Sorry this is out so much later than expected guys. My family surprised me with a trip to a state park from the first to the fifth. It was exactly the kind of thing I like – lots of outdoor stuff to do – but it really cut into the time I could devote to this chapter. I couldn't even finish the entire chapter and had to cut it off before getting to a romance/comedy scene I had been looking forward to because I didn't want working on this chapter to push work on the winner of the July Large Story poll.

The winner of that poll was FILFy Teacher BTW, beating out Magic of the Force, 2,538 to 1,988.

Chapter 13: Familial and Rooftop Discussions

While the battle in Kuoh began to close, Sirzechs was facing his own battlefield, both internal and external. Internally he was battling his own rage at what had apparently been done to his sister. If the people who had perpetrated this plan had not been his own parents, Sirzechs would already have released his anger on them, using his Power of Destruction to make it as if they had never existed. Since it was his parents, however, he was holding back on that.

It's still an option if they piss me off enough but not one that I'm willing to take just yet. Especially not with my son in attendance. Sirzechs smiled down at the younger redhead, ruffling Millicas' combed hair affectionately.

This caused Grayfia to grunt in annoyance from where she was following them in her normal maid outfit. She smacked his hand away and tried to smooth out the boy's hair in the few steps remaining between their destination and where they were in the corridor outside.

Sirzechs ignored that for now, addressing their son, "Now remember, don't say anything unless addressed personally just yet. I'll handle the first act of this little play, and then you get to open the second part. After which, Lord Lucifer will take over again."

"Right," the young boy nodded seriously, but then he frowned, looking away. "Did Grandmother and Grandfather really do this. I mean, I saw the evidence, but…"

"Until we compare the recorded sample Lady Rias gave you to a live sample of their magical signatures there is still a chance that Akeno and Lady Rias were wrong," Grayfia interjected, moving around the two boys to grasp the door handle, ready to pull it open as befitted her status as a servant. But there was nothing servile about the look in her eyes as she said that to her son. Indeed, those eyes were flashing with a barely contained fury of her own, though it did not show in her voice. "Until then, you are to comport yourself around them in a matter befitting the son of a Maou."

"Yes, mom," Millicas replied, hugging her quickly before moving to stand beside his father.

For an instant, Grayfia's facade cracked as it always did when her son showed her affection. Then she nodded formally to her husband. He nodded back, and she opened the door.

The instant it was open, a couple of voices could be heard. The room was one of the many sitting rooms in the Gremory mansion, which Sirzechs chose for this meeting. The voices were coming from Lord and Lady Gremory, who were arguing with Lady Phenex and Lord Phenex about why Sirzechs had called the meeting. Both of them believed that Sirzechs had decided to allow someone else to head to the Earth to force Ranma to give up the weapons that could cure Riser, while Lord and Lady Phenex didn't really care about how that happened so long as her son could be healed.

Or at least that was what they were talking about when Sirzechs swept into the room with Millicas following a step behind him. By the furtive glance that he was shot by his father, that might've been a cover for something else. Again anger burned within him, a fire ready to be released, but he held it in check.

Lady Phenex had been pacing around the room, and now she turned rapidly, striding forward to grasp Sirzechs' hands in both of hers. "Sirzechs, please tell me you have some news! We're keeping Riser in a state of suspended animation, but nothing we've tried has been able to jumpstart his healing! His arm is still missing, and the wound to his leg isn't either, just waiting to gush out his life's blood the moment we remove the spell!"

"Calm down Lady Phenex," Sirzechs soothed, a flash of fellow paternal feeling going through them. Regardless of whatever other plans the marriage between Riser and Rias had been created to meet, Lord and Lady Phenex at least cared deeply for their son, regardless of his numerous faults. "Please sit down."

Lady Phenex did so, flouncing into a chair and crossing her arms, staring at the younger yet far more powerful devil as he sat down across from her on another sofa. Her eyes flicked sideways to Millicas but didn't comment on the younger boy's presence, far too worried about the fate of her own youngest son.

"I trust that this meeting is about some kind of progress being made about getting that human to relinquish his weapon?" Zeoticus began, scowling. "Since you unilaterally stopped all travel to Kuoh from here, that means you had to send your own representative correct?"

"Actually, I did not end up having to do so because one of the other Maou was already on Earth, moving in that direction. I have spoken with Maou Leviathan, and she has acted as an intermediary with the human named Ranma."

That made all four of the older devils stand up and smile at one another. But then Venelana smiled at the young boy. "Excellent, Sirzechs, but why did you bring Millicas here. After all, this isn't really a conversation you can have much input in, my dear."

Unlike normal, Millicas didn't respond to her smile with his own, he simply bowed his head politely and stood next to his father's chair.

"Millicas was the one who passed on Serafall's message, and he wanted to see this message delivered. He was over at the Sitri household, borrowing some of their chess books for the day when she came through. Right before she then turned around and went back to Earth," Sirzechs let some false exasperation enter his tone, mixing truth with lies as only a true politician – or devil – could. "There is some kind of issue with the church that has spilled over into Kuoh at present."

He shook his head, turning back to the present topic. "However, that has no connection to our conversation here. Serafall was successful in talking Ranma into agreeing to use his weapon to end the enchantment that is stopping Riser's Phenex blood from working. However…" he held up a hand. "He has agreed to do so in return for our canceling the marriage agreement between our families."

"Unacceptable!" Lord Phenex and Lord Gremory shouted as one, with Venelana adding her own voice a second later while Lady Phenex bit her lip. Lord Phenex then continued. "We cannot allow this human to dictate terms like that! Yes, he has somehow found a powerful weapon, and yes, he was able to take Riser by surprise, but even so, to treat with him as if he was an equal? Maou Serafall has surely shown too much haste in this."

"On the contrary, I believe, given the fact that she was there to deal with the church issue, Serafall showed remarkable perspicacity for solving this side issue from her perspective quite well. And it wasn't so much that Ranma was asking for this, as Rias-tan was," Sirzechs shot back, his tone turning smug and doting. "Ranma seems to be an ally of Rias-tan and of Sona as well, something that Maou Serafall was very clear on. If any move was made against him, both Rias-tan and Sona and their peerages would move to defend him."

"And of course, the moment that Sona told Maou Serafall he was an ally, she would back off. She is as much of a sis-con as you are," Lord Phenex grumbled, shaking his head. "That speaks ill of her."

"But we cannot simply let this human dictate terms like that even if those terms come from Rias. Perhaps especially if she is simply using this moment to try to end the agreement without fighting for it on her own," Zeoticus agreed.

Venelana also added her own complaint. "It almost sounds as if he wants to court her instead,"

"I don't know about that, although I doubt it, given some of the wording that Serafall passed on in her message. I think Ranma is simply using his friendship with Rias-tan to get her out of an agreement with a would-be molester. Regardless, this is the deal ladies and gentlemen, take it or leave it. And I might remind you that unlike Rias or Sona, this Ranma fellow can simply run. Perhaps would have to send someone at the level of my pawns after him, and finding one human in Japan, or the rest of Asia if he really wants to run, would be impossible. Especially with Sona and Rias-tan hindering our initial search," Sirzechs explained.

"Can we speak alone for a moment?" Lord Phenex asked, looking at his wife, who was practically vibrating with the need to take the deal.

"Certainly, take your time," Sirzechs smiled thinly before he turned the screws slightly. "It isn't as if it's my son whose life is on the line, after all."

Both sets of parents grimaced at that and went into a close huddle with their counterparts. One of them threw up a spell to deaden the sound of their discussion so adroitly that even Sirzechs almost missed it, but such spells worked both ways, and he decided to take advantage of it. He turned to his son smiling brightly despite the severity of what they were talking about. "This is a perfect example of the tactic divide used in a diplomatic setting. The four of them went into this discussion with a single goal in mind and a long term overall objective. However, the short term goal of healing Riser is more important to Lord and Lady Phenex, as you can see, then to my parents. My parents are seemingly unwilling to back away from their long-term goal, in favor of the short term goal of healing Riser. They are going to split off, each trying to serve their own goals."

Millicas nodded seriously. "You think it will work?"

"I certainly assume so. With Serafall backing this agreement, the danger of Ranma just running off along with Rias and her peerage, and the fact that Riser was in the wrong in the first place to assault him, they are in no position to argue. After which, Lord and Lady Phenex will leave us, and it will become an internal issue."

"And I'll have to do my part," Millicas answered, looking a little worried.

Then he felt a second hand on his shoulder and looked up at the sight of his smiling mother. Or at least it was obvious to him that she was smiling. No one else would have been able to tell. "You'll do your part well, my son," she whispered again, "Don't worry. Whatever else, we're here for you, remember?"

"Right," Millicas said, straightening up his shoulders. "Right. Rias-nee is counting on me too. I'll do it for her!"

"That's my boy," Sirzechs grinned, as he ruffled Millicas' hair again, causing Grayfia to freeze his hand in a block of ice before pulling out a comb and going to work on her son's hair once more.

A second later, Sirzechs' words were proven, as the four parents canceled the spell surrounding them. All four looked unhappy, but Lady Phenex spoke for them all. "We agree," Lady Phenex said formally. "I will send one of my familiars with a message to my Queen, and he will bring the formal contract between our families over. I trust that you are willing to act as a neutral party?"

"He is hardly a neutral party given how much he's been against this agreement from the start Lady Phenex," Lord Gremory snorted. "Surely, we should wait until one of the other Maou can stand in for that."

And we could use that time to look for another way to get to Earth and bring this Ranma fellow to heel. Despite the Phenex willing to cut their losses at this point to save Riser's life, Zeoticus refused to let his plans come to an end without a fight.

Grayfia instantly took a step forward, bowing from the waist with one hand close to her stomach. "If it pleases everyone, I will act as a neutral party. As you all know, I have had no opinion one way or the other about the agreement between your families, and I routinely act as a neutral observer to political discussions."

Lady and Lord Phenex nodded grudging approval at that, while Lord Gremory grumbled but couldn't say anything. It was true, after all. While Sirzechs had always shown a preference toward Rias and practically interfered in Gremory in-house politics even though, as a Maou, he had been removed from the family, Grayfia always, always maintained a neutral stance and everything happening, be it personal or political discussions.

Taking this as agreement, Sirzechs smiled thinly. "Excellent. Would anyone like to play chess or something while we wait?"

It didn't take anywhere near as long as Sirzechs' little joke indicated before the Queen of Lady Phenex's peerage, an extremely effeminate looking young man the same age as her older son, returned with the contract that was at the center of this debate. Grayfia took it gravely, read it, then intoned "This is the correct agreement, and it holds the magically binding signature of two heads of the household, Lord Gremory, and Lord Phenex."

"I have to protest again, Lord Phenex," Zeoticus interjected formally. "While I understand why we are taking this drastic step, I think that we need to leave room for negotiating a further agreement between our families in the future."

"Perhaps," the other man said, unwilling to be drawn further. His son's life was on the line after all, and whatever their future plans, it wasn't worth losing Riser for it. Still, it would've been great to be part of that. A new generation of…

He shook his head, saying again, "Perhaps. We shall see in the future. Perhaps if something more permanent can be done to this human or some way found to drive a wedge between him and your daughter, and then we might be able to create a new contract. Or even look at shifting it to other members of our family…" he hinted, looking at Millicas. He did have his own daughter after all, and their age difference wasn't nearly large enough to be important.

"Over my dead body," Sirzechs muttered, sotto voce, and low enough that no one else could hear but Grayfia, who subtly reached forward to pinch him, Sirzechs' body hiding the move.

She then coughed delicately and asked the two heads of the families to put their hands on the parchment and tear it apart. The magic in the contract was designed to fight its destruction. In some cases, such a contract would even have eventually started draining the signatories of their magic if the contract called for it. This one did not, but it would still have fought against being destroyed, if not for the fact it was the two people who had created the agreement doing the destruction.

Lady Phenex smiled somewhat sadly. Like her husband, she felt it would have been magnificent to be a part of their little project going forward. But her son's life came first. "How soon can we expect this Ranma person to…"

"As soon as we are done here, I will be contacting lady Serafall, who will get Ranma down here as soon as possible. I will have my Bishop help to transport you and your son here, to be close enough so that there will be as little delay as possible."

Lady Phenex nodded firmly, then swept out of the room without a backward glance at any of the other three parents. She wanted to head home quickly to get Riser ready to be transported to the Gremory estate.

Lord Phenex took a little longer to follow his wife out. He spent time shaking Sirzechs' hand thanking him and through him lady Serafall for their help on this matter, clapping shoulders with Lord Gremory, and bowing over Venelana's hand before leaving. And even then, he promised, "To look into the idea of perhaps looking into the idea of uniting our families again in the future."

The moment the door closed behind the other Devil, Grayfia magically locked it, throwing up a barrier that both Gremory parents would have difficulty breaking, even if they were allowed time to concentrate on it. This did not go unnoticed, but before either older devil could say anything, Sirzechs began to speak. "Now that we are alone, we will speak about Gremory house matters."

"What?" Lord Gremory questioned in annoyance cocking his head thoughtfully to one side as he stared at his son. "What in the world are you talking about? And why did you lock us in here?"

Then his eyes and those of his wife twitched to Millicas, who stood up and intoned formally, "Lord and Lady of the Clan, in my position as heir, I was recently approached by Lady Rias of the house to intercede on her behalf with the current Lord and Lady of the house for conduct unbecoming, and detrimental to her mental and physical welfare."

"W, what!?" Venelana squawked her eyes going wide. "What are you talking about, Millicas?"

She was a remarkably good actor, Sirzechs thought seeing how his son seems to falter at that staring at her as if ready to believe her. But a hand on his shoulder from Sirzechs stiffened his resolve and his spine. "As I explained, lady Rias contacted me while I was over at Lord Sitri's house on a completely unrelated matter. She presented evidence of magically created mental blocks and compulsions placed on Akeno and Lady Rias herself at an early age. They were designed to inhibit her growth as a person and as a devil in terms of magical and physical abilities, and to make certain that Lady Rias could only think of one solution to the major problem facing her: Lady Rias' engagement to Riser of House Phenex."

From there, Millicas laid out the evidence that had been presented to Serafall from Akeno and Rias' examinations of one another then held up an enchanted cube. He sent a bit of magic into it, and the top of the cube began to glow, sending up an image of the readouts of their bodies one after another, showing the magical residue.

He ended down by saying, "This is most decidedly against the public persona of house Gremory, and as such, I decided it had to be followed up quickly. Because if it is found to be true, it strikes at the very heart of how we, as a clan, define ourselves. I would ask you both, here and now, to submit to a magical test, to compare your signatures to that found on the foreign magic found in their systems. Only in so doing can we clear this up and then go on to find the real culprit."

Lord Gremory shook his head, scowling, while inside, he was scrambling. This was never supposed to come to light! "This is completely ridiculous. When was this data collected?"

"Two days ago."

"So before this Ranma human dealt with Riser so adroitly. I think this is just another way for my daughter to try to get out of it. She's pushing it now, to make certain that we won't try to set her up with another Devil," Zeoticus said with a laugh shaking his head. "She needn't worry. With the Phenex agreement broken, we don't have any such plans."

Yet. Riser's older brother is still a viable option, even if the age difference is quite a bit more than in Riser's case. "Where she came up with it, I don't know, but since we have already given in to her demands on that score, I rather think that this is all mute," Zeoticus finished.

Millicas stood firm. "Nonetheless, the accusation has been made and must be brought forth. As such, I would like the two of you to voluntarily give me some samples of your own magical auras to match two or disprove this theory of Rias'."

"And if we refuse," Lord Gremory inquired, keeping his tone still light an amused, although he was now looking a little shifty and angry. Venelana was just looking dyspeptic and shocked.

Millicas was the one who answered him. "Then, I am afraid I would have to insist. As Lord and Lady of the House, you may still refuse, of course. I am only your heir, after all. Yet it was an official request for intercession and will have to be logged as such in the family annals. I would also feel as if I had to follow up on it through other means."

"Which would mean going public," Sirzechs pitched in, smiling proudly at the way his son had handled his part. He got in every line right and stood firm in front of Venelana's initial shock, and the disparaging humor of Lord Gremory.

Now it was time for Sirzechs to take over the reins. "After all, one of the tenants of House Gremory is to treat our servants as family and our family as precious loved ones. This kind of accusation flies in the face of that ideal." Sirzechs smiled a smile that the serpent of Eden would have envied. "But why should it come to that when you both can so easily put this whole concept to rest by taking a small test." The smile disappeared, his next words coming out with a flash of his aura. "Unless that is, you have something to hide?"

"How dare you!" Zeoticus blustered, while Venelana was quiet, frowning up at the image of the magical signatures as if in deep thought, while inside she was panicking. "Son, I know you have always been against us arranging a marriage for your sister, but this is too much. We have already canceled the agreement, what purpose would be following this obviously spurious accusation serve beyond…"

"Beyond giving both Rias and the family as whole peace of mind? It isn't as if we're asking for anything tremendous from either of you. Only your magical signature. What is so hard about that? Unless that is, you have something to hide!?" Sirzechs repeated his earlier words deliberately, and once again, his aura flickered out. But this was no flash. This was a wild blast of pure power, which nearly had both of his parents frozen in their chairs, staring at their son in shock.

"Y, you are treading a, a thin line, Sirzechs. A Maou stepping in, into this, in, into a family matter is…"

"FUCK that crap!" Sirzechs roared, standing up as his aura flared into an example of the Power of Destruction, which incinerated the desk in front of him, the chair he'd been sitting on and a large portion of the wall behind him. "I might be a Maou, and yes, by law, I am not supposed to be overly involved in Gremory clan business. But this is about my sister, and I have never given a fuck about so-called laws when it comes to family. Now, you will give us the magical signatures we want, or…"

"Or What!? You can threaten and bluster, but threats are only worth it if you are willing to go through with them, Sirzechs. And you don't have it in you to just kill us, especially when you can't prove that we were really behind the, the mental spells placed on Rias and Akeno if they really existed in the first place!" Zeoticus barked back, adding a querulous and worried tone near the end as if he wasn't quite sure if he believed such spells existed.

"You're right, I'm not going to kill you. I am instead going to help Millicas spread the word about how the Gremory clan act behind closed doors. I will help him literally destroy every bit of public goodwill that the Gremory clan's policies have brought us the low born and turned Devils. Which is part of what makes our clan so strong, both politically and economically. We might be part of the Pillar clans thanks to our blood being 'pure' and our magic breeding true, but the Gremory clan is important because of me, not to toot my own horn, and because we are so powerful in politics and economics. I will see this family go down in a pile of ruin before I let you get out of this, father!"

Zeoticus flinched at the amount of disdain and loathing Sirzechs loaded in the familial term. "You…you…" he wanted to say that Sirzechs wouldn't' do it. As a Maou, he would lose a lot of his own political power if the Gremory clan was thus tarnished. Indeed, his own position as the head of the New Devils societal movement could well be in jeopardy. But Sirzechs had, as he had just repeated, never placed any of that over the family. It was why he meddled with Rias and helped her gather Kiba and Koneko, and then helped her hunt down Akeno after the two girls had met on a trip to the human world.

Venelana had been quiet through all of this. She had been a firm proponent of the move to marry Rias to Riser, it had seemed to be an elegant solution to a problem that she, more than her husband, had seen early on. But she had been leery of the need for mental blocks, fearing this very thing: that if the truth came out, it would break their family beyond repair. I thought the risk small and let Zeoticus and Grandfather talk me into it. Look where that has left us. Now the only way forward was to perhaps get Sirzechs on their side. He would never agree to let us use Rias again, but perhaps he can see the necessity.

"Very well, I will agree to the test," Venelana interjected, cutting through Zeoticus' appalled stuttering. "Le, let's get this over with."

What followed was an odd example of where the two older Devils' minds were. Venelana quickly used enough of her power to create a magical signature, which was analyzed and compared to the two that Rias had passed on to Millicas. It matched none of the signatures therein, but it was somewhat close to one of the more muddied signatures on the memory charm from Rias. Throughout this examination, Venelana sat still as stone and just as aloof.

Zeoticus, on the other hand, raged and attempted several times to get out of showing his full magical signature and then attempted to use the Gremory clan's Full Magical Control to try and modify his magical signature. But Sirzechs could tell he was doing it and called it on him until Sirzechs had to threaten to go public with everything that had been done to Rias again.

When it was done, Lord Gremory's signature matched the ones found on the compulsion charms of both Akeno and Rias.

When he saw that, Millicas began to scowl, his eyes wet with unshed tears. "WHY!? Why did you do this, why did you turn your back on everything I've been told that makes us Gremory, our love of family!"

"Millicas, you have to understand, Rias and Riser would have grown to love one another, just like Venelana and I have. Whatever their issues now, they would have grown together. I wanted the best for…" Zeoticus began.

But Millicas wasn't having any of that and shouted. "Stop lying! How can I ever look at you at either of you again after this!"

"Millicas, you no longer need to be involved in this," Grayfia interjected, speaking up for the first time since the discussion shifted to Gremory clan matters. "Would you like to go to bed now?"

Millicas hesitated, then shook his head. "I, I want to know why this happened, I need to. This is too big, too important for me to just, just leave now."

Grayfia smiled at that, ruffling her hair herself for once before spearing Venelana and Zeoticus with a glare fit to freeze the Underworld from one side to another. Sirzechs, too, was now glaring at them both, with little of the self-control his wife exhibited. "I want your real reasons for this, for doing all this to Rias. This goes well beyond simply setting Rias up in a marriage to a man she loathes. The use of magic to force her to dance to your tune, to not become strong enough to challenge it, getting her married to Riser isn't nearly important enough to require such actions. There has to have been some other goal in mind."

"Oh, there was a plan. Super Devils, don't you see! With the Perfect magical control of the Gremory, perfect regeneration of the Phenex their children would have been unstoppable! We would have been able to claim that the Gremory and Phenex families had created the next generation of Devils who could grow to match monsters like you and Ajuka."

"For my part, I, and other women of my acquaintance, have long been concerned about the future as well. Not so much of the power of our race, but how many Pure Devils are being born at all. The Phenex and Gremory clans are the only families that have more than two children in your generation," Venelana added.

"The Bael clan?" Grayfia coldly inquired.

"Two children from the main line. None from the rest of the clan. The Astaroth clan has Diodora from the main line along with Ajuka, and Latia from a branch. The Glasya-Labodas line, only young Iryuka, with no branches at all. The Sitri, Serafall and Sona. Only two branch lines, and no children from either. House Vassago, Young Eneely along with many New Devils, but no other children. House Griroro Gamigin, again a few New Devils, but no children. And their family magic is extremely weak in your generation. Houses Purson and Sallos, no children, and their lords and ladies have been trying for children for longer than you've been alive, Zirsechs, as have others. Clan Diehauser had two children in your generation, but then… well, you know what happened there," Venelana recited. "I could continue, but suffice to say we did our homework on this point."

The fact was, Devils were not natural beings. They were never supposed to breed normally. Magically yes, but the original Demons had been largely asexual beings except for Inanna, who no Devil ever liked remembering. The Devils – not the Demons - had become sexual beings due to the Sins they were supposed to call upon. But breeding, creating further generations was more a side-effect than anything else. Devils were not very fertile, male or female. Even turned Devils had trouble breeding, though the data there wasn't nearly as conclusive as it was given how short a time turned Devils had been around.

Venelana smiled thinly. "There are nine other Gremory children in your generation in the other branches of our clan. Five others in the Phenex clan beyond the three main line children. Zeoticus had two brothers and a sister, Lord Phenex, a pair of twin sisters. Putting Riser and Rias together would create children who would be as fertile or more than humans. It was for the future of our very race, to in fact make certain that we could still be a race at all in six more generations!" Venelana explained, her eyes shining with the fervor of a fanatic.

While making a note of that, his mother never having been much of a fanatic about anything, Sirzechs had to ask, "You've both backed my progressive reforms, all the while plotting this in the background?"

"I backed your reforms because it was you doing it. After all, in so doing, we brought more power to your position as Lucifer, Chief Maou of the Underworld, and through you the house," Zeoticus replied instantly.

"I have always been more conservative in that area, but despite that, I hoped that the breeding issue would dissipate with the inclusion of new blood. It hasn't, and so we were forced to take this step. The proposed marriage had the added bonus of keeping our Blood pure as well, but that is a minor point," Venelana explained. "Family is important, but the future, the power of creation, the power to create a future, that is more important still."

Zeoticus was back under control once more. "And we have done nothing wrong in terms of the law. There are no laws governing what the head of clans do to their own clan members. Yes, you could hurt us by making all this public, but we would survive it. Would your reforms? When Rias already has what she wants, are you willing to sacrifice that to gain… what exactly, from us?"

Sirzechs shut him up with a single glare. But his wife spoke before he could, while to one side, Millicas scowled. Nothing they had talked about seemed important to him, but it looked as if his parents both seemed to understand at least a little bit about their goals. Or at least his grandmother's.

Grayfia's words bore that out a moment later, cold air leaving her mouth like it was winter. "As laudable your goals, the means with which you attempted to achieve them are not anything we can condone. I have seen the numbers you quoted Lady Venelana, but I believe there is no need at this point to have taken such extreme measures. And to manipulate the mind and will of your own daughter is beyond the pale regardless of your goals."

Venelana looked away, her face tight, and Grayfia went on. "I believe that it would be prudent at this point to perhaps create a magical binding agreement between us that you will no longer have anything to do with Rias, or with the other children of the Gremory clan. Beyond that, I think Rias too deserves to be informed of your reasons."

Venelana sighed, but Zeoticus flinched, looking away, his face angry. I will not forget this, my son. You won't get away with strong-arming me like this!

OOOOOOO

Sona stared, her fingers twitching at her sides, her expression somewhere between exasperation and pure envy, as she took in the sight of her house's kitchen. It wasn't so much that she had been banned by her own Queen in taking part in the cooking going on. Tsubaki and Ruruko always did the cooking for their peerage, and it was well known that despite her amazing abilities in other areas, Sona could not cook to save her life.

Nor was it the sight of Kasumi, Rias, and Akeno or Nodoka, who, like Kasumi, had been brought in to help cook this victory celebration a few minutes after the battle had ended. They were all cooking, cheerfully exchanging words about this or that dish they were cooking. But Sona had long gotten used to the fact this was one arena she had to concede that Rias bested her.

No, her envy was caused by the sight of Ranma. In his female form, Ranma was currently wearing an apron that had the words 'can't touch this' on it over her normal clothes. And she was singing cheerfully to herself as she moved around the large kitchen of the Sona estate. Cooking as eagerly and as trained as the other ladies all around them.

Through gritted teeth, Sona ground out, "How is it, that you can cook so well, Ranma?"

"Heh. First, I was on the road with my Pops for a long while, where I learned at least how to cook over a fire. If I hadn't, my old man would just make us go to all you can eat joints every day, and if not, he'd try his own hands at cooking. Let me tell you, that was not for the faint of heart. Beyond that, I lived with this one for a few years, and my mom is also a really good cook," Ranma joked, bumping her hip against Kasumi's. "So I sort of learned via osmosis ya could say," Ranma replied, turning slightly to wink at the Student Council President.

Sona's teeth clenched even further, making an audible noise, but it was Tsubaki who answered. "You actually used the word osmosis in a sentence. I'm impressed. And you were even able to do so correctly."

"I'm not just a pretty face," the extremely unnatural redhead joked, astonishingly adding a girlish giggle to the amusement of all the natural girls around him.

From where he was sticking his head inside, Issei shuddered, turning to look at the other guy with him. "Is it just me, or is that just really disturbing?"

"It was supposed to be!" Ranma shouted over at them. "Learn not to perv on me now, boyo. Or I'll start to use more painful means of getting my message across! Now go sit down. We're nearly done."

Rias sent a smirk toward her fellow King. "Jealous?"

Sona growled, literally growled at her childhood friend, causing Rias to laugh gaily. Seeing the look on the normally super-controlled Sona's face, Akeno and Ranma joined in. Even Tsubaki, the traitor, was snickering lightly at her King's expense.

"At least Gabriel can't cook either, and neither of the exorcists," Sona grumbled to herself as she helped pick up the food and carry it out to the rest of the diners. They were scattered about the backyard of the small two-story apartment complex that Sona owned as co-ruler of the area. "If she was, she really would be perfect."

"I am not perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be. Perfection is a goal, not a state of being. That was one of the reasons why Lucifer fell as he did," Gabriel replied, having heard Sona's mumble from where she was sitting next to Sona's older sister on the house's deck, talking quietly about the long-term ramifications of the battle and Vali showing up as he did. Both of them hadn't liked that at all and would have stern words to be sent to the Governor-General of the Grigori. "He thought that he was perfect and that the Holy Father's vision of the world was perfect, even though it had imperfect things within it. A mental juxtaposition that simply could not be sustained."

Asia sat on Gabriel's other side, and with a smile, the Archangel gestured Kasumi over to sit with. She did so, after making sure that everyone had served themselves from the tables. It wasn't as if there wasn't enough food to go around, though. In fact, to call what she, Nodoka and the other cooks had created a feast would not be an improper use of the term. There was enough food here to feed a group of sumo wrestlers.

Despite that, Kasumi was not surprised that Ranma was eating so fast Kasumi couldn't even perceive her hands moving. What did surprise her was that Koneko and the three Knights were all matching him. The four of them sat around one small table piled high with food. Their hands flicked this way and that, smacking one another away before grabbing at the food, trying to transport it up to their mouths, a grin on Ranma's face matched by one on the Knights and a look of fierce concentration on the Nekomata. But they were all making certain there was no splash damage, food bits flying everywhere, so Kasumi supposed she could let them have their fun.

Nearby Rika and her partner Tajima also dug in eagerly, their bodies having pushed to their limits in terms of endurance. And while Rika could cook, after a fashion, she certainly couldn't cook like this. Tajima was a bachelor's bachelor: so long as it was meat, it wasn't completely gray or visibly bleeding out onto the plate he was fine with it.

Issei, Saji and the rest of Sona's peerage were around a single picnic table, talking about amusement parks of all things. Issei apparently had never been to one, while each of Sona's peerage preferred a different type, and the others were all trying to get him to agree with them, as to which was best. Mousse was there too in his human form, on his best behavior for this party.

Rias and Saeko sitting together was perhaps the oddest group to Kasumi's mind. The oldest Tendo daughter was not blind to interpersonal relationships, and it had become clear over the past few days that Rias was interested in Ranma, who Saeko already had something of a relationship with. Akeno's eyes too were flitting toward where Ranma sat, and Kasumi wondered what the three of them were talking about. Still, there was no sign that violence was imminent, so she decided to set aside her curiosity for now. Although how much of that is the effect of my Sacred Gear and how much of it is their own self-control?

Before she could come to a conclusion on that score, Kasumi found herself drawn into a conversation between Gabriel and Asia talked about places that Gabriel had seen in the world, which segued into Asia, blushing and poking her fingers together, explaining about the swimsuit competition that Gabriel had agreed to take part in with Serafall.

Serafall, in turn, began to tease Sona, her favorite pastime, while Sona tried to fend her off.

No one was talking about the battle or anything important right now. Rias, Sona, and Gabriel had all decreed. This was not the time to analyze the battle, just to enjoy surviving it. It was time to have fun.

Serafall, being who she was, didn't need to be told twice on this score. About halfway through her plate, she hopped to her feet like a jack-in-the-box, leaving Sona to slump gratefully to her knees. "You know what this party needs? Drinks!"

"We're all underage, Nee-sama," Sona protested.

"Boo, that's a human law, So-tan. Besides, what's wrong with drinking on your own property?" Serafall laughed, blithely ignoring Gabriel's sanctimonious mouthing of, 'Beware of the fruit of the vine,' as she raced inside the house. Moments later, she was back out, balancing a series of glasses and bottles in either hand in a show of balance that made even Ranma's eyes widen.

She began to hand out glasses of wine, and when people tried to say they didn't want any, demanded they at least have a single glass in toast of their victory. Even Gabriel, wanting to be diplomatic, couldn't argue that point. Soon everyone had a glass in front of them bar Nodoka and Kasumi, who hadn't taken part in the battle and who had argued they didn't deserve to join the toast. "Now, everyone, to victory!"

"Cheers!" Ranma and the others saluted, drinking from their wine glasses. Ranma took a single sip, then shook her head and put the glass down on the grass next to her. Nearby, Gabriel did the same thing, her own face twisted into a grimace of distaste. The two of them noticed one another at that moment, and the two of them shared a laugh, while Irina and Xenovia looked on in confusion.

While Devils couldn't get drunk on human wine very easily, the reverse was certainly not true, and their resistance to their own wine varied wildly. More than one of the Devils began to feel the effects of the wind very quickly since all of them were young and not very experienced with that kind of thing.

But the most surprising one was Rika. She put the wine away at first as if it was regular human wine. But devil wine was all a lot stronger. Within the three glasses, which should've been barely enough to get her to notice that she was drinking at all, Rika was slurring her words and demanding that someone set up a karaoke machine so she could sing.

Tajima laughed at this. He'd had one cup of wine before he had been warned off of the stuff by Ranma. "I don't think so. The last thing you want is for her to sing."

"Are you shaying I do, don't have a shinging voice. I'll hash you know that I am the chief shinger of the SHAT!" Rika drunkenly bragged, causing many there to laugh at what her drunken slurring had made that word sound like.

"That's because the rest of us all know we can't sing, and don't bother to try," Tajima retorted.

"I'lls shhow you. Me and my girlsh, friendsh, friendly, big teddy bear, lover, we shing all the time at home," Rika retorted. Then she looked around, pouting outrageously at what she couldn't see. "Whersh, wheres me big teddy? Can't sleep wishout her, y'know."

Stephen blinked at that, looking over at Issei. "Um…did you?"

Nodding, Issei slid across the lawn, looking at Rika speculatively. "Um, Miss Rika, you wouldn't happen to have a picture of this big teddy bear, would you?"

Tajima would normally speak up in defense of her partner. It was SAT policy that their officer's private life remained private, least their loved ones be targeted in reprisal. But Rika answered before he could. She pulled out her wallet and then a picture from the wallet, holding it up triumphantly. "Here shhe is, SHizukkkka. She's a bit of a ditshy, but I lovesh her!"

Instantly The girls all crowded around, sniffing out the concept of romance like so many bloodhounds. So much so that they were nearly trampling Issei and Saji, not that either would think of complaining, given the fact the girls were pressed so close to them at the moment.

The woman in the picture was, well, there was no way to put it, she was a great beauty. Shizuka was Rika's age, shorter than her by a little bit, but not by a lot. She was blonde, her hair falling in a cascade down her back. Her face was cute too, wondering how much trouble those two things, coupled with the kind of smile and look in the eyes that matched the ditzy label Rika had given her.

But her most noticeable feature was the fact that Shizuka, a human woman, was stacked beyond anything anyone, Devil, Angel, or human there had even imagined. Her breasts were larger than even Akeno, who blinked at them, her eyes going wide. "Oh my! Those must hurt her back."

Rika nodded to Akeno's comment, her face serious even if her voice was slurred. "It really doesh. She's gottsta go get a mashage like every week for backachesh shomething fierce. Boys, they don't understand what trouble thoshe fun bagsh caushe."

"Man, but they really are fun bags, and you can never have enough of them!" Issei exclaimed, still staring at the picture, his eyes wide and a steady drip of blood coming from his nose. "If you needed help with something like that, I would volunteer to…"

"That's enough out of you," Koneko growled, smacking Issei over the head with a chop from one tiny hand. Tiny or not, the blow sent Issei stumbling to his knees.

It was an almost instinctual reaction that earned a smile of approval from Ranma. "The anti-pervert is strong in this one."

Kasumi, who was a Star Wars fan, let loose a wild giggle at that.

At this point, the fun was interrupted by Serafall once more, who looked up with a frown, turning towards the direction of the school. "Hmm, someone just broke my Maou's seal on the teleportation array to the Underworld."

Rias and the others who had been told about what was going on with her and her family tensed at that, but a moment later, a flying furry creature appeared. The creature looked nothing so much like a flying otter, gamboling through the air, obviously using magic to do so, given the lack of wings.

At the sight of it, Rias and her peerage all relaxed with Rias explaining, "That's Dakota, he's a familiar belonging to Beowulf, my Nii-sama's pawn. He's often used for messages."

"Yep! I wanted him for my magic show a time or two, but Sirzechs, the big meanie, wouldn't allow it," Serafall added, pouting outrageously, while inside she was cackling with delight at this sign that her little trap had worked.

Torn between shock and excitement, Saeko spoke up now, having been relatively quiet during the party so far. "Ahem, Beowulf? I do not know many European legends, but that one I have heard of. Are you speaking about the original hero Beowulf?" I wonder if he would be up for a spar sometime?

"No, just his descendent. He challenged my Nii-sama at one point about the time I was born to a match. Beowulf-san was able to give Nii-sama a tiny cut on his arm. After Nii-sama beat him, Beowulf asked to become his servant," Rias answered.

It alighted on Serafall's shoulder and then spoke, but the voice coming out of its mouth was that of Sirzechs. "Serafall, Rias-tan and the human called Ranma. Everything has been sorted out down here, but we do need Ranma to come down with the weapon, or weapons, that he used to injure Riser. Heal him, and the agreement between the families is canceled. After that… well, the rest of that issue has already been dealt with. If you want closure, we can give it to you, but you won't like anything that you'll hear from that quarter. But we need to get this Phenex thing finished quickly."

Sona and the others were looking a little confused at the cryptic message, but Rias looked over at Ranma. "Are you still willing to heal him, or well, let Riser start to heal himself, I suppose?"

"If it gets you out of marrying the douche and helps you with the other problem, then yeah, I'm good with healing the perv. So long as Riser isn't allowed to swear eternal vengeance or whatever." Ranma shrugged before a harsh looked crossed her face. "If he is, well, he's already used his get out of death free card, y'know?"

Rias laughed at that as she stood up, before looking at Akeno. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Don't you want us all with you, Buchou?" Kiba suggested, moving to his own feet.

Rias thought about it, looking between him and Kiba, Akeno having already gotten to her feet, moving close to her friend in a show of solidarity. "Yes, I think that would be good. All of this affected the two of you as well, after all." And having my peerage, my little family, there with me will help me a lot, she thought but didn't say aloud. Judging by the smiles on their faces, there was no need.

While still looking confused, Sona asked, "Do you want to postpone the party until you get back?"

"Judging by the way Rika looks, I doubt you'd be able to just hold everything and wait for us to come back. You all can keep eating. And look at it this way, if I get out of my marriage with Riser, I'll have something else to celebrate." With that, Rias led her peerage off.

OOOOOOO

Teleporting down to the Gremory mansion, they were met by Grayfia, who awarded them all with a faint, but warm smile before she gestured to the doorway behind her. "Lady Rias, the Phenex are waiting for us in the foyer. Your parents are being kept in a small sitting room on the second floor."

Ranma took Grayfia in at a glance, then looked at Akeno, Rias, and Koneko, shaking her head. "Man, I know I've said it before, but it is a really good thing that Happosai didn't follow me out of Nerima."

To everyone's surprise, especially those who knew her best, Grayfia's face twisted into a very obvious grimace of distaste and loathing. The air in the room chilled noticeably, and everyone's breath began to steam in the air as Grayfia turned her hard, glare on Ranma, seeming almost to loom over her. "Do not ever mention that little perverted gnome in front of me ever again! Do I make myself clear!?"

While Rias and her peerage were rather intimidated by this sudden shift, aided by the fact Grayfia was the second-strongest woman in hell, Ranma simply nodded her head sagely. She hadn't bothered to change forms for this trip, thinking it a needless complication. "You had a run-in with him, didn't ya? Yeah, I can relate to that kind of anger. If you don't want me to mention him, I won't. And if you ever want revenge, I can give you a call if he shows up."

Instantly Grayfia's attitude changed back to normal at that, and she bestowed a genuine smile on the redheaded martial artist. "That would be lovely, thank you. That, and perhaps a few dozen miles of territory no one is using at the moment, would be most pleasant." She sighed and gestured them to follow her once more. "But for now, please come this way."

Ranma followed the others, looking around in interest. Not at the mansion, she'd been inside the Kuno mansion and a few others too. No, she was interested to see what the Underworld was like.

Looking out the windows, Ranma became vaguely disappointed. Yes, it had a red sky. Yes, he could see a few pillars of flame going up here and there in the distance. But directly around the mansion was just a regular lawn. Hmm, weird. I suppose though that it might have been, what's the word, terraformed, over time? Still a bit of a letdown.

In the foyer were not just the two Phenex parents and Riser but Riser's whole peerage. They were spread out around the bed, which hovered in the air carrying Riser. All of them turned to look at Rias and the others as they entered, and more than one of them tensed. A few, two of whom wielded swords, took a step forward, their hands on their weapons as one of them, a woman dressed as a European Knight almost, growled out, "So this other redhead is the reason our master has been laid low!? I ought to challenge you here and now for your assault on his person!"

"Oy! Your master's the reason he's laid out, he's the one that tried to assault me if you hadn't heard!" Ranma shot back, not backing down as the rest of his friends spread out around him, glaring in turn at their counterparts.

"Enough!" Lady Phenex barked, getting in between the two peerages. "We are not here to place blame, as that has already been accomplished. My son, Riser was in the wrong," she said after a brief hesitation, as she turned to Ranma. "But please, if you would lift this, this curse or enchantment that is preventing his natural Phenex healing? We have already ended the arrangement between our family and House Gremory."

Faced with the mother of the man who Ranma had apparently nearly murdered, Ranma felt kind of sheepish and apologetic, despite knowing intellectually that he didn't have anything to apologize for. That, and his peerage seem loyal to him, so he might have some redeeming quality, I suppose. Or at least something they see as one anyway. "Erm, well, for my part, I'm kind of sorry-not-sorry. I'm sorry his wounds were so serious, but he did try to feel me up, so I can't say I'm sorry I attacked him for feeling me up when I was getting out of the shower."

Still rather incensed by her son's actions, Lady Phenex nodded. She was a woman too, after all, and even as a Devil, some things should not be allowed. She moved away, sending a small smile toward Rias, but keeping most of her attention on Ranma, while Riser's peerage made way for her, crowding around as Ranma stood next to the bed.

Staring at the missing arm, she'd cut off the molester on the bed, Ranma wondered what the hell she was supposed to do a second. It wasn't as if he had known the wounds given by the Gekkaja would carry some kind of magic on them that would cancel out Riser's healing powers. Huh, I wonder if that enchantment or whatever only stops regeneration, or would it cancel out any Devil's powers if I cut them? I can't remember if he was still able to use magic after I attacked him.

Staring at the injuries he'd caused, Ranma recalled one basic thing about the two Demonic weapons in her possession that she knew for certain: they were polar opposites when it came to their powers. So it stands to reason if one can hurt a Devil and place this enchantment on the cuts it causes so it can't be healed, then the other can remove the enchantment. With that in mind, Ranma was suddenly holding the Kinjakan. The staff was distinctive with its odd hooped end, the edge of which was sharpened to a razor, gleaming in the light of the mansion's foyer.

Seeing this, Riser's peerage of instantly moved to attack, but then Kiba was there between them, twin demonic blades in hand, while Koneko strode forward and Rias and Akeno prepared spells. "Stop!" Rias commanded. "Ranma's not going to hurt Riser, just watch."

Reversing the staff in her hand, Ranma let the circular end rest on the floor for a moment as he stared anew at Riser. For the moment she held the Kinjakan, her perception had changed, augmented somehow. She could now see some kind of energy around the stump and the gash, dark and edgy almost. Ranma couldn't really describe it well, but it looked like something was sort of keeping Riser's regeneration away from the wound like a barrier. Okay, so how to get rid of it.

First, Ranma waved the blunt end over the wounds. That didn't do anything, so instead, she once more flipped the staff, the metal hoops on the blunt end making a tingling sound in the tense silence which was broken by shouts as Ranma slowly moved the blade down towards the stump of Riser's missing arm. "Damn her, she's going to hurt Riser-sama again!" shouted more than one girl.

But Yubelluna, Riser's Queen, was a little more observant and shouted, "Wait, she's not hurting Riser, the blades' not touching him!"

That saved Ranma the few seconds she needed to work. The blade of Kinjakan cut through the energy hovering over the stump of Riser's arm, instantly dissipating it. The magic over the wound was then sucked into the blade, causing the two ornamental fire symbols on it to glow a dull orange.

Once the magic over the stump was gone, there was a brief second of hesitation almost. Then Riser's inner magic surged into the stump, causing a flash of fire that made Ranma step back hastily. As Ranma watched, the stump began to regenerate.

The Phenex peerage and parents stared in delight at this, then began to thank Ranma profusely. Even Lord Phenex put aside his anger at his son's original injuries, to thank the human woman for canceling the enchantment that had kept him from heeling.

Ranma waved them off, saying, "A deal's a deal. You and your son don't have anything more to do with Rias, and we'll call it even. That and get it into his skull can't go around feeling up strange women, and we can call it even. This world doesn't need another pervert in it, even if this one ain't nearly as immortal as the old gnome."

While the comment on the old gnome went over nearly everyone's head, several of Riser's peerage, including his Queen and his two Knights, all nodded at that as did Lady Phenex, very firmly. Lord Phenex did not, still believing the redhead's assault on his son was beyond the pale, but willing to let things end here.

With that, Ranma went to work on the thigh wound, causing it to start healing as well. It went far faster than the arm, the gash disappearing almost on top of Ranma, dissipating the magic covering the injury.

Moments later, the Phenex was leaving with the still unconscious Riser still on the bed in the center of the group. After so long, regenerating his arm had seemingly taken it out of his magical reserves.

That was all to the good, of course, since it stopped any kind of attempt at a confrontation between Riser, Ranma and Rias. After all, this had all been but a segue to the next meeting.

However, Ranma was surprised at how that meeting went. It wasn't screaming raging on Rias' part, only chill disdain and disgust as her parents laid out the reasons for their actions. Needless to say, those reasons were not nearly enough for her to accept them. "So what you were saying is that to try to correct this population problem that you see occurring, you wanted to turn me into a broodmare!"

"That is an oversimplification…" Venelana began.

"It is a perfect way to describe what you wanted, Mother," Rias shot back, interrupting her mother in a way that would've gotten her a glare under any other circumstances. But with her brother looming in the background, his arms crossed, and his gaze fiery, that wasn't going to happen. It was the first time that Ranma had met Sirzechs, and Akeno had whispered to him that this serious, cold look was not at all in keeping with how Sirzechs acted normally, especially around his little sister. But what had been done to her by their own parents had evidently had a major impact on him.

"You wanted to make me into something I have never wanted! Yes, I would love to be married. Yes, I would someday eventually possibly have children. But that would be centuries down the line! You make it sound as if I would spend most of my time married to Riser pregnant and naked!"

"Not at all! I well understand how long Devils live, this would've been a gradual process, you could have had your own life, you could have had romance, and grown to love one another, it is just that your eventual children, of which there would be many, would have become the start of finally building our numbers back up in a more natural manner, rather than relying on turned devils more and more with every generation. I wanted what was best for you, but also what would serve devil kind the most," Venelana argued. But she could see that it was not gaining any headway with her willful daughter.

"When did you place the compulsion charms on me? How much of my life have I been laboring under them?" Rias questioned coldly turning away from her mother and discussed to stare at her father, who had evidently been the one to do most of the actual spell work.

The older man looked as if he wasn't going to answer for a moment, but then Sirzechs glare ramped up a notch and his or appeared around him. "Answer the damn question!"

"We didn't do it all at once," Zeoticus finally replied. "At first, it was simply a compulsion to keep you from running away after you had learned about your marriage to Riser. You objected most strenuously against it, and we feared that you would simply run off, head to the human world and disappear into their unwashed masses. After a time, however, when you began to exhibit your mother's Power of Destruction as well as the perfect magical control you inherited from me, we began to wonder if you would simply challenge Riser and become strong enough to defeat him some time."

"I was training at the time when you cast such a spell on me. Akeno and I, we were both training to become stronger and looking for other ways to enhance our strength rather than relying on our magical abilities."

Again, there was a pause as Lord Gremory tried not to answer, simply turning his head to stare at the wall. But this availed him nothing but a crick in his neck as his son reached over and grabbed his head, twisting around to face his two children again. "Answer. And stop trying to put it off. Every time you do, you're just making me angrier."

"We didn't want to completely stymie your growth, that would never have done in the daughter of the Gremory clan. But we also didn't want you to become smart enough to figure out strategies or starts to truly build up your peerage into a danger that could handle Riser's own, especially considering that most of his own peerage does not train themselves, and Riser routinely used his family's power of regeneration to simply out endurance his opponents. And the power of destruction could cut through that regeneration, could overwhelm it in point of fact. We couldn't let that happen either, for many reasons."

"So yes, we put compulsions on you to not train yourselves as hard as you could. To always stay within the bounds of Kuoh, and to almost be content with the number of pieces you already had in your peerage, rather than adding further to it. This was made doubly dangerous, considering that my son here helps you find such excellent pieces. Our compulsions helped guide your ambitions, as well as your thought processes, and how you went about achieving your goals."

"People," Rias replied angrily, while Akeno growled next to her before smiling at her friend's response. "Nii-sama helped me find excellent people. The fact that they all turned out to be so strong is a testament to them, but it is not why I chose to bring them all into my family in the first place. But of course, now I discover that the term family might not be appropriate!"

Hands clenched at her sides, she stared at her parents, shaking her head. "I hope it was worth it to you to make this attempt. I really do. Because at this point, not only are you not going to achieve your goals, but I don't want anything to do with either of you ever again! I can't look at you, think about how you have treated me and then know you were doing this to me at the same time! It's just too much."

She turned to look at her brother and Millicas, who was also staring at her parents sadly. "Heir Millicas, as a result of the machinations of the head of the clan, I have decided to recuse myself from clan business and social functions. I do not want to be contacted, I do not want to have anything to do with the Gremory clan for a while. Up to and including any social functions or engagements that I would otherwise have been called upon to take part in."

Venelana and Zeoticus both grimaced. They knew that was a shot at them. There would be a scandal if Rias did not take part in of few social functions coming up, like the Young Devils Ball or Tournament. Still, so long as the truth of what had taken place between her and her parents didn't come out, they could weather that storm.

Yet both parents were realizing now that might be the least price they were going to pay for this. As everyone else had been pointing out, this had been an all or nothing gamble. Their relationship with Rias had already been heavily strained because of the engagements to Riser. Now learning about the real reasons behind that engagement, their daughter was looking to cut both out of her life entirely.

It hurt, Venelana realized suddenly. It hurt a lot. But what could they do? Both herself and her husband had been certain of their goals that their goals were worth the duplicity. Like true Devils, they had gone for the goal, uncaring of the means they used to reach it. But now they were paying the price for being caught and the fact that other people, other Devils, did not feel the same way.

For his part, Zeoticus was still angry at all this, far too angry at the moment to think things through. But he was getting there, and when Akeno spoke up, having been silent throughout most of this conversation, standing beside her King as was proper, she helped that process along.

"I looked up to both of you like I looked to my own mother, surrogate parents. A family, who had taken me in, who treated me as their own. Now I feel betrayed, used, hurt. All because of the two of you. The two of you and this plan of yours! I hope it was worth it," the violet-eyed young woman growled.

By the looks on their faces, Ranma realized that both of the parents were realizing that no, it hadn't been. Or is that just because they were caught? Ranma couldn't tell and honestly couldn't himself to care.

"Stay away from me and mine," Rias growled, turning back to her parents. "Just stay away. I want nothing to do with either of you, ever again."

With that, she turned, stalking out of the room, followed by Akeno and Ranma. Outside they were met by Koneko and Kiba, who had remained there for this discussion, although no one was under any illusions that Rias wouldn't tell them about what had happened. It was more because the two of them wouldn't have had much to contribute. Now they fell in beside their King and Queen, looking at their friends anxiously. Koneko even went so far as to nuzzle up against Rias, putting her arms around the taller redhead's waist.

However, the horrible night was not over just yet for Zeoticus and Venelana. For as the door shut behind their daughter and her friends, their son began to speak. "Now, about your punishments for this…"

As they walked through the mansion to the room where they had teleported in, Ranma spoke up hesitantly, "Um, I know this is a stupid question, but how are you feeling right now? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Akeno smiled at him, thumping her shoulder against his. "That's rather sweet, but I think at the moment, that all Rias and I want our to just get out of here, get back to Earth, and figure out how to move on from this."

"I will want to probably talk to you later, but right now, Akeno's right. Let's get back to Earth. Hopefully, the party's still going on, I feel a need to drink coming on me right now," Rias replied, her lips tight, and her body trembling with pent up emotions.

Unfortunately, by the time they returned to Earth, the party was breaking up. It was quite late after all, and they were all still extremely tired from their exertions of the day.

Sona looked at her friend and her peerage as they appeared, wondering what was going on, but at Rias is headshake, she decided not to inquire just yet. She and Momo were busy cleaning up, while Tsubaki had seen the two policemen to a local apartment that the peerages normally kept for visiting Devils, neither of them in any shape to go anywhere or drive at the moment.

Asia ran up to Ranma as soon as they walked out into the backyard, smiling supportively. "Are you all done with, well, with everything? She asked, looking at Rias with concern.

"We're done for now. Everything's been said that needs to be," Rias smiled wanly at the younger girl, returning the hug that Asia gave her with equal vigor. "I don't really want to talk about his right now, but everything went my way. It just the reasons behind everything that happened to me, and to Akeno are, they weren't worth it. Not from my perspective, anyway. It will take a while for us to work through everything mentally, I suppose you could say, but that's neither here and there. Still, we can at least move back into our mansion for the night and get out of your hair."

Seeing that Rias really didn't talk about what had happened, Asia changed the subject, pulling out of her hug with Rias. Ranma, taking his hand in hers. "Um, speaking of that, Gabriel and the exorcists told us they don't have enough money to pay for another night at a hotel and buy swimsuits. And it's so late already, I was wondering Ranma, if you would mind, that is I've already asked Auntie, and she said it was okay but…"

Sighing in resignation, Ranma nodded agreement, understanding that this was going. "Sure, we can swap one bunch of guests for another, I suppose."

"Thank you very much Ranma, we would not have wanted to impose on you if you did not allow it," Gabriel interjected, moving over to join them. "Although he might wish to impose on you for two nights rather than one."

"That's right," Issei exclaimed, thrusting his hand into the air, from where he and Saji had been storing some of the uneaten food in Tupperware. "Levi-tan decided to put me, Saji and Kiba in charge too! We're going to have to talk about what we think this competition should entail, Kiba. After all, this is for a popularity thing, not just who as the best…"

He trailed off, as Koneko raised a small but extremely powerful fist in his direction, glaring at him. "Don't you even think of finishing that sentence."

Issei grimaced, but complied, holding up his hand placatingly. "Right, right, no use of the true holy world word here."

"True holy word?" Gabriel blinked. "Whatever do you…"

"Don't ask lady Gabriel, just don't."

Laughing at their antics, Rias was feeling much better as she let her peerage off, with a final smile towards Ranma, who smiled back. Saeko too was standing next to them by that point, looking at Ranma and Rias thoughtfully, and Rias also nodded her away, getting a cordial not in return.

Saving the other girl's life had evidently cut through a lot of the growing tension between them about Ranma's affections. Whether or not that happy state would continue, she didn't know. Because I certainly am interested in him, and I am not going to back down! But I can take my time. I can wait. Serious stuff tonight, then fun stuff tomorrow.

OOOOOOO

Late that night, Ranma laid out on the rooftop of his house, having changed into his male form the instant they returned home. Laying out on the roof like this was a habit he had long formed when living with the Tendos, coming up to the roof to do his deep thinking. It cut down on the number of people that could interrupt him, allowing him to concentrate more than he could in his own room, or in this case, the still somewhat empty sitting room.

He was looking up at the night sky, thinking about the battle, about what he learned and seen. Mainly he was thinking about Vali, the guy in armor who had shown up at the end of the battle, claiming to be speaking for this Governor-General guy and how Ranma would go about fighting him in the future if need be. And Ranma rather thought he would. The guy just screamed combat junkie/rival to his instincts.

Beyond that, he was wondering how best to go about training himself to use the Jusenkyo magic. He didn't think that he could just pick and choose to somehow create the weapons of the spirits. No, he was wondering how best to use the raw magic energy that Jusenkyo represented. He instinctively knew that creating spells like that, which the Devils used would probably not work. Chaos magic seemed a little too wild for that kind of form to work. But perhaps something a little unstable? Something that is supposed to last only like a second? Or spells that don't keep their shape and whose effect I don't care about? Like if I put down a trap on the floor or something, or create what are they called in fantasy, runes? By create a single room and imbue it with a single momentary meaning? Maybe that could work better.

His musings on this were interrupted by the young woman who had helped him to get in touch with this esoteric connection alighting on the rooftop nearby. "Still awake?"

"Thinking deep thoughts," Ranma quipped, pushing himself upright, smiling somewhat at her. "Have you been grappling with yours?"

"Yes and no. Akeno and I, and indeed the rest of my peerage, are still dealing with the emotional fallout of these revelations. That is going to take a while. But, I suppose you could say that I was already prepared to cut ties with my family thanks to the whole Riser situation. When the compulsions were removed, any inhibition I might've felt in that direction disappeared with them. No, I'm thinking more about the future and wanted to see if you had any advice for me."

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, you know. And I have never been all that good at giving advice. Heck, it's only been since I met Asia that people have been asking me for any," Ranma warned.

"Or taking it either, I suspect. Still, given the fact that it was you and seeing you in action, which gave me the impetus to start training, and helped me to realize Akeno and I had compulsion spells on us in the first place, I wanted to see what you thought I should do. I have always thought that I wanted to become as strong as my brother, the strongest clan head of my family that it ever existed. But now I find myself ambivalence towards that idea. I still want to become strong, the recent battle is shown that it will be a necessity going forward. But my reasoning for that strength is changed."

"From becoming just the strongest ever to becoming strong enough to protect your friends and family?" Ranma guessed shrewdly.

"Exactly. So while becoming stronger is going to still be important, it is not my long term goal. Nor is it my short-term goal any longer, that was getting out of my engagement with Riser. All of that plus the revelations about my family have left me sort of adrift," Rias confessed. "Beyond getting stronger, I just don't know where to go from here."

"This is not going to be helpful," Ranma warned. When Rias laughed at that, he went on. "I was sort of in the same situation at one point. I didn't really have a goal beyond getting stronger. Honestly speaking, in a way, I still don't. But like you, my reason for becoming stronger is changed. I also allowed my old man to really control my long-term goals for the longest time, my long-term thinking. So I can kind of see where you are coming from. But let me ask you this: what makes you happy? What would you want to do if you didn't have any obligations? Without that long term goal of becoming the strongest head of your family, how are you going to define yourself? I define myself as a martial artist, and everything else is secondary to that. What about you?"

The answer came instantly. "The head of my family, the head of my small family that is, Akeno, Koneko, Gasper and Kiba. That's part of how I define myself. An anime otaku is another way. And I suppose you could say that that will continue. I could no more leave Akeno and the others than they could me."

"What would I do if I didn't have any obligations?" Rias frowned, thinking about it. "That's another question that would never have occurred to me with the compulsions on me. But now, maybe buy every anime in existence? Beyond that…"

She was silent for a moment, just staring at Ranma, then began to smile widely, as she leaned forward, her face alight with a sudden idea I want to see the world! I want to explore old legends and mysteries, I want to see different places have adventures like you have been to talk about since I met you!"

Ranma laughed at that, and Rias did the same. "Then you have both your long-term and short-term goals, don't you? Become stronger, defend your friends, and go on adventures. Sounds awfully familiar to me," he quipped, winking at her.

"Except you already of had adventures, whereas I, outside of a few here and there and the issues which have occurred since you showed up, haven't. That is going to change," Rias promised herself. "My peerage and I will continue to train, to continue to grow, and if that can't occur just staying here in Kuoh, then there is a whole wild world out there for us to explore."

She smiled at Ranma, and something about that smile was different from the ones that she had used since she had landed on the roof. It was softer somehow, more feminine, bringing more attention to her lips in a way that Ranma could not easily understand. "Thank you for putting everything into perspective for me, Ranma. I was a lot of help. Will we see you tomorrow at the beach for the swimsuit competition?"

"I might not take part, but I'll be there for sure. It should be a lot of fun. Kasumi and Asia are also going to be there, although I don't know if my mom is coming. But I won't be traveling with you, I'll have to meet with the police again. I think after everything that has happened."

Rias fought back a grimace at the reminder that the humans knew what had been going on, and about the supernatural world in general. She had forgotten to tell her brother about that and hoped that Serafall was preparing a report about it. But that wasn't Rias' problem. Right now, she had other priorities. "In that case, I will see you there." Without warning, she swooped down, kissing Ranma lightly on the cheek right next to his mouth. "Have a nice night, Ranma. Sweet dreams." With that, she pulled away, her wings appearing on her back as she moved to the edge of the roof.

Watching as Rias flew off into the night Ranma tried, he really tried not to let his eyes wander down her back. He failed, but only for a moment, thankfully. He had his eyes fully under control again before he became aware that someone else had climbed up onto the roof. "Um, are you going to object to the kiss?" he wondered, trying to fight down his flight instincts, hardcoded into his being after Nerima, to run away from moments like this.

Behind Ranma, there was a swish of long hair against cotton as Saeko moved to sit beside him, her teeth visible in the light of a city in a smile. "I will rarely object to some other girl simply kissing you on the cheek, Ranma. While I am as aware of Rias' ulterior motive as you are, that seemed more heartfelt than flirtatious. Nor will I ever punish you for the actions of others." Her hand slipped into his, and Saeko leaned her head against Ranma's shoulder, staring out into the nighttime sky of the city around them. "I realize why you think I would, but I hope to eventually train you out of your Nerima-indoctrination."

"Heh, thanks," Ranma leaned his head to the side, smiling as he breathed in Saeko's shampoo, some kind of floral thing that was almost heady to her senses. "How are you doing?"

"I…" Saeko sighed, pausing, unable to continue, thankful that they were talking about this at night so that she wouldn't have to see Ranma's face as she spoke. "I lost myself in that fight. We have talked about my, my sadistic tendencies, my love of violence. But it really came to the fore in that battle. I, Rias saved my life, did she mention that? Or Asia? She healed me."

Ranma slowly shook his head, one arm going around Saeko, pulling her into a hug with an arm around her waist. "No, though, given how many other people Asia apparently had to heal, it probably didn't register. But you're fine now, right?"

"Physically, yes," Saeko replied with a somewhat sad little chuckle. "But it was worse by far than my fight with that exorcist who went after Asia. I hadn't even realized I was bleeding, I was enjoying cutting the Fallen down so much, it was almost orgasmic. Then suddenly, I had no energy left and was falling to the ground. The Fallen would've finished me then and there if not for Rias coming upon me at the right moment."

Ranma's arms tightened enough that a normal woman might have been in pain, but Saeko simply smiled and returned the gesture. "I wish I could help ya more with this Saeko. I mean, I know about losing yourself in a fight. Heck, I even know about going full berserko in a fight. But, but anything I say will sound trite. 'Don't lose yourself like that,' 'you're a better person' and all that. But you should know that last bit, and we've both heard the first too many times before."

Saeko giggled but then sobered, her eyes glittering with emotion as Ranma went on. "But the best thing I can say, I guess, is I'm just here for you. I'm never going to look down on ya, I'm never going to turn you away, Saeko Busujima. You're way too important to me for that kind of crap."

Even if he didn't say the word love, Saeko heard it anyway and hugged Ranma all the tighter as he continued. "Just… please work on it, okay? Because sometime in a fight, there won't be someone around to save you. And I don't want to see that happen."

Nodding Saeko didn't reply verbally, just taking pleasure in Ranma's words and his arms around her. Then, slowly, reluctantly, Saeko pulled away. She stood up, then leaned back down, kissing Ranma very lightly on the lips. "Thank you for that, Ranma. At this point, I think that is all I wanted to hear." In the light of the city all around them, Ranma saw her smile, then she was gone, her scent lingering in his nostrils for a moment as she hopped off the roof, landing without a sound below.

Ranma was still wondering if he'd done enough there, or indeed, what else he could have said to help Saeko when a new voice interrupted his musing. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Ranma?"

"Dammit, is this like my night for serious conversations or something?" Ranma grumbled.

Gabriel paused, blinking her eyes at him from where she had just leaped up onto the roof. "I'm sorry?"

At her honest look of confusion, Ranma's irritation left him, and with a laugh, he hopped to his feet, bowing grandly, one arm sweeping to the side. He knew what this conversation at least was going to be about, and it had nothing to do with emotions, so he was quite happy to see Gabby rather than any of the others.

"Nevermind. The room is yours, milady. Have a seat."

Understanding that he was trying to make a joke, but not having enough context to understand it, Gabriel smiled as she followed his suggestion, sitting across from Ranma to look him in the eyes. As Ranma sat down as well, she began without any preamble. "The sword you wielded against Kokabiel, where did it come from?"

"The same place as my curse," Ranma replied. "Um, Rias calls Jusenkyo the largest source of Chaotic Magic in the world. Do you…"

Gabriel nodded quickly, her face twisting in memory. "Oh yes, I know the area of China that is called Jusenkyo these days. Do you know that place's history?"

"Yeah, from the words of those spirits that are trapped there," Ranma winced.

"Trapped there along with the vast amount of magical potential that their spirits represent, and, and…" even now more than a thousand years later, Gabriel couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. And the magical power released when God died. "Can I ask you how you got the sword? I mean, I am happy, giddy really, that you gave it to me. But even if you say that you received it from the spirit of Raquel, that still leaves a lot more questions.

"Erm, I don't think that you need to worry about me bringing out more weapons or whatever. I think that was a one-time thing. Raquel and I, we've got a kind of connection, I suppose you could say. As to how…"

Ranma explained to Gabby about how Rias had sensed the link between Ranma and Jusenkyo thanks to his curse and had been trying to help him gain control of his curse. From there, he described how he had mentally connected to that link, following it back to its source and coming into contact with the Archangel of Justice and Balance first.

"Tell me more about what you spoke of in there," Gabby ordered her tone coming very close to being challenging almost, but certainly authoritative. "And what happened during the battle? From your description, there is little chance of you having already mastered that connection enough to call upon it to that extent, even with you and Brother Raquel sharing certain beliefs."

Normally Ranma might've been annoyed by her tone, but considering the current topic, he decided to just go with it and answer her question. That, and it's almost impossible for me to be annoyed with Gabby. It's like being annoyed with Kasumi or Asia, like being annoyed at purple for being cute and huggable. Mind you, Gabby ain't just cute, and she was just this side of terrifying when she unlocked her real power, but the feeling is still the same.

"Well, no, that wasn't planned at all. During my first contact with Cuckoo-Koka, the spirits of the springs were so riled up it was impacting my concentration during the fight, in particular my ability to call up my ki. Then when I broke off contact with the crazy bas…um, guy," he hastily amending Kasumi, it was impossible to even think about cursing in front of Gabby, "when he punted me through a window, I meditated for a second, staring at myself in the mirror. Only instead of sending my thoughts inward, I kinda got dragged there…"

From there, Ranma went on to explain his meeting with the spirits inhabiting the area known as Jusenkyo. Gabriel hissed like an angry kettle when Ranma told her he had met Lucifer, one finger tapping quickly at her side where her sword would lie. But she waited until after he had finished speaking, seeming to need to regain her self-control.

And when she spoke, her voice was cool, yet contained within its depths an amount of disgust it nearly made Ranma flinch despite the words spoken. "The Prince of lies is well named. Looking back on it, I have to wonder if Lucifer ever truly loved God, as he seemed to claim, or if his lies began in the realm of self-delusion. There is a difference between love and obsession is there not?"

Ranma chuckled dryly, remembering a certain crazy martial arts rhythmic gymnastics user of his acquaintance. "Yeah, I'd say so."

"Exactly. And obsession can easily be turned to hate. Especially when a favored son is remonstrated with. The fact he falls into hate for the parent afterward is not to be wondered at. Anything he says to you, examine closely. Do not assume anything he says should be taken at face value. I can well understand his hatred for Kokabiel, but he will have his own agenda, even as a spirit. And even as a spirit Ranma," she said earnestly, laying one hand on his lower leg and leaning forward to give her words more impact. "He will have power. Do not seek him out, whatever you do, no matter how deeply you delve into your connection with Jusenkyo."

Ranma just nodded at that, and Gabriel leaned backward, asking about the other spirits.

When he mentioned the spirit of the angel of justice, Gabriel smiled fondly, shaking her head. "It is nice to hear Raquel's name once more. It has been so long since he fell."

"Er, you're not sad or angry that I can speak to him like this, and you can't, are you?" Ranma questioned.

She chuckled at that shaking her head. "No, I am not. Not sad at all, really."

"You're going to have to explain that to me," Ranma replied, his brows burrowing in confusion.

Gabriel shook her head. "They lived, they died. I will not mourn the manner of their death, but not the fact they passed. I will remember them as they were alive, but I will not allow my memories of that time to weigh me down in the present."

"That's a really optimistic viewpoint," Ranma replied, scratching his head. "Not certain I could do the same in your place if I lost so many comrades."

"There is no reason you should. You are mortal. I am not," Gabriel answered with a shrug. "I was born from my Holy Father's Light, your race was made in his image. It should not surprise you that our thought processes are different as well."

Ranma nodded, then jerked his chin towards the edge of the rooftop, deciding to move on to the next person, or in this case, persons who wished to talk to him. "So, are you and those two going to be leaving tomorrow?"

Gabriel blinked, then turned her attention in the same direction, only to find Irina and Xenovia clinging to the edge of the rooftop like spiders. "…That must be most uncomfortable, you two. Pull yourselves up and come say what you wish to say."

"Actually, I think we've been hanging here a little too long for that," Irina began, sounding halfway between hysteric, and apologetic. "We might need some help here."

Laughing, Ranma hopped to his feet, then bounded over in one swift movement. "Yeah, clinging like that for an extended time is an acquired skill, you have to know how to basically set your arm, just enough, think of them as if they were rubber and then just sort of ignore your own weight almost."

"That makes no sense," Irina grumped as she found herself lifted easily into the air by one of Ranma's hands, blushing slightly at the sheer strength Ranma exhibited so naturally in almost everything he did. And he's supposed to be a human? If that's the case, then what the heck were our trainers wasting time doing?! Wait, that's not why we're here, concentrate on the problem in front of you, Irina.

She and Xenovia were set on their feet on the rooftop, and Ranma looked at them quizzically. "You here to talk to Gabby or to me?"

Gabriel smiled at the nickname now, having gotten used to Ranma's attitude. She found his irreverence somewhat off-putting, yet his honesty shone through, and she rather liked that. Then too, most would have been hesitant to tell someone not allied with them so much about his powers. That was quite nice as well, as was his giving me Raquel's sword.

"No, er, we would like to talk to both of you because it is something that you almost confirmed for us during that battle that Kokabiel taunted us with. And we need lady Gabriel to tell us it is wrong," Irina began after she composed herself. "During the battle, Kokabiel, he taunted us by saying that God was dead, that everything that happened since the Holy War was not from him but someone else. And then Ranma, you arrived, shouting how he had stabbed God in the back. But that cannot be, can it? How can God die?!"

Gabriel winced while Ranma scratched at his pigtail, not having realized that the two of them had heard them. At the time, he'd been in taunting mode, all guns blazing.

But Gabriel would not lie, that was not in her. She was the Archangel of the Message, and how could she spread God's message if she was willing to lie if it suited her? Further, these two had fought beside her, had earned her trust and her affection. I am sorry Michael, I know this will cause trouble, but I refuse to lie for a lie, no matter how important the original lie might be. Although that doesn't mean I cannot cough the truth in the best manner possible. "I cannot, unfortunately, deny that. It has long been a point of contention between Michael and I that the Faithful are not told the truth of God's demise against Kokabiel the twice-accursed."

Both Irina and Xenovia stiffened, looking shocked beyond belief to have their worries proven correct. But Gabriel kept speaking at first in a level, calm tone as she looked at them. But her tone began to change as the subject shifted, becoming edged with near-bottomless grief and fervor in equal measure.

"Indeed, every side of the conflict has kept that a secret. Even the Fallen. None wished to admit that bald truth, simply for the respect God's actions won that day from all on that battlefield. He turned back the Beast, the dread thing that Lilith awoke in a fit of pique, held it, sealed it away, using nearly all of his strength. For one moment, one shining moment, all three sides of our war were united in thanks to God for that deliverance."

"It didn't last. Word soon spread that a Fallen had slain God in his moment of weakness. And the battle, the horrible clash continued, with our side losing. Even filled with righteous fury, we had lost God. We, we could not… that loss, it weakened our position even as a desire do try and bring his killer to justice gave our arms strength. I, I personally cannot remember how many high-ranking Devils or Fallen I killed that day, yet it was not enough. We lost Father and were forced to fall back to the walls of heaven. There we stood at bay, ready to sell our lives dearly. But our enemies had also taken too many losses, and, unable to work together, could not finish the war. They too retreated to lick their wounds, and so the War ended with no clear winner."

Irina and Xenovia were silent during this explanation, their imaginations using Gabriel's words to create the scene as she spoke about that battle and its aftermath. The spell lasted for a few silent seconds after she finished, but when it broke, Irina looked like she was ready to cry, while Xenovia was angry. Very angry. "So God really is dead? Then, then what have we been doing all this time! Who have we been praying to for all this time!? Why would we believe anything else the church tells us!?"

In the face of this angry shout, Gabriel remained calm, simply cocking her head to one side as she stared at the taller of the two exorcists. "Michael, Lord General of the Armies of Light, was forced to take the place of God at the center of Heaven, it is he who has heard your prayers and those of the faithful. Does that mean that your faith is falsely given, that Michael hears them rather than God?"

"Yes!" Xenovia shouted, standing up abruptly and beginning to pace the roof. "All my life, I have been told that the church upholds the righteous, that everything we do is in the name of God and therefore right! Now you tell me that very foundation is a lie! That nothing I have been told is true that everything I have done is only for, for the edifice of the church, for heaven itself! So that a lie so that his false message can propagate itself in the minds of humanity!?"

"Do not dare say that to me!" Gabriel shouted in response, leaping to her own feet and staring Xenovia down, aided by the fact that neither exorcist had heard her raise her voice before. The impact, even without calling upon her holy powers, was extreme, and Xenovia stumbled to her rear, nearly sliding off the roof if not for a quick gab of her shoulder by Ranma. "Yes, our Holy Father passed on from this plain on that horrible day. Yes, we kept it a secret. Do not dare to think we did so for our own-self-aggrandizement! It was necessary to keep the Fallen and the Devils at the time from simply wiping us out and ruling humanity as kings, which all too many of them wanted to do at the time."

She went on, her voice now becoming a hiss. "And do not dare to say to me, the Herald of God, that his absence makes his message false. That message has never changed. Yes, there are dark things in this world, evils that must be fought. But Father's teachings were never about hate. They were about the freedom of choice and defending ourselves against those dark forces. And redemption, coming into the light from the dark."

After a moment, Gabriel breathed in, calming down. "Do you know when we first arrived that I used my heavenly voice?" Both exorcists nodded, somewhat cowed now in the face of Gabriel's flash of anger. "Then, you noticed that it did not have much effect."

They blinked at that, and Gabriel sighed. "My Voice should have caused the Devils more than a bit of pain. I was not happy to find them in Asia's presence, not having realized they had become friends. The one who should have been in most pain was Rias, a pureblood devil who can trace her lineage back to the original Devils summoned into this world by Lucifer from the Void. A creature supposedly, of untold darkness. And yet, what happened? She barely felt a twinge."

Gabriel waved her hand in the direction Rias had left in. "And look at how they have become. A pureblood devil who would rather act as humans would, here in the human world, who is willing to befriend someone like Asia, rather than try to twist her or the other humans around them to her own designs. Our Holy Father gave you humans far more in the way of imagination than us, far more of His creative spark, along with the ability to choose, His most precious gift. And because of that, as they have had to become working societies, Fallen and Devils have become more human. In so doing, they have grown beyond their origins, grown into the Light." She smiled brightly, her teeth gleaming in the city's lights. "If that is not a sign that despite his passing, Our Holy Father's message, his work, is still prevalent in this world, still worth your faith, I do not know what could be."

Both exorcists still looked hurt and confused, and Gabriel's smile changed, becoming more gentle as she reached out with a tender hand to touch their cheeks. "Your Faith is not misplaced. Despite the lie, it was based on, you cannot solely look at the ills the church has done, you must also look at the good. Despite your understandable anger, despite your personal emotions about what you have been told, remember this: you still have a choice, his most amazing gift to you. Take your new doubt, take your new freedom and build your own faith."

Irina began to nod, thinking about it, and deciding that, despite not liking having been lied to, she could understand why. Xenovia still looked angry, but she was also calmer now. "We, we need to think about this. I, I do not know if I can still follow the orders of the Church, knowing this. I, you're right that just because God is gone does not mean that all his teachings should also be discarded. But the fact that our prayers have gone nowhere, that fallible man has been the real source of so many decisions? We need to think about this."

"Right. I mean, we understand why it was kept, why it has to be kept now. But… but so much else has also been proven false, I don't know where to begin to, to rebuild my faith," Irina added, looking lost now.

"Can I say something?" Ranma interjected. All three of them turned, having forgotten he was there, something that annoyed Ranma somewhat since he had been up here first, darn it. "Whatever ya do, you two should stay together, and if you decide you don't want to strike out on your own. Gabby here is an Archangel and thus above the church's rules. But if they decide that you know too much, I can't put it above…"

"I will take them under my personal protection, never fear. I was unable to do that with Asia, her so-called sin being too great and the decision against her too fast. But I can protect them from any reprisals from those who wish to keep Father's death a secret," Gabriel replied. "Stay with the church or not, that protection will keep you safe from such."

"I think we will probably stay with the church, at least for the short term. It's all we've known. Neither of us could look after ourselves very well. If nothing else, this adventure has shown us that. And we do still have our vows to return the Excalibur fragments. Whatever our feelings on the lie, our oaths were given honorably on that score. But beyond that, we will have to see. Thank you for being so honest with us, Lady Gabriel. We will see you tomorrow."

"Heh, yep, you all are apparently involved in this Swimsuit competition that Serafall wanted to organize, right?" Ranma answered as Irena and Xenovia turned to go.

Grateful to have a serious discussion set aside for now, Gabriel nodded equably. "Yes, it should be most interesting. I've never taken part in such competition before, so I honestly have no idea what to expect."

"Expect the unexpected, that's all I'm going to say," Ranma's laugh cut off into a yawn, and he waved his hands atGabby. "Now, get off my roof, or I'll start charging by the hour."

End Chapter

SO yeah, you all can probably see that this chapter should have continued, LOL. But hey, at least this way I can make the next chapter be almost entirely based on comedy after all this drama. Anyway, hope this will stave off your hunger until I update FILFy sometime this month.