Introductions

Everyone looked on in shock, unable to process what the hell had just happened. Sprawled out in front of them was most definitely a person - possibly still living and breathing. It was a moment before someone had the presence of mind to say something.

"HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS IT'S AN ALIEN! YOU GUYS, IT'S AN ALIEN! AN ALIEN, YOU GUYS! IT'S… IT'S… IT'S ET, ISN'T IT?!?!" Issei roared into the night, hardly believing his eyes. Of course he knew the stories just as well as everyone - people with powers, rumored to be roaming around in cities. After all, Japan had its very own rumors in Dr. Light, a being with otherworldly powers. She supposed wore a black suit with white boots, with a with starburst symbol beset on her chest, five glowing white spots around her waist, and a flowing white cape. She was rumored to bring light and darkness wherever she went as she traveled across the world, spending a notable amount of time in Japan. However, none of the rumors had been corroborated so Issei and the others never really believed in the phenomenon. Seeing what he had seen just now, however - coupled with the fact that he had become a fucking DEVIL not to long ago, interacting with FALLEN ANGELS and ANGELS and had THE IMMORTAL SPIRIT OF A DRAGON ON HIS LEFT ARM left him with the distinct feeling that aliens and people with powers might not be as farfetched as he initially thought. Still, this was something completely out of left field - something he had devoted hardly a modicum of thought to over his entire lifespan.

"Don't be silly! Aliens don't exist!" Asia squealed in fright, her voice faltering halfway through as she considered the implications and the fact that someone extraterrestrial might have just landed in front of her. As the thoughts went through her mind, she became less and less sure of what the origin of the man (or thing - was it simply in the appearance of a man? Was this some Jedi Mind Trick it was unconsciously using to make them think it was a man? Were Jedi Mind Tricks even a thing beyond Star Wars?).

"Have you seen us?" Issei deadpanned. Asia blushed at that - there was no doubt that she had seen some strange things in her life, more so when she became a Devil. As she considered his words, she noted that when she found out she had the power of Twilight Healing, it wasn't something that made her question her worldview or the nature of coexistence of multiple races at large - in fact, she just went with the flow. Should this really be any different? Besides, there was already documented phenomenon on Earth that couldn't be explained - a man in a red cape flying around, a man dressed as a bat leaping form building to building, red and yellow blurs that spontaneously showed up at the scenes of accidents and saved people.

"No, he doesn't appear to be an alien. I think he's a human - I can't sense any Demonic or Angelis Power, and I'm doubtful he's a Fallen Angel considering how those two reacted earlier," Rias said as she lowered the barrier after making sure it was safe. She approached the man with Akeno at her side. As she leaned down, the man made no movement - whether it was because he was unconscious or dead was yet to be determined. With a nod at Akeno, they gently flipped him over on his back.

"He's quite handsome as well," Akeno said with a small smile at Rias, who returned it automatically, despite the strange circumstances.

The man had jet black hair that fell gently around his face, covered in dust and debris from the impact. As Rias brushed some of it away, she noted the stark white streaks of hair that ran through either side of his head. Although he appeared to be their age, he had a handsome and rugged face. Above and below his left eye was a long scar that right from just below his hairline, jumping across the eye and running almost perpendicular to his lips. His eyes were closed and his lips slightly parted; as Rias leaned down, her ear pressed against his chest, she could hear the faintest rhythm that was undoubtedly his heartbeat. She listened for a long while, confirmed there was indeed just a single heartbeat - he was probably most definitely human, she thought. His attire was simple; he wore black shoes with black socks, black jeans with a black belt, and a fitting black shirt - he apparently loved the color black. Around his neck, Rias noted a silver chain; reaching slightly into his shirt, she pulled out what it was connected to - a strikingly black jewel set in a black casing. The most intriguing garment that he wore, however, was a green ring on his right ring finger - with what appeared to be a lantern imprinted on it.

"Is that where the green glow came from?" Akeno asked as she observed it, although didn't move to touch it.

"I think so, but it was so much brighter when he was coming down. Could it really come from this thing? I mean… it's so small," Rias asked rhetorically. The others were silent - this was most definitely foreign to them. After settling on her choice, Rias moved to touch the ring and immediately regretted her decision. In an instant, the ring burst into life, forcing Rias and Akeno to leap back in surprise. The others retreated a bit as well; Issei, Kiba, and Xenovia had their weapons at the ready in case they needed to fight, while Akeno, Rias, and Koneko had their arms and fists raised just in case as well.

"What the hell is happening?" Akeno asked in shock.

"I don't know," Rias replied, gulping.

"Should we… attack this guy?" Issei asked

However, the ring made no impression to attack them - it merely glowed a bright green, pulsing slightly every few seconds. After about 30 seconds, it began to fade with every pulse and within a minute, it was still again. Rias and Akeno gingerly approached the man again, deliberating on how to proceed.

"We're positive he's not a Devil?" Kiba asked wondrously, lowering his sword at last as he observed the man.

"I can say without a doubt he isn't. And like I said, not an Angel or Fallen Angel either. He seems… I don't know, he seems human," Rias said as she touched his face gently, brushing some more debris off. As she did so, she felt her heart skip a beat - he was certainly handsome. As her eyes flitted up, she saw that Akeno had thought the same thing, her lips slightly parted as she stared at him in wonder.

"There's no way in hell a human could've survived a fall like that. I mean… could WE even survive a fall like that?" Issei asked hoarsely.

"I doubt it," Akeno answered. Like Rias did earlier, she lowered her head to his chest, listening intently for a heartbeat. She heard one, slightly stronger than before when Rias heard it. She listened for a short while before bringing her head up.

"He's still alive. We need to get him back to the ORC and heal him, quickly," Rias said, finally getting to her feet. Akeno followed and the two looked at each other, something unsaid going between them. Akeno nodded in agreement; this would be better handled in private.

"Do you think we should? He could be dangerous. I mean, he did just destroy the house," Xenovia said, nodding towards the wreck.

"I'm with Xenovia. I think we should deal with this here. It might not be a good idea to bring him back there," Kiba said.

"I think we'll be fine. Whoever he is, he's bound to be injured - it looks like he's barely alive even now. If he tries anything, we'll be able to deal with him quickly," Akeno said.

"Why don't we just heal him here, if he needs urgent attention?" Asia asked, her voice tinted with worry. At core, she was a gentle and kind soul, always wanting to help someone, no matter how insane the circumstance.

"I don't want any interruptions. We should handle this on our own our own turf in a safe space. Kiba, Issei, could you help carry him?" Rias asked, although the two knew that it was an order.

Kiba and Issei quickly, but gently got him up and slung each arm over them. He was quite tall, they noted - taller than either man, which made for an awkward situation when they ended up dragging him slightly.

"This guys a giant," Issei grumbled.

"Very tall indeed," Xeonvia noted as she eyed his figure. Like Rias and Akeno before, she felt her heart skip a beat although she couldn't quite identify why.

"Woah," Gasper said, slightly wide eyed as he compared his own height to the man; undoubtedly the tallest one there.

They continued down the hill for what was barely a minute when Rias's worries were well founded. Barely any time had passed before trouble reared its head in the form of two pairs of footsteps, belonging to the Fallen Angels from before. As they stepped into the view, their faces were a mixture of disbelief coupled with wonder and fear. Finally, the man spoke.

"Who the hell is this guy?" he asked, taken aback by the events that transpired.

"That is none of your business," Rias answered coldly. Akeno stepped by her side, prepared to deal with what was about to happen.

"There's no way a human could've survived a fall like that," the woman whispered to her friend, her face filled with just as much wonder. He gave her a malicious grin in response before turning his attention to the Devils. His hand flew to his back as he quickly drew his crossbow and pointed it at the devils. A bolt of white light appeared in the center of it, ready to be fired at a moments notice. As he stared them down the barrel of his weapon, Rias and Akeno simply held their hands up.

"We can take him off your hands," the man stated to Rias.

"No. We found him, we'll nurse him," Rias replied, her voice authoritative.

"Then we're at an impasse. We can't let something like this slip out of our fingers," the woman said as she got into a fighting stance as well. They both were about to attack when suddenly, two shots of green light flew directly at them. The light was perfectly aimed - it zipped neatly across Akeno and Rias who were in the front, not even close to touching them. The light proceeded to connect head on with the two Fallen Angels, straight through their foreheads. The world had gone still for a moment for everyone there, as though Gasper had frozen time. Soon, however, the two Fallen Angels fell forward on their faces, dead as could be. Rias and Akeno glimpsed the emotions of shock, horror, and fear that played across and etched themselves into their faces as they fell, unable to process what had just happened.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Gasper yelled out in fright. Everyone turned to look at the man, who suddenly had one eye open, his breathing raspy as he became aware of his surroundings. He deftly shot back from Issei and Kiba, but quickly fell to a knee, his legs unable to support his entire weight. He looked around, his breathing hard and ragged before finally, he said his first words since his crash landing.

"What… where… am I?" he asked softly, struggling to get the words out as his head hung forward, looking at the ground. With great effort, he lifted it up and saw for the first time in detail the Devils gathered in front of him. He noted the looks of fear etched into their face, although for the moment he couldn't quite process why. With a great effort, he got to his feet, leaning forward a bit as he felt his legs begin to shake.

"Who… are… you?" he asked, still struggling to get the words out as he raised a trembling arm towards them, his ring finger at the ready.

"Please, we just want to help you. You're seriously injured," Rias said, finally coming to her senses. She moved forward and stood between him and her peerage. Akeno followed and threw her hand back to the others, letting them know not to interfere. She and Rias stared intently at the man. With how severe his injuries were, they were surprised he was able to stand on his own recognizance (however short it might be). Even with the situation being what it was, they couldn't help but be impressed by his presence - which, since his landing, had been stark and overwhelming.

"Where am… I?" he inquired again.

"You're in Japan," Akeno answered.

"Japan… Japan. I see," he whispered, faltering a bit as they noted him shift slightly on his feet.

"Yes," Rias affirmed.

"Help, you said?" the man asked as his eyes passed over the two. At this point, he seemed to struggle to keep his eyes open; they kept closing and opening intermittently.

"That's right. We'll get you healed," Rias replied.

The man was silent for a while longer before finally, he nodded slightly.

"I… thank… you," he said before he suddenly fell forward and collapsed yet again. Rias and Akeno paused for a second before looking back to Kiba and Issei who nodded and rushed forward, grabbing the man again and slinging his arms over them like before.

"We need to hurry. Now," Rias ordered, her voice harder this time. They nodded and began to make the trek towards the ORC as Rias quickly destroyed the bodies of the Fallen Angels. Worry and fear finally set into her heart as she considered what just happened; this new man killed two Fallen Angels in a close to unconscious state with a weapon she had never seen or conceived. She looked at Akeno, who was staring intently at the man. Her eyes trailed back to him as well, staring at with just as much fervor.

-o-

Without running into any more distractions or diversion along the way, they finally arrived back at the headquarters of the Occult Research Club.

Issei and Kiba gingerly set the man on the couch, laying him down as gently as they possibly could; they didn't want to be on the receiving end of the fate that had befallen the two souls earlier. The others took their seats as well, not taking an eye off of him even for a moment. Rias and Akeno stood closest to him, looming over him like concerned parents; Issei and Kiba took a seat across the center table across from them with Xenovia, Koneko, and Gasper; Asia, meanwhile, sat on the table and prepared to use her powers to heal him.

"Could you guys take his shirt off? I need to see what kind of damage he has and heal it quickly before he gets worse," Asia said, gulping as she did so. Although she was used to dangerous situations by now, none had been as bizarre as this. Akeno was quick to acquiesce to this particular demand, causing Issei and Kiba to sweat drop slightly - was this really the best time to be captivated by the arrival? Rias gingerly pulled his torso up, sitting behind him as she supported his weight. Akeno reached down for the hem and slowly pulled the shirt off, being careful not to tear it any more than it already was. She heard a loud gasp from Rias, and Asia who were the first to see what the damage was; as she put the shirt off to the side on the floor, she joined them in their surprise with the others following in short order.

The man looked like he had gone through a Royal Rumble conducted in Hell in a Cell - he was bruised and beaten all over, with large purple, black, and blue splotches spread intermittently. They mostly looked fresh, allowing Rias to deduce that they had likely been suffered due to his crash landing. Beneath and throughout the bruises were a variety of cuts where the debris had no doubt done damage - small, red, bloody cuts, as well as a couple ones of size, but none indicatively fatal. Coupled with these, however, were larger, older, and more defined markings - scars that he suffered and sustained throughout his life. Akeno noted a particular scar in front - a massive gash that started from the tip of his right shoulder and cut him diagonally to his left hip, at least an inch in diameter. As she traced it, she noted a few more on his left shoulder but these were different in nature - smaller, level, and grouped close together. As she scanned his chest once more, she noted several more but these were more or less common amongst them all - battle wounds sustained by any that would have spent time fighting. Only a couple more were of note; one that was about eight inches in length across the right side of his ribs and another, smaller one that ranged four inches from the base of the right side of his neck across it. There was one other thing she noted that was slightly horrifying to her - on his right pectoral, burned within the scar and protruding slightly from its edges was undoubtedly a brand of what appeared to be a bird.

Rias and Akeno couldn't help but trade a look of surprise at the result of the damage - mostly that he was still alive. They had no doubt that a fall like that would not only kill them (assuming they couldn't use their wings and fell from the heavens) but leave them as little more than goo on the ground, fated to be mopped up. As Asia saw the damage, she went chalk white, as did Gasper who had trouble around blood. Koneko and Xenovia looked on in surprise; this was certainly enough to break through their stoic demeanors - while Issei and Kiba exchanged nervous glances with each other, wondering what they were in store for when he woke up. They soon began discussing with each other the scope of the damage.

"Some of these are from battle," Akeno whispered as she traced the long scar that ranged diagonally all across his torso. She was sure that it was a sword, but it was so jagged that it was hard to tell. She wondered (and indeed hoped) that Asia would be able to remove the scar, if not lessen its appearance to some extent. Akeno moved to sit with Rias and her eyes yet again shot open in surprise; his back was in worse condition than his front. The first thing that she noted, however, was the tattoo that was written across his upper back.

"Fortuna Audaces Iuvat," Rias read as her fingers gently flitted under the words.

"Fortunes favors the bold," Akeno translated softly while the others nodded; they were brushed up on their Latin.

"Well, I can't think of anything bolder than coming crashing down from the sky into a house owned by a Devil," Issei joked, to no laughs.

"Some of these marks… torture, you think?" Rias asked as Akeno nodded; the grouping and aging were to perfect to be anything else. These were small, like the ones in front, but numerous. It was obvious that some of these were carefully inscribed to inflict the most amount of pain. Like the front, there was one set of notable scars on his back - but these looked to be much worse than the diagonal on the opposite side. Stretching from the tip of either shoulder, to the end of the waistline of either side ranged two massive scars in an 'X' shape. The tattoo ran jagged across these, even written within the scarring - it was obvious it came after the scars.

"This dude has been through hell," Koneko noted sadly while the others nodded in agreement. Still having him sit, propped up by Rias, Asia held her hands over his chest and began to heal the wounds that she could. The recent bruises and cuts had begun to clear up quite nicely; ask any professional doctor and he would've sworn that beyond the scars, there was nothing wrong with this man. Asia noted that there was almost no sign of internal bleeding, something that surprised her greatly - in fact, it seemed as though beyond the surface wounds, he was perfectly normal (as one could be in this case). To her further surprise and sadness, however, the scarring wouldn't go away - not the big gash, not the small one, not even the brand. Suddenly, Asia let out a gasp of shock.

"What is it?" Akeno asked, moving to his front and observing. She gasped as well as she saw what Asia was looking at - the brand of the bird.

"What is it?" Rias asked nervously. She wanted to look, but also didn't want to remove her hands from his skin.

"He has a brand on his pec… and umm… well… it's glowing," Akeno gulped. The others looked at each other nervously as they sprang up, wondering if this was a sign that he was going to attack? However, Akeno held her hand out to them as she continued to observe. After a short while, the brand was still once again.

"Its stopped now," Akeno said as the others retook their seats, more than a couple of sighs of relief among them, thankful they had avoided any further conflict.

"Asia, why won't the scarring heal?" Rias asked as Asia continued to do her work on his back.

"I-I don't know. It should… but it's not. Whatever made these isn't… I…," Asia said nervously, trailing off before she could finish her sentence. The others continued to stared intently as Asia finally wound down, having healed what she could to the best of her ability.

"Man, what the hell is this guy? Definitely human, but there's no way he could've survived that! He should've been a puddle on the ground!" Issei exclaimed.

"We'll have to wait for him to wake up," Rias concluded. The others nodded and relaxed in their seats, stretching here and there. No one wanted to leave until they got some answers.

"Rias, are you sure this is the best way to approach this?" Xenovia asked.

"I know you're concerned, but I get the feeling he isn't an enemy. Besides, he could've killed Akeno and I pretty easily when he killed the Fallen Angels, but he avoided us entirely. I don't know who or what he is, but I don't think we have anything to be afraid of. That being said, be ready just in case," Rias said, her flitting to each of the Devils who nodded in reply.

-o-

Several hours later, their patience finally came to fruition. Akeno was sitting with the mans head in her lap, gently stroking his hair while Rias sat next to her, joining her once in a while. As they stroked it, they both couldn't help but feel inexplicably drawn to him - whether it was because of how he handled the Fallen Angels, the fact that he appeared to be some sort of Celestial Warrior, or the fact that he fucking fell from the sky and destroyed the fair house, they couldn't discern for the moment.

Suddenly, his eyes began to flutter open slowly. Rias and Akeno stopped brushing his head as they waited, along with everyone else, with bated breath. Finally, the mans eyes were open and stayed that way. He gently moved his head slightly, nuzzling slightly against Akeno's thigh. It was a few more moments before he began to speak, his voice surprisingly serene.

"I'm… not dead, am I?" he asked in a calm and level voice, gulping after the first word. His eyes began to search the faces above him, belonging to Rias and Akeno.

"No, you're not dead. You should be, considering how far you fell," Akeno said in a soothing tone with a gentle smile, trying to put him at ease.

"You're lying. If I'm not dead, then why is my head in the lap of such a gorgeous woman?" he asked as he brought a hand up and caressed Akeno's cheek gently with the length of his fingers . She smiled and blushed at the motion as he did the same for Rias, who blushed as well - surprising for both of them, considering the situation. However, he suddenly shot up and began to look around. He took in his surroundings and those around him - he was in a large, old, and rustic building with a traditional exterior. Two couches were before him, with a center table in the middle; closest to him were two absolutely stunning women, one with crimson hair and the other with black hair, both with soft and gentle features. On the other couch he noted two males who were looking at him in a stupor, a female with striking blue hair that examined him with interest, a frightened blonde teenage, a girl with white hair who examined him much like the blue haired one, and an androgynous child with fear etched into their face. He remembered being told that he was in Japan, which calmed him down greatly. Noting that they were likely more afraid of him than he was of them, he calmed down even further, taking a deep breath. That's when he looked down and noted that his shirt was missing. His left hand passed instinctively over his brand, which appeared to have reacted not to long ago - he could tell the subtle change that had passed over it, although he couldn't immediately identify the reason for the reaction. He saw that his damage had been healed, which was surprising considering he didn't remember even the semblance of first aid. He quickly brought his mind back to his missing shirt, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"You guys didn't… probe me, did you?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw that his jeans were still on. Turning out, he patted them to make sure that they were indeed real and gave himself a quick cup check to make sure that nothing of extreme importance was missing. Satisfied with his findings, he turned back to look at them.

"Hey! You're the alien, not us!" Issei deadpanned as he rounded on them.

"Alien? I'm a human, my friend," the man said, although he couldn't help but grin at the consideration of being otherworldly. He turned to Akeno and Rias and took in their faces yet again; they were extremely beautiful and easy on the eyes - stunning beyond belief. They looked at him with just as much excitement, their eyes washing over his figure, taking him in from the tip of his to the bottom of his toes, resting for a long while as they gazed at his torso; they could easily identify the muscles that coursed through him, his scars adding to his intrigue and handsome features.

"I take it that you're the ones that saved me? Thank you very much," he said warmly he said, nodding his head towards them in appreciation. They couldn't help but be surprised at his demeanor; they half expected him to be banging off the walls, yelling and cursing them out, demanding to be let go and threatening them of the consequences should they not obey. Instead, he treated them like friends, civil and cordial as one could be.

"It's not a problem. But you should really be thanking Asia. She's the one who healed you," Akeno finally said as she waved her hand at the blushing, nervous blonde who looked at the man with an expression halfway through fear and excitement. He turned to her and bowed, trying to put her at ease.

"Thank you, Asia," he said kindly as he smiled at her.

"Please, don't mention it! It's not a problem!" she squeaked adorably; he had to hold back a laugh at her reaction.

"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" Xenovia asked - finally getting to the question that everyone was eager to hear.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Elros Eärendil. I'm a human, as I said," Elros replied nonchalantly as he put on a black shirt that Issei had quickly fetched for him, although it was a size too small. Rias and Akeno smirked as they saw how well it fit him, stretching across his chest. Elros turned to them and winked in response, drawing slight blushes, although the smirks stood for the moment.

"That's good and well… but…," Gasper finally began. However, he quickly cut himself off as Elros looked at him. In fear, he jumped behind Koneko who didn't motion to do anything just yet.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to frighten you, especially after all you've done for me," Elros said kindly as he knelt down on a knee and got on Gaspers level. Gasper hesitated for a moment, looking at Elros intensely before he finally stepped out from behind Koneko. Rias and Akeno exchanged a quick glance - they certainly didn't expect him to be the one to speak, as he was always nervous around people, even ones hew knew. However, he stood in full view of Elros and began to talk.

"It's OK! I wanted to say… that you fell from the sky! Really, really far! How are you still alive?!" Gasper exclaimed.

"You know, I normally wouldn't share that information. But there's no way that those injuries would've healed in such a short time. I'm guessing that you all have some kind of superpowers?" Elros asked, as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.

"You seem pretty calm and casual for someone asking a question like that. Do you have powers as well?" Koneko asked curiously.

"I do," Elros said, nodding.

"Would you mind demonstrating? I believe we an example when you shot those two from earlier," Rias said.

"Wait, so that wasn't a dream either?" Elros asked, surprised.

"I'm afraid not. None of this is," Rias replied.

"Well, hell. I should probably go turn myself into the police then," Elros said nonchalantly as he finally got up from his knee.

"What for?" Rias asked in surprised.

"I killed two people, didn't I? Courtesy dictates I turn myself in," Elros said

"Yes, but they… were like us. Well, not exactly, but suffice it to say that the police won't handle their deaths," Rias said as Elros looked on in confusion. Finally, Akeno got up and walked over to him, taking his arm in hers. She led him over to where she was sitting with Rias and sandwiched him between the two. He couldn't help but grin happily in his seating arrangement and comfortably put his arms around the two, drawing them both in. To the surprise of the others, Rias and Akeno leaned in a bit, gently resting their shoulders against either of his as they looked at him with intense eyes.

'This… feels really nice, actually,' Rias thought, to no greater surprise then her own. A man who fell from the sky, demolished her house, and one she knew nothing about had suddenly wrapped himself comfortably around her and her best friend. But there was something about him that put him at ease, despite present circumstances - she couldn't tell if it was because of his cheerful demeanor, his apparently easygoing nature, or the fact that he fell from the sky and demolished her house - a dramatic entrance to say the least.

Akeno had the same train of thought going through her mind, but it was slightly more lascivious than Rias.

'He's pretty handsome,' she thought as her eyes went up and down his form for the hundredth time it felt. As their eyes connected for a short moment, she felt a warmth go through her body - as though he were heating her from her core, radiating outwards. He had a smile on his face that put her at ease - it had no hidden meaning beneath it, she felt; it was just a simple smile.

"Aww man, no fair! He's already hitting on them!" Issei complained, snapping her and Rias out of their funk. Elros laughed lightly at that, but his laughter fell as quickly as it started as his face suddenly grew serious; no doubt the deaths of the Fallen Angels were now weighing heavily against his psyche.

"Hey, don't worry. Just sit with us for a bit. We'll explain it," Akeno said with a reassuring smile as she noted his change in demeanor. She rested a hand gently on his right pectoral, right above where his brand was. She surreptitiously caressed it; if he noticed, he didn't say anything or didn't mind. Elros nodded in reply as he gazed intently at her and Rias. As his eyes moved between the two, they couldn't help but blush ever so slightly at the piercing gaze - surprising, as they felt his eyes were warm and inviting - a small twinkle in them as they reflected the dim lighting in the ORC building.

"Alright, so whats going on? And please, don't hold back. You'll find me to be a calm, cool, and collected person," Elros reassured them. He wouldn't admit it, but at the current moment he was anything but; in fact, after noticing how well his injuries healed, he wanted to get into the nitty gritty of what the fuck just happened.

"Well, you asked if we have powers, right?" Rias asked.

"Yes," Elros nodded, recalling the conversation just a minute ago.

"Well, we do - as we assume you have," Rias said.

"Alright," Elros replied, nodding along.

"Perhaps its best to rip the bandaid off, as it were. We - all of us - are Devils," Rias said as she flourished her hand around the room, giving caution the middle finger as she did so. After what had just happened - him falling from the sky and killing two Fallen Angels; and recognizing that there was no earthly way his wounds could have healed so fast, Rias thought it best just to tell him the deal. After all, what point was there in stringing him along? There were plenty of humans that knew about the existence of Devils (after all, humans were their main source of contracts); and no doubt someone with his ability would have seen much stranger. Rias waited patiently for a response.

"What?" Elros asked after a long pause, trying to confirm what he was hearing.

"We're devils," Rias said again, this time smiling as the thought of how ridiculous that would sound to someone crossed her mind..

Elros looked at the others who simply smiled in response, except for Xenovia, Koneko, and Gasper - the former two because of their nature, the latter because he was still afraid. Finally, his eyes rested on Akeno who was smiling, but not as widely as the others - it almost seemed to him that hers was a slightly sad smile. He leaned back and saw a few nods coming from the others, conforming what he just heard. He blinked a couple of times before talking again.

"One more time, please?" he asked, looking at Rias.

"We're devils," Rias restated, still smiling.

"And you're positive this isn't a dream?" Elros asked. Akeno pinched him, proving conclusively that it could not be a dream for he felt it. In a flash, he shot up.

"NO WAY! ARE YOU FOR REAL?!" he exclaimed comically, stars visible in his eyes.

"Yes way," Rias said as she broke into a giggle. She looked over at Akeno who joined her. Whatever reaction they were expecting, this wasn't it.

"I've been an earthling forever and I've never met a Devil like you guys. WHAT?! Hold the fuck on for a second. WAIT! I SAID HOLD ON!" Elros exclaimed as he put his hands up, trying to process what Rias had just told him. Devils? No fucking way. He had made Devils before - and they definitely did NOT look like Rias, Akeno, or Xenovia. No, they had forked tongues, cloven hooves, and snarly tones; not beautiful faces and gorgeous figures.

"We… didn't say anything," Xenovia deadpanned as the others looked on with smiles a bit brighter at his excitement; none of them had responded in such a way to the news of Devils being a thing.

"WAIT! Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. What. WHAT?! You're DEVILS?!" Elros asked again for the fourth time.

"We are," Rias said, confirming it for him.

"But… but… you look… absolutely gorgeous. And I don't sense even a hint of malevolence. Where's your forked tongue? And your cloven hooves? Your snarl and sinister laughs?!" Elros asked, his mouth comically hanging open. The gears were evidently still turning in his head, trying to make sure that 2 + 2 = 4 and not fish. Rias and Akeno smiled at the compliment before Akeno answered.

"Not all Devils are bad, you know. Just like not all humans are bad. And we don't look like that, as you can obviously tell. Well, unless you're a stray Devil, but thats a whole different story," Akeno said as she leaned slightly forward, resting her chin on a fist as she happily observed Elros's childlike excitement.

"That's… true enough, actually. My apologies, I'm just trying to wrap my head around this. You see, I've met Devils before. But they aren't ANYTHING like you guys; I'm talking demonic visage and all that. You sure you're not just playing with me? You don't have any transformations hidden behind that… figure?" Elros asked, eyebrow raised as his eyes passed over Rias and Akeno once again.

"We're sure," Akeno replied honestly.

"Man, this is so awesome," Elros whispered excitedly.

"You said you've met Devils before, though. Why is this so surprising?" Rias asked.

"Well, the ones I've interacted with are a bit more alike to the common perception of what Devils look like. You know, horns, forked tongues, hooves etc. I've never had to deal with them very often, though - mostly through a guy I know who has them on his tail quite a bit. Man, this is so sweet. Devils," Elros said with a wide grin. Rias and Akeno couldn't help but giggle again at how childish Elros looked, especially for someone who definitely didn't look like a child.

"It may have been another Circle of Hell," Akeno said, commenting on what he could've actually seen.

"What, like Dante's Inferno?" Elros asked.

"That's right. There's supposedly Nine Circles of Hell, although we've never interacted with them. My father might know a bit more about it, but I'm afraid we can't tell you much more - don't know it ourselves," Rias replied.

"You know, I don't think you were this excited when Rias made you a devil, Issei," Akeno said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I just went with the flow," Issei said sheepishly.

"Moving on to what you wanted to know about, though. If you know about Devils, you must know about Angels and Fallen Angels as well, I assume?" Akeno asked.

"Angels, yes - but not much interaction there either. Fallen Angels, though… first I'm hearing about them. How long have they been around?" Elros asked, baffled at the new information.

"As long as us. I'm surprised you've never heard of them, considering you know about the other two factions," Akeno said, surprised.

"That's amazing," Elros said, excitement palpable in his voice.

"Angels and Fallen Angels are typically our enemies, though," Kiba added. The others nodded in agreement. As they did so, Elros noticed a subtle shift in the demeanor of the room - as though everyone was remembering some recent event that had transpired that weighed heavily on them all. However, he decided against asking - this wasn't the best time.

"Millenia ago, there was a massive war between the Three Factions. While there wasn't any conclusive winner, the Three Factions remained separate and there have been smaller skirmishes since then, although it hasn't devolved to an all out war since. Like Kiba said, Angels and Fallen Angels are usually our enemies - I'm sure you can guess why. However, the relationship between Angels and Fallen Angels itself is quite inconsonant - as much as they war against us, they war with each other. So while there wasn't a definitive winner, it's allowed for a nonetheless tentative peace amongst us all. There's more to say, but it's a long, long conversation for another time," Rias said, giving him the basic lowdown on the factions.

"Huh. Not to different from humans, then. I know about the war between the Angels and Devils, though. I know a few people that have dealt with people on either side. Fallen Angels, however… have somehow escaped my notice," Elros grimaced, wondering how that could've happened?

"The two people you killed were Fallen Angels. And honestly, it was in self defense. They wanted to take your body. I mean, a guy crash landing on Earth… it's bound to fetch some interest. Like Rias said, though, the police won't be handling it; it'll be dealt with internally," Akeno said, finally putting Elros at ease.

"In that case, I thank you for saving my life - twice it seems, already. And all I've to show for it is destroying your house. Sorry," Elros said with a sheepish grin at Rias and Akeno who simply smiled back in response.

"But now, what about you? As strong as a Devil is, I don't think any could've survived a fall like yours. Where did you come from, if you don't mind my asking?" Akeno asked - getting to the next question everyone wanted to ask - and perhaps the most important. She got up and put her arm around him gently, bringing him to sit between her and Rias again. He outstretched his arms and put them around the two again, which they happily let him do.

"I'll be honest with you. The last few days are a blur for me; I'm not really pulling much beyond the absolute basics. All I know is that a few days ago, I wasn't on Earth - and when I woke up today, I was on Earth, my head in the lap of a beautiful woman. I can think of worse ways to wake up, I suppose. I guess it's possible I fell asleep on the way back, but I'm almost certain thats not it," Elros said, thinking long and hard. He admittedly had a problem - he could sometimes fall asleep at the most inopportune times, although that thankfully didn't happen much. He suspected narcolepsy, but never completely diagnosed it.

As he tore his mind away from his sleeping habits, he noted that the mood of the room had changed. He tried to tell them in the most believable and nonchalant way possible. He had to admit that it required a significant suspension of disbelief, but he figured that with them being Devils, it wouldn't take too much work to get his point across. He keenly waited for their reaction.

"Wait a second. What do you mean by 'I wasn't on Earth'" Rias asked, almost deadpan in the question. The others looked at him with mouths slightly open, just as stumped.

"Ah, yes. Well, you see… I'm what you call a Green Lantern," Elros said, a small grin across his face.

Everyone was silent at that. A fucking what? It was a short while longer before Akeno finally broke the silence.

"Sorry, a… what?" she asked unsurely, furrowing her brow. She had never once heard the term before.

"A Green Lantern. It'd take a while to explain properly, but to put it simply, I'm a… hmmm… well, I'm a space cop," Elros said, thinking about the term. That actually perfectly encapsulated what he was: a space cop.

"WHAT? YOU JUST SAID THAT YOU WEREN'T AN ALIEN!" Issei exclaimed as he shot up, half surprised, half afraid, all excited. Kiba, Gasper, and Asia followed while Koneko, Xenovia, Rias, and Akeno stayed seated, keeping an impressive poker face. Now it was their turn to process what he said.

"And I'm not. I'm a red blooded human being. In addition to that, however, I'm a Green Lantern. Space cop," Elros said with a smile as he held up his right ring finger, showing them the ring. Rias took his hand in hers as she observed the weapon, gently touching it with her fingers. He showed it all around, letting them get a good look at it and touch it, although he didn't take it off.

"This is my weapon; my power ring," Elros said fondly as vivid memories played through his mind of several instances when this weapon had saved his life. Were he to count all the occasions, he would still be off for there would be more that he had forgotten that would rush back to him, increasing the tally ever further. Finally, Akeno was holding his hand in hers, examining the lantern embossing on the ring. She touched it as Rias had, however it didn't seem to respond as it did when they first touched it back near the landing site.

"OK… What exactly is a Green Lantern?" Akeno asked, her voice filled with wonder and excitement at learning about something so alien.

"Hmm… well, you guys are going to have bear with me. The best way for me to explain it would be that I'm a space cop. I'm… a sort of a peacekeeper of the universe. I know that sounds really egotistical and probably more than a bit fucky, but that's about the gist of it. There are 7,204 Green Lanterns - beings like me; and two of us are assigned to a single space sector. There are 3,600 space sectors in total; I'm one of two active Green Lanterns of Space Sector 2814, the Sector that the Earth is a part of. There are some extra Lanterns in this sector, but they're inactive, so technically there are 7,200 active ones. I spend a lot of my time flying in, out, and about working on various missions to make sure there aren't any significant planet breaking crisis in our sector, as well as making sure there aren't any universe threatening problems either," Elros said. He waited patiently for their reactions; after all, this was quite the pill to swallow.

Now it was time for the rest of the Devils to be stunned and/or stupefied. It was a moment before he had his first reaction.

"WHAT? SPACE SECTOR?!" Issei roared in excitement.

"PLANET BREAKING CRISIS?!" Asia exclaimed, getting louder than she ever had before.

"DID YOU SAY UNIVERSE?!" Gasper asked in excitement and fear.

"Yes, yes, and yes," Elros said, grinning at their surprise. This was a far better reaction than he had hoped for; he half expected them to tie him in a straight jacket and wait for the police to come. But, considering that they had told him that they were Devils, he reasoned it was probably safe to share this particular information.

"Hold on a minute, Elros. We need to process this," Akeno said, just as surprised as the others - although she and Rias did an amazing job at keeping their surprise hidden.

"Of course," Elros said as he leaned back a bit, waiting for any other question they might have.

"Are all Lanterns humans like you?" Rias asked, finally breaking the silence.

"No, I'm the only current active one. There are a few older guys here on Earth that served as Lanterns before I did. They still have their power rings, but are inactive - unless something really fucked up happens, they're just living their lives. We keep in touch often; we're all of the States and three of live within a few hundred miles of each other. Other than that, the Green Lantern Corps is a fairly eclectic mix of aliens. Some are bipedal and humanoid, others not so much," Elros explained.

"I KNEW IT! ALIENS, SEE?! WHAT DID I SAY?!" Issei exclaimed.

"Not a far cry from Devils, Angels, or Fallen Angels, right?" Elros asked with a knowing smile.

"He's got a point there," Akeno said, conceding - it really wasn't so different, was it?

"And that ring. What is it, exactly?" Rias asked in curiosity.

"A Green Lantern Power Ring; our most powerful weapon - in fact, I'd go so far as to say its one of the most powerful weapons ever created. It gives us a wide array of powers. It allows us to equip our uniform, it gives basic forcefield armor, allows us to fly, etc. It can absorb a variety of energy, allows the user to phase through solid objects, gives us invisibility by reflecting and refracting light, and quite a few other things. It's most important power in addition to flight, though, is allowing us to create constructs through our imagination. One thing it lacks, however, is the ability to heal. Unless I knew a lot about medicine - I'm talking at least four years of medical school and considerable training, I would have been out of luck if it didn't shield me somewhat from the landing. Pretty sure if you guys didn't find me, I wouldn't have walked away alive, so I thank you sincerely," Elros said, smiling particularly at Asia who blushed deep red but returned his smile.

"That's amazing," Akeno said, breathless at the information she had gleaned.

"Yup. It looks like it's low on power right now, though," Elros said as he observed his ring, slightly frowning.

"So it uses light as a focal point to do everything?" Rias asked in intrigue.

"Yup. Gives light a tangible and solid form," Elros said.

"How do you power it up?" Akeno asked curiously. Elros smiled before he turned his attention to the ring.

"Each ring bearer gets not only the ring, but a personal battery that draws on power from a central battery located on another planet. Here we go," Elros said. To everyones shock, a small floating portal had appeared. Rias and Akeno looked on in wonder as they tried to look inside, but couldn't find anything. Elros put his hands in it, as though reaching for something. Finally, as he retracted it there was something in his hand: a lantern made of a dark green metal. It had an equidistant cross like appearance with an eerie, green glow visible from openings on each side. On two spherical, opposite sides there extended a long, thin handle. Elros pointed his ring inside one of the glowing openings and began to speak.

"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evils might, beware my power, Green Lanterns light!" Elros said, repeating the oath he had taken countless times. The ring and the lantern began to glow a bright green as it recognized its owner. The others looked on in awe, amazed by the ghostly beauty the two pieces gave off. Even more than that, though, they were amazed by the fact that the light seemed not to hurt them on sight, much like before - even though it was more intense now. After a short while, the portal reopened and Elros put the lantern back in it.

"Wow," Akeno breathed as she held on to Elros's arm and observed the light that continued to emanate from the ring. Rias leaned over as well, taking the sight in as much as she could.

"That's so awesome," Gasper whispered while the others nodded in agreement, unable to break their gaze from the sight.

"Alright, ring - power level," Elros said.

A new voice joined the group - the disembodied voice of the ring.

"Power level at 28.9%, and increasing" the ring told Elros who nodded.

"IT CAN TALK?!" Kiba asked, shocked.

"A bit. It has some level of sentience. At the very least, it can communicate on a basic level," Elros said.

"It doesn't even hurt," Akeno whispered as she touched the ring.

"Of course not. It's just light," Elros said, confused..

"Devils are weak against light," Rias said with a smile. Elros eyes went wide as the ring suddenly stopped glowing.

"You guys should've told me that before I busted it out! What if I hurt you?! After all that you've done for me!" Elros said frantically. He grabbed Rias by her cheeks, causing her eyes to go wide in surprise.

"What're you doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"You're alright, right? No damage?" he asked as he examined her eyes, making sure her pupils weren't too wide or dilated. Rias couldn't help but smile at the level of concern he was showing for strangers. She brought her own hands to his and took them in hers, holding them gently. She slowly brought them down, resting both hers and his in her lap.

"It's fine. We're fine. Besides, we didn't figure you for a bad guy," Rias said gently, making sure to get her point across.

"Still, better safe than sorry in cases like this," Elros said, regaining his composure.

"Well, this has been an exciting day and night to say the least," Xenovia said as she smiled wide, opposed to her usual stoic manner. The others nodded in agreement; while they were hoping for a few days of tranquility, they had gotten much, much more in return - but they didn't mind; interesting shit like this just didn't happen everyday. Rias and Akeno exchanged a glance, each getting the meaning.

"Elros, what're you going to do now?" Akeno asked as Akeno leaned back again, his arms around the two beauties.

"Me? I've honestly no clue," Elros said with a grin.

"Are you always so happy?" Akeno teased.

"I try to be. I'm a fairly cheerful guy, you know. No point in going through life with a frown, right?" Elros asked with a laugh.

"True enough, I suppose," Akeno giggled.

"Don't you have to return to duty or visit your family or something?" Rias asked.

"It's just me and I already finished my last mission - that much I do remember. I should be good for a while. If I was heading towards Earth, that means that nothing else is going on and I was probably coming back to kick back. I'll try to fill in what happened the last few days, but beyond that… nope, nothing. When I'm back home here, I tend to do nothing, honestly," Elros said.

"You should stay with one of us for the night, just in case. We can help you figure out your next move in the morning," Rias said.

"You're welcome to stay with me," Akeno said quickly, smiling at him.

"I don't want to impose… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't get your names, except for Asia here," Elros said in surprise, looking around as he noticed his faux pas.

"Well, I'm Asia Argento. I'm the healer of the group," Asia said with a small wave and smile.

"That's quite an important task for someone so young," Elros said, amazed.

"There's absolutely no one better suited for the job. Asia's power is Twilight Healing. She can heal virtually any injury," Rias said smiling.

"Twilight Healing… sorry, but what exactly is this place? It's not Hell, right?" Elros asked as he looked around, the question finally hitting him. Rias couldn't help but laugh at that.

"No, it isn't Hell. You're in the headquarters of the Occult Research Club. My name is Rias Gremory, next in line to take over the Gremory Household. The other Devils here are a part of my peerage and in my service. We're a… I suppose you could say a small family of Devils," Rias said, trying to explain it - although it was probably better left for a longer talk at another time. Elros simply grinned goofily in response.

"I don't really get it, but I got it," he replied cheerfully. Rias giggled at that; his behavior was adorable to her. Finally, he turned back to Asia.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't heal those big scars you have, or that mark on your chest," Asia said sadly.

"That's not a problem, Asia. Those are permanent, I'm afraid. Still, I thank you for what you did do. Like I said, you saved my life," Elros said. Rias and Akeno exchanged a look as he commented on his scars, but before they could say anything, Koneko started speaking.

"I'm Koneko Toujou. Super strength," Koneko deadpanned. She got up to demonstrate her power. Leaning down, she grabbed the edge of the sofa that Elros, Rias, and Akeno were sitting on and lifted it with ease

"OH MY GOD NO WAY! ARE YOU FOR REAL?! THAT'S AMAZING!" Elros yelled excitedly, stars in his eyes again as he leaned over Rias's lap to watch as Koneko lifted and set them down several times. Rias looked at Akeno in surprise, but received no help; Akeno was giggling madly while Rias tried to figure out what to do with her hands.

"Sorry about that, Rias," Elros said as he noticed his mistake and retook his seat between her and Akeno.

"No problem. I'm surprised you're so excited though, considering your own powers," Rias said with an amused smile.

"Seeing things like this never gets old, though. Shoot me dead the day I'm not excited by something like this. That's ridiculously awesome, Koneko," Elros said happily. Koneko bowed and blushed slightly before going back to her position by Gasper, a small smile on her face. He began to speak, but quickly stopped as he looked at Elros. Quickly, he retreated behind Koneko again.

"Sorry. He's a little shy," Rias said.

"It's fine. I understand," Elros said, smiling warmly at Gasper, but not egging him to go on. Issei decided to step in next.

"Well, my names Issei Hyoudo. This is my power - Boosted Gear. The Red Dragon Emperor," Issei said as he brought out his legendary gauntlet for Elros to see.

"Jesus Christ, this is sweet as hell. It looks like a dragon talon, though. What is it, exactly?" Elros asked as he got up to examine the beautiful, bright red arm. Suddenly, it began to speak.

'My name is Ddraig. I am the Red Dragon Emperor, bonded to Issei Hyoudou - my perverted partner,' the disembodied voice of the soul of the Red Dragon Emperor said in his deep voice.

"How's it going, Ddraig? What are you, exactly?" Elros asked in excitement.

"You don't seem… weirded out that you're talking to my arm?" Issei asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I've had weirder conversations, trust me…," Elros said darkly. Issei nodded; he was probably right. To a guy who probably surfed with aliens, this was most likely another normal day.

'As I said, Elros Eärendil, my name is Ddraig. This wepaon, the Boosted Gear, is a Sacred Gear - one of the 13 Longinus, weapons powerful enough to kill Gods,' Ddraig said.

"Longinus? As in the Spear of Longinus? The Holy Lance? The Lance of Destiny? The Lance used to pierce the side of Jesus Christ? That Longinus?" Elros asked in wonder.

'The spear is but one of the Longinus - although it is known as the True Longinus. Only one Longinus may exist at a point in time, and Issei Hyoudou wields this one,' Ddraig said.

"Fucking a," Elros whispered. The gauntlets green centerpiece glowed slightly in agreement.

"That's good and all, but it's got nothing on my signature move - the Dress Break! Tap a girl with this and snap - and her clothes go flying off," Issei grinned wide to Elros.

"Points for creativity," Elros said with a hearty laugh.

"At last… someone who understands," Issei cried out as he threw his arms around Elros and began sobbing onto him in excitement, happy that he found another kindred spirit in the ORC.

"There, there man. That's certainly a special power. Just… don't blow my clothes off, alright?" Elros said as he patted him on the back. As Issei let go, Kiba stepped up.

"Hello. I'm Kiba Yuuto. Swordsman and Knight in the service of Rias Gremory," Kiba said with a smile.

"A pleasure," Elros said as he shook hands with Kiba.

"Xenovia Quarta. Swordsman and Knight as well. This is Durandal, my blade," Xenovia said as she brandished the mighty sword.

"Woah. That's gotta be tough to swing," Elros said, looking at the blade.

"Not really. You get used to it," Xenovia said nonchalantly.

"Durandal… the same sword that Emperor Charlemagne gave to Roland?" Elros asked with intense interest as he examined the blade. He had to admit that it was a marvel; its crisp, blue color radiating off a dangerous aura.

"The very same. You know your history," Xenovia said.

"I love history. I have a few ancient artifacts myself, but this is a true work of magnificence. Wow," Elros replied.

"And my ability allows me to take on the traits of multiple different swords," Kiba explained.

"That's pretty sweet. You guys seem pretty well rounded. Healing, swordsmanship, and stripping - a veritable trifecta," Elros commented.

"I can't believe you included Issei in that…," Xenovia grumbled.

"My name is Akeno Himejima and I use elemental magic mostly. My specialty, however, is thunder and lightning. They call me the Thunder Priestess," Akeno said sweetly as she demonstrated her powers for Elros who was utterly captivated as he saw electricity fly out of her fingertips. He fell quickly onto the sofa again and took her hand in his, examining it.

"So cool," he whispered in awe. Akeno giggled in response as she showed him a few more tricks such as igniting a finger with a small wisp of fire; rotating a sphere of water in her hands; creating a gust of wind that whipped around his face; and finishing off with a few more jolts of electricity.

"I inherited my ability from my mother; the Power of Destruction. I'd show you, but it can sometimes… get out of hand," Rias said.

"That's so awesome," Elros replied, bringing his attention to her. She simply smiled in response. As she began to speak again, Gasper suddenly spoke up.

"H-h-hi. I'm Gasper. I'm a vampire," Gasper said nervously. They all looked at him in surprise, thinking that he would be to nervous to speak. Elros too looked at him in surprise - but for another reason entirely. As Gasper said what he was, Elros's jaw dropped as he looked around at the others. Gasper frowned a bit, thinking he scared Elros off.

"Really?" he asked weakly. Akeno nodded.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Elros exclaimed as he quickly fell to his knees and faced Gasper, a look of massive excitement etched into his face. Gasper broke into a huge smile as he saw the reaction.

"A VAMPIRE?! That's fucking amazing!" Elros continued.

"Language, Elros," Rias said, although she was smiling wide.

"I'm sorry! But that's too awesome! A VAMPIRE, YOU GUYS. I've met vampires before, but… but…," Elros trailed off, unable to continue for a second.

"You think its awesome?" Gasper asked excitedly.

"Of course! So you're a devil-vampire?!" Elros asked excitedly. Gasper nodded. This was too much for Elros, who looked like a little kid that just opened his favorite present on White Christmas.

"THAT'S THE GREATEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! What's your power, Gasper?" Elros asked.

"I can stop time!" Gasper responded excitedly.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NO WAY!" Elros shouted back, excitedly shocked.

"WAY!" Gasper shouted in response. He had never met someone who was so excited to meet him.

"GUYS! A FREAKING DEVIL VAMPIRE WHO CAN CONTROL TIME! ARE YOU FOR REAL?!" Elros yelled excitedly at the others. Gasper smiled wide as he went back to stand by Koneko. Akeno and Rias smiled at each other as they saw the happiness on Gaspers face, something they were still getting used to.

"I'm glad you waited to go last, Gasper. That's what I call saving the best for last. Absolutely zero chance of anyone topping that," Elros said as he grinned ear to ear. Gasper continued to smile brightly as Rias spoke again.

"Anyways, lets back to the matter at hand. You can stay with Akeno tonight, and we can help you figure out what to do starting tomorrow. How does that sound?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, that works for me. Thank you for offering, Akeno," Elros said.

"Not a problem. Come on, let's get going," Akeno said as she took his hand and began to lead Elros out

"I'll see you guys later," Elros yelled back at them as he exited the door. As he did so, Rias frowned - and felt a sudden pang of jealousy go through her as she thought about Akeno and Elros spending the night together.

'What am I thinking? I barely even know him. How can I already be jealous? Wait, am I jealous? There's no way. No way. I'm… I'm not… Am I? No. Of course not. Just worried, as a good friend would be. But I wonder… what's going to happen tomorrow? Is he going to leave? Maybe… hmmm…,' Rias thought. She excused herself to go to her private office, thinking of how she wanted to approach the situation.

'I don't know much about him or his responsibilities, but he's strong. Really strong. No way he would've survived a fall like that otherwise. And he killed two Fallen Angels in a near unconscious state. I only have two spaces left open… but would he even want to join? I mean, if he has all those other responsibilities. I guess there's no harm in asking. I… I hope he agrees. He's… I… wow,' Rias thought as she sat down. She leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling. There would be no rest for her this night; Elros was far to deep on her mind. She bit her lip gently as she thought of he looked when they removed his shirt. Quickly, however, she shook her head - there would be time for that later. Right now, she needed to find a way to broach this topic with him.

-o-

The trip to Akeno's apartment passed without much talk between the two beyond Akeno pointing out some sights, although this far into the night both of them were far to tired to actually note any of them. If Elros wanted a tour, he would have to wait until at least morning. After a while, they arrived at a quaint little high rise - part of the new era of steel and glass skyscrapers that were becoming the norm everywhere. As they entered, Elros looked around in interest and surveyed the apartment. He liked Akeno's minimalistic taste when it came to decorating, for he was much the same way. There was a square and modern black leather couch in the center of the large living room they stepped into, set neatly in front of a 65" OLED TV that was hung level on the way. Across the couch, there were glass walls with black curtains that were open as well as a french sliding door that led onto the balcony where Akeno had a beautiful view of Kuoh Town. Elros noted the small, circular table located outside along with two metal chairs where one could enjoy a nice breeze and breakfast.

To his right, he saw that the living room transformed into a large kitchen that Akeno obviously spent quite a bit of time in. It was decked out to the nines with everyone one could hope for; there was a masticating juicer that stood a foot away from an espresso/coffee machine; the fridge was quite large, probably capable of storing several bodies should the need ever arise. The convection oven was absolutely spotless, as was the rest of the kitchen - so clean, you could quite literally eat off of it. Not a dish remained in the sink, all very likely put away neatly in their proper place. He noticed a spice rack sitting in a corner, many of the spies almost empty - Akeno obviously cooked her quite a bit.

As Akeno flipped the light switch, he saw a few more things of note. Denoted that the walls were sparsely decorated except for a few well chosen art prints that were hung intermittently. There was only a single picture on the wall: of her, Rias, and the rest of the peerage smiling for the camera. Elros couldn't help but smile at that; he could feel the love and warmth that existed amongst the group while he was at the ORC and it brought joy to his heart. After a few moments of observation, Elros finally went over to the couch.

"What're you doing?" Akeno asked with a frown. Now wasn't the time to watch TV.

"About to go to sleep," Elros said as he sat down and began to stretch and lay out.

"Don't be silly! I'm not putting you on the couch. You can join me in the bed," Akeno said with a sweet smile.

"Are you sure?" Elros asked with a smile of his own.

"I'm positive. Come on," Akeno said as she walked over and grabbed his hand, leading him into her bedroom. Much like the rest of the apartment, it was sparsely decorated - taking a minimalistic approach. There was a large bed with a black oak frame that sat in the middle against the wall. It had four large pillars, supporting a sheer black canopy that draped gracefully around the sides of the bed. There was a black oak nightstand on either side of the bed, each with a beautiful ornate lamp. One was in the form of a marble, nude woman supporting the light bulb with her hands raised high above, her head looking to the light. The other lamp was of a nude man, also carved out of marble; he supported the light on his back, much like Atlas, the Titan who was condemned to support the sky on his back for eternity. Elros excused himself to bathroom while Akeno began to change into her nightgown.

As she watched him enter the bathroom, she brought a hand to her heart and felt it. It was decidedly beating a bit faster than usual, easily attributable to a few of things; a peacekeeper of the universe had interrupted their reprieve; he was quite an interesting person; and she was about to share her bed with him, something that she had never done so with anyone before. Even in the ORC, she was surprised that she had extended that offer to him. The prospect never frightened her, however, which was surprising. After all, here was a man that had made an extremely dramatic entrance into their lives; he demolished Rias's house and killed two Fallen Angels; looking at his scars, he obviously had stories to tell and there were no doubt other scars there that were not so easily visible; however, ever since he woke up, she had felt nothing but comfortable in his presence. While his job sounded serious, Elros seemed to be a fairly happy and cheerful person, Akeno thought. In the extremely short while she had known him, he was almost constantly smiling and the only times he wasn't was when he had thought he killed two people in cold blood and when he thought that the light from his ring would hurt them. She smiled as she thought about the kind of person he was and it strengthened her resolve in her decision to invite him into her home so quickly. Her thoughts soon trailed to what would come tomorrow; and they lined up with Rias's - what would be his next move? Would he even consider the possibility?

-o-

"Man, what the hell happened?" Elros asked his reflection in the mirror, finally getting some alone time. He took the black shirt off and examined the scar that ran vertical across his chest, a reminder from his past. He gently pressed the brand in the shape of a bird on his right pectoral, remembering how he received it as well. Elros closed his eyes as he began to rack his brains for whatever details that might come to him - anything that offered a clue about what happened over the last couple of days. Regardless of how hard he tried, though, nothing came to him.

"Ring, what was I doing the last few days?" Elros asked his ring.

"Data corrupted. Prior Official Mission: Planet Nebulous in the Milky Way Galaxy; halting an incursion force on a peaceful planet. Result: Successful destruction of incursion force. Prior Personal Mission: Odym, in the Milky Way Galaxy. Interactions with the Blue Lantern, Saint Walker. Acceptance of request; training with Saint Walker to commence at a later date," the ring said.

"Nebulous… yeah, I remember that - don't think I'll ever forget that night. Odym… I remember that as well. Still need to test it out, otherwise I'd disappoint Saint Walker. Can't stand disappointing that guy; he's just too much a good person. But data corrupted… I'm assuming yellow? Ah, fuck me sideways," Elros said with a sigh as he tried to remember. He washed his face and dried it as he ran his hands through his hair. Noting the white streaks, he grimaced.

"How is that I'm already getting to old for this shit?" he asked himself with a laugh as he ran his hand through the whitened hair. Finally, he exhaled heavily and walked out to the bedroom. He saw Akeno waiting for him on the edge, smiling as he approached. He paused for a moment to admire her beauty. She wore a silky, lavender nightgown that fit her well. She had removed the ponytail and let her black hair flow down her back, almost touching the ground with its considerable length. She was quite the sight to behold. Finally, he went over to the other side of the bed, and pulling the drapery apart, got into it.

"Again, I'm sorry to impose," Elros said as he finally laid down, glad to do so at last; his entire body was weary, the inevitable side effect of his duties as Green Lantern.

"Please, not at all. It's nice to have some interesting company," Akeno said as she laid down as well. She heard him grunt wearily as he finally spread himself on the bed, gingerly resting his head on the pillow and exhaling in release as he did so.

"Are you in pain?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Na, just a bit achey. Comes with the territory, I'm afraid," he replied.

Akeno scooted a bit closer to him. To his surprise, she lifted his head and rested it gently on his chest. Elros smiled at the gesture as he put a head on her head and began to gently run it through her hair. As he did so, Akeno felt a shiver go down her spine - the sensation ignited her senses for some reason, making her heart beat faster ever so slightly. She smiled as he kept doing it, enjoying it intensely.

"I hope you don't mind. Thought I'd try out a new pillow tonight," Akeno said with a giggle as her right handle began to run over his torso. She felt the ridges of his abs as she traced up across his chest, running her gingers gently across the large scar and the brand. She frowned slightly as she reached them; it was a story that she half wanted to hear and half didn't. She had seen everyone in the peerage naked on several occasions; and she knew for a fact that none of them had such vicious markings.

"I don't mind in the slightest. This feels really nice, actually. Let's make it a thing," Elros replied. Akeno looked up at him with a smile on her face.

"You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought you'd put up more of a fight," Akeno said.

"Hmm? Over what?" Elros asked curiously.

"Sleeping with me, of course. I mean I just offered you a place in my bed and you said yes. Where's your false sense of modesty?" Akeno asked with a light laugh.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Lady Himejima. I'm afraid I lack all modesty, false or otherwise. When a beautiful maiden offers to share her bed with me, I'm jumping at the chance. Such is my philosophy," Elros replied with a grin.

"Mhm. Don't try anything funny tonight. You might be a space cop, but I've a few tricks up my sleeve as well," Akeno said as she looked upwards at him, resting her chin on chest. Elros brought a hand to her cheek and caressed it gently. Akeno couldn't help but blush at the motion; something she wasn't used to doing.

"Perish the thought. To think that you have such a low opinion of me, after all the time we've spent together," Elros said dramatically. Akeno giggled audibly at that as she adjusted herself again, resting her head gently against his chest, bringing his hand to her head so he could continue weaving it through her hair.

"Are you trying to remember what happened over the last few days?" she asked quietly.

"I am. It's a sort of uneasy feeling, but I've no doubt it'll come to me sooner or later. Until then, I'll just relax until I'm called out on a mission. Might as well go with the flow," Elros said.

"You know… if you have nothing else to do, you could always become a Devil," Akeno whispered quietly, listening intently for a response. Elros was silent for a moment before he let out a short laugh.

"Maybe, but something tells me it's not like signing a contract and boom, you're a Devil. I'm not against the idea, though," he said.

"What? Really? You'd make a change like that?" Akeno asked in surprise, although she kept her head down.

"You only live once, as far as I know. If something like this comes up, I'd be stupid not to consider it. So long as I can carry out my duties as a Green Lantern and live my life the way I want to, why not? Life changing decisions are second nature to me at this point," Elros said.

"A simplistic yet still complex philosophy," Akeno mused.

"I guess, but I've found that it works well for me; maybe not as well for others. But we can talk more of that tomorrow or another time. For now, let's get some sleep. Sweet dreams, Akeno," Elros whispered as he caressed her cheek again, falling quickly asleep.

"You too, Elros," Akeno replied as she finally fell asleep a few minutes later, thoughts of Elros dancing and racing through her mind.