3 The third day The third day The Third Day

Issei didn´t actually understood a single word of what the girl in front of him was saying. He wasn´t even completely sure which language she was speaking. Only that he certainly didn´t knew it.

But somehow, he couldn´t quite explain it himself, he had a good guess what she was talking about.

To that came the strange feeling that he had in her presence, that caught his attention about her in the first place. Whatever it was, she was clearly not an average person.

["Look at her,"] Issei suddenly heard a voice talking in his head, ["concentrate."]

Nearly instinctively, he did what the voice was saying. To be honest, it wasn´t the first time that he heard it.

"I am sorry. I just thought you could help me," he heard the girl saying.

Issei realized that he suddenly understood her. But how?

Telepathy... of course. Didn't Gaeriel said that he had this power? Yes, that must be it.

"I would really like to help you," he answered, hoping that the Nun would understand him as well.

"Oh, you can understand what I am saying," the girl called out now, visibly happy.

"Oh... well, yes I do," he said, himself being surprised about that fact. "I am Issei, Issei Hyoudou."

"I am Asia Argento," she introduced herself in return. "It is nice to meet you. I wanted to ask you if you could help me find the church."

"Find the church?" Issei asked perplexed. A Nun trying to find the church? That was certainly something new, he thought. But the only church in the town was...

"...I... I have just arrived in this town today... and... I kind of got lost," she admitted shyly. "I have been walking through the town for hours. Please help me."

Issei truly didn´t knew what to think about that.

"Asia, there is only one church in the town. But it had been abandoned years ago. Are you sure that you want to go there?"

"Yes, I want to. I have been asked to go there for my new mission," she stated.

"Okay," Issei just said.

He had to admit, there was something about this girl. And it was not just the strange energy he felt from her. No, somehow she just seemed to radiate kindness and compassion. He wasn´t sure. Maybe that he knew this had to do with this telepathy he was developing. Or maybe Asia was just that kind of girl where you could see that she had a good heart.

But... a part of him suddenly painfully realized... he had thought the same way about Yuuma. At the first look, she had seemed like that too.

Yuuma... Raynare, he said to himself... why did that stupid bitch even had to go out to kill him like that. She had told him that he was a threat to her. Why? Only for the cheer chance that he would one time side against them?

Hah... he thought, had she not killed him in the first place, he would have just continued his life with going to school every day, spending time with his friends and trying to peek on girls. He wouldn´t have to worry about people trying to kill him or about having this Devils in his neck and their attempts to `recruit´ him.

And by the way, if he truly was that dangerous, why had she never tried to bring him to her side? She was in the perfect position. He would have done anything for her. Was he not worth to bother in her eyes? Bitch.

Suddenly he realized what in hell he was thinking. What the heck? He didn´t want to join Yuuma and whatever crazy group she was part of. Damn it. He had already joined the good guys. Or at least as close to the `good guys´ as he could get.

"Issei, is everything alright?" he heard Asia´s voice asking him. "You looked as if something is truly worrying you."

He concentrated on her and tried to push any thought about Raynare out of his mind... for now. She truly sounded concerned about him, despite knowing him only for a few minutes.

"It´s alright Asia," he answered. "I just had to think about something. Hey Asia, do you want some ice-cream?" Issei asked her suddenly. He saw that they just came across a parlor.

"I... I would like to. But I still have to go to the church. They are waiting for me," she replied. But at the same time her eyes were drifting off to the ice cream shop next to them.

"I see you really want to." Issei started to laugh a bit. "Tell me, have they even given you a special time when you have to arrive?"

"No, but..."

"Then you can also take a few minutes longer, don´t you think? It will hardly make a difference now, right?"

He pointed at one of the tables in front of the shop and gestured for her to sit down.

"If you think so Issei," she said and smiled at him.

"Hey it is you," they heard another voice. It was a little boy who had been sitting at one of the neighboring tables.

Issei didn´t recognize him, but Asia seemed to know the boy.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for me earlier," he said to her. "Is this your boyfriend?" the boy asked her, causing both of them quite some embarrassment.

"No... no, I am a Sister of the Church," she stammered. "I cannot have a boyfriend." Asia´s face turned downwards. For some reason, she was looking even more ashamed than before.

"He is just showing me the way through the town," she said quietly.

Along with the words `Sister of the Church´, Issei felt a wave of pain coming that he knew didn´t belong to him. Asia, he thought... there was something not right... and he intended to find out what.

It was in this moment that Issei was looking at her, truly looking at her like he would at any other girl. She was pretty, even if she wasn´t really the type of girl he would normally go after. Okay, he would go after every girl, he admitted. She just wasn´t the type he would normally imagine.

Asia had very big bright blue eyes and long blonde hair, an incredible cute face. Her breasts were quite small, but they seemed to be nice looking from what he could make out form the way they were shaping up beneath her clothes. Still the Nun outfit made him feel a bit uneasy. Issei froze and became red in the face as he suddenly realized that he was thinking about her in that way... and she was a Nun.

His mind turned back to reality.

"She has helped you?" Issei asked the boy.

"Yes, I fell and was injured. But then she came and she healed me."

"Healed you?" Issei repeated, thinking about Asia giving him first aid.

"Yes, just like that. Isn´t that cool?" the boy asked. "She is truly an Angel," he said.

In opposite to what most would think however, his words caused only another stab in Issei´s heart. An Angel, yeah right. Yuuma´s face flashed once again into his mind.

The boy was still talking to Asia for a few minutes, as they all had sat down.

Asia, she truly was a good person. Meeting this boy had only confirmed it. She was friendly. She took the time to help an injured little boy, while she herself was walking around in a town she didn´t knew. She even seemed to show true concern for him, a guy she had just met and who had just offered to help her out.

Besides that, he just knew. Whatever kind of power he was developing, it allowed him to take a short at what was inside her mind. He had to say she was the most kind and innocent person he had ever met.

After a few minutes the little boy who had been talking with them returned to his own table.

"Issei, there is something I want to ask you," Asia addressed him.

"Yes?" he replied, curious what she would say.

"Would you be my friend?" she asked.

Whatever question Issei had been expecting, this was not it.

"Your friend?"

"Yes, the truth is... I never had a friend before."

"What? How can that be? I mean, you are clearly the nicest girl I have ever met."

"Thank you," she replied, blushing visibly. "It is just... I was raised by the Church. I never had any family... and then... then I had this gift."

"A gift?" he asked.

"Yes, a gift from God. I can heal people, just by wanting it. When the Church found out about it, I was declared a Holy Maiden and that meant I couldn´t have any friends. I was always alone," she stated.

Issei wasn´t exactly sure what to think about this `gift´. Maybe it had something to do with the energy he was feeling from her. But he was sure about one thing. He was saddened for Asia than anyone before. And he would do everything to make her feel better.

"Of course I will be your friend," he told her... and he meant it.

"Thank you Issei," she answered. The smile she gave him was heartwarming.

But another question he had been asking himself was eating at him. Was he, at least on some level, using Asia to distract himself from thinking about Yuuma? Was he somehow using Asia to get over her?

No, he promised himself, he would not. Asia deserved far better than to be treated like this. Hell, not even Yuuma deserved that. He suddenly remembered her killing him. Okay, maybe she did deserve it. But he would still not act like this. He would be Asia´s friend and for her own sake, not to make himself feel better.

"So this is where you are," he heard a voice he knew all too well saying. "I have already been looking for you."

"Gaeriel," he said.

"Yes," the Fallen Angel who was training him replied, "I thought we wanted to meet when your school was over?"

"I am sorry. I sort of... forgot," he stated. He knew how weak of an excuse that was.

"This is Asia," he introduced her, "I have met her in town," he said. "Asia," he turned to her, "this is Gaeriel, she is a friend of mine. We actually wanted to meet, but then I met you and..."

"Sorry Issei, I didn´t want to cause any trouble for you," she replied.

"It... it is no trouble at all Asia. Right Gaeriel?" he asked.

But then he realized that she was only starring at Asia without saying anything.

"Gaeriel?" he asked again.

"Issei, could I speak to you alone for a moment?" she responded.

"Of course. I will be back in a minute Asia," he said to her.

"Okay Issei," she replied.

He and Gaeriel were walking a short distance away.

"Issei, do you realize just who this girl is?" she asked him.

"What do you mean? She is Asia. We have just met and become friends. She is a Nun from Europe... and she told me that she had a `gift of healing´ from God and became a holy maiden."

"Issei, don´t you get it? She is the Sacred Gear user we have been looing for the entire time... and you have just run right into her."

He was now looking at Gaeriel with his mouth open. It all made sense, her healing people just by thinking about it. The strange energy radiating from her.

Issei slapped his hand in his own face.

"I am truly an idiot," he stated. "How could I not figure this out by myself?"

"You may be and idiot," she responded, smiling warmly at him, "but if, then you are for sure an incredible lucky one."

xxx

So Issei got a few answers about some of his questions regarding Asia Argento.

But what exactly was this voice that he kept hearing? he asked himself. This wasn´t even the first time that it suddenly appeared.

["Have you still not figured it out... Partner?"] he now heard the same voice asking him.

"You! Who are you?" Issei asked. "Moment... Partner?... You are this Dragon... Ddraig."

["Yes I am."] he confirmed. ["After this Fallen Angel has informed you which Sacred Gear you carry; I think this guess shouldn´t have been so hard."]

"I just didn´t expect you to simply speak to me... at least not so early," Issei responded.

["True. Thanks to the telepathic abilities you are developing it is far easier for us to communicate as it would normally be. They surpass the ones of any Angel or Devil I know of by far.] Dgraig admitted.

["Aside from that, your powers are developing in an incredible speed now. I have to say, even I am impressed."]

Issei remembered what happened during his visit to the Occult Research Club.

xxxxxxx

Kuoh Academy, a few hours earlier

The last class was just over. As they had agreed Kiba Yuuto was waiting for him just outside of the room.

"Kiba," he addressed him, "you said Rias Gremory-Sempai wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," he answered, "she is truly interested to meet you. Are you ready to come?" he asked him.

"Of course," Issei replied. Let us bring it behind us, he thought silently.

Around them a few students were staring at them. They couldn´t understand what a lady like Rias Gremory could want from a known pervert and troublemaker like Hyoudou... and were now forming a small crowd around them.

Others were unsettled for a slightly different reason.

"Okay dude, tell me... what did you do to make someone like Gremory-Sempai even remotely interested in you?" Matsuda shouted at him.

"Yes, tell us," Motohama fell in.

"Guys... it is not like you are thinking," Issei replied. "She just wants me to join her club, that is all. Tell them Kiba."

"That is true," he confirmed.

"I still don´t see why someone like Gremory-Sempai would even show interest in someone like Hyoudou, even if it is only for her club," Katase stated, obviously skeptical why such an `exclusive´ club would be interested in someone like him.

The pink haired girl was a member of the kendo-club and the best friend of Murayama, who was standing next to her at the moment.

Issei heard her words. He knew that many in school thought like that. But now, he couldn´t help to get angry. A few days back he would have also been flattered... and to be honest, amazed... if Rias had done so much as even looked in his direction. But now?

The girl was a Devil for Heaven´s sake... a manipulative bitch who didn´t give as much as a second thought about standing by idle and letting him die by the hands of another manipulative bitch. So that she could turn him into her servant without having to ask him. And now she was expecting him to just come to her when she called him? While his own classmates acted as if he was not even worth it.

She was the one who wanted him for her group. She was the one who would not leave him alone. So why in the world where they acting as if he was the one who did not `deserve´ it?

Oh, he knew perfectly well why. Because she was Rias Gremory and he was only a member of the perverted trio. He knew to a part he had to thank himself for this. Given how he normally acted, he shouldn´t be surprised that some of the others reacted like this.

"Listen Katase," he said, his voice was grim and slightly shaking from suppressed anger, "whatever Rias Gremory wants from me, it is not your damned business. You always beat me down for not respecting your `privacy´. But you can obviously not accept mine. She is the one who had asked me to come goddamnit. So why am I being the one here questioned like some sort of criminal over this?"

Everyone around was now starring at him a bit different after his outburst. A few actually slightly ashamed, as if it had never crossed their minds to see things like that.

"Come on Katase, you have to admit Hyoudou has a point here," Murayama now stated. "This is simply not our business. We want him to respect our privacy as well after all... especially in our locker rooms," she said then with a sharper voice in Issei´s direction.

This brought back a grin on the faces of some of the surrounding students.

"You have to admit we are acting a bit stupid here," Murayama stated. "Let´s leave Hyoudou alone and take care of his own things."

"Thanks Murayama," he said.

"Do we go now Issei?" Kiba asked him.

"Yes."

They left the rest of the students behind, a few of them still whispering with each other. A few were looking after them, especially Murayama, Katase and Issei´s two friends.

Kiba was leading him through the school, right to the club-room of the Occult Research Club.

Issei had never been at this part of the school campus before. So he probably wouldn´t have found it on his own. Kiba opened a quite opulent looking double door and led him through.

The interior of the club room was more or less like Issei would have imagined it. The room was large, but looked cozy and comfortable... a bit luxurious... and maybe a bit old fashioned.

He recognized the other members of the club, who were sitting on a couch before him, Akeno Himejima, a third year like Rias Gremory herself and another one of the most popular girls at school and Koneko Toujou, an also well-known first year.

Both of them were Devils. The energy he felt from them was very similar to Kiba´s.

The only person he could not see was the club-president... a.k.a the chief Devil, he thought sarcastically.

"Buchou will arrive in a minute Issei-kun," Akeno said to him. "Why don´t you sit down?"

Issei´s eyes wandered between a free place on the couch between te two female Devils... and an empty armchair close by. Standing at the opposite end of the table to another one where Kiba was just sitting down.

After a few moments of hesitation... mostly because he got a good look at Akeno´s figure, Issei chose the armchair instead of nest to her and Koneko.

"It is nice to meet you Hyoudou-kun," Akeno welcomed him.

"Thank you Akeno-sempai, the same to you," Issei replied. "May I ask where Rias-sempai is? She is the one who invited me after all."

"Oh, she will come any moment," Akeno answered. "Why don´t we talk to each other for a while."

Issei had to admit he was nervous. He was surrounded by Devils. Devils who obviously wanted to recruit him for their team and had no qualms about the methods how. Who had no idea what had happened to him and he had no way to know how they would react.

In opposite to Asia, he had no real insight into the feelings and motivations of this supernatural beings. It was as if something about them was blocking his newly developed sixth sense.

"I see you have arrived Hyoudou-kun," he was greeted by Rias Gremory who had just arrived.

He felt his jaw fall down as he took a look at her. She was wearing nothing but a towel. Beneath it, he could see, she was completely naked.

"I am happy that you could make it," she told him. "I am sorry you had to wait, but as you see I came just out of the shower."

Issei was caught between his urge to look at her body and being gobsmacked about her actually thinking he would buy it that it was a coincidence that she just `happened´ to shower while he arrived here.

Still as he saw the form of her body lining up under the towel, for a split second he began to doubt if it had not been a mistake not to join her - before he came back to his senses.

"What did you want to talk with me about Gremory-sempai?" he asked.

"Please wait a minute, I want to get myself clothed first. I can hardly change right here in front of you, right?" She gave him a smile that normally would drive him insane, had he not been so nervous about the situation he was in... and that not because her lack of clothes.

Akeno, would you help me here?" she asked.

About a minute later it was over and a fully clothed Rias Gremory was sitting in front of him.

"Tell me Issei, is everything alright?" she asked him. "I have heard that you have been missing school yesterday."

"I am okay. I was just not feeling well the last day," he replied.

"Really?" she asked knowingly. "Issei, you can talk with me openly..." something in her voice changed, "... I know that something happened to you during your date two days ago. I'm not sure what exactly it was."

"What? How do you know that?" he asked innocently. "How do you even know I was on a date?"

Yes, how would you? unless of course you had me followed the entire time, he thought silently. He knew all that already, but he didn´t let it show.

"Issei," she said, "I want to tell you the whole truth. I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" he asked incredulous. This time his surprise was not entirely faked.

"I have heard that you have been asking about a girl named Yuuma Amano. That nobody could remember her?"

"Yes," he simply replied. "Everybody claimed that I must just dreamed her up or something," he said with a light grin.

"I assure you that she certainly exists," Rias answered. She stood up and picked something from her desk, that she handed him. It was a photo. It showed him and Yuuma walking together on a street. He took in the details. He knew when this was.

Whatever reaction the Devils had hoped to achieve, the one they would get was the exact opposite.

"Issei," Rias continued, "...the truth is... I am a Devil."

Once again he was somewhat surprised about her open admission, but pretended not to believe her.

"Oh, that is a good one Rias-sempai," he said and forced himself to laugh.

As and answer, she just materialized her wings. Interesting, he though, they were different from the ones of the Fallen Angels. More bat-like instead like the ones of birds.

"Oh, okay... I guess this has to convince me," Issei stated. "So you are really a Devil."

She nodded.

"You should know there are three Great Factions, the Devils, the Angels and the Fallen..."

She essentially repeated the same story about the Factions and the Great War he had already heard... and told him once again about the Sacred Gears and that Yuuma was a Fallen Angel. All in all, nothing new there. Then, however she came to a part he found interesting. She mentioned how Fallen Angels were sometimes hunting down and killing Sacred Gear users.

"I was pretty sure that she was trying to kill you," Rias said in this moment. "So I interfered to save you. I send someone to give you a certain flyer before your date started. You remember that, right?"

Now Issei was the one nodding at her.

"Inside of it was a so called Summoning Card. If you were dying and wished to stay alive, you would have activated it and it would have allowed me to transport myself to you. I could have saved your life then by turning you into a Devil. You would have become my servant and could have joined our club. I would have protected you from then on. I am still willing to if you accept." She let him take in her words.

"But something went wrong. I don´t even know what it was," she admitted. "I know your life was in danger Issei. But something happened and kept me from helping you. I know that something happened during your `date´. I wanted to ask you what it could have been?"

Issei stood up from the place he was sitting.

"You know," he said, looking at the photo that showed him and Raynare, "I remember this. It was on the day when I first met her, several days before our date. Why exactly do you have such a picture?" he asked her pointedly. "How long exactly have you known who Yuuma was?"

Rias didn´t answer for a few moments, obviously not expecting such a question. She also didn´t expect Issei Hyoudou, a normal highschool student, to call out someone who had just revealed herself to be a Devil like that.

"So let me get this straight," Issei pointed out. "You have known about her for days. You have just told me that you expected her to kill me. Yet you didn´t warn me. You could have send Kiba to get me a few days ago and told me all this. Instead you chose to let me get murdered and then try to turn me into a Devil and into your servant. And you call that saving me?"

Rias was now dumbfounded, not only because of his answer that was by far not what she had expected, but also because he should have still been in shocked about the revelation what she was, that a supernatural being was standing right in front of him. Instead he barely seemed to react to it. Did he maybe already know what they were and was just acting along?

Or maybe Hyoudou wasn´t who he claimed to be, another thought came to her.

"You already knew what we are, didn´t you?" she asked him.

Now it was Issei who didn´t say anything for a few seconds. Everybody else looked similar surprised about this.

"Yes," he finally admitted.

"She did try to kill you. But somehow you survived and found out about everything," Rias concluded.

"In some sense yes," he stated.

"You know; we could still protect you from the Fallen Angels. If you would join my peerage we can keep them from ever attacking you again," she told him.

"So now you are actually trying to ask me. Now," he responded. He could barely believe the nerve of that girl... and he could not believe that he used to look up to her so much, just like everybody else at this school.

"Look Issei," she said, "I know we are not perfect. Far from it, I know that. But the Fallen Angels have tried to kill you, you admitted that yourself and they might try again. So you should at least consider it. Even if you are angry at me, we are still the only ones in the town who can protect you from them."

"You think so?" he replied. A moment later he realized that he had probably said too much.

"What do you mean by that?" she questioned.

"I don´t have to tell you anything," he said.

"Issei, this town is my territory. If someone else is active here, I should know about it."

"Your territory... your territory?" he exclaimed, "if this is your territory why didn´t you bother to lift a finger when I was killed?" Too late he realized what he had just let slip.

"What?" Rias asked, the others were looking at him in open surprise as well. He just admitted that he indeed died.

"Yes, I guess there is no longer a reason to hide it," Issei admitted. "There is someone else out there, someone who don´t expect a price like eternal servitude for saving a life. They let me decide if I want to join them or not."

"And will you?" she asked.

"I am not sure yet," he answered truthfully.

"There is still one more thing," Rias told him. "After all you have just said, how can we be sure that you are still the same person as two days ago?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Maybe you have been... replaced," she stated. "Imagine someone could have killed or captured the real Issei Hyoudou and replaced him with some sort of double, an infiltrator. Kiba," she said.

["Move."] Issei suddenly heard a voice in his head. He saw that Kiba suddenly had a sword in his hand and was swinging it in his direction.

Before Issei was even fully aware of it, his body reacted. His Sacred Gear materialized on his arm.

It was a simple test, Kiba on his part knew. He was supposed to stop his blade just a short distance in front of Hyoudou´s throat. Just to make completely sure that he hadn´t been, as Buchou said, replaced. But things turned out a bit different.

Issei heard the voice again. ["Boost, boost, boost ."] it repeated this simple word. He easily blocked Kiba´s sword with his Sacred Gear, nearly on instinct... and then landed a hard punch on the obviously surprised Devil. This punch was much stronger than anything a regular human should be capable of and send Kiba flying through the room.

Issei´s own energy was now showing itself. To all their surprise however, it seemed still human... only incredible powerful.

Koneko had already moved to help her comrade. But suddenly she noticed something. Hyoudou was not simply using his Sacred Gear, he was also using some form of Senjutsu... or something very similar... a form that she had never heard of before. And that realization made her stop in her tracks in complete shock. She instead kept her distance and was just watching Hyoudou carefully.

"Who... what are you?" Rias asked now, completely unsettled as well over the display.

What the hell was that? Issei thought nearly at the same time. That voice... and he could barely believe what he just did to Kiba of all people.

Akeno was looking at Kiba, who to their relief didn´t seem to be injured.

"I assure you that I am Issei Hyoudou... not as you said, an impostor," he told her. "But the people who have resurrected me have also shown me how to activate my Sacred Gear... and they teached me `other things´ to protect me from the Fallen Angels... and from you."

"You don´t need protection from us," Rias exclaimed. "We are not trying to kill you. This here was just a test."

"No," he answered, "you are just standing by and let others do it... and then try to turn me when I can no longer refuse. I have seen nothing that convinced me that you wouldn´t also go one step further. Right now I see little difference between you and them."

She visibly flinched at his words.

"I am sorry," she told him.

"So am I," Issei responded. "I can assure you one thing, the people who have brought me back are not planning anything against you... and neither do I," he added. "I am not your enemy Rias and I don´t want to be. But I won´t join you. So please stop following me around and spying on me. I will leave now. Or do you have another question?"

"No," she answered.

"Well, that couldn´t have gone any worse," he heard Akeno commenting, as he had just left the room.

xxxxxxx

Now

Back in the present, he and Gaeriel, were still standing together close to the ice-cream parlor where Asia was waiting for them, talking with each other.

"Issei, someone is coming," Gaeriel stated. "Do you sense it?"

"Yes, is it...?"

"Someone like me," she said.

"Raynare... or a member of her team," Issei stated. On some level he noticed that for the first time he had called her by her true name.

"And they are here for Asia," he realized.

"Yes," Gaeriel answered. "We better get ready. Issei", she proclaimed, "I have an idea."

xxxxxxx

A short time later

Issei was once again sitting with Asia in front of the small shop. Gaeriel was close by, but not openly to see.

From some distance away however, another new pair of eyes was watching them.

Kalawarner had to say, she was not exactly in a good mood... far from it. She had now spend a few hours searching for that girl, not to mention having to deal with Raynare´s own bad mood... and where did she find the little bitch? Sitting here happily chatting with a boy.

And that as a Nun. The little slut had obviously no shame at all. Maybe she should teach her a lesson before bringing her back, she thought.

Both of them were standing up in this moment and walking away side by side. After a short time more, Kalawarner saw that they were now entering the park. And nobody else was around at this time of the day... perfect.

xxx

Issei admitted he hated this part of Gaeriel´s plan. He was back right here, in the park at evening. The sun was slowly beginning to set. And he was about to be attacked by a Fallen Angel.

"So here you are," they heard the voice of a woman addressing them, "and I have been looking for you everywhere."

Issei saw that it was a tall woman with blue hair and an impressive pair of assets that were pressed in an outfit that seemed at least two numbers too tight for her. She was clearly a Fallen Angel, her presence felt very similar to Gaeriel´s

"As it looks you have found a way to spend your time though," the woman said, looking at Issei.

"No... you misunderstand this," Asia replied. "Issei was just helping me to find the way."

"Oh really? It didn´t look like that as you two were sitting together. You didn´t seem to be in a hurry to come to the church at all," she commented.

The church, Issei thought. Maybe there were a few other things he should ask Asia. But now was not the time for this.

"We were just eating an ice-cream," Asia told her.

"Eating ice," the woman repeated mockingly, "maybe I should take care of your `boyfriend´ here, so that you will not get distracted again."

Before Asia could say anything else, Issei stepped forward.

"I don´t know who you are lady, but if you want to cause trouble for Asia, you can make it out with me," he stated.

"Oh really?" she replied. "If you say so." As she said this, she let her wings appear on her back and began to form a spear of light in her hand, like Yuuma did before.

Then she threw the spear at him.

Issei however materialized his Boosted Gear and used it to deflect the attack.

"What the...?" Kalawarner called out as she saw what just happened.

Before she could finish her sentence, Issei had already moved forward and punched her in the gut. The Fallen Angel tried to fight back, but she was taken completely by surprise here... and so Issei landed blow after blow on her.

Suddenly the boy materialized a sword in his hand, what caught her off guard even more. And she barely managed to dodge his first strike. Whatever this boy was, he was no normal human.

Issei smiled. Gaeriel had just showed him how to do that just before this fight.

Another nasty surprise came for Kalawarner as her opponent, right in the middle of the fight, seemed to grow much stronger from one moment to the other. Had he been holding back before?

She wasn´t able to hear the simple word ["Boost"]coming from the Sacred Gear. Then, as she had just evaded another strike from his sword, he landed another vicious punch on her with his other hand where he had his Gear materialized... and send her crashing to the ground.

"You bastard," she hissed, struggling in vain to stand up.

"You are the one who attacked me," Issei stated.

"Who in the world are you?" she asked him.

"My name is Issei Hyoudou," he replied. "You have heard of me...?"

She indeed remembered that name... impossible.

But before either of them could say anything else, another surprise appeared. This time a positive one for the Fallen... as Issei was suddenly kicked in the side and send crashing to the ground himself.

As Kalawarner looked up, she saw another Fallen Angel she didn´t knew.

"Who are...?"

"Azazel send me to keep an eye on your group," the stranger stated. "My name is Gaeriel. As it looks I came just at the right time. Let us get out of here," she told her.

"What? I need the girl," Kalawarner called out.

"Don´t even think about it. You are dead weight as you are now. And I don´t know if I can take this guy alone," Gaeriel said, looking at Issei who just came up again. "Be glad that I am even here to save your ass. One of our soldiers should not go down so easy against a human, even if he has a Sacred Gear. Come on."

She grabbed the injured Kalawarner and lifted her off, flying away with her.

As they left, Issei looked after them, Asia standing a few meters behind him. He smiled. It seemed Gaeriel´s plan was working out.

xxxxxxx

A short time later the now two Fallen Angels returned to the church.

Raynare was already waiting for them, in an even worse mood than before. And now more than surprised as she saw them.

"Kalawarner, what in the world happened to you?" she asked as she noticed what state her comrade was in. "And who are you?"

"My name is Gaeriel, special agent for Azazel," she lied. "I have just found your friend here as she had some trouble with a Sacred Gear user."

"Sacred Gear user," Raynare exclaimed. "What Sacred Gear user? Who was he?" she asked Kalawarner irritated. She had already taken care of the only one who should have been in this area, she thought.

She visible hesitated with her answer, for good reason.

"He said his name was Issei... Issei Hyoudou," she finally said...

... and Raynare felt as if the world was crashing down on her. This couldn´t be.

She grabbed Kalawarner by the collar.

"Nonsense," she called out, "that can't be and you know that. I killed Issei Hyoudou, you hear me? I killed him."

"That is indeed what he said his name was," Gaeriel confirmed, "... and before you bring it up, I assure you he was under guaranty not a Devil."

Issei Hyoudou... Raynare thought. Why did that name seem to keep following her?