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

Thank you to everyone who took their time to favorite, follow, and review!

This is probably the longest chapter of this story, and you'll soon see why and I hope you'll like how it came out because I do :)

I hope that this chapter would make a lot of things much clearer about the girls and the feelings they feel towards Issei because that was my intention when I wrote this chapter.

Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy! And please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

"..." 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

Issei was in his room, laying down on his bed where he waked up a few minutes ago.

He looked at the ceiling as he tried to move his hand to support his head only to groan in pain from even the slight movement.

['You did good partner, you should return to sleep,'] Ddraig recommended his partner after feeling the latter increasing exhaustion and pain; feeling proud at the brunette for what he did in the past few days.

'Thanks, Ddraig...But still, I wish I could have been stronger. If it weren't for that then I would've died for sure, ' Issei addressed his partner back in slight happiness from the Dragon's praises for what he achieved before his thoughts changed to what has happened earlier; making him to frown as he slumped his shoulders in shame and defeat.

['I know, partner and in time you will but for now just be careful... You should get some more sleep now partner so you could heal quicker,']

'Ok, Ddraig. Thanks again,'

Issei had yawned before he closed his eyes while he hoped that if he returned back to sleep, the pain would subside; loud snoring could be heard shortly after by anyone who passed by his room.

While the boy slept heavily, his mind, instead of allowing him to have the nice dream he longed for, replied the events that transpired in the recent few days.

(Last night...)

Issei and his team with the addition of Yasaka had woken up in dawn and were currently helping Yasaka and Kunou to pack their stuff that they would bring with them to their new home.

Fear, Anxiety, Happiness, Safety. These were the feelings that the blonde shrine maiden and her daughter felt as they packed their belonging while they thought about one thing; A new life, and it scared Yasaka a lot.

Each item she placed in her luggage was placed there hesitantly, and with hands that shook violently until the item has been put in the luggage, then she would breathe a sigh of relief and repeat the process.

She was scared, scared that agreeing to Issei's offer was a bad idea. Scared that her daughter would be endangered because of her and the choice she made. She didn't know Cao Cao, but from what Issei's team told her she knew that he was not someone to mess with and that was because of his Longinus, the Saint Longinus Spear.

But from time to time she would glance at Issei and all of a sudden she felt a lot lighter like a big weight has been lifted from her shoulders as well as a warm feeling that flooded her from inside that soothe her from her fears.

Fear and Anxiety were replaced with happiness and safety when she saw Issei, the man who had such a big effect on her life after such a short time she knew him, and Vali, who she considered as a newfound friend who she was sure would become one of her best friends.

She was happy to be with Issei and the rest, and she felt safe when she thought about the legendary Dragon of Domination, and the Dragon of Supremacy who she knew would protect her and her daughter when danger arises, and for that she was grateful.

"All right we're finally finished!" Issei ecstatically yelled as he put his clenched fist near his head triumphally.

"It seems like we are," Yasaka replied with a small smile aimed at the boy whose antics she found amusing; happy from finishing with her and Kunou's packing.

"Let's go then!" Issei said in excitement as everyone just nodded and slowly vacated the room, everyone except Yasaka who stayed behind with her head down and her gaze aimed at her now closed luggage.

"Are you ok?" Issei softly asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort the girl from whatever has troubled her mind.

"Y-Yeah.." She stuttered hesitantly; hoping that Issei would drop the issue at that.

But, to her slight dismay, the boy did not drop it at that.

"I know you're lying Yasaka so tell me, what's wrong?" Issei said in a commanding voice that showed the blonde that no was not something he wanted to hear from her.

"Was it the right choice?" Yasaska vaguely asked Issei who cocked an eyebrow in perplexion.

"What is?"

"Did my choice of coming with you was the right thing to do? What if Kunou would be in danger? What would happen if Cao Cao won't allow us to stay with you?" She nervously asked as her anxiety returned but much more intense than earlier.

Issei wouldn't take it; he quickly spun Yasaka so she would face him and placed both his hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her mesmerizing golden yellow eyes.

"Listen to me; I said I would protect you and Kunou and I will even if it means me dying because I care for the both of you and I will protect you like I have protected every other person I care for!" His words took Yasaka back; the sheer determination he possessed and the confident that he'll be able to protect them. She now remembered what was it that made Issei capture her. When she packed her thoughts were so clouded with her dread and anxiousness that she forgot but now...Now she fully remembers why.

"Thank you Issei," She said with a sincere smile before she captured his lips in an intense but short kiss.

Once they parted a thread of saliva could be seen connecting their mouths.

"I care a lot for you Yasaka, for you and Kunou and as the Dragon of Domination, I would destroy those who try to lay their hands on you two," He deadpanned before his expression softened and revealed a small, reassuring smile that caused Yasaka to tightly embrace Issei, who returned the gesture.

Shortly after they parted from their embrace and quickly went outside where the rest waited for them.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Issei sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his head after noticing the irritation Vali, Kuroka, and Bikou held.

"Let's just hurry," Vali said before Le Fay formed a magic circle and teleported them back to the Hero Faction's HQ.

Shortly after they found themselves in the main, and currently empty hall of the Hero Faction's HQ.

"It seems like the hall is empty. Wait here, and I'll go get Cao Cao," Vali commanded everyone before she started her walk to Cao Cao's chambers only to stop a step afterward when the door to the hall suddenly opened and from it emerged an exasperated Cao Cao who glared at Vali's team.

"I see you came back although not with the results I hoped you'll achieve, Jeanne told me what happened but it seems like you brought the fox with you so I'll let this one slide," Cao Cao said in an emotionless tone as he gazed at Issei's team, mostly on Yasaka who nervously played with her fingers as she avoided his piercing and intimidating gaze.

As Cao Cao was about to reach Yasaka and take her from Issei and his team he was surprised when Issei stepped in between him and the blonde, but his surprise faded, and anger replaced it when he figured the meaning of Issei's action a few seconds afterward; glaring at the brunette in response.

"What is the meaning of this Issei?" He asked with an elevated voice that meant to intimidate Issei and make him step down along with his hard glare that was aimed at the brunette.

"I am not going to let you take her Cao Cao! I brought them so they could live under my and my team's watch instead of staying at Kyoto and be threatened by the next team you'll send to kidnap her," Issei said; elevating his voice as well while glaring daggers at the raven haired guy.

"And what makes you think you'll be able to stop me?" He asked in mockery while rolling his eyes.

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker] Ddraig voice roared through the halls of the Hero Faction; shocking everyone who were present with the exception of Cao Cao who smirked.

"Balance Breaker eh? Are you sure you want to go down that way, Issei?" Cao Cao asked in an emotionless tone as his hand drifted to his spear; making everyone aware of his intentions.

"I'm sure,"

The next thing everyone witnessed was Cao Cao's spear making it's way to Issei's abdomen only to eventually pierce nothing but air.

"Running already?" Cao Cao taunted while snickering only to stop when a fist interlocked with his face; sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

The next thing everyone saw was the dust that the Cao Cao's collision with the wall generated as well as pieces of debris that flew from the wall.

"I gotta admit that was quite a punch, but...You'll have to do much more than that to take me down," Cao Cao said as he climbed out of the hole in the wall as he rubbed the place Issei's punch made contact with.

"I didn't expect it," Issei said while smirking under his helmet before he dashed at Cao Cao again with one goal in his mind; to protect Yasaka and Kunou from being taken.

(One Hour Later...)

The fight between Issei and Cao Cao has been going on for one hour already and so far both sides doesn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon.

Currently, they were engaged in another face off with each other; Issei using his fists while Cao Cao dodged them and would occasionally try to impale Issei with his spear but to no avail.

"Give up already Cao Cao!" Issei yelled at Cao Cao who now was nothing more than his enemy.

Issei hated to think of Cao Cao as an enemy, but he knew that in order to protect his team from the consequences of their actions and Yasaka and Kunou from their forlorn fate he had to do this, he had to fight Cao Cao even when he knew that the man could outmatch him... Something Cao Cao has yet to do, and Issei was confused from that because he was aware that it was possible so why haven't he done it yet? He knew that Cao Cao was very serious when it came to the goals of the Hero Faction so why didn't he took him down? He was defending the person Cao Cao deemed to be vital for their organization's plans; he found this all very odd, but that didn't mean that he'll give up the fight with so much at stake.

But, Cao Cao was also someone he held in high regards. He was the one who along with Vali gave him a third chance in life... A new life, a life that hopefully would not bring him the same pain his last two brought him.

If it wasn't for the two of them, Issei was sure that he would either become a stray Devil, alone to fend off his enemies or would have killed himself from the grieve he felt from Rias words.

"I was going to say the same thing to you Issei," He heard Cao Cao reply as he continued to dodge his punches.

"I am not going to give up Cao Cao! Not when it concerns people I care deeply for," The brunette replied with sheer determination that made Cao Cao quite impressed although he wouldn't show it.

"Very well, then you should suffer the fate that comes to every person who opposed my ideals,"

"Bring it on!" Issei replied in vigor as adrenaline kept pumping into him, more so now that he knew Cao Cao was going to get serious.

The next thing Vali and the rest of the observers saw made them gasp in horror; they saw Cao Cao's spear making its way towards Issei abdomen with no obstacle in its way.

"Issei no!" The girls cried in horror while the guys just dropped their head in sadness from the consequences the attack would bring.

Vali couldn't believe it. Here was the one she loved so much fighting her leader who was mere seconds from impaling her loved one and she knew exactly what that meant; it meant death.

Many emotions were swirling inside her as she helplessly watched the horrid scene unfold; anger, sorrow, anguish where the most dominant feelings along with the feeling of helplessness that made her loathe herself at the moment for letting it happen, but the one feeling that rivaled her helplessness was the feeling of regret, regret for missing any chance she had to do the thing she wanted the most; to confess her feelings to Issei.

When she thought about the chances she had to confess to Issei; chances that would never occur again after the spear will make contact with Issei, she felt broken. She felt like a part of her was slowly starting to fade from her.

She forced herself to look at the horrid scene so she could remind herself of her failure to prevent it from happening.

She watched with tears but then, she gasped from the thing that happened next.

Yasaka felt dread, horror, anguish, and sorrow when she watched the scene in front of her.

She might have known Issei for only a day or so but the impact the brunette made on her life was more than anyone else but her daughter had made.

She found this fact to be weird at first, but as the hours went by it became less and less weird for her as she realized exactly why the impact he made in her life was that severe.

His determination, his unwavering will, his confidence, his urge to protect his loved ones no matter the cost. Those were few of the many things that made her be captured by the brunette and made her want to spend the rest of her life with him alongside her newfound friends.

'Issei... You promised me,' She thought in agony as the promise Issei made her last night flashed in her mind. She didn't feel betrayed from the promise breaking; she felt sad, sad because she knew that Issei failed his promise and lost his life because he protected her and Kunou and the feeling of guilt that realization made she would carry for the rest of her life.

She felt like she missed a great chance to have a man whose heart will be big enough to love her, Kunou, Vali, and the rest who she knew carried similar feelings to Issei which she didn't mind, she felt like she missed someone who would be someone Kunou could call father too, and that broke her heart because if there was one thing her daughter deserved the most was to grow up with someone she could call him father.

She watched the scene in front of her as the thoughts of 'What could have been' flashed through her mind, but she gasped in utter shock from the thing that happened next.

Le Fay watched the one she cherished being mere moments away from being impaled by a spear to his abdomen; tears cascading down her cheeks in a steady flow.

For her, Issei was a lot of things, a role-model, someone she could rely on no matter the situation, a friend and with time, she hoped he would be something more than that.

Her mind took her back to the fateful promise Issei made her when they met at this very hall for the first time as a team; a promise he swore never to break. The promise to protect her no matter what, even at the cost of his life.

Her flow of tears only intensified when she thought about the first time she met him back in Kyoto. How he comforted her without even knowing who she was, how he boosted her delicate confidence with his sincere compliments and how kindly he treated her even though he could've just stared at her crying form and instead, continue to walk with his friends and continue his life.

For Le Fay, she was like a blooming flower when Issei was the water she needed in order to survive; the water that would strengthen her and help her grow, water that without it, she would most likely cease to exist. That much impact the brunette had on her life, and it baffled her, never in her life she expected something like that to happen.

She watched with agony as the spear continued to get closer and closer. She promised to herself at that very moment that if Issei would survive this then no longer she would tell Issei how she feels about him even if he won't reciprocate those feelings.

But, the next thing the blonde wizard saw made her gasp in astonishment.

Kuroka dreadfully watched Issei being mere seconds from being impaled to death by Cao Cao.

She couldn't really comprehend this but, for her, the boy was someone she considered special.

Sure, she had a few boyfriends in her past, some she was more involved with than the others, but none of them were like Issei. No, they were far from being like him.

'Was it because of that talk?' She thought to herself in curiosity as the feeling of dread continued to intensify with each passing second; thinking about the talk she and Issei had after their mission at the Grigori labs and how he reacted to the things she told him when they were alone.

She knew that even though her past boyfriends did listen to her on the rare occasions, she would show genuine emotions instead of her typical teasing, but she knew they listened only because they were interested in having their way with them which they never had; at least not how they wanted it.

The furthest anyone got was to fondle her breasts, and even that only lasted for a few short minutes before she pushed the man off of her and crushed any chance he had to proceed from that point.

After all the boyfriends she had who were pretty much the same Kuroka lost her faith at men completely and instead resorted to just teased them for her own pleasure and for their dismay.

But, when she looked at Issei she saw that he had something that none of them had... He was different, he listened because he cared and not because he wanted to get into her pants, he comforted her when she needed it and expected nothing in return, and for that, she was more than grateful.

As time went by from that talk at the forest her faith in men has been mostly restored thanks to the brunette but she was still skeptical about men and their motives.

'Maybe it was just a good facade?' She asked herself a few days after the talk but with each mission her team went too she saw Issei's genuine desire to protect her and her team even at the cost of his life and that made the doubt she had in her heart to fade away and instead being replaced with great love to the man who for once, cared about her as a person and not as some busty girl he could get his way with only to dump her afterwards. Issei was a man who carried a pain similar to hers, and because of that, she knew that he was probably the only person who could understand her completely.

At this moment, Kuroka realized that Issei was someone she never wanted to be apart with, someone she wanted to stand by his side when he fought valiantly to protect her and his friends. He was someone Kuroka now knew for sure that she loved and because of that she made herself a promise at the moment, a promise to heal Issei's pain and hopefully be someone he would come to love the same way she loved him.

She tried to avert her gaze from the painful scene, but she found herself gasping in utter surprise from the thing that transpired next.

It happened so fast. He was fighting with him and then all of a sudden his attack's direction changed abruptly and was heading towards his abdomen, but when he noticed the incoming spear it was already too late for him.

Cao Cao used his spear with so much grace that it would've seemed like the boy started training with the spear a day after he came out of his mother's womb; making him snicker sadly in response.

Issei took the few seconds he had before the spear impaled him to internally apologize for the people who were watching with agony and sorrow.

He hated this, he hated being the reason for their sadness, and it made him seething at the mere thought of that, but he knew that even if he traveled back in time he wouldn't be able to change the course of actions that led to this event and thus he couldn't avoid what is seemed to be his imminent death.

He braced himself for the pain that would only last a second before he would be enveloped in a blackness that would never disappear.

He looked to his side where his friends were; wanting them to be the last sight he would behold. He saw their expressions, and it broke the mess he called a heart even more than it was before.

He turned his gaze back at Cao Cao as he couldn't bare to watch his friend's expressions anymore.

'Thank you Ddraig, for everything. I'm sorry for being this weak,' Issei told his partner who he came to consider as his best friend and someone he cared greatly for.

Ddraig didn't answer, and that made Issei quite confused and sad.

'Is he ashamed that I lost my life in such a way?' He thought sadly as to why his partner wouldn't respond.

He sighed in sadness before he closed his eyes and embraced himself for the hit, but nothing would've prepared him for the thing that happened next.

The next thing Issei knew he felt a rush of power coursing through his veins, power that felt like blazing flames; making him hiss in pain. But, for some reason, he couldn't stop even if he wanted too, even if the pain was too agonizing to bear.

[Welsh Dragon Crimson Sorrow] Ddraig voice roared vigorously in the hall; surprising everyone who were present before their eyes widen from what they saw next.

They saw Issei, who had his scale mail jewels glowing, holding Cao Cao's spear whose tip already touched his armor with his left hand while his right hand charged what they think was probably one of the most powerful Dragon Shots they witnessed.

"Dragon Shot!" Issei whose voice was now a mix between his and Ddraig's roared as he released his attack on Cao Cao who couldn't dodge it; sending him crashing into a nearby wall at an unbelievable speed.

While everyone had the same line of thought that Ddraig got involved in this attack in order to stop Issei's death was right, although not entirely right.

Issei had complete awareness and control of what he had done, but he also felt a searing urge to do what he did which he assumed came from Ddraig.

The thing Ddraig announced was something Issei had never heard before nor was it mentioned by Ddraig, and he wondered what the hell it was and how it helped him to avoid what would have been his demise.

'Ddraig! What the hell was that?!' Issei asked the Dragon in bewilderment; looking for answers before Cao Cao, who he knew survived this attack would appear again.

['To put it simply, the Boosted Gear reacted to your intense emotions of sorrow and fury as well as my own sorrow for possibly loosing you, the best partner I had, and powered you up so you could avoid the thing that caused the burst of emotions in the two of us; Cao Cao's impaling attack,']

'I see,' Issei simply replied as he was at a lost for words.

['You have to know partner that the toll this powerup took on you was a major one and I'm afraid that you wouldn't last very long in a fight now,] Ddraig told Issei who scowled in response to the news Ddraig delivered.

'Well then, I have to make every second count,' Issei replied; replacing his scowl with a smirk.

He averted his gaze towards the place Cao Cao had gone crashing into when he heard the sound of debris being moved around.

"No one ever had the chance to escape my spear nor did they had the chance to inflict the damage you caused me, and for that, I must say that I'm very impressed Issei. I do not wish to fight you anymore because you proved me the distance you'll go to keep your resolve, despite it being against our ideals, I will allow the Youkai leader and her daughter to stay here without harm," Cao Cao replied with an impressed tone that showed Issei that he was genuinely impressed with him; making him smile in return from both the compliment and the fact that he wouldn't have to continue fighting him anymore.

Issei didn't get to respond because the next thing he knew he was forced out of his Balance Breaker and into the floor as the pain from his power up has started to take its toll on him.

His friends came rushing at his side when they saw it and quickly offered any kind of support to the brunette whose eyes were slowly closing down.

"D...Don't worry; I...I'm okay..." Issei said weakly before his eyes have closed down; making everyone hysteric as they thought the brunette had died, but they soon calmed down when they heard his steady pulse.

"I guess that attack took a heavy toll on him," Vali said while flashing a big grin at Issei before she and the rest have carried him to his room.