Time seemed to stand still. Only the ripples of the surrounding waters penetrated his senses.

This was the moment he had been waiting for since arriving. His one hope and goal above all else. More important to him than preparing for the Rating Game, and even more than the opportunity to gain better control of One For All.

But now?

The weight of Rias' words crashed down on him with the force of one of All Might's punches.

As silence ensued, Rias could only imagine his reaction to her words. Each image was as clear in her mind as if engraved into it. His face cycled through anger, disgust, pity, confusion, and sadness. Each one closing its grip over her heart no matter how much she wished to shake them from her mind.

And yet, not one of them matched what he felt at that moment.

His face could only cycle through two emotions the longer the silence lasted.

Pure shock.

And panic.

"R-rias?" His voice rang out, cutting through the silent waves around then. It was still. Not even a hint of the emotions running through him made clear. "Are…are you serious?"

He had to have misheard her. She couldn't have actually said that…right?

Silence stretched out once more, neither teen making a single sound.

His heart began beating rapidly. Was she still there? Had she just left after dropping such a bombshell?

He felt his body begin to move, his legs ready to carry him out of the spring to find her.

"I am."

Her voice, as quiet and still as his own had been, cut through to his mind, stopping him in place.

"I meant every word Izuku."

She…this wasn't real, was it? Was she really going to…?

"Rias," his voice rang out, no longer as still as it had been before, a clear desperate tone in his words as he began to speak. "You-you don't really mean this? You can't."

"Izuku," she muttered, her voice sounding as though she were made of glass at that moment, desperately trying not to shatter. "I told you. I wasn't ready for this. I've failed you. I've failed everyone here."

"No you haven't."

She felt herself gripped by his words, despite every other part of her that screamed that she was doing the right thing. There was a certainty to his voice, one that spoke true from the depths of his very soul.

"You may have made mistakes, but you've always tried to make up for them. After…after I was killed by Raynare, you brought me back to life. When I was hunted by that other Fallen Angel, you made sure to rescue me. You stayed by my side to make sure that I was okay. You let me know everything about what I'd become."

He felt the memories of those days fly through his mind. The image of Rias, standing tall above his fallen form was almost as embedded in his mind as All Might's debut video by now. She may be a Devil, but at that moment, she had been his guardian angel.

"They only went after you because I failed to act," Rias responded, her voice desperate to stay even as she choked back a sob.

She just wanted him to understand! Things would be better this way! He wouldn't have to keep paying for her mistakes! He'd be better off…without her…

She choked back another sob, wiping away her tears as best she could. This was for the best. She knew it.

"You saved Asia."

She became still once more.

"We were on different sides, but you still tried to help her. You offered her a place to stay when we brought her back from my summons. You let me and Uraraka go to try and save her, and…if you weren't there, she wouldn't be here today."

He took a shaky breath, the bitter cold grasping at his mind in spite of the warm waters around him. He would never forget that night. How he found Asia ready to be mercilessly killed by Raynare and those stray priests, the look of pure joy on her face when she saw both him and Ochako.

And the thin smile on her dead face.

Thoughts crawled through his mind that he wished he could avoid, ones that tugged at him more often than he would have liked. What he could have done differently. If he had simply been smarter, stronger, just…better. Then maybe, Asia wouldn't have had to die.

To save him.

But she wasn't dead.

Not anymore.

All because of Rias.

"I know that you can't forget what happened that night," he continued, his voice now hoarse as his heart and soul spoke for him. "I can't either."

"Then you know-"

"That it was killing you inside," he interrupted, his heart breaking at the sound of her voice. "I saw you. I saw how much pain you were in."

"And we both know what I did because of it," she muttered, her voice a hushed whisper by now.

He was making this so hard. Why did he keep talking like this? Like she deserved some kind of forgiveness?

"Izuku, my actions-"

"Were wrong. I know."

"Then stop acting like it wasn't!" Her outburst surprised herself just as much as him, but she couldn't hold herself back anymore. Choked sobs escaped her as tears flowed freely once more, her heart ever further clenched in a vice as the weight of her actions crushed down more and more. "You know it was wrong! So why are you trying to stop me from doing the right thing!"

"Because it's not! All you're doing is running away!"

She stiffened at his words, her gaze locked onto the wall between them. His words hung around her as thickly as the mists of the spring as she tried to find any kind of words to say.

"Izuku…please. Just let me-"

"This is wrong, Rias. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but you're not."

There was a strength to his voice now, despite the tears she could hear flowing from his own eyes.

Back before, in better times, his voice would always land more on the quiet side. He only really broke that trend whenever he found something that excited him, like a new piece of information about Devils, or some new hero trivia.

But that wasn't how he sounded now.

She had only ever heard him speak like this once before.

The day he went to rescue Asia.

"How is stepping down going to actually help anything!? How's that going to make anything better!?"

"Izuku-"

"And what about everyone else? What about Asia? Yumi? Koneko? Himejima? Are you just going to leave them all behind? They're here because they want to help you! All of us are!"

"Izuku-"

"You've always tried to make things right, but…this isn't right. You're just leaving us all behind."

She shook.

Not in anger. Not in some kind of frustration towards his words, nor to him. No. She shook because they had struck home. Each and every one of them had stuck a knife in her heart.

"Rias…"

She could hear him take in a shaky breath, his voice as heavy as a mountain.

"When…when I saw Riser, when Grayfia told us that you two were engaged, I finally understood. I saw how much you didn't want to be near him. How you kept swatting his hands away from you. The way…they way he looked at you. Like you were something he wanted just because he could have it. That's why…"

His voice trailed off as he gathered himself together. The momentary phase was enough for Rias to curl into herself.

"...you wanted a way out. That's why…that's why you came into my room that night."

Silence.

She didn't say a word. She couldn't.

"You told me…that you were worried that this could happen again. That we'd be trapped in a cycle of you d-doing that to me and I would just let it happen. But it won't. I'm sure of it. That's just not who you are. If it really was, you wouldn't have stopped yourself in the first place."

Her arms began to tremble the more he spoke, the movement gradually moving throughout her whole body as it shuddered in the warm waters.

"You're better than that. I've already seen it. And even if you really think you are, I won't give up on you. I'm your friend Rias. What's why…that's why I am here."

He released a deep breath, one he didn't even know he'd taken. He wasn't sure what would happen now, but he'd done everything he could. He'd said what he'd wanted to say and more.

Now, it was all up to her.

Time passed by at a snail's pace, seconds turning into minutes as the steam around him mixed in with the mist, making it harder to see the wall dividing them. As time continued to pass without a single sound from the other side, his heart grew ever heavier. Much as he wanted to though, he wouldn't move. He was willing to wait for her, for as long as it took.

Finally, after a long silence, he heard her speak. Her voice was faint, more fragile and quiet than he ever would have thought possible from her, but it was clear.

"Izuku…may I come over?"

He blinked in surprise, but he said yes in the span of a heartbeat, hope springing in his chest at the sounds of rippling water as he heard her move. It didn't take long for her to appear in front of him. While normally, in a situation like this, with an amazingly attractive woman appearing to him when all he wore was a towel would make his face red in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature, the very idea of her own naked flesh near his almost enough to overwhelm him, none of that came to mind the more her form emerged through the steam and mist.

None of that mattered to him. Not the thought of her so close to him. Not the form of the towel that clung to her curves.

All he could focus on was the look on her face.

Her eyes had gone red and slightly puffy, tears leaking out of them despite her clear attempts at holding them back. Her expression looked like it was desperate to remain as even as possible, but it was a war she was losing, as he could see the sorrow and guilt taking command.

His heart ached for her.

She looked so vulnerable. She looked so alone.

She looked like she needed help.

She stopped less than a meter away from him, not daring to come any closer as she sank into the waters. The mists and steam began to coalesce around the two, forming a light wall that barely allowed vision to pass.

Yet the two locked eyes without any difficulty.

"Is it really so easy for you to forgive me?"

"I already told you why I do."

"You shouldn't. There's no excusing what I did Izuku."

"But you didn't do it. And you never would."

"Stop acting like you're so sure!"

Why? Why was he like this? Why did he keep trying to forgive her? Why did that make the pain even worse?

It would be easier-so much easier if…if…

"...you should hate me."

"I don't hate you. I don't think I even could. You've been there, right by my side ever since you first told me about being a Devil. You trusted me to rescue Asia after she was taken by Raynare. You had faith in me to fight against a Stray Devil on my own. You helped me train to get One For All. You…"

He felt his throat begin to clench as he continued to talk. He had tried to remain as calm as possible, but he just couldn't anymore.

"...you're my friend. I can't imagine my life without you anymore Rias! You, Asia, Yumi, Koneko and Himejima! I don't…I don't want to lose you! Any of you!"

It had finally escaped him. His biggest worry since she told him her plan.

He'd tried to hide it, but he was scared. Scared of her leaving without a word. Scared that he would never see her again.

He'd gone through that twice before. Kacchan. RinRin. Both of them had left, and he didn't know if he would ever see them again, despite their words to the contrary.

Losing Rias…it would be worse. So much worse.

"I don't…I don't understand!" She screamed as her voice broke, her words interrupted only by hiccups and sobs. "Why are you like this? Why- why do you think that I'm worth forgiving!? You can't trust me anymore Izuku! I don't…you can't…!"

Her choked sobs had turned frantic, rapid gasps escaping her as her words started becoming incoherent.

Only to stop at the soft touch at her cheek.

Tear filled eyes opened up, and she saw Izuku before her. His own eyes were streaked with tears, but still, somehow, he managed to smile.

And she felt something snap within her.

"It's okay Rias. You don't have to worry anymore. It's just you and me here. Just you and me."

Her mind stopped working at that moment, all she knew were her arms desperately wrapping themselves around him as she began to sob uncontrollably in the crook of his neck. His own arms wrapped themselves back around her in kind, and the two sat there as Rias let it all out.

All of her shame, her guilt, every bit of disgust she felt toward herself began pouring out as the two embraced. The mists had finally parted from the two by now, the frigid open air surrounding them in a gentle embrace.

She continued to cry, and he allowed her to do so. It didn't matter to either of them how much time had passed since they embraced, the only thing that was real to them at that point was each other.

Finally, her sobs began to slow, the smallest of hiccups escaping her as she slowly began to move away. He moved to say something, but before he could, he felt the gentle touch of her hands against his cheeks, and finally moved his gaze up to meet her own.

She sat there across from him. Tears still dotted her eyes, but a small smile had begun to split her face.

And it was like he could see the real Rias again.

"You're right Izu. It's just you and me. Just you and me."

He found himself smiling back.

He then felt the gentle touch of her hand slip away, missing the feeling the instant it was gone. She moved closer to him right afterward, now sitting mere centimeters away from him.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say. Her smile was gone now, but her voice had more life in it than he had heard in days. "I'm so, so sorry Izuku."

"You don't have to apologize," he told her, subconsciously moving his hand to cover hers. "I already forgave you."

"It still needed to be said," she responded, her own hand subconsciously meeting his. "I should never have done that to you. I was about to treat you like…like how Riser sees me."

Riser Phenex.

The thought of that man was enough to anger him. All of this, Rias' behavior for the last few months, her actions mere days ago, and the Rating Game where her very freedom was on the line. All of it could be traced back to him.

"Rias."

He inwardly winced as her name escaped his lips. He didn't want to continue this conversation, not after everything that had just happened. Yet he found himself unable to stop, no matter how much he tried.

"Why him? How did you even end up engaged to someone like that?"

He knew he would regret asking that question before it was even out, and he was proven right by the way Rias had begun to stiffen up beside him. He could see her begin to shiver under the blossoming light of the nearly full moon, before she let out a tired sigh and spoke up once more.

"It's because of my name."

Her…her name? He didn't understand. What did her name have to do with…

Oh.

He remembered now.

He also began to understand.

"I've never been ashamed of my name, but for as long as I've been alive, few outside of my own family have ever recognized me as anything but a Gremory. No one ever simply sees me as Rias, only Rias Gremory."

He could feel the sadness in her voice as she spoke, and a familiar pain began to echo in his heart. It hadn't exactly been the same, but he had spent much of his life simply being known as Midoriya, the quirkless loser who no one wanted to be around. The few who did ended up leaving, moving far away where he couldn't even see them, with only occasional contact at best.

But even then, people still recognized him as an individual, even if it was derogatory. Rias had spent her life stuck under her family's name.

"That's one of the reasons I've always loved visiting the human world. Here, no one knows about the House of Gremory, no one has greater expectations of me simply because of my name. Here, I can simply be Rias, even with everything that still must be done. This is the only place where I truly feel like I can be myself. Like I can actually live."

"That's not the way Riser sees you, is it?" His question was answered with a curt nod as Rias began leaning into him, an action he couldn't help but return in kind.

"I was told of my engagement to Riser when I was still young, just barely old enough to enter middle school. I didn't fight it at first. I wondered to myself, maybe he would be the kind of person I could truly love. Someone who would love me for who I am. When I finally met him though, those hopes were dashed away. He was just like everybody else. All he could see was the name Gremory. He's never once cared about who I am. He's never once even tried to speak to me about anything outside of the engagement. He doesn't care about who I am. I tried to get the engagement annulled more times than I can count. I even asked Sona for her help, but no matter what we did, our engagement was set."

She turned to face him directly this time, her saddened eyes now locked onto his.

"I know it's selfish, but I've only ever wanted to be loved, be truly loved, by someone who sees me beyond my lineage. Someone I can talk with about anything. Who could laugh and cry with me through even the hardest of times. But…" she began trailing off as she continued gazing at him. He could see tears beginning to well up in her eyes again. "After everything I've done, maybe I don't deserve it."

Her head began to lower as she finished speaking, a single stray tear falling into the waters surrounding them. She began moving away, missing the contact she felt with him, before she was stopped by the gentle touch of his hand on her shoulder.

"Rias, please. Stop talking like that."

Turning to face him, she was surprised to see his smile having returned. His sincere eyes were as bright and cheerful as they had been countless times before, and his voice had a stalwart and gentle tone to it that left little room for doubt.

She could feel her heart begin to beat faster at the sight of it.

"I already told you. I'm still your friend. All of us are. That's why we're here. It doesn't matter to any of us that you're a Gremory, we're here to help Rias. The Rias who's kind and caring. The one who treats her peerage as family. She's courageous, amazing, and beautiful. We're all gonna work as hard as possible, and we're going to win the Rating Game. You won't have to worry about Riser ever again."

He was blurting out everything that came to mind at that point, but he wanted her to hear the truth from him. He meant every single word he'd said, and he would back them up however he could. He never once took his eyes away from her the entire time either, wanting to be sure that she knew that he meant it all.

Years from now, he would wonder to himself how he had ever missed the red dusting on her cheeks as her eyes remained locked on his. Though if he could guess, it would likely be because she had suddenly pulled him close, embracing him as tightly as she could.

Unlike before though, she wasn't sobbing against him. He could still feel tears running down his back, but her embrace had a different feel than it had previously. He could feel his cheeks begin heating up uncontrollably as he began embracing her back.

"Izu," he could hear her say. Her voice was as clear as the night sky, and he could feel pure relief in her voice. "Thank you."

The two continued their embrace for some time before finally parting. No other words were said before the two finally rose from the waters. In the shadows of the entrance, Sona felt a smile of her own appear before leaving herself. This wasn't truly over, she knew that already. There were still wounds that needed mending, grievances that needed to be aired out. There was so much still left to do.

But for now, the two most hurt by it all had the time they needed to reconcile. It was a small step forward, but one she knew they both needed.

Dinner had been both short and curt after Izuku and Rias returned. While the two had been able to air things out, tension still hung in the air for almost everyone else. Silence hung around the room as everyone save for Gran Torino ate the food Akeno had prepared for them. Even the slightest attempt to try and start a conversation seemed far fetched to most of them.

For Rias though, none hurt worse than both Akeno and Asia. The entire time they ate, she could feel a cool stare from her Queen, a knowing look that seemed to peer right through her as though she were transparent. For Asia though, she never once even tried to look Rias in the eye, barely even sparing her a single glance at all.

Rias couldn't help but remember the blonde girl's reaction to what she had heard. How pale her face had gone, how uncomfortable she had looked. The sheer horror in her eyes. It wasn't as if she could blame her. Rias had known for some time now that Asia liked Izuku as far more than a friend, so to know that her King, the one who had helped to ensure that the two would remain together, had attempted such a terrible action, the fact that she could even be in the same room as her seemed like more than she deserved.

It wasn't long before everyone decided to head for bed after dinner was finished. It had been a long day after all, and not just physically.

Rias let out a sigh as she entered her room. Today had been…a lot. And there was no guarantee that tomorrow would be better.

She would never be able to fool herself and say she didn't know why, even if she wished too. It was so clear that even someone who was blind could see it.

She may have irreparably damaged her relationship with every one of her servants.

She had been most focused on both Akeno and Asia throughout most of it, but she wasn't blind to how Yumi and Koneko looked at her. Even if they never tried to meet her eyes, she could feel their disappointment piercing through her very soul.

Disappointment and betrayal.

She had told them many times that being a part of her peerage would be like being part of a family, and she had betrayed that trust. She had tried to take advantage of one of her own, no matter what reason she may have had for it. The only reason she could even bear to be in the same room as them all was because of him.

Izuku. The man she had betrayed.

And he had forgiven her. And not only that, he'd still trusted her. Called her a friend.

It was still hard to believe. That after what she had attempted to do to him, he was even willing to speak with her. That he had listened to what she had to say without judgement. At least until…

She let out another sigh as she prepared herself for bed, suppressing a shiver all the while. There was judgement, she couldn't deny that, but it only came when she told him what she planned to do next. The only thing she felt like she could do to atone for what she had done.

She hadn't been lying when she told him that she planned on stepping down as King, even if, deep in her heart, she truly didn't want to. What else could she do though? She had been irresponsible in her handling of a personal matter, and it had nearly done severe damage to one of her servants. And it wasn't even the first time.

Asia.

She still remembered how the girl looked when she arrived at the church. Lying there, her corpse having gone pale, yet still with a sliver of a smile. She could still see the pain both Izuku and Ochako were in, pain that went far past the physical wounds they had already endured. And the joy upon their faces when Asia was revived.

The slightest of smiles graced her lips as she thought back to what Izuku had told her mere hours ago. How she had still tried to make things right no matter what happened.

Izuku.

Her cheeks began to glow red at the thought of him. Her sweet Izuku. His gentle touch on her hand as the two of them spoke. How he held her close as she broke down in his arms. How he just…listened.

It had been a while since she had opened up to anyone like that, and the first time ever with any man outside of her brother. He heard every word that she said, listened to her pain, and gave her compassion in return.

Despite everything that had happened mere days before, he had stayed beside her.

Her face bloomed into a small smile as her thoughts kept revolving around him, her body going through the motions of preparing for bed as she absent-mindedly undressed herself. She couldn't help but think of the times they'd spent together over the last few months. All the hours they spent training together, finding out about One For All, getting to meet All Might of all people, meeting his wonderful mother, watching him fight against that Stray Devil without fear when he saw someone in trouble, how he stood up to her when she tried stopping him from going after Asia.

It was hard not to appreciate how diligently he worked to achieve his dream. Even now, as they readied themselves for a Rating Game, he was still giving it his all to try and master a power he had only received so recently.

And it was all for her sake.

Part of her still thought that she didn't deserve it, that it would have been better if he had just hated her and never wanted to speak to her again. To just accept her decision to step down as King and set everyone free from her peerage. She wouldn't have blamed him at all.

"I can't imagine my life without you anymore Rias! You, Asia, Yumi, Koneko and Himejima! I don't…I don't want to lose you! Any of you!"

She didn't want to lose him either though. Any of them. Her peerage was precious to her. She hadn't lied when she said she thought of them as family. She couldn't bear to lose any of them.

She felt the mattress underneath her as she let out another sigh.

"But that's not up to me anymore, is it?" She asked herself as she laid back, her head touching the pillow. "If…if they don't want me as their King anymore, then I can't force them to stay with me. I'll…I'll let them free, if that's what they really want."

Her own words sent a jolt of pain through her heart, but they were true. If that was what they wanted, she couldn't deny them their wish, not after they learned of her actions. She grabbed the comforter at the foot of her bed and draped it over her, readying herself for a rather fitful sleep.

She knew that sleep would escape her though, no matter how much she tried to fight it. Her mind would assault her with all the thoughts on what she could have done. What she should have done.

It would be so simple if she had only thought through it all logically. If she had simply thought about talking to everyone. To just inform them about everything. Then none of this would have had to happen.

But that simply wasn't how things worked.

Humans were not creatures of logic, no matter how much many of them would try to deny it. They were creatures run by their emotions. It took over even when they thought they were taking the most sensible route, and it was always most evident whenever they found what they thought of as an injustice.

It was one of the reasons that Devils were able to forge contracts with them so easily.

They were simply so similar, even with their differences. If anything, Devils were more likely to be victims of their emotions, sawyer by their anger, their joy, their guilt.

And in some cases, their lust.

They were creatures of sin, more susceptible to temptation than humans, and especially more than Angels, Fallen or not.

She knew this, in her heart of hearts, but none of it would ever make her feel better about it all. All she could really do now was screw her eyes shut, and hope for some form of sleep.

At least, that's what she'd thought until she was surprised by a knock at her door.

"Rias? May I come in?" A slightly muffled voice called out from the other side.

It was Akeno. Akeno was at her door. But why? Was it already about to happen? Was she…was she about to lose one of her closest friends?

Loathe as she was to answer, if only to delay what she was sure was the inevitable by just a small amount, she still gave her Queen an answer.

"You may. But please allow me to get dressed first?"

She heard an affirmative noise from her door before getting out of bed to find a robe. She was normally unconcerned by the thought of Akeno seeing her in the buff. Both had seen the other sans any clothing multiple times already, and neither minded at all. But after everything that had happened today, it seemed far more appropriate to meet her while clothed, even if only slightly so.

As soon as she let her Queen know that she was free to enter, Rias made sure to ready herself for whatever was to come. This could very well be the very thing she had been dreading mere moments ago, but she couldn't cower away from this. She had made her mistake, so she had to face the consequences. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Then let it all out in shock when she saw that Akeno wasn't alone.

Koneko walked in right behind her, her arms crossed over her chest with a contemplative look. Yumi followed right behind her, her tender smile having been replaced by the most neutral face Rias had seen on her for a long while. And finally, Asia entered right behind Yumi.

She looked the most troubled as she walked in, her gaze locked onto the floor as her body shivered. It was clear to her that it wasn't from the chilly night air, not when the manor had central heating. Asia had walked into the room despite clearly being every bit as nervous as Rias felt.

She managed to tear her gaze away from the short blonde girl and moved it over to Akeno, who stared at her with an impassive glance that would male Koneko envious. She remained quiet for some time, until Asia managed to close the door.

"We need to talk."

Rias tried not to flinch at her tone, but she found it hard not to. Her voice was every bit as even as it had been in the hot spring. In spite of that, it managed to dig into her like the blade of a knife. Before today, she would never once have thought that Akeno could even use that tone of voice.

Rias took another breath to try and calm herself, for what little good it may have done, suppressing the shiver that began to arch along her spine.

"Yes. I believe we do."

She stood up from her mattress, having sunk down to it in her surprise at seeing most of her peerage before her. No matter how much she was certain she deserved what was coming to her, she would try and face it with dignity. She owed them that much.

"Is…is Izuku alright?"

Asia's quiet voice surprised more than just her as everyone's gaze moved to her. She was still facing the floor, seemingly unable to tear herself away from it, but her question managed to cut through to them all.

"Akeno told me…that the two of you needed to talk. About…about everything. Is he…is he okay?"

"I'm…I'm not fully sure."

That was the truth, at least as far as she knew. She had listened to every word he had spoken to her, and he hadn't once talked about how he felt about what she tried to do, only about how much he didn't want to lose her. He had spent so much time trying to assure her that it would all be alright, that she didn't have to step down as King, but as far as he felt? He hadn't even hinted at it.

"We talked for what felt like hours," she continued, her voice low as she thought back to it all. "He kept telling me that he understood why I did it, and that he'd forgiven me, but I just couldn't accept that."

"And then?" Koneko's voice rang out. It wasn't accusatory like she would have thought. It was far more subdued instead, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

"I told him that I was afraid," she admitted, her hand beginning to clench at her robe as her already pale knuckles went even more white. "Afraid that I might do it again. Afraid that he would just let it happen. That we would get stuck in a terrible cycle. So I…"

She paused. She knew that she had to tell them. It wouldn't be right for them not to know what he had planned before, but…like with Izuku before, the thought of them learning was just too…

"You told him that you would step down as King. That we would no longer be in your service," Akeno's voice rang out, a heavy air around her as she spoke.

To say that Rias was surprised would be an understatement. Had she figured it out somehow? Had she just been so obvious? Or…could it have been…?

"It was Sona, wasn't it?"

Akeno nodded affirmatively.

"She overheard everything. She told me that she wanted to be sure that everything had been aired out between the two of you."

She winced internally. She should have figured that Sona wouldn't just leave like that, it just wasn't like her. When she got a look at the others, she saw that they didn't look surprised by the revelation, making it clear that they had learned about it already.

"You were really going to go through with it then," Akeno said, her voice still even, but there was a hint of anger in it.

She couldn't stop herself, no matter how much she wished to. Rias looked away, her face clouded in shame.

"I'm sorr-!"

She wasn't able to finish before she felt the impact against her face. The slap wasn't particularly strong, just strong enough to grab her attention as she moved to face the one who had done so.

Akeno stood directly before her now, her hand raised up as her face was downcast, her bangs covering her eyes as her hair trailed along her body without the aid of her hair tie.

"I can't believe you," she heard her mutter. Rias' heart clenched at the anger in her friend's voice, one pronounced than it had been before. "I can't believe that you would even think of doing such a thing. Do we really mean so little to you that you would just drop us all with so little thought?"

Rias winced, but she didn't say a word. There was nothing she could say to defend herself.

"Do you really think so little of us? That we would even let you do that in the first place?"

Rias blinked, her eyes having begun to fill with tears again. Did-was Akeno really saying…?

She watched as one of her dearest friends raised her eyes to meet her own, and saw that they too were beginning to water, the young woman's body now shaking.

"Because I won't! Even if you really think you don't deserve to lead us because of one mistake, I'll never stop being by your side! I won't lose my best friend!"

Rias stood in place, her mind reeling from what Akeno said, before she heard another voice speak up.

"I won't either," Yumi said, her voice as sharp as her blades. Though she stood taller than her, at that moment, she looked so strangely small, her arms shaking as she fought back tears of her own. "I…I owe you everything Rias. You took me in after…after I lost my whole life. I swore an oath to stay by your side. I know that you made a mistake, that what you did was wrong, but…you shouldn't throw everything away like that! I don't care if it's selfish! I won't let you do it!"

Rias didn't try to hold back her tears anymore, Izuku's words from before streaking through her mind with the force of lightning.

'And what about everyone else? Asia? Yumi? Koneko? Himejima? What about them? Are you just gonna leave them behind? They're here because they want to help you!'

He was right. He was right and she knew it, she just didn't want to accept it.

She flinched when she felt a hand touch her arm, looking down swiftly to see Koneko now standing before her.

She squeezed her eyes tight, ready for whatever she was going to say.

"You fucked up."

She almost fell back from shock at the blunt statement, her eyes opening wide as she stared at the smaller girl before her. Koneko gazed up at her, her eyes keeping themselves as impassive as possible, but there was something more lying behind them. There was a quiet sadness, one that ran deep, alongside a fierce determination, one that assured her of the same thing that Akeno and Yumi had already told her.

"You fucked up," she repeated, her hand moving down to her side. "So what are you going to do about it?"

She blinked in surprise again before a small chuckle escaped her throat. She could see what Koneko was saying to her, and all the things she didn't say.

"I'm going to make up for it," she said, her words shaky, but nonetheless resolute. "Izuku was right. Just stepping down like that, I'd only be running away."

Koneko offered her a small smile, a wetness in her eyes before her hand shot forward to grip at her own.

"I don't want you to leave," she said, her voice as quiet as she'd ever heard. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Rias squeezed Koneko's hand with her own, a gesture that was quickly mirrored. A silent promise was made between the two, one assuring the other that she would not step down so easily, no matter how much she hurt.

A slight cough broke her away from the smaller girl, her eyes locking onto the one person in the room she knew that, outside of Izuku, she had hurt most.

Asia no longer stares at the floor, her eyes instead having locked onto Rias. There was still a sadness in her eyes that Rias couldn't ignore, a heartbreak that ran deep. One that she knew that she had to try and fix.

She released Koneko's hand, the smaller girl moving back over to Yumi, before stopping before Asia. At that moment, she looked so fragile, as if she were made of glass that had once been broken already. Part of her wanted to hold her close in an embrace, like Izuku had done for her earlier. To assure her that everything would be alright.

But she couldn't. That simply wouldn't be enough. All she could do now was speak from the heart.

"I'm sorry Asia," she said, her voice drenched in sorrow as she stood mere centimeters away. "I know that a mere apology may never be enough to make up for this, but I'm so sorry."

Asia didn't say a word in response, her eyes beginning to water as she stared deeply in Rias' eyes.

"I won't ask you to forgive me," Rias told her, her eyes never once moving away from Asia's own. "I don't…I don't deserve it. All I can do is give you my word. I swear, on my very honor as a Gremory, that this will never happen again, and that I will do everything in my power to make it right."

Asia continued to stand there, her eyes watering more as her arms moved up to her chest, crossing over them in a desperate attempt to keep them covered, despite the fact that the nightgown she wore didn't show an inch of flesh.

"Asia?" Concern flooded Rias' voice at Asia's actions. This…this wasn't normal. She had no reason to be acting like this, unless…unless…

"No," she uttered in a frightened whisper.

At that, Asia finally spoke again, her voice shaking in dread.

"I…when Izuku found me with F-father…with F-freed, he tried to…he talked about how he wanted to…"

Rias pulled her close, her hands buried in the blonde's hair as she felt her body shake even more heavily. She wasn't alone, as the rest of the girls stood around the two, all of them concerned for their friend.

"When…when I went after her earlier," Yumi began, her voice having caught itself. "I heard her muttering to herself about someone's hands. How she wanted them away from her. I didn't…I didn't know."

"I'm sorry," Rias whispered into Asia's ear, her tears flowing down as she felt her friend sobbing against her. "I'm so sorry Asia. If…if we'd gotten there sooner, you wouldn't have had to-"

"Please stop," she heard Asia whisper, her plea reaching everyone's ear. "It's not your fault Rias."

"I should have noticed sooner. I should have acted faster. I should have-"

"Rias, please. It's not your fault."

"It is. It never should have happened in the first place. And I…I had to go and make it worse by trying to do the same thing to Izuku. I'm no better than Freed."

"You're nothing like him! You stopped yourself!" Asia's voice was still shaky, but there was more energy in her voice than before. "You knew it was wrong and stopped. He…he didn't care. Please Rias, don't say something like that again."

By now, the two had collapsed to the floor, kneeling beside each other as they continued to hold each other close. The rest of the peerage had sat silently beside them, offering comfort however they could.

"That doesn't make it any better Asia," Rias responded, swallowing the lump that had manifested itself in her throat. "The fact that I didn't go through with it doesn't change the fact that I tried. And…Izuku might have forgiven me for it, but I can never take it back. So I wouldn't blame you if you hated me now."

"I don't hate you though," she said, mirroring Izuki as she released Rias from her embrace. When her face finally came back into view, Rias couldn't hold back her surprise at what she saw.

Asia was smiling.

It wasn't a fake smile, one filled with pity or that promised vengeance. There wasn't a hint of malice or sadness on her face.

Her smile was genuine. And it cut right through Rias' heart.

"I'm...I'm not happy about it, but I don't hate you Rias. I couldn't. You took me in when you didn't have to. You came to help me at the church despite everything you said about us being enemies. You gave me a home." Her tears began to flow in streaks of warm liquid as her hands took hold of Rias' own. "I know what kind of person you are, Rias. That's why I'm here. I still want to help you. You're my friend, and I don't want to lose you."

Rias sat in stunned silence, Asia's words breaking through the fog in her mind. It had managed to linger, encroaching onto her thoughts with doubt and shame, even after speaking with Izuku. But now, it was as if they had been parted completely, and her thoughts were no longer jumbled.

Which is why she moved her hands away from Asia's, and pulled her close as she buried her face into her hair, involuntary sobs escaping her. It didn't take long for the rest to join them, their arms encircling the two as Rias held her close.

"I don't want to lose you either," she choked out, her words barely a whisper. Despite that, they rang clear throughout the room. "Any of you."

She felt encircled by their warmth, each arm around her a promise, that they would never leave her behind.

'I can't believe I was being so stupid,' she thought to herself as she allowed herself to bask in the presence of her dearest friends.

No matter what happened, even if they managed to lose against Riser's peerage, she could never get rid of them. Even if she was forced to take his hand in marriage, she knew that they would stay by her side, trying to find another way to help her.

And she knew, no matter what was to come, that she would do the same for them.

Izuku found himself wandering through the halls on the way to his assigned bedroom. He was definitely grateful that this wasn't exactly a mansion, he likely would have ended up getting lost along the way. Still, the path between the downstairs dining room and his bedroom had given him time to think, mainly about the events of the last few hours.

Rias needed help, that was as clear to him as anything, but he wasn't sure if beating Riser would be enough. He had no idea how the rest of his friends would even treat her after she confessed what she had done. Out of all of them though, he was worried most about Asia. When he'd told Rias that he heard everything, he'd meant it. That included hearing Asia leave in what sounded like a panic. During dinner, he had hoped to try and talk with her, but nothing came of it. No matter what he tried to do, no words came to mind to even broach the subject. He hadn't even gotten a chance after dinner was done. Akeno had ended up calling her away before he got the chance to even try and speak with her.

He didn't know what to do now. He had forgiven Rias already, but that didn't mean that everyone else had. Maybe…maybe tomorrow he might get some kind of chance.

Provided Gran Torino didn't drive him into the dirt first.

"Doing all right there kid?"

Speak of the proverbial devil.

He turned to face the old man, his eyes widening in surprise at what he wore. There he was, Gran Torino, the man who had trained All Might, and had also spent the entire afternoon kicking him around like a football, was wearing an old-fashioned yellow night shirt and matching nightcap as he rested himself on his cane.

'All he needs is one of those candlesticks and he'd match the stereotype of an old man going to bed', he thought to himself, knowing better than to even whisper the words aloud, lest he receive a whole new lesson. "Wha-what do you mean?"

The old man narrowed his eyes at him before thrusting his cane towards his chest, stopping mere centimeters away. "You know what I mean, don't try and pull some kind of fast one on me. The Gremory girl. She did something that got everyone upset, and you're involved."

Izuku blinked owlishly at him in response.

"I know I'm old, but I'm not senile yet, ya brat," Gran Torino said as heaved his cane back to the floor. "Paying attention is something you're gonna have to learn if you want to make it as a Pro Hero. I could see the looks everyone was giving her in that dining room of hers, and how she could barely look at any of them, except for you."

Izuku could feel beads of sweat beginning to trickle past his brow as Gran Torino kept talking. He had gotten a feeling that he was sharper than he looked, he was All Might's teacher after all, but he wouldn't have guessed that he'd figure so much out so quickly.

"I'm not gonna press you on it, if you're worried about that," the old man continued, his gaze locked onto Izuku's as though scanning his very soul. "But I still gotta ask. You doing all right?"

He could feel his heart begin to race as the question rang through his mind. Was he doing all right?

He hadn't put much, if any thought at all into how he had felt about what had happened. He'd been far too worried about Rias the entire time. But…it definitely hurt, once he heard Rias blurt out those words.

"I can't stop! I can't! JUST LET ME DO THIS IZUKU! I ORDER YOU!"

He did everything he could to suppress a shiver as her words raced through his mind. He'd felt so…numb at that moment. Barely even comprehending what was going on, even as the truth stared him in the face along with Rias' bare breasts. What could have happened if Rias hadn't frozen, and if he would have even done anything about it.

Everything had happened so fast, he wasn't even sure of it all for some time until after she'd left. He hadn't even realized that he'd been crying the entire time until they dropped onto his hands.

He knew full well what Rias could have done.

But…

It was like he'd told her. He'd already forgiven her.

Because she ultimately didn't go through with it.

And the mere idea of what she could have done had seeped its way so deeply into her soul that it had begun to destroy her. He'd heard her talk about the possibility of something like that happening again, that she wouldn't be able to stop herself then, and that he would just go along with it.

They both knew that she was wrong.

They both knew that he had already begun to stop her. That he could have stopped her if he truly needed to. All the training he'd gone though had made him more than strong enough to push her off of him should he need to.

But he didn't need to. She had managed to stop herself.

Maybe, if they had the time to think about it all, they could have talked that very night in his room. They could have figured things out, he could have learned about Riser there and then, and he would have tried to come up with some other way to help her.

But none of that happened. He couldn't change it.

Instead, all he could do was try and work with her to mend things, and try and make it all better. After all, he'd told her the truth before.

He did still trust her.

"I…" he began before taking a deep breath, his nerves beginning to settle as the old man kept his gaze trained on him. "I'm alright. It's just…been a long day."

"That so?"

Gran Torino kept his eyes locked onto Izuku's own for a while longer before finally dropping them entirely, a tired sigh escaping his throat. "I've never been the best at this kind of thing. Mending friendships and all that. I'm not even gonna try and pretend I can do it now after all these years. But I want to know, did you and Gremory talk at all?"

He received a nod in response..

"Things any better?"

Izuku found himself hesitating before he could give any kind of answer. Were things any better? He wasn't entirely sure. He had certainly hoped that he had managed to talk Rias out of stepping down as King at the very least. Things seemed to be fine between her and him, he wasn't sure if they were exactly the same as they had been before though.

Even after their talk, Rias looked…sad. Even with so much tension and guilt off of her shoulders, she still looked troubled. He'd hoped that he could say something, but what more could he say? Everything he was sure that he needed to say was said at the hot spring. He'd meant each and every word.

But maybe it wasn't enough.

Maybe she needed to talk with everyone else, something he was sure he couldn't get involved in, no matter how much he wanted to. This…this was something they needed to work out with her.

"I'm…I'm not sure," he finally answered.

Gran Torino let out a hum as he examined Izuku's face, taking in his expression. "You think you can still trust her?"

"Of course I can!" His exclamation had surprised him a bit, but he wanted to make sure that Gran Torino knew that much at the very least.

"Let's hope so kid," the old man said before turning away from him at last, heading off to his own room. As he neared a door however, he turned back to face Izuku one more time. "You should be careful though."

Careful? What was he talking about?

"If things are really as good as you say they are, then you got lucky," Gran Torino said as he opened the door before him, the slight creak echoing throughout the hall. "But that's not always gonna be the case. If you're not careful about these kinds of things, you could end up putting your trust in the wrong person. You're a good kid, and I'd rather not see something like that happen to you."

He shut the door before Izuku could respond, his eyes wide in shock at the old man's words.

"He's not wrong," Ddraig said from his arm, causing Izuku to jump in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Before the dragon could answer his question, Izuku felt another one rise up in his mind. "Wait! Did you really hear everything!?"

"I did. I tried not to intrude on yours and the Gremory girl's moment," he added, making Izuku blush. He'd actually forgotten all about Ddraig while that was happening. "But the old man has a point. Your Rias may not have truly had any bad intentions with what she tried to do, but that won't always be the case with everyone you meet. There are times when you'll have to choose your allies wisely."

"I…" He paused before he could even really say anything. He understood what both Gran Torino and Ddraig were trying to tell him, but it still felt like…

"Ddraig?" He took in a quick breath before continuing further. "Was it really wrong of me to just forgive her like that?"

He had to know. He needed to know.

"That's not really for me to say."

"Then…what do you think of it?"

"I think your Rias made a foolish choice that almost cost her dearly. We're it other people in your shoes, they most likely would never even consider giving her another chance. I doubt most of my previous hosts would have done what you did."

"You saw her though," he exclaimed as quietly as he could, his eyes locked in focus on his left arm. "You know how much it was tearing her apart for the past few days."

"And she had no one to blame but herself. Had she blamed you for any of it, I wouldn't have even let her near you again. But what's done is done. We can't change the past."

"I know, but…" His eyes were shut in frustration. He knew how he felt about this entire mess. He had already forgiven Rias. Why were both Gran Torino and Ddraig treating him like it was wrong to?

"What you did wasn't wrong," Ddraig said suddenly, taking Izuku by surprise. He had forgotten that Ddraig could hear his thoughts. "You made sense of it all and confronted her about it, even if how it happened was outside your control. What the old man and I are saying is that you should take caution. Not every person would hold themselves back like your Rias would, and it's likely that you could easily be taken advantage if. That's simply a fact partner."

Izuku let out a sigh. Ddraig raised a good enough point, but now the thought of something like this happening again wouldn't stop encroaching upon his thoughts. And the more it did, the more tired he felt. At this point now, all he really wanted to do was go to bed, and try and sort everything out tomorrow.

So that's what he did.

He pulled the comforter over himself after getting everything ready for the morning, thankful that each bedroom in the manor had its own private bathroom. As he felt himself drift off into slumber, one final thought rang through his mind. Enough for him to speak to Ddraig once more.

"Hey Ddraig? Why did you keep saying 'your Rias'?

The only thing he could hear as sleep finally overtook him, was the soft chuckling of the Welsh Dragon.

Here's the preview!

Sona:I understand that things seem to be going better now.

Rias:I suppose so…

Sona:I can tell that you still feel guilt over it, but you should know by now that we're all here for you.

Rias:I know. Thank you Sona.

Sona:That talk with Midoriya seemed to really cheer you up. It's gotten me curious…

Rias(visibly blushing):C-curious? What do you mean?

Sona(visibly smirking):That I should have a chat with him myself.

Next time! The First Step!

Rias:We all still have a lot of training to do, but now? I truly feel like we can succeed.

Sona:Was talking with him really all it took to make you feel that way? Your Pawn must truly be something special.

Rias(blushing again):I…um-!

Sona:Go beyond!

Both:PLUS ULTRA!

First of all, before anything else, I want to say this.

A very happy anniversary to the publication of this story! *Checks time* Look, it's not yet midnight where I am, so it's still the anniversary date!

I'm not gonna lie, part of me never thought I would keep going for an entire year. It seems so surreal to me. It also reminds me that age continues encroaching on me, but we'll ignore that for now.

I want to offer everyone a sincere apology for taking so long to get this out. I know I said last chapter not to expect one for last month, but I still should have at least done something. The only real reason I can give is that life got in the way.

I managed to get myself onto another shift at my job, one that pays much higher than what I was at before, so I've been adjusting myself to that. I've been wanting to hang around with my friends in my free time, after so long of barely being able to see them, and naturally, I've been busy with various things that came out since the last chapter, and not just video games.

It may be a bit late to say, but when principal work on this chapter began, Rooster Teeth was announced as shutting down, with several of their IP's being sold off thanks to WB's inept greed. I won't lie and say that they were a perfect company, but they'd been a large part of my life for a long time, Death Battle and RWBY in particular. My hopes are still that their shows will be able to continue, and that they can get themselves to the finish line. I would strive to do the same in their shoes.

The other thing was the passing of a true legend. Akira Toriyama, creator of works such as Dr Slump, Sandland, and of course DragonBall, passed away earlier this month.

It still hurts. I've been a fan of his work ever since I was a small child. I grew up watching DBZ, bad English dub and all. So many other properties have come out since DragonBall ended, ones that have refined and improved upon various things that he helped to create. Yet it still stands solid as a wonderful piece of fiction that still inspires people to this day.

Without Toriyama's work, we wouldn't have so much of what we have today. His legacy will live forever, but his presence will always be missed. Like Eiichiro Oda said in his eulogy, I hope heaven is the kind of place he imagined it to be.

All of these things kind of bundled up on me, to the point where I didn't want to write for a time. And then, before I knew it, it was the middle of March. I had wanted to get a chapter or two out in time for this fic's anniversary, but it was becoming clear to me that it simply wouldn't happen.

Hell, this chapter's kind of getting finished real close to the day, and it's much shorter than I wanted it to be. It was originally going to be combined with the next chapter, giving us one long one that would also finish up the training arc.

But you know what? This may have worked out for the best.

As you can probably tell, this chapter was rather heavy, and by the time I'm writing this note, it still needs to be edited. I feel like it definitely works a bit better to end where I did and have the next chapter be a bit lighter, a cool down from the last few.

We're two chapters away from the Rating Game, and after that, the Entrance Exam will begin. This I promise.

No matter what happens though, I want you all to remember that you all help to make this worth it. I can never thank you all enough for giving this story a shot, even with all its imperfections.

See you all next time, and remember. Be good, and be kind. I love you all.