The resort spot hidden in the mountains welcomed Fate Weaver with its perpetual snow and vapor coming out in the distance from the hot springs that worked as its main attractions. It didn't have that many customers, partially because of its remote location and partially because of some youkai trickery at work, so getting there in the van and being welcomed by a couple of tourists was to be expected. Some of the staff helped the girls with their bags, and Fate Weaver felt traces of youjutsu through one of the blessings he imposed on himself. Almost seeing traces of ghastly animal traits while the people worked.

"This is so nice!" Irina cheered as she got close to the railing that cut off the edge of the mountain for visitors "It's not even autumn, and it's snowing! How cool is that?!"

"Are you sure you're japanese?" Xenovia scoffed "Isn't this normal here?"

"They probably use a bit of magic to maintain the climate." Fate Weaver chuckled, feeling warm inside as the girls looked around with barely contained happiness.

The resort itself looked covered by those fake stone walls all over it, with the ceiling and floor being of a dark wood that creaked pleasantly under their feet. It maintained the modern feeling until they passed the reception, at which point it reverted to cream-colored walls and some japanese paintings and handicrafts in their corridors.

Fate Weaver wasn't too interested in the decorations, but still looked around as one of the helpers led them to their rooms. Trying to see if he glimpsed at any of the people he came to meet.

After leaving Kuoh Town to report to his superiors, i.e. Gabriel and the other Seraphs, the team went back to Japan to hold a special meeting with the Gremory team. Which suited him just fine, because he hated leaving Rias and Akeno like that after such an important battle.

The Three Factions were technically still at war, and the Khaos Brigade showed intentions of breaking them apart even if that meant showing their hand. So the leaders devised a plan to help themselves get the upper hand here, and it involved keeping up the appearance of being hesitant to cooperate.

In other words, Fate Weaver coming to this place was meant to make it seem like these young teams were one of the few forces trying to keep the Three Factions together. A plan that Rias should be aware of, and which just so happens to forward Fate Weaver's plan of getting along better with the devil girls.

Shinon was nice, but since he came to this world he dreamed of getting hot and personal with the other DxD girls. He just needed to be smooth about it, he knew. Because if the canon main character could… Why would Fate Weaver, who was better in every single way, not be able to? He had it easier with the church girls, but his relationship with Shinon still kind of got in the way of his plans. He needed more powerful moments with them. And the plot didn't seem to cooperate for years.

But now, things were happening. His chance appeared in the distance. Fate Weaver just had to seize it.

"Ah, Nasu!" Star appeared from the corner of a corridor, dressed in that not-bathrobe that people often use at the hot springs after taking their bath. With some milk product on her hand. She waved at them, showing some of the cleavage while approaching cheerfully, and gave him a huge grin as the group stopped in their tracks "It's been so long!"

"A day and a handful of hours." He reminded her. Honestly, this girl could be so ditzy sometimes…

"Still a lot!" She turned to the rest of the group "And see who's here! My girls are alive and well!"

"Star Seeker." Irina showed surprising restraint and simply made a motion over herself, the crossing motion, as she greeted Star with a small smile "It's a blessing to be in your presence."

"Nasu, I love this girl." Star beamed with renewed energy "And you girls too! Nice to see you!"

"Hello, Star Seeker." Xenovia nodded without much interest.

"It's… Nice to see you two, Star Seeker." Asia shyly spoke while trying to stop herself from hiding behind Xenovia's back.

"Shiki." Shinon smiled a bit, like she usually did when Star was around. Like she felt troubled "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Star made finger guns, still with a smirk "Come to have some alone time with Nasu? I can keep the girls busy if you want~."

"Star, please." Fate Weaver put a hand forward, embarrassed "Not here, c'mon."

Shinon moved away, a bit put off by Star's forwardness. Probably because of japanese customs, but Fate Weaver himself felt like those jokes were too much. So he cut it off instantly.

Xenovia stared at him impassively, while Irina stuttered with her face completely red. He couldn't see Asia's reaction, as she did end up hiding herself behind Xenovia.

"C'mon, girls. We have a mission. We can goof all we want later." He gave Star a meaningful stare, and the girl simply looked away as innocently as she could. Which he didn't buy at all.

"That's true." Another girl approached them, long black hair and gray eyes staring sharply at Fate Weaver. If he hadn't looked at her square in the face, he'd have thought she was Yuni with her hair dyed from the similar expression and distance tone with which she spoke "Please leave your things and follow me. I am Kurokami Miyuki, and I'll be helping you with everything you need."

Everything? Well, she did have a nice figure. But she lacked in some departments even compared to Irina. Let alone Star or the likes of Rias or Akeno…

"C'mon, Miyu. It's alright." Star patted the girl on her shoulder, clearly already familiar enough with her "Rias and the others are taking it easy right now, there's no need to hurry them!"

She winked at Fate Weaver, but he didn't get what she was getting carried away for.

"I-Ise can be doing that!" Irina pulled his arm, placing herself between Fate Weaver and Shinon. Almost glaring at Star, even though her faith didn't let her do it "He has to stay in the path of God-!"

"Ow!" Shinon couldn't hide the pain anymore and flinched, cradling her head in pain.

"-and he'll be…! Oh, sorry Shinon-chan! I slipped again!"

Fate Weaver simply sighed.

"C'mon, girls. Let's all calm down. We'll go talk with Rias' team, then you can go enjoy the hot springs or something. We won't be sleeping here."

"That is correct." Miyuki nodded "Although Fate Weaver has an appointment right now."

He blinked, trying to remember anyone talking about such a thing as they traveled.

"Why only him?" Xenovia glared at the raven haired girl.

"That was the request." Miyuki didn't even look in Xenovia's direction "I'm just telling you."

"Is it important?" Fate Weaver interjected before the girls could get heated up again. Shrugging Irina's hand off and taking a step forward.

Miyuki looked at him like he was insane.

"Did you, perhaps, take a nap while getting here?" Huh? What kind of question was that?

"Yeah? Why?"

"Oh, that makes sense." Miyuki nodded "Please leave your things and follow me to the bath."

She lifted her chin and stared squarely at Fate Weaver's eyes. Basically dropping any pretense of caring about the girls.

"Sirzechs Lucifer is waiting."


The vapor covered most of the surrounding open air bath, but Fate Weaver still made out the form of the red haired Demon Lord sitting inside the water with his back to the Miracle Child.

"I think the usual custom is to say 'sorry for the interruption'?" The Demon Lord spoke up, making Fate Weaver flinch as the man turned around to give him a small smile "Just kidding. Don't stand around like that and come in… Out?"

"Excuse me, then." Fate Weaver went to the part where he could wash off before entering the bath proper "Umm, I wasn't told that you'd be here so…"

"Yes. It was something of a last-minute decision, but I'm glad I came here." Sirzechs turned around again, sighing "I wanted to be here for Rias, help her cheer up. Maybe take a bath with her if possible, but it seems like that's not a good idea right now."

Fate Weaver stopped scrubbing himself.

"She's already an adult. It'd be kind of weird."

"Really? Already?" Sirzechs hummed, barely bothered "Hmm, humans grow quite quickly indeed. To think she isn't even a quarter of a century old, and she's already considered an adult…"

Fate Weaver made a face.

"It must be shocking, since devils live for so long."

"We sort of accommodate humanity's perception of time. But it feels a bit different when it's my little sister. If I blink, I can still see her small and clingy. Barely a toddler learning to walk." Sirzechs chuckled "And now she can participate in Rating Games, she's close to the time where she'll have to marry… Where did my precious little sister go? She fit between my arms just moments ago."

The Miracle Child stole a glance at the Demon Lord. The man hadn't turned again, and looked content to simply speak away like this.

"Shouldn't your son be your main concern?"

"Millicas is different. He is my responsibility and my pride, and Grayfia makes sure we don't miss anything about him in spite of our tight schedules." Sirzechs stretched his arms into the air "Rias is… How should I say it? She's tied to me in a different way. Like… The age gap between us might look huge to you, but we're tied in a way that only siblings are. She and I were raised by the same parents, in the same house. If things were different, we'd have had pieces of the other. Have lived the same life until…"

"...Until the war?" Fate Weaver suggested when the Demon Lord stopped talking.

"And everything that came with it." The Demon Lord sounded colder now, more distant.

"I see."

"Sometimes I feel like I missed out on being part of Rias' life." Sirzechs continued "But then time comes back to remind me that no, that's not the case. I've been there for her, for as little time as she's been alive. Do you see the problem now? She's so precious to me, and yet…"

"And yet the difference is too wide." Fate Weaver nodded "At most, siblings have like 10 years of difference. And that's stretching it too much. I can't imagine what centuries of difference feel like."

"I guess I've bought too much into human customs myself." Sirzechs chuckled "Seeing representation of siblings growing together might've affected me more than I thought."

"Representation matters because it lets people see things in perspective like that." Fate Weaver answered in the practiced way he had heard his sister in his previous life answer. Just sounding coherent enough to avoid looking like she hadn't been paying attention… She had been thoughtless like that, but used to her own antics.

Fate Weaver finished scrubbing himself and made sure his towel was tightly put. Then, he slowly walked toward the bath and entered at a safe distance from Sirzechs. Making sure to keep the man in his field of vision without making it too obvious.

His heart pounded, with flashes of his defeat reminding him of just how dangerous this Demon Lord was. He hadn't forgotten, and he struggled to feel safe around Sirzechs. But a lot of things depended on how well he performed here, so he toughened up and endured the pit in his stomach.

"So, umm…" He cleared his throat. Feeling chills run down his back in spite of the warmth all around him.

"Right. You must be eager to go back to your little group, I bet you have a lot of fun between missions." Sirzechs smiled at him, although Fate Weaver couldn't help a bit of a harsh tone slipping into the devil's tone "But I wanted to talk to you personally. Do things right."

Fate Weaver frowned, kind of unsure of what Sirzechs was trying to say. He had apologized for almost killing Fate Weaver, back when he got into the church while Star fought the devils, and it wasn't like they had a lot to talk about personally. Sirzechs would maybe talk to the Seraphs, but that had little to do with Fate Weaver himself.

"Rias will be going back to the Underworld, right?" Fate Weaver cut in, trying not to look like he had nothing to say himself. If Sirzechs came, it had to be important. So maybe Fate Weaver could change the subject a bit to show that he hadn't really thought about the Demon Lord. Like he didn't really mind the bad water between them.

"Yes, they'll go back for a bit. At least until we decide what our next move will be. We will keep in touch with Heaven and the Grigori, but for now we should let things settle." The red haired Demon Lord looked at the stars "There's no need for the young ones to get injured uselessly."

"Like…" He didn't want to say it. Things always led back to Star's fuck up, but Fate Weaver couldn't untangle himself from the mess any more than Star herself could.

He should've noticed. The fact that Diodora Astaroth was like him, that he behaved with the certainty of someone that knew the future. And even though Fate Weaver held his doubts about what it meant that someone had reincarnated as that asshole, in truth he could've avoided this mess if he had just noticed in time.

The awkwardness with Rias and Akeno would've never existed. Even if the other guy was around, Fate Weaver could've still won their favor with his charming personality and sincerity. Now… He always had the baggage of having attacked first. He'd have to work extra hard to be let into their lives in any meaningful way, no matter how much time they already spent together.

"You don't have to worry about it right now." Sirzechs assured him "Rather, I'd like you to worry about the problem at hand. I'll also talk to Bel Lucifer, but for now I'd like to ask for your cooperation as the current Red Dragon Emperor."

Fate Weaver's nervousness basically evaporated in an instant.

"Having the Heavenly Dragons on our side will help us greatly in the long run. I'm aware that the two of you are very promising young ones, but having the Longinus you carry makes you two impossible to ignore." Sirzechs shook his head.

"Of course." Fate Weaver nodded "I'll work as hard as I need to in order to ensure peace. It's… It's kind of my mother's dream, after all."

He smiled awkwardly.

Sirzechs chuckled.

"You both are fond of your family, I'm glad." Huh? Didn't Vali originally cut ties with Azazel to join the Khaos Brigade? What could have changed that? Did becoming Bel do something to her? "In that case, I can go ahead and tell you what we need to do right now. You'll stay in the Human World, I take?"

Fate Weaver nodded.

Sirzechs mimicked the motion.

"There's two things we must take care of: Small points of interest in the Brigade. Make it look awkward, like we're on our toes and trying to come up with some force." Sirzechs lifted his index "...And a Stray Devil that escaped Diodora's control."

Fate Weaver's mind halted.

"Come again?"

Sirzechs frowned.

"The Oblex ran away. Part of the reason why Rias is going back to the Underworld is to protect her from that creature. As I understand, it is smarter and trickier to deal with than expected. Even Diodora has had a hard time to think of a way to get rid of it permanently."

Fate Weaver shook his head.

"Isn't… That guy in the Underworld right now? Didn't they, like, exhaust themselves to the point of fainting?"

Sirzechs stared neutrally at the Miracle Child.

"No."


The devils did not run away. They did not give up. It didn't matter that L****s warned them, that he was very explicit in telling them that they'd not be spared if they didn't give up immediately… They still attacked him.

"All is Mine."

Their demonic power broke through their skin, making them bleed and weakening them enough to topple them. Make them fall as if they were puppets with strings that had been suddenly cut. Some didn't have enough power, and visibly aged and dried up within seconds and fell dead instantly.

L****s saw them fall, saw some die in front of him, and yet… He didn't feel anything.

Had his sister done something when she gave him the vampiric trait? He might not be a good person, not by any stretch of the word, but he definitely hadn't grown okay with killing or death in general. He still hallucinated Olivia from time to time, he still couldn't forget the sensation of breaking down. Of burning and seeing Stain devour his Queen whole.

"Yuni." He stated, hearing his own voice come out hollow. Like it had been said by a machine instead of a person "Finish them off."

Miyuzuin didn't waste time and moved in a flash, slaying any devil that tried to move out of the way. And stabbing with projected swords any head that remained on the ground. All within seconds.

L****s saw them move around, half in a trance and half thinking about the emptiness he felt. He still appreciated Miyuzuin's efficiency, and he certainly noticed her elegance and beauty. But he could also discern, and he definitely noticed the growing butterflies in his stomach.

He still felt. He hadn't grown emotionless. So why? When did he get used to this sort of violence?

"Hey, oh magnanimous lord." Kuroka poked him in the cheek. Sounding like her usual teasing self but looking a bit weirded out "You okay there?"

"Certainly." He schooled his expression and smiled at her "I'm just glad that something's easy for once."

When they turned around, Miyuzuin stretched her back after having stabbed down into a Brigade member. Her expression as blank as ever.

L****s smiled at her more genuinely.

"Right…" Kuroka looked at all the corpses with some revulsion "There's no abomination here."

"You think it saw us coming?" Miyuzuin asked as she approached the other two.

"Maybe. But let's not think too much about it. We'll just enter a spiral of hesitation that'll slow us down." L****s shook his head "As long as it is running away, it's fine."

"It might catch us by surprise." Miyuzuin pointed out.

"Don't say that." L****s laughed nervously.

"We ought to be ready." The Belial girl insisted.

L****s stopped himself from speaking, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Genshirou should come back soon, so we just need to stay out of trouble until then."

"You think Stain will be scared of him, meow?" Kuroka spread her arms. Starting a teleportation circle after confirming no living being remained there.

"Vritra's Sacred Gears are basically a discount Longinus, if you consider how Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing work." L****s smirked "Anyone with half a brain would be scared."

Kuroka hummed.

"Let's hope you're right in this as well." Miyuzuin stated plainly.

"We can bet, if you want. I'd love to have you owe me something~." L****s cheered, trying not to come too strongly with his words. And kind of failing.

His parents would be so disappointed…

Miyuzuin turned to face him, and simply stared at him for a few seconds before looking ahead again.

"Let's not. You look too confident." She said before the light of Kuroka's spell kicked in "You're probably right."

L****s' smirk grew a bit.

"I usually am."