3rd Person POV

Angel's Cloud Hotel

After their date, (Y/N) returned Irina to her lodgings and picked up his bag to head home.

"You sure you don't want to spend the night?" Asked the loving exorcist. "I don't mind sharing the bed like we used to." She offered with a smile.

"Appreciate it, but I'm gonna have to pass. Need to get home and check on Artoria. She might need another potion. Besides, a devil staying in a Christian hotel..." He laughed awkwardly.

Irina realized and giggled herself. "I suppose you're right. Well, get home safe then."

"Will do." He smiled. Something suddenly clicked in his head. "Oh! Almost forgot." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a fold of money and handed it to Irina. "Here."

Irina took the money and saw how much he gave her, nearly ¥45,000. "Wha-Why?! I can't take this!! This is too much!! How do you even have this much money?!" He questioned loudly.

"Can you not scream please?! I don't need to get jumped going home!!" He blared back, quickly silencing the panicked Irina.

"S-Sorry."

"It's just some extra cash to make it through the rest of your time here. Try and spend it wisely this time, 'kay? But if you run out, let me know. But I'll want what you don't spend back. Sound fair?"

Irina nodded. "You're doing so much for me. Again. I'm starting to feel bad." She admitted.

'Well, you're not the only one.' (Y/N) thought, feeling somewhat guilty himself. 'I should...No. not now. Next time I see her. Maybe.' He decided. "Take care, Irina. Have a good night." He smiled.

Irina rushed the young devil and hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his lips. "Have a wonderful night, darling." She said as she headed back inside.

(Y/N) chuckled. "Good night, Irina." He said before making his way down the street.

"Love you!!" She declared loudly as she waved, eating her darling get further and further from her sight.

(Y/N) smiled and waved back. "Love you too!!" He yelled back.

He turned the corner and felt the chilling feeling of holy properties vanish. "Phew! There we go, much better." He sighed with relief. "Tonight was fun! I'm glad I had a chance to go out with Irina tonight!" He beamed.

"Should a boy your age really be out so late doing such things?" Akeno asked with her typical smile.

"Well yeah. We're young, we should enjoy our time as much as possible-" As he replied, he quickly realized who he was replying to and was shocked to his core. "AKENO?!"

"Hi~" She greeted with a smile.

"Wha-What're you doing here?"

"Oh me? I was just in the neighborhood. Happened to spot you a while back, so I thought I'd hang back and play with you a bit." She replied with a giggle. "Your reaction was really funny."

"U-Uh huh." (Y/N) replied, not entirely believing the Queen. "You weren't...you weren't following us...we're you?" He asked.

Akeno said nothing. She simply stood there with her usual sweet smile. "You silly boy. You say the silliest things sometimes." She replied.

'...She followed us.' (Y/N) thought. "Well, whatever. Come on." He said, walking past the ravenette.

"Eh?" Akeno looked confused.

He looked back. "I'm taking you home. Not gonna let a girl wander alone late at night by herself." He said.

Akeno, slightly stunned by her junior's words, made her somewhat happy. "My oh my, such a gentleman~" She praises as she hugs (Y/N) free arm. "Then please, escort little ol' me back to my humble abode."

"'Kay." He said, sprouting his devil wings from his back.

Akeno was once again surprised by this. "Oh? Are we flying?"

"Yeah. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy a moonlit stroll with you, but I've gotta get home and check up on Artoria and everyone else."

"Ah, I see. Okay then." The Queen accepts and sprouts her wings as well. She grabbed the young devil's hand and ascended up with him.

"I just realized I have no idea where you live." (Y/N) admitted.

Akeno giggled at the Pawn's silliness. "Don't sweat it. I'll lead. Just watch the streets and you should pick it up in no time." She advised. "And if you do, you can always come over whenever you're tired of Rias." She claimed.

"I-what?" (Y/N) was confused, missing the last pet of what she said.

"Come on!" She and her junior took off hand-in-hand into the night sky.

Time Skip

As the devils flew into the cloudless, star filled sky, (Y/N) did what he could to memorize any and all paths that could lead to Akeno's home.

Oddly enough, he recognized most of the streets and paths they flew over, being already aquatinted with the area.

"We're here!" Akeno declared, stopping and hovering in place. "I live right down there." She pointed to a rather secluded building.

(Y/N) spotted a familiar stairway that appeared to lead to the supposed house, but never had he thought of climbing it. Never had too before.

The two descended and landed on the opposite side of a stone Torii Gate.

Upon getting a closer look, before him stood a bonafide shrine temple. "Woah. You—You live here? But how? Don't devils and sacred places not work together?"

"It's fine. After it's previous God left, it remained unoccupied for a while. Then, Rias managed to find a way to get a hold of this place for me." She explained.

"Damn. That's impressive. Though, knowing Rias, it doesn't sound unbelievable." (Y/N) chuckled. "Well, you're home safe and sound, and that's all I needed. I'll be heading back. Have a good night—" As he turned to leave, the back of his shirt was grabbed. He turned around as saw Akeno holding him back. "What's up?"

"Why don't you come in for some tea?" She asked. "As a thank you for escorting me home."

"That's okay. Really. Besides I really should get home-"

"It gets so lonely up here sometime, you know." She whined playfully. "Can't you spend some time with me? Even just a few minutes for a cup of tea? Besides, you're always focused on other things and strain yourself so much, when was the last time you took time for yourself?" She asked.

"The weekend after we beat Kokabiel?" He replied, confusingly.

"Maybe, but you were pushed far too hard." She said, grabbing (Y/N)'s arm and hugging into her voluptuous chest, enveloping his arm within the soft mounds of love and affection that was her breasts. "Besides, you don't pay attention to me, enough. I'm feeling neglected~" She whined again. "Pretty please?" She begged, deepening (Y/N) arm into her breasts.

"Uh..." His face lightly flushed.

"Just one little cup?" She begged again, interlocking her fingers with his.

"Uuuuuuh...!" He began to grow even more flustered.

"Pretty please with sugar on top?" She whispered seductively into his ear, gently caressing his arm as she did.

"UUUUUUUUUUUH!!!" His face was pure red and his eyes swirled with confusion, embarrassment, and eroticism.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting down on a tatami mat floor at a small wooden table. "Wait, how did I get here?" He questioned. 'DID I SERIOUSLY BLACK THE FUCK OUT?!' He questioned, only to sigh in defeat and shame of his pathetic resistance.

He slowly began looking around, taking in all of the surprisingly Japanese style décor and layout of the room. The only piece of modern technology he could visible see was the average-sized flat-screen in the corner. 'This must be the main room or something.' He thought as he looked around further. 'I never would've thought Akeno of all people would live in a place like this. It's so traditional.' He simply shrugged. 'Eh. Guess that just goes to show how much people can surprise you.' He thought, having a sudden realization. 'Wait a second. Now that I think about it; I don't really know much about Akeno. Have I really been neglecting my friends like she said?!' He panicked, feeling ashamed of himself as his head dropped to the tabletop.

He looked over to a stand and saw a frame of people. One looked like Akeno, except with light brown eyes, her hair wasn't as long and her bust wasn't as big. Next to her was child with similar raven-colored hair, but she had magenta colored eyes. Clearly, it was Akeno as a child. The woman in the picture, even the young Akeno seemed to have struck a cord in the curious devil. An odd sense of familiarity. 'Is that her sister or something. Mother maybe?' He pondered.

"Thanks for waiting~" She sang happily, entering the room with a tray with a tea pot, cups and a plate of homemade cookies. "I know I said just tea, but I know how much you love my cookies. And I recently made some more. So I thought you might like some." She smiled as she set everything up.

(Y/N) watched Akeno as she displayed such elegance and grace as she set the table and treats. But what stood out the most to him was her smile. 'Huh. Something's different.' He thought. 'Maybe it's her eyes. When she usually smiles, you can't see her eyes. But now, it's like...she's genially happy. It's like her eyes are almost glistening with joy.' He was entrapped with the beautiful gaze of the Priestess of Lightning's violet eyes.

She noticed his gaze. "Something wrong?"

"O-Oh! Uh n-no. I'm fine." He claimed, taking the offered cup of tea. "Thank you." He blew on the steaming liquid and took a sip. The warm tea flowed into his body, spreading and calming his nerves.

"So, how was your day?" Akeno asked.

"It was nice." The Pawn replied. "The short day schedule definitely caught me off guard yesterday. Though, given the reports of the gas leak cases, I guess it makes sense. But I got to spend the day with Irina. Went around town, hung out, got food. Then went to a light show. It was nice." He smiled in remembrance.

"I see. Sounds like you had fun."

"Guess so. But...I still felt pretty guilty." He admitted. "The whole time, I kept think I had to tell her. Tell her about what I am. But at the same time, I was scared to because I thought she'd hate me."

Akeno was shocked, but quickly grew to concerned when she saw how worried (Y/N) looked. "Why would she hate you? If she's the kind of girl I think she is, then I don't think she'd hate you for telling her something you yourself just found out fairly recently."

"It's not just about what I am. It's about all the problems that come with it." He reiterated.

"(Y/N), don't be so hard on yourself. You're an amazing person. A very special man who many hold deep in their hearts, myself included."

"I'm not special or amazing. The only amazing thing about me is often I come up short when it comes to dangerous situations. And the only special thing about me is that I'm a special kind of pain in the ass." He scorned himself. "I have all of this, "supposed" incredible power, and I can hardly do anything with it. And thanks to my faulty ass heart, which I now know is a curse, I can't even us to my fullest potential even when I want to. And when I try, my body fails and I keel over and become a burden to everyone."

"(Y/N) stop!!" Akeno sternly yelled. "Why are you saying these things about yourself? It's not at all true! You've helped so many of us already! You've fought and protected us so many times! I don't understand why you're being so hard on yourself-"

"Because I'm scared!!" He shouted back, silencing the suddenly shocked ravenette. "I'm scared. I have no idea who I am. I'm nearly 700 years old, and I don't know a single thing about who I was or what I did back then. I have no memories. I'm scared of what might happen when I find out. And what might happen to all of you because of it. I already have a target on my back. And now all of you are getting dragged into it."

"...How much do you remember from your past?" She asked.

"The earliest memory I have is meeting Starvlador. But it wasn't in Japan, or anywhere near Kuoh. It was somewhere in Europe, I just don't remember where exactly. Next thing I know, I'm in Kuoh, wandering around, clothes in tatters, worn out cowl, mask in hand. After that, I get kicked in the head by a ball. That's how I met Issei, Irina, and my sister, Kazuki. Well, adopted sister, but my sister nonetheless."

"Nothing before then?"

"Nothing."

Silence quickly filled the air. Awkward, cold, thick tensioned silence. Neither one knew what to say after that exchange.

'So much for a cup of tea. Made it awkward. Nice job, dipshit. Should've just said "Day was nice, how was yours?". But no. Just had to bring up the depressing shit. Way to go. Fuckin dick.' (Y/N) harshly scolded himself.

"I'm sorry." Said Akeno. "I should've just let you go home like you wanted."

"N-No. It's fine. Really." (Y/N) tried to assure his senior and friend. "Look, honestly, I'm just stressed about everything that's been going on lately. And, honesty, being able to talk to someone about it...kinda helps." He smiled weakly. "I know it's not the best conversation piece to start with, having an identity crisis and all. But, I just felt like I can be open and honest with you. I don't-or rather didn't-have that connection aside from Chisato or Tony. Hell, even Issei. But, after I met you and the rest of the ORC, I feel like I can freely speak my mind. You guys are important to me. I just don't want to weigh you guys down with my problems."

"(Y/N). Look at me." Akeno lightly demanded, gaining the young devil's attention. "You are, in no way, shape, or form a burden to any of us. We all have our problems. We all struggle. That's what makes us, well, still human in a sense. All living things struggle to get by, push past, or overcome an obstacle. But, when you have other people you can reply on, it makes it easier. I thought you knew that by now?" She giggled. "How many times do we need to teach you this lesson, young man?"

(Y/N) remembered that was the exact same thing Rias said. He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, as you've probably noticed by now, I'm a knuckle head. So probably a few more times." He joked.

Akeno smiled, laying her hand over his in comfort.

(Y/N) felt the warmth of her touch ease his worries. He closed his hands and held her fingers into his palm.

"You're not alone. And no matter what you end up finding out about yourself, we will stay beside you. I will stay beside you. No matter what. I've nearly lost you before. And I'm not losing you again." She swore with all her heart.

(Y/N) smiled, assured and comforted by the Priestess of Lightning's declaration. "I understand. Thank you, Akeno."

Time Skip

"You sure you'll be okay getting home by yourself?"Akeno asked as she walked with (Y/N) as he stepped out of her home.

"Yeah. I still need to check on Artoria. And if I'm out too late, the others will get worried." He replied. "Besides, even if it was a short day, I've still got some homework to do before class tomorrow." He sulked.

"I understand. Well, be safe getting home then. Tell the others I said hi."

"Will do." He sprouted his wings and prepared to take off. "Have a good night, Akeno."

"Wait." She said.

"What's up-?" He asked, only to be pulled down to feel a pair of warm, soft, slightly wet sensation on his cheek. He blinked a couple times before he realized Akeno had pecked him on his cheek.

The ravenette let her junior go and simply giggled. "Good night, sweetie."

"Uh y-yeah. Night." He stuttered before blasting off into the sky, flying as fast as he possibly could to get home quickly through his flushed and surprised face. 'Okay. What the hell was that?!' He questioned, feeling the spot Akeno kissed. 'First Irina, then Akeno? I'm starting to feel dirty.' He worried.

Time Skip

(Y/N)'s Home

"I'm home!" The young devil declared as he entered.

"Welcome back!" Torhu greeted.

"You we're out late." Asia mentioned. "How was the rest of your day?" She asked.

"Was okay. Bumped into Akeno on my way home, so I took her home to make sure she got back safe." He said. "How about you guys? Anything crazy happen today?" He asked.

"Uuuuuh..." The two strained as they looked to each other. "Nope. Not really." They replied in unison.

"Oh...kay?" (Y/N) was still skeptical. "Where is everyone?"

"Rias is in her room reading. Siris is in the shower. Isabela went to bed a little while ago. Last time I saw Kohaku she sleeping on your bed. Artoria is feeling better too. She managed to get up for dinner and joined us." Asia informed.

"She's feeling better then. Good. Glad to hear it." (Y/N) smiled with assurance.

"We actually just put up the leftovers. Would you like some?" Torhu asked.

"Thanks. But maybe later. I should get another potion ready for Artoria for tomorrow."

"We'll get a plate ready for you then." Torhu assured.

"That's okay. I'll get a plate later. It's getting pretty late. Why don't you girls head to bed?" He smiled.

"If you're sure. Don't stay up too late. We still have school tomorrow." Asia informed.

"We do? Crap." The young devil sulked. "Have a good night, girls." He bid as he headed to his workshop shed, donned his safety equipment and began working.

Time Skip

The emerald eyes of the Heroic Spirit flicked open, her throat rather parched and in need of some cold refreshing water. She reached for her nearby glass, only to feel how light it was. Looking at it, she saw it was empty.

She rose up, her body feeling somewhat uncomfortably light, and headed downstairs. Entering the kitchen/living room, she saw Asia by the fridge in her nightgown. "Lady Asia?" She addressed.

Asia turned and smiled. "Oh, hello Artoria. What're you doing up so late?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same." She said, lookin at the oven clock, reading as 1:00. "It's rather late. Is everything okay, Lady Asia?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine." She assured, pulling out containers and tupperware with food. "And please, just call me Asia. We've been living together for a while already, and we both get lessons from Ms. Hesagawa. I'd like to think us as friends by now." She smiled.

Artoria smiled back. "I suppose you're right. Forgive me, Asia. I just came down for some water. What about you? Are you hungry?"

"I'm just getting (Y/N) some food."

"(Y/N)?" Artoria looked confused. "Has he not eaten yet?"

"Probably not. He wasn't in his bed when I checked. He's probably in the shed still working." Said Asia, setting up a plate of food.

"Working? On what?"

"For another potion for your recovery." Asia informed.

Artoria was taken slightly aback. Though, remembering who exactly her master was, made her smile. She get happy knowing someone was going to such lengths to give her the proper care and treatment she needed to make a full recovery. 'Working into the dead of night. Even after everything that's happened. Honestly...such a silly man.' She chuckled. "Lady Asia, I'll take the food to him. Why don't you go back to bed? After all, he's working to help me get better. Would be wrong if I did nothing, even if it's to say thank you."

"Sure." Asia smiled, finishing dishing up a plate of steak, garnished with red-wine sauce with mushrooms and shallots, steamed baby potatoes, and bacon wrapped asparagus. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you up and about again. But, if possible, persuade him to get some rest, please?" She requested.

The aroma alone nearly caused the King of Knights to drool, tempting her with its delicious scent. Asia words suddenly registers and Artoria was bright back to reality. "Y-Yes of course. Have a good night, Asia."

"Good night." Asia smiled as she went back upstairs.

Artoria trekked across the somewhat cold and wet field of grass to the shed, dish of warm food in hand for her master. Upon arrival, she looked at the clutter around the brewing station, books, ingredients and papers scattered all over the vicinity, with her master standing and reading one of the books, scratching his head in frustration.

"Master?" Artoria called out to gain his attention.

(Y/N) lightly jumped, snapping out of whatever aggregating thought he was having upon hearing her voice. He turned and saw the Heroic Spirit standing behind him. "Oh, hey Artoria. You're up." He said. "Welcome to my shed. I used this place to practice my magic when I was younger. Now, it's more used for storage and a workshop for multiple practices."

"I see." She replied.

"Oh uh, careful where you step. Make sure not to step on that magic circle over there." He pointed to a large magic circle stained on the ground. "It's been there for as long as I can remember, so I'm not sure what it does. But when Chisato analyzed it, she said it was quote-on-quote "special". And to avoid stepping on it if possible."

"I know." She replied, rather coldly.

"Ooooooh-kay." He said hesitantly. "Looks like you really are feeling better. Then this potion should be the last one to finish your recovering...If I can figure out what I FUCKING USED BEFORE!!!" He yelled, clearly irritated.

The Saber Servant looked worried. "Why don't you take a break and eat something." She said, handing her master the plate of food. "La-I mean, Asia said you didn't eat when you got home."

"Yeah, that's true. What time is it?" He said, removing his gloves and ripping his tires eyes.

"A little after one in the morning."

"Seriously? Shit." His quietly cursed. "I probably should take a break." He said, reaching for the dish. "Thank you. Would you like to join me?" He offered.

Artoria nodded. "I'd be happy to." She smiled.

The two sat on the ground simply sharing in (Y/N)'s meal.

"This sauce is truly delicious." The King of Knights praised. "It's so thick, but rich with flavor."

"Yeah, I kinda went through hell trying to get the recipe. Getting it to come out perfectly after that was an even bigger pain. But after a while, I managed to make it perfectly." He said, taking another bite.

Artoria looked intensely at her master as he ate, a single thought constantly on her mind. "Master." She addressed.

"Hm?" He looked mid-chew.

"Why are you going so far to provide aid for me?" She asked.

(Y/N) swallowed. "Well, for starters you got involved in a conflict that included a vendetta against me. You fought back your hardest and won, but at the cost of your well-being. I know what that's like. Besides, even if I don't know enough about this whole master and servant thing for Heroic Spirits or why you were even summoned in the first place, you're a part of my life now. And I want to do what I can to help you however I can." He explained.

"I see." She smiled. "Although our pact may not be official and lacking stigmata, I truly appreciate everything you've done for me. Though, I must ask you to try to take care of yourself more." She requested, earning a knowing groan from her master.

"I know I know." He said with an exasperated sigh.

Artoria simply chuckled, taking another bite of food.

As the Saber class Heroic Spirit ate, (Y/N) looked at her. More specificly her attire. Her blue and gold battle dress. Even without her armor, aside from the all black suits he saw her wear once, she has worn the dress ever single day.

"Hey Artoria?"

"Yes?"

"Do you...Do you wear any other clothes?" He asked.

Artoria just stared at him in silence.

(Y/N) got embarrassed and guilty for asking that sort of question. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I just want you to be comfortable. That's all." He clarified.

Artoria looked to her dress, lifting it and moving the gown around. "This dress is a part of my Saint Graph. It is removable and I can equip it with ease. But, I unfortunately do not have any other clothing aside from that black suit from before. That has also been encoded within my Spirit Origin."

"That so?" He pondered, trying to figure out what a Saint Graph was. Regardless, he quickly coming to a conclusion. "Well, guess I need to buy you some clothes then." He said.

"Master, that is not-"

"You've been living here for almost two months. I've been neglecting you. And for that I'm sorry. There's been a lot going on lately. Let me make it up by getting you the things you need. Starting with this potion, then a larger wardrobe. Can't exactly go outside wearing such extravagant clothing. Could catch some unwanted attention. Besides, you can't exactly wear the same clothes all day every day. This isn't an anime." He rationalized.

"I see. If that is what you wish, Master." She bowed her head, only to feel a hand pat it gently.

"No thanks necessary. I just want you to live a good life while you're here." He said. "And no more of this "Master" stuff. Call me by my name. We've known each other for long enough to drop the formalities, wouldn't you say?" He smiled.

Artoria smiled back. "Yes. Of course, (Y/N)."

(Y/N) finished his meal and clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Now that was a much needed good meal. Thanks for bringing that to me, Artoria."

"My pleasure. Thank you for sharing." She smiled.

"Now..." He rose up and immediately went back to his brewing station, only to sulk and brood after realizing he was still in a deadlock. "What the hell did I use before?! I know I have all the right materials here! The hell am I missing?!" He groaned as he looked over a book.

"Is there something wrong?" Artoria questioned with worry.

"Yeah. I can't replicate the potion I made you earlier. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M MISSING AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF!!!" He roared.

Artoria sweat-dropped at how irritable her master was becoming. "Well, what did you use before?"

"Hipokute Herbs, some Amiudake mushrooms. And some salt rock and sugar cane." He informed. "I'm trying to make a more potent one to speed up your recovery. But whatever I make, it doesn't come out like the one I want!" He groaned. "I've even strayed from the recipe multiple times, but as you can see..." He referenced to the multiple different potions on his desk and boxes on the ground. "They aren't working."

Artoria looked at all the potions created. Even without consumption, she could tell at a glance how expertly the concoctions were created.

"Still, that fact you made these, and so many at that is rather amazing. You're very talented at making potions, Master." She praised. "Where did you acquire your skills?"

"Back at the Clock Tower in London. I was there for my first two years of middle school." He informed. "Chisato had me enrolled after I started getting more proficient with Oath Maker and Oblivion. As well as my Blazblue. She was actually an instructor there."

"Is that so? Knowing her, I'm sure she was very well liked."

"She was. She was probably the most popular instructor there. And, well, I'm sure you can imagine what kind of attention that attracts when you're brought in as an instructor's ward, student, and patient." He chuckled at the chaotic memories of his middle school years. "Professor El Melloi II was pretty cool too. Worked with him a couple times, took some of his classes."

"Did you make any friends at the clock tower?"

"I did, actually." He said, making adjustments to the potion as he continued talking. "My incantation class was kinda fun. Made friends with a couple of the students. I had some competition in my self defense class, but it was mostly friendly rivalry. My history class though..." He shuttered at the one individual who gave him much grief. "But, one first year gave me a headache all the time and always tried to mess with me. Then there was this one girl...Nah, never mind." He shook his head. "It's not like I'll ever see her again anyways."

"Sounds like you've had a very...interesting middle school experience." She commented, treading lightly with her wording.

(Y/N) simply chuckled. "Guess you can say that." He glanced over at the notebook once again, only to groan. However, just as his sanity and patience was about to break, a sudden idea popped into his head. "Wait..." He muttered. 'If I remove the staling components from the salt rock and replace them with a Lyphegem, then the energy resorting components of the Amiudake mushrooms and healing properties of the Hipokute Herbs would be amplified! And if I remove the taste component from the sugarcane, then I can replace it with Vivichoke and minced Green Blossom, increasing the effectiveness even further!!'

"(Y/N)?" Artoria looked to her master, curious and worried as to why he looked stunned and shocked. "Are you alright-"

"I GOT IT!!!" He burst with excitement. "Why didn't I think of it before?! I was trying to keep all the components the same but enhance them! But if I remove some of the elements, the potency of the affects will increase!" He smiled happily, looking to his Heroic Spirit and grabbing her by the arms, looking into her eyes with a flaming passion. "Artoria, this next batch might taste different, but I promise you'll be back to 100% afterwards!"

"O-Okay!" Artoria replied.

(Y/N) ran to the many storage boxes and compartments all over the shed to get what he needed. "I know I have all the things I need. Green Blossom, Vivichoke, Amiudake mushrooms, Hipokute Herbs..." He ran to where his last ingredient would be and opened the wooden storage box on the ground, rifling through to find what he needed. "I should still have some Lyphegems. I hope so. If not, this might not work. Then again, if I asked Chisato, I'm sure she'd be able to get me some."

Artoria watched her master rummaged through the box, suddenly feeling a massive unknown presence appear behind her. It was nearly suffocating and radiating with darkness. She quickly began to panic. "MASTER!!!" She cried, dashing forward to sheild him from the supposed threat. "Huh?" As she looked to the door, she was suddenly silenced and slightly surprised.

"Artoria, what's wrong?" (Y/N) asked, somewhat startled by her sudden panicked rush to his side.

"Well now, haven't seen you make potions in quite a while. And you've made so many." The brunette giggled. "Please don't tell me you've been doing this for hours now." She teased.

(Y/N) looked back to the door and saw Chisato, standing in the doorway waving at him, with an unknown short, black haired man in red standing beside her.

The man in red avoided eye contact. Simply standing in silence with his hands in his pockets. A look of guilt and hesitation in his eyes.

(Y/N) chose to be one to break the silence. "Who's this? A new student? You replacing me already?" He asked teasingly with a cocked eyebrow.

Chisato simply chuckled at the notion. "I've had very few students. And you are one I refuse to let go." She declared. "This..." She gently nudged the man on the shoulder, pushing him forward. "Is the one whose supposed to help restore your body."

At his teacher's claim, (Y/N)'s (E/C) eyes lit up with excitement. "Seriously?!"

The man growled at the doctor, only to receive  a smile and an open hand toward her student. He groaned and stepped closer. "Y-" He struggled to even speak to the young devil. "Your teacher told me the host about what happened." He spoke, his voice much deeper than his appearance was suggest otherwise. "Your body is housing multiple magical properties. Some that aren't exactly natural affinities."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Tell me. How did you break your body exactly?" He questioned.

"Well, from what I remember, I let my emotions consume me and I lost control of my demonic power. After that, I was skewered and nearly died. Pretty sure I actually did. But, somehow I can back and I felt warm. Like, this warm light was flowing all over my body. I felt really light in my movements, but my strength was increased dramatically. But it lasted only for a bit. I'd felt felt like that before. After the dust settled, I felt a large jolt in my body and I became partially paralyzed on my left side." (Y/N) explained. "Chisato said my magic circuits were shot and internally shattered. And because of the constant flow of my magical energy, is was causing them to misfire and decay faster."

"I see." He said. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, it seems." He mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"It's possible it's due to your body unable to find the balance between your different magical energies." The man surmised. "Turn around and show me your back." He instructed.

"Y-Yeah sure." (Y/N) hastily took off his student uniform and shirt, displaying his large back marks on his back.

The man went wide-eyed at the sight. 'It's really him.' He thought joyfully. He knelt down and placed his hand on (Y/N)'s back. He instantly picked up on the familiar magical energy dwelling within, as well as one he hadn't expected to be as potent. But Chisato's diagnosis was correct. The devil's international structure were decaying. Even the ones Chisato had restored were slowly becoming shattered and decaying as well. Her temporary fix was running out already.

"This is worse then I expected." He claimed. "The circuits that were shattered from your little stunt weren't even active. They were all dormant ones and you forced them open, causing them to become atrophied. Because of that, your circuits are misfiring randomly from the constant flow. But, I think I can fix this." He turned to the doctor. "I'll need your assistance."

"Of course." She nodded, removing her glasses as she approached her student and placed her hand on his back.

"Take a deep breath." He told the young devil. "You may want to stand back." He told Artoria.

Artoria complied and stepped back a few paces.

(Y/N) took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a burst of magical energy flow into his body.

A golden light surrounded Chisato while a wave of darkness erupted from the man in red. The wind quickly picked up and nearly blasted Artoria into the nearest wall.

"Ho-Holy shit!!" (Y/N) quivered.

"(Y-Y/N)!!" Artoria called, shielding her eyes from the blinding light and fierce winds. Creating a small window, she was shocked the by the change in appearance of the two healing her master. Chisato's hair turned a radian golden and bright white wings sprouted from her back. The man's emerald eyes turned black and a familiar black mark covered his forehead as large black wings sprouted from his back.

"THAT FEELS GREAT!!! IT'S LIKE GETTING MASSAGED WITH VAPORUB INTO MY NERVES!!!" He cheered.

The blasting aura from the two died down and vanished.

"There. That should do it. How do you feel?" The man asked.

"Pretty go-" (Y/N) began to answer, suddenly silenced from a sudden burning sensation from inside. He began to struggle to breath and crouched forward, holding his right arm tightly and gripping the right side of his head, screaming in agony.

"(Y/N)!!" Artoria ran to her master's side.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!!!" The black haired man's yelled.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" Artoria yelled furiously.

"Artoria, calm down!" Chisato tried to quell.

(Y/N)'s right hand surged with unbelievable pain. His hand shined a brilliant, blinding, blue light, his hand morphing into a familiar claw shape. His right (E/C) eye returned to its previous state of draconian yellow. His offered limb and eye had returned. His Sacred Gear and Dragon Eye had returned. The young devil collapsed to the ground, sweating and panting heavily.

"(Y/N), are you okay?!" Artoria asked fearfully.

"I-I think so." He said, looking to his right hand, shocked to see his Blazblue on his right arm once again. He looked over to a nearby mirror and saw his eye had changed once again. "My Blazblue. It's back!"

"Your body is now back to normal functionality. Though, it will take some time your your magical energy to get back to where it was." The man explained.

"Get your rest, train in moderation. Essentially, just do basic training. After a while, we'll do a check up after some time to check the progress." Chisato refined her glasses. "In the mean time..." She pulled out a small case from her lab coat and handed it to her pupil. "Use these to train your body back to normal."

(Y/N) opened the case and saw ten stone carved stakes with engravings. "Are these golem summoning stakes?" He asked, taking on out and analyzing it.

"They are. If you look at the top, they have a dial to change the setting of difficulty. Just turn it, toss it to the ground, and about eight golems will emerge and be ready to brawl. Don't worry about leaving a mess, they'll dissipate after breaking." She assured, ruffling (Y/N)'s hair.

"If that's all then I'm going home." The man turned and headed toward the door. He stopped and turned his head back to the boy. "You." He addressed. "Try not to get yourself killed. You'll worry the ones in your life."

(Y/N) sighed and chuckled. "So I've been told." He smiled to the man. "Thank you for your help Mr..."

"Z." He answered.

Chisato looked at him with slight surprise.

"Just call me Z. See you around." And with that, he began to officially take his leave.

Chisato huffed and knelt down and kissed (Y/N)'s forehead. "Get some rest soon, 'kay? Have a good night."

"Right. And thanks. You saved me again." (Y/N) smiled.

Chisato smiled and she proceeded to follow the short man in red outside. "That was odd. You've been looking for him all this time, right? Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Z sighed in defeat and just rubbed his face with regret. "I don't know. I just...When I saw him, I just-Right now, helping him control his powers is the best thing I can do for him. His body needs to heal. His mind needs to heal. When he regains everything. Then maybe. Then maybe I can tell him. Hopefully he won't want to kill me then."

"He's felt alone for a long time. His friends, his new family, myself included, are doing everything we can for him. And he needs that. People there for him. Especially his-"

"Excuse me!" Called Artoria, approaching the two. "I truly appreciate what you've done for my Master. I will be eternally grateful." She bowed. "But, I have to know...What exactly are you two?"

Chisato and Z looked to the King of Knights. A small knowing smirk grew on the doctor's face. "I'm assuming you saw then. Artoria, we're not exactly human."

"We're the farthest thing from." Z blurted.

"You're like (Y/N), aren't you?" She asked the short man. "You're a Demon. Aren't you?" She questioned again.

"You're his subordinate, right?" He questioned back.

"I am his partner." She claimed.

Z looked at the solid gaze of determination in her emerald eyes, only to sigh. "I've got a feeling things are going to become more dangerous from here on out. Take care of him." Wings of darkness sprouted from his back took in off into the night sky, vanishing from sight as he left a powerful tailwind behind.

"I swear, that man..." Chisato released an exasperated sigh.

Artoria opened her mouth to speak to the mentor of her Master.

"I knew he was a Demon for quite some time. I never told him because of everything he was going through at the time. As he grew older, the more stressful things became for him. The small moments he was actually able to enjoy being a teenager were the times I wanted him to focus on the most. And that's what I want for him. Artoria..." She looked to the King of Knights. "Please continue to after him alongside the rest of us." She offered her hand.

Artoria looked to the hand, firmly taking it. "Of course."

"Well then, I should get going. I've a good night, King Arthur." She smirked as she teleported away.

The Saber Servant was shocked that Chisato had known of her true identity. Perhaps the battle with Raynare had given it away. It was the only plausible explanation.

"Artoria!!" (Y/N) came running out of the shed with two bottles of crystal blue colored liquid. "I think I finally got it!" He cheered. "Think you can put some magical energy in these please?" He requested.

"Y-Yes, of course."  She said, taking the bottles. Her hands glowed a golden light as the contents within the bottles began shining themselves. "I believe they are now complete." Artoria handed one of the bottles back.

"YES!!!" (Y/N) cheered excitedly, taking the potion from his Heroic Spirit. Pulling the corks cap, he rose it up to cheer with his partner. "With this, we can finally start going back to normal. I'll need your help getting there Artoria. I'm counting on you!" He smiled happily.

Such a happy smile on her master's face brought the Heroic Spirit joy. "Of course. I am your sword. To your recovery, (Y/N)."

"And to yours. Cheers!" He smiled as he drank the potion.

Artoria drank hers and was slightly disappointed by the lack of taste. Her Master's claim earlier was correct. She immediately get the effects as she consumed the liquid.

"Amazing!" She praised. "Taste aside, I can feel my magical energy being restored!"

"Glad to hear it. Meanwhile..." (Y/N) had a tired and dejected smile on his face. "Even though I feel my magical energy coming back, it's hardly anything substantial. The regeneration properties may be in effect, but I might have to just let it recover naturally."

"That may be for the best. Take this time to properly rest your body while also working hard to regain your strength. I shall do whatever is needed to aid in your recovery. And I'm positive the others would be willing to help as well." Artoria assured.

"I'm sure. I'm gonna clean up the shed and go to bed. My adrenaline is starting to peter out." He clearly looked tired. Dark bags under his eyes were starting to show, even if fairly faint.

"Then come. Let's clean and get to bed. Tomorrow, we begin your recovery training." Artoria declared.

The ruby-colored jewel of (Y/N)'s Sacred Gear glowed brightly, the sound of a loud and powerful yawn projecting through. <Man that was a great nap.> Claimed the being within.

"Starvlador! You're okay!" (Y/N) cheered, only to realize what his Dragon had said. "Wait, you were sleeping?"

<Yep. Haven't slept like that in years. So, what I miss? And why do I feel...weaker? Why do YOU feel weaker?> He questioned.

(Y/N) looked to Artoria, uncertainty in his eyes. "It uh...It's kinda a long story."

"I've got time."

Secluded Forest

Tsubaki Shinra waited patiently, sitting on the stump of a tree. She looked to her watch. It was time. She rose up and approached the blood-drawn magic circle on the ground. She sprouted her wings and carried a box to the center of the circle. She opened it and pulled out a piece of stone with an II etched into the surface. She placed the stone down and flew back out.

Tsubaki took a deep breath and held out her hand, letting magical energy flow into the magic circle.

"Heed my words,

My will creates Your Body, And your sword creates My Destiny!

If you heed the Grail's call, and obey My Will and Reason, then answer My Summoning!

I hear-by swear, that I shall be all the Good in the World, That I shall defeat, all Evils in the World!

Seventh Heaven clad in the great Words of Power, Come forth from the Circle of Binding, Guardian of Scales!"

The magic circle glowed brilliantly, releasing a powerful wind as a vortex swirled within the center around the piece of stone. It grew more and more violent. The sound of sudden shattering caught the chanter by surprise. The light quickly faded and the wind immediately died down.

Tsubaki looked around, only to realize nothing had happened. She looked to her hand, to see it plain and unmarked, which shocked her a great deal. She looked into the summoning circle and saw the engraved stone shattered into pieces. "What happened?" She fell to her knees. Shock, confusion, and disbelief ran rampant in her mind. "I don't understand! I did everything right! The magic circle! The catalyst! The incantation! I was marked and everything! WHAT WENT WRONG?!" She screamed, feeling the stinging feeling of disappointment and failure deep inside her heart. "Was...Was I too late? Was my magic not enough?" She pondered aloud. She looked to her watch, noticing something off about it. She pressed her ear to the glass and head the silent absence of turning and ticking gears. The time displayed before was also the same. She tapped the glass on the time piece and nothing.

At this point, she felt nothing but shame. Shame in herself. Shame in her inability to uphold her duty as a chosen candidate. She rose up and walked to her catalyst, her feet dragging behind in defeat. She picked up the remaining pieces and placed them back into their holding box. She released a Restore spell and removed all traces of blood in the ground, grabbed her bag, sprouted her devil wings and headed back home.

Apartment Complex

Tsubaki entered her humble apartment and collapsed onto her couch. 'I still don't understand. What went wrong?' She questioned again. 'I followed all of the steps correctly. I spoke the incantation correctly. What could have possible-' She went silent, looking to the digital clock on her stove top, seeing it also the same time it was when she left. She looked to the wall clock and saw the time, also unchanged. She grabbed her bag and pulled out her cell phone, showing the correct time of 2:38 am in the morning.

Tsubaki Shinra heard the bells that very moment. The bells of defeat that rang loudly. She went pale at the realization. She stared at her phone with a baffled and defeated smile. 'I was four hours late. My nap. If I hadn't taken that nap. I probably would've made the deadline.' She uttered, her morale and spirit essentially turning to dust as she came upon the reason she failed to summon a Heroic Spirit. She slept too long.