Well, the world's gone a little crazy, so that's partially why this chapter took so long.

For the record though, neither myself nor anyone I know personally has caught our little virus friend, but I do work in at-risk essential services so I've been more busy with work, not less. My hours haven't even changed, they're just packed and leave me drained and unmotivated.

I could have gotten this chapter out well over a week ago, but then I'd have had to blue ball everyone with the cliffhanger, so instead you get my biggest, most lemony chapter yet.

Anyways, this chapter is dominated by the 'official' introduction to the Gremory household, as well as Akeno's birthday.

For my guest reviewer, I'm going to break my own rule a little and outright confirm that the first Kalawarner lemon will be next chapter.

Sorry about that, in retrospect, while the reasons for not doing it made sense, I've been chafing at the bit to write it.

Partially though, the culprits are my own fading hesitancy with writing erotic scenes.

Bear with me, before I wrote Pawn, I'd never even written fan service, let alone full-blown lemons.

Rias had probably wanted to make it a surprise, so it wasn't as if he blamed her.

A train taking you all the way to Hell was pretty interesting, if he took a step back and looked at it objectively.

Asking him to actually ride it though?

Well… it was still a train.

Which is why when Rias had brought them all to an underground railroad station run by Devils (not just any Devils, Devils under the Gremory family), Yuuji promptly stopped in his tracks, subtly glaring at the admittedly well-made and elegantly designed locomotive.

Yuuji was mentally trying to estimate travel times, wondering if he could feasibly walk all the way to Hell (while idly noting that the paint on the train was Rias Red), when Akeno suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, Yuuji-kun, you forgot to call JB, didn't you? Cell service isn't very good on the train."

"... Yeah, you're right. My bad."

Of course he'd remembered, but...

"I'll wait with him, if that's okay then, Buchou?"

"Please do. We're ahead of schedule, so take your time. Now, come along everyone, let's get seated while they stow the luggage."

Rias promptly ushered everyone forward, casting a subtle glance of concern to the curiously still Yuuji as she did.

Ruth brushed his fur against Yuuji's leg as he passed, briefly meeting Akeno's eyes, and then, they were alone.

Akeno had led him to a bench in the underground station, and without any sort of preamble, had seated herself with his head in her lap.

For a while, no one spoke, the Gremory Queen humming softly as she ran her fingers through Yuuji's hair, gently massaging his scalp.

Eventually she spoke, her voice quiet and casual.

"If you're feeling a bit better, please, tell me what's bothering you so much."

"... That obvious, huh?"

"... Your hands were trembling."

"Sorry."

Akeno shook her head slowly, smiling without looking down at him.

"I hate trains."

He admitted eventually.

That, and nothing more.

… Akeno remained silent, waiting patiently.

He didn't want to talk about it.

Nothing was wrong.

He was fine.

"... It's an old story, from the night my parents passed away. Guess you know a few of the details? The background check was pretty thorough, if I recall."

… Maybe he'd changed a little more than he'd thought.

"Only the official version."

Yuuji took the hint for what it was.

"It was after Kazuki died. It was a few months after Mother had taken me and run away from home one night, after that man passed out from another long night of beating his wife and drinking himself to death."

He didn't really understand why the memory made him smile.

No, he supposed that wasn't true anymore…

It had been the first time since Kazuki died that he hadn't felt utterly alone.

"He tracked us down, and well…"

The official report spoke of a battered wife, pushed too far.

"Anyways, a few things happened, and I bashed his head in with a wine bottle."

Yuuji candidly recalled.

It was true, what they said.

You never forget your first kill.

"Mother sent me ahead to the train station, a little pouch full of what little money she'd managed to save up around my neck."

Akeno kept silent, her hand in his hair never slowing.

"I waited for her for… no, I don't really know how long it was, butI eventually worked up the courage to go back. It was a little strange, I suppose, but even with him dead, I didn't really think that I'd 'killed someone'. Guess that goes to show I wasn't much for filial piety, but still I wanted to see my mother."

Yuuji chuckled.

"I didn't really understand why there were lights and sirens, I didn't understand why the yellow tape and the police officers were there. I had been waiting for Mother, and she hadn't shown up, so I had to find her. Was probably the first time I'd moved that urgently, and even when I was just a brat, I was quick on my feet. They... couldn't catch me in time, not before I'd gotten to the living room, anyways."

He went quiet for a moment, lips pursed thoughtfully.

"It's strange, the things you focus on in that split second before the shock hits. I remember wondering 'why'd she use the bed sheet?' when I found her there, swaying from the ceiling fan. And, well, I don't remember much after that."

"... It reminds you of that night, doesn't it? And not just when you're expected to actually ride a train, or am I wrong?"

"... Hit or miss when I hear one in passing, I guess. Maybe just when I'm having a bad day."

Akeno hummed in acknowledgement, lifting her gaze as her stare grew a bit distant.

"I think I might understand, just a little. After my mother died, even the sight of a shrine's gate sent chills down my spine, sometimes."

Yuuji's eyes snapped into focus as he frowned up at her.

"You lived at a shrine, before the dorm."

Akeno nodded casually.

"Part of me still thinks it was my fault. It was a punishment of sorts, a way to keep myself from forgetting what I'd done. But now…"

Her smile was bright and warm.

Because she wasn't that girl… not anymore.

"Now, every time I pass a shrine, I remember the night I showed you my true self for the first time, and I smile."

Her free hand raised itself to her lips, muffling her sultry giggle rather unsuccessfully.

"And then, I imagine myself in that shrine, showing off the love of my life to my dear Okaa-san for the very first time."

Akeno paused for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin in thought.

"Well, that, or I remember that the first time we tried anal was in a shrine."

Uncharacteristically for him, she could recall that Yuuji had been rather evasive as to why a bottle of lube counted as a 'weapon' he could draw forth from Arsenal Memoir.

"I remember the ponytail was good leverage."

Yuuji reminisced.

"Ufufu~ it's a wonder that hairstyle isn't more popular."

"It was a very Devilish thing to do, when you think about it. Go us."

"Mmhm~"

Shaking her head with a pleased smile, Akeno got the conversation back on track.

"But, Yuuji-kun, the point I want to make is… you're the reason I was able to make that change, why I'm able to embrace that part of my past once again."

Well, it wasn't as if she was ready to have anything to do with that man just yet, so she supposed they still had that in common.

"And so I'll do the same for you."

Akeno declared, pushing Yuuji into a seated position so that she could stand, and take both of his hands in her own.

"Yuuji, I have no intention of ever letting you go."

"... Promise?"

Huh, that hardly sounded like him.

"I promise."

"... Alright then… Thanks, Akeno."

"Any time, Yuuji."

He took a deep breath.

"... Alright, I think I'm ready, just… don't leave me behind."

"Never, my love."

The last time he'd been told to get on a train, he'd walked down the highway for the better part of a week in order to avoid it.

This time, he boarded the train after walking less than fifty paces, and by the end of it, he was so tired that once his head was resting on Akeno's lap once more, he promptly passed out and slept through the whole trip.

So while Yuuji had no idea that a tiny smile worked its way onto his slumbering face and refused to leave, he slept secure in the knowledge that unlike all those years ago, the promise that had been given was kept.

Yuuji couldn't tell if he was dreaming or just waking up occasionally, but he caught snippets of conversation here or there on the trip.

"... There's sunlight?"

"There is indeed, Asia-chan, you see-"

Never underestimate the power of a beautiful woman's lap-

…

"Never thought I'd end up in Hell… especially when still alive... Irina would be disappointed… shame she couldn't come with us."

"We've made arrangements, Irina will be joining us some time later."

When he blinked himself awake, Yuuji found himself staring up at Akeno's smiling face, while wondering why his chest was so warm, and strangely heavy.

Not in an uncomfortable way, though.

"Sleep well, Yuuji-kun?"

"Yeah, thanks for that."

Curious, Yuuji raised his head just enough to get a view of what was weighing down.

Who was weighing him down.

It was a who.

A moment later, Koneko uncurled herself with a yawn, sitting up and dangling her legs off the side of his ribs.

Yuuji met her sleepy gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"I was curious."

She admitted.

He waited patiently, and sure enough, after taking a moment to think, Koneko offered an approving nod before hopping to the floor.

"The hype was real, Senpai."

Akeno giggled, and met the gaze of the smiling Rias standing across from them, who was just putting her phone away.

After a moment, Rias nodded quite seriously and said;

"We just need to choose the frame, I already have a spot on the wall in mind."

Yuuji and Koneko met each other's eyes and shrugged.

They walked through the silver gates that swung sedately open as they approached.

Before those gathered was a sprawling mansion, its walls of polished marble and artfully carved wood dyed a familiar crimson.

"Welcome to the Gremory estate, both my home, and yours."

Rias proudly declared with a sweep of her arm and a fond, welcoming smile.

"Oh, so this is why you don't understand how building size works."

Rias nodded.

"Precisely, this is - wait, Yuuji. What was that you just said?"

"Slip of the tongue."

Teasing Rias aside, the Gremory estate wasn't that large, Yuuji supposed.

… He'd seen bigger cities.

"Was kind of expecting to have a row of maids lined up to greet Rias."

Raynare admitted, scanning the towering structure before them with blatant curiosity.

"That's not happening, because that would be silly."

Rias primly explained.

"Ara, isn't that because you called ahead and explicitly requested they didn't?"

Akeno innocently followed up.

"... It's rare that I can convince them otherwise, but I thought all the attention would be a little much for us so soon after arriving."

Rias admitted without a hint of shame.

"That aside, come, let's-"

Yuuji interrupted.

"Ah, heads up."

The pink crowned blur careening towards them didn't seem to bear any ill intent, but what was that it was yelling?

"IIIIIIAAAAAAAAA-TTTTTAAAANNN!"

Oh, that was the sound of not his problem.

Yuuji deftly sidestepped, steering Asia clear of the impact zone as Rias whipped around to stare.

"A-Amane!? W-wait!"

Huh, those were some solid movements, Yuuji mused, as rather than impact Rias, the pink blur dipped beneath her outstretched arms and flowed around behind her.

There was a brief moment of stillness, where nothing moved save the sudden breeze, and the long, flowing pink hair of the young woman standing behind Rias with her hands behind her back, and a grin on her lips.

She was a bit on the tall side for a Japanese girl, looking perhaps about Rias' age though still being a few inches shorter.

Hair a silky, uniform pink that suggested that that was it's natural color, reaching just to the young woman's legs.

Curvy and long-limbed, with just a hint of sturdiness to her frame that suggested she was used to hard work.

It took him a moment to place why her uniform seemed so familiar, but after a moment he made the connection; she was wearing the same style of maid uniform Grayfia wore, but in black, though her skirt went to only a few inches above her knees, baring white stockings, and she had opted out of the traditional headdress.

Filled it out almost as well, albeit the impression she gave was quite a bit more casual.

Rias blinked in confusion, and the newcomer, grinning all the wider, tapped her on the shoulder, and as Rias inevitably whirled-

"Ria-tan!"

The pink creature exclaimed, pouncing on the Gremory King, as Rias yelped in surprise.

"Ah, Amane! W-wait hehe, it hasn't been that long!"

Rias giggled, wrapping her arms around the giggling woman as their cheeks squished together.

"Mou~ Ria-tan, a week is too long, and you've been gone all spring! If I knew it would be like this I never would have let you kids grow older!"

"Ara, Amane-chan is the type to get lonely easily, isn't she?"

Akeno mused as if it had nothing to do with her, a hand on her cheek and a fond smile on her lips.

That smile only widened as Amane released Rias and slipped behind her, wrapping her hands around to-

"They've gotten bigger, haven't they?"

Akeno looked down in mild but amused surprise as her breasts were casually hefted, Amane muttering her observations quite seriously under her breath.

"Someone's been playing with them and it's not me, interesting hmm, hmm."

Seemingly satisfied with that, Amane released Akeno's assets to bounce and jiggle their way back to stillness, bouncing over to Kiba next.

They locked eyes, and after a moment, Kiba smiled, spreading his arms with a sigh that didn't really seem all that reluctant.

Amane wrapped her arms around him in a decidedly less over-the-top but no less delighted fashion, smiling pleasantly.

"... Nice to see you too, Amane-san."

Kiba said warmly.

"Mmhm, missed you!"

Koneko was next, eyeing the taller girl warily as Amane crouched down in front of her.

… Well, Koneko would seem a lot warier if the corners of her lips weren't tugging upwards.

"Heya, Neko-chan!"

"... Ama-nee."

"... May I?"

After a moment, Koneko nodded, and was immediately pulled into a hug.

"..."

Amane nodded.

"Yeah, me too, Koneko-chan."

After reluctantly releasing Koneko (the struggle was well understood), Amane stood tall, offering a welcoming smile towards the unfamiliar faces, until-

She went still, blinking in surprise for a moment, before a smile torn between awe and joy bloomed across her face.

She had just spotted the tiny blonde shape, taking refuge behind Kalawarner's legs.

Kneeling before him, that same gentle air she'd used with Koneko slowly returned.

"You're Gasper, right? It's so nice to finally be able to meet in person. Suou Amane, Rook of Venelana Gremory, at your service~!"

Gradually, a small smile began to appear on Gasper's face.

"G-Gasper Vladi, Bishop of Rias Gremory. N-nice to meet you too."

Smiling in satisfaction, Amane rose once more to her full height, taking in the newcomers.

"Oh, you must be Kala-chan-"

Kalawarner nodded, looking a bit bemused at the immediate nickname.

"Ray-chan?"

Raynare gave a cheery wave.

"Then that makes you Asia-chan, Ria-tan's other Bishop, right?"

"Y-yes! I'll be in your care!"

Asia said with a hurried bow.

"... Oh Maou she's adorable."

"Right!?"

As the newcomer nodded empathetically along to the words of the proudly grinning Raynare, Amane slowly turned, seeming to catch sight of Yuuji at last.

"Oh, and you must be Yuuji-kun, right?"

That innocent smile was certainly suspicious, and he probably shouldn't shake that offered hand, but if she wanted to tease him a bit he'd play along.

"Yeah, pleasure to meet you, Amane-"

"A-AMA-NEE!? What are you- Yuuji!?"

Smiling as she shook his offered hand, Amane shook it vigorously, and then in the same motion, and still using only one hand, the Rook pulled him from his feet, swung him about her in a circle, and tossed him up in the air.

As he ascended, Yuuji calmly directed his gaze downwards, taking advantage of the better view.

Despite its excessive size, the Gremory mansion really was well designed.

The grounds didn't seem to have any significant blindspots, the roof had several ideal locations for a sniper to set up, and even with the property being surrounded by forest on all sides, there was enough space between the outer fence and the treeline that it wouldn't do any significant force much good.

As gravity began to reassert itself, Yuuji nodded in approval, turning his thoughts to trying to guess whether catching him was part of the plan.

… Odds were good.

Didn't seem malicious, probably just wanted to spook the boyfriend a bit, a subtle signal to watch his steps around Rias and Akeno.

Sure enough, Yuuji fell into Amane's outstretched arms, and given that he was being held like a princess, decided that only one kind of response really seemed appropriate.

"Ah. My hero."

… Not sure why everyone was staring at him like that.

… Did he flub his lines or something?

"Welcome home."

Grayfia greeted, bowing deeply towards Rias and the others from where she stood, to the side of the open doors.

A playful smile on her face, Amane mirrored the action across from her.

"Thank you, Grayfia. Is Mother available?"

"She will be, she's taking tea in the library lounge. Would you like a chance to freshen up, and allow our new arrivals to see their rooms?"

"We would. Is Father still on schedule?"

"Yes, Ojou-sama, Lord Gremory will be returning to the estate in time to join you for tomorrow's supper."

"Excellent. Lead on, Grayfia."

"Of course."

"Oh, and Grayfia?"

"Yes, Ojou-sama?"

"It's good to be back. I missed you and the others."

Grayfia's polite smile relaxed briefly into something a bit warmer.

"... I as well. Once more, welcome home, everyone."

The bed had ample space for doing dirty things to cute girls, Yuuji noted.

The desk by the window also looked sturdy enough to hand small arms, and he'd never had a walk-in closet before.

… But what was that small inscription over top the closet door handle?

Looking closer, were those chess pieces?

Akeno leaned forward to whisper in his ear, draping her arms around his shoulders from behind and pressing up against him.

"Run your finger along the chess pieces, and you'll be able to change where the door opens to. The King and Queen are ready and waiting."

"Good to know."

"Don't wait too long to take advantage, k?"

"... No fear of that."

Leaving Amane to lead the little procession, Grayfia had slowly lessened her pace, exchanging quiet greetings with the other members of the Gremory household as they walked.

At last she made her way to the back of the group, where Kalawarner walked hand in hand with shy little Gasper.

When he looked up at her, she smiled gently and subtly extended her hand towards his free one, carefully so as not to make him feel pressured.

After a moment, a tiny hand reached up and shyly gripped her own, and Grayfia smiled gently down at the young Dhampir.

"It's been quite some time since we've been able to meet in person, hasn't it? Welcome home, Gasper."

"A-ah, thanks Grayfia-san. A-and t-t-thanks for keeping me company, y-y-you know, over-?"

"While I do hope we'll have more opportunities to speak in person like this, I have grown quite fond of our evening video calls."

Gasper slowly nodded, a shy smile on his face as he peeked up at her through his bangs.

"Would you like it if we continued our little tradition?"

"Y-yes please."

"... Thank you then, Gasper. Another thing for me to look forward to."

"Mm!"

Giving his hand once last comforting squeeze, and a polite nod to Kalawarner, Grayfia broke off, returning to the head of the group now that her greetings had been taken care of.

Drifting into a comfortable silence, Grayfia turned her head to find Yuuji giving her an appraising stare.

"... Yes?"

"... Hmm, I'd say it breaks even."

… This should be good, she thought.

"What might you be referring to?"

"The 'professionally cold but secretly gentle' vibe has improved, but you've damaged the 'competent at everything but modern conveniences' impression. You know, by understanding how a video call works."

Yuuji explained earnestly.

"... Is your shock at my use of computers a dig at my age perhaps, Kazami-sama?"

Grayfia asked archly.

"... Your age?"

Yuuji tilted his head in honest confusion.

… She had no intention of admitting that tiny surge of feminine pride at that.

Just because she was likely the oldest present didn't mean she wished to feel like it.

"... Pardon me, then. Why does the idea of me using 'modern conveniences' seem so strange to you?"

Grayfia recovered with admirable grace, the warning tone slipping from her voice as if it had never been there.

"Hmm, dunno why really, just can't wrap my head around the mental image of someone in a maid uniform sitting in front of a laptop or texting on a phone."

"... It is not as if maid uniforms are the only clothing I possess, Yuuji-sama."

"Huh, I guess that does make sense."

Yuuji let a hint of reluctance color his tone, luring in the unsuspecting maid.

"... Why is it that you seem surprised?"

Checkmate.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking that a woman doesn't need a lot of variety when she'd look good in anything."

He was honestly impressed that she managed to make such an abrupt turning away look so natural, but Grayfia hadn't been quite fast enough to conceal that hint of red upon her cheeks.

Yuuji decided that that was probably all the evidence he needed to know that something like a 'summer vacation' was going to be a lot of fun.

Rias was too family oriented to have kept an older sister hidden all this time, so the process of elimination dictated that the pleasantly smiling woman, seated gracefully upon the high-backed lounge chair was probably her mother.

"Ara ara, there're my darling children~"

Yuuji didn't really have a lot of experience with the existence known as a 'mother' (not that he'd trade JB for anyone, but he was pretty sure that the two of them did things a little differently), but the moment the woman spoke, that this woman was a 'mother' became absolute fact in his mind.

She really did look like Rias, the woman who managed to somehow excitedly rise from her seat in a measured fashion.

A bit shorter than her daughter, and the lines of her body a touch softer and more curved, but perhaps the only obvious difference was that her shoulder-length hair was a gentle flaxen in color, and her large eyes a gentle violet.

She wore a simple white dress, knee-length with a plunging neckline, long white gloves, soft white slippers, and a silver necklace with a crimson jewel at its center.

… With how she carried herself, that relatively simple outfit could have stolen every gaze if seen on the runway, turned every head at any high society social.

Was probably a favorite every time she showed up to anything remotely similar, with that smile of hers.

He nearly had to do a double-take as the woman straightened, folding her hands sedately in front of her and inclining her head slightly in a regal fashion.

"Welcome to our home, and for those of you stepping within our halls for the first time, please, think of them as your own. I am Venelana Gremory, lady of this house, and I would like to thank you for taking care of my daughter."

Slowly, she regarded each of them in turn.

"Hm, now that the formalities are out of the way, I believe we have some important business to take care of."

Before they could say anything, however, the regal air vanished as the warm, welcoming smile returned.

Then the hugging started, and no one was safe.

Rias and her older servants were well prepared, but not even Kalawarner or Ruth were safe from the maelstrom of affection, the tall Fallen finding herself leaning to quite a large degree as her cheek was pressed against the shorter woman's bosom.

… It was baffling how she managed to kneel down and hug a rather confused wolfhound while still looking graceful, or when she hugged Suu without any excessive squishing, or any traces of liquid on her white dress.

Then she was in front of him, and Yuuji was immediately assailed by a feeling of absolute calm as the shorter woman cradled her against him.

She'd probably said something, he was dimly aware that there had been words involved, but mostly he was wondering if Heaven was that peaceful too.

Wait, no, Heaven was dangerous, the analogy-

… Really, really fit.

He didn't really remember much of the conversation they had with Venelana Gremory.

It had been fascinating in a way, how she managed to draw everyone into the conversation to various degrees, without pressuring or putting anyone on the spot.

Even those as withdrawn as Koneko and Gasper.

At some predefined signal, the lengthy onslaught of overwhelming (but not unpleasantly so?) affection and interest dwindled down, with Rias accepting the polite suggestion that the 'poor dears should relax for a bit, they must be tired after the long trip'.

It was artfully done, he would freely admit.

He almost believed her when the Gremory matron perked up suddenly.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, may I speak with Yuuji-kun a bit in private? I'd love to hear all the cute little stories about him dating my precious little girls!"

She said with a welcoming smile, but she couldn't quite hide the true nature of her intentions.

Most of the room didn't seem to sense anything amiss, filing out with her polite, and temporary farewells leaving a happy glow upon their cheeks.

At least one person saw what he saw, though, and gulped in a distinct, if barely audible fashion.

… Yuuji wasn't sure how he felt, being confident in the knowledge that that knee-jerk and decidedly nervous sound had come from Grayfia.

Instead, he felt one of the corners of his lips curl upwards into one of his signature half-smirks.

"Of course… I've been looking forward to this."

Admittedly, when he was led to the garden and a small gazebo made entirely of polished marble, he wasn't really expecting the first action of Rias' mother to be to bow at him.

"My husband never did mention it, did he?"

She asked, her head still low.

"Thank you, Kazami Yuuji, for saving my daughter from her marriage. It was an old arrangement, one not easily broken, but we deeply underestimated our ability to observe our daughter's true feelings. That we failed to notice just how the idea terrified her will forever remain our deepest shame."

Yuuji kept silent, eyes narrowed.

… Guess he was still a little angry about that, somewhere deep down.

It was faint, but, somewhere far in the distance, something sharp grinded its way to readiness.

… Rias had never really said anything about the manner, and he'd respected her assumed wish to put it behind her and not asked anything further.

"... Will anything like that happen again?"

He settled on eventually.

"Never."

"Then I guess it's fine."

Probably for the best… the next arranged suitor would be sent home in a body bag, anyways.

Yuuji's metallic fist unclenched with an audible creak, and Grayfia relaxed her wary gaze.

"Well then… thank you."

Huh, she really was good at reading people.

Grayfia stepped up then, pulling out a chair for Venelana.

"Please, take a seat."

Venelana gestured with one hand.

As Yuuji seated himself, Grayfia took a step back, positioning herself behind and to the left of the Gremory matriarch.

"So, I understand that it was Akeno that you began a relationship with first, followed by Rias, correct?"

Yuuji nodded.

"So tell me, how'd it happen?"

The inquiry sounded polite and measured, but the smile was eager and the eyes were bright.

"Owed Akeno an apology. Think she might have been teasing, but she requested a kiss, and I'm pretty good at those. One thing led to another, and then we started dating."

Venelana's expectant smile remained for another half second before she realized that yes, that was the full explanation.

Grayfia demurely lifted one hand to hide her smile.

"... And?"

"Huh? What do you mean, and? Oh, you wanted to hear about why I'm dating Rias too?"

"Yes, of course I do… wait, that can't be all of it! You and Akeno shared a kiss, and started dating just because of that!?"

"... Well, like I said, I am really good at kissing... Oh, hang on, you wanted to know about the… what's the word kid's use these days…"

Grayfia averted her gaze as Venelana gaped at him, dropping her formal demeanor completely.

Satisfied, Yuuji snapped his fingers.

"'Feelings' involved, right?"

Venelana nodded eagerly, and Grayfia turned her head back, eyebrow quirked in curiosity.

He hadn't told anyone else, but… as good a time as any, perhaps?

… No, he just wanted to fully impress his feelings upon their mother.

"I guess it was because she was beautiful."

He began.

"I didn't really understand her, to be honest. It didn't make any sense that a woman with a smile that brittle-"

He noted the flicker of surprise.

Truthfully… he'd seen through her from the moment they'd met.

"... Could somehow still manage to seem so vibrant, so alive. It was like she didn't quite know why everyone else smiled, but she had managed to start closing that gap just by trying hard enough."

Yuuji chuckled, unable, but also unwilling to keep the warmth from his tone.

"Honestly, I was pretty damn jealous of her."

The earlier surprise gave way to tender sympathy.

"So imagine my surprise when she stretched out a hand to someone like me. I told you I kissed her because she asked, and it was an apology, but that wasn't entirely true. Mostly it was just me showing gratitude."

Another chuckle.

"Shocked the hell out of me when she thought my offer to 'follow through' meant I wanted to date her. Not because I didn't, but because I couldn't believe she'd want to."

"And later? When she… when Akeno showed you her wings? What then?"

Yuuji smirked, and nodded slowly.

"I was pretty pissed off."

"... Eh?"

"Yep, I was that surprised too. As if anything she could say would make the slightest difference. I mean, the wings were just one more thing that made her unique, how could I not like them?"

"... You really are perfect for her, aren't you?"

Venelana whispered adoringly.

… The garden was warm, he could feel the heat on his cheeks, and why was she giggling?

… Grayfia too, though she was sneakier about it... must be the power of a maid.

"So yeah, I guess that's the story."

"... Oh? There aren't any more details you'd care to share?"

Instead of answering her, Yuuji turned his gaze to Grayfia with one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, Grayfia?"

"Yes, Kazami-sama?"

"... Is telling a woman about kinky things you've done with her daughter socially acceptable?"

"... No, no it is not."

"I kind of thought so, but I wasn't sure. Thanks, Grayfia."

He turned his head back to the patiently smiling Gremory matron.

"Nope, that's everything."

Venelana giggled.

"Ah, I see now why you're so good at keeping my daughters on their toes~"

"I try to keep our relationship fresh and exciting."

"Too kind, fufufu~"

Once she'd stopped giggling, Venelana prompted him once more.

"And Rias? How did things start with her? Of course, just like with Akeno, I've heard all the romantic details from her, but…?"

"Devils having multiple partners is not only normal, but encouraged for anyone who isn't one of the Four Satans."

"I'm aware, yes."

"Well I wasn't, so mostly, the early stages with Rias were incredibly awkward. Felt like a scumbag when I realized she was falling for me, and that I kind of wanted to return those feelings. I was happy with Akeno, though, so I did my best to bury them."

"So what changed?"

"They caught me up to speed, and man was it a shock to find out that those feelings were encouraged."

Venelana kept silent, though her smile widened, just a touch.

"Well, it didn't take long after that. Rias is… I guess I admire her. I feel like I can barely take care of myself, so to have someone so driven that also always seems to have time to take care of others is fascinating to me. Didn't hurt that she was cute, or that I owe her for just about every good thing that's happened since she reincarnated me."

"... Grayfia, I've made a terrible mistake."

"... You have?"

"Why aren't we recording this!?"

"... Milady, I do not believe Kazami-sama would be nearly so candid were we to do that."

…

...

"... Are you sure?"

"Positive, Milady."

"Hmph... Fine then."

Venelana huffed.

"Well, I also want to hear about Asia-chan and Ray-chan, but I want them to be comfortable enough to tell me their side first, so we'll wait on that."

"Sure."

Yuuji shrugged.

"Now, Grayfia, if you'd do the honors."

Grayfia paled.

"... Are you certain, Milady?"

"Mhm, this is important."

"Very well… if you'll excuse me then."

With a bow, Grayfia stepped backwards, before turning on her heel and departing.

… Yuuji was kind of curious as to why she looked just a little pale.

Venelana clapped her hands together decisively.

"... So it's come to this, huh?"

"Yep, I need to know if you can protect my baby girls. I've heard good things, but a mother worries, so I'd like to see it myself."

Yuuji kicked out of his seat and leapt back, a trail of gunmetal dust following in his wake as a handgun materialized in his grip.

Giggling, Venelana rose sedately from her seat, running a finger along the surface of the table as she circled around it.

When her finger left it, the table promptly blew away like dust on the wind, just close enough that a curious Yuuji could reach out and run his hand through the cloud.

He pinched some of the dust between his fingers, and after sniffing it, curiously brought it up to his tongue.

"... Salt?"

"Nowadays, they call me the 'Mother of Ruin'. The name has changed a bit over the years, but can you guess why I might have such a title?"

"... You were Venelana Bael, once. The Power of Destruction that both Rias and Sirzechs wield was inherited from you."

"Indeed, as was Rias' nickname. I was the first 'Ruin Princess', after all. But did you know I had another title, long before I was a mother?"

"... I didn't, no."

"Once, the Angels simply referred to me as 'Gomorrah'. It's an odd sort of quirk that comes with my Destruction, one that's never been seen before."

Yuuji tilted his head.

Sounded familiar for some reason, but he couldn't quite…

"Of course, I've never been able to read a Bible, for obvious reasons, but, just like the stories, nothing is left of my foes but a pillar of salt."

Venelana tapped a finger to her chin, gazing upwards as she pursed her lips in thought.

"At least, when I leave anything of them, that is."

Yuuji took a slow breath, already feeling his pulse race as he readied himself.

Like the sun from below the horizon, crimson radiated out from the Gremory matriarch in a slow, subtle wave as she smirked.

"Now then, Kazami Yuuji… show me that you're worthy of entrusting my daughters to."

The playful giggle suddenly had a far more threatening air.

"And while you're at it… please, for their sake, if nothing more-"

Yuuji flipped the safety.

"Try not to die."

"Heads up."

Grayfia turned around, just in time to slip beneath Yuuji's arm to catch him as he stumbled, through the crumbling barrier of the boundary field she'd set up.

"You know Grayfia, have I ever told you how I appreciate that you've never tried to dissolve me?"

As he asked that, the last scraps of his shirt blew away on the breeze, revealing the faded red patches of skin that looked almost like they'd been scrubbed off.

"... No, I don't believe you have."

The bemused maid answered, supporting Yuuji's weight with one arm, and fishing out the vial of Phoenix Tears that had been stowed away in her apron.

"Well, first time for everything. Thanks, Grayfia."

With that he pulled away, regaining his footing once more and chugging back the potion.

"... How did it go?"

She whispered as his wounds faded and his breathing returned to normal.

"Have all my bones, I think she likes me. Approved of our relationship, so I guess I took the only win I could hope for."

"Ah, I wouldn't have gone that far!"

Protested the still pristine Venelana Gremory, joining up with them.

They must have used a lot of the garden in the battle, if she'd been that far away.

"Besides, you did just fine. You've only been a Devil for a few months, after all."

The Gremory matriarch encouraged, though Yuuji looked kind of like he'd eaten something sour as he listened along.

"Sure, sure. Now I could use a shower and a new shirt, if I could be excused?"

"Hmm, hold on, we haven't dealt with the most important part yet."

Yuuji gave a long suffering sigh at that, which morphed into a stiff sort of confusion as the lady of the house embraced him with a cheerful smile, patting him on the back as she did.

"Welcome to the family, Yuuji."

Yuuji blinked slowly, gradually lifting his arms to return the embrace.

Whatever words he'd been trying to say in response, even he wasn't quite sure.

For some reason, they couldn't quite get past the lump in his throat.

Her mistress's smile was a bit wistful, as they watched the young Pawn depart.

… She had hoped that he'd been able to move past that, but it seemed it would take time, yet.

Grayfia had seen it once before, when Zeoticus-sama had welcomed Yuuji into the family.

… Until now, it had been the only time she'd truly seen him flinch.

A subdued sort of tremor, like a frightened child doing his best to remain as still as possible.

… And also, just like the last time…

It brought with it a peculiar sort of ache, deep within her chest.

With a quiet sigh, Grayfia turned her attention back to the Gremory matriarch, giving a small bow of apology at having neglected her duties, if only for a moment.

The sad smile vanished from Venelana's lips then as she perked up abruptly, spreading her arms low at her side and giving a girlish little twirl as Grayfia inspected her.

Though she'd had hopes, it was as she'd expected.

Not a single strand of silken hair out of place.

That artful hint of makeup, unmarred.

Not a speck of dust upon her necklace.

The hem of her dress unruffled, her white gloves as pristine as ever.

Her delicate white slippers, neither scuffed nor smudged in the slightest-

Venelana giggled in delight as Grayfia was forced to do a double-take.

Her delicate white slipper was neither scuffed nor smudged in the slightest, but her other slipper nowhere to be found, and her dainty foot was covered instead by streaks of soot, dirt, and slowly closing tears in the skin.

"Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, Fia-chan… and you know, I do believe that I'm going to be very, very disappointed in my girls if they let a clever boy like that slip away."

Venelana giggled once more, before her expression grew solemn.

"Though, I do hope that they can continue to be as good for him... as he is for them."

It was at the dinner table when Yuuji was reunited with the rest of the group.

Rias was seated to the right of Venelana, at the head of the table, with Akeno by her side.

Dinner was a relatively quiet but pleasant affair, as it was mostly the members of the dorm seated, even the more shy members of their little family could enjoy themselves at the large table without feeling too self-conscious.

Akeno had commented that this was only one of several dining rooms within the manor, the one prefered by members of the family to enjoy meals in less formal settings.

The main dining room was more accurately a dining hall, so it was a bit much for everyday use.

Made sense to him, Yuuji supposed, but mostly he was wondering why Akeno and Rias seemed to be waiting on something, and how their side-long glances to Venelana seemed to carry just the faintest hint of nervousness.

… Come to think of it, they'd probably wanted more details about his earlier talk with the Gremory matron, beyond 'pretty good I think'.

They both straightened almost reflexively as Venelana finished her meal and lowered her utensils.

"So, girls."

The smiling woman asked.

"... Yes, Oka-sama?"

Rias answered hesitantly on their behalf.

"When can I expect grandbabies?"

The spluttering and the blushing was as cute as always, but later, Yuuji would freely admit that the dreamy smiles and glittering eyes that appeared gradually among several faces around the table made him feel inexplicably nervous.

… That hadn't been the thing that stuck out to him the most, though.

For just the briefest of instant, from where she'd stood dutifully in attendance of her mistress, he could have sworn he'd seen a flicker of pain cross Grayfia's face.

"This is a kidnapping, get dressed and get your shoes."

This is what Yuuji had greeted her with, after her good morning kiss that was.

"Ara, a kidnapping so soon? And here I was praying that I'd be safe from marauding ne'er do wells within the Gremory estate."

"Given that you're a Devil, the praying part was probably where things went wrong."

"Must have been. So, where are we going? Not that I'm going to complain if we're going on an impromptu date, but I didn't really expect to be able to sneak away so soon."

Akeno asked, as she began to get dressed.

"Neither did I, but for some reason there's certain people who don't want you stumbling across certain things being set up for a certain day, so you could say that a certain man is taking advantage."

Opting not to immediately reply, as she'd finished getting dressed, Akeno instead showed herself off with a slow, playful twirl, smiling happily as Yuuji's appreciative smile told her loud and clear just what he thought of her outfit.

Akeno had chosen a loose, striped kosode of two-tone blue, and while Yuuji though the high-waisted skirt she wore was meant to be a dark-grey hakama, he was pretty sure that a hakama was meant to cover a lot more than a few inches of the upper thigh.

She had been reaching for a delicate pair of sandals, at first, but a quick, appraising glance over her shoulder in his direction led to her shaking her head, apparently picking up on some unspoken signal he didn't know he was giving.

Instead, knee-length black socks like she wore with her school uniform went on, to be covered by, tan, laced leather boots of similar length.

" Well? Take away- oh! Ufufu~"

Akeno found herself quite suddenly swept off her feet and into Yuuji's arms, laughing quietly with delight as she looped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

As she snuggled in against him, Akeno noticed that the hand belonging to the arm tucked beneath her legs was holding a slip of parchment paper, with a Gremory magic circle etched across it.

Before she could ask, it faded to Yuuji's gunmetal grey, and dissolved.

A grey portal flared to life beneath them, which Yuuji took the opportunity to explain.

"Not sure I could pull off bringing us back to Earth, so I asked for a hand."

"Oh? We're going back to the human world, are we?"

Now she was even more curious, but;

"Yeah, that seems to be the case."

Whatever he was planning, Yuuji wasn't dropping any more hints.

Rather than protest, Akeno busied herself with snuggling up against her boyfriend as the teleportation circle whisked them away.

She liked to think she had her priorities straight.

… Akeno had the feeling there was probably more going on, but she honestly wouldn't have minded if they just ended their little expedition right where they were.

That being Yuuji's bedroom, the portal having brought them to the entryway of the dorm.

Calmly she sat on the bed, idly bouncing her crossed leg as she waited for Yuuji, who had stepped over to the closet.

She was getting more and more curious as he stepped in front of her with what seemed to be a folded strip of fabric in one hand, and offered her his empty one.

As he pulled her to her feet, Yuuji told her to turn around, and when she did, he leaned up against her to whisper in her ear.

"Close your eyes."

A pleased shiver ran through her at the warm breath against her ear, and Akeno did just that, trying her best not to seem too excited as the strip of fabric was revealed to be just what she'd hoped;

A blindfold.

Turning her about and taking both of her hands in his own, Yuuji pulled gently, leading her into a slow forward walk without saying a word.

There was a rush of air that teased a whisper of magic across her skin, and then a fresh breeze brought with it the scent of the forest.

Yuuji released her briefly, only to duck against her, pulling her arms over his shoulders and lifting her into a piggy-back.

Akeno took a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of her breasts pressed up against Yuuji's warm, muscular back before she decided to break her silence.

"We're going… up a hill?"

"Yeah, I'd originally planned to just walk with you and then blindfold you a bit later, but then I remembered that I like carrying you."

"Mm, I think I like this new plan better as well."

Akeno agreed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

It was funny how something so simple and not especially romantic could make her feel so safe and loved.

She found it a bit difficult to measure time like that, but after what she thought was around a quarter of an hour, Yuuji came to a halt, just as their pathway seemed to even out.

Gently, he let her down, and softly told her;

"This is something I've wanted to share with you for a while, but even if it's a day early, today seemed perfect for it."

Akeno was itching with anticipation as Yuuji reached up and slowly untied the blindfold before stepping aside, so that she could better see the surprise he'd been waiting to share.

Her hands flew up to her face, not quite managing to catch the awed gasp that slipped free as Akeno's vision returned.

On its own, the small, homey log cabin would have garnered a similar reaction, nestled within a clearing at the summit of a small, but densely wooded mountain.

Bathed by the warm rays of the midmorning sun, to her eyes, it seemed both welcoming and somehow… separate, as if the cabin doors hid away a secret, private little world…

That she'd just been invited into.

Because while she had never been on this mountain, never seen this cabin even in pictures, this, this was the cabin where Yuuji had lived, once.

The home he and Asako had shared, and now, even if it was only for a little while, Yuuji had brought her there.

" I guess you do know what this means, huh? Well, don't just stand there, let's go inside… Akeno?"

… Well, he thought she'd appreciate it, but-

Yuuji's thoughts, and his next words were suddenly cut off.

Given that Akeno had done so by pulling him into a searing kiss that left them both breathless, he must have done something right.

"Ara ara, are those bullet holes in the ceiling?"

"Not many people can argue over gunfire."

"... Was that?"

"JB? Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"It was JB!?"

"She has a temper sometimes."

Shaking her head in amusement, Akeno continued wandering around the well-kept interior of the cabin, which was bigger than she'd initially expected.

She'd imagined it to all be more or less one room, and while it was true that the kitchen and the living room weren't really separate, there was a bedroom, and the bathroom was home to a traditional wooden bathtub made of cypress.

At last though, she made it to what she'd decided would be her final destination from the moment she'd walked through the door.

There, on the dresser, sat an old photograph propped up in its dark wooden frame.

Three figures stood together, a pair of women with a hand on the shoulders of the boy standing in front.

With her long, wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes and suit and skirt combo ( though Akeno noted it was a bit more conservative than she was accustomed to, all the buttons done up and a tie in place of her necklace), JB was easily recognizable.

With a friendly arm slung around the blonde's shoulder, a tall, athletic Japanese beauty with her blue hair in a high, functional ponytail grinned at the camera, dressed in a straining navy tank top and fatigues.

Kusakabe Asako.

This was the first time Akeno had been able to see a picture of the woman, she wasn't sure if the little clay statue Yuuji made counted or not, though she could now appreciate what a faithful reproduction it was.

And lastly, there at the front with dull dark eyes and vaguely sullen frown, was-

"Can't say I'm a fan of that picture. The brat with the dead eyes kinda pisses me off."

Yuuji admitted, slipping up to embrace Akeno from behind.

"You, and the boy in the picture, they're not the same person. Not anymore."

"Huh… I guess they aren't, are they?"

"I would have loved the chance to get to know Asako, and more importantly thank her."

"Thank her?"

"If it weren't for her, you and I might never have met. Asako, and JB as well... Words can't quite describe just how grateful I am."

With her back turned, Akeno wasn't able to see how the flicker of surprise across Yuuji's face was replaced by pursed lips, almost as if he was trying to hold in laughter.

"... That would have been fun to see. Despite how confident she was with just about everything, Asako never did quite figure out how to handle gratitude."

Yuuji admitted, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"Hmm, that kind of reminds me of someone."

Akeno pondered aloud, one slender finger against her chin.

"Probably coincidence."

Yuuji blandly replied, before blatantly changing the subject.

"Anyways, there was another important thing I wanted to do, while we were here."

Akeno pulled from his grasp, turning to face Yuuji as he stepped back and offered his hand.

"Would you... like to meet her?"

A warm, tender smile blooming across her face, Akeno took his hand in her own.

"I'd be honored."

They were kneeling in front a pair of small headstones, the taller of the two carved with simply 'Asako'.

They'd been silent, until then, Yuuji merely gazing at the stone with a fond, wistful smile.

Akeno gave a little start as a hand fell on her shoulder, which, perhaps fittingly, caused her to straighten further as Yuuji quietly introduced her to his master.

"Been a while, hasn't it, Asako? There's someone I wanted you to meet."

The wistful air vanished, and Akeno was forced to avert her eyes, ducking her head bashfully to conceal the furious blush that bloomed, in response to the proud smile that spread across Yuuji's lips.

"This is the girl I fell in love with, Akeno. I'm sure you two would have been great friends, and…"

Yuuji's proud smile morphed into a mischievous smirk, and Akeno let out a little squeak of surprise as he pulled her against him, tilting his head to rest atop her own.

"And you know, I really wanted to thank you, Asako."

Akeno whimpered, covering her face with both hands as Yuuji deliberately dragged his words out.

"If it weren't for you, her and I might never have met. Jb already knows, but… words can't quite describe just how grateful I am."

…

…

Well, she'd probably need a few minutes, Yuuji decided, and so he reached across to the other grave, the smaller one with the red collar sitting on the ground in front of it.

"Hey, John, long time no see, girl. Thanks for keeping an eye on Asako while I was gone."

Yuuji smiled gently as he rubbed the top of the grave, just as if he could still pet his companion.

"Got a new dog, his name is Ruth. He likes small cute things, so you two would have gotten along just great, I imagine. He's a lot bigger than you, but he wouldn't have made a fuss about being the junior in the relationship."

Yuuji chuckled quietly as he pictured that, a little collie imperiously leading about the towering black wolfhound that followed attentively behind.

… Huh, that was strange, he could have sworn his chuckle had an echo, but it seemed more like a giggle-

Then he was bowled over, straddled by a dark-haired beauty who giggled bewitchingly, her cheeks flushed with heat and her glittering violet orbs burning into his.

For a brief moment, they simply stared at each other, no sound between them but the sound of Akeno's breath, low and laden with arousal.

Slowly, Akeno's soft hands gripped him by either cheek.

Then she dove in like a striking snake, hungrily claiming his lips with her own.

It was a wet, sloppy kiss that at times made Yuuji wonder if Akeno was seriously trying to eat him, her tongue lashing about his mouth whenever she wasn't nibbling at his lips.

It was actually pretty hot, Akeno messily indulging in a furious outflowing of emotion, but he wasn't sure if this was really the place…

Yuuji's hands cupped handfuls of Akeno's firm rear, and gave a meaningful squeeze to get her attention.

It worked like normal, in that Akeno stopped kissing him, but utterly failed in not escalating things.

Akeno tore her lips away from his and arched her back like a drawn bow, screaming convulsively.

She held that pose for a moment before collapsing on top of him in a limp, gasping heap, her chin resting awkwardly against his shoulder thanks to Yuuji twisting just fast enough to keep their faces from smacking together.

Blinking in a daze, Yuuji slid one hand up to gently rub the quivering girl's back.

"... Someone's sensitive today."

Akeno buried her burning face into his shoulder and mumbled.

"... Say again?"

"S'not my fault… blindfolded me and didn't take advantage…"

Akeno murmured defensively.

"... Ah, yeah, guess that was my bad. We haven't tried blindfolds yet, have we?"

"Was really hot, being at Yuuji's mercy like that… would have gone crazy if he'd touched me more."

Akeno admitted.

Well, that was good to know for tomorrow…

"Sorry about that. Come on then, let's get you inside and cleaned up."

"... Carry me? Don't wanna…"

"Sure."

Yuuji pushed them both up into a sitting position, easily getting his legs beneath him and rising to his feet with Akeno in his arms.

Looking back at the gravestone, Yuuji decided he'd pour the drink out for Asako later.

She wouldn't mind, but…

Well, he probably shouldn't mention to Akeno that Asako would have found their little mishap hilarious.

… He could almost imagine that raucous laughter on the breeze.

Akeno still seemed more than a little ashamed, as she sat naked and hunched on the bathroom stool.

Much as she liked to experiment, Akeno had a deep respect for tradition, so it wasn't hard to imagine why she was still a little shocked.

… He wasn't about to let their visit be tainted by that memory though, because, awkward though that little accident might have been, no real harm was done, and this was kind of a really big deal for him.

Today, he had brought Akeno to what, to him, was the single most important place in the entire world.

Which was why it was time to follow a very different kind of tradition.

Reaching past her, Yuuji hooked the shower head back in its place now that he was finished rinsing off the two of them, and helped Akeno to her feet.

She still wasn't really paying attention to much of, well, anything, which was why he caught her completely off guard as, rather than lead her away to the tub, he pushed on her upper back and walked her forward.

"Y-Yuuji? W-what are you-"

Akeno's voice cut off with a sharp inhale as he forced her to lean, pressing her chest against the tall mirror built into the wall, and forcing her to turn her cheek to keep from bumping her nose against the glass.

Akeno shivered at the sensations of the glass against her nipples, the mirror just a little cooler in temperature than the rest of the room.

Akeno lifted her hands to steady herself, soft skin squeaking against the wet glass as she looked back at Yuuji with one eye.

Yuuji casually cut her off as she opened her mouth to speak.

"You know, this is the room where I had my first time. Learned all about how to treat a woman, and I also learned exactly how to take a girl's mind off of anything that wasn't me."

Akeno went still, her one visible eye clear, and her cheeks flushed with anticipation as the implications of his possessive claim set in.

"That's the nice thing about mirrors."

Yuuji said, pausing to enjoy the sound of Akeno's surprised shriek turning into a low, trembling moan as he pressed against her, and then into her in one smooth motion.

"This way, we both get to see all the slutty faces you're going to be making."

In the end, he ended up having to carry her down the mountain as well.

Neither of them really minded.

It had been a strange and nostalgic sort of experience, taking a bath with her Nee-sama.

It had been a long time since anyone other than Buchou or Akeno-nee-san had washed her hair, and this time, she didn't need to feel jealous of the older girl, since seeing Nee-sama without clothes gave her hope that she'd look like that once her growth spurt hit.

Well, she knew she wouldn't look entirely like Nee-sama, since Nee-sama was the prettiest girl in the entire world (she took a moment to internally apologize to her adoptive older siblings, but she'd be honest with herself), but at least she had hope she might (would) grow a little (lot) more.

Now they were wrapped in their towels, and a humming Nee-sama sat behind her, a blissful smile on her face as she ran the brush though her much shorter hair.

"Nyaa, Shirone, looks like your stripes have almost finished coming in."

Her big sister commented idly, both of them having lowered the enchantment that concealed their true hair colors.

The stripes had been coming in faster, Koneko could admit.

Nothing on her ears or tail, just yet, but the black strands of her hair had been increasing in number, and in a fairly uniform fashion.

The black patches weren't quite thick enough that she'd call them stripes, just yet, coming in in lines about the width of her pinky finger.

Whereas Nee-sama's were-

"... They've gotten wider."

Koneko commented, looking back at her sister.

"Hmm? Ah, yeah, they have, haven't they?"

Kuroka replied casually, running her free hand through her own unbound hair.

Before, her Nee-sama's stripes had been about thumb-width, but to her eyes, it looked almost like the stripes in her hair had paired up, she had about half the number now, but they were double the width.

More importantly, that casual tone had been faked, and Nee-sama wasn't meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"... You're okay, right?"

She cringed a little as Nee-sama flinched, she hadn't meant to sound that worried, even if she kind of was.

"N-nyo I'm fine, promise! It's not that at all, it's just that, well… you see… hehe."

She did see.

… If she was supposed to once again see that a flustered Nee-sama was a cute Nee-sama, that was.

Slowly, she let one eyebrow raise as Kuroka fidgeted, her tails swishing to and fro.

"You see, that training camp that's happening in a few days is mostly just going to be the two of us, nya. And, well, this Onee-chan may have gotten sort of a little excited, and maybe worked sort of really hard getting ready, and she may have overdone it and almost earned her third tail?"

As Nee-sama trailed off with an awkward laugh, Koneko remained silent, carefully pondering what she'd heard.

"... Nee-sama's the best, nya."

She settled on eventually, not noticing the addition to the end of her sentence.

Kuroka did, though, and went rigid, eyes widening and tails going straight and stiff.

"... Shirone just nya'd… that's the cutest thing Onee-chan has ever heard… is this Heaven?"

"Heaven's dangerous Nee-sama, stay here."

Koneko huffed.

… It wasn't that big a deal, was it?

Slip of the tongue.

Of course, Nee-sama saw right through her, and shook her head with a teasing giggle.

"Nyahaha, cute little Shirone~"

"Hmmph."

"Teasing aside, it actually is a good thing, Shironya."

"... What is?"

"The verbal tic isn't something I do on purpose, you knyow? It's been happening more often the more I use my powers. So I'm pretty sure it's the same for you, you're embracing your heritage, and becoming more like a cat in some ways."

"Is that why I've been taking more naps?"

"In the sun?"

Kuroka suggested in a knowing tone.

Koneko nodded.

"Yep, that's probably it, nya."

Kuroka agreed, before an excited smile spread across her face.

"That means more Shironya cuddles!"

Koneko blushed, but after a moment, nodded shyly.

… Her naps did seem to feel better, lately, when she had someone warm to snuggle with.

… Maybe embracing her feline side was helping her in more ways than one.

Rias was the one with the reputation for it, and she herself was guilty of it just as often, though she had always found being sneaky about it fun, which the younger peerage members seemed to enjoy as well.

So it wasn't really known that every member of Rias' original batch of servants all had a fairly high degree of proficiency in the Gremory's specialty.

That was, spoiling the hell out of the people they cared for.

Which was precisely why moments after Rias and Yuuji had kissed her awake, and they'd gotten themselves more or less decent, Akeno heard a knock at the door, and shortly then after found her bedroom door being slowly opened, to reveal Kiba in a butler uniform.

With a smile and a polite, elegant bow, he stepped to one side, holding the door for Koneko and Gasper (both in maid uniforms, but the proper kind, and not the kind she was planning to wear for Yuuji at some point), as they steered in a laden serving cart.

Politely she received them, doing her best not to giggle or hug-smother the adorable little maids as they served breakfast in bed, but fighting back giggles turned to fighting back tears when Gasper managed to get through the whole spiel and present his 'Onee-chan' with breakfast without even stuttering once.

He'd even properly looked her in the eye, and she knew how big of a step that was for the shy little Dhampir.

… Rias, ever attentive to her servant's needs, briefly took the tray from her lap so it wouldn't be in the way of birthday hugs.

She'd spent less than an hour of her birthday awake, and already, Akeno's heart was full to the brim.

… Today was going to be a wonderful day.

Her two lovers tag-teamed her in the bathroom, which was a lot less kinky, but just as wonderful as she'd imagined.

She hadn't had any luck figuring out how he did it, and he seemed to be the only one who could, but when Yuuji worked his fingers across her upper back, before she knew it, her wings were unfurled, and naturally, he was on the side with the feathers.

"Well, since your wings are out, would you like me to brush them for you?"

Yuuji blandly offered with that smug half-smirk of his, as Rias, not paying the exchange any mind, calmly guided her onto the bathroom stool and began running a brush through her midnight river of hair.

"Ara ara, well, I'll trouble you then if you don't mind, Yuuji-kun."

"Sure."

Decisions made, they didn't talk much, after that, the only sounds were that of the brushes doing their work, and someone gently humming a slow, but happy tune.

Oh.

… That was her.

She wasn't much for large gatherings, even if she could easily make a good showing and enjoy herself in the process.

… Oh, come to think of it, the Young Devils Gathering would be the first large social event she'd attend as a taken woman… would be nice to have a less vague reason to turn down all those shallow propositions she was used to getting from all those self-absorbed nobles looking for another trophy.

And, while she'd never cheapen their relationship by deliberately inciting jealousy, jealousy of Yuuji was bound to crop up regardless of what she did.

Which carried with it a different sort of pleasure, because by the Maou was Yuuji hot when he was feeling territorial.

… Then again, Yuuji was hot no matter what he was doing, so he was probably going to get quite a few…

"Akeno, you're sparking."

"Oops."

"... Something I should know about?"

"We're going to be busy girls, aren't we, Buchou?"

"... Let's just kill them."

Rias blinked in confusion, not having the slightest clue as to what had prompted her own response, and feeling a bit sheepish as everyone stared at her in surprise.

" … Akeno, what exactly were you thinking about?"

"Secret, ufufu~"

A lovely violet and black kimono from Rias.

A tea set from Koneko and Gasper.

That one paired well with the blend of tea leaves from Kiba, that he'd been nurturing in secret in the Kuoh Academy greenhouse all semester.

A feather grooming kit from Raynare that was popular among Fallen women, and a book on herbal remedies that could be brewed into tea from Kalawarner.

How she'd managed to get one from one of the Yokai, Akeno was sure was quite the story, and the tone Kalawarner took when offering to share some other time suggested that the story was going to be fun.

A flower hairpin from Asia, coordinating with Rias' gift.

Xenovia's gift had surprised her, an omamori, a traditional Japanese charm, though the blessing on this one in particular was less traditional in subject matter, but very much in line with Xenovia character;

Victory in battle.

Later, Xenovia had confessed that her first thought had been a religious charm of some kind, but it had taken her some time to investigate which would be beneficial rather than harmful to Devils.

Her breath had caught in her throat when Yuuji presented his gift, a set of black feather earrings that he had custom-made using one of her feathers as a mold, though the earrings were quite a bit smaller than the feather he'd used.

The other gift he alluded to provoked a very different sort of reaction from her, and, even though he whispered carefully enough that no one else could overhear, she still caught that hint of pink upon Rias' cheeks, and left Akeno wondering just how the red-head factored in.

After their little lunch gathering, she'd been a bit surprised to have Gasper tugging quietly on her sleeve.

"Akeno-onee-sama?"

"Ara? What is it, Gasper-kun?"

"D-do you have a minute to t-talk?"

"Yes of course, what did you want to talk about?"

Gasper shook his head, eyes darting around nervously.

"C-can we talk in p-private?"

Smiling reassuringly, Akeno gently took the small boy by the hand and led him away, ducking down a side hall to an empty lounge.

Sitting beside him on the small couch, Akeno waited a moment for Gasper to gather his thoughts, curious and perhaps a tiny bit concerned as to why he was so nervous.

"Take your time, Gasper-kun. Whenever you're ready to talk."

It took a few minutes of fidgeting, and one or two false starts before the young Bishop took a deep breath and began to speak, not quite meeting her eyes.

"N-now that… Yuuji-senpai knows, are you a… a little more comfortable? Y-you know, a-about your… h-heritage?"

Gasper asked tentatively.

"... You mean about being half-Fallen?"

Gasper slowly nodded, eyeing her cautiously.

"... Yes, I believe I am. Perhaps not entirely, but enough to start honestly facing that side of myself. Maybe you don't know yet, but over the summer break I'll be training with Raynare and Kalawarner, and learning to use my Light-based powers."

"R-really!?"

His loud tone made her worried she'd frightened him, with her mention of Light, but that worry vanished behind the warm fuzzy feeling Akeno was struck by, when Gasper turned to face her fully, a bright smile on his pale face.

"That's great! I-I'm happy for you, Akeno-onee-sama!"

"Ah… thank you, Gasper-kun."

Akeno smiled fondly back, honestly touched by his excitement on her behalf.

"... W-well then, t-that makes saying this a l-little easier."

Oh?

She wasn't sure where he was going with this, but it obviously took a lot of courage, so she would respond as earnestly as she could.

"W-well y-y-you see… I've k-k-kinda thought this for a while... but I w-was worried y-you'd be mad…"

… That seemed unlikely, she wasn't sure she had it in her to be mad at Gasper.

Instead she just smiled encouragingly, wordlessly prompting him along.

Gasper took a deep breath.

"W-well I always t-t-thought h-having someone else i-in the p-p-peerage w-w-who was half-human, and h-half something else w-w-was k-kind of comforting… m-m-made me f-f-feel l-less o-out of place, n-n-not that I t-think you're strange or anything! I-it's j-j-just b-b-being a Dhampir i-is hard to t-t-talk about, w-w-which is why I always f-found you easier to…"

Gasper trailed off awkwardly, as he realized she had gone completely still.

"Akeno- eep!"

Akeno still had her arms wrapped around him when Balor faded, leaving him blinking in surprise at the tender embrace.

"... You know, Gasper, I've been ashamed of my heritage for so long that I never once considered that something good might come of it… did you really mean it? That it was comforting, to have another half-human in the peerage?"

Gasper reached up and hugged the much taller girl back.

"Y-yeah… Y-Yuuji-senpai m-mentioned that you m-might like to hear that so… I've been w-working up to it f-for a while, b-b-but I thought that today m-might be a good… day?"

"It was perfect, Gasper-kun. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Mhm!"

After a moment, Akeno shifted her grip, holding Gasper at arm's length as she smiled teasingly.

"Ara ara, if my adorable little brother is this charming now, his Onee-sama is going to have a lot of work chasing off all the women he charms when he's older."

The admittedly mild tease slipped out before she could stop it, and Akeno winced internally, hoping that Gasper wouldn't-

Gasper stiffened, twitched, and then quite woodenly averted his gaze with a nervous smile.

… No way.

"Akeno-onee-sama."

Gasper asked in a remarkably clear voice, even as he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"... Yes, Gasper-kun?"

"... H-how do y-you know if… if you…"

Oh Maou, was he?

He couldn't be…

Gasper whipped his head back around and, in the most determined tone she'd ever heard from him, demanded in a half-shout;

"H-how do you k-know if you l-like someone!?"

He was!

This was the best day ever!

Dinner was a wonderful affair, if a bit less intimate.

Zeoticus Gremory had returned home, just as expected, and Sirzechs had returned from the capital.

He wasn't the only Satan in attendance, as Serafall had sparkled in at the side of Sona and her peerage in a magical girl costume (no prizes for guessing what her gift was, but this time, she'd get to see how Yuuji enjoyed the outfit, and wouldn't that be fun).

Kuroka had been persuaded by Koneko to make an attendance, which was nice and served the alternate but vital purpose of allowing her to get a better sense of Kuroka's suitability.

She'd have to put an extra check-mark beside Kuroka's name on the list, the girl was ready and willing, had cat ears, fluffy tails and great boobs, and would help keep Yuuji on his toes with her mischievous nature.

Though, Kuroka was still trying her best to behave and not rock the boat too much, given her technical status as a prisoner (they were hardly even pretending that was true by now, but oh well), so she wasn't acting that mischievous, but...

Akeno could recognize one of her own.

That being said, while she was having fun…

Yuuji wasn't dropping hints about the 'after party' at all, no matter how shamelessly she flirted or pouted, and it was starting to drive her a little crazy.

So the Akeno that Yuuji took by the hand and guided to the bedroom was a very horny Akeno, but when he stopped her at the door with a confused frown, she became a very confused Akeno. .

"Hang on, you're a little underdressed for this."

"... Underdressed?"

Akeno looked down at herself critically before she could stop to think about it, even as internally she tried to puzzle out how she could be underdressed for sex.

She hadn't exactly gotten all dolled up for her birthday, but she made the dress she was wearing look good and she knew it, and Yuuji had told her as much.

… They were having sex, right?

"Yeah, something's missing…"

Yuuji snapped his fingers, his expression blankly innocent.

The next thing she knew, she was being pressed gently against the shut door, face-first, and held there by two fingers held against her lower back, barely an inch away from her butt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yuuji's subtle smirk as he pulled something from his pocket, and then he walked her backwards a few paces.

"Close your eyes."

She did just that, confusion still written across her face as she tried to puzzle out just what was going on.

Then fabric fell across her eyes, and she felt something being tied in place at the back of her head.

"Much better."

… Oh.

Now sightless, Akeno listened as Yuuji opened the door, taking her by the hand and guiding her in.

She shivered as Yuuji went around behind her, hugging her closely as he whispered in her ear.

"Nah, changed my mind. Too many clothes here, but I think we'll keep the blindfold."

He proceeded to slowly strip her, taking a slow, sensual pace that he utterly refused to hurry along no matter how she squirmed or whined.

Then Yuuji just…

Stopped.

Utterly still, utterly silent, and for a moment, Akeno found herself completely, totally alone.

She had just opened her mouth to call out to Yuuji when he stepped in against her, pushing her once more against the door, but this time keeping her there with his mouth against hers.

A single hand pinned her arms above her head, and a leg slowly but insistently pushed its way between hers, lifting her just the tiniest bit off of her heels.

He wasn't gentle about his kiss, not at all.

There was no play between them, no slow and passionate dance.

Yuuji's tongue thrashed about in her mouth like an enraged serpent, coiling and striking and refusing her even the slightest opportunity to reciprocate.

He broke the kiss without warning, leaving her breathless and aching with need, and the whole time, he hadn't made a single sound.

When he pulled her off the door, Akeno nearly stumbled, but Yuuji continued the pull and caught her in his arms, holding her gently but firmly.

She melted against him, still gasping for breath, but suddenly feeling so safe and secure that she wouldn't have minded if Yuuji did nothing more but hold her close.

They stayed like that, for a while, one of his strong arms supporting her effortlessly as the other ran slow, comforting circles across her naked back.

As the strength returned to her limbs, he took her by the hand, leading her deeper into the room.

After a few paces, they stopped, and Yuuji released her hand, leaving Akeno in darkness and silence once more.

This time though, with her sight deprived, a new sense of hers came into play; scent.

She couldn't quite pinpoint it, whatever it was, she got the sense that by now, it had subtly permeated the room, and wasn't that a far more delightful thought than she'd ever considered.

One such scent was sweet and comforting, a flowery, nostalgic scent that reminded her of-

The thought fell from her mind as she caught wind of a deep, heady scent that she could only associate with arousal…

… It wasn't coming from her.

Well, not just from her.

Then Yuuji was lifting her from the floor, hooking her beneath the knees and folding them up beside her body, a pose that bared her slit to the air, and would have simply dumped her on the floor without Yuuji behind her.

Akeno wouldn't have found the pose all that embarrassing, without the blindfold, but the way they were, anyone could be watching her as she shamelessly bared her most secret place and she wouldn't know.

… She might lose it if she got any more turned on, and Yuuji hadn't even really gotten into the foreplay.

Then Yuuji stepped forward with her in his arms, and slowly lowered her.

The 'seat' he lowered her onto was soft and smooth, and Akeno bit back a moan as her breasts were slowly molded and squashed against another pair, ones that heaved and rippled in time with her own.

She was just making sense of the fact that she was straddling a naked woman when a warm body pressed up against her from behind, forcing her even more tightly against the now squirming, nubile shape against her.

At last Yuuji spoke again, his breath hot against her ear.

"Have fun, you two."

And just like that, he was gone, but before she could even begin to process that, soft hands were gliding their way up her back, warm lips were pressed against her bare throat, and a sweet voice was whispering against it.

"The next gift is a who, not a what."

… Akeno's breath caught in her throat.

She'd chosen… today?

Akeno lifted her hands slowly, carefully, to trace the contours of smooth, delicate cheeks.

Then she tilted back the head within her grasp and lowered her own towards it in a deliberate, measured fashion, made cautious by her lack of vision.

… That had been her intention, but when their lips were close enough that they could practically taste each other, Akeno couldn't hold herself back any longer.

She kissed Rias hard, purring in delight as she caught her lover's bottom lip between both her own, sucking on it and flicking against it with her tongue.

Rias poked her tongue against her lips when a brief gap was provided, and so Akeno captured that instead, drawing it into her own mouth where she sucked and nibbled, prompting a slurred, sloppy moan from the other girl.

When at last the need for air forced them apart, Akeno quivered in wanton joy as hot saliva dribbled its way down her heaving breasts, intermingling with the thin sheen of sweat that slicked between her and the gasping body pressed against her.

She wasn't the only one who'd taken notice, and as her own hands dropped onto round, slim shoulders, the slender hands upon her back slowly traced their way up high, lightly gripping her shoulders from behind and guiding her to arch her back, just enough for-

Warm, wet lips closing around one swollen nipple.

Biting her lip as a low moan thrummed through her body, Akeno's grip on Rias tightened as the redhead suckled and nibbled at her breast, teasing it with feather-light pokes and caresses of her tongue.

Akeno's unkissed breast had just begun to ache from loneliness when Rias switched her attentions, coaxing a breathy sigh from Akeno.

As she looped one arm securely around Akeno's lower back, Rias brought the other around and cupped Akeno's wet but unattended breast, kneading and massaging supple flesh, brushing her thumb occasionally across her twitching nipple.

Oh, this is too…

She was burning, a boiling, feverish heat pooling low in her core, and Rias was slowly stoking the flames higher, and higher-

Rias switched breasts once again, and Akeno gasped sharply as the suckling intensified, almost as if Rias was trying to draw her flesh into her mouth.

The arm around her lower back tightened its grip, and the other hand vanished from her tit, only to make itself known once again with fingernails lightly pressing against her upper back.

Her trembling grew out of control as Rias dragged her nails gently down the curve of her back, caught the swollen bud of her breast between her lips and squeezed.

With a long, shuddering moan, Akeno felt the heat within her boil over and gush free, bucking against Rias as stars burst forth from within the darkness of her vision.

… Akeno's wet core grinding against her stomach had already brought her teetering dangerously close to the brink, but Rias could only jerk away with a sharp inhale as her Queen's arousal flooded down between them, dripping down into her own aching slit.

Pushed over the edge by the unexpected stimulation, Rias buried her face into Akeno's moist cleavage as she climaxed with a muffled whine, Akeno breathlessly embracing her as they writhed against one another.

… They sagged against one another, naked and intertwined, gasping raggedly as their hearts pounded in sync.

As she got her breathing under control, Akeno remained as she was, simply indulging the feeling of Rias cuddling naked against her, her arms lightly draped over Rias' shoulders.

Rias, though, much as she was enjoying the sensations herself, had other plans, and slowly reached up to remove the blindfold.

Akeno blinked away the spots in her eyes as the light returned, and for the first time since she'd entered the room, met eyes with Rias.

The words on her lips died as her heart flip flopped within her breast.

Rias was gazing up at her with pretty cheeks flushed with arousal and slick with sweat, azure eyes glittering with joy and a tiny, worshipful smile on her face.

Akeno could only watch in rapt fascination as those delicately formed cheeks flushed darker, and darker, Rias going rigid as she stared back.

… She must have been making quite the expression herself, a dry voice whispered in the back of her mind.

It took her mind a moment to process the strange sound that broke the hushed silence, but it made sense when Rias blinked and gave a sheepish shrug of her shoulders with a giggle of her own.

"Ara ara, here we are blushing like innocent maidens in love."

Rias snickered in response.

"Well, I suppose at least one of those things is true."

"... It is, isn't it? I love you, Rias."

"... Love you too, Akeno."

The kiss this time was much slower, more gentle now that she'd come down from her high, and could employ all of her senses once more.

… Just as good though.

When they broke, Akeno decided it was time to ask one of the questions that had been nagging at her.

"... Where did Yuuji go, by the way? He didn't get called away for something, did he?"

… She was starting to feel just the faintest hint of guilt.

It wasn't hard to guess how much of this was planned by him, but having him completely absent like that made her feel like she was doing something behind his back, ridiculous though the thought was.

"He'll be back."

Rias reassured her, easily guessing at what was bothering her.

"I was a little uncomfortable with the idea of him leaving, to be honest, but he was quite insistent that our first time together be just between the two of us, and, well, it was kind of hard to argue when…"

Rias blushed once again, ducking her head and squirming.

Even as that squirming sent a tingle through her sensitive skin, Akeno giggled as the answer made itself apparent.

"But every time you put up too much of an argument, he'd cut the conversation short with something kinky and try again later?"

It wasn't really a question… Yuuji did it to her all the time.

Rias could only nod, leaving just one question on her mind.

"Honestly… what did we ever do to deserve a man like him?"

Rias mirrored the fond smile upon her face.

"I don't know Akeno, but whatever it was… I'm nothing but grateful."

A warm, contemplative silence fell, Akeno absentmindedly stroking her King's river of crimson hair as Rias gently stroked her bare back.

Something caught the corner of Akeno's vision, and Rias tilted her head in puzzlement as the raven-haired beauty shrugged casually.

"What is it, Akeno?"

"Hm? Oh nothing, I only just realized you've been sitting on a chair this whole time."

"... Just now?"

"Well, aside from being blindfolded, I had someone way more important to focus on than any silly old chair."

Akeno commented with a smirk.

"That's fair. I'm probably more comfortable than your average cushion too."

Humming innocently in contemplation, Akeno gave little shake of her hips as Rias inhaled sharply, before nodding in agreement.

"And since wiggling against you like that felt pretty good, why don't we move over to the bed and see if we can make it feel even better?"

"I suppose we might as well."

Rias replied with the same indifference, before the girls met each other's eyes and giggled.

A sly, seductive smile on her face, Akeno shifted her arms until she could hold Rias by both shoulders and slowly slid her legs off of the lovely redheads lap without moving her upper body.

The feeling of their sweat-slicked legs slipping against each other left them both tingling anew, and left Akeno standing bent-over double, her face inches from Rias and her heavy breasts brushing against Rias' stiff nips as they hung.

It would be a shame not to take advantage, and so Rias did just that, closing the distance for another kiss.

As their tongues tangled together, Akeno slid one hand down Rias' wide hip and let it glide across her thigh, but when her hand mapped its way down to the crook of a knee, she lifted it up, guiding Rias to hook her long leg around her hip.

Rias did just that as Akeno repeated the process with the other leg, and then crossed them against Akeno's smooth back, allowing her Queen to straighten, slipping her arms behind Rias and easily lifting her from the chair.

With lips still pressing and tongue still dancing, Akeno walked them over to the bed, stepping onto it so that they could better take advantage of its size, and turning gently lowering her lover lengthwise across the soft sheets, with her own eager form pressed down atop Rias.

For a moment, at least, as Rias had other ideas, promptly rolling her over and sitting up, meeting her smile with a sultry smirk of her own, the slender fingers of one hand between Akeno's breasts lightly pinning her down.

Rias began to slowly rock her hips, gyrating sensuously as her wet core ground against the smooth, flat plane of Akeno's stomach.

Akeno had found that she liked being on top of Rias, but this… this was pretty good too.

As a groan slipped from her lips, Rias licked her own and took Akeno by the arms, pinning them above her head as she lowered in for another kiss, even as her hips continued their dance.

Akeno could only writhe and gasp beneath her beautiful King as Rias left her lips and trailed down, peppering kisses along her jawline until her plump lips found their destination, nibbling and sucking at Akeno's slim throat.

But, even as the wonderful sensations drew her closer and closer to the edge, Akeno was keenly aware that the bucking of Rias' hips was growing wilder and more frantic, and marshalled her willpower for one, single, desperate word.

"Rias."

Even if that was what she wanted, Akeno bit back a whine of protest as all motion from Rias came to an utter halt, leaving her aching with need.

A flicker of hesitance crossed her face as Rias lifted her head to meet her gaze, and vanished just as readily when Akeno lovingly whispered one word.

"Together?"

It was almost frantic, the way they pushed apart and seated themselves facing each other, as even those brief heartbeats without the other's touch felt like a bereft eternity.

Then they were back together, legs tangling together as needy slits pressed against each other, and though they couldn't keep in rhythm even if they tried, the way they bucked erratically against one another only seemed to make it better as the heat between them burned out of control.

Rias threw her head back a little too far as she moaned, unbalancing as she fell back against the bed.

Ever the dutiful Queen, Akeno pressed more tightly against her, lifting one of her King's long legs and molding against it, wrapping her arms around it and forcing it deep within the valley of her heaving breasts.

They screamed each other's names as they broke, convulsing spastically against one another as their lust overflowed, staining the bed and each other with their arousal as they peaked.

Breathless and dizzy, Akeno collapsed onto her back, still wrapped around her lover's shapely leg as she flopped.

Neither of them could quite manage to gasp out the words they wished to say, but they didn't need to anyways.

The harmony of two beating hearts said more than enough.

It had taken them awhile to be able to move, and when they did, the two girls hadn't managed much more than hauling themselves to the pillow, where they lay cuddled up against one another, silently basking in the presence of one another.

It certainly wasn't the first time she'd used Rias' tits as a pillow, or vice versa, but admittedly, Akeno was still feeling a little playful, and, well she could still smell their lingering arousal so she was feeling a little frisky once more.

Rias gasped as a warm mouth closed casually around the pert little crown of one breast, teasing and licking almost as if it was coincidence that things had ended up that way.

As she sedately molested her friend with her lips, one of Akeno's hands trailed gently down her stomach, inching its way towards her entrance.

She'd stop if Rias was too tired to continue of course, but this was a fun way to find out whether she was or not.

… She still did feel a little disappointed when a hand caught her own, arresting its downward trail.

But not too disappointed, considering the wonderful time they'd shared.

So admittedly, she wasn't really sure what to make of it when Rias twined their fingers together, doing the same with her other hand after a moment.

Artfully, Rias nudged her with one leg, though rather than push her away, Akeno found herself more fully on top of the playfully smiling redhead.

As Akeno met her impish smirk with a confused, albeit curious smile of her own, Rias slowly pulled their joined hands above the two of them on the bed, towards either post on the headboard.

Then she lifted them from the bed, just a little.

Akeno was just about to give voice to her curiosity when something moved.

"... Ara? What's this?"

Click.

Akeno's innocent expression gave way to eager anticipation as small circles of Gremory magic flared to life in a familiar gunmetal grey, and she quite abruptly found herself handcuffed, not only to the bed, but to Rias, as the cuffs had clearly been designed for two.

Idly she noted that a figure eight shape like that wouldn't be practical without magic, or that the equally impractical, velvet grey coverings were actually quite practical, since they'd prevent chafing quite handily.

Then she turned her delighted gaze to the smirking beauty she was cuffed on top of, but Rias cut her off with a quick peck of the lips before she could say anything.

Perhaps she was still sensitive from being blindfolded, but it was the scent that caught her attention first.

Only a few months earlier, if someone had told Akeno that she'd find the scent of iron and gunpowder both deeply reassuring and incredibly arousing, she would have laughed in their face, though she at least had enough poise to be graceful about it.

And then Akeno wasn't thinking much of anything at all, as Rias got the work kissing and suckling her neck, and a calloused finger was tracing the curve of her spine.

She shivered in delight, almost giddy with joy at the chance to feel his hands again.

The finger trailed its way down to her backdoor and stopped, and Akeno held her breath, hoping he would-

Akeno couldn't quite muffle the mewl of protest as the finger reversed its direction, sliding its way back up.

She squirmed and panted as the finger trailed up, and then down, over and over and still, still he wouldn't touch her anywhere else, wouldn't speak, and she knew that even if she tried to turn her head, she wouldn't see him unless he allowed it.

It was maddening.

She was going to lose it.

She was... probably going to pull something with how hard her orgasm was going to be at the end of this.

The only people that knew her little secret were here, touching her.

That Akeno positively loved it when Yuuji made her beg.

Give and take, push and pull… except with him.

To one man alone was she willing to wholly submit, revel in the idea of giving everything to him and to have it cherished and protected.

But not too soon, of course.

It was more fun when they dragged things out a little.

So she squirmed and gasped as Rias playfully nuzzled and that one finger trailed up and down.

Without any sort of pause, that finger became a full hand, sliding down her back, and this time when it reached the juicy flesh of Akeno's rear, it inched its way past, a finger almost coincidentally poking into her pucker by less than an inch.

Then it was gone, and the hand continued roaming.

A needy moan slipped free as she writhed against Rias, who was also being dreadfully unfair right about now.

No matter how often she kissed, sucked or nibbled her neck, Rias was only keeping to the left side of her neck.

Which was positively throbbing with all the attention it was getting, but her right side was feeling just a little neglected-

Almost as if they'd been reading her thoughts, Rias withdrew her mouth with a smirk, and the hand settled on her lower back, pushing her tingling flesh more firmly against the body beneath her.

Then the most delightful heat was pushing its way against her entrance, and her walls twitched and quivered as something hot and hard filled her in one slow, steady motion.

Yuuji filled her to the brim and remained there, his rod not moving at all as he pressed against her from above.

Then hot breath was against her right ear, and Akeno gasped as he bit down in a not-quite gentle fashion on the right side of her neck, sucking hard and lashing against it with his teeth.

Still his hips remained still, and his cock remained stuffed within her.

… So she had been right, he was going to-

At her limit, Akeno opened her mouth to beg, plead that he just fuck her already, but he was ready, and as her head twisted he twisted it further, not enough to hurt or strain but just enough to force her words back down her throat with his tongue.

Just like ages ago, at the start of the night, Yuuji left her breathless and aching, a cheerful smirk on his face as he met her eyes for the very first time.

Gently this time, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, and she was too breathless to do anything but twitch as his length pulled out, just enough to-

"Happy birthday, Akeno."

She had been wrong.

In the end, Yuuji didn't make her beg.

But he sure made her scream his name.

"Drink this."

Was the first thing she heard, as her eyes flickered open.

Idly, Akeno wondered what day it was, but decided that boring things such as time could wait until after whatever Yuuji was about to feed her mouth to mouth.

Eagerly she wrapped her arms around his neck as his lips pressed into her, and her eyes shot open wide as the slightly sweet, room temperature drink bubbled down her throat, escorted by Yuuji's tongue.

It brought with it a tingling sort of sensation that spread throughout her entire body like wildfire, and Akeno felt a surge of glee as quite suddenly, she was ready to go once more.

"Popular birthday drink that you're apparently supposed to serve mouth to mouth. It's a mild stimulant and aphrodisiac that needs saliva to activate."

Yuuji candidly explained.

"... That's hot."

"I thought so too. Which is why you should probably wake Rias up and feed her some. It's necessary to do it that way, but this way I get to watch you kiss so everyone wins."

"Mm, that does sound fun, doesn't it?"

"Oh, and since it was her idea to begin with, once Rias is awake you can help me bully the knowledge of who suggested it out of her."

"The sexy way?"

"The sexy way."

"I like the way you think, Yuuji-kun."

Agreement reached, Akeno crawled on all fours over to the blissfully snoozing Rias, taking the bottle from Yuuji as he passed it over.

Tenderly, she brushed a lock of hair away from the slumbering beauties face, and kissed her lightly on the cheek before crawling atop her.

Long lashes flickered open, and with a luxurious yawn, Rias peered sleepily up at the lovely figure straddling her.

"Good morning, Akeno."

"Ara, it's not morning yet, Rias."

"Hmm?"

"But I'm sure you're feeling just as thirsty as I am, aren't you?"

Akeno said, giving the glass bottle a meaningful shake.

"Oh, we're using that? I guess that makes this the halfway point."

"I…"

Akeno shared a glance with Yuuji, who shrugged and smirked.

"Mmm~ I guess it does. So, drink up Buchou~"

Saying that, Akeno took a mouthful of the liquid and lowered her head, locking lips with the eager form beneath her.

Rias squirmed in delight as the tingling liquid trickled down her throat, and when it was gone, sucked lightly on Akeno's tongue.

Akeno retaliated, her tongue lashing and flicking about in her King's mouth, cupping her breast with one hand to squeeze and caress.

Rias surrendered almost immediately, a fond light in her eyes as she let her arms go limp beside her head, arching her back to press her breast deeper into Akeno's grasp.

Yuuji sat calmly and watched as Akeno orally dominated her pinned King, pressing her down onto the bed as she played with Rias, her eyes glinting wickedly.

When she drew back, Rias was gasping and her vision foggy with lust.

"Enjoy that?"

Rias panted, though her lips curled up at the edges.

"Ufufu~"

Sitting on her stomach, Akeno giggled like a naughty child.

Reaching down, she lifted the upper body of Rias off the bed, hugging her gently as he breathing calmed, all the while-

Rias moaned as a warm, toned body pressed against her from behind, slowly but sure pinning her arms behind her back.

"Y-Yuuji?"

Her attempt to turn to look at him was capitalized on (as she'd hoped), Yuuji kissing her roughly and commandingly, hooking his legs over hers while he was at it to spread them apart, after Akeno had crawled off her lap.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Akeno stretch herself out to lay prone upon the bed, just close enough to still be laid out between her long legs.

Smiling contemplatively, Akeno reached out with her other hand, one finger extended to gently flick up and down across Rias' clit.

Rias moaned into Yuuji's mouth, lightly biting down on his lip as her hips bucked ever so slightly.

Akeno hummed, her mind made up.

It was right in front of her, after all, and she'd wanted to try for a while.

Be a waste not to, and it was her birthday, so she doubted anyone would think badly of her for wanting a little treat.

Catching the motion from the corner of his eye, Yuuji wisely broke the kiss, not sure how Rias would react to Akeno leaning in to drag an exploratory tongue across her King's slit.

The way she jolted with a sharp inhale suggested he'd made the right choice.

Both Rias and Yuuji were treated to the adorable and strangely lewd sight of Akeno's brow scrunched in thought, one finger to her lips as she pondered.

After a moment, Akeno's expression brightened, evidently deciding the experience was a positive one, and that's about the point she realized she was being watched, and ducked her head in embarrassment.

Rias gasped as that ducking of the head buried Akeno's face in her slit, and then again as Akeno giggled against her.

Admittedly, he was kind of curious, and so Yuuji leaned over Rias' shoulder to watch, his free hand absently playing with the tits of the trapped heiress.

This was kind of exciting, Akeno thought to herself as she thrust her tongue into Rias.

Rias was pretty tight, so there wasn't a lot of moving her tongue could do inside her, but it was kind of fun the way that the walls clung to her as she pulled her tongue free, almost as if Rias didn't want to let her go.

… Which made a lot of sense, Rias was kind of clingy.

In a good way.

"... It's kind of silly how cute this is."

Yuuji commented after a while, confusion coloring his tone as Akeno ate Rias out while giggling.

Rias just moaned.

Dawn wasn't that far off when they eventually tuckered out, collapsing in a sweaty, joyful pile, all tangled together on the bed.

He wasn't really sure who's hair he was stroking, as Yuuji stared up at the ceiling, Akeno's breathy voice sounded out from nearby.

"Thank you so much… both of you. I love you both, so, so much, and…"

…

…

Guess she didn't quite make it through, huh?

Into the darkness, Yuuji whispered back.

Whether he was heard or not was anyone's guess.

Calling it 'the morning after' probably wasn't accurate, as the sun had been peeking through the curtain's when they'd dozed off, and now it was about noon.

Whatever the case, Yuuji had already cleaned himself off and slipped away, so it was just Rias and Akeno in Akeno's bathroom.

As Akeno ran a brush through her long hair, she noticed the curious sight of Rias fidgeting as she reached into the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a neatly wrapped package she must have slipped in at some point during the day before.

"I know it's technically belated, but considering what we were doing last night, I thought it best to wait until after since I don't think I'm quite ready to… be on the receiving end, just yet."

Puzzled by the odd qualifier, Akeno slowly unwrapped the gift.

There was a fresh, silicone smell to the contraption, and she couldn't quite connect the dots at first.

A latex harness, centered around a piece of silicone that had a somewhat nostalgic shape to it, despite being a familiar violet in hue.

"Y-yes… Yuuji was the… I mean, the shape had to come from somewhere and it was made-to-order…"

A furiously blushing Rias clarified, somewhat unhelpfully.

Curious, Akeno wrapped one hand around the length of silicone and slowly pumped it up and down.

"Ara ara, they did a good job of getting the shape right…"

She'd been awfully patient, but he wasn't sure he'd been all that fair to her in return.

She might have been willing to wait until Asia and Raynare had their chance, but that didn't mean the wait was particularly pleasant for her.

Part of the reason he'd used her as a guinea pig for the 'wing massage' experiment, but she'd already been surprisingly sensitive then…

In a few days, they'd be splitting up for their summer training camp, so he wanted to catch her before then.

… Come to think of it, he was the only one he didn't know the plan for…

But it involved Ruth and Azazel collaborating, a surprising and admittedly concerning idea.

Well… no sense worrying.

Pushing his curiosity aside for the time being, Yuuji reached out and knocked gently on the door.

"Yes, who is it?"

Raynare's muffled voice called out.

"It's me."

"Oh, come on in then!"

Raynare was slipping on her bra when the door opened, and casually stepped up and pressed her chest against him, giving him an expectant look.

As he clipped Raynare in, Yuuji turned over to look at Kalawarner, who had just slipped from the bathroom clad only in a towel that might have actually needed magic to stay in place, the way it was straining against her bust.

"Ah, good morning, Yuuji-sama, was there something we could help you with?"

"Yeah actually, got any plans for tomorrow, Kala?"

"Hmm…"

"Totally free!"

Raynare asserted, winking playfully at him.

"... There you have it."

Kalawarner responded, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Great, let's go on a date."

"A d-date!?"

"Don't want to?"

"No!"

Yuuji cocked an eyebrow.

"I-I mean, no, I definitely want to, it's just…"

As Kalawarner shifted nervously, Raynare flounced off into the bathroom, making a show of turning the fan on as she closed the door.

The two of them left alone, Yuuji waited patiently for Kalawarner to speak.

With a hand to her chest, the tall beauty closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath.

"I have been… patient, have I not?"

She asked, her eyes still lightly shut.

"Yeah, I'd say so. Sorry I didn't ask sooner, but I think I've worked through the last of my hesitancy with this whole 'harem' thing."

"No, that is not what I meant. I think you've done just fine, Yuuji-sama. It is quite the… cultural shift, to be encouraged to go after whoever may catch your eye."

Yuuji remained silent, accepting her words but understanding there was more to come.

"A-and while I would be delighted to go on a date with you, the traditional purpose of a first date is not strictly necessary, between you and I, so I was wondering if we could perhaps… skip that part, just for now?"

Kalawarner ventured hesitantly, her eyes still shut and her expression carefully neutral.

"... And start with what, then?"

"... The part that comes at the… end of the date? If the desire is mutual?"

… The end of the date?

Oh.

Huh, honestly, coming from Kala that was flattering as hell, and it was true that they didn't really need to 'try things out' with a first date.

Also, he didn't have anything witty to say, and he didn't want to tease her because it seemed like it took more than a little courage to give her desires voice, so…

So instead, as Kalawarner's eyes fluttered timidly open, she found the distance between them had vanished, right as his hands cupped her cheeks.

From the way she melted against him as their lips met, Yuuji decided she liked his answer just fine.

So the next chapter gets kinky fast, might have a small scene before the set-up, but we'll be getting into the good stuff pretty early before we get into the training camp.

For real though, while I felt like Kala's choice to wait for Asia and Raynare to move forward with Yuuji first was one that fit her character, I regret how long it ended up taking.

Also casually dropped in another Grisaia girl, with more on the way, so that was fun.

That aside, work just seems to keep getting busier and busier, so I can't promise things will go back to a normal time frame anytime soon, but I'll do my best to publish chapters for my various stories as promptly as I can without burning out.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions, the email notifications don't work anymore, but I've gotten in the habit of checking manually so I shouldn't take too long to reply.

Cheers for now, and stay safe out there.