Not My Harem Anime!

by The Tempura Wizard

Power fantasies oft reign supreme when you reincarnate into new worlds, especially ones you know. The world is rarely so kind, though. Even for those with powers that many would consider unique or even game-breaking, life can be ruthless. Being reincarnated with the wrong equipment was only the start, but what protagonist lets something like a bad hand keep them down?

79. Chapter 77

NMHA Ch. 77 - The Things That Matter

---

A/N - What else is there to say beyond 'on with the show'?

---

Ruval's head spun, though he laid firmly in bed.

The past, however long it had been, was a blur. Days? Weeks? Months? Years even?

He wasn't sure.

As he glanced over at the sleeping form of the brunette in the flickering candlelight, he could only wonder.

When had life become so perfect?

The blond frowned, turning away from the candle and rose, rubbing his head as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Actually, that was a good question. When had the world suddenly given him everything he ever wanted? A whole happy family, food aplenty, modest but fulfilling work.

Then there was... Her.

The mere thought sent a rush of deep, desperate longing through Ruval, compelling him to turn around to stare at the resting brunette again.

He was able to shake it at the very last moment.

That was not right. His life was perfect. He had everything he wanted.

So why did it feel like something was wrong?

His head rose to the ceiling of the nondescript bedroom. The plain walls and flat ceiling stared back, shadows flickering in the candlelight behind him.

Now that he thought about it, the room was surprisingly lacking in detail, for some place that he and she (-and there was the mind-numbing hunger to see her again-) had spent countless nights in.

Memories, hazy and fleeting, rose to the forefront of his mind, memories of delights and pleasures beyond compare- days of splendid joy and nights of exquisite carnal pleasure. Things he wouldn't dare ask of her, willingly and delightedly given, flashed by at such rapid-fire pace that his head started spinning again.

But try as he might, he couldn't grasp onto more than that.

Behind him, he heard stirring. A slight grunt as she stretched - like he knew she liked to do before getting out of bed - before a voice spoke up.

"Ruval? What are you doing awake at this time?"

He finally glanced back, and she was there, a beauty beyond compare with a soft, loving smile on her face, eyes twinkling with confusion.

"I..." he cleared his throat, feeling it tighten at the candlelit sight before him. Perfection. There was nothing else that could describe it. "Sorry. I've just been troubled, lately."

"Really? And here I thought my tits had helped you with that already," she teased, pressing the aforementioned pillows together with a wry grin on her face. "Don't tell me you need an encore performance."

The view caused an immediate, and visceral reaction from the blond, the desire almost overwhelming him.

Almost. He managed to fight it off, though the thought of jumping at the offer remained excruciatingly, achingly tempting. A certain something definitely twinged with need.

"Actually, I..." he turned away and shook his head to clear out the haze of lust, with only minimal success. A hand rose to it, "Ngh... something just doesn't feel right."

She tilted her head, brow drawing together as the smile faded, lowering herself to all fours to crawl over and gently touch Ruval's shoulder blade. Shivers rolled down his spine at her softer-than-soft skin. "Something is really troubling you then, huh?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head again. "I- I don't know. Something's just off. I can't really say why."

"Can't? Or won't?" the words slid into his ears like honey.

"Won't," he replied, head spinning again. "I- something's wrong here. I don't know, it's- it's something to do with..."

"Just relax, dear." That hand started stroking his back slowly. "I'm sure it'll be alright. Just take a few deep breaths." She paused, and he knew she'd tilted her head. "Maybe even take a walk?"

He swallowed another lump in his throat. "I- I think that might be for the best."

"Then go right ahead," she demurred, the shadows moving across the walls as she passed him the candle. Ruval's hands immediately took it from her, eyes lingering on the flame. "Want me to come along?"

"Of course," he heard himself say, rising to his feet to walk over to the discarded pajama pants - 'when did those get there?', a part of him wondered - before sliding them on. "I think the company would be wonderful."

Why did he feel like he heard himself agree, and not actually say it himself?

'What is wrong with me...?'

Yet when the brunette rose and stretched, giving him a full view of that flawless figure once again in the flickering candlelight, the thought slipped away like dust on the wind. Of course Ruval agreed- he was just feeling off, like he said. Her company was always welcome.

Always.

All the while, the candle continued to flicker, and come morning Ruval's concerns had once again dissolved.

But even though it had become dust, a single grain of discontent remained.

---

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Haven't you done enough?"

Luna's eyes narrowed, shaking her head. "Not even close to enough. But for now, I'm stepping away from that. Believe it or not, I'm here to lend a hand."

Issei turned to Asia, wordlessly asking her a question.

"I- I didn't think Lunarunn would be here too," she admitted, eyes slightly widened. "I, I just called Isaiah, Gasper, and Valerie. I- she has the Sephiroth Graal, right? I thought that she could- well..."

"Bring back the dead," Valerie finished, but with a shake of her head. "I can, but the price is too high to consider."

"You've got a heart? I thought you were the kind of person who could be labeled as a 'psychopath'," the brunette of the party teased.

"Miss Lunarunn, that's mean!" Gasper pouted.

"I don't have a heart, but Isaiah does, and he made it very clear he'd break up with me if I just used random people as the sacrifices necessary to revive Issei-san's friends." The other Dhampir smiled teasingly. "I like him far too much to consider doing so."

Issei's eye twitched, and Asia's smile grew strained. "A-ah, please don't, Valerie-san..."

"So coming to me was a way to save your relationship?"

"It was an acceptable compromise," Isaiah agreed. Unlike Valerie, he wasn't smiling. His eyes shifted back over to the other young man. "We can help, Issei, but please calm yourself. I know you don't like Lunarunn, and for good reason, but hear us out."

The hellspawn in question looked away and coughed, a strange expression crossing her face, but Issei remained frowning.

"...Why should I?" he asked instead, head tilting slightly down and to the side, even if his gaze remained locked on Isaiah, his hands clenched into fists. "How do I know that you aren't just trying to take advantage of this whole...?" Issei didn't finish, instead gesturing roughly to the house behind him.

"Yeah, I figured you'd ask that sort of question," the brunette muttered, but Isaiah cast a glance her way. A moment later, she exhaled and let out a small chuckle, shaking her head with a slight shrug. "Just sayin'."

The blond stepped forward, standing eye-to-eye with Issei. "You would turn away our help?"

"I'm just saying, I have options," he answered bluntly. "What makes you any better?"

"Ise..." Asia trailed off, hands clasped together at her chest.

"You mean aside from the Sephiroth Graal's host and one of the strongest Devils alive working together to heal your parents and revive your friends?" Isaiah tilted his head. "That alone seems like a pretty good deal."

"Didn't you say you couldn't revive the dead without killing other people?"

"That's where I come in," Luna replied, holding up a familiar object, clutched between three fingers.

Issei stiffened as he recognized what she was implying, and even Ddraig started growling as the Boosted Gear formed around his draconic limb. "No. Absolutely not."

He had his doubts about Venelana, but he had plenty more grievances with the woman in front of him. It wasn't even a contest which he'd prefer.

"I don't mean for you, moron," she bit out. "I'm talking about your friends."

"And how the fuck does that make it any better!?" He sniped back, stepping past Isaiah, who turned to watch the unfolding conflict. "You're suggesting that my friends and family become Devils!"

"At least they'd be alive!"

"And under your thrall!? How is that any better!?"

The glare he got was chilling, but he stood his ground. "Don't you fucking dare insinuate that I'd turn a family against each other like that scumbag Diodora."

Gasper cringed, and Isaiah's eyes squinted together even as a sword formed in his hands.

"I'm not just insinuating it. You're the reason they're dead in the first place!"

"I'm not the one who gave Motohama a phial of my essence. I didn't even know he had it until I heard the news!"

"The fact that you created it in the first place is damning enough!"

"I already told you, didn't I? I'm a monster, but I don't go after innocent people," she hissed, throwing her metallic hand out to Issei's house. "I'm not asking for shit, all I want is for you to respect that I'm trying to do the right thing here!"

Issei's teeth bared, and he was about to tell her where exactly to shove her demand for 'respect', but he felt an arm, sword pointing down, bump against his chest as he took a step forward.

"If she was really here to try and make things worse, do you think you could stop her?" Isaiah asked, expression as serious as Issei could remember seeing from the swordsman. "I wouldn't have asked Valerie to acquire Lunarunn's assistance if I didn't believe that she would come with honest intentions."

"Maybe not, but I sure as shit would make sure she leaves with even fewer body parts than she came with," he bit back.

"Issei, enough!" Asia exclaimed, pushing her way past Isaiah - an act that seemingly took him aback enough to let her through. "I get you don't like Lunarunn-" she turned to fix the brunette with a look. "There's a lot I don't understand about her... But you aren't even letting her try to help! Why are you so insistent on not giving her a chance?"

"Why are you all so keen on forgiving her?" he snapped, though he took a step away from Asia. "She's the reason everyone's getting hurt! Her and her stupid 'Dawn Legion'!"

"Issei," his girlfriend repeated herself, stepping forward. "This... this isn't like you."

'Like hell it isn't, you stupid-'

He paused, stopping the words from flying out of his mouth. He was about to snap at Asia of all people. That never should happen. At all. Asia was one of the kindest people he knew, and far from stupid. She was the least deserving of what he'd been about to say.

She was right; this wasn't like him at all. Lunarunn absolutely deserved to be taken to task for all the damage she was causing, but if she wanted to try to fix something for once, why was he so insistent she didn't?

'Ddraig, what's going on?'

'You saw what she is.' He didn't even try to hide his displeasure at the Devil's presence. 'She's a blight- a curse on this world. She needs to be expunged, now!'

A large part of him agreed.

But in that moment, Issei realized that was the part of him that Ddraig had claimed- the part of him he gave the Dragon of Domination in exchange for enough power to defeat Georg.

The rest of him was wary of - inhospitable to - her presence as well, but not openly hostile like he was acting.

'Ddraig,' he repeated himself, slowly and deliberately. The others were looking at each other now, confused and slightly concerned at the brunet's lengthy silence. 'What is going on? Why are you...?'

The dragon replied, equally slowly and seriously. 'Whelp, I will say this once, and only once. Stop her, however you can, or what you've dealt with now will only be a fraction of the suffering you will experience.'

'Is that a threat?'

'That's what she represents.'

So that was it. Ddraig saw Lunarunn as a threat. An existential one, even. But the fact that he'd go so far as to influence Issei's own emotions...

'No.'

'What?'

'You don't get to make that choice for me.' he replied, outrage - and hurt - toning his internal voice. 'You tried to take that out of my hands. How can you call yourself a 'proud' dragon with that sort of underhanded bullshit!?"

Rias had tried that already, to get her hands on the Red Dragon Emperor. There was a reason he didn't talk with her any more.

He just wanted to live freely, but if Ddraig wouldn't respect his own wishes...

'You don't know the threat she represents.' Ddraig whispered, before speaking aloud through the Boosted Gear "None of you all realize what she is. Not even close! If you really think that consorting with her will bring anything but disaster, you all are mad!"

A hush fell over the group as Ddraig gave his two cents, but where Issei stared at the Boosted Gear and Asia had a conflicted look on her face, Isaiah, Gasper, and Valerie all just traded glances.

Knowing glances.

They seemed to at least have an idea, but still brought her anyway?

Luna just seemed uncomfortable, but didn't make any additional comments.

"Who is she then?" Issei growled. "Enough beating around the bush, Ddraig, just spit it out already!"

"She's- Grgh!" Ddraig was cut off by a groan, not unlike how a Devil might react when uttering a prayer. "Rgh, damn that limitation..."

But then he spoke internally.

And it all made sense.

His frustration at Ddraig drained away in a moment of cold, analytical clarity.

At that moment, it clicked.

What she was.

What she represented.

Issei looked at Luna again.

And yet, something was... different.

When he looked at her, he saw the emotion in her eyes.

Her anger. Her disgust. Her fear.

Her hatred, even.

But not at him.

No. In that moment of clarity, Issei knew all those emotions were pointed somewhere else.

'...Why are you here?'

Isaiah was right. He wouldn't be able to stop Luna. He was sure he could at least take his pound of flesh before she killed him, but if she really was here to help...

"Fine," he bit out.

"WHAT?!" Ddraig exploded "Issei! Have you gone mad?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

Even as part of him writhed and raged, he forced the red dragon's indignant roars out of his mind and dispelled the Boosted Gear. "I'll 'hear you out'. But you'd best make it quick. I can only stand the sight of you for so long."

He noticed her shoulders sagged slightly, as though she'd exhaled a breath she'd been holding.

"Alright," she replied, quietly. "Here's my offer: I bring everyone hurt by Motohama back. Period."

"Why?"

"Why not? I could say any number of things, but in the end, it's because I want to."

"This could just as easily be a way for you to influence me, by making my friends join your Peerage." He knew he was repeating himself, but that was a particular sticking point.

"It's because I know that other Devils are already offering to revive your friends."

"How do you know that?"

She smiled mirthlessly. "Because as a Devil, I'd do the exact same thing."

He stared, shaking his head slowly. "So how is this any different?"

"Because unlike them, I'm not forcing you to choose between servitude or the lives of your friends."

"By placing the burden on them instead."

"It's either that, or they stay dead." Issei gaped like he'd been slapped, even as Luna glanced away with a darkening expression. "I want to at least give them the choice. If they come back and choose to kill themselves again rather than run the risk of my power corrupting them, well..." she shook her head. "That's not for me to decide. I know what it's like to be trapped with only one option. You don't deserve that. They don't deserve that."

It took him a moment to reply. "And what about everyone else you've hurt- or worse?"

"I'm only one person," she replied softly, meeting Issei's gaze once more. "And it's easy for me to kill. Far, far too easy. Is it really so wrong to want to try and save people, too?"

"It's pretty bold for someone like you to talk like that."

Asia gave Issei a look, and even Isaiah looked ready to say something, but a briefly raised hand from the Devil in question stopped them short.

"I know what I am." Luna looked away again. "If you say no, then I'll walk away. Simple as that." Her eyes closed. "But I really hope you give me the chance to give them the choice."

Even now he could feel the hostility from Ddraig coloring his thoughts, inflaming the distrust already there. He knew what she was. She knew what she was. It was madness to even consider accepting her offer. For all he knew, doing so would damn them even further.

But... she was giving him a choice.

Venelana was doing the same, but at least here, he could remain human. Or mostly human, he corrected himself with a quick glance to his draconic arm. He just had to trust the one person he knew trusting was a really, really bad idea.

Raynare and Xenovia would become Devils regardless of which Devil he decided to go with.

Or they could just stay dead. And his parents could just stay comatose and waste away.

He threw up a little in his mouth at the thought.

"Is this what they call a 'Faustian Bargain'?"

"Maybe. I'd have to ask Mephisto. I need to have a word with him anyway," she half-joked, cracking a wan smile. "I'll give you time to think about it, if you need to. But I do need to go sooner than later. I have an organization to run, after all."

It was idiocy, and yet...

"...No need." He forced the words out. "I... I'll take it. With some conditions."

He'd always been something of an idiot, hadn't he?

She tilted her head, furrowing her brow.

"First off- you help my parents too. They were poisoned by your power, and they're comatose. Not dead, thank goodness, but I want you to fix them too, by any means necessary."

"Done." That took him aback. Just like that?

"Second- when you're done healing everyone, you leave Kuoh and never return. You're not welcome here." That got him another questioning look from his girlfriend, but paid it no mind.

She grimaced, but nodded all the same. "Alright."

"One more thing." A thought came to mind. "Swear on your existence that you will not use anything about this incident to gain an edge over me in any negotiations that occur now and going forward. You want to give me the choice to stay human and save my friends and family? Then I want an assurance that your intentions really are honest."

Luna smiled drily. "If I could, I'd offer you a Lishanian Pact. But, unfortunately, I don't have that sort of ability at my disposal."

"You can make a Command." Valerie's eyes widened, and she looked at Issei with surprise. Even Luna seemed taken aback. Even Issei seemed uncertain about what he'd just said, but he pushed on anyway. "I want you to do so, agreeing to those terms."

She frowned, looking away for a moment, as though thinking about it, before nodding. "I- I can do that, I suppose. I haven't really tried it before, but... sure. Anything else?"

"I want to be the one to place the Evil Pieces," he finally said. "I don't want you touching any of the people I care about."

The brunette grimaced again, but nodded. "I'm surprised you didn't say that earlier, to be honest. But I agree."

So fast, again. She was really just giving him everything he wanted? There had to be a catch.

Three pairs of wings - One ethereal, one monstrous, and one imposing, spread wide as the brunette took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Then, she Spoke, the intonation of her words changing from normal to something much, much more.

"I, LUNARUNN OF THE DAWN LEGION, AGREE TO THE TERMS HYOUDOU ISSEI HAS SET FORTH, AND AM BOUND TO THOSE TERMS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY FROM THIS MOMENT ONWARD, ON PAIN OF MY PERSONAGE BEING ERASED FROM EXISTENCE. SO I SAY, SO SHALL IT BE."

As the weight of the brunette's declaration settled into his bones, Issei could feel that even Ddraig was pacified, if only slightly.

She'd actually followed through, and if the way she sagged was any indication, apparently it had taken quite a lot out of her.

The Devil rose back to her feet, wings retracting once more. "So, who died, exactly? I want to make sure I give you the right Evil Piece for each."

It took him a moment to reply. "Xenovia Quarta, and Raynare, formerly of the Grigori."

Isaiah blinked. "Raynare is your friend?"

"Yeah." Issei furrowed his brow. "Kind of rude, but she wasn't - isn't - a bad person. You know her?"

"I..." the blond frowned. "I used to, I suppose. She was different when I knew her. But I'll take your word that she changed."

Issei got the distinct impression that Isaiah wasn't telling the whole story, but decided it wasn't important enough to push just yet.

"Those two?" Luna pulled out the Evil Piece from before as well as another. "...Alright."

She stared at the Evil Pieces, deep in thought, before she stuck her arm out. "They're yours to use, Issei. Rook for Xenovia, Bishop for Raynare. You know how to Reincarnate a person?"

He nodded once as he took the Evil Pieces off of the brunette's hands. "Then you do so," she continued, "and I will perform the Reincarnation ritual. But first, Valerie will need to summon their souls to ensure the Reincarnation goes off without a hitch, so..."

The young woman in question smiled beatifically. "Where are the bodies, Issei-san?"

---

Seeing Xenovia and Raynare in the morgue struck Issei like a punch to the gut. He turned away to fight off the bile rising in his throat, ignoring how Gasper took a step forward as if to comfort him before hesitating and stepping back.

The two girls looked almost peaceful like this. Minus the wounds that marred their stilled forms.

They didn't deserve to die- not at Motohama's hands.

Lunarunn's expression was completely closed off as she stared at the bodies, almost clinically examining them from the short distance she kept herself at - as promised.

"I'm... not feeling anything from them," she said, almost more to herself. "Valerie?"

The dhampir shook her head, confirming the unspoken question. "They're gone. If someone tried to Reincarnate these two, they'd have been reviving bodies without souls."

Another hammer blow, this time to Issei's chest. So if what Valerie was saying was true, then if he'd gone with Venelana's offer...

"I'd have been too late?" he whispered.

"Maybe not. Perhaps in time, their souls would have returned," the dhampir replied with a shrug. "But for all intents and purposes, they would be different people even after the fact. If they were still people at all."

That wasn't at all reassuring.

"Then how...?"

"Don't forget that I can summon souls, Issei-san," Valerie smiled languidly, misinterpreting Issei's question. "Even allow them to manifest as specters, if only for a time. Bringing back a specific individual isn't difficult, I just need a good feel for their... energy, let's say. Finding compatible vessels so they can stay 'back' is a much more challenging task."

She shrugged. "Of course, we've got two damaged ones here, tailor-made for their souls. The bodies just need to be fixed up and granted new life first."

That got her a look from the brunette, who almost looked like she wanted to say something, before choosing otherwise.

She tilted her head to better look at Raynare, letting out a faint 'tsk'. "Their bodies certainly aren't in good enough shape to function as such."

"I can help with that," Asia offered. "Twilight Healing could restore them. I've done enough early learning on dead bodies to know that."

"The Church?" Luna guessed, pulling a face. Asia nodded, getting a scoff from the brunette as she glanced away, but no further comments were made.

"Then what do we need the Evil Pieces for?" Issei wondered aloud, pulling out the offending chess pieces in question, staring at them hard.

"Because even if I do return the souls to those bodies, they're still dead bodies. It'd be like putting water in a sieve- the soul wouldn't stay put, even if it wanted to." Valerie glanced over to Lunarunn. "However, if the body can be remade, reconstructed, revitalized, whatever, then that isn't a dead body any more, is it?"

"The Evil Piece acts as the life-bearer," Luna agreed. "I don't know the details - I'd need to either pore through Ajuka's notes and hope to make sense of them, or speak with the guy himself. Though that's a bit of a long shot given, well, I killed him, and not exactly the point here. Point is, from what I can gather, the Evil Piece reconstitutes the body with the 'Evil' element of Devils. The mind will be influenced somewhat - namely with increased servitude toward the King and a greater predilection towards indulging in one's 'darker' impulses, but if it was true brainwashing there wouldn't have been nearly as many Strays."

Issei gave a heated glare to Luna, and she stared evenly back. "I'm just stating the potential side-effects, dude. Long story short, they'll be transformed from a dead Fallen and dead Human into living Devils, with all the baggage that may follow. During that process, Valerie will return their souls to their bodies, and they should wake up within a day, probably during the evening since the sun will be down."

The Red Dragon Emperor's gaze returned to the Evil Pieces. "...But they'll be alive, won't they?"

"They will. I can't make any promises on how they'll react to becoming Devils." She cracked a faint smile. "But at least they can make the choice whether or not that sort of life is worth living. They definitely won't 'age' the same way either, which, er, comes with its own garbage can of worms."

"That's hardly a choice," he argued back, but lacking the same heat as before.

"But it is still a choice. One they wouldn't have otherwise." After a moment, Luna shook her head and sighed. "I never said I could fix everything. But at least I can try and... make things a little better, y'know? Give them a chance to choose, like I said."

She rubbed the back of her neck with her good arm, looking away. "What happened to them- well, it shouldn't have. They didn't deserve to die. Especially not like they did."

At least on that they agreed. Issei looked at Xenovia, then to Raynare.

They wouldn't like the idea of being Devils. Not at first, at least. But they'd come around.

'...They always do.'

"Alright." He exhaled and dispelled the sense of certainty he knew came from his visions, stepping forward and placing the Bishop on the Fallen and the Rook on the exorcist, both resting atop where the heart would be. "Asia, Valerie, please... ah, do your stuff."

"Okay. Step back please, Ise- I will need to get in to heal them," Asia spoke, waiting for the brunet in question to step aside before she slid in to take his place between the two soon-to-be-Devils. Soon, the bodies were suffused with the glow of Twilight Healing.

"While she's doing that, I'll need to pick your brain for a few minutes, Issei-san," Valerie added. "Once I'm done, I'll be able to call the proper souls back."

He nodded, then turned to Luna. "While we handle this, you go revive my parents. Don't try anything sneaky. You heal them, you come right back. Am I clear?"

She met his gaze and spoke with equal seriousness, bowing her head. "Crystal."

And with that, she turned to leave the morgue.

---

She stared at the two comatose humans, hooked up to life support and nutrients to prevent their bodies from dying to dehydration or starvation. But even as she looked, she couldn't help but see two others in their place.

A mother, firm and fair, with a fiery fervor to see her daughter become everything she could be.

A father who loved his child, enough to resent her for not being his original, yet enough still to overcome that and let her fly free.

She could see their corpses, skin streaked with black from electrical burns, falling to the ground as the Naberius heir turned to grin at her.

Lunarunn had been stressed, frustrated, unstable, morally repulsed at her own actions, and completely blindsided by her captor's sheer pettiness and cruelty.

She'd lost control back then. Trihexa had taken the hatred she felt in that moment and nearly consumed her with it.

No. She almost let it consume her.

She hadn't even considered she could have saved them.

She could have saved them.

But she didn't. She'd been too caught up in her own spiraling emotions to realize that the very tools she'd gone to such lengths for could have brought them back.

Two more innocent people, dead because of her ambitions.

Luna cracked a bitter smile.

"I really am a fucking idiot, huh?"

She held a hand over the head of Issei's mother.

"Mom, Dad... I'm sorry I was so selfish back then."

Maybe she still was.

Luna's expression firmed, and her hand started to glow as she sought out the corruption (her own corruption) that was poisoning the Hyoudou family.

She might not have saved her own parents, but she sure as hell would save Issei's.

Especially from her own mistakes.

---

After Asia was done, it was like Xenovia and Raynare had never been harmed in the first place. Their skin was pristine, their injuries gone. Were they not in a morgue, Issei really could have mistook them for just being asleep.

So the fact that he was dealing with that particular Devil - Demon, even - to bring them back to life sent a chill down his spine.

He still couldn't believe he was doing this. If Ddraig's silence was any indication, the Red Dragon of Domination felt the same way.

'You're still making a mistake.' Ah, perhaps not as silent as Issei first presumed. 'They may be your 'treasures', but any Dragon that deals with that monster isn't a true Dragon at all.'

'Then it's a good thing I'm a human- and plan on staying that way as much as I can.'

'Hmph.'

Perhaps he was making a mistake, but he'd made his choice. Even if it damned him, he at least wanted to give Raynare and Xenovia the chance to live. And at the very least, he wouldn't be selling his soul- not immediately, at least.

Valerie stood, eyes closed as an ominous aura surrounded her, using the memories of the two girls that she'd extracted from Issei to search for their departed souls. Meanwhile, Asia was chatting with Gasper, and Lunarunn hadn't returned to the room.

Were his parents really giving her that much trouble to heal?

"So why do you hate her so much, Issei-san?" Isaiah asked, leaning against one wall with his arms crossed. It was an odd look from the typically-polite swordsman, but with his choice of attire the brunet could admit it wasn't a bad one. "With that kind of reaction, I would have expected that she'd attacked your family personally."

Issei rubbed his draconic arm, furrowing his brow. How could he explain it? After giving part of himself up, Ddraig had some influence over him and was - understandably - hostile to Lunarunn? That whatever essence she created led to the Motohama Incident?

"I don't hate her," he replied instead, glancing down. "At least, not personally. But... what she is, what she represents... what she's doing to this world? That's what I can't stand."

"I still don't get it." But he wasn't dismissing the hostility out of hand. "I can tell you're hiding something, though."

Issei's eyes flicked back up to the swordsman, gesturing with his nonhuman limb. "Ddraig told me what she is. He wasn't entirely sure about her identity before, but this time he was actually using the body part I gave him when we were fighting Georg to influence me into defying her outright."

That took Isaiah aback. "...Aren't dragons typically beyond that sort of underhanded tactic?"

"That's what's so concerning," he agreed. "But after hearing his explanation... I get it."

"What did he say about Lunarunn, exactly?"

Issei glanced over to Asia, then back to Isaiah again.

She shouldn't have to hear this yet. Not until Lunarunn was gone, at least.

But Isaiah wasn't Christian. He wouldn't be quite so devastated at the revelation.

"God is dead..." Issei spoke quietly, "and she was the one who killed him."

Just because he wasn't Christian though, didn't mean Isaiah wasn't floored. His arms dropped to his sides as his eyes widened and pupils dilated.

"What!?"

Before Isaiah could try to make sense of what Issei had just said, the room darkened as Valerie called out. "I found them, please stand back."

Everyone snapped to attention at that; forming a semicircle around Valerie as the Dhampir turned, mist spilling out of two of her three chalices, spilling to the ground and pooling into cohesive forms.

While the color was leached from them, and their bodies shimmered like mist above the morning dew, Issei recognized them immediately.

Based on how their eyes landed on Issei, they recognized him too.

"I-Issei?" Raynare opened her mouth, then closed it, looking down at her hands. "I..." She quieted, struggling for words.

Xenovia was no better, looking around everywhere, then at herself, then back up. "Where's...?"

"She's... not here," Issei answered the unspoken question. "I, er... may be doing this without Irina knowing. I may have pushed her away this past week."

"You're a real idiot, aren't you Issei?" Raynare crossed her arms beneath her bust, looking away.

"I know, I'm stupid, but it was either that or asking her to watch her best friend become a Devil while she was helpless to stop it, and-"

"Become a Devil?" Both girls looked at Issei, and Raynare continued. "Seriously?"

"Venelana, er, Lady Venelana, was willing to help revive you two, but she wanted my servitude in exchange."

Xenovia frowned. "Then does that mean...?"

"I, ah, may have called some friends," Asia offered, poking her fingers together as the gaze of the two spirits turned to her. "Ise-kun was really beating himself up over this, and... I didn't want him to have to deal with this alone. We're a team. I- I had to do something. I didn't want Ise to feel like that was the only option."

Isaiah glanced away at that, but Issei caught the faint look of nostalgia on his face.

Okay, something was definitely up with him.

He snapped his attention back to the girls, and the fact that Luna was still not back. What was taking her so long? Had she gone back on her word?

No, he couldn't think like that, not yet at least... he forced the creeping suspicion away. "Er- what's it like? Being, uh, dead, I mean."

Asia silently made a prayer as Gasper stumbled, Isaiah broke into a cough, and Valerie giggled at the brunet's sudden bluntness.

"...Same old Issei." Xenovia said that, staring at him with an unrecognizable expression, before shaking her head. "It's... well. Asia. Do you know Heaven's secret?"

Asia's eyes snapped open, staring at the former exorcist before nodding. "...That God is dead? I do."

Issei caught a sad look in his girlfriend's eyes at the admission, but there was steel in her posture. She'd long made peace with the fact, he knew.

Xenovia nodded once as Raynare cut in.

"It's cold. Dark. Empty. It seems like nothing's there, but..." A distinctly uncomfortable look marred Raynare's features, wrapping her arms around herself. "There's... whispers. Lots of them. Nothing's there, just around the corner and... and whatever it is, It sends chills down my spine. It doesn't belong there. It- It shouldn't even exist."

Her words sent chills down Issei's.

"You heard It too?" Xenovia mumbled, getting a nod from both Valerie and Raynare... and even Gasper and Isaiah.

"Whispers?" he echoed, before realizing that he'd had something similar. Not whispers, not quite, but rather... "Hold on. This is about Trihexa, isn't it?"

Everyone turned to him, and eventually Valerie inclined her head in a nod.

"I think it's probably time we explained the full reason why we're here," Isaiah breathed out slowly, squaring his shoulders before facing Issei fully.

"Issei, does the name 'Yuuto Kiba' ring any bells?"

"Kiba..." He tasted the name, looking down as the name sent images half-formed through his head. "That..."

A memory struck. Or a vision. Or maybe both. More images whirled through his head, and with them came whispers- no, sounds. And in those sounds, he could hear himself speaking the name, occasionally decrying the handsome bastard, and sometimes in closer, more brotherly terms.

Issei's head snapped up. "That's you, isn't it?"

Isaiah - Kiba? - stood a little straighter and smiled.

"Hello, Issei-san," he replied, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Kiba-san?" Xenovia spoke, eyes widening faintly as she stared at the blond.

"Wait, you know the name too?!" Issei exclaimed. Xenovia opened her mouth as though to answer, but then recoiled, hands clutching at her head.

"Nngh...! I..." She tried again, but this time let out a faint whimper as she started trembling.

"I-it's okay, Xenovia-san!" Gasper insisted. "You don't need to say anything- we can explain!"

"Ah... apologies, if I'd known Isaiah was going to make that little announcement, I'd have warned you both," Valerie crossed her hands behind her back, partially concealing a faint wince. "The dead - and the souls within Sacred Gears - don't seem to be able to talk about certain things, though often not for lack of trying."

Wait, was that why Ddraig couldn't reveal Lunarunn's secret aloud?

Raynare stared unimpressed at Valerie, who just smiled back, even as Xenovia's trembling came to a stop.

"Why did that hurt her?" the deceased Fallen asked. "Does it have something to do with this 'Trihexa' thing that you keep bringing up? Or why- ngh!" She slapped an ethereal hand to her own head. "That... that's not right. That's not right at all." Her voice was shaky. Unnerved. "W-what the hell is going on with us?"

Issei's mouth went dry. Even in death, it didn't sound like they were resting peacefully. Not being able to speak about certain things without being hurt just for trying was bad enough, but being trapped in a blank void surrounded by whispers struck a little too close to home.

"Valerie," he said slowly. "Be honest with me. Those visions after I drank from the Holy Grail... did I see them because I died?"

"Technically you didn't die, your soul was just separated from your body while I optimized it-"

"That's basically what dying is, isn't it!?" he protested, throwing his arms out in disbelief. Valerie just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine, if you want the simple version of what happened; when you drank from the Grail, your soul did technically leave the mortal plane. Your body was still alive the whole time, but I needed to make the changes to your body and your soul separately to prevent them from becoming incompatible mid-process. I did say that you were putting more than just your life in my hands, didn't I?"

Issei didn't quite remember, but he did remember agreeing to undergo a risky process with a warning that it wouldn't be a pleasant one. The more he learned, the less and less pleasant in hindsight it was turning out to be.

"Really? Enhanced by the Sephiroth Graal? No wonder you took me down with a single punch when I tried to kill you," Raynare muttered, getting a glare from Isaiah, Gasper and Xenovia before shrugging. "Bite me you three, I apologized afterward."

"No you didn't!" Issei squawked. "You never apologize!"

She threw up her hands with a groan. "Uuuugh, okay, fine, then I regret letting my half-sister convince me that putting you and your girlfriend down was a good idea. Better?"

Half-sister... that sounded familiar. But that wasn't important right now.

"Better. And, uh... sorry for snapping at you. Both of you," he apologized, shaking his head. "It's just... a lot to take in right now. Let's just focus on... y'know. Bringing people back to life." Issei's lips tugged downward. "Once Lunarunn gets back, anyway."

"Hold on, you got her to bring us back? But she's a Devil-" Raynare cut herself off, eyes widening in realization. "Oh."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Oh. Look, I'm not a huge fan of it either, but-"

"Issei, what did you give her?" Xenovia asked slowly, now refusing to meet his eyes.

"That's just the thing. She didn't ask for anything." Both spirits gawked at him, and he explained further. "She said she just wanted to give you two the chance to choose life after Motohama..." he trailed off, gesturing to their bodies.

"That... doesn't sound like Her," Raynare muttered, rubbing her head. "Lord Kokabiel told us stories about the ori- ow, okay, not going there. Ergh, I was told stories, bad ones, but that definitely doesn't sound like the person Lord Kokabiel went after."

Issei rubbed his own forehead, if for a different reason than Raynare. "Well, she's still bad news. But... I dunno. Lunarunn Commanded herself to abide by the conditions I set for her assistance. I could feel it in my bones."

"That does sound like a Command," the fallen Fallen agreed. "But only the top echelon of Angels - and the Demons - can do that, and She's no Angel."

"But she definitely doesn't seem like a Demon..." Asia trailed off, biting her lower lip in thought. "She called herself... a monster that devours monsters."

"A necessary evil," Isaiah summarized. "But she also came to make amends in Kuoh."

"Then what does that make her?"

"The person I am today. No more. No less."

All eyes shifted to the brunette who just entered the morgue, a thoughtful expression on her face that quickly morphed into a sardonic smirk..

"Kind of rude to talk about a girl behind her back, don't you think?"

Issei didn't rise to the bait. "What took you so long?"

The brunette held up a phone. "Masaomi called. Apparently Irina stopped by his place and told him you were going to sell your soul to the Devil, so he wanted me to step in."

"Even though you're the Devil I'm selling it to?" he deadpanned, getting a chuff from the Worldweaver.

"Still waiting on you to deliver."

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

The other people in the room looked between Issei and Lunarunn as they bantered, before the brunette held up a hand to cut off Issei's next response.

"Let's get down to the brass tacks. I've pulled out the corruption from your mom and dad, and restored the muscle mass they lost while comatose. They're awake now and apparently I've got a free meal on them."

He wasn't sure whether to laugh or snarl. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"They seem to think that I saved their lives, so dinner is the least they could offer." Luna smiled, but a moment later the Red Dragon Emperor realized it was more of a grimace as she scratched the side of her head. "I guess that's Japanese hospitality for you, huh?"

Issei felt an elbow nudge him, and looked to see Asia puffing out her cheeks. After a moment, he sighed and capitulated. "Fine, I suppose I can tolerate you for a little longer. If my parents were that insistent."

Strangely enough. Lunarunn's expression fell at his allowance. "...Yeah. Alright. I suppose I can visit."

'Huh?'

What was her deal? Did she want him to tell her to stay the hell away from his parents?

He just couldn't pin her down.

Valerie politely cleared her throat behind them, drawing the brunette's attention to the two spirits floating there. Her eyes closed and she bowed her head. "Xenovia. Raynare. I can't say I know you, but I know of you. I'm sorry that my misjudgement cost you two your lives."

"Fuck off," Raynare bit out, jabbing a jump out toward Xenovia. "It was my choice to fight the cretin and her choice to get involved too."

"Yet it was because of my mistake that Motohama got ahold of my essence," she parried calmly. "Had I not given Mephisto that essence, it would not have found its way into the hands of the Gremory family, who set a bitter young man off on a rampage against you all."

Was that what she wanted to talk to Mephisto about?

But what was that about setting Motohama off?

"What do you plan to do to him?" Issei asked.

"Probably drag an answer out of him why he gave Ajuka a portion of the sample. After that..." Luna shrugged. "Depends on his answer, I suppose."

"You're saying you may kill him."

"I hope I don't," she admitted.

"But you will if you feel the need to."

She didn't answer that accusation, which in itself was all the answer Issei needed. He threw up his hands and turned around.

"Fine, whatever. I can't stop you from turning on your own allies. Just don't bring my family into it."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Her gaze shifted over to Xenovia and Raynare's bodies. "You two. Do you know what it means to become a Devil?"

"Yeah, pretty sure I got the memo," Raynare replied tersely. Xenovia just hummed a confirmation.

"It's the only way I can bring you two back."

This time, neither spirit spoke.

"I... don't know exactly what lies on the other side," she admitted. "But I have an idea, and it's not pretty."

"Nothing does," Raynare replied flatly. For some reason, Luna cracked a mirthless smile at that.

"Yeah. I thought so. So what are you going to do about it?"

"What can we do about It?" Xenovia asked, shaking her head. "It... If that thing really is real, I... I don't know." She grit her teeth and held her head. "I-I don't know!"

"Easy girl. Settle down- take deep breaths. Just focus on what options you have."

"That's easy for you to say when you're- nnnngh!" Xenovia clutched at her head again, prompting Luna to step forward, lifting a metallic hand, before staring at it like it was something entirely alien, slowly letting it drop back to her side.

"...Yeah." She looked away. "That wasn't cool of me. Sorry."

"I don't like the idea of being your Servant," Raynare admitted, glancing over to Xenovia. "But I don't like the idea of going back either. Being a sitting duck for that... thing?" She shook her head. "No. No, no, not happening. I'd rather suck Issei's dick."

"Oi!" The brunet in question barked out even as Luna started snickering.

"Damn, I feel bad for you kiddo. Or jealous. Kind of hard to tell."

Asia's face was flushed red, as was Issei's, Isaiah and Gasper were both hiding smiles, and Xenovia... was contemplative.

"Fuck you." Raynare growled flatly.

"Sorry, not into necrophilia. Maybe if you were my Servant- wait, no, that's not a good look either. Guess that means you're stuck with Issei. Or Isaiah, I suppose, but that depends on whether or not he's taken."

The blond in question just pointed to Valerie, who gave everyone else a saccharine smile dripping with poison.

"Well, guess he's out. Sorry, you're stuck with the pervert."

"Oi! I'm not a pervert."

Everyone, Lunarunn included, deadpanned at him. But he didn't budge.

"Sorry, Super Pervert," the Dawn Legion leader corrected herself, getting understanding nods and noises of agreement from everyone present.

Issei included, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "That's better. Don't insinuate I'm just some dude with an oppai obsession."

Asia puffed out her cheeks and held onto Issei's draconic arm. "Ise-kun, you're being weird again."

"And proud of it!" he exclaimed, throwing his other fist into the air.

"Argh!" Raynare spun around and threw her arms up, mist floating off of them. "Fucking hell Issei, you're as bad as Kala!" she paused. "...Do any of you know how she's doing anyway? That bitch still owes me forty Euros."

"Well, after Kokabiel and I hashed out our differences, there were a rather large number of Fallen who suddenly didn't have a home to return to." Luna shrugged. "She's most likely helping out in Penemue's legion right now."

"I read the news, y'know."

"Then you know she's probably fine. Tell you what, I'll even throw you a bone and send you her deployment so you can get your money back."

Raynare hummed. "Fine, it'll probably be funny to make that bimbo piss herself when I jump her ass."

"I'm glad we could come to some sort of agreement," Luna replied dryly. "And you, Xenovia?"

"...I don't have much to come back to," she started. "My mother is dead as well. I'll be a target for the Church because of what I've become. I won't even be able to pray to God- and not just because he's dead." The blue-haired young woman clasped at her chest. "But I... I want to feel warm again. To have a purpose again. I... want to... to live again. Even if the world I knew before is gone."

There was a long silence as Luna tilted her head and processed Xenovia's words.

"I get it," she said softly. "I really do. Then I'll begin the ritual for you both." The brown-haired woman turned to the young man. "Issei, are the Evil Pieces already in place?"

He nodded once. After a moment, Lunarunn nodded back and walked over to Xenovia and Raynare's bodies, placing a hand over the Evil Piece situated on each.

After a moment, she looked back. "Last chance, you two. Are you sure about this?"

"I am," Xenovia confirmed.

Raynare harrumphed. "Yeah, yeah, what's the worst that can happen? Maybe with a bit of Demon juice I'll be strong enough to make a difference."

Luna chuffed, even as a magical circle appeared beneath both dead bodies. "Careful what you wish for, Raynare. But if neither of you are going to turn back, then I won't welch either."

She paid no mind to how the circles in question were adorned with scythes, shepherd crooks, and scales, compared to what they had been when she Reincarnated Kuroka and added Jaspal to her Peerage.

"Spirits of those passed," she spoke slowly, deliberately, as the Evil Pieces began to shine. "I call upon you to return to your bodies." Her hands started glowing. "I call upon you to awaken once more." She spread her wings, the ethereal, the monstrous, and the pair between. "I call upon you to take up the mantle of servant, so that you might once again serve a cause."

She sighed. "Though it gives me no pleasure to drag you from your rightful rest, I call upon you to arise as something new, yet old. Something different, but still the same."

Issei's brow furrowed. That wasn't how the Reincarnation process worked, did it? Yet, the spirits of Xenovia and Raynare had vanished, and nobody else was alarmed. So he stayed his hand, even as the shining lights went from bright to blinding.

"Yours will become a paradoxical existence," Lunarunn continued, voice growing stronger. "Servants, yet freed from your chains. Devils, yet unaffected by my commands, save for the one I give now."

The Red Dragon Emperor started. This wasn't part of the deal. but her next words, softly spoken, stopped him from trying to disrupt the ritual. "Your singular command from your Demon King Azrael will be as thus: Live a life that matters. Live a life that leaves the world better for your being here."

Even as Issei covered his eyes, he heard the Devil - no, Demon - finish the Reincarnation. "With this command, arise as my Devil Rook and Devil Bishop!"

There was no sound, but Issei was sure that had he not covered his eyes he still would not have been able to see anything. Several seconds passed before the light started to fade, the image of the brunette standing above two bodies became visible once more. Both bodies drew sharp breaths, pained and gasping, but then settled into a more natural rhythm.

They were alive.

They were... they'd be okay.

His shoulders sagged as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

She'd followed through. She stuck to her word.

'...You didn't need to worry about that,' Ddraig muttered, as though extremely reluctant to admit as such. 'Monster though she is, Azrael's word was always as true as Yahweh's.'

And yet she was doing good here... at least, that's what it seemed like.

The dragon growled. 'She doesn't belong here. Not after what she became. No amount of time will forgive her that sin.'

Maybe not, and yet...

"So. Azrael?" he mused aloud. She stiffened.

"That's not my name," the brunette denied. "I might wear her face, have her power, and bear her burdens. But she and I aren't the same."

"Yet you used it when you were Reincarnating Xenovia and Raynare," Isaiah adroitly added in. "There was a reason for that. Even going so far as to specify that they'd abide by only one command from that individual."

Luna didn't turn around, looking up. "She and I... have a contract, of sorts. You could say that I am to Azrael as what the Evil Pieces would make Xenovia and Raynare to me."

"A servant?" Gasper offered. The brunette didn't answer. Issei's brow drew together.

What the Evil Pieces would make Xenovia and Raynare to her? 'Why use that specific language?'

"But enough about that." She turned around and smiled, but Issei could see she was forcing it. "Like I said, Xenovia and Raynare will wake up sometime this evening. In the meantime, I've pulled some strings, so their bodies won't be noted as missing. So I guess we'll meet back at the Hyoudou household? Gorou and Miki did want me over for dinner after all."

Issei pulled a face. "I'm really not sure how I feel about that."

"You can always say no- you're the one I made an agreement with," Luna offered. He shook his head.

"I'm not gonna go behind my mom and dad's back like that." Though they obviously didn't understand what she was.

Then again, did he? It was difficult to reconcile the person who shut down the Kuoh Peace Summit and killed Ajuka Beelzebub, to say nothing about her origins, with the same person who saved him from Freed, trained him for a time, and went so far as to bring his friends back to life using the now extremely-limited Evil Pieces. All without demanding anything from him in turn.

Her face flickered, as though displeased with his answer. "...If you say so."

"I hope I'm not intruding, but would it be an issue if we joined you all?" Isaiah asked, stepping forward now that the Reincarnation was finished. "Considering we need to find a new place of residence for the time being, it would be nice to start our search on a full stomach of food."

"Of course," Issei agreed immediately. "Uh- we may need to get another table, though. Not sure the one we have is big enough for everyone."

"Well, if it helps, I have a friend on speed dial who might be able to offer sanctuary," Luna held up her smartphone between her finger and thumb. "None of you three are Devils, right?"

Isaiah and Valerie exchanged glances before the latter shrugged. "Experimenting with species blends aside, none of us are negatively affected by holy boons. Your assistance is appreciated, Lady Lunarunn."

"Right, Sephiroth Graal. Should have figured you'd mess around with that, my bad." She coughed into her fist. "So, uh, why don't we get going? I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable standing around here in a morgue."

Issei rolled his eyes. The reincarnation of the Angel of Death, uncomfortable with dead bodies? It was an amusing enough dichotomy that even as he picked up Xenovia and slung her onto his back like the piggyback rides he and Irina gave each other back as kids - leaned forward enough so the blue-haired girl didn't accidentally slip off.

"Sure, let's get going," he agreed. The sooner they were away from this place, he thought, the better.

---

Issei had misjudged the situation. The instant Lunarunn placed that call, he should have known she was up to no good.

"Issei, you idiot!" the younger of the two brunettes present cried out, crashing into his chest as Masaomi watched. He glanced over to Lunarunn with a faint smile on his face. The older brunette, however, appeared as uncomfortable as the young man felt.

Issei wasn't quite sure how to deal with the young woman currently bawling into his chest. Asia had always been so composed and graceful, even when she was feeling down, so Irina's reaction left him at a loss. It took him a good several seconds to try and answer her.

"I, uh, I said I'd get her back, didn't I?" That didn't seem to be the right thing to say if the reddened, swollen eyes of his childhood friend snapped up to glare at him.

"By selling your soul to some succubus that put you in that situation in the first place!" she protested, pounding her remaining fist on his arm.

Luna's eyes snapped over to the stump of Irina's lost arm before looking away again, one hand placing itself over her other arm.

"Y-yeah, well..." He looked away. What options did he really have? The fact that Asia had managed to procure Isaiah's - and by proxy Valerie's - phone number and had managed to catch them at a good time was nothing short of miraculous, and even moreso that another Devil was willing to foot the bill for Raynare's and Xenovia's life.

"I said it before, I wasn't strong enough to save her then. So I wanted to do so however I could, even if it meant-" he trailed off as she glared up at him again, and grimaced, stammering briefly. "I-I'm sorry, Irina. I should have considered what that might have meant for you. I just... wanted to make things right."

"Ise..." Irina seemed to be at a loss for words, even as she continued to glare at him. Finally, she found them, and spoke unabashed. "Maybe I didn't want to lose anyone else, huh? Did you not think about that?"

Asia had to point it out for him, and at that point he had all but chosen to agree to Venelana's offer.

Issei knew he didn't deserve his girlfriend.

He chuckled, a note of self-deprecation present. "I, ah, I was being kind of selfish, wasn't I?"

Now the older brunette in the room smiled. "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Did with me, after all."

"Quiet, you," Issei dryly sniped back, even as Masaomi slugged Luna in the shoulder with a flat look and raised eyebrow, getting the Demon to rub where he hit her and pout at the exorcist.

"Damn, tough crowd," she muttered, but Issei felt Irina's chest spasm, as though holding back a giggle and a sniffle simultaneously.

"I-it's okay, Issei. I forgive you," the girl in question replied softly. "Maybe, maybe I was being a little selfish too. I forgot just how bullheaded you can be."

"I'm starting to feel like a punching bag here," he complained. This time, Irina's giggles escaped.

"And you didn't before with how much you were beating yourself up?"

"Self-flagellation is one thing - being bullied is another."

"I'm amazed you even know what 'flagellation' means," the Worldweaver teased.

"Okay, that was uncalled for!" He exclaimed, Lunarunn breaking into snickers. "This is exactly what I mean! Asia, please back me up here!"

The blonde in question tilted her head. "Is that why Ise-kun wasn't able to find my dictionary, because you were reading it?"

"You evil bitch, you corrupted my girlfriend!?" he accused the Demon, pointing a finger at her. "How could you!?"

"Or maybe you rubbed off on said girlfriend more than you thought," the older brunette denied the allegation, crossing her arms and tilting her nose into the air.

"What rubs off on my girlfriend is none of your business."

"Ise-" Asia started, Masaomi breaking into coughs and Lunarunn into chortles. The blonde flushed, puffing out her cheeks. "That was meeeean."

Irina pulled away, giving the brunet a similar look. "You're terrible, you know that?"

If it meant that she was struggling to not smile, with the light back in her eyes, Issei was fine with that.

---

There weren't enough seats at the table, so after some discussions, Lunarunn ended up expanding it with a bit of magic.

She assured them it would last the rest of the night, so they didn't have to worry about food and dishes crashing into each other and causing a mess.

The dinner itself went surprisingly smoothly. Issei's mother and father made themselves to be excellent hosts - and Issei really had to figure out how his mom was able to make meals of such quality on such a short notice, even after being in a coma for a month. Lunarunn made for a good guest as well, surprisingly polite for someone with such a crass sense of humor. She'd made everyone at the table - Issei included - break into laughter more than once.

Who knew that the Demon of Death had no tolerance for alcohol? The thought of the brunette getting herself in hot water with the local monastery because she started drunkenly flirting with one of the nuns caused Issei to snicker. Even moreso that Kuroka and Jaspal had to pull her out of the fire.

Kuroka, of all people. Isaiah and Masaomi had outright broken into disbelieving laughter once Luna had admitted that, much to Irina's and Asia's confusion.

Issei had joined the other two men in their laughter. From what his visions had indicated, if Kuroka got involved as a moderating influence, things had become truly absurd.

But even as Issei's parents laughed at the woman's story about how even magicians apparently had trouble with door-to-door solicitors, he noted the melancholy in her eyes, and how her shoulders suddenly tensed, as though seized by discomfort.

She hid it well, but she didn't feel welcome here.

'Good,' Ddraig huffed.

Issei's brow drew together, but when Xenovia and Raynare finally awakened and made their way downstairs, he discarded the thought in favor of welcoming them back.

Raynare was rather awkward in her quiet 'thanks', sitting down and immediately getting to work on the food present. Xenovia would have joined her, but was met with a crying Irina, once again overjoyed at her friend's revival.

Dinner wound down quickly after that, even as the two girls made up for time lost to the grave by eating as much as the rest of them combined.

He didn't miss the way the brunette kept stealing glances to his parents, an unreadable expression crossing her face, before finally...

"Thank you for your hospitality," she said quickly, rising to her feet and bowing stiffly, before moving to leave. As she left, the others watched, mostly confused.

"...Did something come up?" Isaiah wondered aloud, but Issei frowned.

That wasn't it. She might have been 'busy', but clearly that wasn't due to something happening elsewhere.

No, he had an idea what the issue was.

"I'll talk with her," the brunet volunteered, rising from his own seat.

'Leave her,' Ddraig suggested. 'She isn't worth your time.'

'The least I can do is send her off properly,' he retorted. 'Especially after healing my parents and bringing Xenovia and Raynare back to life.'

'...Fine, it's not like I can stop you.' The dragon growled. 'Just remember what she is.'

He would.

Yet, when he ran out to try and catch her before she left, he didn't need to wait long. She stood there, at the terminus of Issei's home, staring at the building she'd exited so abruptly.

"Luna," he said, and she started, snapping out of her thoughts to meet his eyes.

"Ah, Issei." She swallowed, glancing away. "You... ah, sorry. That was kind of rude of me, wasn't it?"

"You've got a lot to answer for," he replied shortly, slipping his hands in his pockets. His head tilted. "First off, you were uncomfortable in there. Why?"

The brunette stiffened. "You could tell?"

The Red Dragon Emperor's eyes narrowed. "You weren't hiding it very well. Is something going on?"

"No!" She denied immediately. Then, she glanced away. "It- that dinner, it was nice. I'm glad that I was at least able to restore some normalcy. Even if it was just for dinner. I haven't had a meal quite like that in a while."

"Then why are you so jumpy?"

"It's just... I'm thinking back about my own life." She looked down at her prosthetic arm, clasping her fingers into a fist. "I wasn't the best child for my parents. I didn't give them much time, I was too busy thinking about what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be. I didn't realize what was in front of me."

Issei furrowed his brow. "Where are you going with this?"

"Nowhere, really. Just... reminiscing." Luna glanced back up at the house. "Maybe if I'd been a little wiser, I would have realized that some Devil would use my bond with them against me."

"That sounds an awful lot like what you're doing here."

Luna closed her eyes and smiled ruefully. "It does, doesn't it? Because of a Devil's selfish wishes, an innocent mother and father were dragged into a conflict they should not have been involved in."

Was she talking about him, or herself?

"What I went through - what I experienced - it shouldn't have happened. But it did anyway." She sighed, eyes reopening, but only partially. In them laid a chilling lack of light. "And I will never forgive the bastard who made it happen. You don't want to know what I'll do to them if I get my hands on them."

"Is that why you keep calling yourself a monster?"

"By the very definition, a monster is a creature that deviates grotesquely from normal shape, behavior, and character." She gestured to herself. "My wings are aberrations, even among Devils. I lost my arm just to prove a point. I got these scars chasing a goal I never should have achieved in the first place. And my behavior and character...?"

She sat down, leaning against the side of the gate. "I want to be a good person, Issei. But a good person doesn't do the sorts of things I have. A good person doesn't hunt victims just because they tried to stand up for themselves, especially against those that might victimize them further. A good person doesn't erase people from the course of history. A good person doesn't - won't - kill people for being betrayed ages ago. What is that, if not deviant?"

He didn't have an answer to that. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Are you sure you should be telling me this?" Issei pressed, jabbing a thumb back toward his house. "The old man is right inside. Isn't this something that he helped you with before?"

"The last time he ended up involved in my issues, he and Ruval nearly died. Masaomi was lucky to get away relatively unscathed; Ruval didn't. Not unscathed at least." Her smile was weak. "Masaomi's already fighting for me despite his status as a liaison for Heaven."

"So you're not going to confide in him?" Issei asked.

"It's been fifteen years since we had a heart-to-heart. We may have chatted, but we went our separate ways, and I'm not going to disrespect that by asking more from him than I already have. He's got a daughter, for fuck's sake." Her good hand rose to rub across her eyes. "I'm not sure what I was thinking, bringing him onboard the Dawn Legion. I mean, it was his choice to make, but... you understand now why I don't want to give him any more trouble?"

"That's not your choice to make. He's the one that chose to get involved."

"And I'm eternally grateful to him for doing so, but-" she looked down at the ground and shook her head. "These are my demons to fight, not his."

"If he's a real friend, he wouldn't mind. He's a former exorcist, after all."

Her smile fell. "And that's why I won't bother him further. Not unless he presses me about it."

Issei frowned. "It sounds like you're just trying to make excuses for yourself."

She didn't respond to his accusation, instead tilting her head up toward the sky.

"But even aside from that- I see a lot of myself in you, Issei. Especially the desire to do the right thing, even if it damns you."

The brunet bristled. "I'm nothing like you, Lunarunn."

"And that's why I'm here. To keep it that way," she agreed, chuckling faintly. "You're a protector. That's an admirable quality to have, truly. But what is a protector who loses what he wanted to protect?"

Before he could answer, she continued.

"An avenger," the brunette answered her own question softly, eyes reopening, staring at nothing. "It's a thin line, and one easily crossed. Heaven knows there's enough people seeking vengeance in this world already. I might call it 'justice', but in the end, it's still born from my personal desire to right what I see as the wrongs of this rotten world. No matter the cost."

"And yet you don't want to drag Masaomi any further into-" Issei gestured to Lunarunn. "...this. You said it was because he has a daughter."

"A daughter that shouldn't have to see her father die because of the aspirations of the people he chose to follow."

The brunet scowled. "And yet you still raise an army and threaten a war on an unprecedented scale."

There was a long pause as Luna mulled over his words.

"I hate Devils, you know."

"Eh?" The non-sequitur took the young man aback.

"Creatures of ambition and instinct, capable of so much - one need only look at Ajuka, who managed to create tools to revive the dead. But they glut themselves on the accomplishments of others. I can't stand people like that. They promise the world, then when you're no longer useful, they stab you in the back." She shook her head. "Some are better than others, naturally, but those Devils are the exception, not the rule."

"You're a Devil." Or were, at least.

Luna didn't move. "So I am. But that changes nothing."

Issei swallowed. "You... do realize that it sounds like you're saying you...?"

Her silence was all the answer he needed.

Issei swallowed, again, this time with more difficulty due to the dryness of his mouth. What did he say to that? What could he say?

In the face of Issei's shock, she spoke again. "Now you see why I call myself a monster. In a world of hypocrites and liars, I can hardly call myself any better. I try to be, but I'm just as steeped in sin. I know that. I accept that."

"It sounds like you're trying to justify that you're going to commit atrocities - more than you already have."

"Maybe so," she agreed softly, before letting out a longer sigh, rising back to her feet. "Issei, I know I said I wouldn't demand anything in return for bringing your nakama back to life. I stand by that. But I'd like to ask you for a favor. From one person to another."

He wasn't exactly in the mood to agree to do anything for her, especially after what she'd shared with him, but at the very least- "I'll hear you out, but I won't make any promises."

She nodded once, thinking over her words, before finally speaking.

"This life you have?" She gestured to his home. "Cherish it. Protect it." The demon stepped forward. "Become strong. Not just in here," she poked Issei's arm.

"But also here." She poked his forehead.

"And here." Then, the center of his chest.

She stepped back, crossing the threshold of Issei's home and leaving it. "I became a monster in the blind pursuit of glory and vengeance. One of me is enough. So be better than me. Be stronger. Be smarter. Be braver. So that one day you can face me, defeat me, and prove that there's a better path than the one I've carved out." Her face fell. "A kinder one, where those like me are no longer made."

"And if I can't?" he asked in turn.

"Then I will do as I must." Lunarunn closed her eyes. "I will continue to devour those who are also monsters. I will cleanse this world of its filth, and if I burn it down in the process, then perhaps something better will sprout from the ashes." A long moment passed. "But I hope it doesn't come to that. Truly, I do."

'She's asking you to oppose her. To become a foe she cannot beat,' Ddraig rumbled, confusion lacing his tone. 'Has she gone mad? This is a different type of madness than the one I am familiar with...'

"You didn't need to ask me that." Issei crossed his arms. "I was already going to. You need to be stopped, one way or another."

'Issei, I know what you're thinking, and-'

He tilted his head, brow drawing together. "But I do owe you, after what you've done for me."

'...You imbecile. You owe her nothing!'

"You owe me nothing," she denied, to which Issei crossed his arms in an 'X'. He wasn't having any of it, neither from the dragon nor from the demon.

"Nuh-uh. Don't be stupid. You gave me a miracle, Luna. I was going to sell my soul for Raynare, Xenovia, and Mom and Dad's lives, but you stepped in and saved them anyway. You don't also get to ask me to kill you and then walk away like nothing's ever happened."

Issei grit his teeth and stepped across to get in Luna's face, noses nearly touching. He wondered, in that moment, how she was actually slightly shorter than he was. She always gave off the impression of being larger than life. "So enough of the damned pity party. You've done some horrible shit, big deal. So you're going to continue doing terrible things. Fine. But if you use me as a scapegoat to escape your own moral compass then you may as well kill yourself now, because there's no way I'm letting you do that!"

Her eyes flashed; apparently Issei managed to touch a nerve. "Are you fucking kidding me, that's the impression you got out from me?!" She butted heads with him, Issei matching her lean in with one of his own and blocking out the recoil of their skulls colliding, even from as close as they were before. "Of fucking course I'm not going to use you to justify being a villain! If I wanted to be a bad person, I never would have come in the first place!"

"Then why the hell are you asking me to treat you as one!?" he pushed back, growling.

"I'm asking you to treat me as an adversary, because you can be so much better than I can!" she snapped back. "Because out of all the people in the world, supernatural or not, you're one of the precious few with the strength of body to stop me, the strength of mind to possibly prove me wrong, and the strength of heart to actually do it!"

"So what, the rest of your 'Dawn Legion' don't make the cut? Not your lieutenants, not your allies, not Masaomi, not Ruval?"

"If they want to try and stop me, they're welcome to- but I can't guarantee that they can do anything, especially if I'm too far gone to listen to reason. And with Ruval being possessed by fucking Phenex, I can't exactly ask him to set me straight either!"

"Oh, so I'm the second banana, is that it?"

"No, you're my last hope, because you're the kind of person I had once hoped to become!" she yelled.

'What?' Issei's shock gave way to a brief instance of regaining his balance as Lunarunn pulled away, her good hand gripping onto her prosthetic.

A moment passed before she spoke again. "Yeah. I," Luna swallowed. "I envy you, Issei. Your life might be complicated these days, but..." she shook her head. "If you wanted, you're probably strong enough now to stake your claim over Kuoh and be able to defend it. And Kuoh's enough out of the way that nobody would care to challenge it. Except maybe the White Dragon Emperor, but that's easily enough managed. You could live a relatively normal life if you wanted to. I miss that, y'know? I miss having that choice."

Issei worked his jaw, trying to make sense of the brunette. She was envious of him? "You could have chosen to do so, you know. I know enough about how you'd gone missing that you could have stayed that way."

She sighed and shrugged. "I- I could have. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had. I needed to do... something with myself, after what had happened. I couldn't just stand by and let the world go by. I wanted it to be kinder. I still do. We could be so much more. For the people I've failed, I would make the world better for their sake. But change doesn't come without chaos, conflict... death. So here I am." A short chuff escaped her. "Man, I'm a mess, aren't I? Maybe I'm hoping you can stop me so that I can finally... let go."

He didn't miss how her hand gripped her prosthetic and she looked away when she said those last two words.

"I can't promise that I can do that. That's your choice to make." He looked at her. Really looked at her.

He knew what she was. Yet, she wasn't just that. Ddraig seemed to carry a grudge for what she'd done, and he could understand why. She was the reason God was dead, after all. To say nothing of what happened to the Dragons.

But even so, she seemed...

'What's the word Asia would use? Repentant?'

"But, I was planning to take you down anyway. Like I said, you've got a lot to answer for. So if you're asking me to do so, then it sounds like it's something I have to do. For your sake, too."

She smiled wryly. "You do remember I'm not into guys, right?"

He snorted. "Does it matter? You're asking for help. You don't seem like a bad person. You've helped me. Saved me even. More than once, and for no reason but because I needed help. Maybe it's time I return the favor."

Issei squared his shoulders and met Luna's eyes. "I'll fight you, Lunarunn. And more than that; I'll prove you wrong. I'll defeat you, stop the Dawn Legion from causing more chaos, and I will be the force for the kinder world you are fighting to achieve. You saved me before. So now it's time for me to save you."

She met his firm gaze with a searching one of her own, as though looking for any sign of falsehood, before she finally broke into another smile. It was small, sad, but so genuine that for a moment Issei's heart ached.

"Thank you, Issei." She looked down at her arm once more, before her expression pinched.

A moment later she twisted the arm and pulled, letting out a faint whine between her teeth as the prosthetic popped off, held now only by the hand.

She held it out for him.

"Luna?"

"For Irina," the brunette hissed out, before taking a few more breaths to regain her composure. "She lost her arm, right? I can't do anything about that, but I can at least help her fight again."

He stared at the arm in wonder briefly, before looking back at the brunette holding the advanced prosthetic. "And you?"

"I can always get another one made." Her eyes stared at the stump, brows furrowed. "Or make one for myself, I suppose." She tilted the prosthetic slightly. "She needs this a lot more than I do. Fair warning, you may need to hold her down when she attaches it; the magic to connect the limb's nerve endings with the prosthetic hurts like a motherfucker. But it's as functional as any normal arm after that, with a few extra features, and damn near indestructible to boot."

Issei blinked, even as his own arm reached out to take the proffered limb. It was heavy, but not terribly so; much like he imagined a regular arm would normally be. "This must have cost a fortune to make."

"I'd say 'an arm and a leg', but I've still got both legs in one piece so that wouldn't be entirely accurate," she joked, and Issei couldn't help the huff of laughter that escaped his chest. "But yeah, Georg poured so much effort into perfecting this thing, even Azazel would be hard-pressed to match it. I would know; I've asked him."

"...Oh yeah, you have him as a prisoner," Issei frowned.

"A well-treated one, I promise. Penemue would have my head on a platter if I mistreated her brother."

"That suggests the other prisoners aren't treated as well."

She waved it off with her remaining hand. "Kokabiel would do the same as Penemue if he'd caught wind of anything like that." Issei blinked. Kokabiel was on the same side as Lunarunn? Didn't his fight with her end up nuking Kuoh? How was she able to explain that away with the Youkai Faction? "Look, I do have to go now, but," the brunette struggled to find the words for a second. "Thank you, Issei. I'm really glad that you're willing to take up the good fight, even if it means you'll be my adversary going forward."

"Someone has to," he replied. "And if you think I'm the only one who could truly stop you, then I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"You should always have a choice. That's why I'm here instead of in a meeting with Hades."

Issei blanched. The Greek God of the underworld was not someone to skip out on. Even he knew that. "You chose to visit me instead of meeting with Hades?"

"I made a mistake trusting Mephisto, and I needed to set it right," she said, as if that explained everything. "I'm not going to leave loose ends untied. If Hades has a problem with that, then we can hash it out later. That being said, I've spent long enough here. I have an organization to get back to, and, well, you'll figure it out before long."

A suspicion arose within Issei. "Luna, what are you planning?"

"You'd best get to training. You've still got inroads with the Underworld, right? I'd suggest using those. They loathe me for killing Ajuka - offering to help them hunt me down would place you in their good books right away. Use that to work with Sirzechs or his Peerage and become strong." She turned away. "You'll need it for what's to come, I promise."

"Luna!" He rushed forward, but as he ran to grab on, she was gone, as though he'd been speaking to an illusion.

Issei lowered his hand, then brought the prosthetic up, staring at it for a long moment.

He still couldn't fully wrap his head around Luna as a person, but he was sure of one thing.

She needed to be stopped. But she didn't seem like a bad person, either.

She really did not make it easy to consider her an enemy, did she?

---

A/N -

Overdue chapter is overdue. But at least it's also a very big one.

At this point, I should make it clear if it isn't already; Lunarunn puts on a strong face, but she's still very much a broken person, and her talk with Ulan/Azrael didn't help. It's why she tries to turn people like Kokabiel, who more or less was trying to do the right thing anyway, and in this case convinced Issei to remain an adversary even after she basically gave him everything he wanted at no cost to himself.

And for those that wonder why Ddraig is so hostile to Lunarunn now, it ties back into Azrael's history. More will be revealed soon.

In Kokabiel's case, it was to gain an ally and a watchdog in case she starts slipping further. In Issei's case, it was to try and help him become a better person than her.

The fact that she recommended he look toward the Underworld for training is because unlike her in her youth, Issei has nothing to prove to them, so he's got all the cards in negotiations going forward. She gets a bit of schadenfreude from the idea of Issei twisting the remaining/freed Assembly's arm.

Hopefully, this chapter turned out as well as I hope it does. I do like how it turned out personally, but please let me know what you think.

Tempura Wizard, out.