Back Together

After sharing such a blissful experience with each other, they each slowly separated from their passionate kiss.

Issei finally got to take a good look at Akeno and saw how much she really changed after all these years. The years have been very kind to her as she grew up to become a very elegant and beautiful woman. Her hair long flowing black hair tied in a long ponytail reached all the way down to her legs. She was the perfect definition of a Yamato Nadeshiko. She looked almost exactly like her late mother but the biggest change he noticed was her voluptuous figure that would put even the most beautiful models to shame. He couldn't help but stare at her breasts which were by far the biggest he had ever seen, even bigger than Rias. His cheeks quickly turned crimson as he tried to shift his focus somewhere else, not wanting to be disrespectful towards her. He was a bit perverted especially when it came to breasts but then again no one could blame him. Unfortunately, Akeno noticed where he was staring but instead of reprimanding him, had the biggest smirk on her face decided to tease him.

"Ara ara, it seems that Issei-kun has a little perverted side." She said before folding her hands below her breasts to show them off.

"Do you like what you see?" she added making Issei's blush turn even redder.

"It seems she inherited more than just Auntie Shuri's looks" he thought before waving his hands trying to come up with a denial but all it did was make him look adorable in Akeno's eyes. At least part of his innocence did not change since they were kids which she was very grateful for otherwise she would not be able to tease him like this.

" it it it its not like that. I just thought you looked absolutely beautiful that it blew my mind away." He said honestly which caught her completely by surprise making her lose her composure and caused her to blush fiercely.

"oh t… thank you Issei-kun" she stuttered not prepared for Issei's praise but happy nonetheless. After calming down, it was then that Issei noticed another major change Akeno had gone through and this one troubled him.

"Akeno… did you become a devil?" he said finally sensing her magical signature to be devil in nature. Unfortunately, his thoughts suddenly turned darker because he remembered that many devils forcefully reincarnated other people into devils disregarding their opinion and the thought of someone forcing Akeno into slavery was not something he would let anyone get away with not after finally being reunited with her.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavier as Issei's aura started spreading. Cracks started appearing on the ground as his anger began taking over.

"Did that woman force you to become a devil? Because if you were forced to become a slave… I will never forgive them" his tone became a lot darker and his eyes turned back into slits towards the end of his answer. His initial perception about the devils he met at school started becoming twisted at the thought that they had forced Akeno, the girl he loved more than anything in the world, into becoming a slave against her free will. If they did

Then

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They

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Will

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PAY

Before his anger escalated to dangerous levels, Akeno quickly intervened to correct this misunderstanding before the love of her life executed her new family.

"Please wait Issei! It's not what you think!" she shouted as she tried to calm him down, taking his hand, overlapping it with hers. It seems to have worked since his aura started to recede, his anger going along with it as he stared into her eyes as if asking her "what happened?". Akeno sighed and shared her past with him. From the day of the incident, spending almost a decade wondering alone trying to survive to the day where she met Rias who saved her life from the members of her clan and finally when she agreed to become her first piece not only to repay her for what she did but as a sign of their friendship. Issei listened the whole time and it broke his heart to hear what Akeno had to go through all by herself. He himself was torn apart when the incident occurred; however, he had his family to support him while Akeno had to go through all that alone. What made it even worse was the thought that while he was having fun back in Tannin's territory, Akeno spent all these years barely making ends meat trying to survive all on her own.

He embraced her once more.

"I can't believe you had to go through all of that. I'm so so sorry Akeno that I wasn't there for you. I swear… if we knew you were alive, no forces on earth or heaven would have stopped us from finding you…" Apologized Issei. Once more, he started sobbing but Akeno had enough of seeing Issei cry over things that were beyond his control, interrupted him but still returned his embrace.

"I know Issei. I know that had you known I was alive; you would have done everything in your power to find me. Don't forget I heard you talking in front of our gravestones earlier expressing how sorry you were. But please… stop blaming yourself over matters that you had no control over. I know I already said it, but I will continue to say it until you are able to forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault. and seeing the man I love berate himself over and over again to the point that he wished he could trade his own life for my happiness breaks my heart beyond measure. Stop rejecting yourself and move forward like you vowed to my mother. I know for a fact that she would also agree with me and would never blame you for this. She would no doubt berate you for hating yourself and smack you like back then…when we were kids." The last part caused both of them to giggle, being reminded the time Shuri would reprimand them for the smallest of things during their childhood. Akeno then refocused and continued

"Please do it, if not only for yourself but for me and my mother." She pleaded as she pressed his head into his chest with tears started falling off her face this time. Issei, not wanting to cause her any more sadness smiled and lifted her chin so he could meet her eyes.

"Very well. I promise you Akeno that I will try and do what you asked. It will probably take a long time but I give you my word that I will do my best." He told her. A dragon's word is their bond. Once they gave their word, they never go back on it. That is what makes the dragon's race one of the most, if not the most honest, race in the world. But even if that were not the case, there is no way issei could ever lie to Akeno.

"Thank you Issei" Akeno answered while returning his smile with her own as they were once gain lost in each others gaze trying to make up for all the years they've been separated from one another. The two had so much joy and fun in each other's presence that they did not notice the sun gone down.

"How long have you been back here, Issei?" she asked, breaking the silence they had between them.

"Oh well, not to long ago in fact. About a week I would say. My parents have been here longer than me as they had to… OH SHIT" he suddenly shrieked causing Akeno to jerk backwards in surprise.

"What's wrong Issei?" asked a worried Akeno.

"My parents." He replied. He had been so happy for being reunited with Akeno that he completely forgot about telling his parents about this. He had to tell them the good news or better yet bring her over to them so they could also stop feeling guilt for what happened. Even more importantly, he had to tell his uncle Barakiel of the great news. That his daughter was still alive. Finally, he could bring about an end to his uncle's suffering that he has been enduring all these years. He had wished and even prayed to anyone listening to be able to relieve him of his pain and he could finally be able to do that today.

"I need to tell my parents you're alive. They are going to be so happy to see you again." He finally spoke, this time with an excited tone.

"Even more that that, we need to tell Uncle Barakiel. He will be so so relieved to see that you are alive." He continued saying not noticing the uncomfortable expression on Akeno's face when he mentioned her father which is why he totally did not see it coming when he got interrupted by her.

"Wait, Issei!" she said, grabbing his sleeve succeeding in stopping him and getting his full attention.

"What's wrong, Akeno?" it was Issei's turn to ask her that question, now worried about her.

Akeno clutched his shirt tighter before answering.

"Can you please not tell him yet?" she pleaded. Her answer honestly shocked him which was illustrated in his response

"But… Why Akeno? Uncle Barakiel has been tormenting himself all these years ever since you and aunty Shuri died. He no longer smiles the way he used to. I'm sure you heard me before talking about how he is slowly becoming a machine despite all the support he has been getting from all of us. He is devastated but now finally… finally I've got the chance to deliver some good news that will hopefully bring him back to his old self so… why?" Akeno could tell how desperately Issei wanted to bring back her father's happiness and it pained her to see him in such pain but she was simply not ready to face him yet.

"I'm just not ready to face him. I've lived my entire life hating my father thinking that my mom's death was his fault. I know it was wrong, but… if I did not think of it like that, then my mind would not have lasted so I lashed out at him. I was a child back then and I needed to blame someone for my mother's death. I even started hating all of you when I believed none of you were looking for me and it just got worse as the years gone by. It is only after I heard your confession in front out graves that I was finally able to forgive you. Not only because I love you, but because it was also not your responsibility to protect my family, more so as a child no less. It was my father's duty to protect us but he was not there when we needed him despite the amount of times I prayed for him to save us." She gloomily told him. Her eyes shadowed by her hair so Issei could not see her expression but could tell she was crying from the tears that were dropping. He slowly embraced her in a hug wanting to relieve her sadness although it did not stop her from continuing to speak her thoughts.

"Deep down, I know that it was not his fault. In my head, I understand that no one is at fault for my mother's death but in my heart, there is a part of me that just can't forgive him for not being there for us when we needed him the most. I would like to move past all this hatred but I will need time which is why I'm begging you to give me before letting my father meet with me." She said, raising her head so she could face him. Tears still strolling down her beautiful cheeks as Issei was contemplating what to do. In the end, he decided that he would respect her wishes and give her the time she needed to gather the courage to face her father. It was still a hard decision to make since it would mean letting his uncle's sadness prolong even further; however, he knew that forcing Akeno to meet him now would only push her away even further and bring more harm then good. Matters of the heart took time to heal and hopefully, in time, she will be able to forgive her father just like she forgave him. This way they will finally be able to go back to spending time together as a real family. He was sure that that was what Shuri would want for all of them.

He let out a sigh of resignation as he wiped away the stray tears falling from Akeno.

"Very well, Akeno-chan. Even though it pains me to do this, I will give you as much time as you need. I can only hope and pray that you will be able to forgive him, just like you were able to forgive me. Just… let me say this. Not a day has gone by that uncle has not forgiven himself for what happened to you both. When he came back, he spent every day crying over both of your deaths and eventually became a shadow of his former self. You know… he comes by your graves every now and then and begs for your forgiveness for his incompetence. It hurt to see him like that. Just like my parents, he was always there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to or needed help with things. There is no way I could have become the man I am today without his help so, when you are ready to face him, please remember what I said today. I love you both so very much and you both deserve happiness." He finished speaking what needed to be said

"Thank you, Issei and I will." She responded with a nod of her head. She hugged him back, placing her head on his chest which he gladly accepted. After a moment of enjoying each others warmth, they separated from their embrace. Both sporting a smile on their faces. Seeing her smile made Issei remember the very time he met Akeno and how that smile of hers saved him from a life of sorrow. He let out a small giggle which caught Akeno's attention.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Issei shakes his head negatively.

"Nothing… it's just… seeing your smile reminded me how much I really missed you. You have no idea how many times that beautiful smile of yours saved me and got me through… tough phases of my life." He said causing Akeno's cheeks to turn crimson once more at his romantic remark.

"oh… Thank you Issei" she said flustered. They soon noticed that it was getting late and it was time to go back home but not before asking Akeno to, at the very least, meet with his parents. Luckily, she accepted to come by and see them which made him really happy.

On the way to Issei's home, they spent the time catching up with each other's past. As Akeno already shared most of hers, Issei decided to return the favor and enthusiastically talked about everything he had been through. From the time he spent training with Bova and Tannin to the time he spent developing all of his abilities. And boy, did he have plenty of stories to tell. Akeno was very surprised when he recounted the times her father aided Issei in training his lightning. She still had mixed feelings about what to do about her father. Unlike Issei who couldn't have done anything, her father should have been with them at the time of the tragedy. If he was, then her mother would still be here with them. Her hatred for him still lingers inside of her even after everything Issei told her about her father's suffering throughout the years. Even though his apparent suicide attempt was very shocking to hear, a small part of her couldn't help but not care about it. Her thoughts were interrupted as Issei continued recounting his tales. He was currently telling Akeno of the time he was experimenting with his powers.

"After learning of my lightning's properties, I decided to test out its power in comparison to my flames. The results were amazing. All of my flames immediately got dispersed the instant they came into contact with my lightning. It was amazing. Then as my last test, I wanted to see how my lightning would compare to my strongest flame that could even damage my dad so I turned into a dragon then focused my crimson flame into my right arm and my black lightning in my left arm, brought them together and that was when I realized

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I had made a huge mistake.

The moment both of my powers collided, they caused a HUGE explosion destroying an entire mountain… and me with it. That was the most pain I ever had to endure. If that wasn't enough everyone who came by started laughing at me including my own dad. I even got reprimanded by Tannin shishou and mom about never doing that again without there supervision." pouted Issei even using exaggerated movement to emphasize how crazy that experience was for him. This earned him a heartily laugh from Akeno.

"Ufufu, you should have expected that knowing how powerful your abilities were individually so, you got what you deserved" she stuck out her tongue at him to tease him before continuing "I can't imagine how aunty Ophis reacted to your little stunt but I'm pretty sure you received a huge lecture from her." She said wiping off a stray tear from her eye.

"oh yeah she did. I believe that I was… umm what was the term humans use again, oh yeah… grounded for like 3 days. I wasn't allowed to play with my friends or experiment with my powers unless Tannin shishou was with me." Pouted Issei. Speaking of his mother, they had finally made it to Issei's home. Taking a moment to calm themselves down, Issei looked at Akeno

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She said as Issei opened the door to him home.

"I'm home" he shouted as he entered his house. He heard some footsteps which he could tell was his mother. Moments later, the women in question came into view carrying a tray of cookies and tea she was preparing for her family.

"Welcome back Issei. You returned later than usual; I was getting worried. Everything alright son?" she asked, not noticing the extra person alongside her son. Issei smiled brightly

"Everything is amazing mom. In fact, I met someone today you may recognize." He responded as he moved away from Akeno in order to let his mom see her. Ophis, however was confused because there aren't a lot of people she knew who warranted such a reaction from her son. At first, she believed someone from the dragon territory came by to visit them. Maybe Bova or Tannin dropped by to say hello but that wouldn't make sense since they would teleport to their house first for discretion which they didn't so it could not be them. As she was contemplating the identity of this mysterious entity, the silhouette behind Issei became visible.

The sound of a tray dropping echoed around the room as Ophis covered her mouth using her hands shocked by the identity of the person in front of her. She looked just like Shuri but there is no way she would ever mistaken those violet orbs of hers. She prayed to whomever was listening that this was not an illusion as tears started dripping from her face.

"A…A…Akeno-chan." Seeing her aunt stuttering this way caused Akeno to let out a few tears of her own as she nodded her head

"Yes, aunty… It's me." She responded. In the blink of an eye, she was enveloped in an embrace. She returned her embrace and could hear Ophis sobbing.

"How is this possible… I…We searched for you… but we couldn't find you anywhere." Wailed Ophis.

"I don't know how I did but… I survived the blast" answered Akeno with the same answer she gave Issei a while ago. She honestly did not know how she survived the blast. It was a miracle she even lived through that. However, at the present moment, Ophis was so grateful for this miracle that brought her back to them. Seeing her alive and well also rekindled a certain hope that maybe…

"Akeno-chan… if you are here… then is Shuri also…" she asked hopefully but the pain in Akeno's expression put out that small flicker of hope she had.

"no… she isn't… mom died protecting me" she painfully said remembering the time her mother sacrificed herself to protect her from the jutsusha who wanted her dead.

"I see." Although she was very sad that her very first friend had indeed passed away, she was nonetheless happy that her daughter had survived. It means that her death had not been in vain.

"At the very least, I am so glad to have you back with us. The fact that Shuri sacrificed her life to save you proves that her death was not in vain." She told Akeno who continued crying.

"Yes… I am so happy to see you again as well aunty." She said, then all of a sudden

"What's going on, Ophis" they all heard a certain dragon scream running down the stairs.

Great red had been relaxing in his room when he heard the sound of a tray dropping on the ground. It surprised him because his mate was not that clumsy so his mind started to go into overdrive thinking what could have caused this. It would usually take something big to startle his mate and unfortunately, his mind went straight to the worse case scenarios and it is the fact that either something happened to Issei or they are under attack or possibly even both. Therefore, he quickly sprung out of his room and quickly ran downstairs, ready to incinerate any enemies who would dare hurt his family.

Seeing his mate crying only served to further escalate the situation.

"Ophis, are you alright? Is Issei alright? Are we under attack?" he shouted every question he had in his mind looking left and right for any sign of possible intruders. He raised his aura ready to strike at a moments notice while constantly wondering to himself how he had not sensed anything or how did they get passed the barrier etc. Luckily before Great-red decided to decimate the world, Ophis interjected.

"Everything is perfect. No… even better than perfect dear" she expressed with more happiness than he had ever seen in years. This is further proved by the fact that she called him dear instead of the usual Baka-red she teased him with. This got him really curious as to what happened.

"What do you… … mean" It took him a while to notice the other figure enveloped in his mate's bosom and the sight of that person caused his knees to weaken as his knees touched the floor.

"It… it can't be… Akeno… is that you?" stuttered Great-red not believing what he is seeing in front of him until Akeno responded.

"Yes, uncle it's me." Great-red could help but pinch himself in the cheek, praying that this was not some type of dream. How ironic for the dragon of dreams to wonder whether or not he delved into the realm of his powers but that showed just how shocked he really was. Seeing that she was real caused his dam to break as he bolted towards her with tears falling from his face. Déjà vu for the second time for Akeno but she did not mind it one bit. It showed just how much her aunt and uncle loved her and missed her all these years.

"I can't believe this. There are no words to describe how happy and relieved I am to know that you are alive. But… how and where have you been all these years?" Great-red really wanted an answer to those questions. The day Shuri and Akeno died, he searched desperately for them but found no signs of them.

"I was going to tell aunty Ophis everything that has happened but now that you are here, I can tell you what happened as well." She took a deep breath and revealed her past to them. Pretty much the same thing she told Issei. From the time of the incident to her time spent wondering the country in order to survive until now. Except this time, she made sure to explain that Rias is a wonderful person and so is everyone else. The last thing she needed was for two angry dragon gods to rain hell upon the underworld itself for turning her into an unwilling devil. Overall, she managed to recount everything and did not leave a single detail behind. Unfortunately, like Issei, it absolutely broke their hearts to know that she had spent so many years by herself and not only had they done nothing to help but they had been having fun the whole time while she was busy scrapping by to survive. Great-red looked down on the floor in shame while Ophis had covered her mouth with her hands, fresh new tears dripping down.

"We should have looked harder. How can I ever look Shuri in the eye, knowing I let her daughter wonder seamlessly by herself all those years… I'm so so sorry" Ophis said but whether it was an apology to Shuri, Akeno or both was not known as she was interrupted by Akeno who gripped her hand.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about aunty. You could not have known. Issei already explained what happened back then. You were to busy taking care of Issei and you couldn't risk exposure to the world which is why you needed to remain hidden from sight. I do not blame you, any of you for what happened any longer. I'm just happy to have finally been reunited with all of you." She explained to them to the best of her ability.

"oh sweetie, I love you so much and again, I'm so sorry you had to go through such hardships by yourself." Wept Ophis.

Akeno smiled "I love you too Ophis." They both hugged each other once more before Great-red suddenly remembered.

"We need to tell Barakiel about this. He will be so ecstatic that you are alive." Said an excited Great-red, ready to leave in order to relay the excellent news to his friend in the hopes of rekindling his fire so to speak. Like father, like son I suppose. Their first thought was to immediately inform their fallen friend who endured as much suffering, if not, even more, than them throughout the years. However, before he could do so, he was stopped by Akeno who gripped his shirt.

"Please wait uncle" she shouted causing Great-red to stop and look back at her waiting for her to answer.

"I'm… not ready to see him." She muttered but with enhanced hearing they could all hear her so Great-red asked her

"Why?... All this time Barakiel has suffered alone, constantly blaming himself for what happened to you and no matter what any of us did, we were not able to ease his pain. It hurt so much to see my friend in such a state. He became a show of his former self, barely smiling anymore and honestly, if it hadn't been for Issei, I fear we might have lost him after his… suicide attempt."

"I know it isn't fair. Like I told Issei before, my head understands that it wasn't anyone's fault for the events that occurred that day but my heart… still can't accept it. Just… please give me a bit more time to sort this out" she responded sadly. Great-red really wanted to try and convince her otherwise but he could see the pained look on her face and the last thing he wanted was to make things worse after finally being reunited so he sighed in defeat.

"Very well Akeno. I will respect your wishes even though it goes against my better judgement." Great red let go that last bit. Once again, like father, like son.

"I know uncle and I am sorry" she then took out what seemed to be an envelope.

"but as a compromise, can you please hand him this for me. You can go ahead and tell him it is from me. Maybe one day, when I can finally let go of the past, I will be able to go see him. Can you do that for me uncle?" she asked Great-red who took the envelope from her.

"Very well. At the very least it will help alleviate his sorrow knowing that you are alive." Sighed Great-red. With that the conversation ended and Ophis decided to ask Akeno to stay for dinner.

"Akeno-chan, I would love it if you could stay over for dinner. I made a lot of food and we would love your company."

"Yes, we would love to have you join us and, at the same time, we can finally all celebrate Issei's birthday together as a family." added great-red sporting an enormous grin on his face but happy nonetheless. This was shared by Issei who awaited anxiously to hear Akeno's answer. She simply smiled and accepted their offer.

"Of course, I would to join you. I would not miss this for the world."

They all sat down around the table and enjoyed a meal as a family. All of them sharing stories about their lives. Great-red talked a lot about the times he spent in the dragon territory as well as the times he spent with Barakiel. Ophis talked about how almost all the baby dragons in Tannin's territory loved to hang around her that she ended up deciding to take care of them whenever she could. Not that she minded, since it reminded her of the times, she took care of Issei as a baby and she loved every second of it. Every other mother felt horrible letting the dragon god of infinity taking care of their younglings which should be their responsibility but Ophis assured them that she did not mind in the slightest and would be happy to do it. Eventually, it led to all of them becoming great friends, each of them talking about how they raised their younglings. Many mothers even discussed with Ophis how their other children adored her son and respected his strength which caused Ophis untold happiness. This was exactly what she needed. After Shuri died, she felt devastated having lost her very first friend and being powerless to stop it but after transferring to the dragon territory, she had slowly but surely regained her happiness and although there is no way to fill the void left behind by Shuri, she was at least able to recover from her sorrows and make new friends. They all formed such a tight nicked group that they eventually all took care of their younglings together, something they had never done before since it was typically of mother's to raise them by themselves until they are old enough to receive training from Tannin and his captains. All in all, Ophis spent a wonderful time with all of them.

Issei continued to talk about all the training he went through with Tannin, his parents and the others. All the lessons he learned from them. He also talked about all of his failed attempts at mastering his powers and the consequences that came with them, mostly everything blowing up in his face and injuring him. Everyone had a laugh at his expense but it was a wonderful time that he wold never trade for anything. He also told his parents about his confession to Akeno which earned them both a massive congratulations from his parents as they both hugged him and Akeno. Although they both thought "finally/it's about time" because they already knew about their feelings for one another ages ago. Even Akeno's parents knew and no doubt would support their relationship 100%.

Akeno went ahead and talked about a lot of the things she did after she became a devil. From the contracts she performed to the amount of stray devil she cleansed alongside her friends. She mentioned how amazing each of Rias peerage member is and how they each possessed a few quirks of their own. She did this mostly to assuage any worry Great-red and Ophis may have about the group which seemed to work.

Eventually, they finished eating and it was time for Akeno to go home. Ophis offered her to stay for the night but she refused on the grounds that she had a few things to take care of but thanked her nonetheless. They all gathered at the door to see her off.

"Thank you for the amazing dinner. I had a wonderful time." Akeno started which was followed by Ophis.

"It was no problem sweetie. It is always a pleasure to have you with us and that is never going to chance. Remember that you are always welcomed here so please drop by for a visit whenever you can."

"She's right. I can speak for all of us when I say that today has been the biggest blessing and greatest joy, we have ever had in all these years. Hell, I've never seen Issei this happy in a long time so please, don't be a stranger and come by anytime you wish." followed Great-red earning him a blush from Issei and a smile from Akeno who nodded her head.

"Of course, uncle." She then turned her attention towards Issei who moved forward and embraced her. An embrace she gladly returned.

"Thank you for being with us today. I can honestly say that today has been the best birthday I've ever had in a long time and it was you who made it all possible." He said causing Akeno to blush at his honesty.

"ufufu, your very welcome Issei-kun. I haven't had this much fun in a long time myself. I missed spending time with you like in our past and I am glad that we were able to do so again." She answered him. Issei lifted his hand and rubbed her cheek affectionately. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth spread by his affectionate touch.

"I love you Akeno." He said to which she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I love you to Issei". They shared another kiss between them. Behind them, they could hear sounds of whistling. The likely perpetrator being great-red but at the moment they did not care and only focused on basking in each others presence as they shared their kiss. When they separated, Akeno took her coat and proceeded to leave the house. After walking a few steps, she looked back to see them waving goodbye at her. She returned their wave and continued her way back home.

After her form disappeared into the distance, Issei and his parents went back inside their house.

"So… when can expect grandkids, Issei" His father suddenly dropped a bombshell catching Issei totally by surprise.

"cough… cough… what… dad, where did that come from?" coughed Issei. His father laughed at his reaction

"HAHAHAHA, you should see your expression Issei. It's priceless." Grinned his father wiping a stray tear from his face.

"but, seriously when can we expect grandkids from you and Akeno." He actually meant that seriously. Issei thought he said it as a joke but it seemed otherwise.

"Wha… how can you ask me something like that. I… I mean we… are not ready for that. Besides we just entered a relationship. That does not mean we will go straight to making kids, dad." Issei tried to argue but his father would not relent.

"Oh come on Issei. Both of you love each other very much so I'm sure she won't mind if you ask her. Besides, you saw Akeno. She has grown up to be a beautiful young woman. Don't tell me that when you saw her, you did not want to claim her then and there?" questioned Great-red using his elbow to poke Issei. Issei wanted to refute his argument but realized he could not. It was true that when he saw Akeno, there was this instinctual need to claim her and never let go.

"I want grandkids as well." Interjected Ophis, once again catching him completely by surprise, more so from the fact that she actually AGREED with his father on this.

"Not you too mom" sighed Issei.

"Eventually, I would love to have kids of my own but we just got reunited after all these years. I want to treasure this time with her and let things run its course" he said, a tone of innocence present in his speech. Despite having lived through hellish training and becoming very powerful, he still retained a sense of innocence within him which his parents did not mind. Seeing his sincerity, his parents decided to let things go. Besides, they were never going to force Issei to do something he didn't want. Great-red moved forward and rubbed his son hair.

"hahaha, don't worry son. We were only kidding. You should take things at your own pace. We only want what is best for you and her. Anyways I need to go deliver this" he lifted the envelop currently in his hand "to our dear friend. With any luck, this will finally be able to bring him closure and bring him back to who he once was. Happy birthday my son and I wish you a pleasant good night" Great-red kissed his son's forehead and rubbed his hair one last time before he teleported out of the room.

It was Ophis turn to wish him good night.

"Happy seventeenth birthday my sweet little Issei. I love you so very much and I only wish for nothing but the very best for you." Ophis embraced her son and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Issei could do nothing but smile at his mother's love of him and not only returned her embraced but also gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you so much mom. You are the best mother a dragon could ever hope for and I love you more than anything in this world." The passion in his voice reached her core as she could not help but let out a few tears.

"Thank you Issei. Good night son!"

"Good night mom." Ophis went to clean up the kitchen while Issei went straight to his room. Today was a long but very fulfilling day. Honestly, it felt as though the world had finally rewarded him after all the hardships he'd been through all these years and he could not have been any happier than he was today, of all days. His birthday has been a constant reminder of what he lost that day and now… he could finally enjoy the day as it is meant to be. A day filled with nothing but happiness and celebration with the people closest to him. He went to bed with one thought on his mind "Best birthday, ever" before drifting off to what seemed like the best sleep he had ever gotten in his life.

(Grigory)

The hallways at the Grigori headquarters was bursting with activity from various fallen angels taking care of their own assignments. In one such offices lay Barakiel who was busy reading up on a report given to him by his subordinates that was standing in front him right now. After carefully reading his report, Barakiel sighed leaning over his chair contemplating it's contents.

"Is the report actually true." Barakiel needed to make sure that the contents of the report had any merit because what it implied is very serious and could have very harsh consequences for Grigori.

"Yes sir, at least according to Azazel-sama. He instructed me to notify all the leaders in secret in order to eliminate any possible chance of information leak." He answered.

"I see. Besides me, who else have you contacted?"

"Other than Azazel-sama and you, I've already informed Shemhazai-sama, Armaros-sama and Sahariel-sama."

"very well, in that case i will not keep you here. You may go and let the rest of the cadres know of this. Good work!" he said as he stood up and handed the report back to the officer who took it once more.

"Sir" he saluted and left the room. When he did, Barakiel immediately seated himself once more, rubbing his forehead, distressed from the news he received. He was really hoping the contents of the report were false because those allegations against who he considered a brother were very serious.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Barakiel heard a familiar voice say as he turned his head towards the source.

"Red-san!" he got up from his seat and made his way towards Great-red. a small smile breached his lips at the sight of his old friend who grinned at him.

"It's great to see you my friend. It has been quite a while hasn't it" Great-red greeted Barakiel as they both shared a hug.

"Yess indeed it has been. You are quite the sight for sore eyes, my friend." Barakiel answered.

"Oh, does that have anything to do with why you looked so distressed?" great-red asked causing Barakiel to sigh as he made his way back to his seat.

"Yes, it has. I've just gotten a report from Azazel that there is a high possibility that Kokabiel is betraying us." It took a while before Great-red remembered who he was talking about.

"Ah, you mean that fallen warmonger you kept mentioning." Earning a nod from Barakiel conforming his answer.

"Yes, that very same one. It seems he is planning something to can possibly become the catalyst for another Great war. I still cannot understand why he would want to restart such a thing. Millions of fallen angels died fighting in that bloody war. So many brothers and sisters perished one after another and in the end, it was really for nothing but pride and hatred. If we had not come to a ceasefire when we did then our society would have become extinct. Yet, Kokabiel does not understand that. He kept spewing things about fallen angel supremacy and honestly believed that had we kept fighting; we would have come out victorious. If we had continued in that war, the only thing that was guaranteed was the extinction of our race even at the cost of victory but he simply would not listen to us. We should have noticed the signs so long ago but because he was our brother in arms who fought side by side with us, we wanted to give him a chance… We thought that if we gave him enough time, he would eventually come to understand that serves nothing but claiming innocent lives. Unfortunately, it would seem that he had never chanced any of his beliefs and now it seems, he is planning to act on them." Explained a very agitated Barakiel. Why couldn't his brother understand that their race have no future should they go to war once more.

Seeing his friend so afflicted, Great-red moved in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You should not blame yourself for the folly of your brother. All of you have tried everything in order to make him see sense, yet he would not listen. I can tell you right now, that his dreams are filled with nothing but war and death. As the saying goes 'it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks' and Kokabiel in too far gone to learn how to appreciate peace. You've done all you can so you do not need to carry this burden on your shoulders when you already have so much going on your plate." Great-red did his best to try and cheer him up and it seemed to be working based on Barakiel's relaxed posture.

"Thank you, my friend. I needed that and I guess you are right. Anyways, I do not believe you came by just to listen to my problems so what's up?". Great-red recomposed himself, remembering what he initially came to do and so grinned at Barakiel.

"I came to deliver some excellent news." He said very excitingly.

"Oh!" Barakiel raised a brow thinking what news Great-red could bring. Usually any news is usually involving his nephew Issei and like a lightning bolt he suddenly remembered.

"Is this about Issei birthday? Did he, receive the present I bought him. Sorry that I could not make it to his celebration. As you saw, I had a lot of stuff to take care of but please wish him well on my part."

Great-red crossed his arms and answered

"hmm, in a way the news does involve his birthday and he did receive your present, although he will probably open them tomorrow concerning what happened today." He said. This did cause a bit of worry to sprout from Barakiel, thinking something might have happened to Issei.

"Is everything alright with Issei?" Great red shook his head.

"Oh, do not worry my friend. In fact, quite the opposite, everything is perfect but before I tell you, you will need to be seated for this and you must promise me not to over react" Great-red stated as he pointed towards Barakiel's seat and waited for him to be seated. Barakiel, not understanding what he meant decided to comply with his request. What news could possibly make him overreact, unless something did happen to Issei which is not possible because, one, the world is still in one piece and second, no way would Great-red be grinning and acting all excited over something tragic.

Once seated, Great-red sat down in front of the cadre Fallen Angel.

"You know that I do not like to beat around the bush so I'll just come out and say it… Akeno is alive" he revealed waiting for the cadre's reaction,

Barakiel sat there frozen when he heard the news, not sure if he comprehended correctly what Great-red just said.

"Wha…What did you… just say" he stuttered.

"You heard me! I said Akeno is alive and well" he repeated. There is no way in hell Great-red would ever lie about something as important as this but at the same time, such a thing was impossible. He saw a massive pillar of lightning destroying his home with Akeno inside of it with no possible method of escape.

"… How… I saw the shrine get destroyed in front of my very eyes Red and I know for a fact that Akeno was inside the building when it was destroyed. There is just… no way. We even searched the premises for any signs of survivors but we could never find them."

"I do not know and neither does she but it does not change the fact that she is alive. It is nothing short of a miracle but one that I will gladly take in this case. She is back Barakiel". It took a moment for the notion to sink into his head. A multitude of emotions were swirling inside of him. Sorrow, confusion, happiness and many other conflicting emotions. However, eventually the idea that he could finally be reunited with his daughter trumped every other emotion he could be feeling. He suddenly got up from his chair and bombarded Great red with a series of questions.

"How is she? Where is she? Is she alright? Where has she been all these years. I need to go see her right now" he started shouting but before he could leave to see her, he was stopped by great-red who grabbed his arm

"WAIT Barakiel!" he shouted earning him a look of confusion as well as a bit of anger from Barakiel.

"Why are you stopping me Red? I need to go see my daughter. I need to hold her in my arms and apologize to her for everything. You know I need this so why are you stopping me?" asked a very frantic Barakiel. He finally has the chance to see his daughter, something he never dreamed was possible until now and yet, one of his closest friends is denying him the chance to do so. He was starting to get a bit angry which showed in his features. However, Great-red remained undisturbed in his decision since he had a valid reason to stop him.

"I am stopping you for both your sakes. If you go to her now, you will cause an even greater rift to get in between the both of you. She told me to tell you that she is not ready to see you yet." Explained Great-red earning him confused stare by his friend

"What do you mean?" Barakiel asked. Great-red then started talking about Akeno's past and everything she had been though since then leading up to now. To say that Barakiel was shocked would be an understatement. He could not believe he allowed his daughter to go through such hardships. Great-red continued

"Akeno still carries a bit of resentment inside her heart when it comes to you or any fallen angels which is why she asked us to give her more time to process things."

"I see. Not that I can blame her though. It was my fault that she had to suffer through the pain of watching her mother die in front of her. I should have been there to protect them." He whimpered. Seeing his friend about to cry made Great-red grip his friends shoulder even tighter.

"Listen to me, I've said it before and I will say it again as many times as I need to. What happened that day is NOT YOUR FAULT. You could not have possibly known that your family was being targeted and you were busy helping your faction. I know for a fact that Shuri would never blame you for helping your friends. Even after all these years, Akeno is trying to forgive you in order to move on from the past. Just… give her a bit of time and I am sure there will come a day where you can be reunited with your daughter. Until then, I vow to you that I will look after her, in your stead, and make sure nothing befalls her this time. You have my word that I will personally eliminate any threat that even dares to lift a finger against her. Screw the consequences and I am sure that my wife will agree with me on this." He said with absolute determination. In front of such resolution, Barakiel could do nothing but accept it.

"Thank you… so much. Please take good care of her. I swear I will never forget this." Barakiel thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

"Anytime, my friend and I have something for you." He took out a simple envelope from his pocket and handed it to Barakiel.

"This letter is from your daughter. She asked me to give this to you before she left our home. I haven't read its contents because it was meant for you but I'm pretty sure it contains all of her feelings and most likely other things she wishes to share with you."

"Thank you" he said he took the letter into his hands very carefully.

"No problem. Anyways, it is time for me to head home. It has been a long day and I could use a good night sleep." He said with a loud yawn illustrating his point. Barakiel did not want to keep him waiting so he offered his deepest gratitude once again and a good night as they both shook hands.

After Great-red made his peace and having delivered Akeno's letter, he teleported back home, leaving Barakiel to his business.

Looking at the letter, Barakiel steeled himself for what his daughter might have written him. He opened the letter and began to read its contents.

Dear Barakiel

It's been many years since I've seen you or heard from you. Not since the day mother died, have we seen each other. I want to start by apologizing to you for blaming you for mother's death. I understand that it was not your fault. You left because many lives were at stake and you needed to help your friend. It was purely chance that allowed your enemies to find us.

When mother died, I blamed you because of my young irrational mind. I needed someone to blame because if I did not then I feared for my own mental state. In a single moment, my life had been ripped apart as I had lost mother and our peaceful life. It had been everything to me, yet in mere moments, it was all wrenched away. In my weaken mental state, I not only unjustly blamed you but even Issei-kun, a man who I had loved since childhood for the tragedy that had occurred. Since that day, I wondered throughout Japan making use of my ability to purify evil spirits that i learned from mother in order to scrape by and eventually, I became a devil under the Gremory House. It's actually been wonderful, if you're worried. Unlike others, the Gremory Clan is loving and treated me like a child of their family. Rias had become my closest friend and i decided to become her Queen in order to repay everything she had ever done for me so please do not worry for my well being. If that is not enough, I met with aunty Ophis and uncle Red and you know how they treat me as their own daughter so at least you can take comfort in the fact that I am in good hands.

I want to say sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Father. I know that I hurt you greatly with my words and by cutting you out of my life. I wish I could turn back time to reclaim our old lives but I can't. I've decided that I must learn to live with my choices and though I can't take back what I've said, I want to put them away and say this. I would like for us to be family again. I want to mend the ties that I cut. I want to be your daughter again. Unfortunately, as long as I still carry these feelings of resentment towards you, we will never truly be able to move on and be together which is why I am asking you to give me a bit more time. Enough time for my heart to heal so we may be able to start fresh. I know that you probably want to see me now more than ever but for both our sakes I am asking you to give me the necessary space until I can finally move on because the truth is… I want to be your daughter again. I want to see my father again so please wait for me.

From your daughter,

Akeno

Touched by the words of his daughter, Barakiel's eyes watered as fresh new tears began to fall. For years, he believed his daughter to be dead but what was even worse was that he believed she died resenting him. That very thought broke his heart more than anything and throughout the years, it kept plaguing him over and over again, despite all the support he received from his friends and family. However, by some divine miracle his daughter had not only survived the blast but it seems that she is trying her best to forgive him and repair their parent-child relationship, something he dreaded would never happen. If he could, he would want to rewind time in order to get his wife back and make it so his family bonds still existed.

He looked to his left where a picture of his wife lay in the corner of his office. He moved to pick it up, gently rubbing its surface.

"Shuri, not a day goes by that I don't miss you. How I wish I could go back in time and take your place. You protected our daughter at the cost of your life, something that should have been my responsibility to begin with. I lost you both that day and I always blamed myself for your deaths. What made it even worse was the thought that your death was all in vain but now… our daughter is alive and well. I finally have the chance to make amends for my past mistakes. I swear to you Shuri, that this time, I will do everything in my power to protect our most sacred treasure. So, please watch over us from the heavens above and know she is in good hands."

With renewed determination, he made a vow to his late wife that he would make things right again. He then noticed that part of his hand was covering another message from his daughter.

P.S Issei and I confessed our feelings for one another :P

A moment of silence ensued, until the sound of laughter and joy could be heard from within his office. For the first time in a long time, Barakiel was able to laugh from the bottom of his heart.

"you were right Shuri… you are always right."

He remembered how his wife was the first of all of them to declare that the two of them would end up with each other and sure enough it seems that not even death could separate those two. For what seemed like an eternity, Barakiel was able to end his day with a bright smile on his face. His fragmented heart had finally begun to meld itself back together.