Chiho groaned slightly as she woke with the sun shining in her face. She pulled the sheets over her head and buried her face into her pillow. Funny, since when did her pillow get so soft and smooth? Was that the smell of roses? She rubbed her face into it.

"Ah!" the pillow gasped. Chiho froze.

Slowly, almost dreading to face the truth, she rose from the bed. "Ara, good morning, Chiho," Rias greeted with a smile.

"B-Buchou!" the brown-haired girl squeaked. "Why are we naked?! Oh, no… My purity…! I'm so sorry, Issei-san…"

The redhead giggled at her. "Oh, relax, Chiho," she patted her on the head. "You passed out when we got back; most likely from the strain of awakening and using your Sacred Gear. I had to heal you by pressing my body against yours. I assure you that you're still pure."

"Oh," Chiho sighed in relief. Then last night's events came rushing back into her. "What happened to Issei-san?"

"He came to check up on you," Rias explained as she began getting dressed. "He went home when I told him you'd be fine. You slept the entire day and we ended up missing school."

"Oh," she wasn't sure whether to feel happy that he came to see her or disappointed that he left. She glanced out the window. It was early evening. "Do you know what happened when he stayed behind?"

Her master paused in her dressing. "No," she said after a while. "His expression when he returned though… it was terrifying. Tamamo-san seemed unusually solemn as well."

Chiho looked ready to speak once more, but was interrupted by someone entering the room. "Chi-chan, it's time for dinn- Oh!" an older woman who resembled the brown-haired girl exclaimed. "Rias-chan, you're here again?"

The crimson-haired devil smiled at her. "Yes, I'm sorry for intruding, Sasaki-san,"

"It's no trouble at all," the woman waved her off. She turned her head. "Otou-san! Set the table for four! Rias-chan is here again!"

"Got it!" a male voice called back.

The woman turned back to them. "When you're ready, come join us for dinner." With that she left, closing the door behind her.

Rias, now fully dressed, turned to her servant. "We'll continue our conversation at the clubroom later."

Chiho nodded and began dressing as well.

_______________________________________

Asia slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the curtains of her room. "Huh…?" she muttered as she sat up. "Where am I?"

"Asia!" a voice caught her attention. She turned to see Yuuma sitting at her bedside.

"Yuuma-san?"

"Are you okay? There was a demonic barrier around the house and we couldn't penetrate it! When we finally got in we found you half naked. Did those devils touch you? I swear, I'll-"

"No!" Asia shook her head. "They didn't touch me. It was Father Freed that tried to… tried to…"

"He what?!" the fallen angel demanded. "I knew I should have killed him myself!"

"What happened to him?" The nun asked. Yuuma flinched.

"I don't know what they did to him," she said. That was a lie. Calawarner had examined the priest. Whoever did that to him had shown no mercy. They had broken him in every way imaginable, while taking care to keep him coherent throughout the entire thing.

The older woman told them that the curse magic that had been placed on the priest was so powerful that even their greatest healers couldn't hope to remove it and that even Asia's Sacred Gear would most likely prove useless. The man was left trapped within his own mind, all the while mentally experiencing the torture over and over again. Like a broken record.

And if that wasn't enough, he'd had another curse placed upon him that would keep him just sane enough to comprehend what was happening to him. It truly would have been kinder to have just killed him.

There was nothing they could do for him, so they'd dropped him off at the local hospital without a word. He'd be staying there until the day his body stopped functioning, a broken husk of a person.

"I-I see," the blonde girl whispered. "Yuuma-san… I… I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to hurt people!"

Yuuma sighed. "Look, Asia," she began. "Please understand; the devils are our enemies. We have to fight them or they'll kill us the first chance they get."

"But why?" Asia cried. "Why are they our enemies? Why can't we just stop fighting?"

"I don't know, Asia," the black-haired girl sighed. "But that's just the way things are. The devils have always been our enemies and they probably always will be."

"That's not true!" the blonde girl shouted. "I-It can't be true!"

Asia suddenly shot out of bed and ran out the door.

"Asia!" Yuuma ran after her but the blonde had already disappeared.

"Ray," a voice called out. She turned to see Calawarner watching her. "He's getting impatient." She said softly. "We have to do it tonight."

The black-haired girl's eyes widened. "Y-You mean…?"

Calawarner sighed. "Ray," she began. "I warned you not to get attached. We have to do this. They're our orders."

"Cal… I… I," Yuuma whispered. The older woman sighed once again before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I knew this would happen," she said. "You don't have to do this. I'll perform the ritual in your place."

"I…" the younger girl shook her head. "I need to find Asia." She shook off the hand off her shoulder and took off in the direction Asia had gone. Calawarner watched her go with worried eyes.

_______________________________________

Issei sighed as he walked. He'd decided this morning that he'd go check on Asia at the church after school before meeting up with the others at the clubroom.

He was just making his way through the park when he suddenly spotted the blonde nun running.

"Asia?" he called out. The girl froze and looked in his direction.

"Issei-san!" she cried out rushing over and hugging him.

"Asia, are you okay?" he asked, noticing her tears. She sniffed, wiping the tears before nodding.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I just had a fight with Yuuma-san. That's all."

"I see," he muttered, patting her on the head. "And what did you fight about?"

"She said that I had to keep hurting people," Asia cried. "She said that we would always be enemies with devils, but I don't understand why we have to be enemies!"

Issei sighed. "Devils and fallen angels have been enemies since the beginning, Asia," he said solemnly. "I don't like the fact any more than you do, but that's how it is. There's just too much hatred between them."

"But why?" the nun asked tearfully. "You're a devil and I'm a nun! We don't hate each other! Why can't everyone else be the same?"

He chuckled slightly. "You're so innocent, Asia," he smiled. "I love that about you. I hope it never changes." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

Issei's eyes widened as he felt a sudden surge of energy. He barely had time to react when a spear of light impaled the ground next to them and exploded.

_______________________________________

Yuuma rushed through the park. She was certain Asia had gone this way. The blonde girl had explained that she'd met Issei in there and would most likely return there in her distraught state.

She finally spotted the girl's trademark golden hair. "Asi-" She cut herself off, ducking behind a tree. The girl was with Issei. Poking her head around the tree, she saw them embracing each other. She couldn't help the feelings of jealousy that rose up. She saw their lips moving but couldn't make out what they were saying.

Carefully concealing her aura, lest she alert Asia to her presence, she crept towards them.

"But why?" she heard Asia cry. "You're a devil and I'm a nun!"

Her heart stopped. Did she just hear that correctly? Issei was… a devil…? That couldn't be true…! How long had they been going out now? And… how long has Asia known? Had everything been a lie?

'He told her,' The thought came to her suddenly. 'He told her and didn't tell me.' How long had this been going on? He was awfully protective of her. Was she in on it? How long had he been leading her on? How long had they both been leading her on?

Ugly feelings began to emerge but the more she tried to quash them, the more powerful they seemed to become. 'Why her?' she mentally screamed. 'Was he just using me to get close to her?' It was awfully convenient that he'd been the one to bring her to the church. He'd even agreed to show her around town. 'He seemed so upset when I asked to tag along…'

She clutched at her chest as a tidal wave of emotions washed over her. "It hurts," she whispered as she braced herself against the tree she was hiding behind. "Why…?" She looked up at the couple.

"I love that about you, Asia," the brown-haired boy smiled. "I hope it never changes." He leaned down and kissed the blonde on the forehead.

Something in her snapped.

_______________________________________

Issei glanced up through the dust and debris. He'd barely managed to get Asia away from ground zero. What he saw nearly made his jaw drop.

"Yuuma…" he breathed. There she was; wings spread to their full extent as she stared down at him coldly.

"Hello, Issei," she said emotionlessly. "I'm surprised a filthy devil like you was able to dodge my attack."

"Yuuma-"

"My name isn't Yuuma," she hissed. "Do you want to know why I chose that name when I introduced myself? It was because it means 'evening haze' in Japanese. I'd planned to kill you at sunset on the day of our date; an action I regret not taking."

"Yuuma, just calm down, please," Issei pleaded. She glared at him hatefully.

"I'm tired of listening to your lies," she growled, a spear of light appearing in her hands. "Asia, you'll return to the church with me. We perform the ritual tonight!"

"Yuuma-san, please!" Asia cried.

"My name is Raynare!" the fallen angel shouted, hurling her spear at the brown-haired devil. Issei leapt to the side, causing it to sail into a nearby tree and blowing it up.

"Yuuma!" he shouted once more. She created another spear. "You're not thinking clearly! Just calm down and I'll explain!"

"How long has this been going on?!" she shrieked, hurling the spear at him. "How long have you been leading me on?"

"What?" he asked dumbfounded. That turned out to be the wrong thing to say, as she let out another scream of rage and created five more spears, throwing them in quick succession. He hastily erected a barrier. "Wait, damn it… Listen to me!"

"Stop, please, stop!" Asia shouted. "I'll go with you, please, don't hurt him!"

"Asia…!" Issei protested. She smiled at him tearfully.

"Please stop fighting," she whispered. "I don't like seeing my friends fight each other."

"Good girl, Asia," Raynare said, floating down to her. She turned her cold stare on Issei. "This isn't over. I'll be back to finish the job."

Issei watched as she placed a hand on the blonde girl's shoulder and disappeared in a flash of light. He stared up at the sky, frustration evident on his face.

"Damn it!"

_______________________________________

"Chiho," Rias began as the Occult Research Club gathered in their clubroom. The only ones missing were Issei and Suzuki. "I'd like to apologize for last night's fiasco. I sent you straight into the hands of an exorcist and nearly got you killed."

The brown-haired girl flushed slightly. "It wasn't your fault, Buchou," she said. "There was no way you could have known."

"Still," the redhead sighed. "We were lucky you managed to awaken your Sacred Gear. You might have died had you not defended yourself."

Chiho turned red in embarrassment. "Actually, I was defeated rather easily despite that," she admitted. "The only reason I'm still alive was because that nun didn't want to kill me."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "A nun saved you?" she asked incredulously. The rest of her peerage looked equally dubious.

"Yes, I was too weak to defend myself," Chiho said, somewhat bitterly. "I'm just a «Pawn», after all."

"Now, now," Tamamo chided her. "Just because you're a «Pawn» doesn't automatically make you weak."

"She is correct," Ashiya nodded. "In the endgame, the piece that decides the match is oftentimes the «Pawn». Do you know what happens when a «Pawn» reaches the end of the board?"

"She can become a «Queen»," Rias smiled. "Or a «Knight», «Bishop» or «Rook». That's the special ability of the «Pawn»: promotion. When in enemy territory or with the permission of the «King», you can promote yourself to any other piece besides the «King»."

"Or to put it metaphorically," a voice called out. "With hard work and determination, you can go from being the weakest to the strongest."

"Who's there?" Rias barked, looking around the room. Out of the shadows, a familiar figure stepped forward.

"Ara? You are Suzuki-san aren't you?" Akeno asked. The other black-haired girl simply nodded.

"How long were you there?" Kiba asked in shock. She smirked at him.

"I was here the entire time," Rias turned to the small white-haired girl sitting next to Kiba.

"Koneko?"

The nekomata shook her head. "I couldn't sense her at all," She looked tense.

"I see, so she's like Tamamo-san…?"

"Not exactly," Ashiya shook his head. "While Tamamo can disguise her presence into anything she wishes; Suzuki can erase her presence completely."

"I told you," the black-haired kunoichi said. "I'm an assassin. I specialize in getting in and getting out without being detected. The fox is more suited towards information gathering." She strode over to them and deposited a familiar doll onto the table.

"Chachazero?"

"It seems Master has sent her with a message," Suzuki said as the puppet glared at her harshly. "Well, get on with it."

The puppet sent the kunoichi one last glare before closing her eyes. Rias and her group watched in confusion as she seemed to slump over.

Suddenly her head snapped up. Her bright green eyes had been replaced by a pair of familiar brown. She opened her mouth and to their shock, Issei's voice flowed out.

"The fallen angels are making their move," the doll spoke with her master's voice. "They intend to perform a ritual involving Asia, the nun. I can only assume it's to remove her Sacred Gear."

"But removing someone's Sacred Gear would kill them," Rias protested.

"If it's for the 'greater good', sacrifices must be made," the doll replied. "Yuuma has discovered that I'm a devil. She feels betrayed and is thinking irrationally. I fear she will go through with the ritual. I intend to reason with her and I need you to keep the others busy while I do so."

"Very well, Issei-sama," Ashiya nodded immediately. "I assume you want no casualties?"

"Exactly," the doll nodded. "They are not our enemies. The one we're after is whoever is leading them."

"And I'm assuming you don't wish for us to get involved with your lover's quarrel?" Rias questioned.

"L-Lovers?!" Chiho sputtered.

"Yes, I have to deal with this myself," the doll said, ignoring the brown-haired girl's outburst. "We'll rendezvous at the foot of the hill." With that, the doll slumped over once again.

"Well, there you have it," Chachazero said as she returned to normal. She crossed her arms, pouting. "I've got orders to stay here. The situation's too delicate for me to get involved. Or at least that's what Master says."

"I'd have to say he's right," Tamamo muttered. She then motioned towards Suzuki. Only Mordred seemed to understand the gesture, as she stood and promptly punched the black-haired girl in the face.

Rias and her peerage watched in shock as the ninja suddenly seemed to 'pop' into a puff of smoke. "What…?"

"She was a Kage Bunshin," the fox explained as she prepared a transportation circle.

"A 'shadow clone'?" Akeno questioned curiously.

"A mass of shadow formed around a chakra core," Tamamo said. "Extremely difficult to tell apart from the original."

"But they can't take hits at all," Mordred commented as she stepped into the circle. "Just pinching it on the cheek would make it pop."

"Then why didn't you?" The blonde shrugged.

"I just felt like hitting something."

Rias looked concerned. "Shouldn't we inform Suzuki-san of what's happening?"

"Oh, she already knows," Mordred said offhandedly.

"The clone transfers all the memories it gains to the original upon being destroyed," Morgiana said quietly. "She'll meet us there."

"That's… an extraordinarily useful technique," Rias muttered as she thought of the possibilities.

"Alright, we're ready to go," Tamamo announced to her fellow servants.

"We'll go with you," Rias said, standing. The fox raised an eyebrow at her. "I owe that nun for helping Chiho, here and I don't like the idea of being in debt to a church associate."

"Yeah, right," Mordred muttered.

"Well, whatever," Tamamo sighed. "Let's just go. I don't want to keep Master waiting."

They gathered around the fox-girl and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

_______________________________________

Issei glanced to his right as Suzuki appeared in a swirl of leaves beside him. "Glad you could make it," he intoned, leaning against a tree.

"Master," she greeted.

"I take it you were off doing something else when your clone got the message?" Issei asked as he stared at the church looming in the distance. The girl made an annoyed face.

"That gender-confused bitch punched me in the face," she growled. Issei chuckled at her expression.

"Well, try not to get too worked up over it," he said as a magic circle appeared on the ground before them.

"Master," Tamamo greeted. Suzuki glared at Mordred.

"We're sparring later," she growled. The blonde knight smirked at her.

"Yes, later," Issei stressed. He looked over at Rias' group and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're here, Rias-senpai."

"Well, I owe it to the nun for helping Chiho," the redhead replied smoothly.

"Oh, really?" Issei questioned in amusement. "And it's not to have me owe you a favor?" She smiled innocently. "Well, whatever your reasons, as long as it makes this go smoother, I don't care." His face shifted into a frown. "You will approach from the west. They'll confront you in order to buy time for Yuuma. I'll be approaching from the south."

"You're going through the front door?" Kiba asked in surprise. Issei simply nodded.

"Their numbers have been significantly reduced," he said. "The only ones left are Mittelt, Calawarner and Yuuma herself. Dohnaseek, Freed and the exorcists are otherwise… incapacitated."

"We'll make a big show of appearing and draw them in by disguising our numbers," Rias nodded. "Then we'll trap them within a barrier. With four spellcasters here it shouldn't be too much of an issue keeping them occupied."

"They'll likely submit when they realize you outnumber them 1:5," Issei said. "Alright, let's go."

_______________________________________

"Ray, are you sure you want to do this?" Calawarner asked worriedly as she watched her friend's actions. Earlier this evening she'd stormed back inside the church, practically dragging Asia behind her and flatly told the older woman that she'd be performing the ritual.

The black-haired girl glared at her. "Yes," she growled. The girl turned her gaze to the blonde nun currently bound to the sacrificial altar.

Something had obviously happened regarding Asia. Raynare seemed furious with the girl for some reason and judging by the way she reacted whenever Issei's name was brought up; he had something to do with it as well.

"Hey," Mittelt called out as she entered the chamber. "Devils are approaching."

"How many?" the oldest of their group asked.

"About two, maybe three," the blonde replied. Calawarner nodded. She turned to Raynare.

"We'll handle this," the blue-haired angel said. "Ray, for the last time, are you-"

"Yes!" the younger girl hissed. Calawarner flinched.

"Hey!" Mittelt shouted. "Don't take it out on her!"

"It's fine, Mittelt,"

"But-"

"It's fine," She took one last look at Raynare before following the blonde out the door. Once the door closed behind them, the black-haired angel strode up to the altar.

"Wake up, Asia," she said emotionlessly, snapping her fingers in the girl's face. The nun slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Yuuma-san…?" she whispered.

"It's Raynare," the angel growled. Asia flinched. "I wanted you to be awake while I extract your Sacred Gear. I want you to experience the same pain I felt when you and that bastard betrayed me."

"I-I don't understand!" the blonde girl cried in confusion. "W-What did I do?"

"Shut up!" Raynare hissed. Once again, Asia flinched. Composing herself, the black-haired girl stepped away from her. She raised her arms towards her and began chanting.

The ritual had begun.

_______________________________________

"Well, what do we have here?" Calawarner asked mockingly. "Two lonely devils approaching our church?"

"You're seriously trying to fight us on our home turf?" Mittelt giggled. "Wow, I didn't realize devils could be so stupid."

They both angled downward, summoning spears of light as they dive-bombed the two girls. The devils looked up in alarm and barely had time to scream before they were impaled through the heart.

"Well, that was easy," the blonde angel remarked. Calawarner narrowed her eyes.

"Too easy," she muttered. "Which means…?"

"It's a trap?" a voice called out. "Was that what you were going to say? Beause you'd be correct in that regard."

Suddenly the two devil girls popped in a puff of smoke, leaving two very shocked fallen angels.

"I must say again," a crimson-haired girl said, stepping out of the shadows. "Your Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is an incredibly useful technique, Suzuki-san."

Just then, the area around them began to shimmer and distort. Surrounding them were not two, not three, but a whopping ten devils.

"And your illusion spell was superb, Tamamo-san," Rias nodded appreciatively.

"Shit," Mittelt paled. "This is bad."

Calawarner growled. "What do you intend to do with us?"

"Nothing," the redhead replied offhandedly. The angel girls blinked.

"Wait, what?" the blonde angel asked incredulously.

"We're just here to keep you from interfering," Ashiya said coolly. "Issei-sama wishes to speak with Yuuma-san alone."

"Raynare's boyfriend is a devil?!" Mittelt shouted. Calwarner's eyes narrowed.

"And what does he intend to do with her?" she asked. "If he hurts her, I swear-"

"You'll what?" Tamamo asked, raising an eyebrow. Calawarner had no answer. She knew she couldn't possibly beat all of them. Not with the amount of power some of them were radiating. "You can relax though. My Master has no intention of harming her."

The older woman perked up upon hearing that. "Really?"

"Yes," the fox-girl nodded. "It seems that despite the fact that they've been deceiving each other, my Master has come to genuinely care for your friend."

"Unbelievable," Mittelt muttered. "A devil and a fallen angel?"

Calawarner remained quiet for several moments. "We surrender." She said.

"What?!" Mittelt shouted in shock. "Cal!"

"They have us completely outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed, Mittelt," the older woman sighed. "And honestly, I just want Ray to be happy more than anything. And if that guy can do that…" She looked Tamamo in the eye. "You promise he won't hurt her?"

"I swear it."

Calawarner nodded. "Thank you." And with that she turned her gaze towards the church. The others were quick to follow her example.

_______________________________________

Raynare watched quietly as the ritual ended. She stared, emotionless, as Asia's Sacred Gear fell into her hands.

"I'm… so sorry…" the blonde girl whispered. Raynare glanced at her.

"I'd be sorry too," she said flatly. "If I knew I was about to die.

Asia shook her head. "No…" she said weakly. "I'm sorry… that I put you through so much pain…"

The black-haired girl's eyes widened. "...What?" Asia smiled at her.

"You said that… I'd feel the same pain that… you felt," she whispered. "I can't believe that you felt this way… I'm so sorry…"

She coughed, her vision beginning to blur. "I don't know what I did…" she said quietly. "But I'm happy…"

"You're… happy?" Raynare asked in shocked voice.

"I'm happy… that my death will… take your pain away," Asia said, smiling her radiant smile. The same smile that captured both Issei's heart and Yuuma's. "The only thing I regret… is that I never got the chance… to spend more time with you… and Issei-san…"

"Asia…"

The blonde girl began gasping for breath. Raynare immediately released her from her bonds and caught her before she hit the floor. And despite it all, the girl was still smiling.

"Please don't be mad… at Issei-san…" she whispered. "He… didn't tell me… until yesterday. He's the one… who saved me… So please… don't hate him…"

The black-haired girl could feel tears burning in her eyes. "Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never hate you…" Asia smiled. "You and Issei-san were… my first friends. I love you. And I know… deep in my heart… that Issei-san loves you, Yuuma-san…"

"Asia…!" she cried as the girl's eyes began to flutter closed.

"I'm… sorry…"

"Asia… ASIA!" Yuuma shouted, shaking the unresponsive girl in her arms. "Oh, God…" she whispered as her tears fell. She vaguely registered someone stepping next to her but she was too exhausted to care.

"It seems I was too late," Issei said softly. She couldn't even muster the energy to look up at him.

"Why…?" she asked.

"Because Asia was right," he replied. "I love you."

"How could you love me?" the black-haired girl muttered. "We're enemies. You're a devil and I'm a fallen angel."

"Tell me, Yuuma," he said, placing a finger at her chin and making her look at him. "Would you say you loved me before you knew I was a devil?"

"I…" she looked away. "…yes…"

"Then why does it matter what we are?" Issei asked. "I may have lied to you about what I am, but I never lied to you about the kind of person I am." He stepped away from her and raised his arms to the side. "This is who I am, a student at Kuoh Academy and number one employee at WcDonalds!"

"Why…" Yuuma muttered, a trace of a smile on her lips. "Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot like you?" She sighed, any hint of humor gone. "I suppose neither of us were very honest with each other." She looked up at him. "So you weren't just playing with me? You really love me…?"

Issei's response was to kiss her. "Does that answer your question?" he asked after pulling away and seeing her flushed face.

"Why aren't you angry?" the fallen angel asked. "I just… killed Asia…"

"You speak as though she'll stay dead," Issei said with a small smirk. Her eyes widened.

"Y-You can bring her back?" she breathed. He nodded. Taking Yuuma's hand, he retrieved Asia's Sacred Gear and frowned.

"I recognize this," he muttered. "It's Twilight Healing. No wonder the fallen angels wanted it."

Yuuma hesitated. "Kokabiel-sama won't be happy…" she whispered.

"Oho?" Issei smirked. "So he's the one who was giving you orders?" Yuuma nodded solemnly.

"Wow, what perfect timing!" a voice called out. Issei and Yuuma both spun around to see a magic circle appearing on the ground behind them.

"A-Azazel-sama!" Yuuma sqeaked. The Governor gave her a mock salute.

"Yo, Raynare-chan!" he exclaimed. "I was just about to tell you myself, Issei-kun."

Issei raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean you just  now found out?"

Azazel scowled at his tone. "Hey, apparently Kokabiel is smarter than he looks," he defended himself. "He cast a complex spell on his subordinates that prevents them from telling me. I didn't want to alert the traitor to my snooping by involving a third party, so it took me until just now to get passed the spell."

The brown-haired boy raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, I get it, calm down," he muttered.

"Azazel-sama?" Yuuma asked in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Ah, sorry, Raynare-chan," the Governor said. "There's a traitor among the Grigori and I asked Issei-kun here to help me determine who it is."

She turned to Issei with a look of shock gracing her face. "Y-You're working with Azazel-sama?"

Issei smiled at her. "Like I said, Yuuma," he patted her head. "Our factions don't matter. I've been friends with Azazel here for a long time now. Your friend Dohnaseek? I brought him to Azazel for questioning."

"And he told me today that Kokabiel was the one giving orders," Azazel said with a frown.

"K-Kokabiel-sama is a traitor?" Yuuma stuttered. "I-I'm sorry, Azazel-sama, I-I had no idea..!"

"I know," the Governor sighed. He glanced at Asia on the ground. "Were you planning on reincarnating her?"

"I was, but I think I have a better idea," Issei nodded. "Rias! I know you're there. Come out, it's fine."

There was silence for several moments before Rias and her peerage stepped through the chamber doors, a tense look on their faces as they eyed Azazel warily. Issei's servants followed shortly with Calawarner and Mittelt in custody.

"Did you need something, Issei-kun?" Rias questioned. He nodded.

He gestured at Asia. "This girl is the one who saved Chiho. She's the user of Twilight Healing. I believe she'd be a good addition to your peerage."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "You're just giving her to me?"

"Ise?" Yuuma asked in concern. He smiled at her.

"It's fine," he whispered. He turned back to Rias. "Of course, I'll expect a favor." He grinned.

Rias sighed before smiling. "Very well then, I'll make her my «Bishop». I owe you, Issei-kun."

"«Bishop»?" Yuuma asked in confusion. In response, Rias withdrew a Bishop piece from her pocket. Issei slipped Asia's Twilight Healing onto her fingers and stood back. Rias placed the Evil Piece directly over Asia's chest and stood.

A bright red magic circle appeared beneath the nun and Rias began to speak. "In the name of the House of Gremory, I, Rias Gremory hereby order you, Asia Argento: return to this world and serve in my name!"

The light became blinding as the ritual neared its end. When the light faded, the Bishop piece had disappeared into Asia's flesh. Slowly, the blonde girl began fluttering her eyes open.

"W-What…?" she whispered. She blinked up at Issei. "I-Issei-san!" she cried, grabbing him in a hug.

"I don't believe it…" Yuuma whispered in awe. "The devils can bring back the dead?"

"So that's how it works, eh?" Azazel muttered. "Fascinating…"

"Yuuma-san?" Asia asked. The black-haired girl waved at her nervously. "Yuuma-san!" The blonde didn't hesitate to reach over and pull her into the hug.

"Y-You're not angry?" Yuuma whispered. Asia shook her head, smiling.

"You're my precious friend, Yuuma-san," she said sincerely. "I can never be angry at you."

"A-Asia…" she hugged her back. "I'm so sorry…"

"I forgive you..." the nun whispered in return. Issei broke away from the hug and stood to face Azazel.

"Well, what do you intend to do now?" he questioned.

"This needs to be handled delicately," Azazel frowned. He turned to Yuuma who was still being hugged by Asia. "And Kokabiel won't be pleased when he finds out who ratted him out. I'll have to place them all in protective custody."

"W-What?" Asia asked, frightened as Ashiya brought Calawarner and Mittelt over to them. "But…"

Issei sighed. "I'm sorry, Asia…" he patted her on the head. "But it needs to happen to keep them safe."

"B-But…!" Yuuma hugged the blonde, who returned the gesture fiercely.

"I'm sorry, Asia-chan…" she whispered. "I promise; I'll see you again one day…"

"Yuuma-san…" the black-haired girl broke away from her. She stood and faced Issei.

"I'm sorry to you too, Issei," she said softly as Azazel prepared a transport circle behind her.

"So am I, Yuuma," Issei said softly. The girl leaned forward, kissing him one last time before stepping back.

"Goodbye, Ise-kun."

They watched in solemn silence as the four fallen angels disappeared in a flash of light.

"Goodbye, Yuuma-chan..."
_______________________________________

A/N: And that's that. Sorry about all the melodrama, but it needed to be done in order to advance the plot.

I don't know why, but despite how Raynare was portrayed in canon, I really liked her.

Maybe I have a thing for bad girls? LOL.