HELLO and welcome to this new chapter I do not know when it will be released but if I release it before school is over then the story is on a semi-hiatus and yes I do know I absolutely FUMBLED last chapter And that is why I have decided to edit said chapter and I removed well the part where shirou says he is going to torture raynare.

Either way lets go onto the chapter and please... ENJOY!!

I do not own highschool dxd.

Shirou walked back homme after leaving the park and seing that Issei's dead body was no longer there.

He... he felt off somehow. Like that somehow something, anything had changed.

His head ran at a mille a minute.

Why wasn't Isseis corpse there?

Why did they kill him?

Who took him even though he was dead?!?!?

While being stuck in these thoughts shirou finally reached his house and as he entered he smelled food? 'Odd wasnt it his turn to cook today?' The young man questionned himself, suddenly he heard his mother talk to him as she entered the hallway.

"Τhere you are you took so long I started to worry!"

"Mom..."

"Don't 'mom' me why are you so late? Did you spend more time with Artoria then you were supposed to did you two go to a love hotel or something!?" She paused, "No that cant be it knowing your stamina when you both spar you would still be there..." She whispered to herself.

Shirou blinked not quite having heard that last part, "W-what no! We didnt go to a love hotel! And what was that last part!?!?"

"That last part is none of your business young man, now come in we're going to eat." She said, "So I'm still not going to become a grandma huh?" She muttered that last part under her breath.

"Hm?" Shirou muttered looking at his mother, "Did you say something?" He asked.

"No," She responded cooly, "No I did not," She lied as naturally as she breathed.

"Oh, ok then."

When they arrived at eh table Shirou saw his father sitting down watching the news, "This just in there has been five more murders in the industrial part of the city, police are looking into who or what could have caused this."

"That's horrible dont you think Sumiko, Shirou?" His father asked.

"Yeah it really is horrible... Who would do such a thing?"

Shirou remained quiet not saying anything his mind still consumed with guilt about what he perceived as something that he could have avoided had he been more careful. Yet somehow he felt like if he wanted even a bit of a link as to the 'What and Why' of why Issei was killed he had to investigate the industrial district, it would take time out of his sleep but he has worked with less before in his past life the only difference being that in his past life he was used it to it, his body was used to it, this body was not.

But... he would cross that bridged when he got there and so in the middle of the night Shirou prepared to go investigate what happened in the area. of course he knew that the chances that this had any relation whatsoever to what he was trying to find were slim at best and yet his gut told him to and while normally he wouldn't follow his gut he felt the odd need to. And so he doned the equipment he had worned in his past life, he didnt have that was certain, but he could project it and while they werent swords he had worn them enough in life to know exactly how they were constructed he started off with the pants he wore, then his shoes his chest plate and finally his shroud. In sum he had steel plated shoes, black combat pants a chest plate made out of a material not yet known to humanity at this point of time and a shroud which acted more as a hood and scarf protecting his identity.

After having doned his attire he prepared to leave as he looked out of his window being extra careful not to make a single sound and so he opened the window and left he would leave it open if only a bit so that he could enter later on. And so the wrought iron hero left his residence in the dead of night as he sped towards the industrial area, yet he didnt realise that only five minutes later his mother was walking in the corridor connecting their rooms to the bathroom yet she felt a slight breeze, she looked to see where it was coming from and narrowed her eyes when she saw that it came from her son's room, "Did he open the window?" She questioned lightly before deciding to not do anything for the breeze was so light that he must have only wanted tome cold air.

The cold frigid night air permeated his skin the longer he ran until eventually he reaches it where the murders had taken place he did not wish to be seen even though he had been hiding his identity with his atire he was affraid he would still be recognized and so the dagger of the king of knights, Carnwerran, was traced it was said to be able to mask its user in shadows it is one of the reasons why he even qualified as an assassin class servant in first place and so he entered the abandoned factory and examined it. The machines were still there yet were no longer operational he stalked throughout the building until he came upon what he was looking for blood. Normally a body would have been necessary, but in this world where mana was much more available and where his body had been subsequently augmented to withstand the environment even a simple trace of blood would give him what he needed.

"Trace... on." His voice was calm his breathing even as he used his oldest and one of his most mastered mystery, structural grasp could be used for many things he had by the end of his life mastered the skill so completely that anything that could even be considered as a weapon was instinctively grasped faster than the eye could blink. Alas blood was not a weapon, but it could lead him to the cause and while analyzing the blood he found out that the victim had been communing with devils? And then had been killed by a light sword.

He stopped in his action temporarily, that... was odd he could normaly find what killed the person not what they were doing before they were killed did his increase in circuits and maybe his core increase his magical sensitivity? It was rather obvious that the person whoever they were were a type of mage who could commute with devils, but that was neither here nor there he shook his, he had a lead no matter how small. A light sword... A sword made of light, he would have to talk with kiritsugu about this he would propably know who used these weapons but to do that he would have to tell Artoria, and that was another question did he want her to get involved in this?

She deserved to know. A part of him to him.

Do we want to bring her into this? Another part questioned.

She would bring herself into the matter, it does not matter. A third part of him answered.

This wont be like when we were fifteen and she decided to be the damsel in distress, we know her. A fourth part stated.

They were right, she would bring herself into this if he didnt deal with the cause fast enough, it would be a big help if his foe wasnt as weak as he suspected.

But... This was personal Yuuma had killed his oldest friend in this world, he had promised to kill her, and so he would.

He left the factory and went back home to go to bed, his investigation had apparently taken longer than he expected or maybe he was just lost in his thoughts.

The next day

Shirou picked up Artoria and they went to school together, holding hands all the while when they entered into the premises, they said they would see each other at lunch, Artoria went straight to the kendo building while he went to his locker to put the three lunchbox he had packed one smaller than the other two. As he finished puting the food in there and grabed his archery clothing he heard something.

"SHIROU!" A voice cried out to him he stilled, no, it cant be...

He thought as he turned towards the voice which had called out his name.

"PLEASE!" The voice continued Shirou face was in an expression of surprise, 'H-How? How are you still alive?' The 18 year old asked himself.

"DO YOU REMEMBER YUUMA!!" His voice was panicked as if he had asked that question a thousand times before and every body told him he was insane, Shirou didnt even register the question his mouth moving to say words which escaped his throat before he could stop them.

"How? How are you alive?" His voice was barely a whisper and yet it managed to resonate throughout the hallway, "I saw you die?"

Issei shivered the words his longtime friend had just spoken somehow freezing him in place, "W-What?" He questioned, Shirou only repeated the same words.

"I saw you die?" While Issei was confused at what Shirou was saying his mind was running at 100 miles a second, questions resonated throughout his mind, how did he live, was that pulse of demonic energy a revival or a conversion? How, how was he alive. What had the ones who had taken him done?

"What?" While Issei was pondering that Shirou left, he had too much to think about, maybe, maybe archery could calm him and give some order to his thoughts disorganized as they are.

And so Shirou left Issei in the hallway alone a look of shock on his face.

In class

'Well that did absolutely nothing...' Shirou thought to himself, his mind was still werling about with questions and theories and yet he somehow managed not to let it show on his face it was a miracle honestly thank god he had lost the expression he had when seeing Issei.

He looked upon the class not paying that much attention to the teacher and what they were talking about he had already learned of it after all even if it did feel like an eternity ago, 'Huh odd?' He thought to himself, Souna, the student council president, and another girl, her name escaping him until he remembers it 'RIas right?' Where are they it was odd for the council president to miss class. Hell it was odd for both of them. While pondering that he looked out into the hallway and saw two people walking through it, one was a boy, if he rembered correctly his name was Kiba Yuuto he had blond hair and grey eyes walking with him a look of confusion mared with... was that excitement? On his face was, Issei. 'What could the most popular boy in school want with Issei?

He waited a couple of seconds for them to pass before asking the teacher if he could go to the bathroom, luckily for him the old man agreed, and so he followed them. Eventually they reached a building out of sight Shirou stopped the moment they entered unsure of what to do, hell WHY? He was doing this. Was it to protect Issei, was it to find out another lead, find out what happened to his friend? He didnt know and stuck in his thoughts like he was he didnt notice two slender arms sneaking themselves past his collarbone until they reached his abs and the soft thing that touched his back and when he did he paused. His mind froze as he looked behind him slowly to see, Artoria smiling like a chesire cat at him.

"What are you doing Shirou?" She asked tentatively the grin on her face was able to somehow be heard the way she said those words.

He opened his mouth to respond nothing came out, at this Artoria's smile somehow widened even further, until eventually the words managed to escape his throat, "A-Artoria what are you doing?"

His beloved looked at him her grin disappearing into a small frown, "I could ask you the same I look out the door of my classroom for one second annd I see you trailling both Issei and Kiba," She pauses her grin reaparing, "So tell me my beloved sheath what were you doing?"

He had nothing to say.

Authors Note

HELLO I HAVE RETURNED ALBEIT TEMPORARILY!!!

This is my first chapter after what I personally believe to be the worst chapter I have published for this story and I honestly have no idea if some of you are even goign to come back I dont blame you if dont, wait, those people probably arent even going to read this hah. Writing is hard, very hard, sometimes you believe you got it other times you dont and then the audience has the exact opposite reaction, I swear, and while I am on this rant I shall say this version of artoria is still the same king of knights just mellowed out and acting like she would be acting at her age, of course the version we all fell in love with is under the surface and she is only released during a fight. On another note I am wondering if you all would like to have the descriptions of shirou's skills from the chapter where I posted his saber spirit origin and yes some of these skills are connected with Artoria particualry the ones with have to do with their reunion.

Without better ado lets get on with the review responses and yes there is no omake this chapter sorry :(

Keybladelight: yes we are now in dxd canon I'ma have to read the lore now... gosh darn it, and dont worry a certain evil of humanity will appear.

Dash6217: Actually shirou cannot smell magical energy he can smell distortions in space aka bounded fields I did technically keep the abitlity but I weakened it heavilly in other words unless their magical energy is ginarmous or he in hand shaking range can't tell if they are evil or not, plus I literally explain that he views Isseis death as his fault because he could have stopped her but he jsut thought that she was a weakling.

DKk: Thanks as always

ColcytusRising: You are mostly correct he can trace excallibur image if he has enough mana or he kills himself while doing it.

ThunJa: Indeed she is honestly lucky he hasnt figured it it could have been prevented if she wasnt greedy. And thanks for answering for me to the other guy.

KillZoneJack: I hope you liked this chapter then.

FallenSage:Thanks

TheAzureKnight:I assure you she wont be a damsel.

Bronzebull: *Chuckles* Kept you waiting huh? Jk

Nikkless:... I am not correcting that or am I?

Orphan Slayer: Honestly probably Rule Breaker as far as I knoe gae dearg only cuts through magecraft/magic(the dxd one) not negate.

Guest: Dont worry shirou and artoria will want to help Issei and their cat not Rias.

CannotWrite2SaveMYLife:I changed it

Protector of Black: Thanks!

Guest(2):the school doesnt know that though and artoria aint a clout chaser.

Guest(3): Maybe next time...

ProffesorGoblitz:I understand and I am sorry.

Guest (4): Huh didnt see your review before today thats odd but thanks it certainly raised my once in tatters confidence.

Mystic Rising: Thanks ch5, yeah not my best chapter ch6, thanks for the complement on the omake, and claudas was what 15 when he first met artoria when she was 5... I literally tried my darndest to make clauda unlikable and shirou met saber when he was 17 not 9, love your reviews but I dont understand this one... ch10.

And That is all folks so sorry I couldnt do another omake I honestly aint got an idea and while the sequel one to the second maybe good I'd rather save an omake for halloween or christmas in chaldea with shirou as the santa servant or the halloween servant.

And again thanks for reading and have a great day! Or night eh whatever.