NMHA Ch. 53 - Encounters


A/N -

Considering I finished the previous chapter a few days early, I had a nice quiet weekend looking after the dog and hanging out with friends online. In other news, Psycho Pass is really fucking good. The first seven episodes of it so far, at least. I've heard it falls off hard after the first season, but I'm definitely gonna go through the first season at least.

I don't have much to say here, though that might just be because I'm back to work and am still drowsy, so on with the show.


"She wants us to do what?" Asia asked, a touch incredulous.

"She wants me," Issei stressed, as the two walked on their way back from school the following day, "to talk to Yuuma-san and confront her about why she's here. And I want you to join me."

"Um, I- I suppose it isn't a big problem," she murmured, poking her fingers together sheepishly as she looked down. Issei steered her deftly out of the way of a passerby while the blonde was lost in thought. "A-ah, sorry!"

"It's alright," Issei replied mildly, patting his friend on the back. "You were saying? It's not a big problem... it sounded like you were gonna say something else?"

"Ah, right! I'm just worried how she'll take it."

"Which is why we're going to do so at Masaomi-jii's place."

"Eh?"

"She doesn't have anywhere else to go, does she?" Issei pointed out. "Isn't that why she ended up staying with you and Masaomi-jii?"

"Y-yeah."

"Maybe he's confident that the moment he recognizes something is wrong he can intervene. And maybe she'll be worried about losing her temporary home?"

"Well, I suppose..." Asia frowned all the same. "Or maybe he's recognized she's not a threat? But just inviting her in, it is peculiar of him."

"He definitely isn't the sort of guy to make reckless decisions when it comes to the people he cares about." Issei glanced over at Asia, pursing his lips. "Are you some sort of secret super-exorcist and you've been holding out on me?"

The blonde erupted into giggles, shaking her head. "No, Ise-kun. I'm just me. A healer and a follower of God."

"Ah, shoot." Issei cupped the back of his head with intertwined fingers. "Then we'd probably have to ask him, yeah?"

"Right. But as for Amano-san..."

"Yeah, I'll be on guard. If it does come to blows, though, I'll admit to being a bit excited to see how much I've grown." Issei grinned and held up a fist. "Apparently I'm a natural when it comes to fighting."

"You mean surviving," a playful smile rose to Asia's face as she nudged him.

He slumped over, an aura of depression covering him. "Asia-san, why must you be so harsh...?"

That got another giggle from the blonde as they turned the corner. "Seriously though; my Gear means that the longer I last, the stronger I become. Luna-san specified that working on my evasion, defense, and reducing the time between boosts is the best way I can get strong fast."

"She does have a point..."

"So if it does become a fight, I just need to last long enough to boost beyond Amano-san, and I can put her down!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Asia smiled. "I'm sure she'll be willing to explain what's going on, as long as we're smart about it."

"So basically, one of us is receptive and the other is bullish?"

"I'm glad you get it, Ise-kun."

"Which one would I be?"

The blonde tilted her head and smiled.

Issei just sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much."


"Hey, Yuuma-san?" Issei walked into Masaomi's living room, one hand up to the side of his mouth as he called out. Masaomi was out working, so they had the house to themselves. "You got a second?"

"Issei-san?" Lo and behold, the beautiful black-haired girl walked down the stairs into Issei's line of sight. "Oh, welcome. My apologies, I wasn't expecting you to visit."

"Visit my closest friend's house?"

"Well... not until later, anyway." Yuuma pursed her lips and glanced to the side. "Actually, I was hoping to have a word with you too."

That's when Asia walked in. "Oh, Ise-kun, Yuuma-san. Could I get you both something?"

Issei shook his head, but Yuuma politely coughed into her fist. "Ah... actually, could you get us both water? And if you mean to sit in too, then maybe one for you as well."

Asia peered curiously at the 'disguised' Fallen, before nodding once and walking into the kitchen to pour out three glasses. She quickly returned and set them on the table, before she sat next to Issei, a silent gesture of support to the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Thanks, Asia-chan." In a brief moment of courage, Issei wrapped his arm around the blonde and gave her a one-armed hug, but chose to leave his arm on her other shoulder rather than pull it away.

He pointedly ignored the way his heart fluttered when she snuggled into his embrace.

Yuuma glanced between the two, and Issei thought he saw something for a split second. Whatever it was, it was significant, but he hadn't been able to figure out what that something was. Judging by the way Asia briefly perked up, however, she did. He'd have to ask her about it later.

"Okay. So let's clear the air first. We know you're a Fallen Angel," Issei remarked, to which Yuuma blinked, slowly, taken somewhat aback.

"Huh? How long did you know?"

"Basically ever since you started sleeping over here at Masaomi-jii's," the brunet replied honestly, to which the Fallen's brow drew together.

"And you let a lowly traitor of God rest in the same room as you two?"

"That same 'traitor of God' also kept me from sleeping all night, so clearly so," Issei muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh yes, that. That was fun." She cracked a grin. "You certainly didn't seem to mind. You never tried to stop me."

"Because I didn't want to wake Asia-chan, and you know it," he grumbled.

Asia looked over at Issei and blinked. "What do you two mean?"

"...She teased me while you were asleep," he admitted. "In a very un-Christian way, I should add."

It took a second before Asia caught his drift.

She pouted at the Fallen. "I have hard feelings."

"So did he," the black-haired young woman gestured to the sole man in the room, her grin widening, "when we were all sleeping in the same room."

"Look, I don't know why Masaomi-jii let you in and let you stay," Issei interrupted before Yuuma could continue teasing Asia. He didn't complain about the way Asia's arms wrapped around him and squeezed, though. "Clearly he did so for a reason. You don't seem inclined to hurt us, otherwise you'd have tried on our way home from school like that nutjob of an exorcist that attacked us. If anything, it's more like you've been watching us for whatever reason. You've been rather keen on staying near Asia-chan or I while I'm not around and while we're not dealing with the Devils, after all."

"You haven't been trying to recruit us, have you?" the blonde asked. "Ise-kun's already got enough of that from other sources, he doesn't need yet another group trying to poach him."

Yuuma tilted her head briefly, expression inscrutable, before she sighed and shook her head. "As much as I would like to, I do not believe that I have the right to do so. After all, the exorcist that attacked you both was under my command."

'What?'

Issei became very, very still, harshly learned combat skills coming to the forefront as he felt his mouth move on its own. "That was you?"

"In my defense, I was unaware of how... violent, Freed-san was. He had recently been assigned to me as his handler, but he slipped his leash and went after a pair of young adults returning home from school." Yuuma bowed deeply. "My careless handling of Freed Sellzen and his subsequent escape were my fault. I apologize for that lapse in judgment, and the resulting bedlam that followed his appearance in your lives."

Issei swallowed, then leaned back, not having realized he had started leaning forward, and forced himself to exhale loudly, the beat of war that was his blood slowly quieting in his ears. It definitely helped that Asia continued to hold onto him, an anchor that he gladly made use of.

"So your staying here watching over us is supposed to be your 'penance'?" the blonde inquired, to which Yuuma nodded, raising her head.

"Yes. I and my compatriots were assigned here as general observers and protectors of the mundane humans. They returned to the Grigori after the mess that was Freed's getting loose, but I stayed to fulfill my mission as well as to make amends."

This was easy. Too easy.

"And what is your mission, exactly?" Issei asked, tilting his head. His suspicions were aroused, but he was still willing to hear her out.

A brief flash of irritation crossed Yuuma's face. "I already said it, it's to oversee and look after the humans in Kuoh. We already knew that there was a Devil presence, and that the Church was active here as well, but both are in small enough numbers to only need a single, low-ranked cell to keep a balance between the factions."

"Okay, but why Asia and I? Why try to hide the fact that you're a Fallen, considering I'd already been awakened to the existence of the supernatural?"

Yuuma clasped her hands together in her lap and tilted her head up. "I figured that you would be averse to having a non-human being follow you around, so being a student at Kuoh would be a far easier pill for you both to swallow, particularly after my superior argued for my enrollment on behalf of 'integrating with the whole populace of Kuoh'."

"So you lied," Issei stated flatly.

"I withheld information. There is a difference, though I understand that the sense of distrust remains." She bowed her head. "Again, I apologize. In a gesture of good faith to attempt to restore some modicum of trust, I will introduce myself formally: I am Raynare, Born-Fallen of the Grigori and rookie operative under Kokabiel, Watcher of the Stars."

With that, the students' clothes that Raynare wore vanished, replaced by strips of black leather that quite honestly reminded Issei of some of the kinkier hentais he had gotten his hands on. BDSM, if he recalled properly? He was paying so much attention to that, that he barely paid any heed to the raven-black wings that extended from the Fallen Angel's back.

"...I think I preferred Yuuma," Asia muttered, before pouting at Issei and pinching him in the arm when she noticed he was ogling the now-unveiled Fallen.

"Ow." Issei snapped out of his brief stupor before rubbing his arm. "Okay, so why go through all this now? Why try and come clean after hiding for... what, a week and a half despite knowing that Asia and I are both participating in the supernatural?"

"The circumstances have changed." Raynare frowned, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. "I recently identified a major threat to the safety of Kuoh, and its inhabitants. A creature that Heaven, Hell, and the Grigori stand in opposition to."

Issei leaned forward. "That sounds serious. What can you tell us about them?"

"You already met her. She's the one that saved you from Freed."

Issei's and Asia's eyes widened.

"You mean..."

"Luna 'Arunn' Bell," Raynare confirmed gravely, "formerly known as Lunarunn Bael, is enemy of the three factions; she is the Dark Moon, harbinger of the Beast, and herald of the apocalypse."

The declaration hung heavily over the table they sat at, the two humans processing the bombshell.

"...I-I never got those sorts of feelings from her," the blonde finally said, breaking through the tension.

"She's dangerously persuasive, and a master actress," Raynare explained. "If you didn't feel anything, then that is because she didn't want you to. She faked her own death to escape the Underworld, and even now nearly all of them are none the wiser."

Asia shook her head. "N-no, you don't get it. I'm good at reading people. I always have been. If she was a bad person, then I'd know."

"Asia..." Issei trailed off, swallowing hard. As much as Luna had been helping him, as much as he'd grown from her training, it added up far, far too much for him to be comfortable. The animosity between her and Rias's brother. The fact that she claimed no faction for her own despite being a Devil. The overwhelming, clawing, consuming oblivion behind those eyes...

'Oh.'

Suddenly he wasn't sure he was just playing a part anymore.

"I..." he swallowed again. "I think I believe Raynare."

"I-Issei...!"

"You weren't there when I asked Luna about Rias-sama's brother, Asia-chan." Issei shivered, the mere memory sending a frigid chill down his spine. "It felt like my... my soul was being devoured by the abyss that opened up behind her eyes. It's a big claim, but... but after seeing that gaze, I can't help but believe there to be some truth behind it."

Raynare nodded once. "My mission's moved from observation and protection to isolation and containment. It's good that you were able to see past her disguise, Issei-san, because it's important now more than ever that you two steer clear of her."

"She's expressed interest in my growth," he explained. "I've been training with her for the past week or so. It's brutal, but effective."

"Then that's going to have to stop," the Fallen declared. "Again, you need to stay away, in any and every case. If she gets the chance to speak, I have little doubt she'll be able to dig her claws into you both again."

It didn't seem like Asia wholly agreed. "W-wait, what about due process? S-Shouldn't Luna-san get the chance to explain herself?"

Raynare fixed Asia in place with a firm stare. "If this wasn't as dangerous a situation as it is, I'd agree. But when we are talking about someone who would beckon forth the end of the world, we don't have the time nor the flexibility to be proven wrong. I might be a rookie with a bad track record, but even I know how to follow orders. This is no time for second-guessing, this is a time for action."

"And what about Tou-san?" The brunette didn't back down, indeed even pulling away from Issei to lean forward. "What about him? He and Luna-san have been friends for years!"

To that, Raynare didn't have an immediate answer, taking a deep breath before she actually spoke again..

"Then you will have to convince him to distance himself. But if worse comes to worst... you might need to cut off contact with him too."

Issei felt Asia tense up.

"What... why...?" the blonde started to tremble. "How can you say that about Tou-san?"

Raynare grit her teeth.

"If I didn't have to say so, I wouldn't, but he's already compromised by the Dark Moon!"

"And how can you say that, when you don't even tell us what she's done!?"

"You wanna know?" Raynare bolted to her feet. "She murdered an entire warehouse's worth of people, in this very same country, and she'd have gone so much further if she hadn't gotten teamed up on by an Ultimate-class Devil and your own father immediately afterward!"

Issei could have heard a pin drop after that declaration.

Asia stilled before standing slowly.

"But you don't know the context," she said, as though coming to a realization. "You just see what happened. You were told the story, but you weren't there yourself."

"And you weren't there to see the results. Kokabiel was."

"But Tou-san was there the whole way through. You said it yourself," Asia retorted, voice now a deadly calm. "He was there and saw everything firsthand. Your superior just saw the end result and extrapolated from that."

"Asia-san..." Issei blinked slowly, staring up at his friend. "Are you saying that our concerns are wrong?"

"Tou-san might be reckless sometimes, but he's not stupid." Asia held a hand to her chest. "If he still wants to stand with Luna-san, then there has to be a reason, right? If he was the kind of person who believed in things at face value, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble protecting a Devil years ago. He wouldn't have taken me away from the Vatican."

Her eyes met Issei's. "We wouldn't have ever met."

"Whatever he sees, she's lying," Raynare cut in, hand cutting through the air as she swiped it to the side. "I already told you, didn't I? She's a good enough actress to have even fooled Kokabiel before he was able to think things through."

The young woman met the young Fallen's gaze evenly. "What did he end up Falling for, again? The Vatican taught me that it was for Wroth. But... if he's so self-assured that he's willing to risk a war just to kill one person, maybe it's actually Pride."

"Watch your tongue, human," Raynare sneered. "I won't sit by and let you insult my superior again. Argue his reasoning all you wish, but the signs were there. The bodies were there. "

"And that's just the thing, right?" Asia sat down. "The only ones you say were there are Kokabiel, Tou-san, that Devil, and Luna-san. Of those four, you're accusing one of being some sort of inhuman monster while the other's supposedly 'compromised'. Since we don't have contact with the Devil in question, we're supposed to follow the story that your superior, the one who was the least involved, put forth?"

"They're both compromised. The Devil who was there was her fiance."

"So he's not even considered in the running out of bias." Asia looked down, closing her eyes. "I see."

Had she noticed something wrong with Raynare's argument? Issei wasn't sure.

But even so, the abyss behind the brunette's eyes continued to linger in his mind.

"Asia-san... I mentioned what happened, didn't I?" he asked.

"I don't think we have the whole story, Ise-kun," she soothed, smiling faintly at him and patting his leg. "There has to be a reason for what happened to you. All we have are the end results, but nothing about what led up to them. Before we make any judgment, isn't it worth getting the fullest picture possible first?"

"And I already told you, there's no time for that," Raynare gritted her teeth.

"Just because we're on a clock supposedly, doesn't mean we can't be thorough about getting to the heart of an issue," Asia countered. "Only that we need to be decisive in doing so."

"I trust Kokabiel's judgment."

"And I trust Tou-san's."

"Your father is a human, mortal, prone to his urges, and fallible."

"Kokabiel Fell for his urges. He is not our Heavenly Father, so he is fallible too."

"He didn't Fall for his urges; he Fell for his beliefs!"

"And Tou-san left the Church for his."

Raynare growled and leaned . "You're really not going to budge, are you?"

"Would you, if someone was telling you that the parent that's helped raise you half your life can't be trusted?"

To that, the Fallen couldn't answer.

"Raynare-san." Asia bowed low. "Thank you for being honest with us. And thank you for your warning. It has been heard, and will be taken into consideration going forward."

"Considered, but you do not mean to follow it."

Asia beamed. "I am not one to jump blindly into some belief just because an Angel, Fallen or not, appeared to proselytize me. Tou-san is deserving of my trust after everything he's done for me; I will not turn away simply because he may be 'compromised' as you put it."

"Is that your final answer?" Raynare asked, expression inscrutable.

She nodded, face firming up. "Yes."

There was a long silence, before the scantily-clad young Fallen turned her eyes to Issei.

"And what about you?"

"...I don't trust Luna. I can't, after what I saw." He was truthful, to which Raynare nodded. "But I do trust Asia, and I do trust Masaomi-jii. I don't know what's gotten him tangled up with this 'Dark Moon' you mentioned, but if Asia is willing to stand by him, then I'll do the same. They're like a second family to me, so I'm not gonna just turn my back on 'em."

Raynare's eyes flickered for a moment, hardly enough for him to notice, but meeting her gaze as he was, Issei could see the brief flash of pain that was there.

"I see." The black-haired Fallen's hand reached across her body to her arm. "Then I hope you humans can sleep in the bed you made."

She turned and walked out the apartment, without another word.

"Raynare-san..." Asia trailed off, before glancing over to Issei. "...You saw it too, right Ise-kun?'

"I think I did. Was that regret?" Issei asked back, before the blonde nodded.

"That's what I figured too." Issei's friend agreed.

"Then we'll need to be more careful." the brunet decided. "I'll still need to meet Luna-san once more to cut ties. Otherwise she'll probably show up unannounced, and the less said there the better."

Asia nodded. "I'll talk to Tou-san about what's going on with her. Whether or not Raynare-san's warning is true, it sounds like things are getting more dangerous here, so it's best to be prepared."


As Issei left a few hours after, his mind was awhirl with the brewing conflict that was happening in Kuoh. In his town. Near his family, near his parents.

Who knew nothing about the supernatural and wouldn't be able to protect themselves.

'...I'll have to be the one to protect them,' the Red Dragon Emperor realized.

"Then you've made a decision on the offer the three blond ones gave you?"

'Yeah. I need to be strong; as strong as I can, as fast as I can. I already knew I had to be, but this... this is serious. And it's coming way faster than I could have expected.'

But considering why he'd gone and confronted Raynare in the first place.

He pulled out his phone, and sent a message back to Rias.

LordofH: Mission accomplished. The Fallen was doing an observation and guard mission, but is now doing an isolation and containment mission because of a rogue Devil.

Issei knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He felt pent up, like he needed to... not blow off steam, but do something. He couldn't sit by and do nothing after learning all of this, he'd be staring at the ceiling for hours!

LordofH: Do you know Yuuto Isaiah's number? I need to give him a call.

It took an hour for her to get back to him. By that point Issei was tempted to run out and try to find any of the Yuutos himself, so when he heard the chirp of the messaging app, he practically jumped on it.

KingofCrimson: Oh? You want to call the most popular boy in school, despite the fact that he's already taken? How bold of you, Ise-san~

LordofH: Not now Rias. This is serious.

KingofCrimson: Serious enough that you're demanding a favor of me? That isn't very good form Ise-san.

Screw form, there wasn't time for this!

LordofH: Because it's the right thing to do? Because it's such a minor favor that given how quickly I've gotten back to you on the first mission of the Pact that this shouldn't even be an issue?

KingofCrimson: What's wrong, Issei?

He took a deep breath.

LordofH: The Dark Moon is here.

KingofCrimson: What are you talking about? The Dark Moon is dead.

LordofH: Then I'm being trained by a fucking ghost, because I've been getting beaten black and blue without knowing who she is.

KingofCrimson: And this relates to Isaiah how?

Issei rolled his jaw, thinking about how to answer that.

LordofH: I'm looking for someone to train me further, since I want to distance myself from Luna. Isaiah-san was the first one to do so, and I can tell that he's strong enough that I can learn plenty, and fast.

Not untrue. Not the whole truth, but it was still a truthful answer.

KingofCrimson: I can't help with that? I'm hurt, Ise-san.

LordofH: You and your Peerage are super busy anyway, what with you dealing with whatever things a noble has to do in the Underworld and them with their own things. I'm not going to intrude if I don't need to. All I need is a phone number. Will you or will you not help me?

There was a long pause as Issei stared at his message, already marked as read, even though Rias didn't reply.

This pause went on for several minutes, before the next message appeared.

KingofCrimson: Alright, I'll help. If you really think that the Dark Moon's in Kuoh, then it's important that I lend a hand.

LordofH: I saw Luna's eyes when the mask peeled away. There's no way she isn't, not with that gaze.

KingofCrimson: I believe you.

Then she followed suit with what looked to be a screenshot.

KingofCrimson: Try printing this off onto a sheet of paper and applying mana to it. Even a trickle will do, and it should get you contact with Isaiah-san almost immediately.

Issei saved the image of the magical circle to his phone and then messaged back.

LordofH: Thanks, Rias. I owe you one.

KingofCrimson: I'll be sure to hold you to that.

The brunet knew that he'd be beating himself over the head for that passing comment later, but it didn't matter right now as he hurried to do as Rias suggest

'So how do I do this again?'

"Press your thumb in the center, and picture a lake within your gut flowing through your arm."

So he tried that.

"...Wow. I know that your magical ability is horrible but this is something else entirely."

'Shut up, as long as it works, then it's fine!'

"You're gonna need to Boost to get your magical power to the level you need. And by Great Red is that saying something!"

Issei grit his teeth and tried again, this time emptying out that pool in his gut. He was left gasping, but as the circle flared to life, he grinned.

"Hello?"

'It works! Hah, eat crow you stupid lizard!'

"Isaiah, it's Issei." He took a deep breath. "I'll take Valerie's offer. When's the earliest she's available?"

"Uh... now, I suppose?" There was confusion in the other young man's voice... but also a tinge of irritation. Had Issei interrupted something? "Why can't this wait until tomorrow though?"

Yeah. He definitely interrupted something. "Have you heard of the Dark Moon?"

Isaiah was silent for several seconds, before... "Meet us at the park, ten minutes."

Then the call ended, and Issei stared at the now inert piece of paper.

"...But the park's twenty minutes away."


Somehow he made it in five.

Curiously enough, he hadn't needed to use the Boosted Gear either.

The bike definitely helped, but it would have been twenty with the bike anyway.

Issei chalked it up to the fact that he'd been under merciless training for a short while.

The brunet shook his head and set his bike against a tree as he stepped toward the fountain. The water glistened in the moonlight, and he had a passing thought that this would make for a good place to end a date...

"̴̯̈C̵̘̰̚ạ̵̒ṅ̸̘͗ ̶̙̈̀ỹ̸̮̊ȍ̵̼u̴̻͈͒̉ ̷̜̒̄͜d̸͚̑i̶̬͗̆e̷͓̐̕ ̶̯̒̈́f̸͓̈́͝ö̵̪̺́ŕ̶̲͝ ̸̹̓͠m̴̻͊̑ȇ̸̺ͅ?̴͔͇̒͝"̶͙̬̾

He lifted a hand to his temple, and shook again, suppressing a grunt as what felt like a whirlwind passed through his head, leaving his mind momentarily scrambled before he pulled himself back together.

'Ddraig... did you hear that?'

"Hear what? There's nothing but the crickets around, whelp."

...It must have been his imagination. He was nervous after everything that was happening.

Yeah. That was it. He was offering his soul for a relative stranger to manipulate, after all, so he must be nervous.

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that."

Well, why else did it feel like his heart took a skinny-dip in ice water?

"...Look alive. We've got company."

Issei glanced to the side, noticing that it wasn't just Isaiah and Valerie, but also Gasper and...

"You." He narrowed his eyes as the polite smile of the teal-haired man widened.

"Me," Dio agreed, waving a hand idly. "I was curious about why an egotistical whelp like you would call so late into the night to take up my wards' offer. I just had to join in and see for myself."

"E-er, Dio-san... you don't need to go that far..." Gasper muttered, poking his fingers together and staring down.

"It's alright, I won't pry. Consider me a... chaperone." He took a step back, smile widening further as he gave another lazy wave.

"I wasn't expecting him to show up," Issei muttered. Isaiah just sighed.

"I don't get what the issue is with you two, but I suppose some people just don't get along," he trailed off. "It doesn't matter. He came because you brought up the Dark Moon. They have history."

"I suppose that since I'm the one to have tagged along, it's her story to tell," the one in question said, all nonchalance.

Diodora looked up, his smile now showing teeth as his voice took on a sharp edge. "Isn't that right, Lunarunn?"

'Wait...!'

Issei's head shot up, noticing a silhouette in front of the moon rapidly growing...

Then that silhouette landed to the side and in between Issei and Dio, the light of the lamps illuminating the brunette's features.

"Diodora." She glanced back at Issei briefly, before returning her attention to the teal-haired man. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting you here."

"I could say the same. The entire Underworld's taken you for dead." Dio(dora?) extended his arms to the side. "Yet here you are, looking practically exquisite for someone that's supposedly no more than a corpse well over a decade old now."

"Rumors of my passing were greatly exaggerated," she shot back dryly. "I couldn't stay. Not after everything that happened."

"Wait, hold up." Issei held up his hands and stepped forward. "You two know each other too!?"

"He convinced me to join his progressive movement as its face. It was going fine, until it wasn't," Luna glanced back again, this time at the other brown-haired person at the park.

Issei took a step back, a gesture that Luna clearly noticed.

"...Damn it." The brunette sighed. "I was really hoping that I'd be able to ease you into the fact that I'm... not exactly well-liked in the Big Three." She glanced over at Diodora. "Guess we may as well rip off the band-aid since the secret's not really a secret anymore."

"Lunarunn, last name formerly Bael," Diodora introduced her. "Bearer of Worldweave, the first blood-inheritable power awakened to a Devil, former leader of the Forgotten Front Party of the Underworld Assembly, and wanted for the false claims of monetary laundering, contempt of court, and poaching of valuable research materiel from the Naberius family."

He held up his hands to each side in a shrug. "You were always the responsible type, and I know that you were supposed to be on vacation when the charges came in. But you might have been able to fight off those claims had you shown. Might. Of course, when I tried to contact you so you could try and defend yourself... I couldn't even get your voicemail. What gives?"

"Try kidnapping. The Naberius in question decided to hire some mercenaries; have his cake and eat it too by taking me on as another test subject." Luna crossed her arms. "He didn't get away with it. I made sure of that."

Diodora's eyes opened from their continuous squint slightly, before returning as he let out a brief huff of laughter. "Kidnapping? Hmh. It figures that they would try something like that; the Naberius are certainly devoted to their craft. I'm surprised that a bunch of Low-class Devils managed to capture someone like you, though."

"They got me with a flashbang and unicorn powder. Couldn't do jack until I was able to get that shit off using a magical circle."

"And how did you pull that off, anyway?"

Luna's tone grew light. "Let's just say I had a teacher who drilled some good fundamentals into my head."

Issei's head was spinning. He'd just come to get enhanced by Valerie, and now he was getting an exposition dump? What the hell?!

"So you were hoping to meet back up with an old colleague?" Isaiah asked.

"Something like that." Diodora lifted a hand to his chin, inspecting the brunette. "...You've grown quite strong, Luna."

"It helps when I can actually spread my wings and do things my way," she admitted, before gesturing to him. "What about you? Were you able to tie the knot?"

There was a long pause, Diodora's smile plastic. The hair on the back of Issei's neck shot straight up from how charged the air suddenly became.

"Oh, shit..." Luna breathed as she brought a hand to her face to pinch her nose, turning to the side. "I'm... I wish I could have been there. To try and stop whatever happened. She didn't deserve to die."

"No," Diodora agreed, voice glacial. "She didn't. You wouldn't have been able to do anything anyways; while you were trying to stop being kidnapped, the FFP was attacked by a fucking dragon. Completely wiped out."

His face contorted into a horrible snarl. "And it targeted her especially. To get to me."

Luna looked down, breathing slowly, but audibly. Issei could see her clenching and unclenching her fists.

He prayed that she didn't look back his way.

Issei stared. 'Ddraig... do dragons do that sort of thing?'

"...Let's talk about that once we're alone."

That did not inspire any confidence in the brunet.

"Should... ah... should we be here, or should we...?" Gasper trailed off. "It, ah, it sounds like you two have some... er, catching up to do?"

"Perhaps so." Luna glanced back at the younger ones, lingering on Issei briefly before she turned back to the others. "Run along now kiddies. Mommy and Daddy need to have a very frank discussion."

That got her more than one lifted brow from the others, but as she spread her wings (and weren't they the most interesting pair of Devil wings that he'd seen yet?) to rise off the ground, Diodora spread his own and did the same.

"Isaiah, Gasper, Valerie, you do what you wanted to come here for," he said, giving them a brief wave. "I'll see you three in the morning."

With that, they were gone, leaving only the Kuoh students, nonplussed.

Issei summarized it quite succinctly: "What the hell just happened?"

"If I had to take a guess, long-lost political allies meeting again," Isaiah similarly summarized. "I think it's best we leave them to it."

So even Isaiah and co. were involved with Luna? It didn't seem like they were allies, but still. Just how many lives had she touched already?

"Look, I need you to give me that boost that you were talking about. Valerie, are you still willing to offer it?"

"Hm?" The picturesque blonde looked back down, clearly snapped out of deep thoughts by the question. She had been unusually quiet ever since they all got there. "Oh. Ah, my apologies, Issei-san. I was rather taken aback at Luna-san's presence. It is... unique."

"From what I've heard she's some sort of monster." Issei rubbed an arm. "Fights like one too. To say nothing of the way she looks at you when she gets pissed off..."

"Is that so?" Valerie glanced upward again, if only briefly. "Maybe she is. Or maybe you're not looking underneath the underneath."

'Eh? Is that-'

"Is that a reference?" he blurted out, to which Valerie merely smiled.

"I don't know, is it?"

No, wait, that was a beam, both eyes closed and curved upward. That was absolutely a reference.

But then... that gave him pause.

Underneath the underneath, huh? Maybe that was what Asia had in mind? It was food for thought, at least.

"A-anyway." He cleared his throat. "Are you still willing to give me the Holy Grail treatment?"

"The 'Holy Grail Treatment'?" Valerie echoed, a smirk playing at her lips. "I'm afraid I left my nurse outfit back at home, so I couldn't give you the full experience, but we can certainly make do."

'N-nurse outfit...?'

Issei's nose started bleeding... as well as Isaiah's. Issei also recognized the glassiness in the blond male's face.

'That handsome bastard! He got the nurse treatment!? Uuuuuoooooohhhh, I'll never forgive him! Never! Ever! Ever!'

"I-Issei-san is s-s-scary...!" Gasper stammered, hiding behind a catatonic Isaiah.

Valerie just giggled, clearly taking enjoyment out of the reactions of the males, before striding forward, legs gliding over the ground as she crossed the distance between Isaiah and Issei to the other side.

She stopped in front of Issei, snapping him out of his envy-fueled internal tirade with a brief wave right in front of his face, before taking a step back.

"Hyoudou-san," she said, her smile dropping entirely. "I will say this now; what you will experience during the process won't be pleasant. But I guarantee you that it will make you stronger. I will draw forth the potential from your soul, and I will bring forth a new, optimized Hyoudou Issei to walk in this world. Are you willing to undergo this process, knowing that you'll be leaving your old self behind despite remaining human?"

He swallowed, hard, as he looked down. Issei knew that he was stepping into territory he'd never be able to return from. They were talking about his soul, and that wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"If I don't grow, if I don't become strong... who knows what'll happen to... to me and mine?" he whispered, voice quickly gaining confidence as he continued. "I can't stand the thought of... of losing my parents. Of losing Masaomi-jii. Of losing Asia-chan. If I have to throw away the old Hyoudou Issei so that I can become strong and protect them, then that's a pittance to pay."

The Red Dragon Emperor's head shot back up, glaring resolutely at the other Longinus wielder. "Do what you have to, Valerie-san. If it means keeping the people I love safe, then I will face any trial."

The smile he got in return was dazzling. "Good answer, Issei-san."

She extended her hand, and in it, a goblet formed. It was nondescript, wooden, well-polished but otherwise unadorned.

Yet even with its modest appearance, Issei could tell right away that this was no mere cup. Even looking at it made his head spin, filling the world with unintelligible whispers, to say nothing of the images he could see in the silvery liquid that began filling the cup as it approached his face.

"Drink," Valerie commanded, her voice slicing through the aura of the Sephiroth Graal, and Issei nodded once before the goblet rose to his lips.

So he drank, and the world fell away from him.


"So, why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Luna."

High above the Kuoh park, two Devils - old allies and questionably friends - spoke. But neither was particularly open with the other. Diodora kept his polite face on without so much as a crack, and Luna chose her words very carefully.

"I noticed a gathering of the supernatural here, and I mean to see if I can make my debut in a hotspot on my terms this time."

"So you mean to throw yourself back into the fray?"

"Something like that, yes."

"And what do you expect to come of it? That you'll be welcomed with open arms and apologies?"

"Are you seriously asking me that, Diodora? I might have been a fool back then, but I'm not stupid."

"Then there's some sort of plan in the works, otherwise why would you bother? I want to know what that plan is."

"We haven't seen each other in years. You've always been the shady sort, and you know how I feel about you as an individual."

"I think we've known each other long enough that you're willing to put those aside, why must you be so insistent on maintaining the belief that I'd end up like your once-friend?"

"Because I was friends with him for years before he showed his true colors." Luna's face drew into a frown. "I'm just waiting for the other boot to drop, honestly."

"I doubt you will need to worry about that. I have another mission in mind, something far more important than my relationships with others."

"Again, why should I tell you?"

"Because if it has anything to do with crucifying the aristocracy in Hell, I want in."

She lifted a brow. "And this would help me how?"

"You haven't been keeping abreast of the news down there, have you? At the very least, you haven't been paying attention to the aristocracy much."

"...Elaborate."

"The Naberius family was ousted from the Assembly. Lost their titles and everything. Your fiance finally was able to bring the charges of your and your parents' kidnappings to the Assembly and have an airtight case of it. There was even a few defectors from the OSF, after Lord Naberius's reputation was run through a woodchipper in the form of Rias Gremory."

Luna's eyes widened faintly, before she smirked. "Good riddance to bad rubbish, I have to say."

The teal-haired Devil mirrored her smirk. "I concur. The thing is, the knowledge of the kidnappings was rendered classified information and won't be disclosed to the public. The only reason I know is because I keep a close eye on the Assembly proceedings through my father."

"Of course not. Breaking the illusion that the commoners are safe would lead to riots. Naturally, the aristocracy's going to want to protect the status quo that's served them for so long." Luna rolled her eyes, to which Diodora scoffed.

"My thoughts exactly." The teal-haired Devil's smile widened as he lifted his arms to his sides. "But, it does show the cracks in that rotten foundation. If one Pillar fell, then the others are vulnerable, and they know it. They'll be tidying up shop to make sure their own wrongdoings are wiped up and considered above-board, but there is a window of opportunity to... gather evidence, so to speak. I'd be happy to share it with you... for a price."

That got Luna's attention. She couldn't return to the Underworld without suffering massive problems, but she did have ears to the ground in Ruval and Serafall. This, though... this could be big.

"Oh? Are you saying you could gather that information yourself?"

"Not necessarily." Diodora slid a hand into his pocket. "I do, however, have contacts in... lower places. And they've been slowly infiltrating the houses for hundreds of years. It may almost be time to activate those cells."

Hundreds of years...?

Luna froze. "...You don't mean the True Satan Faction, do you?"

Diodora nodded once. "I do. They decided to take me in after I lost everything, and they hate the current establishment just as much as I do. Just as much as I imagine you do too."

"And you expect me to ally with a group of bigots and tyrants?"

"Do you really think I'm going to let the relics of a bygone era take the reins of the Underworld if I can help it?" Diodora scoffed, his polite smile turning into a sardonic scowl. "Of course not. I'm using them, you see. Just like they're using me. I'll let them throw themselves against the current leadership of the Underworld, and once they've suitably weakened each other I'll make my move."

"And you think that a mentalist prodigy can do everything by himself?" Luna asked.

"Do you think that he could?" Diodora asked back, the polite smile back in place.

"It's a big ask, for sure. Especially since most of those 'higher-ups' are undoubtedly going to have ironclad mental defenses."

"You've certainly developed some strong ones yourself."

Luna paused, then snarled. "Get out of my head, Diodora, before I cut yours off."

He held his hand out placatingly, his smile widening. "My apologies, I had to see if your mental strength matched your aura."

"Considering that my powers are basically the rawest form of psychokinesis, I'd be an idiot not to fortify my mind. I'm glad to see I was right to do so." The Worldweaver scowled. "You've changed, Diodora. Or maybe you're finally showing your true colors, but either way. What happened to the old one that refused to use his talent except when it was consensual or otherwise absolutely necessary?"

"Dead. Dead in that same cavern that the FFP died in," he replied, waving a hand flippantly. "See, if there's one thing I can agree with the TSF on, it's that the strongest parties always win. It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what you're doing, it doesn't matter what morals you hold. If you aren't the strongest in the room, you either bend the knee, bow your head, or die."

Luna didn't reply to that, so Diodora went on. "And the funny thing is, I've done more good having discarded that stupid little promise than I ever did clinging to them at the FFP. I've saved children from cruel experiments, saved their lives even. I've opened the eyes of exorcists and nuns to the hypocrisy of their sacred Vatican. I'm in a position where I can wipe out two massive stains on Devilkind in one fell swoop. It's certainly clear that we'd be better off without any of the current factions leading the Underworld."

Exorcists and nuns, is that it...?

A sinking feeling started washing over Luna.

"Is that why Isaiah's with you?" she guessed.

"And how would you know-" the teal-haired Devil cut himself off. "Ah, I forgot. You know things. Yes, that is exactly the case. He wanted to repay me somehow after exposing him and his family to the truth of their little bunker."

His eyes opened slightly and shifted downward, to where the blond in question was watching over Issei and Valerie, the brunette's head laid on Valerie's lap as she continued to pour something down his throat from a receptacle in hand.

For a long moment, something soft shone in Diodora's eyes. "He's been doing... very well, at that."

That stopped the sinking feeling, if briefly, as the brunette processed that look.

Then they squinted shut again and he returned to that polite smile, facing Luna once more. "If I'm doing so much more good by being the prodigious mentalist I always could have been, then can you really blame me for continuing to do so?"

"No. But I do have to raise concern about you allying yourself with the TSF," the brunette replied.

"That's perfectly fine. I hold no love for them either, even if they have helped me get to where I am at now," Diodora said, slipping his hands back into his pockets."If anything, us working in tandem has the best opportunity to crush both the GKF and the TSF when the time is ripe."

He tilted his head. "So. How are you feeling about an alliance of convenience, just like we had back in the good old days when we both still were naive?"

Conflicted.

Diodora's argument was sound, but something didn't sit right with Lunarunn.

Him. He didn't sit right with her.

She'd felt like he was an awful lot like his canonical self before, but now...?

Now she wondered how much different they were.

At the same time though, she knew that he was different. Or at least, he used to be.

Had he started back down the wrong path after his fiancee died...? Or was she just projecting her concerns after not seeing him for so many years?

"I... will need time to think," she finally decided.

"Do not take too long," he warned. "The time of reckoning draws near. But until then I do not mind your caution. We were both betrayed most foully, after all. It only makes sense that you'd be a bit more... cautious, when others come to you."

"You certainly don't seem like you feel the same way."

"Well." Diodora's eyes opened faintly as his smile started to show a bit of teeth. "Perhaps I'm just a bit touched in the head."


Issei was falling.

He wasn't sure how he knew, as he couldn't see, but he could. Sinking into the Sephiroth Graal.

Yet... something felt off.

Something felt... damaged.

The whispers around him were awfully quiet.

Something felt cracked.

In front of him, through the cracks, a red and malevolent eye opened.


"This is... how is this happening!?"

Issei glanced to the side, noting the slackened posture of the silver-armored Devil floating by him.

Yet as he stared back at the sight before them, he could hardly disagree with the exclamation.

The thing before them dwarfed the ruined city, and from their place in the sky the warriors of red and white could see the pulses of energy that wafted off the creature bathing Tokyo in black, otherworldly miasma.

Any screams that had been rising from the city were long dead. Even now, Issei could see the fully-manifested form of # *&( trying to hold, her fur matted and bloody even as she desperately tried to protect what few people might still be alive down there.

His blood went cold when he saw how wounded she was. Yet even missing a leg and a tail, she still fought back.

But he couldn't hear the cries of defiance that he should have. Or the screams of rage and pain, the very same ones that echoed in him even now.

No, he couldn't even hear the explosions as the fireballs slammed into the thing's side, the flames washing off with no apparent effect... other than to draw the creature's attention once more.

Baleful red eyes bore down on #(*%*, and she was frozen in place, and Issei rushed forward, mind unthinking as he screamed down to save her, to get her out of the way of the black sphere of nothing that sought to erase her from existence.

But even so, he wasn't fast enough, and # *( yanked him back as the sphere expanded and consumed %(*# ^! whole.

Issei went numb.

His throat started rupturing from his scream.

The beast turned its gaze on him.

He lunged forward, breaking out of his rival and friend's grasp to kill the thing that had extinguished the last of the women he loved-

Issei was met with black nothingness.


He stood atop a mountain of corpses, a completely bored look on his face as he watched Issei approach, the red-armored dragon-hybrid already leveling a holy sword in the Devil's direction.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" (*&%! dully asked, a grimace rising to his face. "It's the end of the world, kiddo. Spend it with the ones you love."

"You killed the ones I love!" Issei snarled back, wasting no time before unloading a Dragon Shot at the monster before him, the explosion of impact completely dispersing the mountain of bodies.

It dissipated, the one in question brushing off the resulting dust kicked up from the explosion, before casting a glance back at the beast laying waste to !% ()^.

"...I suppose I did, didn't I? You've always been too stubborn to listen." #^ $%!7 sighed, before raising a hand in Issei's direction without so much as looking at him. A sphere of oblivion appeared within it. "Then I may as well send you to join them before-"

Issei stopped listening, already lunging forward, an inhuman howl of loss, grief, and rage tearing itself from his throat as he charged, throwing the arm with the holy blade forward, to strike down the demon before him.

The blade didn't so much as touch *%(&%( before Issei died.


"Why!?" he screamed up at the Devil, held in place by two magical seals that bound his arms behind him, even as the one behind forced him to his knees.

"You went too far. You sought too much. You trespassed on grounds best left alone." $%*& scowled. "You do not deserve clemency."

For what!? For fighting back against # %*(% for trying to force himself on %(!#? For prioritizing *#^'s happiness and her safety over some bastard who would have...?

Something in Issei snapped.

"I, who am about to awaken..."

He never made it to the second verse.


"You truly thought that you could defeat me?" #$%* snickered, as Issei hung suspended from a pillar of wood, a stake driven through each limb to hold him aloft.

"I wouldn't know unless I tried." Issei grinned through the pain, blood trickling down past his lips. "At least the rest were able to get away."

"Not forever," the god spat. "All you did was delay the inevitable."

Issei just spat a wad of blood in the vengeful god's face in response.

His captor wiped the blood off with a snarl. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Even though he tried to not give %#*( the validation of beating him, Issei broke down as he was tortured to death. This particular god was unfortunately creative about it too.


"A pity you didn't remain human," the blue-haired bastard said sadly, Issei grasping at the spear running him through. "Devils like you don't belong in our world. Be at ease though; your soul will be freed from that demonic whore's chains."

"Don't... call her that," Issei growled, weakly reaching out to try and strike him before his arm failed him. It was dissolving, he realized with alarm, turning to dust.

"See what I mean? You're so enthralled you don't even recognize the Devil for what it is." He shook his head. "No matter. Let your soul be free."

Issei struggled to the very end.


Issei fought as hard as he could, pouring everything into standing up against #*%($^ . He could feel himself changing as he did, the dragon within taking over more and more as he fed more and more of himself to said dragon, to stop the madman that sought to kill * (#, #($*, #$(, and everyone else.

He didn't care what it took. He would save them. He would!

But it was for naught. He could feel his chest cave in as a blast of holy energy sent him shooting down to the ground, the impact both bouncing him back up and cratering the land he hit. Before he could so much as cough, that cadre was already there, filling his body full of holy spears.

Issei was dead before he landed the second time.


Issei couldn't hold it back as the #^%*('s flames burned him alive, a scream mirrored by ( *% as he tried to save her, tried to rescue her from a marriage she desperately didn't want.

He died screaming, feeling his body burn away as % *! begged %*! # to spare him in vain...


"Will you die for me?"

He stood still, uncomprehending of the question Yuuma asked him.

"Er... come again?" Issei asked, a shaky smile breaking over his features as he lifted a finger to scratch his cheek. "I, er, don't think I heard that right."

Yuuma Amano smiled at him, a gesture to cause his heart to leap in his chest.

Then what was a dream come true... became a nightmare.

Black wings extended from Yuuma's back as she rose, light manifesting in her hand in the form as a spear as Issei watched, completely stunned at the sudden change.

Too stunned to move out of the way when she broke his heart by running it through.

"You know... for an irredeemable pervert, this was almost fun," she mused aloud, even as Issei dropped to the ground, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you for today, Ise-kun. It's a pity that God saw fit to curse you so."

What for? Why was he cursed? Why was Yuuma doing this?

All those questions and more raced through Issei's mind as he lay dying on the park sidewalk. His whole body was numb save for the agony of his chest, both physical and emotional, but somehow that just made the betrayal all the more keenly felt.

"Y-Yuuma..." he gasped out as his vision started going gray. She paused, then glanced back again.

"Sorry Issei. But the Yuuma you knew never existed in the first place."

Then she was gone, and Issei was alone.

It was so quiet. He couldn't even hear his own heart beating anymore.

He... he couldn't just die like this, could he?

Was it... really the end...?

His vision had failed him by this point, but he was still there.

He couldn't just... let it end like that...

Someone... anyone...

...

Issei woke up screaming.


A/N -

Nothing to see here folks.

Tempura Wizard out.