Almost been two years of this story now, thanks to all who've stuck around to read so far, whether you've been here since the beginning or are just arriving.

Waking up on the verge of orgasm was not an entirely new experience for Kalawarner, but usually the one doing it was Raynare.

As if he'd been waiting for her to stir, she had barely enough leeway to confirm once more that Yuuji was very good with his tongue, before she was gasping his name into the still morning air.

Yuuji's expression was blank as he sat up, but she caught his dark eyes twinkling as she lay there panting upon the bed.

"Morning, Kalawarner." He said softly.

Smiling up at him, Kalawarner pulled herself up into a seated position, taking advantage of the fact he was still between her legs to wrap them around his hips.

Still smiling, she pulled him into a deep, intimate kiss, savoring the way his mouth still tasted like both of them.

"Isn't it normally the woman who does that?" Kalawarner teased.

"I'm ahead of the curve."

" Ufufu~ well, thank you for the delightful wake-up, Yuuji." Kalawarner murmured between kisses. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept great. Thanks for that." Yuuji replied. "You?"

"I feel wonderful." She admitted, breaking the kiss with her smile firmly in place. "Yesterday was wonderful."

"It was, wasn't it?"

Kalawarner gave another girlish, cheery giggle, and not for the first time, Yuuji decided he rather liked that sound.

"But, I suppose we should return soon." She suggested. "Much as I enjoyed monopolizing you."

"You'll have to monopolize again sometime." Yuuji smirked, leaning in for another kiss.

Kalawarner eagerly returned it, embracing him tightly as they enjoyed the slow, languid make-out.

Once they broke for air, Yuuji spoke up once more in a low murmur, making her shiver as his breath tickled her ear.

"So, while we're talking about sexy things, how do you feel about multiple partners in bed at once?" Yuuji asked, with his usual lack of hesitance.

Had she not spent the better part of 24 hours professing her love with her body, Kalawarner might have been a bit taken aback by his bluntness, Yuuji wasn't really the sort of person you were ever prepared for.

Now though, it just made her giggle before she answered, just as frankly.

"Like I would be asking you that question if you didn't ask me." Her calm, easy smile turned into a playful smirk tinged with lust as they drew slightly apart.

"Ray said the same thing."

"I'm not surprised, she and I have similar tastes, in men and women." Kalawarner purred, her arms still draped over Yuuji's shoulders. "So if Akeno or Rias wish to broaden their horizons a bit more, I'd be more than happy."

"Dunno about Rias yet, but I know Akeno is interested." Yuuji told her. "Oh, and another sexy topic; we have plenty of time for a shower."

Kalawarner tilted her head in innocent curiosity.

"The kinky kind of shower." He confirmed, much to her delight.

Kalawarner kissed him again.

"Hmm, I suppose it is almost time." She declared, one great eye cracking open as a familiar presence drifted across her senses.

["There you are, Mother.] Came the thought projection. ["The trees are a little too close together, so I shifted into something smaller further back."]

Tiamat rolled her eyes fondly, knowing her daughter wasn't quite done.

["And I didn't want to frighten the little ones."] Her daughter confessed after a moment. ["... You don't think they'll be afraid of me anyways, do you?"]

["No, Basmu, I'm sure they won't.] Tiamat reassured her daughter, a pleasant warmth in her tone. ["I'm sure they'll notice how similar our scents are, and you always were the most gentle of your siblings."]

["Okay Mother, I trust you."]

Tiamat smirked inwardly (as a dragon smirking outwardly was rather intimidating) as she noted the relief in her cute little daughter's tone, her eldest had always been such a good child.

Carefully, so as to avoid disturbing the little ones slumbering beneath her wing, Tiamat shifted into her preferred human shape, carefully tucking the small magical creatures into a warm nest she wove from the aether.

She had just finished tucking in the last of the sleeping little ones when her eldest stepped softly into the clearing, also wearing her preferred humanoid form.

Centuries had passed, and it had never gotten any less cute that Basmu had molded her other form after her mother, even as she matured into a beautiful woman in her own right. Her eyes were the same light pink, her skin pale and soft in appearance, (reassuring Tiamat that her daughter was getting adequate rest and eating properly).

But, whereas Tiamat's hair was a pale blue, Basmu's was a soothingly dark, mossy green that evoked the comforting gloom of a well-kept lair, and matched her horns and tail.

Her slim horns, rather than circle downwards as her own did, had a more gentle downwards sweep to them, running almost parallel above her long, pointed ears. Echoing her natural form, Basmu's tail was much longer in comparison, almost as long as she was tall, and much more slender and serpentine than her own.

Unlike Tiamat's, Basmu's tail was tipped with a dark green blade of bone in the rough shape of a diamond, much less imposing than the vicious natural weapon of her daughter's true form, but no less dangerous for it.

Her daughter was barefoot, wearing a small, dark green sundress, a style she'd inherited from her mother.

A daughter that promptly embraced her with a fond smile, proving once more that Basmu was a good child.

"I missed you, daughter." She whispered, returning the hug. "Have you been well?"

"Yes, Mother… it's good to see you." Basmu murmured back.

After a few moments, they released each other, but, like the cute daughter she was, Basmu quietly took her mother's hand as she was led over to the nest.

Basmu's eyes glittered like gems as she leaned down, catching sight of the little ones, and she clamped her free hand over her mouth to muffle the adoring coo that slipped free, as Tiamat watched with a smug smile.

"Ah, they're so cute!"

"Aren't they?"

"... Remind me how long you wish me to keep an eye on the territory?"

"A week or so."

"... Take your time, or better yet, may I stay for a while longer, once you return?"

Tiamat's eyes brightened, it had been quite some time since she'd spent any length of time with one of her children.

"Yes, you may… I would enjoy that."

Basmu smiled in delight, straightening up from her bent posture.

As they slipped away, gaining a bit of distance from the slumbering familiars so that they could speak freely, Basmu tapped a slender finger to her chin.

"Who was it that asked for your assistance again, Mother?"

"Ulysse." Tiamat told her. "Ah, I suppose he goes by Ruth now."

"Oh, it makes sense you'd help out if… wait, Ruth?" Basmu echoed, before her eyes widened. "Don't tell me, did someone make Ulysse a Familiar!?"

Tiamat chuckled, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Indeed they did, and quite the interesting young man at that." She confided. "Of course, Ulysse hasn't re-awoken yet, but even if he does within the next century or so, something tells me the Soldier won't be all that bothered."

"... I'm glad he has a good master." Basmu smiled gently.

"Oh, so confident from just that?" Tiamat teased, though, once again, she already knew the answer.

Basmu nodded immediately.

"I can guess from the way you speak that you've already met Ulysse's master, and there's no way you'd allow it otherwise, is there Mother?"

Tiamat threw back her head and laughed.

Joining in with giggles of her own, happy to see her mother in such a wonderful mood, Basmu's thoughts turned inwards, just a little.

She wanted to see Ulysse again, and meet the man whom he'd bonded with.

Especially since she recognized what her mother's interest could mean.

… After all, if Basmu was to find herself with a new sibling, she'd naturally be a bit curious about the sire.

Upon their return to the Gremory manor, they went their separate ways after one more kiss (she couldn't help but giggle when Yuuji claimed it was 'for the road').

Just as she'd hoped, when Kalawarner opened her door to their shared bedroom, there she was; violet eyes brightening with delight as Raynare all but leapt from the bed and into her arms.

"Kala, you're back!" Raynare chirped happily.

"... Good morning, Raynare." She whispered back with a smile.

Raynare's cheerful smile grew mischievous as she looked up at her taller friend.

"Sooo~? How was it?"

"Even better than I'd imagined." She admitted honestly, Raynare nodding readily. "You were right, of course. He really does make you feel like the center of his world."

"Right!? And he doesn't even realize that's something special! If you told him, Yuuji-kun would probably just look at you funny!"

They could already see that blank, impassive stare, the only hint of his mindset a small sideways tilt of his head.

"... Hey, Kala."

"Yes, Raynare?"

"... Is it just me, or was the mental image of Yuuji just now strangely cute?"

"No, no, I was thinking the same. That blank look of his brings with it a deep-seated urge to spoil him."

"The kinky kind of spoil?"

"... Well, the option is available."

Raynare nodded once again, just as eagerly as the first time.

"You say some good things Kala, but…"

"... But?"

"Details! I need details!"

"That's fair, you did share with me, after all." Kalawarner agreed.

"Speaking of sharing…"

"Threesome?"

"Threesome."

"Are you adjusting well? I do hope you feel welcome here."

"More or less. I shaken off that last little bit of lingering suspicion that my senses are playing tricks on me." Xenovia admitted. "After all, we weren't exactly taught that the Underworld could be a beautiful place. The gap between what I was taught and what I can see with my own eyes is bigger than I'd imagined."

"That's fair." Rias agreed, shifting her curvy rear on the garden bench and giving a small chuckle. "After all, Angels were the monsters under the bed when I was a little girl, so I much prefer peace."

"Yeah." Xenovia replied, before going quiet, a soft frown on her face.

Rias kept silent in turn, subtly watching her Knight from the corner of her eye.

… Something had been bothering her newest Knight, she was well-aware, but in seeming defiance of how blunt she could be, Xenovia was rather close-lipped about personal matters.

"... It's strange of me to say, but I'm glad we don't have to fight." The blue-haired girl admitted after a while.

"Fight who?" Rias prompted gently, despite knowing the answer.

"Irina." Xenovia responded immediately, still not looking at her. "Or…"

Another frown, confused this time as to why the words couldn't seem to make it past her lips.

"Or Griselda."

Griselda Quarta. One of the Church's strongest Exorcists, now serving as Queen to the Archangel Gabriel.

Her instructor, her guardian, her…

If things had turned out differently, she might have been forced to draw her sword against even-

It wasn't like her to be caught off guard like this… she hadn't even noticed Rias moving but there were arms around her.

… It felt nice.

"All the more reason for us to fight our hardest, to protect the peace between us no matter what." Rias whispered. "Just please, remember that you don't have to do it alone. You can rely on me, you can rely on us."

It made her happy.

"... I don't want to trouble anyone." That wasn't what she wanted to say to Rias.

"And what if I'm troubled by you thinking that way?" Rias questioned gently.

Emotions were hard to pick up on for her, but something in her King's tone told her that Rias was smiling, even without her having to look.

It wasn't her style to regret her choices. She couldn't take back her choice to become a Devil, but she could do everything in her power to make it mean something.

"Then, I guess it can't be helped." Slowly, the slender but strong arms of a swordswoman lifted themselves to return the hug.

Yeah, she could get used to this.

"Nee-sama."

"Shirone? Weren't you out with Gasper-kun?" Kuroka asked curiously.

Koneko nodded slowly.

"Mm, we went for a walk outside for a bit because it was cloudy, but that sort of thing tires out Gaspie-kun pretty fast, so he went back to his room." Koneko confirmed.

She could guess from Shirone's explanation that Gasper was back in his room, as she understood it, Gasper going outdoors at all of his own free will was a pretty big step.

But, that wasn't everything, her Onee-chan senses were tingling.

Shirone might have thought she was being sneaky, but she caught that proud little smile!

"So, what did you want to talk about, Shirone?"

Shirone went stiff.

"... Just want to spend time with Nee-sama?"

"Which Onee-chan is super duper happy about, nya, but if there's something bothering you, I don't mind getting that out of the way first."

Shirone blinked.

Kuroka smiled.

Shirone dropped her gaze.

Kuroka smiled.

Shironed fidgetted.

Kuroka smiled.

Shirone asked her how to tell if she liked someone as more than a friend.

Kuroka smiled, because it would startle Shirone less than the squeal of joy she wanted to make.

Akeno was cuddled up against Yuuji, on the bed as they read their books, when a quiet knock was heard at the door.

Slipping from the bed, she padded across the room as Yuuji watched, and gently cracked it open.

"Oh, hello Koneko-chan, Kuroka-chan." She greeted politely. "Did you need something?"

Koneko flushed, and as Akeno wrestled down her urge to glomp the little Rook, Kuroka leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Sorry about the timing, but could we borrow Yuuji-kun for a little bit? Shouldn't take too long."

Akeno turned back to Yuuji with her eyebrow raised in question, and tilted it towards the two Nekoshou.

Yuuji nodded back, and slipped off the bed.

"What's up?"

"We need an expert opinion, nya, and Playboy-kun seems like a good candidate." Kuroka said, cat ears flicking playfully.

"... Playboy-kun?" Yuuji repeated back. "That's a new one."

"Ufufu~ well, it's true that Playboy-kun counts as an expert." Akeno teased, returning to the bed to retrieve her and Yuuji's inside footwear.

Yuuji shrugged, and a giggling Akeno asked the two siblings to give her and Yuuji a moment before they left.

"I'll give you some space, okay, Shirone?"

"Mm. Thanks Nee-sama."

They sat quietly there for a while before Koneko was willing to speak up.

"Yuuji-senpai, how do you know if you like someone?" Koneko asked quietly, without looking at him.

"In a 'more than a friend' sort of way?" Yuuji asked carefully.

Didn't seem like the time to be blunt… that might have been the first time he'd thought that ever.

Koneko nodded shyly, but there was a knowing glimmer in her eyes as she explained.

"Nee-sama says she's still figuring it out herself, so she told me to ask you for help."

Yuuji smirked a bit at the guileless way Koneko said that, hinting at Kuroka's intentions.

"Well, I'm not sure if it's the same way for everyone, but here's a way that might work for you."

Koneko turned to face him, eyes keen with interest.

"Close your eyes for a moment, and try to imagine what I'm about to tell you."

She looked a little confused, but did just that.

"Okay, so picture the person you're wondering about."

Koneko nodded, and Yuuji gave her a few moments before continuing.

"Now, try to imagine that you haven't seen them in a long time."

Koneko frowned softly.

"Now, imagine that you finally get a chance to reunite, and not just for a little while, they're sticking around for good this time."

Slowly, Koneko's frown morphed into a small, but happy smile.

"Now imagine that they feel the same way you do now."

Koneko went completely rigid, her eyes still closed.

"And that the only reason they came back is because of how much they missed you."

Slowly, pink began to spread across the pale Rook's cheeks.

"Now, if the situation was reversed, could you say the same?"

"... Yeah."

"Then yeah, I think you like them as more than just a friend."

Koneko let her eyes crack open, only for them to glue themselves firmly to her lap, where her fists were clenched in her skirt.

"... Then, w-what do I…?"

"Do now?"

Koneko gave a jerky nod.

"Spend more time with them." Yuuji suggested. "Being comfortable spending time with someone is important for any sort of relationship, and you can take things from there."

"... Okay." Koneko said after a moment, smiling up at him. "Thanks, Senpai."

"You're welcome."

Koneko leaned over to give him a quick hug, before hopping off the bench.

Yuuji went with her, and they found Kuroka before long.

"Nee-sama… do you mind if I…"

Kuroka interrupted her by pulling her into a quick hug, and pulling her out of it seconds later, turning her sister around and giving her a gentle push on her back.

"Have fun, Shirone." She smiled, as Koneko looked back over her shoulder.

Koneko watched her for a moment before smiling back at her, nodding and setting off with a quiet purpose in her steps.

Kuroka watched her go with a fond smile.

"So, that answer your question?"

The swishing of her tails halted for the barest of instances before resuming.

"Hmm? What do you mean, nya?"

Yuuji gave her a blank look as she turned away.

"I mean that the girls usually go to Kiba for this kind of thing, kind of gave it away to ask me instead."

"Kiba-nyan have a lot of experience?"

"He says he doesn't, but I think he's just being modest."

"Well... I don't know about the earlier stuff you said yet, but that last bit might help."

"Well, we've got a few hours until dinner."

Kuroka shook her head immediately.

"Nope. I don't want to steal time away from you and Akeno-chan."

Yuuji nodded understandingly.

"Akeno said she had something to take care of, and she's reserving bath-time."

"... She's a good woman, huh?"

"Yeah, she really is."

Yuuji had never told anyone, and he doubted he ever would, but the method he'd just told Koneko was something he'd used before.

He hadn't been sure of his answer, when he was done, but now, he could confidently, proudly say that he was in love with Himejima Akeno.

And even in this strange new world of his where he was encouraged to love more than one woman, the place she had in his heart would never change.

"The children are finding love one by one, it seems." Venelana commented idly, placing her tea down after a sip. "But, the only one who hasn't given any indications, one way or another is you. So, Yuuto, is there a special lady in your life?"

"Well, one's sitting right across from me?" Kiba replied casually.

Venelana offered him a tiny smile, even as she rolled her eyes.

"Not that that doesn't make me happy, but you know what kind of special I mean."

"Romantically?" Kiba ventured with a small smile.

When Venelana gave him a flat stare, he nodded his head and crossed his arms as if the connection had just been made.

"Well, you see…"

Venelana tried not to look too eager.

"Nope."

"... I don't remember raising such a sassy boy."

"Yes you do."

"Yes I do, but that's not the point!" She huffed.

"Okay, okay." Kiba chuckled. "To seriously answer your question, no, there isn't anyone I'm interested in romantically. Fact of the matter is, I'm happy with my life as it is, so while I wouldn't shy away if a girl caught my eye, I just don't feel a need to seek love out."

Kiba smiled, that earnest, charming smile of his that had made him the most popular boy in school.

"After all, if my heart fills up anymore it might burst."

"... You're supposed to let me fuss over you, you know." Venelana said in a small voice. "How can I steer you towards giving me grandbabies if you smile like that?"

Kiba chuckled again, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

Venelana shook her head slowly, smiling.

"I don't mean to pressure you, a mother just worries, you know?"

"... Yeah, sor-" the blonde halted his unneeded apology in mid-sentence, much to her joy. "No, what I mean is, thanks for looking out for me, Okaa-san."

"You're welcome, Yuuto." She replied approvingly.

Kuroka had been a little disappointed that Yuuji had called her bluff without saying a word; when she'd asked to sleep with him, she'd meant it in a more literal and non-sexual fashion.

Well, she was doing the sleeping, or soon would be, and she was with him but…

Nya, this was comfy!

The Gremory grounds were practically an entire park in their own right, so it hadn't been hard to find an out of the way tree for her afternoon cat nap.

So there Kuroka was, curled up like a cat (she embraced that stereotype with pride), her head resting in Yuuji's lap as he sat against the tree, quietly gazing off into the distance and taking quiet pleasure in the warm Underworld breeze.

What she'd suspected all along was true; the Gremory Pawn was good with his hands!

His flesh and blood hand had begun to scritch behind her fuzzy ears almost of its own accord, hitting all the right spots, and she'd be pretty turned on right now if it was an hour later and not nap time.

Maybe two hours.

… Three?

Nya… comfy.

As her heavy eyelids surrendered to the somber burden of being comfy, Kuroka could hear a soft chuckle resonating from somewhere nearby.

Her last thought of the afternoon was that she kind of liked that sound.

It would be some time before Kuroka understood why she fell asleep so quickly, and slept so deeply.

… 'Safety' wasn't something she'd gotten used to, quite yet.

With nothing better to do but ponder, Yuuji decided that lap pillows truly were a wonderful, mysterious thing.

After all, it was completely illogical that his lap be even half as comfy as that of a pretty girl, but Kuroka was sleeping blissfully, so his lap must not be that bad.

Also, there was something about kitty ears that added an extra level to playing with a pretty girl's hair.

… Hopefully she'd wake up on her own, waking up naturally on your own was always preferable, and he was pretty sure it was almost dinner time.

As if on cue, Kuroka gave a long, drawn out yawn, rolling onto her back to stretch across his legs.

She gave a throaty purr as her back popped, and Yuuji concluded that only magic was keeping her boobs from slipping right out of her yukata; it only made sense with her shoulders bare like that.

Yawning again, Kuroka sat up slowly, folding bare legs beneath her.

Rubbing her eyes, she twisted to lean over and plant a sleepy kiss on his cheek.

"Good talk, Playboy-kun."

"Time well spent." He agreed, his dull tone not quite matching that hint of a smile.

Relaxing like this wasn't so bad, every once in a while, and Kuroka was really good at relaxing.

Yuuji decided he'd have to take more lessons in the future.

"Alright brats, so here's how it's going to go; some of you are going to be training on your lonesome, but we'll also have a few people coming in to help out." Azazel told them, reclining casually at the head of the long conference table.

"As far as our two Knights go." Azazel began, "you both have a solid foundation at this point, but what you don't have is the ability to wield your sharpest blades for any meaningful length of time. Blondie, you can handle about 10 minutes of your Balance Breaker, yeah?"

Kiba nodded.

"That might be good enough for certain match types in the Rating Games, but that's not gonna be something you can count on in real world situations." Azazel said. "So you're going to be working on keeping it active for longer; go through your basic regime with it out, but also try to keep it active for mundane things; sleep with it beside your bed if you have to. Swinging it around is all well and good, but the more it becomes a 'normal' part of Kiba Yuuto's day to day, the less work it will be to pull out when you actually need it."

Kiba gave a dutiful nod, eyes sharp as he began to plan.

"As for you, Durandal-girl." Azazel turned his gaze to Xenovia next. "That Holy Sword of yours is a wild thing, so for you it's control, control, control. You've got brute force to spare, but the more effort that goes into keeping Durandal on task, the less effort you have for actually fighting with it. We've got about a year's supply of candles for you, start with the good old 'blow out the flame without blowing out the wall' shtick."

Durandal was a Holy Sword specializing in sheer destruction, after all. If Xenovia couldn't control the force of her swings, she'd destroy a lot more than a simple candle.

"Lessee… Raynare, Kalawarner, you're with me. You girls aren't cleared for Rating Games yet." And that yet sure had some eyebrows raising. "Which means we don't even need to pretend to be practicing for play-time."

He hid it, of course, but Azazel was just a little bit taken aback that Raynare actually seemed excited to be training with him.

… Fresh start indeed.

"The kitty is going to play with the bigger kitty, so nothing to say there," Azazel nodded in Koneko's direction, "I've gotta go fetch the volunteer to help out the little Bishop girl here, and-"

With a quiet, knock, Grayfia slowly opened the door, and gave a quick bow towards Rias.

"Pardon me for the interruption, but Shidou-san will be arriving early." Grayfia reported. "The official missive read 'bored now, wanna see Xen-chan'." The 'missive' likely would have sounded a bit different, had it been in the sender's bubbly chirp, and not the Gremory maid's formal, polite tone.

Grayfia blinked, just once, and tilted her head ever so slightly in an innocent gesture of curiosity.

"And while I'm here, was anyone expecting a Dragon?"

Irina Shidou descended from the sky in a quite literal beam of heavenly light.

"Is the Underworld actually beneath Earth and Heaven? … I don't think I understand geography at all." Yuuji admitted.

"Yahoo! Irina Shidou on the job!" The bubbly girl declared, heavenly sparkles twinkling into the air as she struck a pose, quite ably distracting those gathered from scanning the skyline for the Dragon that was apparently invited to the Gremory estate.

"What job is that?" Xenovia asked, a smile on her face and one eyebrow raised.

"Hugging Xen-chan!" She exclaimed, midway through the leap into the arms of the aforementioned Xen-chan.

Grinning towards the cuddly Angel doing her cuddly work, Rias left the friends to it, turning her attention to the Grigori leader, currently examining the skyline from beneath the shade of his hands.

"Hehe, glad you kids are having fun, by the way." He said, smiling honestly.

"Now let's ruin that." Azazel said without a change of expression, and clapped his hands.

Everyone froze as, in response to his clap, the sun vanished behind a soaring, bestial shadow.

"... Pardon me, Ruth."

{"Yes, Rias?"}

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that Tiamat?"

The Dragon Kings all shared the common trait of looking rather distinct, in their natural forms, but the sun was in her eyes.

"LAAAAAAAAAA!"

{"That answer your question?"}

"... Forgive me, but not even a little."

Quite suddenly, the massive shadow vanished, replaced by a dainty, feminine figure falling slowly from the sky.

The ground rippled as a beautiful woman, human in appearance save for mighty horns and a twisting, scaly tail landed softly, clad in nothing but a blue sundress.

Resting one hand on a curvy hip, the transformed dragon smirked towards the Fey hound that padded calmly towards her, and dropped one hand down on his great furry head.

"Good morning, dear Ruth."

{"Tiamat."} He greeted in return.

Pink, inhuman eyes swept over those gathered, before falling upon the impassively watching Pawn.

"Hmm, so the Soldier has been working hard, hasn't he?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Wonderful. Ruth would be sad if you died."

"Oh, so you're training me." Yuuji commented, as if it had nothing to do with him.

As Tiamat chuckled at the casual response, Yuuji couldn't help but notice that several people were awfully still.

… Rias especially.

"... Hey, Buchou, are you okay?"

With her weary gaze tilted to gaze up into an uncaring sky, Rias muttered to no one in particular; "Please warn me if one of the Dragon Kings is going to be training one of my servants."

"Buchou, one of the Dragon Kings is training your servant."

"... Thank you, Yuuji."

"Anytime."

Tiamat laughed again, still scratching behind Ruth's ears.

{"... You did find someone to look after the little ones, right?"}

"Of course I did, no need to fret." Tiamat smiled. "Basmu will be staying in the Forest to keep an eye on things."

{"Basmu? That's a relief."} Ruth sighed, tilting his head up to look at the dragoness. {"If she's sticking around, I'll have to come visit afterwards. Been a while since I've seen both of you in the same place."}

"Indeed, a visit would be most welcome, and I… Basmu's missed you." Tiamat said quietly. "But, enough of that, we're wasting time."

Crooking one slender finger, she beckoned Yuuji forward.

As he stepped in, Tiamat's pink eyes gleamed, her pleasant smile turning predatory as the air grew heavy.

"It's been a long time since I've taught one of the younger races, so I hope you're prepared to show me exactly why you're worthy of being Ruth's master." Tiamat challenged. "After all, he went through the same, in his younger years."

"... A Church Grim trained by a Dragon King… that explains a lot." Kiba commented from the side.

Twin pools of shadow met bestial pink without yielding as Yuuji met her gaze, only to whisper out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, Ruth."

{"Yeah?"}

"We're going to be doing a lot of running, aren't we?"

{"Yep."}

"Screaming?"

{"Save your breath, you'll need it for running."}

"Good call."

Yuuji turned his head to wave back at the others, only to find Akeno right beside him, gripping both his cheeks to plant her lips against his.

"Try not to have too much fun with the sexy dragon lady." Despite the playful tone, there was a hint of worry there, so Yuuji smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, I have Ruth to be responsible for me."

"You do, don't you?"

Seemingly relieved, Akeno winked towards Ruth as she broke away from Yuuji.

Something slim, pointed, but still strong pushed on his back, steering him towards the other women.

A quick glance over his shoulder revealed it to be Tiamat's tail.

"You won't be seeing them until the week is done, so give your mates a little reassurance to see them through."

"You mean embarrass them in front of everyone?"

"Ah, so you can be trained."

From where he'd been specating with an amused grin, Azazel threw back his head and laughed.

After the Dragon King had vanished with her Pawn and his Familiar in tow, Rias had turned to the group, to find Kuroka had arrived, quietly hugging Koneko from behind.

Rias nodded to her, and so Kuroka peered down past her boobs to meet Koneko's eyes.

"Say bye-bye, Shirone."

Koneko did not, in fact, say 'bye-bye', but she did offer a small wave as Kuroka whisked her away in a mirror-like portal of her own.

That settled, Rias-

Had to wonder if anyone was going to show up properly, as there was quite suddenly a beautiful woman with stern red eyes standing beside Azazel.

Her long pink hair was tied back in a functional braid, and she was wearing what, as far as Rias could tell, was some sort of old-fashioned military uniform, comprised of a sturdy, well fitted red coat, white fabric gloves, and a short, pleated black skirt with white tights, tucked into functional white boots.

Then the woman's stern eyes narrowed with an intensity that had Rias almost expecting an attack, and then the woman was right in front of Akeno in a movement that had her eyes spinning.

Confusing the manner further, Azazel gave a helpless chuckle, even as his keen eyes examined the scene.

"You are hurt." The woman stated flatly, in a tone that no one could bring themselves to doubt, despite the lack of obvious evidence.

It was Rias' turn to narrow her eyes as Akeno, in response to the sudden claim, averted her eyes awkwardly.

"Ah, n-no, that is-"

Apparently, turning away was the right thing to do, because, without another word, the woman took Akeno by the shoulder and spun her, so that the black-haired Queen had her back to the new arrival.

Before anyone could make sense of the woman's actions, she pressed all five fingers against Akeno's lower back, as if trying to grip her spine, and gave a sudden, almost violent twist.

There was a low pop, and Akeno arched her back with a sudden, shocked scream that had Yuuto and Xenovia with swords at the woman's throat, and Destruction seething at the ready in an instant.

Without sparing them a single glance, the woman dropped her hand and asked Akeno a single word question.

"Better?"

Akeno's hand slowly reached towards her lower back, and she turned towards the red-eyed woman with wonder in her eyes.

"Ara? It… what did you?"

The hearts of those gathered skipped a beat for an entirely different reason, as the woman's stern expression vanished so quickly, it was as if it had never existed at all.

Warm with compassion, the gentle smile on the woman's face immediately erased any sense of hostility or wariness directed towards her, and left Akeno blushing furiously as its target.

"Just a bit of a pinched nerve." The woman said softly. "Still a bit early to tell, but it shouldn't cause you any pain when the weather is cold. We'll follow up after the training is through, or sooner than that if it bothers you again."

"Ah… yes, t-thank you." It came out as much of a question as an answer, Akeno still more than a little bewildered by everything that had just happened.

"... And you did that with your bare hands?" Kiba spoke up dubiously.

"Yes?" Everyone would later agree that her innocent confusion was rather cute, and made her seem much younger.

… Kiba didn't really seem to know how to respond to that, though.

"Not everyone can grab mana with their bare hands, Gale." Azazel pointed out with a grin.

"Not everyone is a nurse, either." Stern eyed once more, the woman fired back, as if to explain everything. "And I'm wearing proper gloves as well."

… Something about her tone brought with it the urge to nod along, despite the absurdity of the conversation.

Blinking away her confusion, Rias instead smiled and offered a small bow.

"Thank you, for helping my Queen. I'm in your debt."

Sharp red eyes pierced her in a way that left Rias feeling naked and exposed, but whatever the woman found, she evidently approved of, as that gentle smile returned.

"You're a good King, aren't you? Think nothing of it."

… Smiles like that were completely unfair, especially since Rias had become a bit more… aware of beautiful women.

While Rias was wrestling down the sudden bout of shyness, the woman turned towards the group, her demeanor business like once more.

"Which one of you is Miss Argento?"

"Ah! T-that's me!" Asia's high-pitched, flustered tone announced. "C-call me Asia, please, I-I mean, if you'd like!"

The woman looked her up and down, and Asia was no more prepared for the woman's smile than Rias was, despite the reasons being a bit different.

"... Asia, is it? It's truly a pleasure to meet you at last." The woman said gently. "Oh, but pardon my manners, I suppose I've yet to introduce myself. I am Florence Nightingale."

Whatever they'd been expecting, Asia going starry-eyed with an excited shriek was not it.

"F-Florence Nightingale!? Y-you're… her descendant, aren't you!?"

"Ufufu, you mean the original Florence Nightingale?" The woman chuckled. "Indeed."

"Are you-!" Asia realized she was shouting, and cut herself off with reddened cheeks. "A-are you going to be t-teaching me…?"

"That is correct." The woman's smile turned mischievous. "And if she could see me now, I imagine I'd be making my ancestor rather jealous."

Asia responded with a sheepish, incoherent stammer.

"Come along now, let's set off before you faint." Nightingale said with a playful role of her eyes.

"Y-Yes! … Please?"

Chuckling, Azazel stepped forward to send the two of them off with a magic circle.

"... Azazel, how exactly did you get a Hero to help a Devil peerage? Is it because of Asia's…?" Rias asked, after the two had left.

"Sacred Gear?"

Rias nodded.

"Sort of." Azazel admitted. "She's a born healer who has devoted her entire life to the art, naturally she's going to take an interest in a Sacred Gear like Twilight Healing."

Azazel smiled then, a bit wistfully as he spoke.

"She wouldn't have agreed for just that though." Azazel said slowly, shaking his head with a smile as the listeners tensed with concern. "You know, all it took was one look at a picture of Asia. You should have heard her; 'that girl would have healed that Devil, even if she'd known the truth. Kindness like that is to be nurtured and protected'."

Rias let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding, a fond expression replacing her soft frown.

"She's not the only one who believes that." Xenovia said quietly, a tiny smile on her lips.

"Yep! It's nice to have more people who appreciate how amazing Asia-chan is." Raynare agreed.

"Speaking of amazing…" Azazel's smirk widened, waggling his eyebrows outrageously .

"I'll cut it off." Grayfia flatly retorted, a chill both literal and figurative sweeping through the courtyard as she returned.

Turning to Rias, she offered a polite bow, gracefully ignoring Azazel's cackling. "Forgive me for having to step away, Ojou-sama. Matsushima-san fell into the well, and forgot she had the means to extricate herself with a snap of her fingers."

"... It always concerns me a little when sentences like that make sense." Rias admitted. "No need to apologize, Grayfia, somethings just can't be helped. Is she alright, by the way?"

"Suou-san is making sure she properly dries herself, but no injuries to report." Grayfia reported dutifully, and though her expression was carefully composed, there was a hint of exasperation to her tone, if one knew what to listen for.

"That's a relief." Rias said with a playful glimmer in her eyes. "You can take Akeno with you after I finish scolding her."

Akeno went rigid as a set of azure eyes quite suddenly pierced her, only to be joined by a set of interrogating crimson.

"Scold her?" Grayfia inquired innocently. "Whatever for, Ojou-sama? Please, enlighten your humble maid."

Akeno's nervous chuckle came out more like a whimper, and those still standing next to her immediately rectified that error.

He'd asked to be on his own for this.

He wasn't training like the others, not today, anyways.

The first task Gasper had been given was to drink a vial of blood, one of several presented to him.

The one in his hand was Yuuji's.

In a way, Yuuji's scent made the most sense in this case; Yuuji always smelled of blood to begin with. Blood, old iron and gunpowder.

He hadn't told anyone, because he didn't want them to worry, but it wasn't all that uncommon for visions to accompany a particularly potent scent.

Like Yuuji; Yuuji carried the scent of what at first made Gasper envision a graveyard, but had later decided was a battlefield, bodies of the dead littering the ground as far as the eye could see, friend and foe tangled up in rotting piles towards the sky.

Gasper had been incredibly confused as to why that didn't frighten him, though he would admit that something about that bloody field made him sad.

Maybe because in the visions he saw, there was only ever one person left standing in among the dead.

"How's the studying going, Rias?" Her mother whispered, as she slipped into the study with a tea tray.

"It's going well, mother." Rias replied, accepting the cup with a smile of gratitude. "Though, admittedly I feel a bit guilty for reading a book while my cute servants are working hard, I'm learning a lot that could be of use."

She held up the book in her hands.

"I mean, I'm familiar with the idea of a 'feigned retreat', but I've never considered using it, despite how many opponents it could work against, especially in the Rating Games."

"Oh, and why is that, Rias?" Venelana prompted as she took a seat nearby.

"... The same reason it would work so well." Rias admitted ruefully. "Pride."

"Pride?"

"... I want them to be able to show off their cool sides." Rias said, her voice dropping into a bashful mutter. "I have the best servants out of anyone, so they should get to show how amazing they are. A tactic like this is too… sneaky."

"... But?" She recognized that tone of voice, Rias was trying to convince herself, not her.

"But the better I plan the less chance they have to get hurt!" Rias smiled. "And I can just have them show off when I have less reason to worry about them."

"... And when is that going to be?" Venelana drawled, giving her a flat look.

"Probably never." Rias admitted frankly. "That's why I'm still reading."

Venelana giggled, her daughter was just as overprotective as ever, but her heart was in the right place.

Though, it was also the reason that Rias had hit a roadblock with her Power of Destruction; her mindset was fundamentally wrong.

Rias wielded her power to protect, not destroy, and until she figured out how to desire both,right down from the depths of her soul, Destruction would never quite respond the way she wanted.

And she would have to find that answer on her own, but that didn't mean Venelana couldn't give her a little nudge here or there.

After all, that's what a good mother did, guide without coddling.

… Too much.

Well, she could at least guide when she wasn't coddling!

"Rias, I have a question for you that I want you to think long and hard about." Venelana began, her serious tone seizing her daughter's focus in an instant.

"What does Destruction mean to you?"

Rias blinked slowly.

"You know what you want to protect, don't you?" It wasn't really a question. "You need to decide, beyond question, exactly what it is you're willing to Destroy."

Yuuji would never utter this aloud, on the off-chance that she heard, but, over these past two days, he had come to the conclusion that dragons were bullshit.

When they'd started, Tiamat had given them a head-start, told them to run, and not to die.

She had encouraged them to fight back if they were feeling brave, or thought it would do anything, and it wasn't like they hadn't retaliated against her at all, but…

Tiamat did not spit fire like the dragons of Western legend, even if her draconic form was reminiscent of that.

No, when Tiamat opened her jaws, what poured forth were flash floods, or sometimes pressurized cannon blasts of water, like someone had made a squirt gun for a battleship.

It didn't help that the waters would seek them out; Tiamat, during the break they'd taken (and he did mean the break) had explained that the Primordial Waters she called forth were steeped in a millennia of draconic hunger and predatory instinct.

She had then reassured them that she was properly restraining herself, after all, the Waters would normally dissolve and devour things swept up in them, right down to the soul.

… Tiamat wasn't very good at reassuring people.

She had approved of him trying his level best to kill her (well, without using Mistilteinn), she'd proudly shown off the bruise on her ribs, which had carried over from her draconic form when he hit her with an Arsenal-enhanced Stinger Missile from fifty yards.

He and Ruth had established a hit and run tactic that seemed like it would be effective, though they were still ironing out the kinks; Ruth would act as Yuuji's spotter while he fired upon the rampaging Dragon Queen (the world called her a King, but they didn't because it annoyed her, according to Ruth), but as Yuuji fired, Ruth would wrap his long, banner-like tail around Yuuji's waist.

They needed shadows to work the tactic to best effect, but, when Tiamat's attention turned their way, Ruth would simply pull them both into the shadows, enabling Yuuji to focus entirely on offense.

Aside from that, well… they were fighting the Mother of Dragons; save Ophis, Tiamat was the strongest female dragon to have ever existed. They were only alive because she wanted them to be, which would have been a lot more stressful if; Yuuji wasn't used to life and death scenarios, or if Ruth hadn't done this before.

Ironically, Tiamat was actually more dangerous when she came after them in human form; harder to see her coming.

Which had been a learning experience for Yuuji; in terms of hand-to-hand skill, he could almost keep up with Ruth's help; but the difference in basic physical ability was just too high.

He imagined it would be easier with Balance Breaker, but Tiamat had given strict instructions not to use it until she gave the okay.

Idly, he wondered if everyone else was having as hard a time as he and Ruth were, and quickly decided he hoped they weren't.

"Nee-sama, why are we cuddling?"

"Because you're Shirone."

"..."

"Also, because you're stressed out, and the more stressed you get the harder it is to control Senjutsu. But mostly because you're Shirone."

"... Okay then, Nee-sama. I trust you, it's just…"

"That you want to get stronger."

"Nn."

"Onee-chan won't let you down. She's been psyching herself up for being tough on Shirone for weeks now."

"... Love you too, Nee-sama."

Today was the same as the first.

They worked hard, they fought hard, and the evidence was obvious; Raynare was flat on her back, staring at the sky as she struggled to get her breathing back under control.

Slightly off to one side, but still between Raynare and himself was Kalawarner, bent over double and using a flickering light spear to keep herself propped up.

It wasn't as if they were underestimating him or anything like that, either, the two women were nothing but humble and eager to learn, which meant that they weren't entirely conscious of what they were doing.

Which was holding back.

In a way, Azazel approved; the world had enough bloodthirsty power idiots as it was.

He supposed that in part, it was backlash; they'd convinced themselves to hunt down 'potential threats', and there was still no way to know how many of their victims, how many of those Sacred Gear holders were actual threats to the Grigori.

People did awful things when they were desperate; Raynare and Kalawarner had just been lucky enough to be saved when their sins caught up to them.

Something he was immensely happy for, and he'd favor the Soldier brat just on that alone; that Yuuji was fun to hang out with was just gravy.

Or, it could be connected to why they'd Fallen in the first place, he couldn't say he envied the girls there.

It was probably a mixture of both but, whatever the case. they were still carrying some lingering scars, and they had no idea they'd clipped their own wings because of it.

And it was looking more and more like he was going to have to re-open some old wounds before they could finish healing, and move forward.

Yuuji had saved them in more ways than one, but there was just things he had no way of knowing, things you kind of needed feathers to properly understand.

… Pity, though, he'd kind of warmed up to the 'fresh start' he was about to waste.

"... Alright girls, level with me; why are you two so dead set on holding back?"

Raynare's gasping abruptly stilled, and Kalawarner's hazel eyes blinked slowly in confusion.

"... Holding back? I… forgive me, but we don't understand." Kalawarner ventured after a moment, shooting a puzzled glance back to Raynare, who had pushed herself up onto her elbows to look at him.

"You don't, huh?" Azazel sighed.

Yeah… they were going to have to do this the hard way, huh?

"Listen, you girls aren't weak, at least in comparison to those Devil brats, you're both in the upper half at least." Azazel began. "But let me tell you right now, though, if they were Fallen Angels; none of them would have only a single pair of wings."

They stared in shock as Azazel quietly braced himself; it had been fun while it lasted, but pushing the girls here was a good start to making up for how he'd failed them.

"So what the hell is your excuse?"

He'd missed his little stretch of the woods, nestled between his tiny little lake, and his humble little mountain.

It was still a bit odd to think of it as his; but he'd owned lands in the Gremory territory for almost five years.

Rias had attained her Evil Pieces and made him her Knight in more than just name; and that had made him, along with Akeno and Koneko, eligible to own territory in the Gremory lands.

It was still a fond memory for Kiba, it was one of the odder gifts he'd received for certain, but Rias had caught sight of him lingering over pictures of a vacation home in some forest, and had promptly done her absolute best to replicate it for him.

… Honestly, his King was adorable when she got all excited like that, he'd never had the heart to tell her that he hadn't really been paying attention to the magazine he had been flipping through.

He supposed her enthusiasm had won out in the end, though, his little stretch of land (little by Gremory standards, he was aware the madness had spread) had certainly grown on him.

An odd sort of calm had fallen over him, he'd had Rakshasa Divine drawn as much as he could handle and he'd started rebuilding the foundations of his swordplay from the ground up, but despite the physical exhaustion, his mind was as clear as the lake's surface.

Which meant he'd made pretty good progress on Yuuji's assignment for him, though only one of his ideas had formed itself into an actual sword.

Kiba had dubbed the new sword Vertigo Violence; true to its name, the blade was a tangled mess of Demonic Iron that seemed to change shape and color a little every time you looked away.

He'd need to test it with an actual opponent, but putting his hand on the blade had produced the desired effect so far. He'd gone from quietly sitting on a wooden chair to lying on the wooden floor of the cabin staring up at a spinning wooden ceiling, daring the headaches to pray that the spinning would stop.

He had a dozen other ideas germinating, all swords that were, as Yuuji had cleverly put it 'forged to fuck with foes'.

And on a completely different note, he'd begun spicing up his several times a day runs, he'd gotten faster, it seemed, and had gotten some amusement out of training wind sprints.

Maybe he could call them 'wave sprints'? After all, now he could move quickly enough to sprint across the lake rather than around it.

… The big clearing he used for sword practice wasn't quite the way he left it…

He knew several pink-haired women, but all of them should be back at the Gremory estate, and none of them were the woman currently face-down in a small crater.

"... Excuse me, miss?" There was no need to be rude to the trespasser, even if he wasn't going to put his sword away.

She had swords too, two of them that he could see in fact, and, rather than the traditional katana and wakizashi pairing, it seemed she carried a pair of katana. Which, if he wasn't mistaken, seemed just a tiny bit shorter than they should be for a woman of that height.

Well, it fit her odd clothing style, some sort of short, blue and red kimono, and her pink hair (almost pale enough to be white) was in the remnants of a functional, high ponytail.

… No visible injuries, but no response.

"... Miss, are you alright?" Kiba called out softly, approaching slowly and from the direction of her head, to minimize any potential surprises for him or her.

No answer again, so he stopped at the shallow crater, took a knee, and slowly reached out his hand.

He was totally her type, and she wanted to fight him.

… She wondered why his sword was at her throat, and idly concluded that it probably had something to do with her sword being at his throat.

When did that happen?

She blinked at him slowly as he lifted an eyebrow in silent question, a silence quickly shattered by a thunderous rumbling noise.

The boy chuckled, she blushed, he opened his mouth to speak, and she toppled from her half-crouch.

The last thing she remembered was a muffled curse and the dull clatter of swords hitting the ground, and that his arms were warm and perfect for swinging a sword.

… As the strange pretty swordsman passed out in his arms, Kiba decided that he definitely wanted to fight her, invite her for lunch, and ask her name, and how she'd gotten there in the first place.

He hadn't quite figured out the order he was going to do those things in though, yet.

Tune in next time to figure out who our mysterious pink-haired swordwoman is, and why she matters.

Fluff and set-up and ships galore this chapter, and in the next you'll receive a few more concrete details as to what's going on with each of the characters, everyone will have their time to shine.

Introduced another of the Grisaia girls (Michiru) in passing, and if you know her the mention makes a lot of sense.

For the record, Basmu isn't an OC, she's the 'Venomous Snake' of Sumerian Mythology, one of Tiamat's 11 children. And yes, I totally based Tiamat off of her FGO appearance.

Training will be a little more hardcore here, this isn't just Rating Game prep; this is them getting ready to protect a Kuoh that's become much more noteworthy to the supernatural world at large.

PS; I do reply directly to reviews, but those notifications never seem to work, so check your inbox if you're curious.