Ranma 1/2, High School DxD, Darkstalkers and the rest are owned by their respective owners. I own nothing.

If only I did.

Chapter 4

"Akeno..." Asia said from where she stood a couple feet behind her black-haired friend. The two were on the roof of the old school building and Akeno was standing at the edge, holding onto the guard rail.

Well, bending the guard rail with her strength was far more accurate.

"Asia, I don't.. I can't..."

Asia walked up to her friend and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Akeno asked as she turned to Asia. "Why would you be sorry? It's not like you went back in time and said to Lucifer and the others," Akeno lowered her voice as she continued to speak, "hey, you know what would be awesome? Betraying your father and starting a war with him and other Angels! It'll be great! People will die! Thousands will suffer and..." Tears were falling out of Akeno's eyes as she continued to rant, "and people will lose their parents because of what we're going to do! That sounds great!" Akeno lowered her head as her voice returned to normal, "you didn't do that, so why are you sorry?"

"Because I'm your friend." Asia said with a soft whisper and hugged Akeno.

Akeno hugged her back and the two held each other for nearly a minute, with both girls having tears silently falling from their eyes. After a minute, they let go of the hug and Akeno wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Asia, I needed that." Asia smiled at her and Akeno turned her head to see Azazel leaning against the door frame. "Did you come to plead for me to forgive your sister like you did with my father?"

Azazel shook his head. "No," he stepped away from the door and walked over to her. "That's between you and her." He stopped in front of her and sighed softly. "I'm not going to ask you to forgive her, but I don't think I was any better. I was no better than a teenager when I fell from Heaven."

"...But you grew up." Akeno told him and he nodded. "What? Are you telling me that she will?"

"I can't say that." Azazel admitted to her. "Kokabiel sure as hell didn't change. Many of the members of the old Satan clans are the same now as they were back then." He sighed and walked past her to look out at the school yard and into the city beyond. "...It's just more proof that we all screwed up." He turned back to Akeno. "I'm not asking you to forgive her for her part in the war, Akeno. I'm not even going to ask you to give her a chance. I just don't want you to harbor those feelings of anger and lash out at someone who doesn't deserve it."

Akeno closed her eyes before nodding. "I can agree to that." She smiled at him. "Thanks, I know that you mean well." She then sighed, "do you mind if I stay out here for a bit? I just don't want to go back yet."

Azazel smiled and nodded. "Of course. And, Akeno, if you need to talk, I'll listen." Akeno nodded and Azazel walked away.

Asia fidgeted and smiled at Akeno. "If you want to rant, Akeno, I'll listen. Is it okay if I stay?" Akeno nodded and turned back to look out at the city, a troubled expression on her face. "Um..." Akeno turned to look at Asia, who was smiling at her. "I think your mother would be happy for you." Akeno looked confused and Asia continued to smile, "because you were able to find friends, family and someone to love despite what happened to you." She blushed and looked down, "that is, Akeno..." she looked back up at Akeno, "please don't let hurt and anger consume you." She hugged Akeno. "I love you. I love Issei. I love Rias. I love Koneko and Irina and Xenovia and Yukiko and Rossweisse. You all showed me so much. I love Lilith and Ranma too. All of you! You're like my family and more." She raised her head. "I know that they feel the same way to you too."

Akeno blinked a few times before smiling and hugging Asia back. "Thanks, I love you too."

Even if they shared the same man, there was more than one kind of love in the world after all.

(-)

Meanwhile...

Ranma closed the door behind him. "This is the old club room," he looked and saw the couch that was there, it was new, he could tell from how little people had sat on it, but it looked identical to the old one, "and you wanted to talk, Lady Gabriel."

She nodded and walked over to the couch and sat down, looking slightly out of it. "...I loved my big brother."

"Azrael?" Ranma asked and Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, but he's your brother." Gabriel shook her head. "Oh!" His eyes widened. "You loved him like a woman?" She nodded and Ranma scratched the back of his head. "...You didn't want Azazel to know that you fell in love with someone? Since he wants to do that with you?"

Gabriel smiled and looked at him. The smile was one of longing and sadness. "Sort of. I..." She sighed and her smile disappeared, "the last day that I saw him, I knew something was wrong. If only I hadn't listened to him..."

*Flash*

"You're leaving." Gabriel said as she looked at Azrael sadly. The dark-haired Angel turned to look at her and nodded. "I..." She fidgeted and ran up to him, hugging him from behind, "take me with you!"

"The world hardly needs an Angel of Death." Azrael said, his deep voice filling the air, "but it still needs you to look after women."

"But," Gabriel let go of the hug and ran in front of him, "if this is about me Falling, aren't you going to do the same?!" Azrael jerked in surprise and Gabriel smiled at him. "I know... You fell in love with someone, I don't know who, but I can tell. If you stay by Father's side, surely, when this war is over, he can make it so that you can be with whomever..." She trailed off and blushed when Azrael put a finger on her lips.

"No, it won't be possible." Azrael told her. "I can sometimes see the future and I saw the end of Heaven. I... I don't know when or how, but I cannot be here." He lowered his hand and leaned in, kissing her on the forehead. "Gabriel, I love you as my sister, but I can never love you as a woman."

Gabriel had a look of pure shock as Azrael walked away.

"Forget about me, sister, and protect the virtues of women everywhere."

Gabriel fell to her knees as her brother disappeared in a flash of light.

*End Flash...*

"I sometimes wonder..." Gabriel said softly, a truly troubled expression on her face, "if I had gone after him, if he'd still be alive." She sighed and hung her head, "at least he found love and had children."

Ranma could feel a swirling of dark emotions coming from the Angel. Mentally sighing, he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to gasp and look up at him. "If you had gone with, Heaven would have lost you as well."

"I..." Her eyes teared up, "I would have given up everything to be with him. I would have become a Fallen for him. Why couldn't he see that?!"

Ranma sat down next to her, "I think he did, and that's why he chose to leave you. He knew that you were needed for Heaven's future and maybe he didn't think he had a place in Heaven."

Gabriel looked away. "...Am I horrible? So many of my brothers and sisters fell and I couldn't stop any of them. I tried, none of them would listen to me." Tears fell out of her eyes as she continued to speak, "why? I knew that my brothers and sisters were troubled and I tried to stop them from Falling, but none of them would listen to me."

Ranma frowned as he felt a swirl of emotions through her that he couldn't decipher what she was feeling. Reaching forward, he put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to gasp as he hugged her. "You did nothing wrong, Lady Gabriel." He said softly.

Gabriel's eyes were wide as she heard that and her emotions started to bubble up. "...Don't call me that. Just... Just call me Gabriel, please?"

Ranma nodded as she hugged him. "Yes, Gabriel, I..." The next thing he knew, he was on his back and Gabriel was kissing him on the lips. Ranma's eyes were wide as he saw the tears falling out of her closed eyes and he could feel a lot of emotions rushing through her before he broke the kiss. "Stop."

Gabriel panted and blushed. "I... I'm sorry, I couldn't... I couldn't stop myself. I..."

"If you went any further, you would have become a Fallen." Ranma warned her, "and Heaven doesn't need to lose any of their leaders." He sighed as he felt her emotions start to get dark and he pulled her into a hug. "Please, Gabriel, I'm honored, but right now, your mind isn't in the right place."

Gabriel nodded and buried her face against his chest, sobbing and finally letting years of pain and anguish pour off of her. "I miss my family, all of them, so, so much."

Ranma didn't say anything as he held the beautiful Angel in his arms. Even though the thought of bedding her was incredibly enticing, he wouldn't do it.

Not because he didn't want to.

But because he knew it was wrong. Because taking advantage of Gabriel when she was at her most vulnerable wasn't something he could stomach.

'...So, this is what restraint feels like.' Ranma mentally chuckled as he rubbed Gabriel's back as she sobbed into his chest.

'Surprised I haven't, oh, there it goes, she just triggered my curse.' Ranma mentally chuckled as she turned female under Gabriel. 'Well, at least she'll calm down, I hope.'

The redhead just continued to hold the blonde as she sobbed, both for her family who died and left her, but also all the people who died during the war.

"I'm so sorry," Gabriel said in-between her sobbing, "I never wanted to see so many die, I..." She lifted her head up and Ranma reached up to rub the tears out of her eyes.

"It's okay." Ranma smiled at her. "Even if no one else will say it, I will, you aren't at fault over what happened, Gabriel." The redhead hugged Gabriel. "You did your best, so don't blame yourself."

"I..." She trembled and when Ranma put her hand on the back of Gabriel's head, she sighed and lowered her head.

"Just rest for now," Ranma told her. "It's okay to let it all out."

Gabriel nodded and just rested her head on Ranma, sighing at the contact and enjoying the warmth. "...Why didn't you take advantage of me? You could have made me into a Fallen Angel so easily."

Ranma smiled, even though Gabriel couldn't see it, "I don't like taking advantage of people when they're at their most vulnerable. It doesn't sit right with me."

"...Is that why you turned Mittelt into a Devil?" Gabriel asked her. "I heard from Irina that Mittelt was all alone."

"She was a special case. Even then, I let her leave. She came back and felt like she had nowhere else to go." Ranma told her. "So I never took advantage of her."

Gabriel sighed softly and nodded. "...Can I stay like this for a little longer?"

"Sure." Ranma said as he rubbed her back. She didn't mind giving comfort to Gabriel like this.

After all, no matter how strong of a person you were, there were always times that you needed support.

End Chapter 4