Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

34. Chapter 34

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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34- The King's Sword: Setting The Stage

…..

The first time Shirou woke up earlier than Rias was a little stranger for both. Thanks to certain changes the magus had more time to sleep than normal but still found himself surprised by waking up before dawn with Yoruichi the cat sleeping on his chest. That didn't last long as even the disruption of his breathing was enough to wake her up and both of them traded greetings before properly starting the day.

Things moved a little faster than how he got used to in the last few weeks and soon enough Shirou found himself as the first to step in the kitchen after a while. A quick glance to the trash bin had Yoruichi chuckling as she revealed that Koneko sneaked around to get a midnight snack, something that the redhead learned to expect from time to time.

A small request later, Yoruichi had turned on her human form to trade the full garbage bag while Shirou focused on breakfast. As it was the first proper day with the nekomata back Shirou decided to go for sushi, he had bought the fish, salmon her favorite, the previous night fully intending on making that particular dish that morning.

It was then that Rias showed up, giving him a pout to show she tried to wake up just a little earlier to start things before him but he still had her beat much to their surprise. A quick glance to the sides showed that Yoruichi was busy so the devil stole a quick kiss before both worked on the food.

Despite how much Rias improved her cooking skills, it was undeniable that breakfast under Shirou was still better. That only made the devil redhead pout again as she vowed to one day surpass him before starting giggling as Shirou looked at her with some horror and two nobles laughed at the byplay.

A few hours later the members of the Shirou's household began to make their way to Kouh, the students in their uniforms at Rias' insistence. While none of them had classes on the Saturday, they were technically just going for their club's activities, she believed in dressing properly.

Kuoh Academy followed the same system as the rest of Japan and so students could take certain classes during the weekends to help with their grades. But most students going to the school on Saturdays were going for their own clubs, either sports or for hobbies. It was a silent rule that the Saturdays belonged to the clubs of their respective schools.

Like in most schools in Japan, those clubs that fulfilled the proper requirements had their own space or rooms, the ORC was one of those and considered more of a variety club with the purpose of fun.

Most high schools appreciated sports clubs but were generally open to allow any kind of activity that wasn't illegal and was respectful. The ultimate goal of clubs as a system was to help the students to achieve some degree of independence and most teachers were advised to help only when asked for as all the paperwork, budget and other necessities was dealt with by the club members.

In Rias' case she had to cheat a little because of her club in the beginning because she wanted a space for her peerage only and so lacked the proper number of people to start the ORC. But, since she was the daughter of the owner of the school, she got her club approved with the promise of good grades and efficient paperwork to make sure no one mundane could complain about the lack of students despite how many showed interest in joining.

The sport clubs from Kuoh followed the same rules with minor changes; unlike the variety clubs where the students could keep doing any activities they desired without much input from the school, some sports clubs had obligations of at least participating in events of their designated sport.

Teachers also were more active in the sport clubs, some either helped in transportation or were instructors and coaches for their respective teams. Kuoh had some teams which managed to reach the nationals, like the kendo club, but the moonlit world inhabitants mostly stayed away from them unless they were willing to play without their natural advantages to make things fair.

As the ORC was used as Rias' base, she could use its club activities as a disguise for everyone to meet in a convenient fashion. It was something she prepared for when she managed to get more people to join but the only ones really benefiting from that advantage were Issei because of his parents and Asia since the Hyoudou couple treated her like their own child.

It also was an excellent place for her group to hang out and since their activities could be considered part of the supernatural or occult none of the faculty could really call Rias' Peerage out for doing nothing since those in the know would be the ones asking the questions in the first place.

The ORC was also a way to show they had enough activities to get any member in a college if they so desire. If that college wasn't the one from Kuoh which they would be admitted with all expenses paid if their grades were good enough.

The members of Shirou's house were the first to arrive and with a wave of Rias' hand the door opened not due to the boundary fields but a separated spell that allowed anyone Rias registered to open the door. Of all their club members only Luvia wasn't properly recognized but the blonde magus hadn't shown up there for weeks at this point so no one was particularly bothered by that fact.

"Good morning, Gasper!" The first thing Rias and her companions did was salute the small vampire who jumped at the arrival of his King and her entourage.

"Go-od mor-ning, Buchou, eve-ryone." The small girlish young man said with a small stutter but no one berated him for it, with greetings being given by all.

Gasper was a small boy with a small stature with platinum blond hair reaching his chin and pink borderline violet eyes. The young boy also had pointy ears and sharp fangs that were a clear indicator of his heritage as the son of a vampire and a human.

Before becoming a devil, Gasper was a dhampir and because of that he had all the advantages of a vampire like superior strength and faster regeneration that can be further enhanced when drinking blood with one weakness completely removed even as a devil; Gasper was a daywalker and can walk out in the sun.

Even if that bothered the dhampir a little and he didn't like it, Gasper has no problems with the sun, he just avoids it by avoiding going out. He was also shorter than Koneko by just a couple of centimeters and even Medusa was taller than him by a miserable inch, much to the goddess' irritation.

"Do you want something to eat, Gasper?" Usually Shirou left some extra food for his junior, even showing up on some Sundays to cook a thing or two.

"No, senpai. I already ate." The small blond replied with a cheerful smile, comfortable with his senior's presence.

"I hope it wasn't just mac and cheese with tomato sauce again." Yoruichi teased the former dhampir a little who blushed.

"Useless vampire." Koneko commented with a nod from Liz.

"Now, now. Gasper has his favorites, there is no need to tease him too much." Rias embraced her cute servant before asking gently. "Do you want me to make you something?"

Gasper looked at Rias with a little shame before looking down. "I don't want to give you any trouble."

"It is no trouble." Rias said back but the former dhampir just shook his head a little. "Really?"

"Just accept it so I can go read my book." Medusa was the only one direct enough to just want to get things going. "It is just some food and Rias likes cooking."

"We can make cookies to go with your reading." Shirou could see that Medusa was just trying to give Gasper external reasons to leave his shell, if only for a few minutes, and decided to throw the idea around.

"I will make the tea then." Yoruichi offered with a chuckle much to some of the present surprise who didn't see that coming. "What?"

"You? In the kitchen?." Liz's voice carried a distinct concern and fear that she didn't bother to hide.

"You guys never had my tea." The nekomata pointed out in a indignated tone.

"I… don't think you should make it, sensei." Koneko tried to be as gentle as she could, she was going to train with Yoruichi later and she didn't want the woman to up the intensity by being offended. An intense glace from the black cat had the girl flinching before she delivered her reasoning. "I'm sure Akeno is coming."

Instead of anger, the cat visibly deflated on Shirou's shoulder. "Even you little kitten?" It was then that Shirou's hand scratched Yoruichi's head, making her purr.

"You can make the tea, I promise to drink all of it." The magus said with a smile, already preparing himself for the horrors of Yoruichi's potential tea.

"I will have some too." Rias surprised everyone with the sudden declaration. "What? She makes good tea, Akeno and Sakura may have some things to learn with her."

"Don't say that, I don't want to make tea everyday. Just on special occasions." Gold eyes turn to Gasper with a smile. "Like our little vampire eating some food with us."

"But you already ate, right?" Gasper asked timidly.

"So did you, not something healthy but you did." Rias poked Gasper's nose which made him blush more. 'So cute~' The devil held herself back from tightening her hug before commenting. "We are just going to make a small lunch, nothing more, nothing less. Afterwards, if you want, you can go back to your room, okay?"

"Yes, Buchou." Gasper accepted with a smile.

"Please tell me you aren't going to make tea as a cat." Shirou asked with some trepidation.

"Would you still drink it?" Yoruichi asked with a teasing glance.

Seeing his plight, Medusa chuckled. "He also would fear finding fur on it." That was enough and so when they arrived in the kitchen Yoruichi transformed into her true form, surprising Gasper.

"Oh~ You are so pretty, Kuro-san." The smallest person in the room commented with various glances to the nekomata's form who places her hands on her waist.

"Please, praise me more. Nyahahaha." Yoruichi even struck a small pose with a hand on her hair and a small wink in Shirou's direction.

"I am sorry, I thought you were a man." Gasper reminded himself and apologized which made Yoruichi laugh some more.

"Well, with how you dressed I thought you were a girl the first time we met. So we are even." The comment got a couple of laughs and Gasper felt mostly relaxed. "Just a warning. I technically make tea the most traditional way so don't expect me to do this often. Or to follow much of the tradition in the first place."

Rias chuckled at that. "Don't worry, Akeno would be a little upset if you took over all the tea making duties anyway." Then Rias had a mischievous idea. "Yoruichi, want to help me prank Akeno? It will be fun."

Most of the people in the kitchen looked at Rias with wide eyes before Yoruichi began to smile mischievously as well. "You had me at 'prank'. What is the plan?"

'Do I give Akeno a call to avoid something going terribly wrong?' Shirou asked himself. 'Yes, it would be for the best.' While he was happy that Rias and Yoruichi were getting along with no secrets between them, he didn't want to risk their newly formed friendship on a prank that could potentially backfire.

As stealthily as the magus could manage he began to move a hand to his pocket for his cell phone while the other prepared the mass for cookies. He made no noise and made sure the two smiling women were on his field of vision before he began to extract the phone.

Only for a red hand to fully take it out. "Oi!" Shirou protested as Born To Be Wild approached Rias and gave her the device.

"You weren't planning to rat us out, were you, Shiro~?" The redhead devil still had the same mischievous smile as before, now completely mirrored by Yoruichi.

"Of course he would. He is too much of a good boy to let a prank go under his watch." The nekomata picked the phone from the devil and passed it to her disciple. "Can you hold this for us, little kitten? Just until Akeno arrives?"

"Sure." The look of betrayal Shirou gave her didn't even shake the white haired devil's confidence.

Despite how delicious Shirou food was, Koneko wasn't going to disappoint both Rias and Yoruichi at the same time. She also knew that one way or another Shirou was going to feed her so there was no threat.

"I just don't want you two do start your new found friendship with a prank that can go wrong." Shirou explained his logic but he already knew it was a losing battle.

"Ah, you worry too much Shiro. We promise we aren't going to get things too far. Right Yoruichi?" Rias asked cheekly and the nekomata nodded.

"Right you are, Rias. Right you are. We promise to not let things go too far." Yoruichi even crossed her heart to show she meant it and all that Shirou could do at this point was sigh.

"With the two of you together do I have any chance of changing your minds?" The sincere question was Shirou's last hope.

The duo decided to crush it quickly. ""Nope."" Then the noble ladies turned to giggle at each other and even shared a high five as Shirou had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Fine, not like I can do anything about this." Shirou said with an acceptance and Liz actually got up to offer her condolences, something that Gasper also did with a faint whisper. "Remember to not go too far."

'Should I point out to him that we don't know what these two consider 'too far'?' Medusa asked herself as Koneko held the phone away from Shirou when he asked it back but without a promise to not try to warn Akeno of some mischief, Rias ordered the Rook to keep it away from him for the time being. 'Never mind. That wouldn't be as fun.'

The little goddess just knew that Shirou would be anxious until the whole thing blew over and much like Rias, she found Shirou cute when he was struggling like that.

…..

Akeno and Kiba walked towards the ORC at a sedate pace. They already knew that others would have arrived first but it was expected since those living in Shirou's house usually made their way to Kuoh by car while the two of them had to walk. Not that they minded, it was a way to catch up in some conversation and do some exercise.

Teleporting wasn't really an option since the magic circle inside their club was directed to their pamphlets and back but the actual Belzeebu was already working on an alteration of the formula to facilitate transport even more. It was slow going as he was attempting that for the last hundred or so years just after finishing the Evil Pieces but the Underworld trusted the skills of the genius devil despite his admittance he was also focused on other projects.

Thanks to the fact that the Gremory Clan owned plenty of areas around Fuyuki, neither the Queen or Knight found themselves lacking in options of where to live. In the times before Shirou entered their lives, most of the Gremory's group lived in the same area even if not in the same building.

At the moment only Kiba lived in an apartment complex that used to be home for Rias and Koneko as well, it wasn't too big nor too small and the other residents were nice enough that he didn't mind the departure of his friends.

And close to Kiba's residence was Akeno's, an abandoned temple that the Gremory bought to make a new hotel but the Queen asked if she could stay there instead. It was the kind of place that reminded her of her life with her mother and so plans of the hotel were delayed at Rias' insistence. Not that the Gremory Clan as a whole minded since for a devil a decade or two wasn't much.

As the two devils still live close to each other they always end up walking together to Kuoh, nobody ever saw that since they were used to get up early despite working until late and so there was never any rumor whatsoever, something that Kiba appreciated and Akeno teased him about it since while there wasn't nothing beyond friendship between them she still found the potential rumors which could pop up funny.

Usually their conversations were amicable enough but like others Akeno noticed that Kiba seemed more unhinged and desperate after the Rating Game. Encountering Bakuya did some mental damage to the younger devil that took weeks to heal.

'Not that I can blame Kiba. If I just stumbled on him one day …' Akeno shook her head to dispel the thoughts, refusing to think about the person she hated. 'Just forget about him, I bet he is dead in a ditch somewhere.'

As they entered the Academy territory after greeting the gatekeeper, they now could talk more openly as the odds of anyone, even another student, showing up were low as they walked towards the forest their club resided in.

Deciding that it was a good opportunity to evaluate Kiba's mental state, Akeno started with a hard question. "So, are you sparring with Shirou-kun today again?" The question also had a second goal; to see if he would keep the promise of the other day.

A small smile formed on Akeno's lips when Kiba shook his head. "No. I think I bothered him too much for a week."

"Shouldn't you be saying 'weeks'." Akeno giggled when Kiba realized she was right. "Don't worry. He knew you needed to vent a little after seeing Bakuya." She made sure to let out as much empathy as she could in her tone. "I know how hard it is to have someone, something you hate around. But you can't let it ruin your relationships with everyone else."

"You are right, Akeno-san. It was unbecoming of me to do what I did. I am sorry if I gave you any grief." She knew that Kiba was sincere when he didn't try to offer her one of his fake smiles but a look of real regret.

"It isn't me you should apologize to. Then again, maybe Shirou-kun is grateful that you gave Setsuna some time to sort her feelings out." Akeno pointed out with a smile and the reference to the hanyou's predicament had Kiba chuckling a little.

"I wonder how long it will take before Shirou confronts her too." After that Kiba gave Akeno a concerned glance. "And how are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" Akeno asked with a face full of confusion that Kiba knew it was fake.

"You know what I mean." When Akeno gave no response, Kiba let out a sigh. "You are going to make me say it, won't you?"

"Say what?" Akeno didn't even bother to hold back a small smile that looked sweet and hid how fun it was to tease her junior.

Kiba gave Akeno a dry look before deciding to just let it out. "How do you feel about Buchou's relationship with Shirou?" He was a little embarrassed of even saying that but the blond managed with some effort.

"That is it?" Akeno asked with some amusement, still pretending she had no idea. "I am happy for them."

"You are?" Kiba couldn't believe that.

"My, my Kiba~ I am disappointed you expected less of me. Shouldn't you understand the heart of a maiden a little more with how many girls offer confessions to you." Every word from Akeno was a sharp knife on Kiba's back and the worst part for him was that he knew Akeno wasn't doing it out of malice, just to get a reaction.

And react the Knight did, almost stumbling on his own feet before throwing the Queen a small glare. "You know I have no interest in a relationship right now." Neither needed to mention why.

"That doesn't mean you need to be cold towards their feelings~" Akeno could almost see Kiba falling from another metaphorical knife and decided that she should reply or else he would think she was stalling. "I am being honest. I am happy for them."

"Are you sure?" Kiba's concern returned but a little subdued, he was already expecting more teasing. "Between our group of friends, I know you were one of the most invested in him."

Akeno giggled again. "Why are you speaking like I already lost the fight?" The words didn't surprise Kiba; he could already see the follow up coming. "Now that he is dating Rias, it will just be more thrilling when he is mine."

Skeptically, Kiba shakes his head. "You talk a lot but that is just it, talk. We both know you never would do anything to hurt Buchou." And not for a moment he believed that Akeno would do that deliberately.

For a moment Akeno stops and Kiba turns to her, worried that he may have hurt her feelings. Instead the raven haired beauty was giving him a smile. "I was not kidding, the idea of becoming a mistress in their relationship makes me excited. Really excited."

He could see a small blush on her face and the way Akeno held her cheeks, Kiba could tell his senior was really thinking about the idea. "You still won't hurt Buchou."

"Oh, she can know and she probably would be all for it if that made Shirou-kun happy." That piece of information did surprise Kiba a little. "Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, you seem to forget that I have known Rias for longer than you. I know my best friend, our King, better than most people. Maybe not better than Shirou-kun at this point, hard to compete with how intimate they became." And her eyes full of lust told him that she appreciated that thought a little too much. "But I still know certain parts of her better than anyone else."

'Sometimes I forget that despite her air of purity and grace, our Queen can be more perverted than Ise.' Kiba noticed that Akeno was a pervert a few years ago when she started to enter her womanhood, she wasn't prompted to go seeking porn or similar things like Issei and his friends but when something got her in the mood she had no shame at all with comments and desires that could sent even the oldest devils running while blushing a storm..

Most of the time that side of the Queen was manifested on their stray hunts, any stray devil that still had some semblance of thought was left for Akeno to play with and she always made sure they screamed before their demise. Then Kiba reminded himself of Akeno's Lighting Projection and how that could be used for her desires.

Kiba had to hide his shiver so Akeno didn't ask any uncomfortable questions. 'I pity the next stray devil that pops around Fuyuki.' He tried to keep his thoughts away from the subject. "Yes, I agree you know her better than most of us but how does that help your situation?"

"Fufufu~ It is really simple really. If I seduce Shirou-kun and he asks, Rias will positively let me join her relationship as a mistress." Akeno could see the confusion on Kiba's demeanor and decided to elaborate. "Have you noticed that Rias never really showed interest in anyone before Shirou-kun? Sexually I mean."

Raising an eyebrow, Kiba already had the perfect counter argument to that statement. "Hard to seek anything with an engagement scheduled."

"If that was the case don't you think that Rias would have hesitated a little more before sleeping with Shirou-kun?" This time Kiba had no direct retort so he decided to go for another avenue.

"I think that she just didn't have that many options as a partner, didn't she?" Dating a normal human would be too complicated in Kiba's mind and the devils around Kuoh were mostly subordinates of his friends or enemies. He knew for a fact he wasn't even a contender.

"Kiba, are you saying that I wouldn't be considered?" When Kiba froze mid step Akeno knew she spoke the exact right thing. "You offend me a little."

"But… she isn't… I mean…" Kiba's brain needed a moment to remember who he was talking with. "You are teasing me."

"Doesn't make the statement any less true. On the Underworld Rias never had posters or actors or warriors of any kind. It was always just anime and manga with her." Both of them knew that already but he would let Akeno finish her point. "The reason for that is because before Shirou-kun, Rias was basically assexual."

When she said that it clicked on Kiba's head that it made a certain sense; Rias had no shame in exposing herself or even looking at other naked people without batting an eye. For a couple of years Kiba himself even crossed paths with his naked King on occasion much to his embarrassment.

But now that he thought about it, ever since Rias started her relationship with Shirou she always made sure to be dressed or proper when leaving her shower and Issei even mentioned a time that he hadn't seen Rias naked body for weeks, much to Asia's irritation.

"Now you get it." Akeno saw the realization on Kiba's face with a smile. "Rias doesn't just love just anyone, she is only in love with one; Shirou-kun and no one else. With the way Rias can love and how she is treating Shirou-kun with even more attention, to the point of taming habits she had her whole life out of love for him, shows how big her care for him is." She was having so much fun talking about Rias like that with someone, usually Akeno doesn't have the opportunity. "It is said that 'the love of a Gremory can be a dangerous thing'. Legends on the Underworld speak how far they are willing to go for their followers and family. Now add to the fact that Rias has only eyes for Shirou-kun."

Rubbing his chin, Kiba could see it. "His happiness is her happiness, if he asked something, I don't think Buchou could ever say 'no'." Akeno shaking her head broke him away from that thought.

"Oh she can tell him 'no' to most things, Rias is no pushover in the stuff she believes and I doubt that Shirou-kun himself is thinking of asking much." Both can agree that the redhead was the kind of guy to reject gifts unless pressured. "But yes, Rias will pretty much give him anything he desires and is with her power." Considering who Rias was, that was a lot and Kiba knew it. "So once I seduce Shirou-kun and he finds out that I would be more than happy being his mistress, Rias will have no choice but to cave in."

"And you think you can do that? I mean, it is Shirou; even if Buchou wouldn't be bothered by it, he may respect her too much." Kiba pointed out, certain that the magus would be the first to turn down anything that could harm Rias in any way.

"But remember, if Shirou-kun is happy, Rias is happy and one of the ways he is happy is by making other people, mostly his loved ones, happy. Rias is usually the only one that holds him back from going too far but if I manage to 'convince' him." Akeno shivered at the thought and could practically see the logic clicking together in Kiba's mind. "Surely Rias would reject any girl with bad intentions but once Shirou-kun tells her I am the one seducing him, she is going to accept what was happening." In the privacy of her thoughts, she finished with, 'Especially now that she is more sure of herself.'

Akeno knew that her best friend may grumble a little by her actions, from time to time when she teased Shirou the Queen could see Rias glaring despite how much she tried to hide. Not that she could hide her real emotions from Akeno, they knew each far too well.

That was why Akeno was really happy for Rias; the doubt and sadness that plagued her had disappeared and now the redhead could be honest with herself.

'I wish things were that easy for me.' Despite everything, Akeno was aware enough that her problem was more complicated and that she was not ready to let it go just yet.

"Wait, doesn't that make things easy for you? Instead of seducing him and if Buchou wants him to be happy and he would be happy if you were happy, shouldn't just ask her to… join?" Kiba was raised as a christian for most of his life so the whole situation just baffled him one way or another.

Akeno raised an eyebrow and gave Kiba a mischievous grin. "That wouldn't be as fun."

Giving the Queen a deadpan look, Kiba could only say. "Your concept of fun is completely different from mine." And Akeno looked pleased by his admission. "You really thought a lot about it, didn't you?" Her pleased expression turned into a smile that would have men fighting for her. "Then I just have one question; how are you going to do it?"

That made Akeno stop completely, her eyes open despite the smile remaining on her face. Kiba gave her a full minute for the girl to answer him but for the first time in his life he saw that the Queen of Gremoy was completely speechless.

"You didn't think that far, did you?" Kiba asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, I thought about… I mean…" Akeno blushed and tried to come up with something but she was having difficulties forming even a coherent train of thought.

'Despite how much game she speaks about, in the end she is still a maiden.' Unlike Akeno, Kiba wasn't the one to tease much so he decided to give some help. "I hope you don't expect to try the same thing as Buchou. I don't believe that Shirou would just sleep with you like that after a discussion now that he has a relationship with someone. At least not unless Buchou is okay with it."

"I will think of something." Which was Akeno admitting she didn't know what to do just yet. "I mean, Shirou-kun is a guy and he does find me attractive." Kiba didn't say anything, the look he was giving her was enough. "He is still a man."

"He is Shirou, probably one of the most stubborn men on the planet. Do I need to remind you that there is a reason why he and Buchou butt heads so often?" The flinch she gave him had Kiba nodding in satisfaction. "Yes, he finds you attractive but now he is with Buchou. If you were there first then the situation would be the opposite."

"But then I wouldn't be the mistress." It was a weak excuse and even Akeno knew. "But I won't give up, you will see. One day you will find me in Rias' office after Shirou-kun and I had a night of passion."

Kiba had to fight his instincts to facepalm at the implications. "I don't want to even begin to unpack that sentence." That pleased Akeno a little too much for his tastes. "Suit yourself. I won't say anything else on this topic. You are really Buchou's best friend, two of the most stubborn women in the universe."

"Thank you." Akeno's smile regained a little mischief.

"It wasn't a compliment. I don't even want to know how Buchou will react once she knows what you are planning." He didn't even pretend he was going to say anything. Loyalty or not, in case things go wrong, Kiba wanted to be as farther away as he could from the danger zone. He was absolutely ready to let Shirou deal with that.

Deciding to end that conversation on a more gentle note as they were about to enter the area of the club, Akeno tried to reassure Kiba. "Don't worry too much about it. This is Rias we are talking about; she won't get mad with me unless I did something awful to Shirou-kun which I would never do." That was a fact that the Knight couldn't deny. "Besides, ever since we came to Fuyuki she got better at keeping a level headed outlook and since she already knows my intent, there is no problem with me getting 'caught'."

With a shake from Kiba's head the two kept advancing until they passed the boundary field around the forest where they suddenly felt two powerful presences in the area, one which they recognized.

"Is Buchou training?" Kiba managed to ask when an explosion and a spike of energy brought the worst thoughts to the forefront of their minds as they began to run towards the clubhouse.

Akeno could easily recognize Rias' presence washing the forest but the other one also was familiar. 'Whoever Rias is facing is stronger than her.' That conclusion made her open her wings and accelerate further, overtaking Kiba.

When she arrived around the area of the old school building Akeno immediately stopped mid air as panic began to show on her face as she took in the situation.

Standing on one side of the forest was Rias and she looked mad. "How dare you spy on us?!" She shouted as Born To Be Wide sent a couple of shots in her opponent's direction.

Which was none other than Yoruichi herself who, in a feat of agility and flexibility, dodged the Destruction Bullets by grabbing a branch and using it to pull herself up with a flip before landing with both feet. "You made things too easy, Rias!" She replied proudly before jumping again as the branch she was using was decimated. "Oh you are really upset!"

"You have been on my Shiro's bed this whole time you vixen!" Born To Be Wide did its best to follow Yoruichi's movements but all it was managing to do was destroying more trees.

"Of course I was! He is warm and makes me fuzzy inside!" While her words sounded like she was teasing, Akeno was sure Yoruichji was being completely honest which just appeared to make Rias more frustrated. "Besides, I am a cat, not a fox! Get your insults right!"

"Why would I, vixen?!" Rias asked with a challenge that had Yoruichi's eyebrow twitch.

But then Yoruichi smiled with some savagery. "Screw politics!" The nekomata hands were covered with lightning before she threw it at Rias who shot the bolt from the sky which resulted in an explosion.

'Well, I see that she discovered Yoruichi's identity.' Akeno realized with some dread. "This cannot be good."

"Who is Buchou fighting against?" Kiba asked quickly with some panic but determination in his eyes and Holy Eraser in his hands, reminding Akeno she wasn't the only one present and making her really nervous. "She feels so powerful. Easily as strong as Buchou."

'More likely stronger.' While Akeno knew that, especially because both her and Rias knew the person's real identity, Kiba had no idea who they were dealing with. 'Did discovering another woman was sleeping with Shirou-kun irritated her that much? As far as I know they never did anything but that?'

A dozen or so thoughts ran on Akeno's head when Kiba declared. "Akeno-san, I will go and attack the intruder, go support Buchou." He got ready to run when the Queen's hand landed on his shoulder and held him back. "Akeno-san?"

"Kiba, that person is too strong for you, don't attack yet." Without proper context she didn't know if she should reveal who Yoruichi was or how long she has been around or not.

That didn't stop things from apparently escalating. "What is wrong, vixen? Impatient?" Rias asked with a feral smile that had Yoruichi smiling back in the same manner.

"Nyahahaha~ Just anxious to get back to Shirou's comfortable bed! Thank you for letting me have it yesterday!" The energy around Rias grew more intense as Born To Be Wild threw itself in Yoruichi's direction, shooting all the way while trying to get closer to its target who kept moving and throwing lighting at it or Rias every chance she had with a wave of her hands.

'Things are getting worse.' Akeno already had a picture of more or less what was happening and the concern in her grew. 'I didn't know Rias would get so upset for something like that.' But seeing her best friend's face, she was starting to believe it was possible.

"We need to help Buchou!" Kiba's shout got Akeno's mind back on track as Yoruichi dodged every single shot from the Stand as it kept going at her, slamming on a tree and disappearing as Yoruichi landed on the ground. "She is losing, Akeno-san."

"It is more complicated than that, Kiba." The problem was that Akeno didn't know where to begin explaining things or how to do it fast enough in a way to convenin that fighting wasn't a good option. "She is a really important person and we owe her more than we can ever repay." When that clearly didn't convince the Knight, Akeno revealed, "She is Kuro."

"Kuro the black cat?" Kiba turned to look at Yoruichi, trying to pay attention to her to see if she really was the small cat he grew familiar with.

Her form did hold the same grace as a cat, her steps were light and the earth was barely disturbed when she touched it. Her speed was superior to his and Kiba could tell that she wasn't giving it her all as she laughed, teased and played with Rias without a real pause to breath or losing her step.

Finally Yoruichi stopped for a moment to throw a lightning bolt in the form of three claws that had Born To Be Wild needing to sacrifice itself to protect Rias who still needed to use her aura to neutralize some of the attack. That was the moment that Kiba could really take a good look at her.

"Her eyes are the same as Kuro's." That was the best Kiba could do as immediately Yoruichi charged towards Rias who remade Born To Be Wild and sent it on a route of collision with the taller woman.

The nekomata didn't see any problem with that predicament and simply pulled her fist back as the Stand did the same. Both fists collided and a shock wave spread around the area, branches shaking, some tree leaves falling and leaving the ground at the moment of impact.

Yoruichi looked at the Stand with curiosity as Born To Be Wild quickly raised its other fist, the wishes and the image on Rias' mind already in motion to have the red spirit attacking with barely any effort from her part.

With a lot more curiosity than she would like to admit, Yoruichi met the other fist with her own in the exact same way, the new collision making another shock wave. The nekomata chuckled a little when the fists began to move faster but still not fast enough for her as she met the attacks blow after blow.

Every time their fists met, they created a shock wave that had both Akeno and Kiba astounded. The Knight knew that Kuro had to be strong but the power behind Yoruichi's blows were equal to a spirit capable of breaking a Phenex defense, a feat many Rooks struggle with.

For her part Akeno wasn't surprised but impressed by the power both women were letting out. 'Either Rias is really mad or she knows Yoruichi can take anything she can dish out. Possibly both.' That only made Akeno more nervous as she still had no idea of what to do, helping her friend was her priority but she didn't want to cause an incident. 'At least their powers are close enough that we don't need to rush.'

Almost as if she heard Akeno's thoughts, Yoruichi began to raise the intensity of her punches a little as she calmly added touki to the equation. When her right hand met Born To Be Wild's left, the Stand lost its hand as the mana which kept it together broke apart thanks to the strength of her blow.

Rias was already sweating but she didn't let the damage to her Stand intimidate her, she was still mastering it but regenerating a body part was easy if the rest was still there. She had taken two steps forward to ease the burden of sending her mana towards her Stand as both fists were both being reformed and destroyed easily.

"It doesn't matter if it is Kuro, we have to help Buchou." Kiba was sure that Akeno had to notice that Rias was losing that fight.

Unlike Yoruichi, who was extremely mobile, Rias had to stay fixed on a spot to fight at full capacity which gave both devils the chance to see the condition their King was in with clarity.

Her shoulders were trembling, she was starting to sweat more and her breathing was becoming erratic as her aura was beginning to fluctuate more and more to keep Born To Be Wild going. They could see in her eyes that Rias herself had noticed all of this but she was stuck trying to fix her Stand everytime Yoruichi took out one of its limbs, without an opening to do anything.

Akeno still hesitated. "We still don't understand what is going on." It was the truth and the best that she could come up with in short notice to stop Kiba from rushing.

"She already said Kuro was spying on us." Something that Kiba found hard to believe but when he wasn't thinking about Holy Swords he was exceptionally loyal. "We have to help!"

The Queen held him back. "We need to know the situation." She could already feel a headache coming.

There was no time for more debate as Yoruichi accelerated her attack and hit the Stand on its chest, destroying that incarnation of it completely.

That was just fine with Rias who was already getting ready to make another Born To Be Wild just behind her that didn't waste time to unload all the bullets its guns could carry, all twelve shots.

Yoruichi saw them coming with a smile and began to run in Rias' direction. The devils could all only witness as she maneuvered around the bullets in such a manner that they didn't even come close to scratching her.

A little panic showed up on Rias' face as she began to send more mana to her Stand to prepare more shots but at that point it was in vain, Yoruichi was already in front of her, an open palm colliding with Rias' aura and sending her flying.

The two devils could only watch Rias' route of collision as her back broke two trees in her way before she fell down, apparently unconscious. Kiba wanted to attack Yoruichi at that point who looked completely relaxed but Akeno didn't let him.

"Why are you-" He couldn't finish his question as he saw the frustrated and confused eyes from Akeno looking back.

At that moment Akeno let go of Kiba, planning to get answers herself. "Kiba, go check on Rias. I will take care of this" She opened her wings and flew in Yoruichi's direction, her circuits already calling her mana as prepared. "Spark up."

Her whip was her weapon of choice at that moment, perfect to immobilize and interrogate the threat. But Akeno had no delusions that she could easily beat Yoruichi in a fair fight so she charged as fast as she could to catch her by surprise.

However Yoruichi wasn't surprised that the Queen was there and even turned to greet her with a smile the moment that the whip was formed. "Took a little too long for you to move." She easily grabbed Akeno's lighting whip and used it to pull the devil closer. "Still too unstable. You need to practice more."

Yoruichi let go of the whip and grabbed the Queen by the shoulder before using her leg to break her balance and send her tumbling down. Her grip was too strong for Akeno to escape, which was expected considering the opponent.

Still she glared at her opponent defiantly. "Why did you hurt Rias?" Akeno demanded to know with anger.

A chuckle escapes Yoruichi's lips. "Would you believe we were just training?"

"That was too intense to be training. What is going on?" She tried to break free but Yoruichi held firm.

A little of the amusement disappeared from Yoruichi's face. "Whoa, you are more upset than we thought you would be. Any reason why?" Gold met violet and Yoruichi could tell that Akeno was more concerned than mad. "You know that Rias can take a little slap like that, she is going to be fine."

That made Akeno stop struggling for a second. "Why were you fighting?"

"Well, it started as a prank but we turned it into training." It was Rias who spoke, approaching with Kiba to her side and a smile on her face despite her Knight's look of concern.

"'A prank'?" Akeno felt the nekomata let her go and saw the tall woman approach Rias.

"Maybe she wouldn't be as worried if you hadn't jumped back that much." Yoruichi commented with a smile before turning to the blond of the group. "What is up Kiba?"

"Are you really Kuro?" He gave her a good look that had the nekomata chuckling. Once Kiba looked into her eyes he panicked a little and blushed. "I mean- I am sorry, I didn't expect-"

"That the feline that you know was such actually a bombshell of a woman?" She asked him with a mildly sensual tone before laughing. "Nyahahahaha. Sorry Kiba but you aren't my type." That made the Knight relax a little as he started to recognize some of the mannerisms from the cat on that person. "But yes, I am Kuro and this is my," cat ears and two tails appear from nowhere to reveal Yoruichi as a nekomata, "true form."

And then the extra appendages disappeared and Rias looked at Yoruichi then at Kiba with a mischievous smile. "So that is the kind of woman you like? I better make note of that."

Panic returned to Kiba once again. "What? No Buchou, it is not that. I was just surprised."

Rias just giggled then looked at Yoruichi while rubbing her chin. "Is it her size? Or her sizes? Maybe you actually are into 'action girls'? Is that what they call it?"

"Then he would love someone with a little more muscle." Yoruichi pointed out before Kiba could defend himself. "I know a cow yokai who can lift a truck with a hand and no youki if you want me to introduce them."

"Maybe we should set up a playdate. This year he is going to Kyoto next term and they could meet then." Rias clapped her hands at the thought and Kiba looked mortified at being set up like that since if Rias ordered him to go he wouldn't be able to dodge like he could when someone from school tried to invite him for something.

At that point Akeno was his saving grace, as soon as she got up and cleaned her uniform, she asked; "Can someone please explain what is going on? And what is that about 'a prank'?" She then looked between Rias and Yoruichi to see the two smiling. "I see that you are more acquitanced with each other than before."

"She figured out my identity on our first day at Shirou's house. Quite impressive if I can say so myself." Yoruichi commented with a smile.

Rias waved off the praise. "I already told you it was more than that. I had a whole year to know you even if we didn't talk much. With how strong and knowledgeable you are then you had to be someone famous."

"Nah, you still deserve some credit." Yoruichi said back easily and Akeno was quick to notice they were changing the subject.

"Can we go back to the 'prank' bit please?" The Queen began to massage the sides of her head and then look at Rias with a small glare. "You two looked like you were fighting for real."

"That was mainly the intent but we may have overreacted." Rias admitted with a cheeky smile.

"Don't tell Shirou that, he is not going to let us hear the end of it." Rias shook her head, trying to be subtle while Akeno raised a skeptical eyebrow and Yoruichi realized that she shouldn't have said that. "I mean, it wasn't the plan for Rias to jump that far after I hit her. We didn't want you to panic, just to make it look like she lost the fight."

That was Rias' cue to try "To be fair I was losing that fight. Good grief, keeping Born To Be Wild going after every single punch was just… " Words were not enough for Rias to describe how hard it was for her to keep up with Yoruichi's rhythm.

"That is because your Stand clearly isn't a short range option. Its abilities and form are clearly an indicator that you should keep your distance, not go for rushes." Yoruichi had also read some of Rias' collection and knew exactly where the devil was trying to go by trying to get away with punching with a being made of pure mana.

Rias let out pout at being called out. "But it looks so cool."

All the nekomata could do was shake her head at the statement. "Maybe, but not your style and you know it. That was why you only tried to send it against me at the last minute. You need to practice how to move and keep your Stand out."

"Can we go back to talking about your attempt at a prank?" Akeno interrupted before the two nobles continued to dissect the fight.

"Oh, right. I apologize Akeno, Kiba." Rias could see that the Knight was equally as confused as the Queen and was just barely keeping his silence. "We were to pretend I caught Yoruichi's disguise today and make you believe that things went south from there since, you know, we technically had a VIP running around the town without prior notice. That is the kind of thing that can create an incident. Not only for us but in Kyoto too."

Akeno turned to the nekomata who crossed her arms with a smile. "But that wasn't what really happened; we talked and she is now making sure that me being here was 'acknowledged' by your group a long time ago." Looking to the corner she added. "At least my alter ego that is."

"But she told me that you knew." Rias pointed at Akeno who nodded in understanding. "Now, I wasn't going to punish you for it since Yoruichi did a lot for us and she even told me later that you caught her during the training camp in an already complicated situation." Both because she could see herself doing something similar to what Akeno did or because Yoruichi was only there to do a favor which benefited her extremely. "I was about to let it go when I thought something a little earlier today; why not play with Akeno and make her sweat since she knew who Yoruichi was and I wasn't supposed to know?"

"And I was caught in the crossfire." Kiba realized with some curiosity but Rias shook her head.

"Oh no Kiba, your participation was essential. Who else would be there witnessing Akeno's fidgeting and making her actually worry about creating an incident?" It was the only reason why Rias didn't give him a phone call to inform of the plan; she needed him to sell his reactions.

"I see." Kiba accepted his part in the play with a shrug.

Akeno closed her eyes and counted to ten, fortunately for her she got pretty good at meditation so she didn't need much time to find her center.

"It was just a prank." Akeno said with some relief and in turn both Rias and Yoruichi were relieved as well. "You two really need to plan those things better."

"Hey, Rias sprung up the idea just a few minutes ago. We barely had time to get any of the details right."

"We didn't even have a script or something, we were just winging it." Both of the nobles still found the whole thing fun so they weren't complaining much. "Besides, that also showed me where I lack in my abilities. I thought I would be able to put up more of a fight."

"It was your opponent more than anything else." Yoruichi threw an arm around Rias' shoulder and Akeno wondered how their friendship grew so fast that they were so comfortable with each other. "You are really a long ranged caster at heart while I am a 'in your face' kind of fighter and fast enough that your shots can't catch me."

"Tell me about it. I knew you were going to dodge them but you still made it look easy." Rias didn't like being overpowered but that was what happened and she was smart enough to recognize it.

"It was easy." Rias threw Yoruichi a small glare which just got her a cheeky smile.

"That was no reason for you two to make that look so brutal." Akeno interrupted the two nobles again. "I was really worried when Rias was sent out flying."

"That was the point of the prank." At that response, Akeno smiled at Yoruichi who suddenly felt her instincts warning her of a great danger. "I mean, we had everything under control."

Rias fixed her hair before shrugging. "You are worrying a little too much, Akeno." The smile may look calm but the moment the Queen turned to her, Rias could understand why her fellow noble was trying to placate the silent fury behind that beautiful face. "It was a mistake, alright?"

"Yes, it was." Akeno didn't raise her voice or lose her composure, her eyes remained closed and her eyes as calm as the waves of a beach in the summer. "You two basically used a spar to try and worry me over the fact that I may have made a mistake that could potentially lead to a war between two of the Factions that dominate the politics of Japan's supernatural. Totally something that I can let it slide."

Even Kiba had to take a step back as an aura similar to a storm covered Akeno but he had to wonder what the Queen could do about the situation. Regardless of how upset she was, the two women before her are part of the powers of said Factions, one of them even was her King and so there was little for him to believe that Akeno could do anything to them.

"I am telling Shirou-kun you almost gave me a heart attack." Akeno's declaration caused more damage than any lightning she could summon, it was clear by the shocked faces from both Rias and Yoruichi.

Swallowing heavily, Rias tried to smooth negotiations. "Now, now Akeno, let's not rush things over."

"I wonder how much he will simplify your meals once he knows how cruel you two were." Akeno turned her head to the side while placing her hand close to her mouth to appear innocent despite the fact the words left her mouth as quick as the crack of her whip. "I mean, he would never do such a thing as reducing your portions but he would make sure that everyone else has better food for a while."

Despite being raised since childhood to navigate the backstabbing world of nobility, despite being one of the strongest beings in the country, Yoruichi was the first to crack. "I will pay you your weight in gold to forget about it."

"I am not that heavy." Akeno commented offhandedly and Yoruichi glared at Rias. Despite her noble status, the nekomata's coffers were much smaller than the Gremory's and she can't actually spend much so she had no choice but to call for Rias to rein her Queen in.

But the King would never demand Akeno's silence for something like this, so she tried to bargain as well. "A mountain of gold." Rias moved quickly to secure the food in a panic, completely forgetting she was the leader of their group or that monetary reward wasn't something that could ever affect a person like Akeno.

No, what really pleased the Queen's sensibilities and scratched an itch that Akeno loved to deal with was the opportunity to tease someone, to have that person in the palm of her hand to play with for as long as she was amused.

And the two noble ladies, two women in some of the most powerful positions in the world, just gave her a great opportunity to have some fun at their expense.

It didn't matter that one of them was Akeno's immediate superior, that just excited her more.

"Rias, do you think so little of me that money would change my mind?" It wasn't about the money and both of the nobles knew it, that was just a last ditch attempt to get into Akeno's good graces. "Is Shirou-kun doing something right now?"

Realizing that there was no escape, Rias spoke plainly. "Keeping an eye on Gasper with the others. They are making cookies."

"Uh~ I think I will join them." Akeno side steps both noble ladies before looking at them with a much more warm smile. "Maybe I will forget about the fright the two of you gave me. Maybe I won't. Let's see how the day goes."

With her piece said, Akeno stepped inside the club with a spring on her steps while leaving behind two nobles and a Knight who just shook his head in a mixture of amusement and disappointment.

"Did you two really think playing a prank on Akeno-san was really a good idea?" Kiba wasn't one to criticize his King and he respected Kuro enough to extend the same courtesy to her real identity. "It wasn't."

"It was just one mistake. A little, tiny bit of a mistake." Rias could see Akeno holding it over their heads for hours, probably the whole day or week.

"A mistake that the two of us will pay dearly with." Yoruichi tried to accept that they were at Akeno's mercy when it came to Shirou's food before turning to the club with a determined expression. "Maybe we can knock her out for a few hours? Say that she slept in and it was all a dream?"

Noticing that Rias was half considering the idea, Kiba was quick to nip it in the bud. "She won't fail for that and when she wakes up she will just have more ammo."

With that both noble ladies could only let their heads fall and accept that they had no escape other than confession and dealing with Shirou's punishment for them.

"We say nothing and hope that Akeno just teases us?" Rias offered the question to Yoruichi.

"It is either that or losing some of Shirou's food and that is an unacceptable outcome." Both accepted that Akeno had the upper hand but with a shake of hands they promised each other to hold on together.

Shaking his head once again, Kiba can only hope Akeno would be nice to the two nobles.

Took him three seconds to realize it was Akeno he was thinking about and that wasn't really likely to happen.

…

Arriving in Japan wasn't hard thanks to the many resources of their organization. It wasn't their first experience in a plane and the two young women managed to land in Japan without many obstacles. There were some altercations between the teammates before they actually left Europe which drained them of most of their funds but the Church was willing to pay any expense for their trip.

But upon landing they were on their own.

The two Exorcists chosen for this task have been partners for a few years and while their problems with money may come to disturb them a little more than one time at this conjecture,, one of the pair was always focused on the mission and willing to see it accomplished no matter the odds.

She was a young woman with a white mantle with blue and gold highlights, a protection both against the sun and potential attacks as it was reinforced with the best blessings the Church could offer.

Her eyes are brown and remain sharp on her beautiful face, paying attention to every person walking around during this morning as they could be potential threats. Beneath her white mantle was her weapon of choice in the form of a sword ready to be used but her beautiful face, highlighted unintentionally by her chin length blue hair with a green fringe she had for preference.

She and her companion make their way around the city of Fuyuki with the help of a map. Not that partner and friend needed it as she easily walked around the city of her childhood.

"Ah Fuyuki~ how I missed you." Spoke the other young woman with the same white mantle as her partner, a girl with a lovely face and attitude to match. Her expression of happiness was heard by some of the residents who waved at her, happy to know that someone from their town was coming home. "Good morning~"

Many couldn't help but greet her back as the girl truly looked lovely and happy to be denied. With her long chestnut hair that goes beyond her lower back while tied into twintails and her violet eyes vibrating with positivity there are few who would dare to try and reject her happy greetings.

While her blue haired companion tried to stop her once or twice, there were just enough people on the street that left the more serious of the pair no choice but to allow the happy girl to run around greeting everyone despite their mission.

"Good morning." Spoke an elderly man opening his store with a small smile as if the greeting had made his day.

"Good morning." She said to a couple with a baby who replied back."And to you as well." The girl said to the baby with a gentle face while tickling his belly. "I hope the Lord gives many blessings for your son and that his life is full of joy."

"Thank you." Spoke the obvious mother as she and her husband kept walking and pushing the cart of their small son who still waved at the happy girl.

When she noticed that there weren't as many people on the street thanks to the early hour, the blue haired woman grabbed her partner by the shoulder with a fingerless gloved hand and held her in a side hug. Her grip was tight and her partner felt some pain but her smile didn't bulge as the blue haired woman started her interrogation.

"What do you think you are doing, Irina?" The blue haired one asked in Italian to avoid any bystandander to hear something they shouldn't as she chastised her friend.

Her friend shook her head with her smile still in place. "Do you need to worry so much, Xenovia?" Irina didn't bother to speak anything other than Japanese as she still sent a small wave to a woman running with earbuds on her ears.

Xenovia didn't comment about the woman waving back. "Of course we need to worry. We are in the middle of enemy territory without backup and we should be careful." She knew Irina enough to realize that the chestnut haired girl wasn't bothered by her statement. "We have no idea where the enemies are or how many. We should be alert and not attract any attention."

"You are worrying too much. This is Fuyuki, one of the best places to live in." Irina hugged her friend's shoulder and waved around. "Smell the air, Xenovia. Can't you feel how clean it is? Even in the middle of a city?"

Xenovia separated from her partner and gave her a small glare. "I know you are from here but you need to focus." She was still speaking in Italian despite Irina's easy going attitude. "We already lost too much time with that because of that picture you say it was from a saint."

"What are you talking about? As true protectors of the Church it is our duty to rescue any and all portraits and symbols of such holy people." Irina said defensively, her hand moving to a container hidden inside her cloak.

"If it was something important than the people at the airport would have stopped us." Xenovia believed that was the perfect argument as customs wouldn't allow a true work of art to pass by them.

"I was protecting it the whole flight inside my cloak." Irina said proudly and now it was the blue haired girl who had no retort.

Their white cloaks have blessings both for protection and discretion. The prayers woven on them made sure that no one who was mundane would want to look beneath them or even question their use.

It was the perfect clothing for Xenovia who needed to hide a sword with bandages around it having a similar purpose.

Usually such dedication to protect artifacts from the Church like Irina's demonstration would be something Xenovia would praise. But she has been Irina's partner for the last three years and so she couldn't. "God, give me strength."

That little phrase set something off in Irina's mind. "What are you talking about? The Lord should be giving me strength to deal with a heretic like you." She was swift to protest which made a blue eyebrow twitch.

"No, I need the strength considering you spend all our money on it. We would be begging on the streets back home if this mission wasn't so important and we don't even have enough for breakfast." That declaration was pontificated by the blue haired woman's stomach showing how much it was missing that particular meal.

"We did what we had to do. Fasting is just part of one of the trials that we must take to preserve such work of art." Removing the container from her cape, the chestnut haired girl gave it a small hug to show she was ready to defend it.

"Can you at least identify the 'saint' in that picture?" Xenovia asked with irritation, refusing to call it a proper painting, which made her partner stop and open the container to inspect it. "You have no problems even removing it to expose to the elements, some part of you must know it is a fake."

"It is not a fake." Irina protested with her eyes trying to discern the image in front of her nose.

"Yes, it is. Like that statue we got from Germany."

"Sister Griselda said that it was impossible to identify the angel they sculpted but she agreed it was one."

"Or that stone with the supposed image of the Savior you forced us to drag back to Rome from the countryside."

"It was a faded cross with a face on it. What else was it supposed to be?" Irina's eyes hadn't left the painting yet while Xenovia was already fumming from a discussion they had many times already. "Saint Peter?"

"Are you saying or asking?" Xenovia wanted to rip it apart but she was looking a lot with a little paranoia as she expected anyone to jump at them at any moment.

Instead of replying to her partner directly, Irina's full attention was still on the painting which looked quite abstracted to any passerby who extended their neck out of curiosity. "Saint…" She left the word hanging around for a moment as she tried to think who could be.

"You can't even do it!" Xenovia loud exclamations in Italian had many on the street and their apartaments paying attention to the duo as Irina turned back with a glare.

"Of course I can! It is Saint Georgios without a doubt! Saint Georgios!" Irinas pointed to a green part on the bottom of the painting with a glare at her partner. "See! This is the dragon he had slayed. And this," her finger moves to the side of the center, "is the lady he rescued."

"That looks more like a stain than a dragon! Or a lady!" Xenovia couldn't even tell if there were a dragon or lady in the first place. "And if they are; where is Saint Georgios?"

The question had Irina meticulously analyzing the painting once again and Xenovia couldn't help but let out a huff. She had to remind herself that this wasn't the first time that Irina had sunk most of their money on something that she believed was a Holy Relic of some kind but this time Xenovia was much more stressed.

"It is Joan of Arc!" Irina exclaimed in realization.

"Okay, that is it! That is not Joan of Arc!" Xenovia protested with as much annoyance as her voice could carry. "How dare you compare the Maid of Orleans with this stain! There is just no way!"

Xenovia thought she had hit her limit before they left Europe when Irina proclaimed had bought a picture of a saint in the first place but at that point her partner had claimed that it was a picture of every saint she had ever heard of.

Finally having reached the end of her patience, Xenovia glares at Irina and points to the painting. "That is not an image of a saint and the fact you keep calling that makes you a heretic!" The declaration was firm and to some it didn't sound much like an insult.

To Irina it was like Xenovia had just called her the worst of slurs. "How dare you call me a heretic, heretic?" She asked back with anger as she put the painting back on its container and opened her arms beneath her cape. "I will make sure you regret it!"

"Bring it!" Xenovia reveals what bystanders can only describe as a bat covered in bandages as she holds it in front of her face with black gloves that reach her elbows. "I will make sure to burn that stain while I am at it!"

"Sacrilege!" Irina declared as her gloved hand revealed a string on her arm and the two looked ready to brawl.

"Is something going on?" Fortunately for the two girls and the bystanders that didn't really understand what was going on, a police officer heard the mess and approached the duo with a concerned look. "Can I ask why you two young ladies are making so much noise at this hour of the morning? You are disturbing the neighborhood."

The reactions from the two young women were immediate; Xenovia hid the disguised sword inside her cloak, effectively making some people even forget that it had appeared in the first place while Irina moved in front of her friend and bowed her head in an apology.

"I am sorry, officer. I am from Fuyuki but moved to the exterior for so long that I was super excited from being here so my friend was trying to stop me from making too much noise." Irina told the man a version of the truth, just enough that she wasn't lying but also not revealing the true contents of the dispute.

Looking at the lovely face apologizing for the misdeeds, the officer was reminded of a girl he had a crush on in his younger days which made him blush. "That is fine but please don't make that much noise anymore. There are people that work until late that are still trying to sleep."

"Of course sir, I apologize." Irina's perfect Japanese and manners gave credence to her story and the officer allowed her and Xenovia to pass. "That was close." She admitted with a little embarrassment. "We let things devolve back there and completely forgot that we aren't on friendly territory anymore."

Recognizing that they still had a mission to accomplish, Xenovia accepted the olive branch, even speaking in Japanese with a broken accent to show she was willing to accept Irina's arguments. "Yes. We shouldn't be fighting and risking exposing these people to danger. That was careless of me, I apologize."

With a smile Irina shook her head. "It takes two for a tango. I shouldn't have bought the painting and used most of our money in the first place." She heard Xenovia's stomach agree but her friend's face remained impassive which made the chestnut haired woman giggle. "Sorry about that."

"Apology accepted. Now we must finish our mission. The faster we do it, the faster we go back home and the faster we get a big meal." Xenovia said with determination, her mission was still her priority. "For that we must state our intentions to the Heiresses of Fuyuki. Do you really remember where that school is?"

"Of course. Kuoh Academy was already a big deal before I left for England. If it weren't for the devils, maybe I would be studying there today." A little of luster disappears from Irina's eyes as she remembers why she had to leave the city.

Changing back to Italian both by habit and to avoid accidents, Xenovia speaks softly. "Hard to believe this is devil territory. Looks like a good city." She didn't particularly care but Irina did and smiled in appreciation.

"Yes, it is a great city. It's bigger now compared to those days." Then she rubbed her chin with a thought. "Way bigger really, they really fixed a lot after the fire." She looked around with a smile as she reminded herself of her past. "There weren't many children where we lived and the girls around didn't like playing with me. 'Too much like a boy' or something like that. But I had this friend that never failed to try and get us to play together when we had the chance." The memory of a boy with brown hair darker than hers would have made her smile more if possible. "We got in all kinds of trouble and played lots of games. It was always me and him, 'thick as thieves'." Light brown hair twintails shake as Irina tries to avoid remembering too much before slapping the sides of her face. "But enough about that. We have a mission for our Lord and we must accomplish it post haste."

Taking note of her friend's dedication, Xenovia decided that such disposition to their Lord should be rewarded. "Maybe we can go visit him after we recover the fragments."

It was a simple suggestion and not something the blue haired girl thought too much before offering but it brought back Irina's smile and she jumped to hug Xenovia before her more serious partner could do anything about it.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou-"

This was one of the times that Xenovia was truly grateful for her training or else Irina would have broken her neck. "Okay, okay. You're grateful. Let me go." Irina finally did after Xenovia managed to pry off one of her arms but the girl's smile was more radiant than ever. "Jesus Christ give me strength, I thought you were about to kill me."

Still with a smile, Irina retorts. "You shouldn't speak His name in vain." There wasn't much heat behind her words.

"You Protestants complain too much." Xenovia stated before she began to walk again. "It's all those rules you guys have."

"You Catholics are the ones with too few of them." Irina said back as the two fell in a rhythm.

Their spirits are high despite their complaining stomachs as they insult each other with no heat or negativity, just to pass the time as they march to officially begin their mission once they talk with the proper authorities of the area.

That Xenovia quickly broke when curiosity got the better of her about something she was thinking for a while. "About that friend of yours, I think you never told me his name."

Irina gave Xenovia a cheeky smile. "Are you jealous that I have more friends besides you?" Then she covered her mouth dramatically and with a fake expression of shock. "Or you are going to say that as an Exorcist I shouldn't have friends with heretics that don't follow the teachings of the Lord?"

"It is always good to have friends, despite our chosen profession. It would be best if they followed God's teachings but it wouldn't be fair to expect that from everyone." Xenovia said easily and sincerely. "But that is besides the point. What is his name?"

With a warm smile, Irina recalled the name of her childhood friend.

…

"Am I boring you, Hyoudou Issei?" Waver Velvet's voice snapped Issei's attention back to the front of the class as some students around him looked at the devil with some amusement or pity.

Regardless of his classmates' reactions, Issei's focus was completely on his teacher who looked at him with an impassive gaze as he waited for a proper response.

Swallowing heavily, Issei places a potato on his desk. "No sensei. I was just trying to make my new spell work." Some eyes, including his teacher's, move to the potato on his hands, half peeled and a little damaged.

Waver nodded after a second. "While spellcrafting is important, you must remember that you are here to supplement your basics. You can work on your spell any other time after you master the general knowledge of the moonlit world." He made sure to not sound upset and Issei nodded back in understanding. "Now focus on the lesson, all of you."

With a single glance Waver made sure that the students that were slacking on his class knew that Issei wasn't the only one that he noticed, the devil was just the worst at hiding that he wasn't paying attention.

After the incident with Shinji and the former Lord El-Melloi, who lost his title because of it, the old system to teach magic at school had to be moved. First they used the gym but too many clubs also wanted to use the space and so to accidents they changed the venue to one of the rooms on the college campus.

The auditorium where the class was being given was nothing but one of the many which belonged to the college branch of the Kuoh Academy, the Law Practice section. It was one of two that has been constructed but it wasn't used by future lawyers or prosecutors or their teachers, it has been used by Waver to teach the fundamentals of the moonlit world to everyone that joined recently like reincarnating as a devil like Issei or by other means.

From Rias' Peerage there only Issei and Asia took those lessons with Saji as the only person that they knew who was present. Ryoudou Issei also used to take this class but the black haired responsible student also studied on his off time which resulted in him finishing the course earlier, much to Sona's pleasure and Saji's frustration.

Besides the three devils, the place was still half full as some students both from high school and college took Waver's special class to help with their training and expansion of their magic as their teacher proved himself a capable analyst and scholar when it came to the development of magic.

But many students were there for his lectures in the moonlit world and how it was connected with the mundane. Magicians and yokais in particular loved this class as Waver helped them with integration or disguise of their more fantastical abilities.

Some teachers also helped Waver from time to time with their own lessons like Jaken, the attendant of Sesshomaru, who taught boundary fields and how to identify certain types of energy.

However one thing was clear for all the students and it was that this was Waver's class in the end. Even when other teachers took over for a day it was the magus' principles which directed the lessons and his approach to help and development of discussion with his students.

'Besides Velvet-sensei, I think only Tiger-sensei lets her students work by themselves as much as we can.' Issei took some notes as the magus explained some magical formulas. The Red Dragon Emperor knew he was never going to be able to use them as they were too complex for him but Asia was interested so he at least tried to pay attention. 'Now if I could just peel that stupid potato.'

[Easy there partner. You will end up crushing it on your hand if you lose your patience.] Ddraig spoke on Issei's mind with a chuckle.

'Thanks Ddraig.' Issei put the potato back in his pocket, deciding to train more later. 'This would be easier if I had more time to practice.'

[You could always skip this class. I could tell you most of the stuff here anyway.] The red dragon pointed out but the devil shook his head.

'And leave Asia alone? No way.' Issei reminded the dragon of the main reason why he was still taking the class.

[She wouldn't exactly be alone.] The dragon reminded him with amusement as he knew his partner wouldn't leave while the Bishop didn't, another friend around or not.

"Issei-san, do you have an eraser? I think I forgot mine at home." The former nun who was sitting by the devil's side asked with a whisper.

"Here you go, Asia-chan." Saji was quick to offer him with a grin and the Bishop was happy to thank him with a smile.

"Thank you, Saji-san." Asia hums as she erases her mistake as Issei pushed Saji back to his chair as the brown haired devil was between the blondes.

"Dude, space." Issei said with a little irritation as Saji's left hand had almost punched him while passing the eraser.

"Right, sorry. Was just happy to help." Both knew that Saji also had a soft spot for Asia because of her cuteness. Issei didn't even blame his fellow Pawn for almost punching him.

"No worries man. Just be careful." The two had become good friends after some attrition because of their initial meeting because of their positions as Pawns, the fact neither wanted to upset Asia with a fight and that the two legitimately didn't mind each other helped them bond.

"By the way, why is Asia-chan still taking this class?" Saji asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought Buchou just wanted you to come because of the customs and basics about the moonlit world. We are already diving into advanced magic here."

"She said she wanted to understand how the world of her Lord worked." Both looked at the petite blonde who was happy to explain with a smile.

"Despite what I learned in the church, Velvet-sensei made me see that magic is something natural to our world too." Asia's smile was shining during her explanation. "If it is part of our world then it is a gift from the Lord and we should always learn more about the grace of- Auchie."

[By the number of times she prays you would think the nun is a masochist.] Issei fought to not react to Ddraig's comment and tried to forget it by asking Saji a question.

"Is Kaichou still demanding that you finish the course?"

The blond Pawn nodded, half his attention still on the lecture. "Even if we are not going to specialize in magic she wants everyone to know the basics." Saji got a haunted look on his face. "All of the basics. Of everything magic related."

Issei nodded in sympathy, the two of them had already talked about the subject more than once and both Pawns knew for a fact that magic wasn't their path. Both Issei and Saji were too impatient and too aggressive to focus on the subtleties that the subject needs in the modern day.

Unless it was something they really wanted to do, magic generally was just a means of attack to Rias and Sona's male Pawns. "By the way, what are you trying to do with that potato?" Saji couldn't help but ask.

"I will tell you when I get the hang of it." Issei glanced at Asia and Saji nodded in understanding, realizing it was something the brown haired Pawn didn't want the former nun to hear.

That didn't stop the Sitri Pawn from teasing his Gremory counterpart. "Are you going to ask the teacher for help?" Saji asked with a grin.

"By hells no. He will probably figure out what I want to do in less than a minute." Issei said with a small dose of fear and Saji couldn't disagree.

Both were told by their respective groups how smart Waver Velvet was and how he used his intelligence to break apart the mystic code of a lord of the Clocktower, saving the lives of everyone in the school at that moment. Issei was sure that if he were to explain his idea, the man would see what he wanted to do with it from a mile away.

Issei didn't want to risk the wrath of a guy so smart he outsmarted his genius teacher. 'Besides, there is something else I wanted to ask him about.'

Quickly a few hours passed as Waver explained the many types of magical formulas that existed in the world. Despite the time spent and that being the second class focused on the subject everybody knew that they weren't even close to done; so far the teacher had only touched the subject of human magic and systems like magecraft and alchemy, soon they would have to touch the rest with Jaken already scheduled to give a lecture about Youjutsu.

Once class was done it began another process, a process that the students could choose to stay behind and watch or depart from the area; magic and spell demonstration.

It was pretty much a tradition for Waver to watch, evaluate and advise anyone who wanted to show their skills. Those that did it and had class with Waver on highschool could also gain some perks depending on their demonstration and if they managed to impress the man.

So far only Shirou held the prestige of really surprising the magus to the point of being given a pass to all his activities if he wished.

Usually Issei would be one of the first to leave once that part of the class started, he was a brawler and he knew it, he fought with his fists and sacred gear not with complicated magic that he had no patience to understand.

So Saji found it odd that Issei was still sitting and even Asia was tilting her head in curiosity. "Didn't you say you didn't want to show your spell to him?"

"I won't. I just need to ask him something." Issei replied with a determined look on his face.

"Is Issei-san going to ask him how to develop a new technique with his sacred gear?" Asia could see something like that happening but the brown haired Pawn shook his head.

"No, Ddraig has that covered." He said while raising his fist where a green glow appeared in the same place the gem of the Boosted Gear rwas when summoned.

[That is right. I am the best at teaching him about my power.] Anyone could imagine a dragon with his stuffed chest full of pride at the declaration.

"Well, lucky you that your dragon can at least talk." Saji raised his own left hand as a dark bracer looking like a small chameleon with purple eyes revealed itself. "All I hear are screams from this thing. Sometimes I can barely sleep."

Ddraig hummed with amusement at Saji's plight. [You can't exactly blame Vritra for that. With a soul broken aparts there was no way for that bastard to stay sane.]

"And why wasn't your soul broken into parts?" Saji asked with a little bitterness but he couldn't help it, if he wasn't a devil and his sleep wasn't reduced he would have already died from how many nights he lost because of the roars on his dreams.

[Because I am too powerful.] Ddraig said half jokingly before turning serious. [Also Vritra was broken before being sealed. Indra wasn't a push over and didn't show mercy. It was the God of the Bible who did and saved a broken soul. Why? Don't know so don't ask.]

"You sound like you really knew the guy." Issei pointed out with a frown. He never bothered to ask much about Ddraig's past but then the dragon never seemed to care about it.

[I knew Vritra before the War of the Asuras. We fought a couple of times these days and I was always stronger but that snake was always slippery enough to escape my final blow.] Despite his words, Ddraig sounded like he respected the other dragon. [Some of my hosts fought some hosts of Vritra's soul. Let just say that the Black Dragon King has no wins on the Red Dragon Emperor and leave it at that. Hahahaha.]

Saji rolled his eyes at the dragon's boast, not having much to say other then. "So my dragon is weaker than Issei's? I really don't like that."

The specter of the green gem on Issei's hand began to glow ominously before Ddraig spoke again. [Boy, you better not underestimate Vritra, even if it is just a single fragment of that dragon's soul.] Even Asia found the sudden shift of mood weird for the dragon as Ddraig now was even more serious than before. [Neither go filling your head with negative thoughts either if you know what is good for you. It is true that none who carried Vritra power have ever managed to beat my hosts but I wouldn't underestimate you if it ever came to a fight.]

"Really?" Saji sounded happy to hear that but Issei found his partner's words suspicious.

'Anything you want to tell me about Vritra?' He asked thought his mind but the red dragon gave him the equivalent of a mental shrug before speaking out loud.

[Don't underestimate the might of a dragon and even if it is broken and weakened, Vritra's power is a strong one, if one learns how to use it properly.] Then he finished on Issei's mind. [Partner, let's just say that sacred gears are more dangerous than you or any devil knows. To you that knowledge is irrelevant for now, you are too weak to put it into practice. But there is a quirk of Vritra's hosts that can be concerning if their hosts are too unstable.]

'Unstable?' Looking at a celebrating Saji with Asia cheering for his happiness, Issei couldn't understand what Ddraig was talking about.

Ddraig interrupted his musings. [Grow stronger, partner. When you are strong enough we shall talk about using my full power and Vritra's Curse.] With that the original Red Dragon Emperor grew silent and Issei couldn't deny he was worried.

'Vritra has a curse? No wait, that was obvious. Buchou said that curses were something Vritra was really good at, being better at… What was it again? Locking people up? Something like that?' Yet Issei had the feeling that wasn't what Ddraig was referring to but he also knew the dragon wasn't going to say anything else. 'Can you at least tell me if Saji or anyone else is in danger?'

A couple of seconds passed and Issei wasn't really waiting for an answer. [No more or less danger than any sacred gear host. For now.] Silence again as the devil could tell the dragon wasn't going to elaborate any further.

'Great. This is going to get in my head the whole day, ain't it?' Issei knew that unless Ddraig wanted he wasn't getting anything else from the dragon. In fact, if he focused enough, he could hear a huge snoring on the back of his mind. 'He is already asleep.' He thought without surprise.

It wasn't like Issei could blame the dragon for his actions, there wasn't much that the red dragon could do inside a sacred gear and sleeping was the only real activity he could do without his host in general. Unless something he considered interesting or fun was going on, Ddraig tended to fall asleep, never in the middle of a conversation or training but any time in between.

'Then again, stuck inside the Boosted Gear, Ddraig doesn't have much to do.' The devil realized with some thought. 'I mean, does he even have anything to do there? Does he eat when I eat or something? If he eats, where does he do his business?' A little horror entered Issei's expression and he quickly tried to shake those thoughts off his head.

It was the first time that Issei asked himself these kinds of questions but that was far more complicated than he was used to. Ddraig, for all his pride, was surprisingly reserved about his past or current condition.

'Now that I think about it, what do I know about Ddraig besides his powers and that he is stuck on the Boosted Gear?' Crossing his arms, Issei tried to remember any conversation he had with the dragon since they got into contact and came up with little. 'I mean, he had a ton of hosts before me and from time to time he talks about them but besides that…'

Asia's soft voice snaps the Pawn out of his thoughts "Issei-san?'' He noticed that both Asia and Saji were looking at him with some concern. "Is there something wrong?"

A little confused by Asia's expression, Issei shook his head. "What? No, why?"

"Dude, you have been silent for half an hour. Asia-chan was starting to get worried." And Saji was too despite him not admitting it.

"Really? Whoa, I was really lost in my thoughts." Issei said with some wonder.

"Something perverted?" Saji asked quickly, hoping to catch Issei off guard.

The Pawn of Sitri was surprised when his counterpart from Gremory shook his head. "Not at all. That is new to me." Issei admitted with more wonder.

"Maybe it's the end of the world." Saji teased while making Asia pout.

"Issei-san had a really serious face before, completely different from the one he makes when he is thinking about something he shouldn't." The former nun elaborated in a way that made Saji feel bad at his previous assumption.

Finding that his best option was to change the topic, Saji pointed to the front of the classroom with his thumb. "You wanted to talk with sensei, right? Well, he is waiting." Issei turned to look to the front and indeed Waver was sitting on his desk looking at them with a bored expression.

Before there were at least ten people surrounding the long haired man but now Waver Velvet stood alone close to his desk, looking at the devils with his arms folded. Around his desk all the documents and books he had used were already on his briefcase and it was clear he was ready to depart and only the fact some students were still behind stopped the man.

"Right, thanks." Issei got up from his seat and looked at his friends. "Maybe the two of you should go. I don't know how long this is going to take."

It wasn't even a second before Asia shook her head. "I have no problem waiting for you, Issei-san. Make sure to take your time."

'That is…'

"Would you die for me?"

'... kind of her.' The brown haired Pawn turned to his blond friend. "What about you?"

"Issei, aren't we friends? Friends wait for each other." All Issei did in reply was raise a skeptic eyebrow to show he wasn't convinced. "Alright, look. I don't know if Buchou would be willing to let me have lunch with her if I left you two behind."

"That I can believe." It was one of Saji's favorite perks of still taking Waver's classes, one day Shirou invited him for lunch since he was with the two members of Gremory and now the Sitri Pawn got to enjoy great food every weekend.

"But hey, we are still friends right?" Saji asked with mild embarrassment. He knew that if Issei or Asia didn't want him around then he wasn't getting the good food. 'Please, don't abandon me to Kaichou's cakes. While I have Shirou's food I don't just eat well but I also have an excuse.'

"Yeah, man. I don't blame you for wanting some of Shirou's or Akeno's food. It is just that good." Issei said good naturally.

"Isn't it great that you could be honest, Saji-san?" Asia complemented the Sitri Pawn with a smile that made him weak on his knees.

Now that he knew he would escape Sona's horrid cakes for another day, Saji almost fell to the floor in appreciation. "Thank you! You two are the best friends a reincarnated devil could ever ask for."

Issei, not knowing that Sona was the one cooking on this Saturday and that her food was extremely undesirable, was confused by Saji's attitude. "Calm down. I know the food is good but I think you are overreacting."

"You don't know Kaichou's Peerage suffering." Saji's relief also came with a great deal of guilt. 'Girls, Issei, I am sorry. I will make sure to deliver the goods without fail.'

The sound of someone clearing their throat got the devils to pay attention to their teacher again who was now looking a little impatient. "I better go talk to him." Issei began to walk down with a little hurry, slipping and falling right in front of the man. "I'm okay!"

"Good. I don't think I would be willing to wait for you to recover your consciousness too." While Waver saw it as his duty to help his students, he wasn't that generous with his time. "Now, what can I help you with, mister Hyoudou?"

Quickly getting up, Issei gave the man a mildly embarrassed laugh before replying. "Well… you see… there is this thing…"

Waver watched his student flumble with his words for a few moments with a raised eyebrow before picking up a cigarette and lighting it up. 'I shouldn't be smoking in front of a student or indoors but by his demeanor it is easy to notice that Hyoudou is going to ask me about something indecent or stupid.'

Regardless, the man felt he needed to smoke to take the edge off as he kept waiting to hear the devil's request. One of the reasons why the magus was being so patient with the Pawn was that this would be the first time since Issei joined the moonlit world that he approached Waver out of his own volition, differently when his King requested the teacher to give extra classes.

'There is also the fact he is the actual Red Dragon Emperor. If he lives long enough there is no reason to not believe he won't become someone powerful.' Waver paid attention to Issei's face, taking note of how innocent he looked and how nervous he was under the older man's sharp gaze. The teacher breathes out some smoke away from his student, a magic circle quickly getting rid of anything harmful to the young man. 'I doubt it is something to do with his sacred gear, his King can help him more than I can and for a couple of weeks now he has had contact with the dragon living in it.'

When Waver first learned about Issei's sacred gear he remembered not believing that Hyoudou Issei of all his students was the one with a Longinus, much less one with the Two Heavenly Dragons.

After a few more seconds of Issei still trying to find the right words, Waver still found it hard to believe that someone like that could be the Host of a Dragon. 'Unless peeking into girls is some form of bravery. Maybe he is brave, considering he takes any punishment when they catch him without complaint.' Finally the teacher spoke, "If you are unsure of what you want to talk about, we can have this conversation Monday after your mundane classes."

Issei snapped out of his confusion and shook his head. "It's not it, sensei. I just am unsure of how to ask what I want to ask."

This wasn't a situation that Waver was entirely unfamiliar with as a teacher. "Then I will try to help. Is this about that spell you were practicing earlier?"

"Nah, I'm getting the hang of it. Devil magic, you know how it is." Issei got a mischievous smile that Waver could admit, at least to himself, that concerned him a little.

"I hope it isn't anything perverted." The way Issei flinched and looked at him with a panic showed Waver he hit the jackpot. "Mister Hyoudou, while I can't censure the kind of magic that you are practicing since that would be your King's business and not mine, I will warn you now that if you do something to any student of this institution I will be forced to do something about it."

At that moment Issei shivered as the glasses on Waver Velvet's face took an ominous glow and his face seemed to be covered in shadows. The devil swallowed heavily as he was reminded of what Shirou told him before he met the teacher:

"Velvet-sensei is a good man but you really shouldn't piss him off. He will break apart everything about your magic and your personality before using it to beat you. Listen to his advice even if you disagree with it, and pay attention to his lessons. He may be a little brutal on tests but he is skilled and knowledgeable enough to earn the right to be."

Shirou didn't intend for the man to sound intimidating in their conversation. All the redhead did was try to give a summary of the teacher's qualifications and skills.

But that wasn't the only conversation he had about their teacher with a magus:

"Once there was a noble in our school that Velvet-sensei had somewhat of a grudge of. Not without reason, mind you, the man was so arrogant that makes the bimbo look like a saint." A short fight later, Rin continued, ignoring how Issei was looking at her damaged uniform while acting like she was never interrupted. "Sensei took his time to study the man's spells, he waited patiently for years without end for his opportunity, for when the noble would make a mistake and our sensei could rip his vengeance."

Even with night vision the area looked much darker at every word the Head of the Tohsaka uttered. The girl then came a little closer before she continued with a whisper.

"Velvet-sensei humiliated the man, destroyed his work and sent him packing from Kuoh. A noble magus with centuries of family tradition was defeated and our teacher made it all look easy." Then she offered him an innocent smile. "But that noble was doing bad things because he was mind controlled so just don't do anything he wouldn't approve and you are golden."

That particular conversation was one of the reasons why Issei tried to avoid being alone with the man or tried to leave his class early, things got worse when some of his friends confirmed the story.

So Issei was slightly panicked when he spoke out loud. "No! I would never destroy the clothes of my classmates. No sir." Waver raised an eyebrow and the devil pretended to clean his throat and even looked to the sides with embarrassment. "I mean… Please don't be mad."

"I am not mad. If anything, that was the most innocent thing that some people would do, given the possibilities of magic." Waver could see how jumpy his student was but decided to not comment on it. "If you don't need help with a spell, what do you need from me? And remember that your friends are also waiting for you."

Looking to the side and looking at Asia and Saji talking helped to distract Issei from his teacher reputation, or at least the version he heard of it. "I need your advice on something. It is not magic but it is related to the magical- I mean, the moonlit world."

Nodding his head, possibilities run around on Waver's mind. "As a teacher I am happy to help my students with anything they may lack knowledge in." He said to try and motivate the brown haired young man to give him more information.

Biting the metaphorical bullet, Issei finally revealed what he wanted. "I want to tell someone, someone normal, about our world."

Things became clear to Waver and he decided to get the conversation going with a question. "Parents or friends?" Issei looked at the man with surprise. "I doubt it is a lover, you look like the kind of guy who wouldn't be thinking too much if he had someone like that in your life," the devil felt an invisible arrow right on his heart, "most of your acquaintances are already in the moonlit world with a few exceptions. You are part of the famous, Perverted Trio as even some of our faculty call you." Mostly Taiga but Waver had to listen to her rant about how the kendo club needed more security more than once. "So you have your two friends and your parents. Which one do you want to… Reveal your true nature to?"

"Probably both?" Issei was uncertain and he didn't bother to hide as he looked down. 'I haven't even thought about mom and dad. How would they cope with hearing that their son is a devil? Or Asia?'

When he approached his teacher with the question, Issei was only thinking about Matsuda and Motohama, his two best friends ever since his childhood friend left for England. It took him a long time to find people he could connect with after Irina left and despite their small fights, the Pervert Trio was the only group that accepted him for who he was.

Playing games, hanging out, talking about their favorite type of women and their dreams, before Issei became a devil only Matsuda and Motohama spoke of his dream of being a Harem King with some belief and even motivated him when he was feeling down.

Then things happened and Issei became a devil, suddenly he had far less free time to spend with the two and they noticed it. Thanks to Rias and others from the ORC he had the excuse for club activities but his two friends were clearly jealous of his situation and asked him more than once what he did in the club or if they could join.

He also told them he was working part time in a job that Rias got for him, which was true. Issei even managed to buy a new game after his success on a few contracts, something he was proud of.

That wasn't enough and with training, studying, contracts and the time he spended with the others had Issei practically abandoning his two friends. And he felt bad about it.

Now Waver reminded him of his parents and the devil was feeling worse. 'To them I didn't change much but in reality I died and came back and they have no idea.'

For a moment, just for a second, Issei was filled with dread at what would have happened if Rias hadn't saved his life. He could almost see his mother crying of grief and his father blaming himself for not having guided his child better.

They may shower Asia with love but Issei never felt abandoned, he knew that his parents love him. He never was left wanting for anything when he asked and even if he was a pervert they just advised him on things instead of trying to curb his behavior with punishments, always paying attention if Issei was happy or sad.

"I see you didn't think about that properly." Waver's baritone snapped Issei back to the present as he looked at his teacher with some confusion. With a sigh, the older man knew that if he let things go they would stay there the whole night. "May I offer you some advice anyway?" A nod of the head was all he needed. "Don't tell them, either of them."

"What? Why?" How Issei managed to hold his voice down was something even he didn't know. "Maybe not to Matsuda or Motohama, the two would probably want to become magicians at the very least." Considering the Pieces that remained for both Heiresses, Issei doubted they would be reincarnated as devils unless they had a lot of potential. "But I don't think that my parents would want to get involved with our world anyway so why not at least tell them?"

Waver finished his cigarette in a portable ashtrail he had in his pocket before saying anything. He knew that if he spoke the right words he could effectively undo Issei's friendship with the other perverts at the school. He held back and erased the thought.

'A teacher's duty is to give their students the facts they need to become better people.' With that, Waver spoke again. "Do you know why the moonlit world remains a secret?" Issei shook his head. "For the safety of those that can't protect themselves from it."

"What do you mean, sensei?" Issei's curiosity replaced his nervousness.

If he wanted, Waver could go on a lecture that would involve History and Philosophy but that would be too much for the student in question. For Issei's sake, he would summarize what he could.

"Don't ask me how the secrecy side of the moonlit world properly began, only beings that were there in that Age would be able to explain that to you with certainty and clarity. For a while there was a fear that magecraft itself was tied to the knowledge of the masses and the technological progress of Humanity and that one day the gods themselves would disappear from this world." Wave motions around as if to show the room. "And yet, here we are; gods rule continents in secret and even governments have less influence than them for the most part, humans fight for their own petty reasons and the moonlit world progresses as well regardless of how modern the world is, even if in the shadows."

Issei nodded at some points even if some of the explanation flew over his head. He had some questions he wanted to ask but decided that his teacher must have some point he wanted Issei to get.

"Then the reverse began to happen and the other races began thriving with the modern world too. Fallen angels had the upper hand and human contacts before the Church was even founded so they got the lead on that aspect while gods had to count with their superior but different technological marvels to push their followers to greater heights. Recently even devils began to follow that trend, last year one was even cosplaying as a magical girl around the campus." Waver said with a chuckle while omitting who that person was. He didn't want to get on Sona Sitri's bad side if he could avoid it. "And yet, the moonlit world remains a mystery inside a secret. Sure some kinds of spells and magecraft gain power because of their secrecy but the majority, especially the gods, need faith and flowers to properly work. With all that in mind I ask you; why do you think the moonlit world remains a secret?"

"I…" If Issei was honest with the man he had no idea but Waver already knew that and the devil knew, the teacher liked to give his students a chance to connect the pieces before he gave and the answers. "Because it is better in some way."

"Correct." Waver said with a smile and Issei felt proud for getting it right. "But I bet that you have no idea why 'it is better in some way'." With that observation Issei almost deflated but the teacher chuckled. "Don't feel bad, researchers through the ages have wondered that same question themselves and to this day we still don't know the proper answer."

"Why not?" Issei was legitimately starting to get curious about the topic and was a little disappointed when Waver made a show of shrugging.

"Only the gods know I suppose. To be more specific, only the God of the Bible knows since it was him that imposed the first laws of secrecy to the moonlit world." Issei's surprised face was an example of the favorite things that Waver had as a teacher. "Before Christianity was even a dot in the Roman Empire's map, He already had some followers from other forms and other names and the other gods already hesitated on messing with Him." As a devil, Waver felt that Issei should already know some of that but it was clear that he didn't so the teacher took upon himself to educate him a little more. "A thing that you should know about the God of the Bible is that He isn't as Omniscient as His followers like to think."

"But isn't He, you know…?"

"And yet he needs angels to do his bidding but we are getting off topic." Waver wanted to contextualize God's influence and for that he needed to give his student a little more information. "What you need to understand about Him is that between all the gods that exist He is the more skilled and even when He had few followers his influence could still be felt. So much so that when Lucifer rebelled and he demanded that no other divinity entered the conflict, every other god had no choice but to keep their distance."

Issei nodded to show he was listening and Waver made note that the devil looked legitimately curious.

Waver wondered how surprised Issei would be with his next line. "So when God declared that Humanity would be given the right to build their world without the influence of the gods and that he would keep them away, every other god accepted it."

"What?!" The teacher wasn't disappointed as Issei couldn't hold his voice back any longer. Asia and Saji even looked in their direction but Waver waved them to relax. "But why? How? Was He so powerful that He could just order everyone around?"

"Calm down or else we won't have time for me to explain to you the reason why the secret still exists." That closed the Red Dragon Emperor's mouth as Waver chuckled again. "Now I can't answer those questions but I can tell you that, at least powerwise, the God of the Bible isn't the strongest but He is considered the wisest and most skilled of all gods." That was the consensus among scholars at least, no other god ever admitted such. "And He loves Humanity, loves it enough to draw a line on the sand and challenge anyone to cross."

All that was news to Issei but not what he wanted to know and he was starting to get impatient. "That is all well and good, sensei, but it still doesn't help my situation."

Realizing that his student was already on the limits of his patience, Waver decided to go directly to the point. "While we humans don't know why most of the moonlit world remains a secret to the majority of us at this point, so many beings are absorbing human culture or are part of our society that it is legitimately hard to see a reason to remain like that. But it is safer for them."

"To humans?" Looking at the man in front of him and remembering the beatings that Shirou could dish out in a blink of an eye, Issei could hardly believe humans needed much protection.

And once again Waver chuckles. "Not everyone has the talent to become a magician, Issei. Even spellcasters need a decent reserve of mana in their bodies to be able to do something and if normal people, truly normal without a sacred gear or the ability to defend themselves in any way, knew about the moonlit world, they would live in constant danger."

Waver waited for the question he knew was coming. "But why? Aren't they in danger right now for not knowing?"

"It is the same basis of hypnosis; if you know the trick, then you can fight it off." Waver tapped the side of his head before continuing. "Once you know that the moonlit world is there, you can't close your eyes. Every alley can be a secret passage, every door may hide a whole city, every box could hold a star." He could see the wonder in Issei's eyes. "Or a nightmare. Once someone is aware of the moonlit world it is much easier to pick up the signals that something isn't right. A person that disappeared for no reason, an incident that could be called a natural disaster but it wasn't, a miracle that was actually a curse."

Fear began to creep on Issei's eyes but he kept himself calm. "I could protect them."

"Could you? Would you guard them 24 hours or would you grow tired? Or would they reject your protection? Maybe ask how they could protect themselves while actually being unable since they lack the talent or the means." Waver dismantled every potential argument that Issei could have before the devil even voiced them. "In a way, Fuyuki is blessed to have two Heiresses working hard to keep things safe for the average Joe but make no mistake, there are plenty of places that lack protection or that the sovereigns care not for the average person and rule with a fist of iron in the shadows."

With a shake of his head, the teacher noticed he was being too negative for his student and while that was good for the lesson to sink in, it wasn't good for Issei's mental health.

"Regardless of that, those are few and far in between. In general everyone agrees that stability is for the best in the world and that is another reason why the secret remains standing, to keep the world going in peace." Waver places a hand on Issei's shoulders and looks into his eyes. "If you are going to tell your parents that is fine, they have the right to know and protections can be placed around your house. Once you are powerful enough you can even keep them safe." He let the thought trail off for a moment before continuing. "But your friends may not be so grateful and jealousy is a ugly thing that the two already proved to have with the rumors they spread about you. I won't say they are bad people but they are teenagers, let them be teenagers and not know the wonders and horrors of our world."

Issei grew sad as he realized his own condition. "I'm not really like them, am I?" A raised eyebrow was the reply he received. "I don't mean as a devil. I mean…" With his left hand Issei touched his chest and Waver understood.

"You survived things most people wouldn't, you saw things most didn't and now you are stronger than almost all the humans on the planet." That daunting thought almost scared Issei but his teacher wasn't done. "And you can still grow. When you feel you are strong enough that you can protect your parents and your friends, then you can tell them without fear."

"That can take a long time." Issei thought sadly.

"That is up to you." Waver took a step back from his student and began to get his things.

A thought still didn't want to leave Issei's head. "So that 's it? I lost my friends outside of the moonlit world?" He asked with some trepidation. 'What would I tell Irina if I ever saw him again?'

"Balance, mister Hyoudou. Everything in life needs a balance, especially when you are an adult, balance becomes one of the fundamental parts of living. Knowing how much time you have to spend, how to use it wisely and still take a moment to go out with friends, all those things are part of growing up." Waver basked in Issei's admiration for a moment before chuckling. "There are also taxes and it doesn't matter which side of the world you are in, there are always going to be taxes. But fortunately you don't need to worry about that one at the moment, you are a student, after all." Now that his student was properly relaxed and distracted, Waver asked a question that was eating him up a little. "Why did you come to me for this? If I am not mistaken you are hardly the first human lady Gremory reincarnated and could ask anyone else about this subject."

A nod and a pensive look showed that Issei's mind was on other things but he was coherent enough to reply. "Almost everyone I know was kinda… born in this life, I guess. I mean, I know some in Kaichou's team were normal humans too for the most part but I barely know any of those girls." Issei then lets out a self-deprecating smile. "My reputation also doesn't help in asking a girl to speak alone."

"And what about your fellow Pawn?" Waver nodded in the blond's direction and Issei gave a side glance that showed a worried Asia and a confused Saji, wondering why he was taking so long. "He was a normal human before."

For a moment Issei hesitated to answer, not wanting to delve into something personal with his friend without permission. For the last few weeks, mostly thanks to neither wanting to upset Asia, Issei and Saji have gradually become good friends, moving from tolerating each other's presence to respecting one another.

They are not best friends or anything similar but Genshirou did let out slips that indicated that his reason for becoming a devil were more for his family's sake than anything else. Even before Issei considered his own, he already understood that his fellow Pawn wouldn't tell his family anything if he could help it.

'Here I was thinking of my friends and I didn't even remember my family. What kind of idiot am I? I was supposed to die.' Issei tried to shake the thoughts off but he couldn't help it, they already took root in his mind.

"Would you die for me?"

He allowed the confusion and fear to take hold of him until Waver placed a hand on his shoulder once again and Issei took a look at his teacher. "In the end, you are right." Such words shocked the Pawn a little until he realized that he didn't know why he was right. "Asking friends can be messy and opinions can flare up for the dumbest reasons. However, asking a distant figure of authority doesn't carry the same risks, especially if you can ignore them after."

"I wouldn't ignore you, sensei." Either for fear or respect, Issei spoke honestly.

"You can and perhaps you should." Waver surprised Issei once again as he finished packing his bag. "Wisdom may come with age, but different experiences give life to different kinds of wisdom. Perhaps my advice will do you some good, perhaps not. It is up to you to decide." He began to leave the premises. "Either way, I suggest you don't do it. It would be safer for you and everyone else."

The teacher walked past Asia and Saji to say his goodbyes, leaving the devils behind to close the doors and a confused Issei standing still and trying to process what the teacher said. `In the end he did say what I should do. Or what he thinks I should do at least so I can't complain much.' He scratches his head in thought. "But that didn't help at all!"

Issei's loud proclamation didn't bother Waver who didn't even bother to look back. 'With time, he will understand.' The man picked another cigarette from his pocket as he kept walking. 'Experience is the greatest teacher. All he needs is to decide if he can live with the consequences of his actions or not.'

Still confused and now a little frustrated, Issei felt numb as he didn't find the answers he was looking for and instead that conversation only left him with more questions. His mind had fully gone back to that conversation again and again, only finally snapping out of it when Saji hit his arm.

"Dude, wake up." It was a small tap for all intents and purposes but it was enough for the brown haired Pawn to look at his blond counterpart.

"Issei-san, what happened?" Asia asked delicately and Issei looked at her with a small frown.

"Sensei just… gave me more to think about." Issei stated respectfully, looking at Saji again before asking, "Have you ever thought of telling your family that you became a devil?"

Surprised by the question but not wanting to dwell much on it, Saji grabs Issei on a head lock. "What is this now? My family? Weren't you asking sensei how to use a new spell or something?"

"No! I don't need his help with that, I got it." Issei frees himself from Saji's grip but the blond wasn't done with the teasing.

"You just didn't want to tell him about anything perverted, right?" Saji tried to grab Issei again but the brown haired Pawn held his arm with ease, surprising the blond.

Feeling his pride a little wounded by that statement, Issei declares firmly, "He guessed anyway but that doesn't matter. I don't need his help to master my new ability." Noticing that his friend was finding it difficult to escape his grip, Issei lets him go. "I asked if I should tell other people I'm a devil."

"Your family? That looks too complicated for someone like you." Issei threw Genshirou a small glare but the Sitri Pawn didn't care. "I don't need my family worrying about something like that."

"Why not? Shouldn't they know, even if just in case something happens to us?" Issei's question made Saji think for a second.

Not wanting to admit that the pervert question had hit him harder than he expected, Genshirou waved it off. "Kaichou already took care of everything in case something happens to me. They will still get enough money until they graduate from college or start a business of their own if they want."

But Issei wasn't done. "That doesn't sound like your parents." He saw Saji flinch and quickly moved to correct himself. "Look, I just don't want to disappear one day and leave them worried."

Genshirou was happy to avoid talking more about his situation but still had an opinion. "Wouldn't they worry anyway once they hear 'my son is a devil' or something? That just sounds bad."

"I guess…" Issei couldn't disagree but the two young men forgot that there was another person listening to the conversation.

"I think otou-sama and oka-sama wouldn't care that much for what we are." Asia gets both boys' attention and she offers them a gentle smile. "They are not the kind of people who wouldn't treat anyone any different because of something like that or even care that much about… religion anyway." The last part was spoken with barely a whisper and the timid expression on Asia's face made both boys' hearts soar. "They are also so nice, nice enough to take a stranger into their home and call her their daughter."

"But this is a lot different." Genshirou commented weakly while he avoided looking at Asia's eyes. "We are devils and our families have nothing to do with our world- no, the right thing to say is that we have nothing to do with their world anymore."

Asia shook her head and smiled gently. "But this is our world and we all live here together." Saji couldn't say anything either in opposition or agreement and just chose to look to the side with a small blush as the former nun turned to Issei. "Issei-san, we can tell them if you want. I am sure that nothing is going to change."

"Hold on a moment, Asia. I haven't even decided if I want to talk with them yet. Or about the moonlit world." Issei protested quickly and Asia gave him a confused look to show she didn't understand. "Wouldn't it be dangerous for them to know everything?"

Realization dawned in Asia's face. "I am sorry, Issei-san. I didn't know how worried you were about your parents or how so many revelations would affect them. Truly you are a most excellent son." The smile she was giving him was enough to make Issei feel bad about the fact he was thinking about his friends first before his parents. "Well, just know that whenever you feel that we should talk with them, you can count on me."

'Asia, you are an angel too pure for this world.' Issei let out tears of regret before nodding.

"Can we go now? I'm starving." Saji didn't want to have this conversation anymore as he remembered his family that wasn't around anymore and how he turned into a devil for the sake of those that are. 'I don't need to tell my siblings about being a devil. Thanks to Kaichou they already have what they need and I just need to be careful so nothing goes wrong.'

Notincing Saji's concerned expression, Issei then stretched his arms to get his and the only Bishop's attention. "You're right. We shouldn't be stuck in the classroom all Saturday either." Asia agreed with him and the three began to walk off. "What do you think Shirou and Akeno-san made today?"

"I think I heard them talking about potatoes yesterday." Asia confessed and Saji licked his lips. "I am sure it is going to be delicious regardless."

The three devils left the college premises and entered the area of their highschool. Even at a considerable distance they could see some clubs running around and doing their activities; there were runners racing against each other around a track and people playing at the tennis court with others watching.

Most of the students around are girls and that was already enough to get Issei looking but this time he wasn't just staring at them but also making comparisons. Even he found himself surprised as instead of looking for any skirt shots he could get he actually paid more attention to their speed or skills.

The Red Dragon Emperor memory easily replaced one of the runners with Karlamine and was sure that even hurt the Knight could leave all the students in the dust as she finished the track.

A glance at the tennis court gave him a similar result as he saw Rias and Sona competing on it again and it was clear to him that both were far superior to those from the official club despite not playing once before or after their match.

'It's really different. Those in the know are just much stronger and faster, there is no competition.' For a second Issei wondered if it was because everyone he was thinking about was a devil until he remembered Shirou. 'Didn't he fight against Buchou and end up banging her after? The lucky bastard.'

With a shake of his head, the Pawn reminded himself of every time he saw Shirou spar and how the redhead magus was easily capable of defeating Kiba despite the Knight being supposedly faster, he honestly couldn't tell the difference.

'Then there are Rin and Luvia… why didn't she get back to the club already? It has been a long time since I saw her outside of lunch.' Issei was aware of the fact that Setsuna was hesitating to train with Shirou because of his new relationship with Rias. He became her punching bag for the most part so there was no way for him to not be aware of that.

But everytime Issei saw Luvia she looked as confident as always and not even bothered that Shirou and Rias got together and are even living together in general, something that Issei would freely admit he was a little jealous of.

'Maybe I should invest in cooking? I mean, if his magic can enhance the flavor, maybe I can also get good by Boosting it?' The idea actually interested him as he imagined some girls having a nice reaction by eating his dishes and it leading to things getting hotter. 'If even a single girl teases me as Akeno-san does to Shirou, the bastard, I can die happy.'

A lecherous smile grew on Issei's face, much to Asia's irritation as Saji pretended he also wasn't looking at some girls exercising.

As they approached the ORC, Saji's nose began to twitch. "Something is wrong."

Snapping out of his dreams of serving a buffet that would have girls losing clothes at how good his food was, Issei looked at Saji with confusion. "What happened? Did you feel Kaichou around or something?"

"Don't even joke about that." Saji quickly looked around with some fear as he hoped that Sona hadn't shown up to offer a slice of her cake or something similar. "Uff…" He let out a sigh of relief before looking at the old school building. "But are you guys smelling anything?"

Issei and Asia looked at each other before the latter asked, "What kind of smell, Saji-san?"

"Food. I can't smell any food." That surprised both Gremory devils as this time it was Issei who decided to ask something.

"Maybe it's because we are late?" He asked while scratching his head, knowing it was his fault.

Asia found what Saji said odd. "Shirou-san usually keeps the food warm for us if we are too late but… I don't think we ever could smell it from the outside."

At least Asia knew she never managed to smell the food out of the club but after considering for a moment that Saji maybe could because he had a dragon on his soul she looked at Issei who just shook his head to show that he couldn't either.

"And it isn't even noon yet." Issei raised his cell phone to show the time to Asia and she could see it was barely past 10. "See. If anything they would be still cooking right now."

"Oh but I can smell that food almost everyday, it is my protection, my hope." Raising his head similar to a hound, the Sitri Pawn received a look of confusion and concern before he spoke again. "And I can tell you for sure that there is no food being made or even warm right now." Saji announced with fear and desperation. "Maybe they ate everything already?" He lowered his head in depression at the thought and Asia was quick to move to cheer him up.

"They wouldn't eat every-" The shadows of two white haired maidens with bottomless pits for stomachs appeared on Issei's mind and he realized the foolish thing he was about to say. "Buchou wouldn't let them eat everything…" At least he hoped she wouldn't despite knowing the power of Koneko's pout. "And it is still early?"

Saji's spirit was almost lifted but it was Asia who crushed it again with a simple question. "Doesn't Shirou-san's magic also enhance the smell? Saji-san must be right and they already ate." The words were gentle but to Saji they couldn't be any more cruel if she actually tried.

'What makes this worse is that Asia didn't notice the damage she just did to Saji.' Issei watched in real time as the man broke once again and the former nun attempted to repair the damage she accidentally inflicted. "Sandwiches?"

"For lunch?" Asia needed to stop to think about it for a second, trying to see Shirou and Akeno making something so simple for all of them. Still, since she couldn't find anything to disagree with the idea, "Maybe?"

"Yes! Sandwiches! There must be sandwiches inside!" Saji held on to that hope, hope that good food was at his reach and he didn't have to go back to the Student Council office to share his Kaichou's cake with his companions. 'Don't worry guys, I will get some for you too! Without Kaichou noticing it of course.'

Usually Shirou was more than happy to give Saji something or another to take to the other members of his peerage. It was the only reason why the rest actually allowed the Pawn to escape their torment, the promise that he was going to bring something to them to help wash out the bad taste off their mouths.

Even Tsubaki and Ryoudou Issei, the most staunch supporters of Sona's cooking, had no objection and so Saji could use some of Shirou's food as a bribe to save himself.

With the determination of the condemned if they fail their mission, Saji takes his first step towards the club followed by a concerned Asia who gives a quick glance at Issei who shrugged. They didn't know that Saji needed that food for more than just to sate his hunger.

The trio got inside the building, passing by most of the empty but taken care rooms without sparing them barely a glance. While technically everyone had an office of their own only Shirou, Rias and Rin used some of the space they had for their work with everyone prefering to gather in Rias' office since it was the most comfortable.

As they approached the closed doors the trio of devils started to hear a conversation playing out; the first voice they heard was Rias' speaking in a serious tone. "So you want our help to find them?"

"Not at all. We came to request that you stay out of our way." The other woman spoke firmly and confidently, clearly not wishing to give the Gremory room to keep the conversation going.

Rias still tried. "This is our territory. I don't like the idea of you two walking around doing who knows what without supervision."

"We understand that." Another more soft but equally determined voice spoke firmly. "But this matter doesn't concern you and we aren't going around revealing the supernatural to normal people you know?"

"We also received the agreement from the other heiress." The first voice said smugly and Rias' silence showed that was an argument she couldn't easily refute.

Surprising the three, it was Kiba who spoke next and he was louder than anyone else. "So you waltz around here after Holy Swords and expect us to do nothing?"

"Kiba." Shirou spoke in warning but the first voice replied before Kiba could say anything.

"That is the idea. It would be bad if you got caught in the crossfire since the Fragments are especially harmful to you." A moment of silence had the three newly arrived devils looking at each other.

"Maybe we should come back later?" Saji suggested in a whisper and while Asia wanted to agree she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. "This meeting sounds important."

"Kiba stop, now." Rias warned out loud and there was a sound of something being grabbed.

"Calm down, Kiba!" Shirou shouted with some frustration and the three were starting to get concerned.

"While I wouldn't mind fighting you, we aren't here for that, senpai." The first unknown feminine voice spoke again with respect buried under a lot of confidence.

"You aren't helping with that attitude." Kuro spoke next but there was a loud sound of something hitting someone and Issei finally lost his patience and opened the doors much to Asia's surprise and Saji's horror.

Looking around the room Issei was surprised to see Shirou easily holding Kiba's arm and shoulder to stop the Knight from moving, Rias with Kuro in her desk looking at the Pawn with some exasperation because of his sudden entrance with the nekomata sharp eyes not sparing him a glance, Akeno looking concerned while standing beside Rias and Rin on her own desk who stared at the new arrivals in disbelief.

In the back of his mind he noticed that Koneko, Medusa and Liz were absent but wasn't surprised since there were strangers in the club and Issei knew it would be best for the goddess to avoid them.

Those two strangers were really the ones that caught Issei's attention. Standing in the middle of the office were two girls with beautiful faces.

The first one, with blue hair and sharp features was holding a big object covered in tapes but still had some of it out so he could see the edge of a sword gave him an raised eyebrow with curiosity, asking silently who he was and what he was doing there.

The other with light brown hair had a more innocent appearance but her lovely face had a frown of confusion that Issei was sure didn't belong there for some reason. But he couldn't pay much attention to it as he looked to his friends and noticed how many of them looked concerned by him and his arrival.

"Is this a bad time?" Issei asked with as much confidence as he could and Rias actually face palmed with someone behind him, he guessed Saji, doing the same thing with a whimper. "Yep, bad time." He could hear Ddraig laughing on the back of his mind. 'Maybe I shouldn't have opened the door.'

…..