"F-Finally!" Chiho gasped as she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. Her backpack, filled the brim with supplies, fell to the ground beside her.

It was the day after Raiser had issued his challenge and Issei had proposed that they train in the mountains, away from prying eyes. Rias had agreed and offered the use of her private mansion, at which they had just arrived.

Issei smiled at the brunette sympathetically but made no move to help. It was clear to all of them that Chiho was the weak link on their team. That wasn't to say the others didn't have weaknesses of their own, but Chiho hadn't even learned the basics of combat let alone wielding her Sacred Gear. As it was now, she would be easy pickings for Riser's team.

"Why am I the only one struggling?" the brown-haired girl bemoaned.

"It takes a while before your strength increases," Kiba said with a small smile as he helped her up. "You only just became a devil, so it's understandable that you're having problems."

"Yes," Rias muttered from the head of the group. "I wish we had more time. With only a week, Chiho will barely have enough time to become even remotely strong enough to survive."

"Perhaps," Issei with a small smile. "But she does have one thing going for her."

"Oh?" the red-haired princess asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You saw her Sacred Gear, correct?"

"I did," Rias nodded. "Only for a moment before it disappeared. It looked like a Twice Critical."

"A Twice Critical?" Yuuma asked from behind Issei. Her voice was colored with surprise. "But that's such a common Sacred Gear. Why would Kokabiel want her eliminated?"

"Because it wasn't a Twice Critical," Tamamo replied as she and the others made their way over. Rias arched a single delicate eyebrow.

"Oh? Then what was it, pray tell?"

"I only saw it for a few moments as well," Issei said. "But I recognized it immediately. It was Boosted Gear."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"I'm sorry, did you say Boosted Gear?" Mittelt questioned after several moments of shocked silence.

"Ano…" Chiho squeaked, raising her hand timidly. "What is Boosted Gear?"

This seemed to snap Rias out of the daze she had entered the moment the words 'Boosted Gear' had left Issei's lips. "It- It's powerful – extremely powerful - Sacred Gear. It has the ability to double its user's power every ten seconds."

"In theory," Calawarner muttered. "If used enough times, even the weakest of men could slay a god."

"I don't believe it…" Rias whispered excitedly, her mind racing. "This changes everything…"

"S-So… I could kill a god?!"

"Now, now," Issei broke in, clapping his hands to redirect their attention. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Exactly," Ashiya nodded. "There is only so much power a body can endure. At this point in time, if you boosted… I'd say… nine times, your body wouldn't be able to withstand that much power and would disintegrate on the spot."

"Hell," Mordred scoffed, looking the girl up and down. "I'd say three times before she passes out."

"Okay," Issei cut in as Chiho flinched from the blonde's remark. "That's what we're here for. We'll be spending the week training each of you to overcome any potential weaknesses."

He turned is gaze towards the brown-haired girl once again.

"Chiho, we have… a lot to work on. We'll start by improving your endurance and general combat skills. You'll be with Suzuki for that."

"H-Hai!" the brunette exclaimed, standing at attention.

"Hn," the raven-haired ninja smirked.

"Koneko-san, I noticed that while you're a skilled fighter, you're still lacking in several areas," Issei nodded at the white-haired girl, who merely stared back at him emotionlessly. "You'll be with Morgiana for the day."

"…fine." The nekoshou said after a few moments while Morgiana nodded.

"As you wish."

"Kiba-san," Issei called to the blonde-haired boy, who perked up at his name. "Your skill with a blade is impressive, to say the least." Kiba rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment but quickly grew somber again as Issei continued.

"That said; you fit the bill of «Knight» a little too well. That makes you predictable and easily countered. We're going to change that. I'm pretty sure you've already figured out who you'll be working with."

"Che," Mordred cracked her knuckles. "This'll be fun."

"I have a good idea," Kiba said with a tight smile.

"Asia," Issei began once again. "You've already mastered Twilight Healing's most basic uses. There are other ways of using it, but I'm afraid one week won't be enough to teach you any of its other abilities. Instead we will be working on a serious weakness of yours: the fact that you can't protect yourself."

He paused as Asia blushed and muttered a small apology. "You need to be able to fend for yourself. At the very least be able to survive until help arrives." Issei continued. "You'll be working with Yuuma, Calawarner and Mittelt."

"Us?" Yuuma questioned. Issei nodded.

"All of you."

"Ara ara, and what about me, Issei-kun?" He turned his attention to Akeno who gave him a sensual smile.

"Akeno-senpai, you seem to prefer elemental magic with a focus on lightning," Issei began. "You're already very skilled at what you do, though I can't speak for your… attitude towards fighting."

"Fufufu," the black-haired girl giggled, cradling a hand to her cheek and gracing him with a deceptively sweet smile.

"That said; I get the feeling that you're holding something back."

As soon as the words left his mouth the atmosphere seemed to darken. Akeno frowned.

"Ara? What makes you say that, Issei-kun?" she asked a little too sweetly.

"Just call it a hunch, Himejima-senpai," Issei said with a wry smile and leaving her to ponder his words. "You'll be working with Ashiya on advanced spell-casting."

Finally, he turned to the final member and leader of the group. "Rias-senpai… You're powerful. Impressively so, for your age." He paused as Rias smiled proudly. "But while your spells are powerful, it's… unrefined. Sloppy, even."

An offended look crossed redhead's face and she looked ready to argue, but he silenced her with a hard stare. "In a one-on-one fight, Raiser would destroy you." He said bluntly, causing her to flinch. "You'll be starting the day with me. I have a special lesson for you."

He turned to the rest of the group and clapped his hands. "I'll be checking up on each of you over the course of the day. We'll be eating lunch individually and dinner together. Until then: no slacking off!"

"Hai!"

Issei watched as each of them walked off in different directions until only he, Rias and Tamamo remained.

"Let's head inside," the brown-haired boy said quietly.

"Ara?" the fox questioned, cocking her head to the side. "What do you want me to do, Master?"

"I'd like for you to be my assistant for the day," he replied as they entered the mansion's sitting room. "Would you be kind enough to make us some tea? I think I can see the kitchen from here."

"Of course, Master ~" the fox girl winked before heading in the indicated direction.

"What exactly are you training me in?" Rias questioned as she sat down across from him. "Would it not be best to practice magic outdoors?"

"It would, but we won't be practicing magic," Issei admitted.

"What?" the redhead demanded. "With all due respect, Issei-kun, we only have a week to get stronger, we can't be wasting time."

"All the strength in the world is meaningless if you are unable to properly utilize it," he returned sharply. "During my stay here, I took note of your behavior and abilities. At first, I wasn't going to get involved, but now that you've asked for my aid, I can't ignore it anymore. "

"And what about my behavior did you find lacking, Issei-kun?" Rias frowned, crossing her arms.

"Like I said outside; you're powerful, there's no denying that." He replied. "But you're allowing that blind you. Do you remember the fight with the stray devil?"

"Vizor?"

Issei nodded. "Indeed."

"But we destroyed her!"

"You left yourself wide open," he said bluntly. The crimson-haired girl blinked in confusion. "While you were busy watching the fight, one of Vizor's detached arms had taken up flanking position behind you."

"It wasn't just one," Tamamo explained as she entered the room with a tea set. It seems she had taken the time to change into her blue kimono as well. "After being severed, each of her arms began moving independently."

The fox-girl paused for a moment as she set the tea down on the table. "At first I thought Master had dispatched them, but in hindsight, it must have been Suzuchi." She continued. "She hid in the shadows and eliminated all of them save the one that nearly flanked you. She probably wanted to see what you would do. She must have been disappointed."

"Had Suzuki not interfered, you would have been incapacitated," Issei continued coolly. "Had that been your battle with Riser Phenex, your team would have fallen apart, ending in your defeat." He nodded at Tamamo thankfully as she served them their tea.

Rias merely stared at him in shock. She opened her mouth as though to speak but no words came out.

"You have to start thinking like a leader, Rias," Issei told her. "You must think like a King."

"Like a king…"

"So," he said, taking a sip of his tea. "Are you ready to start?"

Issei watched silently as the girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before giving him a silent nod.

_______________________________________

"How's it going out here, girls?" Issei questioned as he entered the courtyard to see the three fallen angels standing in a loose triangle formation around Asia.

"Badly," Mittelt said bluntly. "Have any luck with the princess?

Issei sighed. "She's playing along," he said tiredly. "But I can tell she's not taking what I have to say very seriously. She's getting frustrated with her lack of progress and focusing purely on growing stronger when it's her lack of control that's holding her back."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to face them properly. "I asked Tamamo to escort her to Ashiya for the time being." He said, looking over their formation. "What seems to be the problem here? Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"We decided to start with teaching her defensive magic," Calawarner began as Asia timidly raised her arms in front of her.

An admittedly weak-looking shield appeared before the blonde nun, which was instantly shattered by one of Mittelt's light spears.

"I don't understand why you don't get this," Mittelt complained. "It's, like, the basics of the basics."

"I-I'm sorry…" Asia mumbled ashamedly.

"As you can see, it's not going very well," the blue-haired angel finished their report.

"Hmm," Issei hummed, looking over the blonde nun's stance and posture. "How are you envisioning the shield, Asia?"

"I-I don't know," she said nervously. "I guess I just imagine something in front of me."

"That may be part of the problem," he remarked. "A devil's magic is based on the power of her imagination. If you are unable to properly visualize the concept in your mind, the results will be lackluster at best. In order to properly craft a barrier, you must imagine something particularly strong."

He paused here and took another look at her posture. "But… I don't really think 'hard-style' is your style."

"What do you mean?" Yuuma questioned.

"I think that Asia's own personality conflicts with what you're trying to teach her," Issei explained. "Here, Asia, switch places with me."

The nun did as instructed and Issei now stood in between the three fallen angels. "Now, I want all three of you to throw light spears at me."

"You sure?"

He nodded and each of them launched a holy lance in perfect synchronization with one another. Issei allowed the weapons to come within a foot of his person before raising a single arm above his head and clenching his hand into a loose fist.

Immediately a transparent energy bubble surrounded his body, causing all three spears to bounce back to his aggressors, who barely managed to either dodge or shield themselves.

"What was that?" Calawarner questioned as her hastily crafted shield was shattered, forcing her to dodge the incoming attack. Her eyes narrowed. "My attack wasn't nearly that powerful."

"That's because it wasn't your attack," Issei said, lowering his ward. "I deflected them to different targets. That one was Mittelt's. I know because she didn't hold back whatsoever."

Said blonde angel chuckled sheepishly as she was suddenly met with several glares. "Eh. It's not as though something on that level would actually hurt him."

"That's not the point," Yuuma deadpanned.

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand," Issei called out. ""Defensive magic can come in two forms. Hard-style: shields and blocking and soft-style: wards and deflection."

He stepped out of the loose formation they had made and wandered back over to the sideline, the others at his heels.

"I apologize for getting philosophical, but there is a saying." Issei continued his lecture. "In the harshest of storms, the reed that stands rigid against the wind breaks, but the reed that bends with the wind weathers the storm."

"I get it," Yuuma nodded. "Asia isn't the type of person to seek direct confrontation with others, so she's out of her element with shields. She should focus on barriers and wards."

"So… instead of fighting against the wind, I should bend with it?" Asia asked, cocking her head.

"Exactly," Issei nodded.

"Alright," Calawarner nodded. "Now we know what to teach you. Let's get back to work, Asia."

"H-Hai!"

Issei watched as Asia scrambled after the older woman. "So you really do know what you're doing, eh?" Mittelt smirked.

"They are hardly the first group of people to request training from me," he chuckled, though he quickly grew somber once again. "I'll be checking up on Akeno and Rias soon. But before I leave, there are a few things I wanted clarified..."

The two fallen angels blinked and turned to look at him curiously. His eyes were trained directly on them, his gaze stony.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Baraqiel."

_______________________________________

"Very good, very good," Ashiya hummed absentmindedly as he observed Rias and Akeno clash once again. Rias' destruction magic was slowly penetrating Akeno's lightning barrier, but he still spotted several flaws in execution.

"It seems Master's observation of Rias-hime was correct," Tamamo mused as she stood next to him, arms folded neatly beneath the sleeves of her kimono.

"Yes, it was," the white-haired man admitted. "Rias-kun's spells are powerful, but she's expending too much energy casting them. Not only that, but it seems she doesn't have very much control over them either. Akeno-kun is biding her time at this point."

Indeed. If one looked closely, they would see a fine, almost imperceptible sheen of sweat on Rias' skin whereas Akeno barely looked winded.

"Are you ready to give up, Akeno?" Rias called out with a small smirk.

"Fufufu, you know I never give up, Buchou," the black-haired miko replied with a serene smile.

"Hmm, it looks like it is Akeno-chan's win then," Tamamo murmured.

"Don't be too sure of that," a voice called out, prompting the two to turn towards the new observer.

"What do you mean, Master?" the fox questioned. Issei shook his head and gestured towards the fight.

"This is the end!" Rias cried out, lashing one arm forward in a sweeping motion, sending tendrils of black and red energy flying towards her opponent.

"For you, perhaps!" Akeno quipped, placing both hands in front of her. A web of lightning ensnared the energy Rias had projected.

"She's going to turn Rias-hime's attack against her?" Tamamo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Or at least, try to," Ashiya corrected her.

"Hmm? What do you-"

"Ahhh!" Akeno's cry cut her off and they turned to see Rias' magic overwhelm her own spell, causing a minor explosion and knocking her back several meters.

"Akeno!" Rias exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side. "Are you okay?"

"Ara ara…" the black-haired girl moaned as Rias helped her sit upright. "I… lost…?"

"The magic you were trying to contain was too powerful," Issei said as they approached the two girls. "Or rather, your magic wasn't powerful enough."

"Ara?" Akeno muttered. "But I put in quite a bit of power behind that spell…"

"And it was an impressive display of skill and creativity," he admitted. "But I'm afraid that your lightning by itself doesn't have the power to back up what you're trying to accomplish."

Akeno's brow furrowed at his words before she froze. "Y-You…"

"I knew I recognized that fighting style," Issei said. "And I'm sure Ashiya did as well."

"Indeed," the white-haired man nodded. "It's extremely reminiscent of a certain member of the Grigori."

The black-haired girl, surprisingly, let out a dark chuckle. "So you figured it out, huh?" she asked bitterly. "Yes. I'm the daughter of Baraqiel."

"So that's what you were holding back?" Tamamo questioned. "If I remember correctly, the Cadre-class fallen angel Baraquiel's special technique is-"

"Holy Lightning," Issei nodded. "It-"

"No." Akeno said bluntly, startling them all. Rias bit her lip in concern.

"Akeno…"

"I refuse to use that wretched power," the black-haired girl broke away from Rias and stood. "I want nothing to do with that man. Not his power, his blood or…" she smiled a bitter smile. "These wings…" She quickly schooled her features and bowed to them. "Please excuse me."

They watched her go in silence. After several moments, Issei sighed.

"Well, that could have gone better."

"I apologize," Rias said with a bow. "Akeno… she has a troubled past."

Issei shook his head. "No, I think I went about that the wrong way," he admitted. "I knew that Baraqiel had a child with a human woman and Mittelt told me that she was a Shinto shrine maiden. Yuuma said that something bad had happened to them, but I didn't think she would react like that..."

He let out another sigh. "In hindsight, I really should have expected it," he muttered. "Why else would she become a devil instead of joining her father or her mother's family?"

Rias nodded. "Yes…" she said quietly. "It happened years ago, but the wounds still sting. She hates her father and fallen angels in general. It's a miracle she hasn't started anything with Yuuma-san and the others…"

The crimson-haired girl glanced to see Akeno's form disappear over the hill. "But above all else…" she whispered. "I think she hates herself."

Issei was silent for several moments. "I see," he murmured. "Ashiya?"

"I understand," The white-haired man nodded before taking off in the direction his wayward student had walked off in.

"I should go too…"

Issei shook his head. "No, let Ashiya handle this," he insisted. The crimson-haired girl bit her lip and glanced in the direction the two had left one last time before silently nodding. "Now, do you remember what I told you earlier this morning? About your spell-work?"

She paused a moment and frowned. "That it was unrefined, sloppy."

"And quite frankly, it is," he said bluntly. "You're expending far more energy than is needed in your spell-casting."

"Right now, what you're doing is pumping a bunch of energy into your attack without focusing that energy," Tamamo explained with a small frown. "This is a very basic mistake that should have been caught early on. Who teaches you magic?"

Rias sighed. "I haven't had formal training in years," she admitted. "I tended to avoid going home whenever possible because my family would constantly badger me about the engagement to Raiser."

"I see," Issei muttered. "Well, thankfully it's an easily fixable mistake. So-"

"Wait," Rias began. Issei's eyes narrowed at being interrupted. He was going to chastise her, but the solemn look on her face convinced him to hear her out. "Before we start, there are some things I'd like you to know about my servants."

_______________________________________

"Ah, there you are," Akeno-kun," Ashiya said as he found his charge sitting in seiza position before a large pond. The black-haired girl seemed to be staring at her reflection in the pool.

"Ashiya-sensei…" Akeno muttered, not turning to face him. Ashiya watched as she continued to stare at her reflection, a look of loathing marring her features.

"May I sit?" She was silent for several moments before nodding.

"Have you come to try to convince me to use my Holy Lightning?" the girl asked with a bitter smile.

"No, that's not why I came." Akeno looked up at him in surprise and saw him leaning back on his hands, gazing at his own reflection with a small smile on his face. "I just came to check up on you."

"Because Issei-kun asked you to?"

"Well, that's part of the reason," he admitted. "But I likely would have come regardless."

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because I can see myself in you," Ashiya explained. He chuckled slightly at the blank expression on her face. "You know, I didn't always happily serve Issei-sama."

Akeno graced him with a wry smile. "But you seem so loyal," she said. "You even said you'd serve him until you die."

"And I will," he nodded. "But there was a time when I hated him; what I perceived him to be – what I thought he represented. I only followed him because I felt I had no other choice."

"And how did that change?" Akeno questioned, intrigued by his tale.

"It didn't happen overnight," Ashiya admitted. "It took years; during which I was far from subtle with my distain, but… the more time I spent in his company, the more I realized how utterly wrong I had been. Not just in my perception of him, but in everything I had once thought absolute."

The white-haired man paused here. He looked down at his reflection and gave a small smile.

"But… above all else, I realized that my anger… my hate, it had all been misdirected," he continued after a while. "It was not he that I hated… but myself. I felt that if I didn't blame him, I would end up destroying myself."

Akeno's eyes widened and she looked down at her reflection once again. "…and… what happened then?"

"I told Issei-sama what I had discovered," Ashiya said. "And he listened. We would speak – sometimes for hours on end. Some days I would rage at him. Sometimes I would weep at his feet. He never judged me; only bade me to speak as my heart would have me. And as time passed, all the anger… the hate… the self-loathing… all of it was washed away."

"So… Issei-kun saved you?"

"No, he didn't save me," Ashiya shook his head. "He helped me save myself. Issei-sama helped me rise above it on my own and grow stronger from it." The white-haired man chuckled and gazed up at the sky. "I owe him much, though he'd likely disagree with me."

They were quiet for a time, merely sitting in comfortable silence.

"I… I don't think I'm ready to start using it yet," the black-haired girl said after a while.

"That's fine," Ashiya smiled. "Issei-sama was patient with me. It's only right I do the same for you."

"You all seem so loyal to him." Akeno smiled slightly and gazed up at the sky as well. "I wonder what kind of person he is; to inspire such devotion from you."

"Perhaps one day you'll find out for yourself," Ashiya nodded. He glanced over at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn to him. "If you ever need anything, you need only ask us. We'll always try to help – even if all we can do is lend an ear over a hot cup of tea."

The black-haired girl stared at him for several moments before nodding. "Yes… I think I'll take you up on that someday." She bowed. "Thank you, Ashiya-sensei."

_______________________________________

"We have returned, Issei-sama" Ashiya called out as they approached their training area. The trio turned and greeted them in return.

"I'm sorry for walking out on you," Akeno bowed lowly, shame coloring her voice.

"It's of no consequence," Issei waved her off.

"Are you okay, Akeno?" Rias questioned. The black-haired girl smiled.

"Yes, I think I am," she said sincerely. "I'm ready to continue now."

"Very well, then," Issei nodded. "I'll leave you to it, Ashiya. I've still got to check up on the others. We'll see you at dinner."

"Rias-hime didn't perform very well," Tamamo noted as they walked off. He sighed in frustration.

"I'm not sure if it's because she's worried about her servants or because she's still not taking me seriously."

"Master?"

"I can't teach her if she's not ready to learn," He said solemnly. "She thinks she can win with strength alone, but she's sorely mistaken."

They were silence for several minutes. "Who next, Master?" Tamamo questioned after a while.

"Huh…" Issei mused. "Lunch will be soon. I suppose I'll check up on Chiho. She forgot her backpack in front of the mansion, so she's probably starving by now."

"Hmm," the fox hummed thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, they went to the foot of that mountain we saw earlier. Let's go."

"No," he stopped her. "I've got something I want you to do for me."

_______________________________________

"M-Mou!" Chiho gasped as she collapsed at the feet of her opponent, utterly exhausted. "C-Can we please take a break?"

"I told you," Suzuki said, her voice deadpan. She patted a small yellow bell hanging at her waist. "You can't take a break until you steal this bell from me."

The brown-haired girl glanced up at the small metallic instrument in despair. "B-But it's been over two hours and I still haven't gotten it from you!"

"That's your problem," the ninja snorted, reaching into one of her pouches and procuring a small orange book. "Come on, try again." She opened the book and began reading, her face never wavering from its deadpan stare.

"M-Mou…!"

"Are you seriously making her do the Bell Test, Suzuki?" a voice demanded.

Faster than anyone could see, the book was hidden once again. The only evidence of its existence was a small, almost imperceptible blush on the black-haired girl's face.

"That test was meant to test teamwork between new shinobi," Issei said, an annoyed expression gracing his face as he entered the clearing. "Chiho's nowhere near that level."

"N-Not even at newbie level, huh?" Chiho muttered, collapsing into the dirt once again. "Figures…"

Suzuki shrugged. "It served our purposes well enough."

Issei merely sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knelt down and gently helped the exhausted girl into a sitting position. "Chiho, how are you feeling?"

"S-So tired…" she moaned. "So hungry…"

He let out a small chuckle. "Well, let's remedy that." He raised his hand and Chiho's bento appeared within a small magic circle within his palm.

Chiho's eyes immediately lit up. "Food!" The brown-haired girl snatched the box from Issei's hand and tore it open. "Mmm!" she moaned as she stuffed her face with a fried egg. "Tamagoyaki has never tasted so good…!"

"Hn," Suzuki grunted. "You're too soft on her, Master."

"I'm rewarding her hard work," Issei countered, a smirk slipping onto his face. "She performed better than you did, and you had teammates to help. If I remember correctly, you came home crying about how unfair the test was."

"I wasn't crying!" the raven-haired girl insisted, a small flush on her cheeks. "I got dirt in my eye from a stray jutsu. And the only reason I did so poorly was because my damn teammates kept stabbing each other in the back."

"It did take you quite a while to get the teamwork thing down," Issei admitted. He glanced towards her. "Are you not going to eat?"

"Already did," she shrugged. Chiho almost choked before swallowing.

"She sat on top of me while she ate her bento!" she exclaimed angrily, pointing her chopsticks at the ninja.

"Suzuki…" Issei sighed as the black-haired girl refused to look at him.

"Anyway," she said, changing the subject and causing Issei to roll his eyes in exasperation. "I've already showed her the basics of combat and we went through that endurance test. Not sure what else you want me to teach her."

"I actually wanted to test her aptitude for magic," he replied as Chiho swallowed the last of her bento.

"Magic?" she asked excitedly.

"Indeed," Issei nodded. "Before we do anything, I need to make you aware of your magical core."

"My magical core?" the girl questioned, cocking her head in confusion.

"You're magical core is what allows you to channel magical energy." Issei explained. "There are many forms of magic; each of them using different forms of energy. Devils tend to use two of them. The first is demonic energy. This type of energy can only be used by devils. The second can be used by everyone. We call this energy 'prana'. It is the basis of all western magic. Now, prana is further divided into two types when in its unrefined state."

"One is called 'mana', which is the latent energy in the environment and is produced by the world itself. It can be found practically anywhere, usually in great quantities."

"The other is called 'od'. This energy is found in living organisms such as humans, devils, angels and the like. Naturally, it is found in far lesser quantities than mana."

"Wait, I'm confused," Chiho muttered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "You said something about my core, right?"

"Indeed," he nodded. "It is your magical core that takes raw, unrefined od and mana and converts it into usable prana. It's also responsible for creating and storing demonic energy. In a way, it acts as a magical muscle. The more you exercise it, the more magic you can channel. But if you go beyond your limits, you risk damaging it."

"But, how do I actually do magic?" she questioned.

"Like I said, you must first become aware of your magical core," Issei said. "Normally, you would meditate for a few hours, but I think we can speed things up." He knelt down and brought his face close to hers. It almost looked as if he was going to…!

"I-Issei-san?!"

"Calm down," he commanded and touched his forehead to hers. Immediately, the brown-haired girl became aware of a small pulsation deep within herself. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensation.

"I-Is that…?"

"Your core," Issei answered, backing away from her.

"I-It's tiny…!" Chiho exclaimed, opening her eyes only to find Suzuki glaring at her.

"How shocking," the ninja droned sarcastically. The brown-haired girl flinched.

"It is… smaller than I had hoped," Issei admitted. "But in no way unusable. With practice you should be able to increase your capabilities. We'll start out by teaching you demonic magic. A devil's magic relies heavily on her imagination and concentration. You must picture what you wish to happen in your mind. Start by imagining yourself pulling energy out of your core, then focus that energy into something you want to happen."

"Picture what I want, huh?" Chiho muttered. She glanced at Suzuki, who was staring into space, a bored expression on her face. A mischievous smirk crossed the brown-haired girl's face. It was time for a little payback.

She closed her eyes and focused on the warm sensation from before, Issei's words repeating themselves in her head. 'Concentrate… concentrate…'An image of the black-haired ninja being blown away by a strong wind surfaced in the girl's mind.

"Hah!" the brunette cried, lashing her arms forward.

In an instant, a powerful gust came forth, shredding Suzuki's clothing and exposing her naked form for the world to see.

…

…

…

"…This is what you wanted?" Suzuki questioned, not even moving to cover herself up. "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

"N-No!" Chiho shouted hysterically, looking towards Issei, who at least had the decency to turn away respectfully. "I swear! This isn't what it looks like!"

"It's okay, Chiho," Issei told her, still deliberately looking away from his servant.

Chiho sighed in relief. ..

"It's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of," he finished with a smile.

The poor girl nearly burst into tears at this point. "No…"

Finally, Issei glanced at the still-nude Suzuki. "…Are you not going to cover yourself up?"

The girl shrugged. "It's just you and this brat here," she replied. "Nothing you haven't seen already and I don't care what she thinks."

"That's not the point," he sighed. He moved to take off his blazer to cover her up, when something caught his eye. Bending down, he plucked the bright orange cloth from the ground and read the words etched upon it.

Icha Icha Collector's Edition

Experience the legendary saga like never before! Unedited erotic goodness!

…

…

…

"They still print this?!" Issei shouted incredulously.

"…That's not mine." The black-haired girl told him stiffly.

"B-But you were reading it while you trained me," Chiho said in confusion, not realizing the hole she was digging for herself.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were," she insisted. "You even giggled while doing it."

…

…

…

"Sasaki Chiho,"

"H-Hai?" Chiho squeaked as the ninja's eyes suddenly changed color from cool onyx to burning red; three pitch-black tomoe surrounding each pupil.

"Prepare to die." Suzuki declared as the tomoe began spinning wildly.

_______________________________________

"Come on, is that seriously the best you can do?!" Mordred roared as she watched Kiba double over in pain for the umpteenth time.

"I can't… keep up with you," the boy gasped. Mordred had spent the last few hours beating every inch of his body with her bokken while he hadn't even been able to touch her once.

"This is what Master was talking about," the blonde girl said irritably. "You're too damn fragile. One blow to your legs and you fall apart!"

His legs had been the first thing she targeted and predictably, his movement had been immediately hindered.

"And that is an easily exploitable weakness, Kiba-san," a new voice called out.

"Master," Mordred nodded as he approached, resting her wooden sword against her shoulder. "What is Suzuki teaching that brat? I could hear the explosions from here."

"Don't ask," Issei grunted.

"And how am I supposed to counter that weakness?" Kiba questioned, ignoring their banter.

"There aren't very many ways and most of them can't be taught in the span of time we have," Issei admitted. "Mordred herself prefers to wear armor in battle."

"I can't do that without sacrificing my speed," the blonde boy argued.

"Indeed," the brunet agreed. "It took her years of conditioning to move at the speed she does, armor or otherwise."

"We don't have that kind of time," Kiba said bluntly.

Issei nodded. "I'll be honest; I'm not entirely sure how we should proceed on this…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mordred broke in, drawing both their attention. "We've just gotta train him to take hits and keep moving."

"…You just want to keep beating him up, don't you?"

"That's just a bonus," the blonde girl grinned, raising her bokken at the blonde boy once more.

"Why me…?" Kiba muttered, leveling his own bokken and leaping forward.

"Hmm, a little better than last time," Mordred grunted before instantly changing position and knocking the blade out of Kiba's hands.

Issei watched the blade sail across the clearing, only to be caught deftly by a new presence. "Ara ara," Tamamo cooed, twirling the blade across her hand in a surprising show of skill. "What did I miss?" She glanced at Issei and winked. "See Master? I make a wonderful «Knight» as well, but… my best class is «Lover» ~."

"I've arrived at your request, Issei-sama," yet another voice called out. From behind the tree lines, a familiar face emerged.

"Father?" Mordred asked in shock.

"Hello, Mordred," Saber nodded at her. Mordred's stare hardened. She marched over to the other blonde and began speaking to her in hushed tones.

But Issei's attention was on Kiba, whom had frozen the moment Saber had appeared. "Master…" Tamamo said quietly. "Are you sure this was a good idea...?" The brown-haired boy remained silent and kept his gaze locked on the blonde.

"Father…?" Kiba muttered, catching everyone's attention. "You are… King Arthur, then? The wielder of… that sword?"

He said those words with so much hate, the other two blondes were taken aback.

"I was," Saber replied sternly. "I would prefer you did not address me as such, however."

"Whatever," Kiba grunted.

"Oi," Mordred frowned at his increasingly aggressive behavior. "What's with you, brat?"

"What's with me…?" the blonde boy chuckled bitterly. "That sword ruined my entire life." He balled his hand into a fist. "You. King Arthur. I challenge you."

"Kiba-chan," Tamamo warned. "That's not a good idea."

"This doesn't involve you!" the boy growled. "Hand me my bokken back."

"No, I don't think I will," the fox-girl said coolly. Her grip on the weapon tightened, causing it to burst into flames and swiftly reducing it to ashes.

"Fine!" Kiba muttered. A red magic circle appeared before him. He reached into the circle and withdrew a black and silver sword.

"Don't do it, brat," Mordred warned him, but Kiba wasn't listening.

"Draw your sword," he demanded.

"I do not wish to fight you, Kiba," Saber said with a frown, though her fingers curled in anticipation. Kiba's lip curled into a snarl.

"Then I'll force you!" Immediately after finishing his sentence, he dashed forward. With a great leap he struck… Or at least, he tried to.

Without warning, he felt a great force slam into his stomach, sending him flying backwards. He righted himself in midair and looked up at Saber in shock. Her arm was extended, her fingers still curled, as though gripping a non-existent weapon.

"An invisible weapon?" Kiba muttered, clutching his stomach in pain as a slight burning sensation began to manifest where her weapon had struck.

"It is poor form to attack someone that has declined to duel," Saber said harshly. "But if you insist on provoking me, I will not show restraint."

She leveled her invisible weapon at him, taking on a low stance. Kiba's eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth. With a snarl, he charged once again.

Issei sighed. It appeared that Kiba had let his anger get the better of him. He was charging in without properly assessing the situation.

Saber lowered her stance and prepared for a sweeping arc. Kiba saw this and made to dodge, only to be caught in his side, sending him flying hard into a nearby tree.

'What?' the boy thought incredulously as his ears rung from the impact. 'How long is her sword?'

"He hasn't even noticed yet?" Mordred asked dryly.

"He's not thinking," Issei replied, his voice just as dry. "Saber, disperse Invisible Air."

The former king glanced at him for a moment before complying. A moment later, the enchanted wind that concealed the blonde's weapon was released, revealing it for all to see.

"A lance?!" Kiba demanded, warily appraising its simple but elegant design. "Where's your sword?"

"I swore long ago I would never wield another sword so long as Excalibur remained fragmented," Saber said, spinning her blue and gold spear before leveling it at Kiba once again. "This is my lance, Rhongomyniad or Rhon, if you prefer. It should be more than enough for this purpose."

"So, it's a holy weapon?" Kiba questioned, clutching his side. With its enchantment gone, he could feel the holy aura being emitted by the spear. "That explains why it burns whenever I get hit..." He grit his teeth, dismissing his sword and summoning a new one. This new sword had a pitch-black blade and a golden hilt.

"Kiba," Issei said warningly, recognizing the blade. But the blonde ignored him and charged forward once more. Saber raised her lance for another sweeping attack, but Kiba was prepared this time, he raised his sword to meet her head on…

Only to watch in absolute shock, as Rhon shattered his sword. Saber didn't allow him a chance to recover, immediately pivoting and ramming the butt of her spear into Kiba's face, sending him stumbling backwards. She pivoted once more, slamming the side of her weapon into his temple and throwing him into the same tree once again.

Issei winced. Saber was as brutal as ever. He didn't stop her however, as she approached the downed boy.

Kiba looked up through blurred vision as the King of Knights gazed down upon him. "How…?" he muttered. "My Holy Eraser should have been a match for your spear…"

"Rhon isn't one of those mass-produced pieces of crap you see nowadays," Mordred said as she stalked over to them. "While it's not nearly as powerful as Excalibur, it's more than enough to overpower a poorly crafted sword such as that." She scowled. "Trust me. That's the same lance that almost killed me way back in the day."

Saber merely glanced at her awkwardly before returning her attention to the blonde boy before her.

"Tell me, Kiba," she said, eager to change the subject. "What is the source of this anger you've shown us?"

"Anger…?" the blonde boy chuckled bitterly. "More like pure, unadulterated, all-consuming hatred." Kiba scowled. "Excalibur." He said the word with such vehemence… such venom, that the two girls were taken aback. "Years ago, my friends and I were subject to a secret project by the Church."

"The Holy Sword Project," Saber muttered, her eyes widening in realization. Kiba looked up at her in surprise. "I know of it…" she spoke softly. "Long ago, I made a deal with the Holy Church; back when corruption was not as prevalent within its ranks as it is today. I allowed them to forge the eight fragments I had in my possession into new swords, which were given to eight different warriors."

"In exchange, the Church would assist me in locating the remaining fragments, which had been scattered to the four winds, and on the day I located the last remaining fragment, they would relinquish the blades to me and I would restore them to their original form."

"But when that day finally came, one of the blades had been lost." She said with a sad smile as Mordred fidgeted uncomfortably beside her. "The wielder of Excalibur Ruler had been defeated in battle, his blade taken from him. I had been told this by a man named Valper Galilei. He requested that the blades be kept in the possession of the Church, where they would be kept safe."

Saber's face hardened. "Little had I known, that they were being used for such twisted purposes as the Holy Sword Project," she muttered. "Nor had I known that he had been the one orchestrating the entire thing."

Kiba froze at this. "Valper Galilei?" he asked lowly. Saber nodded.

"When his activities were discovered by the Church, he was excommunicated for his crimes and sentenced to death." Issei broke in, his face solemn. "He managed to escape however, and is being hunted to this day."

"Your anger is misplaced, Kiba," Saber said sternly. "A sword is a tool. It is up to man to decide how he wishes to wield it."

"Valper Galilei…" the blonde boy muttered hatefully, his hand balling into a fist. "So he is the one responsible?"

"Indeed," Saber said solemnly. To their surprise however, she bowed to him. "But I cannot deny that I am partially responsible. I should have more carefully monitored what my blades were being used for. I cannot make up for what you have gone through. All I can offer are my deepest apologies."

Kiba was silent for a long while, merely staring at the former king, dipping her head to him. Finally, he sighed. "You had nothing to do with what happened to me…" he said tiredly. "You were right. My anger was misplaced. But I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get over my hatred of Holy Swords."

"Well," Mordred spoke up, somewhat awkwardly. "At least now you know whose ass to kick."

"Yeah…" Kiba muttered. "Valper Galilei…"

"But you'll never be able to do it as you are now," she continued with a smirk. "That means more training!"

Kiba paled. "Eh, but Tamamo-san burned my bokken…" he argued weakly.

"That's fine, you can use mine," Mordred said, tossing her weapon into Kiba's lap. "Master, may I use it?"

Issei gave her a startled glance. "That?" he asked incredulously, causing Kiba to look at him in alarm. "Are you-"

"Positive," she grinned. "I'm sure he can take it."

The brown-haired boy stared at her before sighing. "Fine."

"Yosh!" the girl exclaimed gleefully. Mordred raised her arm, causing a magic circle to appear at her fingertips. Reaching into the circle, she withdrew her new weapon.

It was a simple weapon; a wooden shinai with a black hilt and a tiger-stripe pattern along the 'blade'. Besides a small tiger strap attached to the guard, it seemed like nothing more than an ordinary shinai.

No. The extraordinary thing about this shinai was the sheer bloodlust being emitted by it. Kiba's skin crawled just by being near the thing. It felt as though it were screaming for his blood to spill and his innards to be strewn across the clearing.

"W-What is that?!" Kiba asked in terror. He slowly began crawling backwards, only for his back to bump into the tree as Mordred grinned at him.

"This is Tora-Shinai." The blonde girl said this, casually twirling the… monstrosity in her hand. "I won it off a youkai in a duel to the death the last time we were in Japan. It's said to contain the tortured souls of every opponent it has ever slain."

"S-Slain?!" Kiba squeaked.

"Get ready, brat!" Mordred cackled, leaping towards him. "Your real training begins now!"

_______________________________________

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Saber," Issei said as he, Tamamo and the blonde girl walked off towards the mansion. Kiba's shrieks of terror could still be heard in the distance.

"No, I'm pleased I could of assistance," she replied, though the solemn look on her face spoke otherwise. They were silent for a while.

"I have caused much suffering in my desire to re-forge Excalibur," Saber said quietly.

"You shouldn't think like that," Issei told her. "Excalibur has done more good than evil. And it chose you. It's only right to want it back."

"But I fear that day may never come," she sighed. Issei glanced back as they heard Mordred cackling in the distance.

"You never know," the brown-haired boy replied with a mysterious smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you stick around? We'll be having dinner in a few hours and with this many people here, it's guaranteed to be quite the feast."

Issei could only chuckle as her entire face lit up.

_______________________________________

"You're too slow," Morgiana said in a deadpan voice as she easily side-stepped another of Koneko's attacks.

"I'm a «Rook»," the white-haired girl replied in an equally deadpan voice as she once again charged at the taller girl. "Speed isn't my specialty."

"That's no excuse," the redhead retorted. Then, faster than Koneko could respond, Morgiana had swept the neko's feet from under her and pinned her face-down in the dirt; all in one fluid motion.

"It's a weakness. There are many opponents that are stronger than you. I could see your attacks coming a mile away, as well. You aren't going to get anything done if you advertise your attacks to everyone with eyes."

Koneko struggled for nearly ten minutes but Morgiana's hold was unrelenting. Only when the neko stopped struggling did she release her. "And how am I supposed to fix that?"

"Well, there are several ways," a voice called out. The two girls looked up to see Issei approaching them through the trees with Tamamo a step behind him. Saber had chosen to wait at the mansion, fantasizing about the dinner to come.

Issei entered the clearing and glanced around. The surrounding trees had all been damaged in some way from their spar. Some had holes punched in them; others had been split clean in half.

"One method would be to train for years with weights tied to your limbs," Issei continued, sitting down at a newly-created tree stump. "But we don't exactly have a few years to train you."

Koneko was silent, still catching her breath from her bout with Morgiana but her eyes were trained on him.

"Hm," Tamamo hummed thoughtfully. She turned to face Morgiana. "Ne, Morg-chan, didn't Saber-chan teach you that one ability?"

The red-haired girl nodded. "Yes, she did."

"What ability?" Koneko questioned.

"It's an ability that allows one to traverse a set distance nearly instantly," Issei explained. "It was designed specifically to make up for the weakness of low speed. It's called Prana Burst."

"…'Prana burst'?" she repeated the words slowly. Issei nodded.

"It involves infusing one's own body with prana and instantly expelling it." Morgiana explained.

"Simply put, it recreates the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of od," Issei finished.

"But I don't have large amounts of od," Koneko countered.

"But you do have large amounts of another energy source," he replied. Koneko blinked at him in confusion for several moments before what he meant finally dawned on her.

"…no…"

"You're a nekoshou, a species that specializes in chakra manipulation," Issei continued carefully.

"…No."

"So in theory, you can replicate the technique using chakra instead – a chakra burst, if you wi-"

"NO!" Koneko shouted, her eyes widened in terror. "I won't… I can't…!" Her reaction startled him and he watched in mild shock as she slowly stepped away from him.

"Koneko, I-"

"NO!" she shouted once again before taking off further into the forest.

…

"That could have gone better," Issei sighed.

"Tsk – you can be really insensitive sometimes, Master," Tamamo said irritably as she began chasing after the smaller girl. Issei watched her go in shock. Slowly, he turned to Morgiana, wide-eyed.

"Morgiana, I-"

"…Horrible." She said at length, turning away from him.

Ouch. That hurt. Issei clutched his chest and staggered away from her, as though he'd just been struck.

"…Go after her." She demanded.

"…Right," Issei nodded. He paused. "Wait. Before I go... I want you to go to Suzuki. Ask her for the medallion."

Morgiana looked at him in surprise. "That?" He nodded.

"She's become quite skilled at senjutsu – she doesn't need it anymore." She stared at him for a while before nodding and took off towards the mountains. Issei watched her go for several moments before beginning his own search.

After several minutes of stumbling through the forest, he finally found Tamamo standing solemnly amid a copse of trees. "Tamamo?"

She silenced him with a shake of her head. With a small gesture, she motioned for him to look forward. What he saw caused him to flinch.

Koneko had curled into a fetal position, pressing her small body against the roots of an enormous tree, as though taking shelter from the world. Though he couldn't see her face, he could clearly hear and see the sobs racking her body.

Tamamo let out a sigh. "You've really done it this time, Master." She said softly before stepping forward. "Ne, nekochi?"

"…go away…" was the weak response.

"You can't expect me to go away when you're like this, nekochi," the fox said softly. Slowly, the fox entered the little nook Koneko had taken refuge in and sat next to her.

"B-But…!"

"Shh," Tamamo whispered as she gently wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, pressing her head against her bosom. "It's okay. Just let it out."

That was all that was needed, as Koneko's cries begun anew. Issei watched on silently as Tamamo wrapped her tail around the tiny girl and gently caressed the back of her head.

The fox glanced up at him and motioned for him to approach. Cautiously, he did so. Predictably, Koneko stiffened upon sensing him approaching, but Tamamo's whispered words relaxed her once again.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Koneko," Issei said softly. It was silent for several moments, the only sound being the white-haired girl's sniffles.

"…It was my sister,"

"Your sister?" Tamamo prodded.

"She's the reason I hate senjutsu," Koneko said softly. "I never knew my parents, so she was that all I had. In order to take care of us, my sister became the servant of a devil."

"I take it your sister was a skilled senjutsu practitioner," Koneko nodded solemnly.

"She was one of the best," she whispered. "But one day… she drew in too much dark chakra… It… It drove her insane. In a fit of rage, she murdered her master and fellow servants… I… I watched it all happen with my own eyes."

"Oh, you poor thing," Tamamo tightened her grip on the small girl and Koneko responded, almost instinctively, by cuddling into the older girl's tail.

Meanwhile, Issei's brow had furrowed. He felt like he had heard this before… A sound drew his attention, and he turned to see Morgiana waiting with something dangling from her hand…

"…the devils tried to stop her, but she had grown too powerful from absorbing dark chakra," Koneko continued, unaware of the new presence in her grief. "She killed everyone and escaped. When they found me inside, amid the bodies, they sent me to be executed."

"But you were saved by the House of Gremory," Issei finished for her. Koneko nodded, surprised.

"Yes," she said quietly. "Ever since that day… I've been too scared to use my own power. I-I don't want the same thing to happen to me."

"I see," Tamamo said. "But leaving yourself untrained is just as dangerous, neko-chi. If you don't learn to control it…"

"I know…" Koneko mumbled into her chest. "But, I…"

Issei was silent for several moments. "I understand." He said with a smile. "In fact…" He cupped both his hands together face-up. Morgiana had long since disappeared, her task complete.

Within his hands was a small but intricate talisman. "I want you to have this." He said, kneeling to her level. Tamamo's ears perked up at the sight of it and she gave him a surprised look.

"…What is it?" Koneko questioned as she felt the subtle, but powerful aura radiating from the gem.

"That is the Yasakani no Magatama," Tamamo told her. "It, along with the Kusanagi no Tsurugi and the Yata no Kagami make the up Imperial Regalia of Japan."

Koneko gaped at the legendary artifact in open awe, giving Issei the opportunity to place it around her neck.

"This is a jewel crafted by the Shinto gods," Issei told her as the nekomata slowly, almost reverently touched the talisman. "So long as you wear this, you will never lose control."

"…Y-You're giving this to me?"

"And if you ever lose it and lose control over yourself," Issei placed a hand on her head and smiled. "I'll come save you."

The small girl blushed and looked up at him meekly. "…You promise?"

"I swear it."

_______________________________________

"You're back," Morgiana remarked calmly as the three re-entered the clearing.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Koneko bowed to her. "I'm ready to resume training."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Dinner is soon, so don't stay too long," Issei called out. "Koneko, there's no need to rush. When you're ready, we'll be here."

He turned to leave, but a tug on his sleeve prompted him to face her. "…Thank you," the white-haired girl said softly. Issei smiled at her.

"No thanks are necessary," he patted her on the head one last time before taking his leave.

_______________________________________

"Well, I think today was a good start," Rias smiled as they all took a seat at the dinner table. "What did you all think?"

She was rewarded with several groans across the table. Rias raised an eyebrow as she saw Yuuto and Chiho both slumped onto the table. Kiba had passed out, while Chiho looked up at her with a crazed expression on her face.

"Those eyes," she whispered. "Oh, God… those eyes…"

Rias glanced at Suzuki, to see the ninja calmly polishing a kunai.

"Fufu," Akeno chuckled weakly. "I don't think I've ever been this exhausted before."

"That's good," Ashiya nodded. "That means you trained to your limit today. Keep it up, Akeno-kun."

The black-haired girl winced and muttered something under her breath. Rias shook her head in amusement and turned to the blonde girl sitting across from her. "And how did you do today, Asia?"

"I think I did well," the nun beamed at her. "I learned several ward spells and counter maneuvers."

"She really does bend with the wind," Calawarner nodded. Rias smiled and turned to see someone unexpected.

"Hm? Sadie Knight, correct?" she questioned, as she saw Saber sitting next to a now-awake Kiba. The blonde girl nodded.

"Ara?" Akeno said, cocking her head. "You look so much like Mordred-dono. You… wouldn't happen to be King Arthur, would you?"

Rias' eyes widened in realization. She quickly turned towards Kiba and to her surprise, the boy didn't react.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Kiba chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I think she prefers going by Saber, though."

"Saber-dono, then," Akeno smiled. "It's quite an honor to meet the original wielder of Excalibur."

Rias watched carefully, as Kiba stiffened before sighing and closing his eyes. She smiled, switching her gaze to Koneko, who almost seemed to be clinging to Tamamo as she spoke to Morgiana about their training.

'Thank you, Issei-kun.'

"Wait a moment," Saber said politely. "If we are all here, may I ask who is cooking?"

Everyone glanced around in surprise. Rias smiled.

"Oh, Issei-kun said that you all worked so hard today and that he would take care of dinner." She explained. "I couldn't argue with that, so I let him cook for us."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"You what?!" Suzuki demanded hysterically. Tamamo and Ashiya leapt to their feet.

"Master can't cook!" the fox shouted in a panicked voice as Ashiya seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilation. "Even Mordred is a better cook and she's British!"

"Oi!" Mordred growled, though she too had gone pale. Morgiana meanwhile, had curled into a fetal position, muttering 'happy place' under her breath.

Rias opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the terrifying sound of some kind of apocalyptic creature shrieking in rage.

The door to the kitchen opened and Issei's head poked in. "It's okay," he declared calmly, as a writhing mass of… something began pouring out of the stove. "I've got it under control."

The door closed. They simply stood in silence as explosions began rocking the mansion. A terrible roar was issued by their dinner as they suddenly began hearing the sound of gunfire.

"Back!" Issei's voice was heard over the sound of him beating his opponent with a blunt object. "Back in the pot!"

The roaring was eventually reduced to a small whimper before finally fading into silence. Issei stepped back into the room with a wide smile on his face. His blue apron that read 'Best Cook EVAR!' was stained with various fluids they'd rather not know the origins of.

"So, who wants pasta?" he asked, beaming at them.

_______________________________________

Issei scowled as he slowly lowered himself into the steaming hot water of Rias' outdoor bath. "My cooking wasn't that bad." He grumbled.

"Issei-sama," Ashiya began. "I hate to say it, but…"

"It's horrible," Kiba finished.

After the calamity of Issei's cooking attempt, Issei's girls (and Ashiya) had taken it upon themselves to make dinner while Issei himself had been bound to his chair with enchanted rope to prevent him from 'helping'.

And while the brown-haired boy had been miffed, it had most likely been for the best. Their dinner had truly been a feast, with each of his servants creating a buffet of mouth-watering dishes from all around the world. After over a month of cucumbers, Issei had nearly died of sheer bliss.

Then, with full stomachs and high spirits, Rias urged everyone to take a nice, relaxing bath.

Issei was about to retort to the other males' jabs when they all heard the sound of the onsen's sliding door being opened.

"Oh, Master ~" a familiar voice called out. Issei spun around to see Tamamo, clad in nothing but a tiny, white towel , leaning against the door frame in a very provocative manner.

"Tamamo?" he gasped. "What are you doing?! There are other people here!"

"Mangekyou," a cool voice said from behind him. "Kamui."

Issei spun around once more to see Kiba and Ashiya shouting in alarm, as they both fell into a pitch-black void, courtesy of a towel-clad Suzuki.

"Not anymore," Tamamo purred as she stalked over to him. "Mou, I worked soo hard today, Master. I think I deserve a reward ~"

"Hold up, fox," Suzuki growled, her eyes still a blazing red color, with a black six-pointed star within each of her irises. "We had a deal."

"I changed my mind," the fox sniffed, pressing her shapely form against him.

"Why you…!"

"So this is where you were," a smug voice called out. They all turned to see Mordred leaning against the door-frame with Morgiana standing behind her. "I grew suspicious when Suzuki disappeared. But when I realized that this horny fox was gone as well, there was only one place to look..."

Like Tamamo and Suzuki, they too were clad in nothing but towels, but thanks to their smaller... assets, the towels preserved much more of their modesty than their counterparts.

"No one asked for you!" Suzuki snapped. Tamamo nodded in agreement.

"Go away!"

Mordred merely grinned at them. "I don't think so," she said lowly, as she pranced over to them, Morgiana not far behind. "If anyone is getting some tonight, it's gonna be me."

"Ara?" Tamamo questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Morg-chan, too?"

Morgiana nodded. "I'm going first."

"Not happening," Suzuki growled. "I'm going first."

"No, you're not!" Tamamo snapped, pressing herself even closer to him. The ninja narrowed her eyes at the fox and the six-pointed star within each of her irises began to spin rapidly.

"Don't do it, Suzuki," Issei said warningly.

"Mangekyou…"

"I'm serious!" he cried. "Don't do it!"

The ninja paused for a moment, her spinning irises slowing by a fraction.

"Master doesn't want his precious Tamamo-chan to get hurt ~" the fox said tauntingly. "Tamamo loves you too, Master!"

He turned to glare at her, which was exactly what she wanted, as Tamamo took the opportunity to shove her tongue in his mouth

Issei could only think one thing as he saw Suzuki twitch in his peripheral vision.

Crap.

"Amaterasu!"
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