for his tucked red shirt and blue jeans. Now wearing a leather blazer Jacket with a long tail reaching below his knees, a belt attached with two pouches on the front right, biker boots that were tucked inside his jeans sleeve, and fingerless gloves.

"Y-You're the… guy… from… w-walkie… Gabriel…" Mittelt whimpered in a wisp breath.

"The one and only. And that bundle of cuteness is Arachne Rella. Now we got the introduction out of the way…" Gabriel approached the two and handcuffed Mittelt's limp wrist as they falter on at Arachne's back. The single strand morphed into dark energy locking the handcuffs. She felt her magic sampling away and her wings dissipated with a poof of black feathers. "Now let's talk."

"C-can you… she, go?" She pleaded with a gargle, her blue eyes jesting to Arachne.

Gabriel tapped his chin with the tip of his index finger in a mocking false contemplation, humming as he shook his head, "I think not. Consider your incentive to answer my question. So, let's skip the dilly-dallying before you suffocate. Who is your leader?"

Mittelt grunted as she wiggled Arachne's embrace in a fatal attempt to break free.

Gabriel sighed, "I'm not planning to hurt you or your friends. I just want to arrange a meeting with your leader, so we can defuse this mess. No harm will come to any of you unless it can't be helped. So, you can either cooperate or we can both deal a potential bloodbath in our hands."

"W-Why… trust… you?"

"Because you don't have much of an option. I know part of the reason you crows are, here is because of my Sacred Gear and I'm saving that answer with your boss. The follow-up is, why are you still here?"

"I… don't… know." Mittelt's face started to turn a pale blue.

"Wasn't your order to come here to finish what my date started?" Mittelt shifted her gaze away from Gabriel as she bit her lower lip, "Ah…" Gabriel mused in calm realization, "Looks like someone was being insubordinate." He chuckled, shaking his head. How about that for irony? "Tell you what. If we make it through this, I'll whip up a lie for your leader that I ambushed you while you were getting a chocolate chip ice cream from the Sakura ice cream parlor. This place isn't a good neighborhood, but occasionally you'll find hidden gems." Gabriel mused, but immediately shifted his gaze, with a piercing sapphire glare, "Might as well take my offer, if you want to get out of this unscathed."

Mittelt scowled down in quick contemplation, gazing at the silver hair girl that was squeezing her to death.

She couldn't betray the others, what if these Devils were lying and planning an ambush? She could care less of that creep Freed, but Raynare, Dohanseek, and every Exorcist in the abandoned church was another thing. She couldn't just sell them out.

"I'm not planning to attack them, but I will defend myself if necessary. If you want to make sure that none of your friends gets hurt or killed. Cooperation is your best and only OPTION." Gabriel intensified.

"You… n-not going to… kill them?"

"I know this might sound ironic, but I'm trying to de-escalate this whole mess. Just tell me, if your group is planning to attack? Lie and my loli minion would use you as her body pillow… if you don't suffocate first."

"We're… n-not… I come… alone… the rest are waiting… f-for further orders."

Gabriel puts his hands in his pocket, giving the child fallen a deadpan glare, "I take it the order was to observe me and have me killed deeming me a threat. Who gave the order?"

"L-Lord Azazel."

Gabriel stiffened as he gulped, his sapphire eyes shaken. Using every ounce of willpower, not to scream in terror. He figured that someone from higher up gave Raynare the order, but he didn't expect to be the leader of the Fallen Angels. He braced one of the Grigori leaders, who was the one that order his assassination, but he figured it was one of the Carders.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Something didn't add up.

From what he read about Azazel, he wanted peace with both the Devil Faction and Heaven Faction. It's a far fetch that was just a ruse. His limit of knowledge of Fallen Angels' politics was equal to Koneko and Kiba, but he knew enough about Fallen history. Azazel was the reason why the Fallen Angels pulled out of the Great War. Not to mention they suffered more casualties than the other two factions and had the lowest population rate of the two. Although that could be Devil propaganda in play instead of facts.

The man had the common sense and skill in politics to stay neutral with both factions as he pulled out his troops, while the other two were still fighting at that point. If this whole ruse was to replenish his resources and restart the Great War, that would be a huge disadvantage for both factions. In this scenario, only Grigori and Devil Faction would be fighting against each other, giving the Heaven Faction a huge advantage and can take them both out while they exhausted their resources.

There were also from Rias words that Fallen Angels are known to kill Sacred Gear users either because they were critical or to prevent them from falling into the enemy's hand.

Was the Twice Critical, a low-class Sacred Gear so dangerous that Azazel would send his man to kill him?

In Devil-occupied territory during a shaky ceasefire.

Either Azazel ordered Gabriel's death to prevent his Sacred Gear from going critical or his half-ass lie to Koneko and Kiba might be a fact. For as much as he knew the Old Satan Faction seems to be the ones that would benefit from restarting the Great War.

Could be a collaboration with the extremist within the Grigori, maybe as far as he knew this reached the other Cardres.

All in all, he could throw out the idea that Azazel wanted to restart the Great War and if he did want him dead it was probably because his Sacred Gear was critical. Being a Devil, he didn't have to worry about Azazel sending more of his people after him.

Now all he had to worry about is someone in the shadows wanting to restart the Great War.

Raynare killed him because she said he was a threat. She and the Fallen Angels might be a pawn in this as well.

If he wanted answers and to prevent a war. He needed to talk with Mittelt squad leader.

"Mittelt, can you…" Gabriel deadpan trailed, seeing Arachne hugging an unconscious Mittelt limping backward and her eyes comical swirl. "Great," he grumbled, "Arachne let her go."

She didn't listen as the Stray continued snuggling the Fallen Angel's chest.

Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly, "Fine, you asked for this." A small glass vial slips out his leather sleeve to his hand as he pinches his nose and removes the small cork with a flick of his thumb. Outstretch, his arm with the vial far away from him underneath Arachne's nose as she sniffs.

The glass shattered.

Her silver pupils shrunk and in a blink of an eye, she ran at the shattered glass window puking outside, while an unconscious Mittelt collapsed to the floor in sync when Arachne made it to the window.

"Why did you do that?" Arachne comically cried, as her iris immediately bugged out, she placed her index and middle finger on her lip, holding her vomit with puff cheeks, and continued to throw her lunch outside.

"'These things are only useful for low-class warriors, and you going out there not knowing how powerful the Fallen Angels are?'" Gabriel quoted Arachne, with a high pitch tone mimicking her mouth motioning with the palm of his hand. "Please, tell me with all this magic mumbo jumbo that it has something to do with sensing how powerful the individual is, like most Shonen anime. And PLEASE tell me you did that before making Mittelt into your body pillow?" He intensified.

Arachne gazed downward in an embarrassed fluster, her feet shifting, and playing with both of her index fingers in a rotating fashion, like a troubled child, "When you said sense, do you mean-"

*BONG*

Arachne crouched with comical tears streaming through her shut eyelids while rubbing the large bump on top of her scalp.

"YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED! YOU DUMBASS!"

"S-sorry…" she whimpered.

"Do you have any idea the kind of danger you put yourself in?" Gabriel clarified calmly with a stern voice, trying to pound Arachne's head.

"Like that plan of yours was less dangerous," she quipped with a whisper to herself with pouty lips, shifting her gaze.

"I made a plan we both agreed to it. If I can't trust you to follow through, then I should do this by myself."

Arachne let out a reluctant breath, "You're right. I won't do this again, I'm sorry my compulsion puts us in danger. But please let me continue helping you. You saw how I fight, out of the two of us one of us knows how to fight like that." She pleaded.

Gabriel scowled as he pinches his nose, "Just take Mittelt to my apartment and keep her locked… I'm going to disarm the booby traps I set up."

Arachne saluted with her right-hand semi-up, "I won't let you down, Stray's honor!"

Gabriel shook his head and chuckled softly to himself. If he got himself killed, he needed to apologize to Mayu for all the time he got them in trouble when she was babysitting him, "It's scouts honor." He murmured to himself with a muffle as he pulled out his gas mask from his blazer, while putting it on.

Freed leans beside the church's front entrance while checking his phone for the time. Now past midnight and Mittelt still hasn't returned. Everyone was sound asleep, while he and a handful of Exorcists were standing guard around the church forest deep within the perimeter, for their shift.

An unhinged sharp tooth grin crept across his features as he called one of his contacts.

"It's time. Here's hoping you and your harem are ready for the party."

"We are. I'll be introducing myself tomorrow morning." Said the hidden muffled voice of the other caller. "My only concern is my prize, is she within the church?"

"She is. Don't worry, the big boss man said you have the witch nun for your collection after this is all done. If the Great War is back on banging."

"I assure you, by the end of this affair Rias Gremory and the Fallen Angel Raynare would be dead. Curtsey to both the false Lucifer and the governor of the Fallen Angels."

"I still don't believe it."

Gabriel and Arachne were back at his apartment staring at an unconscious Mittelt resting on his bed, still having her handcuffs on and being tied by Arachne's cobweb to the wall.

"How can someone that young be a soldier?" Gabriel breathed, gawking concern at the child Fallen.

He would be lying, that he didn't feel any source of guilt for basically torturing a child for information. It didn't even matter if she was trying to kill him or not. She was still a child and shouldn't be fighting. Rias and the other ORC were one thing, they were closer to his age in understanding right and wrong. They just choose to be slave hunters and be the pinnacle of self-righteous hypocrisy.

"It's not surprising. Due to their low population, the Grigori train their children to be warriors either by going on missions with their parents or assigning squads. They go to military academies, training how to kill when they're young before they go to the field. Grigori is filled with broken people or child soldiers… sometimes both." Arachne gazed at Mittelt with a sorrowful gaze of the child. "Despite the Fallen Angels also participating in hunting down us Strays. I honestly couldn't bring myself to hate them, as I would the Devils."

Gabriel stared blankly at her in perplexed shock, "What do you mean?"

"In a way, they're like us." Arachne took a breath in contemplation, "To be more precise their children are. Whatever the reason for their parents falling, their children pay the price without their say. They're trained to be warriors from birth, their childhood is nonexistent, and being drafted into a war they never ask for. I feel sympathy for the Angels that have fallen, but what their children go through is just..." Arachne lingers ended with a soft sardonically chuckle, "Strays, Sacred Gear users, and Fallen Angels. It's all some kind of sick ironic joke. All three would be trapped with the same cards fate has dealt us, and one of us is in opposition to the other."

"Right now, let's make sure we don't kill each other. Did your spider set my mini-cameras at the ORC clubhouse?"

"I did, but I think we should use my spiders to be able to hear the Devil's conversations. Even if they decay for five minutes. They don't have any magical barriers in Kuoh academy, I can send more without them knowing it."

Gabriel shook his head, "I can't risk it. We don't know the full glimpse of their abilities and they might be able to trace them to you. Using my cameras is already at risk, but at least I would be the target instead of you."

"B-but-"

"Remember our agreement," Gabriel clarified, silencing Arachne, "And besides you got your problems to deal with. Did your other batch of spiders find your comrades yet?"

Arachne gloom downward on the carpet floor, "Unfortunately no. Did you get the answers you were hoping for from Mittelt?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Turns out my little deceit of my supposed comrades is accurate. Arachne, if this goes south, I want you to get out of Kuoh as fast as you can, with or without your comrades."

"Do you honestly believe one of the Grigori leaders would want to escalate the Great War with the Devils?" Arachne asked with skepticism, "The only two factions that I could see benefit from this are the Old Satan Faction and the Heaven Faction."

"It could be a collaboration with one of the Grigori leaders. Maybe an attempt to oust Azazel." Gabriel speculated, "As of now, we don't know who benefits from this."

"Well, whomever the mastermind is, their plans are foiled if we get Raynare´s group out of Kuoh."

"Seems that way, but one thing I don't get…" Gabriel contemplated, "Do all Angels look like humans?"

"Really?" Arachne bemused with a deadpan stare, "I thought you of all people would be tired and I quote 'lore dump' in your lap."

"I would but there are some contradictions from Rias' expo. Angels only have blonde hair, green eyes, and white wings. The Fallen Angels have black hair, violet eyes, and black wings. Not to mention the Bible stated different types of Angels' features. In Genesis, God sent two Angels who appeared as men and ate a meal with Abraham. The Angels appear as a human man many times throughout the Bible from Joshua and Mark. And I quote, "the biblical accurate Angels" that do look like otherworldly beings are the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones. The Angels that do look like humans with angelic wings are the Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and well… 'Angels.' Also mentioned in the Bible that Angels don't have any physical form."

"You seem to know awfully about Angels," Arachne tilted her head quizzically.

Gabriel lifted his parent's two-cross necklace with a pinch of the silver beads with an amused mock smile.

"Oh… right." She trailed in realization, "Well Devils don't look like horrifying monsters at first glance."

"No, they just have jet-black bat wings. So, about the Angels?"

"It's not that big of a deal. The reason why the Fallen Angels' dominant features are black hair and violet eyes is mainly that when the Grigori fell and lusted with mankind. They started not only to mate with them but also with themselves and have harems mainly with other Fallen Angels. The majority of Grigori members before they fall just happen to mainly have black hair and violet eyes. So, to Fallen Angels that is the dominant feature over generations of breeding. Not every Fallen Angel will have these features, you could meet a Pure Angel with black hair and violet eyes. Just look at Mittelt." She gestured with a wave to the blonde child, "Does she look like a Fallen at first glance?"

"Point taken."

"Also, for the Angels. It just happens, God mainly created them with blonde hair and green eyes, but they do have other features. What Fallen and Pure Angel have in common is that they're really beautiful. Especially when it comes to the eyes. I hear stories of Angels, the more passionate ones. The GOOD ones are sharp, fierce, determined, and compassionate beyond all bounds. Like seeing the warm and the fierce true essence of God." Arachne took a glance at Gabriel's sharp sapphire eyes and immediately turned away with a tinge blush as she coughed under her fist, "Anyway, for the 'otherworldly' Angels it's just misunderstandings when they came into contact with other humans. How powerful an Angel is determined by the number of each pair of wings they have. Having twelve wings is the most."

"You also seem to know awfully about Angels. I get that you sympathize with them. If with my qualms of a certain crow." He muttered the latter with a grumble under his breath.

"If I'm being honest, Angels in general are an interesting species." Arachne shrugged nonchalantly, "Far much more interesting than the Devil or Demons that keep popping up in certain media where they're always the center of attention. I guess during the late 90s and early 2000s they were popular, but now this is just getting old. I can name two at most where the Angels were the primary focus."

"I think you might exaggerate a bit."

"Name an anime, manga, or light novel series that has an Angel as the main lead and not support." Gabriel opened his mouth about to retort with a pointed index finger but immediately shuts it in a nodded breeze reluctance, "Exactly. Now name how many times a church institute figure, Angel, or God was the antagonist and the protagonist the 'Demon King' or something similar."

Gabriel held a chuckle as he couldn't do it any longer and began laughing hysterically. Starling Arachne took an awkward jump back, from Gabriel with a fretful gaze, standing with one leg and posture with a poor defense stance.

"A-are you'll right?" she asked worriedly with a nervous chuckle.

"God, how long has it been, since I have had these kinds of conversations?"

Arachne dropped her stance and tilted her head in confusion, scanning his small mix shape room and kitchen, until her eyes widened in sorrowful realization. No picture of his friends or his family. "You're alone, aren't you."

Gabriel's laughter died down, ending with a dry chuckle as he went to his door, "Price of being an ex-con, 'won't do the time don't do the crime.'" He quoted with his grip tightening the steel door knob as his hand shook violently, the gleam of his sapphire pierced with a hard glare at the door. The image of a teenage boy with curly blue hair and with a haughty grin flashed in his mind. Unbeknownst to him, small, flaming embers leaked from both corner ends of his eyes, "My problems are pale compared to what you're going through. I'm going out to find any leads of your comrades, you stay here and babysit our guest."

"Maybe you should rest. You have school tomorrow and have the Devils to deal with?"

"Nothing that a gallon of coffee couldn't fix?" Gabriel reassured her with a not-so-convincing toothy smile as black circles around his eyes started to get even darker as he left.

The full moon illuminated deep within the nightly forest a ten-year-old boy with black spiky hair, light tan skin, and violet eyes. Wearing a black t-shirt, black sneakers, and jean shorts. His single pair of black wings was outlawed within the forest outmaneuvering the surrounding trees with a hustling pace, letting out heaps of breath in exhaustion and panic.

The spiky-haired boy was holding a cute ten-year-old little girl in bridal style in his arms. The black silk raven hair, her bangs covering her forehead and the end reaching to her waist, she has snow white fair skin, her violet eyes only half open semi-unconscious laying limbering in her servant's arms. She wore a frill black dress and black ballet shoes.

"Reish…" the girl whispered weekly to her servant.

The boy stopped as he floated an inch above the ground, gawking at the girl with a bright relief smile, tears of joy leaking from his violet eyes as held the girl in a tight embrace of her small back, pressing her closer to his chest.

"Raynare! Thank goodness!"

"Reish, what's going on? Why is everything starting to go dark?"

Reish let Raynare go from his chest and gently cupped her cheek "Everything going to be okay Raynare. Just listen to the sound of my voice, I'm going to take you to a hospital and then we go back to Grigori. Just stay with me."

Just as he was about to take off a flaming kunai shot towards his head, in a brief second, he flinched from the kunai that grazed his right cheek hitting a tree behind him in a flaming explosion.

Sending both Reish flies while clutching Raynare, to not let her go. He got up and clinched his burnt bleeding cheek in agony.

"Hunters." He snarled as he pressed Raynare closer to his chest while holding her in his free arm, the flames from the flaming exploding kunai started spreading within the surrounding bushes and trees.

From the fire, packs of men and women walked through the flames unfazed by the trails of ember caught in their jumpsuits, their sight never wavering of both Nephilim and the Fallen Angel before them.

Wearing high-tech armor silver scale armor shoulder pads, arm braces, leg braces, a black leather sash belt with various pouches, and a rounded chest brace. Underneath a skin-tight jet-black jumpsuit covering their entire body all except their faces. Being protected by a silver scale mask mirroring their silver armor, with a red blood bug-eye lens mask attached to a jet-black cloth forehead belt their tail swinging from the breeze of the fire.

Wielding various types of medieval weapons from across the world, swords, spears, daggers, and chains. Bathed with fire and electricity.

"Prepare for death abominations." One of the lead Hunters threatened with vile stoicism, unsheathed an oxtail saber from his single scabbard as the saber separated into two separate swords.

Reish growled as he swatted the blood from his cheek revealing the two deep freshly burnt horizontal curve scars. From his bloodstained hand, a golden fire bursts, the embers taking shape of seven golden canaries as they faded. The golden flames materialized of a spear-like sword hybrid. A massive six feet black straight arrow tip resembling more of a massive sword with a golden blade around the edges. A golden originated plate at the center with a ruby sphere quart and a black spear shaft with a golden tip at the end.

His eye glowed bright red and gave a defiant draconic roar launching himself toward the Hunters.

A loud pounding knock woke Raynare up as she had grouchily woken up, getting off her bed. Exposing her naked body as her large breast bounced slightly as she moved. She entwined her arms upward as she fixed her back with a stretch. Inhaling inward showing the muscle of her flat abs toned slender stomach, heaving her prodigious chest inward.

She relaxed her stretches, rubbing her tight nether region with a blunt scowl. Plans of formation are made into machination of a certain child fallen for revenge. "If I ever see her again, I'm using her pigtails to clean the toilets."

The consistent pounding of her door got louder, losing its patients.

"I'm up!" she grumbled as she opened the door, not caring about her exposed naked body. She took a step back in surprise to see who opened the door, "Dohanseek? What-"

"She's gone!" Dohanseek cut her off in a panicked breath, "Mittelt´s gone!"

He couldn't believe he was still doing this.

Early in the morning in the Kuoh academy courtyard with no one about yet. Gabriel sat on a bench with his laptop on his lap, having his third cup of coffee beside him. Watching a video of Arachne eating her omelet with Mittlet who is still unconscious, thanks to the use of his minicameras.

She proved to be trustworthy and a good kid. There's no reason to keep spying on her, she even helped him with the mess of Devils and Fallen Angels putting her own life on the line. Still, what if this was all an act, corner him when he least suspected and…

Gabriel stopped his train of thought and lets out a big yawn as he rubbed his eyes.

For three days he hadn't slept, the paranoia of the dangerous town and Arachne was keeping him awake. Today was Thursday and he had two days to stop Rias' assault with the Fallen Angels. He wasn't even sure how Mittelt's leader would react to her going missing, but most likely send a search party after probably being as discreet as possible to avoid any battles.

That's when he will draw out the one that was pulling everyone's strings.

"Morning Gabriel," Kiba greeted with Koneko in tow as Gabriel immediately closed his laptop.

"Morning," he greeted back with a tired yawn.

"So how was last night, were you able to requited with our guest?" Kiba asked discreetly, leaning towards Gabriel's ear.

"I have. I kept her locked and under surveillance. For now, I'm waiting for her to regain consciousness."

Kiba took a step back, letting out a breath of relief, "That's good to hear. Is there anything else you need from us?"

"There is. Can you give me a list of Rias' contractors and their addresses?"

"Why would you need that?"

"Whomever the leader of Raynare group is, he would most likely send out a search party for their missing team member. This would be a perfect opportunity for our culprit to escalate a conflict, putting everyone in danger. He most likely draws one of us out and uses anyone that has any kind of relations with us to escalate a conflict. Most likely one of Rias' contractors. From this point on, be on guard, we're almost halfway through this mess."

Both Kiba and Koneko looked at each other with concern over their features, "I don't know Gabriel. Maybe we should tell Rias about this, with your captive she might lesson to reason and-"

"And what!?" Gabriel demanded forcefully, "Rias lost all benefit of the doubt, by refusing to report the Fallen Angels' presence! Both of you know the danger she brings us, Kuoh, and probably the WORLD because of her damn pride!" he yelled, "So tell me, why does she deserve the benefit of the doubt!?"

"Okay…" Kiba paused with hesitant reluctance, "For Rias' sake, I would continue to help you with this endeavor."

"Are you okay?" Koneko asked, noticing the black circles of Gabriel's eyelids were getting darker, "Did you get any sleep?"

"I'm FINE." Gabriel intensified with much irritation. "The contact lists?" Gabriel asked again.

"Um, yeah… sure." Kiba stumbled, "We give you their information after Rias' meeting."

"Meeting?"

"It's good you'll come, Kiba, Koneko, Gabriel. I would like you to meet Diodora Astaroth, brother of Ajuka Beelzebub, and heir of house Astaroth." Rias gestured to the high-class Devil who was a young man close to Gabriel's age with somewhat healthy pale tan skin, a slender build, and neatly combed dark green hair. He wore a traditional regal long sleeve black tunic shirt, black cotton trousers, and a white cape with white fur as a collar. All in all, his appearance seems average-looking except for his regal clothing mirroring the medieval nobles of Europe.

What kept him off-putting was his constant closed-eye smile of his, it was kind of similar to Akeno's when she makes subtle threats.

The two sat at opposite ends of the coffee table, drinking tea that Akeno served between the two high-class Devils with silverware placed.

Both Kiba and Koneko froze in shock, staring blankly at their guests as the hair back of their necks rose.

That hadn't got noticed by Gabriel.

Whatever doubts they have about his theory of a conspiracy were dashed aside with the cold truth. They couldn't ignore it any longer. The fact a high-class Devil will appear now when they're still dealing with Fallen Angels was too coincidental to go unnoticed.

Gabriel took a step ahead of the two Devils and bowed to Diodora with an arm gesture across his lower torso, "It's an honor to make your acquaintance Lord Astaroth. I apologize on behalf of my colleagues' stutter. It's not every day we meet another high-class Devil of your stature."

"The pleasure is mine and you must be Lady Gremory's newest servant Gabriel Amakusa. I must say that's an unsettling name for a Devil."

Gabriel mused with a chuckle, "Yes, I imagine so. Having a Catholic background might unnerve some Devils."

"None at all, after all, you're in the service of the pristine Devil Faction. Your allegiance is aligned with us now. My entire peerage is filled with nuns from the church, but they were all accepted in Devil society under my service."

Just in cue, fifteen teenage girls came from the front entrance all wearing white elegant medieval dresses that cover their whole leg with an aqua, teal corset, with an emerald jewel embedded in the collar, shoulderless aqua, teal sleeves, and wear the traditional nun veil but instead of having black or white, it was aqua teal matching with their sleeves and corset. They carried five desert carts filled with sweets and cakes. With a polite solemn closed-eye gesture they began placing the treats on the coffee table, and even Koneko got off her stutter and began devouring sweets the girls made.

However, despite their mirroring of clothing, the queen stood out as the rest, leading Diodora's peerage as they followed. Unlike the others, she wasn't wearing a veil, showing her long silver hair that reaches to her waist with split bangs with a few small hinges, standing out of her forehead, with two emerald pendants at both opposite sides of her hair behind her ears. She had bright hazel eyes that were lifeless and subverting. Like all girls that Gabriel met in the supernatural, she was beautiful with flawless pale white skin and with impressive curves, not that she rivaled that of Rias, Akeno, or Raynare.

"Thank you for these delicious treats, Maria." Diodora greeted his silver hair queen.

She gestured with a subtle bow and took a glance at Gabriel's double cross necklace before focusing her gaze back to her master, "By your wish lord Diodora. Is there anything else you require of us?"

"None at all, everyone but you and may leave."

The fourteen girls bowed as they left their queen behind as she stood behind her master as Akeno followed through with her master.

"Now we have the introduction out of the way. Let's get back on topic. Why are you here Diodora?" Rias asked with a calm, analytical gaze as she places her tea down.

"I apologize for this inconvenience, Lady Gremory. I have taken enough of your time and simply addressed my presence. I'm searching for an excommunicated nun, Asia Argento."

Rias blinked rapidly in shock, "The Holy Maiden. I heard of her, a lot of Devils want to recruit her because of her use of Twilight Healing."

"I am one of those Devils, but my reason is a bit more personal."

Maria flinched slightly as she swallows a lump in her throat, which hadn't gone notice everyone else, but Gabriel who was gazing at both Diodora and Maria postured like a hawk finding any subtle movements of those two that might break character as he pour a cup of tea, began drinking with Kiba and Koneko.

Rias chuckled, "Oh my. If I don't do any better, you're planning to add her to your harem."

In shock, Gabriel choked on his tea and nearly spit it out, with Kiba sitting next to him sending him a surprised and slightly concerned look.

Rias and their guest Diodora noticed it as well, with Rias looking somewhat irritated at him, but Diodora seemingly ignored it.

Gabriel chuckled nervously, "Sorry about that…"

Not really.

"Please continue."

"Harem?" Gabriel whispered to Koneko.

"It's a dumbass thing high-class Devils do with their peerage," Koneko whispered back.

"To answer your question, yes. I'm planning to liberate her to my harem as my main lead."

Gabriel narrowed his gaze at Diodora, listening intently with cynical skepticism.

"Liberate? What do you mean?" Rias questioned.

"Asia saved my life as I stumbled into church territory. I was attacked and nearly died at the hands of Exorcists. However, by luck and by her mercy." He unbuttons his tunic and reveals a deep scar across his chest. "She healed my wounds in secret as I made my escape. A nun with so much compassion that she would heal a Devil, such an act hasn't only left me with eternal gratitude but stole my heart."

Rias let an unsettling cough under her fist, unnerved of something this personal of magnitude devotion. "Well, I'm sure Asia is a lucky saint to win your eviction. I assume she was excommunicated because of this action. This brings me to my next question. Why come here? Last I heard Argento was in Italy I doubt she would come to Japan let alone Kuoh of all places."

"Oh, but she is. I tracked her to this town joining a group of Fallen Angels. Whatever their attention is for her it can't be good."

"Well, you're in luck, my queen and I are getting prepared to attack the Fallen Angel base. With your assistance, it will further deepen our odds."

"It will be an honor to fight alongside you Rias Gremory." Diodora offered his hand to Rias as she gestured with a shake.

"The pleasure is mine, Diodora Astaroth."

"They're making their move. Is she still out cold?" Gabriel asked Arachne on the line for his phone with post haste, pacing at the same bridge below the highway where he met 'Yuuma' wearing his casual biker outfit and leather blazer.

"She is, but I send my spiders to the surrounding neighborhoods and address of Rias Gremory peerage contractors, you call about. For now, nothing is happening."

Gabriel let out a tired sigh, pinching his tired eyelids, "They must be planning on attacking at night. Not to draw too much attention from themselves, until they act with an ambush."

"You're sure you don't want me to come with you… if this is about last night…." Her tone wavered insecurity of concern.

"It's not, believe me, Arachne. I'm the one that screwed up here…"

"What do you mean?"

Gabriel leaned on the rail of the bridge as he grasped his face with a tightened grip, rattling his hair. His bangs pressed deeper to his forehead of the deepened scowls in exhaustion, hiding his wavering gaze. "Forget it, we have enough problems as it is. Just keep me informed if anything strange happens… No one is going to die." He mumbled only to himself.

Just as Gabriel was about to hang up, Arachne interrupted, "This wasn't your fault." She comforted the other line.

"Arachne?"

"The one who is at fault here is that ego-driven master of yours."

"Arachne, I'm using Rias contractors as bait to lure the conspirators out. By kidnapping Mittelt, I-"

"We'll Still be endangered." Arachne cut him off with a soft firm tone, "The conspirators would use any form of method to draw an escalation with both Devil and Fallen Angel. That includes murder. But because of your plan, we have a chance to stop that from happening, the conspirator will still act regardless. Thanks to your deduction we figure out when and whom they will attack. We can still stop all of this from happening."

In the hazed memory from Gabriel's mind an image of a beautiful woman with flawless skin, an enchanting smile, long flowing blonde hair, and gleaming sapphire eyes mirroring his own. Wearing all white, a frilly dress that barely covers her knees, showing much of the gloss cleavage of her large plump breast, a white open silk blazer, and high heels. She stood across a grassy field majestic and humble, the morning sun beaming down on her.

Gabriel let out a tired envious chuckle with a soft nostalgic smile, "You something else, you know that."

"Huh?"

"Sorry... It just for a second you sounded a lot like my mom." He shakes his head getting out of his stupor, "We still have work to do." His gaze sharpened in determination at the distance of skyscrapers and highways before him, his voice deepening in unwavering resolve, "Regardless of the odds we still have an edge. Whomever the conspirators are, they don't know we exist and believe we're falling into their trap. This town and probably the world rests in our hands. In other words, we're not done yet."

"Glad to see you out of your stupor," she cheered with a small sincere laugh.

"What can I say you make a convincing argument," he smirked, "Arachne I don't want you to be involved in this, but I'm going to need your help."

"Of course, what's the plan?"

"The address of the Rias contractors that Kiba gave me is a cluster of different locations. Me, you, Kiba, and Koneko will stay hidden in each hot spot of the neighborhoods until our enemy strikes. If they start attacking, our top priority is no bystanders getting in harm's way, fight or tail them after you call backup. If any of us called for backup, I want you to stay out at the distance and hidden. Checking our surroundings for any sabotage and acting in support from the shadows. Can you do that?"

"I can, but what about the two lapdogs?"

"The same, minus hiding in the shadows part. But you and I will have a private channel with our walkie-talkie. If anything happens, you report it to me and I relay it back to Kiba and Koneko. Just keep occupying our 'guests' until I notify our arrival."

"Sounds good to me. I keep sending more spiders to Rias contractors after each patch disintegrates."

"Good, If Kiba and Koneko ask I just said I sent my mini-cameras around the neighborhoods. For now, get ready. They most likely draw one of Rias peerage into a trap, for escalation and I think I know how." Gabriel mused as he took out a summoning card from his blazer pocket.

"Forgive us Lord for this lost lamb."

Middle night of the suburbs houses of Kuoh, Freed Sellzen paces around in a circle of his tied-up victim at his home, bound and gagged to his chair with a sharp tooth predator's toothy grin licking his lip hungrily. His tied-up victim was a young man in his late twenties, struggling and trying to scream from his cloth gag mouth as tears leaked from his eyes.

The tied-up victim mumbles words for help.

"Don't worry my lost child, there is still a path of redemption." Freed false comfort placing the palm of his hand at his victim's shaken shoulder, his face coming direct to his uncontrollable grin, "Just show me, the source of temptation those nasty Devil placed on you, and the lord would forgive your sins."

The man swallowed a lump in his throat. A few drips of sweat leak from his forehead, he lowers his head in reluctance and shrugs his head to his small drawer next to his sofa.

Freed opened the drawer cabinet and took the summoning card from it.

"Isn't it good to be absolved of your sins?" Freed walked behind him and placed his hand on his victim's shoulder whose gaze only lingered on the wooden floor. The summoning card began to activate in a red glow as he tossed the card to the center of the room and took a golden medieval golden broadsword handle from his white coat. With a twirl from his fingers, he raised it above him materializing an illuminating white flat blade made of light. "Time for cleansing of the soul."

Just as he was about to slice his tied-up host head, Gabriel emerged from the corner of the interconnected kitchen and shot Freed's sword hand with his pistol silencer. Dropping his light sword handle on the ground as the blade dissipates.

Freed snarled, clenching his bleeding hand.

"Forgive me father for I have sinned." Gabriel quipped with a coy smirk.

Freed whipped a pistol underneath his coat decorated with golden trim and crosses. Aimed at Gabriel, but before he could pull the trigger. Gabriel shot his shoulder and elbow dropping his pistol as his arm dragged.

Koneko materialized from the red glow of the summoning card and kicked Freed back, sending him flying to the other side of the living room and causing a small dent in the plaster wall, right beside the stairwell from upstairs.

Freed hastily got up about to run to the stairs but was halted by the pointed end of Kiba's Sword Eraser.

"Please stay, confession is about to commence." Kiba gestured to the Exorcist to turn around and adjust his black medieval sword around Freed's throat.

"Koneko." Gabriel gestured to the little girl with a curt nod to the tied-up victim.

She nodded, untying the ropes and escorting him to the kitchen.

"So, you have me…" Freed grinned, "So what? Is this the part where you kill me? It kind of sucks, I don't go out with a bang. Do you shitty Devils have any manners to give out your names? After all, you did ask for a 'confession.'

Gabriel scoffed, "I'm not the one confessing. Besides, I'm pretty sure we're both damned regardless. The question you should be asking is. Who goes first, me or you? From the look, things might as well be you."

Freed snickered, "Tough talk for a kid. Have you ever killed before, junior? Because I get my pole wet with each kill off every heretic and Devil… or just people in general." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yet I still beat you. Tell me how does a highly trained supernatural killer lose to a newly teen Devil? Does it say a lot about me or you?"

Freed chuckled darkly in irritation glaring darkly at Gabriel, "You better pull that trigger 'kid,'" he added with a venomous tone, "Or I'm going to peel your shitty face off."

Gabriel chuckled back, "Stroke a nerve, did I? But I'm not here to kill anyone, you're going to deliver a message to whomever Raynare or Mittelt squad leader is."

"And what if I don't?" Freed questions defiantly with a toothy wicked smile.

Gabriel lowered his pistol and dismantled his silencer putting it inside his leather blazer pocket, with a showcase gun twirling back to his hostler. Then pulled out a hot glue gun from his blazer pocket.

Freed just raised a perplexed eyebrow staring at the gun.

Gabriel gave an ear-to-ear toothy malice grin placing the glue gun close.

"I was hoping you would say that."

"I-I can't believe… y-you did that…" Arachne laughed with each gasp barely keeping her breath as she and Gabriel were climbing the stairs to his apartment as he told her the fate of the insane Excorist.

"Kind of wish I didn't." Gabriel trembled with an iris sulk apparition gaze.

Arachne laughed even harder, "Was he that bad."

"Let's just say even if it meant getting killed again, I prefer Raynare."

"Didn't you hate her for killing you?"

"Yeah…" Gabriel lingered whimsically, "But she was ridiculously hot… This was just… ewe and ugh…" he gaged pointing with his index finger towards his gaping mouth imitating throwing up.

"If you say so," Arachne's laughter died down, but her smile is still present. They stopped their pace as they approached in front of Gabriel's apartment door, "So what do you think is going to happen next?"

"Right now, we have to wait until Freed reaches back to his group. With Mittelt we have a hostage to exchange for information with the squad leader."

"Do you think she's awake yet?"

Gabriel opened the door, revealing an awake Mittlet sitting in his bed, biting the Arachne thick string cobweb.

"I would say yes."

Happy holidays!

Sorry for the delay. I try not to do that in the future, but the holidays are a crazy time.

Just so people get the heads up about Diodora. Everyone in the Devil Faction knows his peerage is full of ex-nuns… they don't know what he's "doing" to them and even so it's legal within Devil law. They're slaves after all.

For my other OC, Maria, Diodora queen. I'm not quite sure she counts as my OC, since she, like Arachne, already existed in the anime… the design I mean. If you want a visual of her, just type "Diodora peerage and queen."

If anyone is skeptical that Gabriel was able to out draw Freed and be skillful of a marksman to shoot his joints. Gabriel's last legal guardian was Kiritsugu Emiya and he did MORE than raise him.

Also, in case anyone notices I replace Cao Cao tag list with Vali. I was trying to figure out what to do with Vali in my story since as a rival let's face it as cool his design and his character is. His rivalry with Issei however, was shallow and I was trying to figure out what his rivalry with Gabriel was going to be like. Thankfully, I took inspiration from Joss Wheden work of Buffy rivalry with Faith.