Issei was currently walking though Kuoh on his own. It had been a while since he had time to himself so he thought he would walk through town and think on his own. The meeting between factions was coming up soon and he was going over what was coming next in his head. With the death of Kokabiel and the recent activities of the Fallen, it had come time to address the conflict between the three factions and what would happen moving forward. Issei was hoping this would be a good opportunity to make connections between Chaldea and the factions, but recent events had made him wary of the Fallen and the Church. As he wandered through town Issei caught sight of something he wasn't expecting. There was a girl in traditional Japanese clothing with two swords at her waist watching television through a window. He saw some people giving the girl strange looks thinking she might be a cosplayer or something. Issei walked up to the girl who took notice of him and spoke to him with a big smile.

"Ritsuka! What a coincidence. What are you doing here?"

"That's my line. I never expected to see you here, of all places, Musashi."

"Yeah well, I was wandering between worlds and appeared in a forest-like area with a fountain," explained Musashi. "But what are you doing here? Is this place Chaldea like you were mentioning to me before?"

"No, this isn't the same world as Chaldea. I guess I never explained my situation to you beyond defending humanity." Issei explained to Musashi about what happened to him, how he got to Chaldea, how he got his memory back, and came back home. "But since then, I've reestablished contact with them and have been able to go to and from since."

"Sounds like you've been through a lot. But I'm glad it all worked out." Musashi showed an excited smile. "Since this is a rare opportunity, why don't you show me around your hometown?"

Issei showed a wry smile. "I'd be glad to but we're gonna need to get you some different clothes. No offense but you stick out like a sore thumb here."

Musashi looked down at her clothes wondering what was wrong with them. "Does that mean I'm gonna have to wear something like that?"

She pointed to the TVs in the window. Issei looked to see what was on the screen and saw that it was showing a game show where all the female participants were in bathing suits. He showed another smile as he thought of how to explain a game show to Musashi. "No, you won't have to dress up like that. Those girls are participating in a competition and are dressed like that for it."

"Is that so! How interesting!" said Musashi excitedly as she returned her attention to the TVs. Issei decided to watch alongside her, and the pair stood there for a while. Eventually, another pair of people stood beside them. Issei looked at them from the corner of his eye. One was a tall, older looking man with two toned hair in a dark yukata. The other was a girl he was all too familiar with. Raynare was standing next to the old man. He had to stop himself from speaking but the shock was present on his face.

It seemed that the older man noticed because he took this opportunity to speak. "I love this country sometimes. The food is good, and the women are excellent, although I could do without the mandatory censorship."

Issei didn't understand what the man was getting at but turned his attention to in front of him and responded anyway. "Yeah, well, you get used to it. Is there something you need?" he asked. At this point Musashi noticed something was up and despite looking like her casual self she seemed to be ready to fight at any moment.

"How about a drink as we talk, Sekiryuutei-kun."

The group found themselves at a nearby café where they ordered tea and some pastries. Musashi tagged along because she didn't want something to happen to Issei. After they got their snacks, the old man spoke. "My name…" the man said with a smile. "Is Azazel. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

Issei had an idea, but the old man confirmed his suspicions. He was now talking face to face with another Faction leader, and he wasn't prepared nor was he sure what his intentions were with bringing someone he hates with him. Before Issei could answer Musashi spoke up. "Nope. Never heard of you," she said casually.

It seems Azazel didn't expect that response because he seemed to be at a loss for words. Raynare next to him looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. While Issei… "Pfft! Hahahahahahahahaha!" He started laughing rather hard. He wasn't expecting Musashi to answer and seeing their reactions just added to it. He had been so wound up because of the surprises, but thanks to Musashi he was able to relieve some of that stress. Raynare looked angry while Azazel looked amused after the initial surprise wore off. Once Issei finally calmed down, he turned to Musashi who looked confused at his reaction. "Sorry sorry. I wasn't expecting you to respond like that, so it caught me off guard. To answer your curiosity though, Azazel is one of the leaders of the Fallen Angel's Faction."

"Fallen Angels? I didn't think such beings existed, although I guess it's no stranger than oni and demons," said Musashi casually as she stuffed another sweet into her mouth.

After Issei finished his explanation, he returned his attention to Azazel. "Sorry about that. What does a leader of the least trusted faction want with me?"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

"When you have people like her in your group, no I don't," said Issei while pointing at Raynare sitting next to Azazel.

The girl in question glared at Issei but Azazel lifted his hand to stop her. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Yes well, I'm sorry about my subordinate. Rather I'm here to talk about the incidents that my faction has caused in this town. Specifically, Kokabiel."

Issei narrowed his eyes slightly. "What about it?"

"Kokabiel went behind my back when he tried to initiate the war. He wanted nothing more than to see all of Heaven and the Underworld destroyed."

"Yeah, we noticed the guy was a bit of a battle junkie," said Issei as he sipped his tea.

"Right. When I heard he was stirring up trouble in the devil's territory I sent the Hakuryūkō to go deal with him. Turns out that it was unnecessary to do so."

"I won't apologize for killing that maniac. He was threatening my friends and family, not to mention the town would be destroyed if I left him alone."

Azazel raised his hand to stop him. "I don't blame you Hyoudou Issei. You did what you believed would protect the people important to you. But I hope you understand me mourning someone I once called a friend, no matter what he ended up doing." Issei nodded in understanding, and everyone went back to eating their snacks and drinking tea for a bit. After some comfortable silence Azazel spoke again. "I am curious. I've heard you command a large variety of warriors under you. Some quite beautiful, all quite deadly. Where did you get them and how did you get them to follow you?"

"Do you always ask your enemies to tell you their secrets, or do you just think I'm an idiot?" snarked Issei as he narrowed his eyes at Azazel.

Raynare looked ready to jump in and comment but was stopped again by Azazel. "Not at all. I thought you warmed up enough to talk is all. Besides, enemies is a bit much, don't you think?"

"An apology isn't enough for me to say we're not enemies. Just because you're not trying to kill me at the moment doesn't mean anything. Rather I'm more skeptical of you, seeing as how you brought, her along," said Issei gesturing to Raynare.

Raynare gave a sour look to Issei while Azazel sighed in exasperation from his subordinate's actions. "Right, Raynare. I'm sorry about my subordinate's actions. Believe it or not but most of what she did was not what I ordered." Issei raised a brow in interest as Raynare sank in her seat in shame. "When I discovered that you had a Sacred Gear, I had ordered her to monitor you. You see, a normal human shouldn't have any way to cope with suddenly gaining power like that of your Boosted Gear. It's not unheard of for people to cause great devastation upon awakening their Sacred Gear."

"I see. That makes sense. If it wasn't for my situation when I awakened it, I could see myself being in a difficult spot."

"Right? But Raynare decided that it would be better to eliminate you and thus void the issue completely."

Issei looked to Raynare who had a smug look on her face like she was in the right. Issei, annoyed, retorted back. "Sorry, I don't buy that."

Azazel showed a surprised look. "But it's the truth."

"If it was really a matter of safety then there was no need to try and antagonize me the entire time. What if her attacking me did cause my Gear to awaken and cause the very accident you just mentioned. Not to mention constantly calling me and others lower life forms and trying to kill me through the premises of a date. It's hard to buy that it was all "for the good of your faction"."

Azazel made a tired expression after Issei said that. "While I know this doesn't exactly help my case, Fallen Angels are predisposed to being sadists by nature. It expresses itself differently between individuals, but it most commonly shows itself in mistreatment of others."

Issei cocked an eyebrow at the Fallen leader. "If you're trying to convince me to trust you, you're doing a terrible job. That aside I'm not too particularly bothered by the attempt on my life, since I'm used to that…" Azazel and Raynare showed surprised expressions at Issei's comment. Issei took another sip of his tea and continued. "What I'm more upset about is what your subordinate was attempting to do to Asia. She didn't deserve whatever plan that ritual was supposed to be," he said in a harsh tone.

Azazel sighed again as Raynare looked ashamed again. "That was also against my orders. I wanted Miss Argento brought to me so I could study her, not just the Gear itself." Issei's eyes narrowed when he said that, so Azazel quickly corrected. "She wouldn't have been harmed. The user of a Sacred Gear is just as important as the Gear itself and I study them as a hobby. Imagine what kind of benefits could be made by copying even a portion of a healing Sacred Gear, not just for the Fallen."

That last part caught Issei's attention. "So you're saying you would have shared healing gears with the other Factions as well?"

Azazel showed a wry smile. "You will be attending the upcoming summit, right?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject.

"I have been asked to attend, not only as someone who was there but as the person who helped kill Kokabiel."

Azazel got up from his seat followed by Raynare. "Then I will see you there. I'm sure it will be most informative for everyone." He left money on the table for the food and was about to leave when Issei stopped him.

"Hold on a sec. One last question. How is Raynare alive?"

Raynare gave a grim look while Azazel faced Issei as he answered. "When I hadn't gotten a report in a while from my subordinates, I decided to check in on them remotely. When I peeked in, I saw you all entering from the stairs into the basement of the church. I decided to listen in on what was happening and saw that my subordinate was acting on her own. I was preparing magic to forcefully summon them all back but by the time it was ready your group had killed most of them already. When Rias Gremory went to finish off Raynare I hastily activated the teleportation magic to bring her back, but it happened a bit too late, so she didn't come out unscathed." Issei raised an eyebrow. "Her wings were damaged from the attack. We managed to heal her somewhat so she can fly but destruction energy is difficult to reverse, especially when it's powered up by the Boosted Gear."

"I see. Well, you reap what you sow. She should be grateful that she is alive at all," said Issei uncaringly.

Raynare glared at Issei but was stopped again by Azazel. "Well then, we will be seeing you Sekiryuutei-kun. If there is anything I can do for you, as long as it's within my power, I will do so to make it up to you."

With that the pair left. Issei was pondering the information he just got when he was brought out of his thoughts. "Are you alright Ritsuka?" asked Musashi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry you had to sit through that."

"It's fine. You seem to be busy here. And you have some big event coming up soon?"

"Yeah, it's a meeting of three Factions that are in a ceasefire right now and they are going to decide how to move forward since there have been many skirmishes recently."

"I see. Then if it's not too much trouble let me tag along with you for a bit. Seems like I'll get the chance to train my sword some more and I wanna make sure you're safe in your own hometown. It seems like you've been through a lot. I've never seen you so angry before."

"Yeah, sorry. Ever since things escalated in town, I've been a bit stressed on trying to keep this place safe. After all, my family and friends are here."

"Yeah, I can understand that. So, what's our next move?"

"I'm gonna have to report this meeting to the others but, I'm not sure how Rias is gonna take this." Musashi nodded, but was curious who this Rias person was.

Issei and Musashi made their way to the ORC clubroom and Issei explained his meeting to the others. To say Rias was upset would be an understatement. "What does he think he's doing, entering my territory unannounced?! I know that it was agreed that the meeting of Factions would be in Kuoh but that doesn't give him the right to just waltz in whenever he feels like! Not only that but he kept that bitch Raynare alive, who tried to kill Issei and Asia! And also-!" Rias was now going on a rant about the Fallen leader's actions.

"Rias, calm down. Nothing happened. While I'm mad about Raynare too, Azazel seems like a somewhat reasonable guy." Issei tried to calm Rias down, but she was still ranting. He tried to think of a way to calm her down when a bold idea came to mind. He walked up to Rias who was pacing the room as she ranted. She turned to look at him confused about what he was doing. Issei pulled Rias in by the waist and gave her a long kiss. This took her and everyone by surprise not expecting him to do something so bold. Musashi who was in the corner of the room whistled, impressed. Rias tried to get away at first but after a few moments she was getting into it too. After a bit Issei broke off the kiss and smiled at Rias. "Better?"

Rias pouted slightly at him. "That's not fair," she complained.

Issei chuckled quietly. "Nothing happened Rias. Azazel didn't seem like the type to just attack me out of nowhere, even if I'm wary of his intentions. You don't have to worry."

Rias looked away, still pouting. "Fine but I'm still upset about him showing up unannounced. As a leader of a Faction, he should really know better."

"Azazel has always been like that Rias. He is a bit of a prankster," said a voice that didn't belong to anyone in the club.

Everyone turned to the source of the voice and found Sirzechs there with Grayfia standing faithfully beside him. Once everyone saw him, the devils, except for Asia and Xenovia, immediately kneeled and bowed their heads while Issei looked a bit embarrassed wondering if he saw what he just did to Rias. Musashi, Asia, and Xenovia showed confused looks as to who this was. "O-onii-sama!" exclaimed Rias, surprised.

Sirzechs gave his usual cool smile as he spoke. "On the topic of Azazel, you don't have to worry about him. He is not like Kokabiel and dislikes pointless conflicts. Like Issei-kun described, Azazel is more of a pacifist." He looked to the kneeling devils and raised a hand. "You all don't have to bow. I'm not here in my official capacity."

The others stood while Rias showed a confused face. "Then why are you here, Onii-sama?"

"Why else?" Sirzechs held up a piece of paper. "Classroom visits are coming up soon, right? I want to participate in your life, even if only a little bit and don't worry, Otou-san is coming as well."

Rias showed an embarrassed expression at the revelation as Issei and the others showed an amused one. "But you're the Maoh. You can't show preferential treatment, no matter who it is."

"So he's not allowed to spend time with his sister?" asked Issei in a somewhat pitying voice.

"I… Well…" Rias was at a loss for words. She was just embarrassed about her brother and Issei knew this, but he also thought it was a bit cruel to push him away completely like that.

Sirzechs seemed to appreciate Issei's sentiment and was speaking a bit friendlier towards him now. "What Rias said is true, Issei-kun. I can't show favorability to any devil otherwise it would cause problems, but it doesn't mean I can't spend time with family. Rias is just being shy, is all."

"Well, that's good to know. Personally, I think having power and a position like that is pointless if you can't be with the people you care about. A ruler should be allowed to do what he wants, within reason of course. It's more like being a slave than a ruler if they can't."

The others gave surprised looks at Issei's opinion of the situation. They thought it was a little extreme but the look on his face showed that he had put some thought into it, and it wasn't based on just his feelings. As everyone was contemplating what Issei said, Xenovia walked up to Sirzechs. "So, you are the Maoh. I'm Xenovia."

Sirzechs gave Xenovia a polite greeting. "It's nice to finally meet you, Xenovia. I'll be honest, I had a bit of a hard time believing my sister got the wielder of Durandal as a member of her peerage but I'm glad it happened."

"I never expected things to end up like this either. I still wonder if it was alright for me to side with the group I spent all my life fighting. Is it really ok?" Xenovia ended her statement with her head in her hands.

Sirzechs chuckled at the knight's dilemma. "It's fine. You may not know where your path will lead you, but I ask, not only as the Maoh, but as her older brother, to watch over and protect Rias."

"I'm not sure what I can do but I will do what I'll do what I am able," she said resolutely.

Once she saw that their conversation was over Rias asked her brother what was on her mind. "Onii-sama, is it really alright for you to be here like this? Don't you have to prepare for the summit soon?"

"Ah yes, about that. While I'm not currently here in my formal capacity I was thinking of holding the meeting here at the academy."

Sirzechs words shocked everyone. "Here?! You plan to have the summit at the school?!" said Rias, surprised.

"Yes. This town seems to be a natural gathering point and I would be remiss to think that Issei-kun didn't have something to do with the current escalation of events."

Issei pointed at himself, slightly confused. "Me?"

"Yes, the school seems to be a natural gathering point. We have the sisters of two of the Maoh, the holy-demonic sword wielder, Durandal's wielder, the Sekiryuutei, and his legendary heroic servants. Not to mention both Kokabiel and the Hakuryūkō have come here to battle. I don't believe this is a coincidence that this is all happening now when you have just become involved with the supernatural."

Issei went into thought for a bit on Sirzechs words but was brought out of them by Asia asking a question. "Uhm, I know we were all talking about important things but who is this girl that came with you Issei-san? Is she another Servant?"

Everyone else was also brought out of their thoughts wondering the same thing. Issei realized he never introduced her because he was busy with telling everyone about the meeting. Before he could answer Musashi introduced herself. "Hi, I'm friends with Ritsuka. My name is Miyamoto Musashi, but you all can just call me Musashi."

All of the ORC had gotten used to new famous figures appearing when it came to Issei but Kiba, Xenovia, and Sirzechs gave surprised looks at the new person. Kiba walked up and politely bowed. "I have read the book of Ten Rings. It is an honor to meet you Musashi-dono."

"Just Musashi is fine, but what's this about a book?" she asked, confused. Kiba equally was confused why she asked about her own book, but Issei clarified.

"It's a book the Musashi of this world wrote at the end of his life. Something that you haven't written yet, or might not write. I guess that's up to you down the line."

"Ah, I see. So the other me wrote a book. I never imagined I would do that, but I guess things change when you get old."

Everyone was confused at the conversation, so Rias asked what was on everyone's mind. "Issei, don't Servants have memories of their life even if they are summoned in their younger forms?"

"Ah, about that. Musashi isn't a Servant. She is still alive." Issei's words shocked everyone, and he proceeded to explain how he met Musashi and her situation. How she wanders between worlds to train her sword and how her own world has been lost. He then explained how she had wandered into their world, and that he happened to run into her when he went for a walk earlier. Then they had the meeting with Azazel and came back here after.

Sirzechs was listening closely to Issei's explanation with interest and once he finished introduced himself to Musashi. "Well then, let me properly introduce myself then. I'm Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the four Maoh in charge of the Underworld. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Musashi," he said with his usual cool smile.

"Huh. First the leader of the Fallen Angels, then the leader of the Underworld. You seem to know all kinds of people in high places Ritsuka," said Musashi cheerfully.

"Why do you keep calling him Ritsuka?" asked Xenovia confused.

Issei mentally sighed realizing nobody explained anything to Xenovia when she joined and realized it was becoming a recurring theme for him to explain his backstory. He was starting to get tired of it. He went through the process of explaining what happened to him to those who didn't know and explained to Musashi that his name is Issei and that Ritsuka is his alias in Chaldea. Musashi nodded and asked, "So what do I call you then?"

"You can call me whatever you're comfortable calling me but just know that around here people call me Issei, so in public settings please call me that."

Musashi nodded in understanding and once that was cleared up Sirzechs spoke again. "Well, this has been very informative but it is getting late. Do you think there is someplace where we can spend the night?"

Everyone went into thought and eventually Issei came up with an idea. "Well, it's a bit short notice but I think I know a place…"

Sorry for the slightly late upload! I almost forgot it was the first of the month but then it dawned on me as I sat my butt in the car to go to work. Anyways that aside this is the beginning of Volume 4 and immediately I'm spicing things up. So first, I thought of an idea to add Musashi the wanderer thinking it would be cool but then I realized that I didn't know where she was event wise, so when I looked her up I saw that she was the first thing to happen after defeating Goetia and since her plot is one of Ritsuka's dream Singularities, I figured that he could still have those even when he was away from Chaldea. So Issei still had his adventure with Musashi before reuniting with Chaldea and it still sorta makes sense. If someone wants to comment about how it does or doesn't in more detail I'm open to hearing it but that's the idea moving forward. Second, I decided to keep Raynare alive. I know it isn't exactly an original idea but I thought that maybe I could do something interesting with it. For now she is obedient to Azazel like she always was but how she will interact with the cast moving forward has yet to be determined. Finally, while it might seem out of character for Issei to suddenly be so forward when I've been having him warm up slowly to the others, from this point on he is going to be making some rasher and bolder decisions due to him learning about his death. It won't be happening all at once but there will be a lot of back and forth with how he handles his relationships moving forward. Anyways I hope as always you look forward to my future chapters and I look forward to the comments. : )