AN: Hey guys and welcome to the ninth chapter of "Switching Sides."

I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed the story by far!

This chapter will shift focus back on Issei and his team while it develops certain characters in the story that I thought deserved to have more depth to them.

I do want to stress something that you might not understand when you first read this AN's, but after reading the story you'll understand, and that is when I wrote "Issei's past/ story" I meant everything that happened up until the first chapter of the story.

I do want to warn that I added some AU elements to this chapter but they are not really major but will still play an important role in the story so I hope you'll like it.

Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

"..." Talking

'...' Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

(...) Flashback and time skips

["..."] Talking through the Sacred Gear

['...'] Talking in the Host mind

[...] Sacred Gear Actions and modes

{..} Sacred Gear Mentions

By the time Issei and his team with the addition of Jeanne finally arrived in Kyoto, it was already late at night, the streets were vacant and the only source of light was either the dim lamps that were spread across the street or the moonlight which shone brightly upon Kyoto. They decided that they will search for Yasaka in the morning after getting a good night sleep so they could recover from the fatigue they had from the journey to Kyoto which was long due to Le Fay not being able to teleport them; Much to their dismay.

After several minutes of strolling around town in search for an inn to stay at they finally found one.

Upon entering the inn, they could see the old artifacts that graced the lobby which emphasized Kyoto's importance in the Japanese culture.

"Hello there, are you looking to rent a room for the night?" An unknown voice asked them; Breaking them from their daze and look at the source of the voice only to find an old man to which they assumed was the owner of the inn standing behind the reception.

"Yes. We were wondering if you happen to have two spare rooms for us?" Vali asked after taking a quick glance at her teammates who just looked at her; Waiting for her to reply to the old man.

"Yes I do miss, here you go," The old man said after retrieving two keys and handing it to Vali who took them with a smile at the old man who returned the gesture.

"Thank you, sir," Vali replied before she and the rest went up to where their rooms were.

Once they were in front of their rooms, they turned around to Vali with an unsure look which she quickly understood the source of.

*sigh."

"Issei, Arthur, and Bikou you take that room while Le Fay, Kuroka, Jeanne, and I take this room," Vali told them while pointing to the respective rooms each of them was supposed to take.

No one answered as Issei just took the key from Vali, flashing her a small smile before he opened their room and going inside with the rest following suit while the girls did the same with theirs.

Once they were inside their room, each of the boys took a shower by turn before each went to his own bed.

"Phew, I am so glad to finally rest" Bikou broke the silence that lingered in the room with a voice that conveyed how exhausted he was.

"Me too, it was indeed a tiring task to arrive at Kyoto" Arthur replied while getting into his bed, his voice the same as Bikou's; One full of exhaustion that he tried to conceal due to his mannerism.

Issei looked at his fellow teammates and laughed, he has known them for quite some time now, and he was starting to slowly open up to them, but there was still one thing that bothered him about them.

"I was wondering guys...Why did you join the Khaos Brigade?" Issei asked his partners in curiosity which was answered by utter silence for a few long minutes before Arthur decided to break the silence that lingered in the room, seeing no point to hide his past from the man who he started to consider as a friend.

*sigh*

"When I was a kid I grew up in a house of nobility. My father cared deeply about the honor and the strength of our house so when I was a child he started to train me with swords in hope that I will become a great fighter for our house when I grow up," Arthur started to say with an emotionless voice.

"Because of his position, he was a strict and emotionless person who did not show love to either me or Le Fay who was born and as a child, there was nothing I strived for more than my parent's love and support which sadly never came since I was forced to become something I didn't want too; I was forced to become a ruthless protector for our house who will not hesitate to kill anyone as long as it benefits our house," Arthur said, shocking Issei and Bikou who was also hearing Arthur's past for the first time.

"When I reached the age of sixteen I was an entirely different man; I found the love that I strived to have with a girl I met as a part of my father's diplomatic affairs with the neighboring kingdom. In time we became deeply in-love with each other, and I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with her like our fathers wanted but one day I met Elaine who was a maid in our house. At first, I was not very fond of her but as I got to know her more on the occasions we met my love for my betrothed girl started to fade while my feelings for Elaine started to grow immensely with each time we talked" Arthur said before glancing to his two teammates who now stared at him with wide eyes as they listened carefully for his past.

"One day I and my betrothed walked in my family's gardens and I decided that I'll tell her that I don't want to marry her because of my fading feelings towards her as well as my growing feelings for Elaine in hope that she'll understand. At first, it seemed that she understood my feelings and even supported and encouraged me to pursue Elaine but look can be deceiving because after our talk in the gardens she apparently went to my father and told him of my feelings for Elaine and my decision to not marry her which made him enraged. A day afterward he summoned me so he could talk some sense into me; He tried to talk to me for hours telling me that my marriage to the girl of the neighboring kingdom was essential for the survival of our kingdom but I still refused which infuriated him even more and when he saw that he couldn't change my mind by words he resorted to actions, he threaten to execute Elaine if I were to pursue my love to her and not marry my betrothed. I was shocked by his threat and realized at the same moment that as long as I stay there I will forever be forced to do as my father bid me so I decided to leave the kingdom so Elaine would not get killed and so I did but not before I managed to steal two of my kingdom's most precious swords, the Excalibur Ruler and the Calibrum... After that I met with Vali and joined the Khaos Brigade as a part of her team" Arthur said after finishing to tell his past, still with his stoic face while Issei and Bikou's faces varied from intrigued, shocked, surprised and one that showed sheer respect for Arthur and his bravery.

After Arthur had finished his story, the silenced that encased the room before returned once again and stayed for few minutes or eternity as the occupants of the room thought before finally it was broken by Bikou who decided that after hearing Arthur tells them about his past then he should tell them about his too.

"Well...I guess that my reason for joining the Khaos Brigade came from the fact that I desired to be stronger. You see my ancestor, Sun Wukong, took care of me ever since I can remember. I never knew my parents but I was never saddened by that because Sun Wukong was like a father to me so as time went by I started to think less about my parents. As I grew older I began to train so I could inherit his position as the next Sun Wukong so I asked him to help me which he happily agreed too but while we trained I always noticed how dissatisfied he was with my skills, he never would have voiced that out loud but I knew that he thought that I was weak so I did my best so I could improve but no matter how much I tried I still saw the look on his face that showed me what he really thought. I knew that I would inherit his position when he dies but I wanted to bring respect to it instead of dishonoring it so one night I ran away while he slept, leaving him a note and hoping that he will understand my reasoning which I doubt he did so I don't look forward to meeting him while I am alive because he will probably kick my ass" Bikou said in a grave voice before snickering towards the end; Trying to lighten up the heavy mood that flooded the room.

Once Bikou was done with telling his story, he waited for his friend's reaction. While he did trust them completely, he was still scared that they would judge him for his decision to leave because of his strength, but it never came. In judgment's place came sympathy and understanding from his friends; Making him release a breath he did not know he was holding while a smile adorned his face, showing the sincere happiness he felt at the moment.

After they had got over the two stories, they waited for Issei to tell his reason for joining the Khaos Brigade. They knew Issei from before he joined and they saw how determined he was to protect his peerage who they could see he loved deeply so they could only speculate on why the brunette joined their ranks all of a sudden.

Understanding his friend's intrusiveness from the way they gazed at him, their eyes showing the immense desire to know while their mouths refused to let those thoughts be heard, issei let out a sigh before he recounted the one memory that he wishes to forever lock in the depths of his mind. He was still not over that day and it still pained him while he tried his very best to recover but as hard as it was he was slowly getting there and he couldn't say that right now wasn't a good help to his recovery since it helped him strengthen the bond with his teammates. So with the encouragement, he was getting from Ddraig in his subconscious along with the looks his friends gave him he went ahead and told them his story.

Once Issei was finished telling his story he was fidgeting with his fingers nervously while he held his gaze downward towards the floor. Silence once again fell upon the room which increased the brunette's anxiety; Wishing that someone would already break the silence.

After some time he managed to get enough courage to look up into his teammate's face; Ready to deal with the looks of disapproval and mockery that he would receive. But after he looked at them he frowned because those looks never came. Instead, there were looks of sympathy, pity, and anger that made him tense up slightly since he didn't know if he was the source of the angered look or his story but his perplexity was answered shortly after that by Bikou.

"Tsk, I always knew that those Devils worth jack shit," He said after gritting his teeth.

Arthur chose not to add anything else and instead just nodded in agreement to Bikou's statement before he looked at Issei and frowned after seeing the worried look he had.

"Do not fret Issei; We fully understand what you've been through, and we are sorry that you had to experience this, but it will not happen again while we are with you," He reassured; Hoping that his words of reassurance would be enough to distinguish the fear in the brunette's heart.

Issei looked at Arthur straight in the eyes; Looking for any indication that would tell him that the blonde in front of him was lying but he didn't find any which made him grin in response.

"Thanks, guys I really appreciate that," Issei said before he and the rest decided that they should already go to sleep since it was late.

(The Next Day...)

It was early morning when everyone woke up; The sun was just rising, and the sound of birds chippering could be heard from outside.

Once everyone woke up, they all went ahead and took a shower by turn before they quickly got ready for the day.

"Good morning everyone," Vali greeted Issei, Le Fay, Arthur, and Jeanne who were already outside while Kuroka and Bikou were still inside getting ready.

They all returned Vali's greeting while grinning just as the doors to their rooms opened and revealed Bikou and Kuroka were coming out from their respective rooms; Both were looking like they would collapse to the floor to continue their sleep any second.

"Now that we are all here let's go grab something to eat before we start searching for Yasaka," Vali said before taking off to the dining room with everyone in tow.

After they had been all done eating, they thanked the inn owner and went outside to start their search for the Youkai leader.

"Now, where do you think Yasaka could be?" Vali asked her team; Struggling to come up with where she could be at the moment.

"Maybe she went to grab a meal at a nearby restaurant?" Bikou asked right before his stomach growled; Showing his need for more food and making everyone look at him with smirks on their faces. Especially Kuroka who couldn't let an opportunity like this to go to waste.

"Was bananas not enough for you poor monkey?" Kuroka teased Bikou who now had a vein pop on his forehead before his stomach once again growled, making him blush as he tried to conceal the noises to no avail and making everyone giggle in response.

Issei who watched the interaction of his teammates from the side started thinking about where they could find Yasaka. He didn't know, but that name sounded really familiar to him which confused him since he didn't remember ever coming across her but after spending a long time trying to make sense of the feeling of familiarity he felt when he heard Yasaka's name he finally remembered; Making him frown which didn't go unnoticed by his team who was now looking at him with concern.

"Is something the matter Issei?" Vali asked to which Issei just shook his head before he proceeded to continue to think about what his next course of actions should be.

Would he tell them where Yasaka is so they could capture her or would he lie and try to prevent her from being captured?

He didn't know her personally but after remembering her daughter, Kunou, and how scared she was when she thought her mother was kidnapped. He had doubts about If Kunou was any indication then he could say that Yasaka was just as kind, innocent, and pure; Making him wonder what Cao Cao deemed to be so important that he asked them to kidnap her.

He then thought about his team who his bond with has significantly strengthened since they first met; Especially after hearing Bikou's and Arthur's past.
Issei thought about the girls who he came to develop great affection towards and how would they react when they eventually find out that it was his fault that they failed the mission. Many scenarios ran through his mind, reminding him of his greatest fears such as them shunning or kicking him off the team or them just showing their immense disappointment in him; Each scenario terrified Issei to no end as he thought about the possibility of one of those scenarios to come true and the fact that he could not deal with another blow like this again.

['Why won't you just tell your team where she is but insist that you do not want to capture her'] Ddraig interjected within Issei's subconscious; Telling him his opinion in an attempt to calm the brunette down.

'That's actually a good idea Ddraig, thanks' Issei thanked his partner who once again came to his aid.

"Issei is everything ok?" Le Fay asked Issei with worry evident in her voice as she and the rest saw the distraught the brunette was in.

"Huh? Yeah...Thanks, Le Fay" Issei replied with a sincere smile after he was snapped from his train and thoughts by the blonde magician who nodded in response as a blush adorned her face.

"I know where Yasaka is..." Issei muttered after taking a deep breath in order to calm down the feeling of uneasiness he was feeling; Making everyone look at him in bewilderment.

"Y-You know where is she?" Vali who was the first one to get over her bewilderment asked Issei with her eyes widen.

None of them had any clue as to where Yasaka could be, and they thought that Issei was no difference, so they were very surprised to hear that he knew exactly where she was.

"Yes but there's something I want to ask you before..." Issei said as he started to sweat while the feeling of apprehension filled him.

"Go ahead Issei. You can ask us anything you'd like" Vali said in a soft voice after she felt the distress Issei was in; Once again reading him just like an open book which comes to show the bond she had with the brunette even if he was unaware of it which she doubted.

Issei looked at Vali and instantly calmed down after hearing what she said.

"Can we not capture her?" Issei asked; Shocking his team who went completely silent in response to his request.

"W-What do you mean not capture her? Cao Cao would kill us if we fail this mission" Vali asked in shock before shivering towards the end after remembering what Cao Cao might do to them if they failed this mission, especially after seeing how he stressed the importance of this mission.

"I know, but I can't allow her to be captured. She has done nothing wrong, and her daughter does not deserve to see how we take her mother right in front of her," Issei said with a newfound determination which made Vali to recoil in response as she internally smiled upon seeing the familiar determination that made her fall for Issei.

"I see. Don't get me wrong; I really think this is a bad idea, but I will not do anything that will cause pain to any of our teammates. Just keep in mind the precautions of that" Vali said, making Issei to fully understand the severity of his change of heart before they proceeded.

Issei instantly nodded vigorously; His resolve was not wavering for a second which made Vali flash him a small smile in return.

"Ok then," Vali said before she was interrupted by Jeanne who did not look pleased by their decision.

"I will not tolerate your decision to betray the Hero Faction, and therefore I shall not take part in this mission anymore," Jeanne replied in a harsh tone; Showing her anger for her teammates.

"I assumed you would say that Jeanne, but we are not betraying the Hero Faction. We are ready to face any punishment that Cao Cao would serve us" Vali rebutted which seemed to catch the girl off guard before she quickly calmed down.

"Either way, what you are about to do is against our cause, and I shall not take part in actions that harm us," Jeanne said before walking away from the team who did not seem to mind her taking off as they did not try to change her mind nor to bring her back.

After Jeanne's departure, Issei's team asked him for Yasaka's whereabouts and told them that they should go and warn her of the possibility of Cao Cao sending another team to capture her which they deemed to be very likely to happen.

While they were walking Issei suddenly froze in horror as he felt an all too familiar aura that he wished he would never have to feel again moving towards Yasaka's shrine.

Vali who noticed Issei's abrupt stop and his face that showed sheer horror frowned before she too felt a familiar aura; Making her realize the source of the brunette's horror.

Before Vali could say anything to Issei they heard gasps not too far away from them; Making her and her team look at the source.

"I-Ise..." Rias said as she and her peerage stared at the brunette who they believed has died; None of them able to utter a single word as they were overtaken by shock.

AN: Haha I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was necessary. Don't worry because next chapter will start exactly from the end of this one.

I hope that you liked my version of Bikou and Arthur's past stories.

Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!