"You will never know true peace…" The defeated monster proclaimed, smiling a bloody, fanged grin, eyes glowing ominously. "Not due to a curse, not due to fate, not due to some malevolent manipulation. Ever will you know conflict, with few, brief moments of respite, because of what you are." It laughed mockingly as it got closer to death.

"And what is that?" Issei asked quietly as he waited for the thing to finally die.

"Whatever you were before, you are a champion now. A champion of humanity." It continued, wanting to make sure Issei understood what it was saying before it finally ceased to be. "One that tries to do the right thing, even for those not under your aegis, such as the gods and demons you've encountered on your travels. And that means, you will never find rest, till either you or humanity end." It's awful grin grew in size. "I can't decide which option I prefer."

Issei aimed his gun at the creature's face, having enough and ready to speed it on to its destined afterlife. "Either way, you won't be around to see it." The monster laughed at his words, only stopping once Issei pulled the trigger and ended its life.

Issei opened his eyes as he woke from the memory, gazing up at the ceiling of his room, seeing the early morning light making its way through the curtains. He took a deep breath before letting it out, the last prophetic words of the thing ringing in his mind. More than he had at the moment they'd been spoken to him, he knew they were the truth now. "Break's over…" He said quietly into the morning stillness.

"Mmm… What did you say, master?" The woman laying beside him, her nude body pressed tightly against his, murmured as she woke, her perfect form shifting and letting him feel her silky skin as it rubbed against his rough, scarred body. She looked up at him drowsily from where her head had been laying on his shoulder, blonde hair tousled attractively as her gorgeous green eyes opened to see him looking down at her.

"It's nothing, Elena." He said softly, taking care not to wake Bell, who was sleeping on a pillow he'd arranged as a bed for her on his desk.

Elena hummed and nuzzled his chest lovingly, kissing one of his scars before resting her chin on his body to continue looking up at him. "You sure? You feel tense. And not in the normal, fun way." He hand snaked down his body and under the sheets, and she smiled wickedly as she took hold of something hard. "Well, not just in that way…"

Issei chuckled lightly. "Just thinking that, considering the recent attack by the fallen and our introduction to the local devils, our time away from any combat is probably coming to an end soon, if it hasn't already."

Elena frowned. "Most likely, yes." She kissed his chest again, lightly nibbling on one of his nipples as the hand under the sheets began to move. "I highly doubt it's anything to worry about, though. I don't think anything we might face here could match what we've already fought. We can handle it."

"Don't get complacent." He told her sternly even as he enjoyed her actions. "We haven't survived this long by underestimating our enemies."

"Yes sir." She said, chastised. She glanced over at the clock and smiled. "It's still pretty early..." She began to slide down his body, making sure to rub her ample chest against it as she did. "Let me help you relax before you have to get up…" She disappeared under the covers, which promptly began bobbing up and down.

Issei chuckled and closed his eyes as he relaxed, enjoying himself while he could.

Later that day Issei had decided to take a walk through town, something he hadn't done that often due to worrying about Rias' familiar following him everywhere he went. Now that they had an understanding he felt more relaxed about leaving the house, especially since he could let his friends out as well.

He especially wanted to re-familiarize himself with the town in case he needed to fight in it. In his experience it was best to know the terrain you were going to do battle in, and while he'd lived in Kuoh most of his life, his time away had dulled some of his memories.

He was passing one of the local parks when he saw a girl in front of him trip and fall with a cry, the skirt of her dress flying up to reveal pristine white panties.

Even as he memorized the enjoyable sight and thanked his luck that he'd gotten to see it he made his way around in front of the girl as she began getting up, offering his hand to help her. "Are you alright, miss?" He said, not revealing his surprise at the fact that he was currently speaking Italian. He hadn't expected to need his language skill so soon, but the fact that it kicked in automatically meant this girl must be foreign.

When she looked up at him and blinked slightly teary green eyes he saw he was right, her blonde hair and pretty features telling him she was likely European. Considering the language he was speaking it was a safe bet to say she was indeed Italian.

Then he took in the rest of her outfit, which consisted of a nun's habit, a white veil, some simple boots, and a silver cross. That told him all he needed to know.

"Ah, thank you very much." She said sweetly as she took his hand and got to her feet, showing that she was almost a head shorter than Issei was. "You're… speaking Italian, sir?" She asked hopefully once she'd brushed her dress off.

"It's a skill I've picked up, Sister." He said with a smile, slightly surprised she hadn't reacted to his scars beyond a slight widening of her eyes..

"Then, could you maybe help me, sir? I'm a bit lost, and I've had a lot of trouble in this country because I don't speak Japanese that well yet…" She said with a small bow.

"Of course." Issei said gently, already liking this girl a lot. She seemed very nice and innocent, a rarity for him after what he'd experienced during his time away.

"Thank you very much!" She said, delightedly clapping her hands. "This must be a sign from the Lord." She put her hands together and bowed her head as she uttered a brief prayer in thanks. "Oh Lord, thank you for allowing me to meet such a nice man when I was in need. Amen." She then looked up at him, not noticing the way his smile turned sad for a moment before he cleared that away. "Ah, anyway, I'm looking for the local church. I've been assigned there and need to meet with the priest. Can you give me directions?"

"I'll do better than that." He said with a smile. "I'll lead you there myself." With that he turned and gestured for her to come with him.

"Thank you very much!" She said again, quickly falling into step just slightly beside him. "You're very kind."

"It's the least I can do for someone in need." He looked at her as they walked. "My name is Hyoudou Issei."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Issei. I'm Asia Argento… I mean, it's Argento Asia here, right? That means it's Mr. Hyoudou, or Hyoudou-san..." She said, shyly and carefully testing the foreign words on her tongue.

"It's fine." He said, waving her embarrassment off. "Feel free to call me Ise. I don't mind."

"Thank you." She said brightly. "Then please, call me Asia."

"Alright, Asia." He cocked his head slightly. "I'm surprised to hear you've been assigned to the old church. Nobody's looked after it since the last priest left about a decade ago. It's in a pretty sorry state."

"I see." Asia said. "Well, I was told to come here to tend to it. I don't know too much else, Ise...um...san."

Figuring he shouldn't bother telling her not to add the suffix since she seemed to be determined to get it right he instead continued on. "Well, you're going to have your work cut out for you." He smiled at her. "But you seem like a diligent young lady."

"Thank you!" She said again with a happy smile.

As they walked they chatted about things such as how Asia was liking Japan. However Issei briefly paused when he noticed something dark flying not too far away at speed, too large to be a bird. His eyes narrowed but he turned his attention back to Asia before she noticed.

Eventually they reached the old church, which true to Issei's word looked like it had seen better days. The grass was overgrown, the walls had cracks and damage, and the trees surrounding it looked rather ominous. "Well, here it is."

Asia bowed to Issei, a bit too deeply in his estimation, and smiled widely up at him. "Thank you for all your help, Ise-san." She fidgeted a bit, blushing lightly. "Um, would you like to come in and have some tea?"

Issei smiled gently in gratitude. "Some other time, Asia. I have something I need to do now that I've helped you out." At her disappointed look he patted her head. "But I'll stop by some other time to see how you're settling in and we can have some then, okay?"

"Okay!" Asia chirped. She turned and began to walk towards the church. "Have a nice day, Ise-san!"

Issei waved back as she left and, once she had disappeared into the church, walked away before slipping among some trees where he wouldn't be seen. "Gingko."

From among the trees flew what appeared to be a fairy, smaller than Bell, that looked like a young girl with crimson skin and green eyes. She had a lovely face, with some white markings, her black hair tied by some gold tassels. She wore a white chinese outfit that clung to her form and had long sleeves but revealed all of her legs, and had gorgeous multi-colored butterfly wings on her back.

She let out a chirp that sounded like the most beautiful birdsong, waiting for instructions.

"Keep an eye on Asia, the girl I just escorted here. Don't let yourself be seen. If you there's any trouble, come get me as fast as you can. Don't put yourself in danger, though. You're not a fighter." When she nodded in understanding he sighed. "I don't know what it is, but…" He glanced back at the church. "Something seems off."

Gingko chirped again before flying deeper into the trees near the church. Satisfied that Asia would be safe enough, Issei began making his way back into town, intent on hunting down the figure he saw.

The next morning Issei yawned as he made his way to school. Unfortunately his search for what he thought was the fallen angel that attacked him had proved fruitless, the trail cold after the time he'd spent escorting Asia. Not that he regretted helping the kind nun one bit, he just hoped that the situation wouldn't come back to bite him.

He was taking a detour to school as the city was performing some roadword along his usual route when he was surprised by a familiar voice. "Well now, this is a surprise. Good morning, Hyoudou-kun."

He turned to find Rias and Akeno walking in his direction, apparently taking the same route to school. "Good morning Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai." He fell into step with them easily after a brief glance at their chests. "How are you doing? No further trouble?"

"None except for a Stray Devil that we had to deal with a couple of nights ago." Rias said idly with a smile. "And yourself?"

"No more attacks so far." He said as he smiled back, briefly wondering what she was talking about before he remembered the explanation she and Sona had given him. "Bell and the others are very happy not to be stuck in the house anymore."

"Will we be meeting any of these other friends of yours at some point?" Akeno asked with interest.

"Probably. Most of them are busy exploring and seeing what Kuoh has to offer, but you might see them around. I've made sure to tell them not to make any trouble, but if they cause any you can come to me and I'll discipline them."

"That's good to hear, thank you." Rias said with a nod as she brushed some hair out of her face. "Hopefully this fallen angel situation will be resolved soon. Neither I nor Sona want them in our territory any longer than necessary, since they seem intent on causing trouble that could reignite tensions."

"Well, I thought I spotted one flying around town yesterday afternoon, but I lost them when I went looking due to some… distractions." He said as they neared the school.

Akeno looked at him in amusement. "Was she pretty?" She asked wryly as Rias shook her head with a smile.

"Very much so." Issei responded unrepentantly as they walked through the school gate, much to the shock of the student population, who couldn't believe that the two most popular girls in the entire school would deign to associate with him.

The courtyard went quiet for a few moments as everyone processed the sight of the three of them walking together and apparently chatting amiably. Then the whispers and mutters began.

"What the fuck!?"

"Nooo, what is happening!?"

"Gremory-sama, Himejima-sama, get away from that scum!"

"How dare he sully them with his presence!"

"Y-you don't think he did something to them, do you?"

"If he did, I'll kill him!"

Issei sighed in irritation as Akeno 'Ufufu'd behind her hand in amusement at the reactions they'd caused. He turned to the two girls, smiling with a tinge of exasperated amusement. "Well, I'll talk to you later, I suppose."

"I look forward to it." Rias said with a smile of her own, waving goodbye as Issei made his way to the main school building, easily ignoring the death glares and shocked looks sent his way.

"How did you do it!?" Matsuda yelled in Issei's face as lunchtime rolled around.

Issei looked up from his bento, annoyed at the loud interruption of his meal by his fellow pervert. "How did I do what?"

"How did you get the Two Great Onee-samas to spend time with you like that this morning?" Motohama asked, adjusting his glasses anxiously.

Issei closed his eyes and counted to ten, pushing down his irritation at his friends' dramatics. "I didn't do anything. They happened to be walking on the same route I was on the way to school today and we talked. That's all."

"LIAR!" screamed Matsuda again. "We know you did something! There's no other explanation!"

"C'mon Ise, why won't you tell us?" Motohama cajoled pleadingly. "If whatever you did worked on the Onee-samas, it'll definitely work on other girls. This could be our chance!"

The girls in class were looking at them with disgust as they listened to the conversation, if it could be called that. "Ugh, like anything they did could get them within ten feet of a girl." "I'd rather be a lesbian than let myself be touched by them."

"Shut up!" Matsuda screamed at them as he whirled around. "Or I'll rape you with my mind!"

Within half a second the temperature in the classroom seemed to drop twenty degrees. Matsuda's eyes barely had time to widen as he felt a murderous aura spring up from behind him before Issei grabbed him by the throat and made him look him in the eyes, which were hard and flinty. "What have I told you…" He began softly and slowly, making the rest of the class shudder. "…about threatening to do something like that to a girl in front of me?"

Matsuda was shaking, blue in the face from fear. Motohama nervously put a hand on Issei's arm, despite shaking slightly as well from the murderous aura Issei seemed to be emanating. "Let him go, Ise. You know he didn't mean it. It's just something he says."

Issei scowled before letting the former jock drop, making him fall on his ass, shaking with fear. "That's not something you threaten anybody with, even if you don't mean it. Got it?" He hissed as Matsuda nodded frantically.

Everybody looked at Issei warily, though the girls were slightly appreciative. Nobody knew why the subject of rape was such a hot button issue for Issei now, but ever since his return he had a zero tolerance policy on it, even from his former friends. There were many theories, but most of them were too dark and uncomfortable for the students to discuss them openly, and nobody was brave enough to simply walk up and ask, even Aika, who usually didn't seem to have any filter or hesitation.

Issei scowled as he looked around at his nervous classmates and picked up his bento before getting up and making his way out of the classroom. "I need some air."

Nobody said a thing, simply witching him leave as Matsuda gasped for breath after what felt to him like a near death experience.

That night Issei was heading to a convenience store not too far from his house. The sun had set not long before, and the streets were pretty quiet.

He was mostly trying to alleviate his boredom. Bell had left the house to explore Kuoh, taking advantage of the end of her house arrest as much as she could, and having sex with one of his other girls, while appealing, wasn't what he needed at the moment after the memories the little event during his school lunch break had brought up.

He was about to reach the convenience store when he paused, sensing something approaching. Turning he found Gingko flying towards him, looking anxious, something that immediately had him on edge. When she reached him she started trilling rapidly, gesturing in the direction she'd come from.

Issei immediately nodded seriously, eyes hard. "Lead me to her."

Gingko immediately turned and began flying along the streets, making sure the running Issei could keep up with her. As they moved Issei prepared himself for a fight, something he was a bit out of practice with after months of inactivity save for the fallen's attack. Still, his current self should be enough to deal with whatever was menacing Asia.

When he turned a corner he was surprised to see somebody he knew walking in the same direction he was running. "Himejima-senpai?"

The beautiful devil turned, surprised to see him running toward her, apparently following a little red fairy. "Hyoudou-kun? What's wrong?" She asked when she saw how serious he looked.

"I set Gingko here to watch over someone I met yesterday, and she's telling me they're in trouble." He said quickly, said fairy chirping in agreement.

Akeno became serious as well and sped up to keep pace with him as he resumed running. "Indeed? I'm out because we've lost contact with one of our clients and can't teleport to their location."

Issei grimaced. "It might be a coincidence, but…"

"It is exceedingly unlikely, yes." Akeno said with a nod as they followed the fairy. "I believe we're getting close to the client's home."

Sure enough they soon reached a modest house in a normal neighborhood. The fact that Gingko was pointing towards it let them know they were in the right place.

Issei entered first, his eyes searching for any threats. Akeno, entering behind him, was struck by how much he moved like a warrior entering unknown, potentially hostile territory, much like the veteran fighters she'd seen in the Rating Games she'd studied. She revised her estimation of his combat abilities upwards a few notches.

As they walked through the house the strong scent of blood filled their nostrils. They glanced at each other, knowing they were both preparing to find something ugly. "Stay close, Gingko." Issei said quietly, prompting the small girl to hold onto the back of his jacket and press tight to him as she looked around nervously.

It was as they arrived in the living room that they found who they assumed was the owner of the house.

A corpse was nailed to the wall upside down, in a mockery of a crucifixion. The body was covered in slash marks, and blood was pooled on the ground, still fresh, showing this couldn't have happened long ago. On the wall words were written in blood accusing the deceased of consorting with devils.

Akeno approached the body to examine it, face serious, while Issei looked around carefully, keeping an eye out for clues on the identity of the killer as Gingko clung to his back even closer.

"This was recent." Akeno said, peering at the body. "Very recent. I'd say we were only a few minutes too late." She began setting up a communication mandala. "I should contact Buchou and let her know-" She was interrupted by a grunt of pain and the quick, panicked twitter of birdsong, whirling around to find Issei's arm a few inches from her head, blood dripping from a hole that had been punched into it. It only took her an instant to realize that he had intercepted an attack that would have taken her in the back of the head.

"Now why would you go and save the shitty devil like that, huh?" A deranged voice came from a nearby doorway. A white haired young man in what seemed to be his late teens walked into view. He wore clerical clothing consisting of a dark coat over a white outfit. In his hands he held what looked like a gun and the hilt of a sword. His red eyes glittered with madness as he observed them, the insane grin on his face reinforcing the impression. "Though maybe that was best. This way I can have more fun!" He cackled insanely.

Issei moved in front of Akeno, seeming to not notice his wound, eyeing the nutjob warily as Gingko moved away from him to hide behind Akeno to avoid getting in Issei's way. It was Akeno who reacted verbally, however, hissing "Exorcist!" and filling her hands with electricity.

The exorcist grinned. "Freed Sellzen, here to cut you up into itty bitty pieces."

"Why did you kill the person living here, Freed?" Issei growled, not liking the vibe he got from the exorcist one bit. It brought back far too many bad memories.

"Why?" Freed replied, looking honestly confused. "Cause the stupid bastard was consorting with some shitty devils, of course!" He smiled insanely once again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Killing devils and the people who contract with them makes me so happy!" He cackled before staring at Akeno with a dark look in his eye. "You're not bad looking for a shitty devil. I know, I'll rape you before I kill you, then I'll rape your corpse while I cut you up!" He laughed again, high pitched and mad.

Akeno's face tightened, baring her teeth at the crazed exorcist, eyes hard. It was Issei who reacted the strongest at those words, however, snarling angrily and stepping forward threateningly, ignoring the blood that continued to escape from his left arm in a steady trickle. "Over my dead body, you crazy fuck."

Freed looked at Issei, as though just now registering his presence once again. "Ooh, okay! That sounds like fun!" He took aim with his gun as the sword hilt he held lit up, creating a blade made out of light. "I'll kill you, then rape her on top of your bloody corpse!"

A gasp suddenly interrupted the brewing conflict and Issei was surprised to see Asia standing in the doorway, not expecting to see her without beating Freed into bloody paste first. Her gaze was riveted on the crucified corpse, trembling, before tearing her eyes away to look at Issei. "Ise-san? W-what…?"

Freed scowled at the nun. "Why did you stop holding up the barrier, you stupid girl?"

Asia flinched but looked at Freed. "F-Father Freed, w-were you the one who k-killed that person?"

The exorcist looked annoyed with the girl's question. "Of course I did, that's what we're here for! Now…" He turned his mad gaze back to Issei and grinned. "I'm gonna kill this devil loving little shit!"

Asia gasped, and to Issei's further surprise she moved in front of him to shield him. "N-no, you can't! Not Ise-san…"

Before anybody could react Freed struck Asia with the butt of his gun, sending her to the ground with a cry. "Stay out of the way, you stupid bitch! I may not be able to kill you on Raynare's orders, but I'll rape you if you try again!"

Issei's eyes blazed with fury at what he'd witnessed and he took a step forward with a snarl as Asia whimpered, ready to tear the priest to pieces. He was only stopped when Akeno put a hand on his shoulder. "Hyoudou-kun, we can't stay.." She held up a hand with a small mandala floating above it that was spinning slightly. "I cast a spell to detect any fallen within a few blocks, since it seems obvious that this madman is working for them. I register four of them, approaching fast. We need to get out of here."

Issei paused and eyed Freed, who was still grinning like a lunatic, waiting for Issei to attack him. "I'm assuming you have a teleportation spell handy?"

"Yes." Akeno said.

"On my mark, then." With that he suddenly burst forward, kicking a chair at Freed, who shot it out of the air. This gave Issei enough time to pick up a decently sized table, displaying greater than average strength as he hurled it at the mad exorcist over Asia's head, who was huddling on the ground, trying to stay out of the way.

As the teleportation circle appeared underneath Akeno's feet Issei grabbed Asia while Freed was occupied avoiding the airborne table, picking the nun up and jumping back into the circle, which activated and took the four away just as a light spear burst through the window and impacted right where Issei had been standing.

Within moments the four had appeared in the ORC's clubroom, where Rias and the rest of her peerage were all waiting. "Hyoudou-kun?" The redhead asked, confused as she saw him standing with Akeno, an unknown girl held bridal style in his arms, one of which was wounded, and a small red fairy peeking out from over Akeno's shoulder.

"Hello, Gremory-senpai." He said as he set the nun down. "Are you alright, Asia?" He asked, concerned.

"Y-yes, thank you, Ise-san." The girl was shaken and took a moment to steady herself before smiling up at him. Then her eyes widened as she noticed the blood trailing down his arm and dripping onto the floor. "Oh no, you're hurt!"

Issei glanced over at the wound, which Gingko was hovering near with a worried look on her face. "It's alright, Asia. I've had worse. It'll be fine in the morning."

The blonde didn't seem to hear him, instead bringing her hands up to the injury, looking focused as she touched the bloody skin. "Heal!" She said determinately, a soothing green light emanating from the two rings she wore, one on each hand. As she focused the wound quickly began closing till it seemed like he'd never been hurt in the first place.

Issei's eyebrows had gone up, and once Asia was done and had stepped back he studied his arm, noting that he didn't feel any more pain and couldn't tell there'd ever been an injury but for the blood and torn clothing. "Impressive. I've seen very few healing abilities as good. If I'd seen more I might not look the way I do."

Asia looked apologetic at that. "I'm sorry, Ise-san. I can't do anything about scars like those."

Issei waved her apology off. "Don't worry about it, Sister. Even if you could remove them, I wouldn't let you."

Before she could ask why Rias spoke once Akeno had finished reporting to her. "That is indeed a very powerful and useful Sacred Gear." She said as she approached, smiling in welcome to the girl. "Hello, Sister. My name is Rias Gremory."

"Ah!" Asia apparently just realized where she was as she flushed a pretty shade of pink and bowed. "Nice to meet you! I'm Asia Argento."

Rias smiled a touch more warmly at the girl before turning her attention to Issei. "Akeno told me what happened. Thank you for looking out for her."

Issei shrugged. "I was happy to. Far be it for me to let a beautiful girl get hurt if I can help it."

There were a few chuckles as Akeno smiled at his words. Then Kiba spoke, looking at Asia with an odd look in his eye. "May I ask what you were doing with what sounds like an excommunicated exorcist affiliated with the fallen? Considering your abilities I can't imagine the Church letting you out of their sight."

Asia's face fell and she looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. "I… That is…"

Issei rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't we all sit down and have some of Himejima-senpai's tea before we have this conversation."

"An excellent idea." Rias said as she smiled reassuringly at Asia while Akeno began preparing the tea. "Please relax, Miss Argento. We may be devils, but we mean you no harm. We just want to know why the fallen are in our territory."

Asia nodded and took a seat, looking surprised when Koneko slid a plate of mochi in her direction before smiling gratefully and taking one, nibbling on it experimentally.

Issei turned to Gingko. "Go ahead and head back home and relax, Gingko. You did well today. I'm proud of you."

The fairy smiled widely at the praise before twittering to him and kissing his cheek before heading out the window, which Kiba thoughtfully opened for her. "Another one of your friends?" The boy asked with a smile.

"Yes. That's Gingko. She's a Hua Po, a Chinese tree spirit. She's not really a fighter, but is very good at reconnaissance. I had her watching over Asia to keep her safe. It's how I ended up running into Himejima-senpai tonight."

Asia looked over at him, surprised. "Eh? You had someone watching me?"

Issei nodded. "After we met I felt something was wrong with the situation and wanted to make sure you weren't in any danger. I'm glad I did, otherwise I wouldn't have known anything was happening tonight."

Asia blushed and looked down with a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Ise-san."

Akeno served the tea as Issei and the rest sat down, all of them trying to relax before the coming conversation. After a few minutes Rias turned back to Asia. "Do you feel up to telling us your story now, Miss Argento?" She asked gently.

Asia hesitantly set her teacup down after taking a sip and looked down at her folded hands. For a moment she didn't make a sound, appearing lost in thought, but was brought out of it when Issei rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully before beginning to speak.

She spoke of being an abandoned orphan growing up in a church. How one day she healed a wounded puppy, which was witnessed by church officials. How she was taken to the Vatican and considered a Holy Maiden due to her abilities, with many faithful people brought before her to be healed. How she was happy with her life, being able to heal so many people, following the tenets of the religion she truly believed in. How one day she healed an injured man without realizing he was a devil, and was summarily turned against, everybody saying her powers couldn't be from God if they could heal devils as well. How she was kicked out of the church and left on her own, eventually being found by the Fallen, who took her in, seeing potential in her powers.

Her eyes had filled with tears during her tale, and she wiped them away as she finished. "This is a test God has set before me. He didn't help me because I need to endure it. But I know my faith will be rewarded." She said with conviction, not noticing how the devils around her winced in pain at her words, though they were all too polite to say anything.

"I'm sure it will." Issei said gently, a soft, melancholy smile on his face. Asia smiled back at him gratefully.

Rias gave them a moment, eyeing them both with a smile of her own before sighing regretfully and speaking. "I'm sorry for what you've been through, Asia." She said, glancing briefly at Kiba, who she could tell was not happy after the tale, which had likely brought some unpleasant memories to the surface. Then she refocused on the nun. "I have to ask, though, do you have any idea why the fallen are in Kuoh?"

Asia shook her head as she turned away from Issei to focus on Rias. "I'm sorry, but no. They never told me. I only arrived here a couple of days ago."

Rias sighed before nodding. "Well then, Asia, we need to figure out what to do with you…"

"She's coming with me tonight." Issei said firmly. "My house has a spare bedroom. She can stay there at least for tonight." He didn't notice Asia look at him with grateful surprise, focused on Rias as he was.

The redhead nodded. "If you believe you can protect her from the fallen, Hyoudou-kun, then do so. But it isn't a permanent solution." She turned back to the nun. "Asia, I'd like to offer you a position in my peerage." She noticed Issei's eyes narrow at her and held her hand up to stop him before he got upset with her. "Please relax, Hyoudou-kun, this isn't an entirely selfish offer. I will admit that having someone with such a powerful healing ability in my peerage would be a boon, and that it is definitely influencing my decision at least partly, but there is more to it than that." She turned her focus back to Asia. "If you became a devil of House Gremory then you'd be under our protection. I don't just mean the protection of my peerage, but of all of Gremory. We look after our own. And the fallen should know that. While they have shown themselves to be worryingly reckless, I'd hope they'd be hesitant to attack a member of the Gremory family directly without provocation. You'd also have our support in other ways to achieve whatever goals you have."

Issei relaxed at Rias' words before looking at Asia to see what she thought. The blonde was looking down thoughtfully, her hand clutching the cross hanging around her neck. "I'm not sure…" She said hesitantly. "I mean… can I think about it?"

Rias nodded. "Of course. I understand it would be a big step. Take tonight to think it over, maybe discuss it with Hyoudou-kun. I'll be here when you're ready with an answer, no matter what it is."

Issei nodded and stood up, offering Asia his hand to help her up. "Alright then, we should get going, Asia. It's getting late."

Asia nodded and took his hand, standing up before bowing to the gathered devils. "Thank you very much for the help and the offer." Then she followed Ise out of the room as they said their own farewells.

The two teens walked through the streets of Kuoh in silence, Issei seeming relaxed while he kept an eye out for any threats, and Asia sticking close to him, feeling calmer than she had in months despite recent events, a sensation of safety and protection suffusing her when she was with the scarred boy.

When they reached Issei's house his parents were surprised to find him with a pretty girl. Issei explained that she needed a place to stay for the night and he'd offered her the guest room. The elder Hyoudous weren't exactly going to say no to a girl in need, especially not such a nice and polite one, so they agreed and welcomed the nun into their home. As Asia settled into her temporary room Issei's mother very sternly threatened him not to peep on the girl, or else, looking at him suspiciously when he assured her he wouldn't and headed to his room.

He found Bell waiting for him when he walked in, arms cross and an exasperated look on her face. "Can you ever not get into trouble, boss?"

"We've known each other how long, Bell? You should know the answer to that." He said as he began to undress, slightly amused.

The fairy sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Here we go again…" He glanced over at him. "Is she at least cute?"

"I'll introduce you tomorrow." He assured her. "Right now I just want to get some sleep."

Bell got up off the bed as he lay down once he was nude before settling her own naked body on his chest. "Fine, fine. Goodnight, boss."

"Night, Bell."

The next morning Issei introduced Asia to Bell after the nun woke up well after ten, apparently having been exhausted by the previous day's events to the point she overslept. "Asia, this is my best friend, lover, and second in command, Bell. Bell-chan, this is Asia Argento, the girl I told you about."

Asia, dressed once again in her nun's habit, bowed to the High Pixie. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bell-san." She said through her blush at the fact that Issei had called the small woman his lover.

Bell studied the nun with interest, taking in her pretty face and lustrous hair, her beautiful eyes, and her figure. Then she smiled and gave Issei a thumbs up. "I approve." She then addressed Asia, who was blinking at them curiously. "It's nice to meet you too, Asia. I trust that my boss has been taking good care of you?"

Asia nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes."

"And I plan to continue doing so." He said as he grabbed his wallet. "I'm skipping school today and taking Asia out on the town. She needs to relax and have some fun."

As Bell nodded in agreement Asia fidgeted, looking worried. "Ah, no, that's not necessary, Ise-san."

"I disagree. Besides, I already told my parents I was going to stay home and look after you. They didn't seem to mind." They had, in fact, been happy he was being such a gentleman, which they would have never expected of his old self, and encouraged it in their eagerness. He then reached down and took Asia's hand, leading her out of the room. "See you later, Bell."

Bell chuckled as Asia awkwardly tried to wave goodbye as she was pulled along behind him. "Have fun, you two! Don't get into too much trouble!" Then she pulled her phone over as she sat on the bed, laughing lightly to herself.

Asia followed behind Ise as they walked into town, the scarred teen glancing over at her, taking in the way she fidgeted, obviously unsure of herself. "Relax." He told her. "We're just going to go out and have some fun."

"I've… never really done anything like this before…" She said softly.

Issei smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of things." Then he heard the girl's stomach grumble, which made her stop and put a hand on her belly with a blush. "Let's get something to eat first. Lunchtime isn't that far away, anyway."

A few minutes later found them in a McDonalds with Asia staring intently at the menu. It was obvious to Issei that, not only was the nun unaccustomed to such places, but that she was having trouble with reading the menu. "You need any help?" He asked, watching her.

"Ah, no. I'll manage." And went back to staring at the screens, making the cashier attending them sweatdrop.

After another two minutes Issei simply turned to the attendant. "Sorry. She'll have what I'm having." The attendant nodded and rang him up as Asia slumped slightly, shame faced.

"I'm so ashamed. I can't even order for myself…" The sister moaned piteously to herself.

Issei chuckled and lightly patted her head. "It's okay. Once you get used to Japanese it'll get better." He led her to a seat once they had their food, ignoring the stares they were getting; her for being a very cute, foreign nun, and himself for being a scary looking scarred boy with her.

Issei smiled as he watched Asia take the first bites of her first ever hamburger. She gave him a happy look as she chewed. "It's good! I've never had anything like it before. Thank you very much, Ise-san!" Issei nodded in acknowledgement as he ate his own meal.

After they ate he led her to an arcade and they played games nonstop, from racing games to adventure games, rhythm games and fighting games. Eventually Issei noticed Asia gazing into one of the many crane games along the wall. "See something you want, Asia?"

Asia jerked slightly and looked away. "N-no. It's nothing…"

Issei raised an eyebrow and looked into the game she'd been focused on, seeing several dolls of the popular mascot Racchuu-kun. "Do you want a Racchuu-kun doll, Asia?" The nun looked away, red faced, but gave a hesitant nod. "Alright then, as a gentleman, it's only right I get you one."

Asia looked up, surprised. "E-eh!? N-no, you don't need to do that, Ise-san."

"I want to, Asia. Just wait a bit, this shouldn't take long." He stepped forward and placed his money into the machine. It took a few tries, but eventually he got the doll and presented it to Asia. "Here you go Asia. The first of hopefully many dolls I'll be adding to your collection."

Asia took the doll in her arms, beaming. "Thank you, Ise-san. I'll take very good care of this doll." She looked up at him, smiling happily. "It's a symbol of the wonderful day we spent together. I'll treasure it forever."

Issei found himself smiling at her honest happiness at such a simple kindness. It made his heart lighten in a way it hadn't for some time. "Well, the day's not over yet. Let's keep playing till we can't anymore."

"A-ah, yes, let's!"

A couple of hours later they were walking down the street, smiling happily. After the arcade they had gone through various shops till evening. It was quite entertaining, especially seeing Asia's amazement at all the things on sale.

"This was a fun day." Issei said, smiling.

Asia nodded happily, still clutching her Racchuu-kun doll to her chest. "I had a lot of fun, Ise-san. Thank you very much!"

The two sat down on a bench in the park they'd first met at and rested their feet. Issei closed his eyes for a few moments, enjoying the breeze and feeling of relaxation. When he opened his eyes, however, he was surprised to see that Asia had tears rolling down her face. "Asia? What's wrong?"

Asia shook her head vigorously as she clutched her doll tighter before looking up at him with a smile on her face even as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry, Ise, san. It's just… this has been one of the happiest days of my life. I had so much fun." She sniffed slightly, reaching up to rub her eyes before turning back to look at some kids playing a short distance away. "When I pass whatever test God has set out for me… I hope I'll have more days like this. I hope my dream will come true."

"Your dream?" Issei asked.

Asia nodded. "I want a friend. I want to go out with a friend and look at flowers, buy books, just… talk…" She sobbed lightly with emotion.

Issei smiled gently and pulled the girl into a hug. "Asia, that dream already came true. I'm your friend now, and we'll do all of that and more. I promise. And soon you'll have many, many more friends who you can enjoy the rest of your days with…"

"B-but why?" She asked, self doubt in her voice as she looked up at him with a desperate hope shining in her eyes. "I-I'm clumsy, and lack common sense, and can't speak Japanese, or know the culture, a-and…"

"And none of that matters." Issei said gently. "If you fall because you're clumsy, I'll pick you up. If you lack common sense, I'll help guide you. If you don't know Japanese or the culture, I'll teach you. Because that's what a friend does."

Asia stared up at him, and tears once more fell from her eyes.. "Y-you'll really be my friend?"

Issei smiled gently. "Of course, Asia." The nun promptly buried her face into his chest, sobbing happily.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen." A haughty voice interrupted them. They both separated and looked up to see a woman in provocative strips of fabric with black wings floating a short distance away.

"R-Raynare-sama…" Asia whispered.

Issei scowled and held Asia protectively as Raynare approached. "You've caused me quite a bit of trouble, running away like that." The fallen angel said as she looked at the two teens. "Be a good girl and come with me before I have to do something nasty."

Asia shook slightly in Issei's arms. "…No, I don't want to go back there. I don't want to be around people who kill other people."

"Stop being so troublesome, you little bitch! Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan. So you'll be coming back with me." Raynare snarled.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Issei said coldly, eyes narrowed, as he prepared himself for a fight.

"Don't talk to me like that, filth." Raynare snapped. "Don't think yourself my equal just because you managed to scamper about long enough to be saved by the devils. I'm surprised you didn't turn yourself into one in a desperate attempt to survive. Count yourself lucky that I'm not here for you and that killing you now might damage my property." She turned back to Asia. "Come with me now, girl, unless you want someone to get hurt."

"She can't hurt me." Issei assured Asia as she clung to him.

"Arrogance…" Raynare sneered. "Besides which, I don't have to target you. I just have to make you give the girl to me and keep you from running to the devils like a scared child."

"And how do you intend on doing that?".Issei asked coldly, preparing himself to either attack or defend.

Raynare pointed to several points around the park, drawing the two teens' attention to another three black winged figures floating above, unnoticed. "Those are my associates. Give me the girl, or they start attacking the humans on the ground. Once I'm gone, you go straight home, without trying to go to the devils. They'll be watching you, and if you try to go to the devils instead of your house, or leave your house after you reach it before midnight, they will start blowing houses to pieces." She smiled cruelly. "I think even a worm like you can see what his options are…"

Issei's eyes narrowed as he glared at Raynare, doing his best to come up with a plan. He looked down when Asia pulled away from him, her eyes sad. "Asia, don't."

The blonde smiled gently at him. "It's alright, Ise-san." She began walking towards Raynare. "Thank you very much for the fun day. I enjoyed it a lot."

Issei clenched his fist angrily as he watched his friend stand beside Raynare, who set a hand on the girl's shoulder with a sick smile on her face. Then the fallen scowled briefly, and in a moment of spite ripped the plushie from Asia's hands and threw it on the ground. Before Asia could react to that, they had disappeared in a quick teleport.

Slowly Issei stepped forward and bent down to pick the doll up, studying it for damage. Then he glanced at the other three fallen angels, seeing that they were indeed watching him. Eyes hard with a cold, terrible rage, he began walking home quickly, occasionally checking to see if they were indeed following him home.

After cursing himself for not getting Rias's number, he focused on the coming fight, furiously making plans before deciding to be straightforward.

When he got home he was glad to find his parents were out and hurried up to his room. Bell looked up with a smile when his door opened. "So, how did your date go?" She was surprised when he didn't answer and instead headed for the window after setting a slightly dirty doll on his desk, glancing outside. "Boss?" She asked, a bit alarmed.

"There are three fallen angels watching the house." He told her quickly, slipping into a commanding voice that brooked no nonsense which Bell instantly recognized, her face immediately becoming serious as she waited for instructions. "Go out and deal with them before they notice you. They have been ordered to bomb the neighborhood if anything funny happens, so you'll need to take them out before they can react. Then fly as fast as you can to Gremory-senpai and tell her that the fallen have captured Asia and I'm in pursuit to the old abandoned church on the edge of town. Then come meet me there, with or without them."

"Yes, sir." Bell said immediately once the orders were given, flying out of the room, completely focused on her mission.

Issei waited for five seconds before beginning to walk out, opening the door and beginning to run towards the church. Glancing about as he ran he saw three clouds of ash dissipating with the wind.

He ran at a fast pace, but not as quickly as he could go. It galled him, but there were people out on the streets, and running at beyond human speed wouldn't be a good idea. He doubted Rias would be able to erase the memories of a hundred random pedestrians hours after the fact.

Eventually, however, he reached the church as the sun began to set. As he prepared himself to enter and kick Freed and Raynare's asses he saw a teleportation circle appear nearby. He tensed briefly only to relax marginally when the Gremory group appeared with Bell in tow.

"Hyoudou-kun." Rias said with a nod, her eyes blazing. "Bell informed us of what happened. The gall of them to hold the citizens of my territory hostage. They must be punished!" She snapped at the end.

"They will be." Issei said darkly, walking up to the doors of the church and kicking them open.

"Well well well, if it isn't the shitty devil lover!" Freed, who was standing alone in the church in front of the pulpit, said mockingly as they entered. As Issei walked in he noticed that all the devotional symbols in the church had been defaced or destroyed. "And you brought that hot devil and some of her friends. Goody! Which one should I cut up and ra-"

"Bell!" Issei barked, interrupting the mad priest. At his command the High Pixie shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Freed with immense force and sending him flying through the stained glass window behind him like he'd been hit by a Mack truck, silencing him immediately.

"What a pussy." Bell said with a sneer. "I didn't even hit him that hard."

While the devils were blinking at the display Issei marched forward and looked around the church, searching for where Raynare might be. After a moment the devils assisted him, inspecting the church for any clues.

It was Koneko being thorough and picking up the altar that let them know where to go next, as a staircase led underground from beneath it. Issei immediately began making his way down it, Bell following close behind, with the devils going down behind her.

When they reached the bottom they found a large room full of men in robes chanting and bowing ritualistically in front of the large black cross at the other end of the room. Chained to the cross was Asia, a thin undergarment the only thing protecting her modesty as thick black chains bound her almost fetishistically. She looked exhausted and weak. "Asia!" Issei called.

Asia slowly lifted her head to look at him. "Ise-san? You came?"

"What are you doing here?" Raynare demanded from where she stood by the cross. "Where are Dohnaseek, Kalawarner and Mittelt?"

"Ashes." Issei said grimly as the devils began to spread out, getting ready for a fight against the exorcists. "Which is what you'll become if you don't let Asia go."

Raynare sneered at him. "It doesn't matter what you threaten, you're too late. I began the ritual as soon as we arrived. It should be finished."

As she spoke Asia let out a whimper. "I-Ise-san…?" The rings that were her Sacred Gear slipped off her fingers, floating in front of her in a green glow.

"Yes…" The fallen angel said, a sick smile on her face. "Finally, I have it! A Sacred Gear of my own! He will finally love me with this!" She reached out to the rings, which caused a bright light to flash from them. When it faded, Raynare was emitting the green light of Twilight Healing from her hands, Asia's rings on her fingers.. The fallen angel started laughing. "Now, I will finally be one of the supreme fallen angels!"

Issei ignored the cackling fallen and made his way to Asia with Bell watching his back as the devils started fighting the exorcists, beginning to win handily. He proceeded to rip the chains off the cross with strength alone, letting Asia's body down into his arms. He knelt on the ground, holding the girl as she struggled to breathe. "You're going to be fine, Asia."

"I-Ise-s-san…" The blonde whispered, a tear in her eye.

"Humans can't survive once a Sacred Gear has been removed, as they are a part of a person's soul." Raynare said with a smirk as she prepared herself to fight. "The girl is dead. Not that it matters anymore, because soon you will be too."

"Bell."

There was a crunch as Raynare let out a wheezing cry, dropping to the ground with broken ribs from where Bell had punched her in the chest, though Twilight Healing was already repairing the damage. The devils, having dealt with their opponents with ease, approached Issei and Asia as Bell dragged the wheezing fallen closer to her boss.

"Hyoudou-kun, I can save her with an Evil Piece." Rias offered quietly out of respect for the dying girl.

"Thank you for the offer, Gremory-senpai, but that won't be necessary." Issei said as he watched Asia get closer to death.

"You're going to do that, boss?" Bell asked, concerned. "As you are now… At least release one."

Issei ignored the fairy, focusing on Asia. "You're going to be fine, Asia. Do you know why?" When she whimpered questioningly, eyes barely open and breaths shallow, he smiled gently and caressed her cheek. "Because you are a truly rare soul, kind and forgiving, without an ounce of hatred even for those who wronged you. All you want are the simple joys of life and to help those you can, no matter who they may be. You are an inspiration, an example humanity should follow, and for that, you are deserving of SALVATION."

As he spoke the last word, a blast of light and holy energy flooded the room. The devils flinched at the anathema to their kind, but were shocked when it didn't damage them, but rather empowered them, taking away wounds and aches, and even lifting their spirits. Each of them felt a moment of peace like none they'd ever known, and for that instant their burdens were forgotten, their fears were dispelled, and their hope for the future was strengthened.

When the light faded Asia opened her eyes, blinking up at the smiling Issei. With his help she sat up easily, uncaring that the torn garment she wore exposed a lot of her body, instead focusing on the fact that she felt fine. Better than fine, even, she felt better than she ever had before. Bringing her hands up to her face she saw that her rings were back on her fingers, much to her astonishment, glinting slightly as though happy to be returned to their rightful owner.

"W-what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" They all heard Raynare shout, and they turned to see her staring at her hands, the fingers where Twilight Healing had rested sporting bands of deeply burned tissue where the rings had been. She looked up at Issei before suddenly scrambling away, looking terrified. "What are you!? I don't think even Azazel-sama could do what you just did!"

Issei moved to stand, but just when he was almost to his feet he stumbled, falling to one knee, looking dizzy and glassy eyed. Bell immediately flew over to him, checking on him while tutting to herself even as Asia joined her, looking incredibly worried about Issei. "I warned you, boss." Bell said as she made sure he was responsive. "In your current state, Salvation is just too much. You should have released one."

"Mm'fin…" Issei slurred, trying to stand again only to stumble once more, Kiba moving to catch him before he hurt himself, an odd look on the blonde boy's face.

Rias glanced from Issei to the still gibbering Raynare. Deciding to set the deepening mystery that was Hyoudou Issei aside for the moment she strode over to the fallen angel, an orb of her Power of Destruction appearing in her hand. "I think it's time you were dealt with for good."

Raynare looked up at her, and suddenly she looked… broken. "What is he?" She whispered.

Rias considered the question for a moment before shaking her head. "I think he is what matters. A good man." Then she dropped her power onto the fallen, who disappeared in the ravening energy till nothing was left.

Akeno approached Rias as Koneko moved to support Asia, checking her over for anything wrong as Kiba began leading Issei out of the church with Bell in front in case of any remaining hostiles. "Rias, that was…"

"For later." Rias said before letting out a sigh. "Hyoudou-kun is definitely more than he appears…" She gazed after him, remembering the feeling of that energy and wishing she could experience it again, before looking at her Queen. "Much, much more…" With that the two girls followed after their friends, wondering what this all meant as they observed the stumbling young man covered in scars.

HOLY SHIT, I MADE IT!

90% of this chapter was completed in the last seven hours. I promised I would have this out by month's end, so I forced myself to write almost non-stop to get it done before bed.

The spell/grammar check was a bit rushed, so please forgive any issues you see.

So, this was a big chapter. Asia's introduction, lots of hints for the future, and a deepening mystery. Issei doesn't do things by halves, does he?

I tried rereading the original version of this chapter before I started work on this, and all I can say is WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? How did any of you like any of that absolute crap!? I couldn't finish reading it, it was just too badly written. So choppy, and robotic, and… shit! GAH!

Whatever, that's the point of doing a rewrite. Hopefully this is better and it won't make me cry in despair in the future.

So, some changes. The flow of the chapter changed as I considered what Issei would actually do when I'm not trying to shoehorn him to stick to the LN's plot beat for beat. This Issei is more confident and used to conflict, so he didn't hesitate to grab Asia. It's also why I had to use the hostage situation to get her away from him. Plus I can see it as something Raynare would do.

Salvation is different now as well. There's more weight to it than as a simple healing spell like it is in the SMT games. There's a reason for it, and it relates to what Issei went through during his time away. When Issei uses it now, it has meaning. What that meaning is…? You'll see eventually.

I'm also going to try to incorporate some of Issei's other demons more organically, as shown with Elena's cameo at the beginning of the chapter. You'll be seeing more of her and other demons throughout the fic.

Since some people keep asking or trying to guess what game I'm using as the basis for this fic I will say it more clearly: None. The SMT world Issei visited was inspired by the games, but it isn't bound to any specific one. When I get to it in the prequel expect to see people and elements from Strange Journey and SMT IV, for example, coexist with those of the Persona games. It's basically my own little SMT world. One that I'm going to explore much further than most of the games ever did.

On that note, woot to Nocturne Remake!

I can't think of anything else to say, so I'm going to post this and head to bed after my customary reminder that you can have a say in what I write by donating to my Pat a Ron. Each dollar donated equals one vote in the monthly poll. And now it's set up so that the votes for the losing fics roll over. So if one fic gets 5 votes per month and another gets 2, the 5 vote fic may win one month, but lose its votes, while the 2 vote one will continue to accumulate them till it overtakes the 5 one. Make sense? So if you want Walking the Path to be updated more often, go to Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis and vote.

Thank you all for reading, please review, and stay safe. Till next time!