On The Bench (AOT/DxD)

[ReadingDangerously]

Was this real?

Step.

Was this a dream?

Step.

She'd had dreams like this.

Step.

More times than she could count, she had dreamed of seeing him again.

Step.

Even if this was real, even if she wasn't dreaming, was this really him?

Step.

It looked like him.

Step.

She knew that boy on the bench.

Step.

She knew that lithe frame. She remembered that dark hair. That jawline was etched in her mind.

Step.

Those lips were seared into her soul.

Step.

But...

Step.

She had been wrong before.

Step.

So many times, she had dreamed of something like this, of seeing him again.

And not only in her dreams.

Step.

For years after his death, she saw his shadow everywhere.

He was the bird in the sky.

He was among the children playing in the streets.

For years, every young man in uniform was him, and she'd flinch away in shame when she realized it was but another hallucination.

Another false hope.

Was this just another delusion?

Step.

Her advance slowed.

This world, this hell, had been a renewal of that delusion.

For months after her reincarnation as a devil, she had run away from reality.

She had searched desperately for a hint of Eldia, of Titans, of anything that would prove this was still the world she knew.

The world they had fought for.

The world her child and grandchildren lived in.

The world he had died for.

The world where they were to be buried together.

Step.

She hadn't been well.

Looking back, she could see that she had been in shock.

Without support, friends, her son, or even Armin to rely on, she had once more succumbed to her grief.

It was supposed to be over.

Even if they never got to live together, they were supposed to be able to rest together.

And so she had searched for familiarity in an unfamiliar world.

She had found the place closest to her memories, in the island nation of Madagascar, near a lone tree on a hill, and lived the life of a hermit for months.

All while ignoring everything that didn't line up with her little delusion.

The mountains were in the wrong places. Madagascar was too small to be Eldia. She could speak languages without ever having learned them.

Her body was young again, despite the fact she had been reincarnated as an old woman.

She ignored it all to live a life alone, tending to an empty grave under that tree.

Step.

It had been Serafall who was responsible for snapping her out of it, if unintentionally.

Despite rejecting everything the magical girl had said and done, despite wanting nothing to do with the impossibilities of the new world, the Satan hadn't wanted her new Pawn to be defenceless in a world she was unfamiliar with.

Serafall had, as a way of protecting her from the church, declared Madagascar her new Pawn's territory. Now, she wouldn't be killed by exorcists as a Stray devil in a primarily Christian country.

An air of legitimacy, even though she had never once performed the duties of an actual territory lord.

Serafall had been unaware that the generation's Red Dragon Emperor called the island nation home.

And dragons were fiercely territorial.

Step.

She would have died.

Should have died.

A newly reincarnated devil against a realized Red Dragon Emperor? \

It didn't matter that she was once a great soldier. It would have been an execution.

Only the arrogance of a dragon saved her from dying within the first few months of her new life.

'A member of a Satan's Peerage would surely be a great challenge,' or so the dragon in human form had thought.

The grieving woman hadn't cared about the challenge at all.

She didn't want to fight anymore.

All she wanted to do was be left alone with her grief, loneliness and pain.

The Red Dragon Emperor had taken her passivity as an insult.

Insults, threats, even a few injuries. Anything to get the fight they wanted.

Nothing moved her.

Nothing could really hurt her.

She was numb.

She was already in hell.

Step.

The Red Dragon Emperor made a mistake.

In another effort to provoke her, a blast of power had destroyed the home she had built. With the Boosted power of the Red Dragon Emperor, it also destroyed the neighbouring area.

Including the tree on the hill and the empty grave below it.

The delusion shattered.

It was over so fast.

The arrogant woman had dropped her guard after her victim's continued passivity. She had expended her Boosts in the blast.

Her mouth was open, ready to taunt some more.

The small knife, a tool for cooking, severed the Red Dragon Emperor's spinal column as it stabbed into her neck.

Neither woman understood what had happened, staring at the small blade covered in blood.

One pair of eyes gained light as the other darkened in death.

She had stared at that small blade covered in crimson for over an hour.

She had stared at the corpse of a woman who couldn't have existed in her home world.

She had stared at the rubble of a random tree, a random building, and an empty grave.

It was all that was left of a delusion.

The tears fell.

For the first time since she had become a devil, she had chosen to fight.

Step.

Even though she rarely drew her blades, she had been fighting ever since.

Step.

Was that fight finally over?

Step.

Her speed, so fast as to be invisible to the naked eye, had slowed to a hesitant, frightful walk.

Step after step, she had inexorably approached the boy on the bench.

Each movement of her foot, every press forward, had been slower than the last.

Her final step, silent as the grave she was once buried in, brought her in front of the boy napping on the bench.

She stood there, staring down at the sleeping form.

Her hands shook, urging her to reach out and shake the boy awake.

She followed the urge, reaching out as she had done a hundred times before.

And froze.

She was terrified.

What if she was wrong? What if this was not him and someone with the same name and body? What if this was just a huge coincidence?

Or worse, what if this was just another delusion?

It was impossible. So incomprehensible as to not even be the product of her most fevered dreams.

He was dead.

He looked almost the same as when they had rescued him from Marley's rubble, but was she just projecting?

He was dead.

She had killed him.

Eighty years. She had not seen him in eighty years.

He was dead.

She had no pictures of him, no paintings or anything to remember him by but the scarf around her neck.

She could be wrong.

He was dead.

She didn't think she could handle being wrong.

Not again.

It would break her all over again, and who knew how long it would take her to pick up the knife again.

But... she also couldn't handle not knowing.

Not fighting.

She needed to keep fighting.

How would she know if this was him or someone who looked like him?

...His eyes.

That's how she'd know it was him.

She'd never be wrong about his eyes.

A small blade appeared in her hand.

That small blade swung with the surety of a woman who was prepared to kill her heart one final time.

Her blade did not sever a single strand of hair.

Bandages fell to the bench.

The silent approach, the lack of any threat, and the safety of his location had kept him deep in slumber, but not even the sleeping boy could fail to feel that.

He woke slowly.

He always did, unless startled.

She always had a hard time waking him from his naps.

She watched, the small blade hanging limply from her hand.

Reality had become even more surreal as she caught sight of those curving marks, placed at regular intervals, that surrounded his eyes.

She wasn't breathing, she realized.

She didn't care.

From her teleportation to the human world to this moment, barely a minute had passed, yet time seemed to stand still as the boy woke up.

Mikasa Ackerman looked into the eyes of Eren Yeager.

His gaze, hazy from his nap, met hers.

"Why are you still wearing that?" Eren asked, his voice gentle and regretful as his hand rose to cup her cheek.

Mikasa was crying, she realized as Eren's thumb wiped the tears from her cheek.

"I told you to throw that scarf away."

It was too much.

It was all too much.

This was Eren.

Mikasa didn't know how.

Mikasa didn't care how.

This was Eren.

Her Eren.

The same boy who had wrapped this red scarf around her neck almost a century ago.

He was real.

He was alive.

He was here, with her.

Mikasa did something she wished she had done so much sooner.

With tears streaming down her face, Mikasa kissed Eren.

It was soft.

So soft as to feel like a bird's feather across her lips.

It contained everything she wished she had said and done.

A lifetime of love and yearning and loss.

And he kissed her back.

It felt so right.

Nothing was more important than this kiss, in this moment, on this bench.

Then, the moment passed.

The dreamers awoke.

Eren pulled back as he let out the tiniest hiss of surprise.

Two pairs of eyes looked down to where Mikasa's small blade had fallen from her hands.

There was the tiniest slice along his thigh, cutting through his pants and leaving a thin red line of blood.

They both stared at the wound in shock.

Eren's eyes, no longer clouded by sleep, stared at the cut, and then they moved.

Slowly, oh so slowly.

Eren looked at the woman in his arms and finally saw her.

His mouth opened, but no words escaped.

Mikasa's eyes remained fixed on the bloody thigh as it started to steam and heal.

In those seconds of realization for the both of them, neither said a word.

This was not a dream.

This was reality.

With all its cruel beauty.

Mikasa sprang into action, pieces coming together in her mind as she had a horrified realization.

She grabbed the mute boy by the shoulders and stared into his wide eyes.

"Are you still a shifter," she asked, begging the boy on the bench. "Can you transform?"

"You're... really..."

"Eren! Please!" Mikasa pleaded. The tears of joy had turned into something bitter, yet the tears still streamed from her eyes and blurred her vision. "Please! Are you still the Attack Titan? The Warhammer? Founder? How long..."

Do you have left?

Mikasa couldn't ask that. Not here. Not now.

Not when she had just found him.

Not when she didn't think she could handle the answer.

"How..." Eren was still in shock, looking at her. At her scar. At her eyes wide with panic and tears. "Why..."

Mikasa didn't answer.

Without hesitation, she pulled a small case from the storage tool Serafall had given her to house her weapons.

Mikasa had never planned to use these, but at this exact moment, she could only thank Serafall for insisting she carry them.

Pulling slightly away from Eren, she flung open the lid and grabbed one of the objects inside, tossing the rest away without a care.

The chess pieces rolled in the dirt, dully glowing with demonic power.

"I don't have time to explain," Mikasa said intensely, thrusting the Queen piece forward. "This will help you."

"Wha-"

"It's magic," Mikasa interrupted. "I don't really understand it, but it's magic. Magic is real. This can save you. Please, Eren, trust me."

"You're... a devil?" Eren asked, dumbfounded as he looked at the Evil Piece in her hands.

Mikasa felt a surge of relief, glad he already knew the basics.

"Sona explained it?" She asked, hopeful. Eren's expression warped further in confused bafflement. "It doesn't matter. Take it. It can heal you. You don't have to..."

Mikasa didn't say the rest. Couldn't say the rest.

She just thrust the Queen piece against Eren's chest.

Serafall had told her most Kings had some ceremonial chant, but all that was needed was some Demonic Energy.

Mikasa didn't have that, but Adjuka Beelzebub had made her Pieces, especially for her, and it was actually Serafall who provided the magical power through her own Pawn piece.

They should work so long as she held them against the chest of the being she wished to reincarnate for at least a few seconds, so long as the body was intact.

The Evil Piece glowed and...

And nothing.

The glow faded from the Queen piece.

"Please, Eren," Mikasa begged. "Please don't fight it."

Eren didn't say anything, finally regaining something of his calm as his mouth set into a grim line.

"Please," Mikasa cried, pressing more forcefully to the Piece. "You can hate me all you want. Just live. Please don't die. Not again. Fight!"

"Mikasa."

"You know I won't take your freedom. You know I won't. Please, Eren, fight!"

"Mikasa."

"Is it because I killed you? Hit me! Kill me! Hate me! But don't die. Please. Never again."

"Mikasa!"

Eren's shout startled her, and she flinched.

It gave him a moment to seize her and pull her down to the bench with him, wrapping his arms around her.

The Queen piece was still pressed ineffectually between them.

Eren held her there on the bench as Mikasa wept.

Wept in joy to see the boy she loved once more.

Wept in sadness for their inevitable parting.

Why?

Why was the world so cruel?

"I first connected to the Path at six, almost thirteen years ago," Eren said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "I have less than a year left."

Mikasa froze, and then her body started to shake with renewed sobs.

"You weren't there," Eren explained as he defended himself. "I looked. For years, centuries, I looked. Not you, not Armin, nobody. Nobody was in the Path but me. I was all alone."

"I'm a devil now," she said, still pressed against him. The familiar smell and feel of him sent waves of nostalgia through her even if the tears still flowed. Eighty years, and he was still the same. "I have been for nineteen years."

"Who is," Eren asked slowly, as if afraid of the answer. "Who turned you into one?"

There was a familiar rage in his voice, and Mikasa was confident she just had to say the word, and he'd unleash his everything to free her.

She couldn't allow that.

Not only would Eren lose, but Serafall didn't deserve that rage.

"Serafall Leviathan. She-"

"Sona's sister?" Eren interrupted, voice incredulous. "I thought she only had one piece?"

"Behi- Behemoth is the one people know about," Mikasa explained hurriedly, stopping herself from using Serafall's shorthand for the Magical Beast King of the Earth. "I don't leave my home often. Barely anyone knows about me, even among devils. And Serafall doesn't make me do anything. She supports me and doesn't ask for anything in return. She's helped me a lot. I wouldn't be here without her."

Finally pulling away from Eren, no matter how much she hated it, Mikasa met his eyes again.

"Please, Eren," Mikasa begged him to understand. "Please let me reincarnate you. I can finally save you."

Over the years, she had often wondered how much he would have hated the Peerage system, but now, she didn't know any other way to save him.

In her wildest dreams, she imagined having the Evil Pieces back when she was a soldier, giving them to Eren, Armin, and even their old cadetmate Ymir so they didn't need to fear the Founder's curse.

The change in race might have prevented them from being Titan Shifters, but she didn't care.

No longer would they be cursed to die in thirteen years.

Even Annie, Reiner, and Pieck might have been brought over to their side if they no longer had that terrible deadline hanging over their heads.

Even if they ignored a devil's enhanced longevity, without the thirteen-year limit, no longer would there be a need for Historia or her children to turn and eat Eren so that the Founder and the threat of the Rumbling wouldn't be lost.

With the Evil Pieces, they could have lived long, happy lives.

Together.

"I..." Eren paused, biting his lip. Then he sighed, sagging against the bench. "I didn't fight you."

"...What?" Mikasa asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I thought I was dreaming," Eren said slowly. "When we... kissed. Then, when I realized I wasn't, I thought this was an illusion. A fake created by someone. But you know too much. Stuff I've never talked about. Ever."

He was looking at her, at the scar on her cheek.

The scar he had given her.

Even in their old world, Eren had never spoken about the scar, too ashamed of his lack of control.

Of hurting her.

Even when she instinctively used a devil's minor shapeshifting ability to return to her youth, Mikasa never removed that scar.

Mikasa's hands tightened around his. Emphasizing she was real. That she was here. With him.

"So... I didn't fight your Evil Piece," Eren explained slowly as if talking to himself. As if he didn't believe it. "I would have if you had tried a year ago, but not now. Not after meeting everyone. Not for you."

"But it didn't work," Mikasa muttered lowly, her voice laden with horror and sadness. "Why didn't it work?"

"I... don't... know," Eren said slowly, but it was clear his mind wasn't on the Queen piece.

Instead, he was staring intently at Mikasa.

He still didn't believe she was there, that this was real.

Mikasa was right there with him, still feeling like she was in a dream, but she was able to focus on the danger to Eren's life.

It couldn't be because he was Eldian and they were from another world, as she had been turned into a devil.

It also couldn't be a power issue.

Due to her lack of magic, her pieces were based on Serafall's. Adjuka Beelzebub had considered it an exciting puzzle to get Evil Pieces to work for someone with absolutely zero magic, which was physically impossible in this world. He had finagled it to work through her Pawn piece, connecting her to her King.

So why? What was different?

Why couldn't she save Eren?

"...You never answered," Mikasa realized. "Are you still the Founder?"

Eren hesitated, and Mikasa's heart sank.

She should have known. Each of the Nine Titans had different Shifting Mark patterns. Scars in the skin where they connected to their Titan bodies. Usually, they healed after they were disconnected from the massive bodies, but there had been one exception.

Eren had both the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan for years, but only once he consumed the Warhammer Titan did the Shifter Marks around his eyes turn permanent instead of healing after some time.

Armin had believed that the more of the Nine Titans one held, the more their physical bodies would be affected. There had been no way to prove that since Eren was the first Titan Shifter since Ymir the Founder to hold two of the Nine, let alone three.

If Eren could heal himself but still had those marks around his eyes, that would mean he still had all three.

The Founding Titan was the closest thing their world had to a god.

Mikasa closed her eyes, and the tears started to flow again.

Why?

Why were they here?

Why would they be able to meet again, just to eventually be separated once more?

Was this world not cruel enough already?

Mikasa heard Eren shift, moving slightly, but he did not wipe her tears again.

Instead, Eren's hands rested against the scarf around her neck.

"You never answered either," Eren's voice was whisper-quiet as he unwound the red scarf from her neck.

He held it gently in his hands as he looked down at the Piece of fabric that had defined her life for so long. It looked like he was comparing it to the one in his memories.

"Why didn't you throw this away?"

"I couldn't."

Not when he said those terrible lies to her, breaking her heart.

"I can't throw it away."

Not when he turned against the entire world, becoming the Devil all Eldians had been accused of being.

"...How long has it been for you? Since..."

Not when her sword had severed his head from his spine.

"Eighty years."

Not when she had tried to move on a decade after his death.

"...Were you happy?"

Mikasa hadn't even been able to leave the scarf behind when she went to her final resting place.

"We were."

Thanks to you.

"We all were."

Thanks to the terrible things we had done.

"We lived long, happy lives."

Thanks to the death of eighty percent of humanity.

We, the ones who benefited from your genocide, lived long and happy lives.

"...I'm glad," Eren's voice cracked as his hands ran along the red fabric.

Mikasa couldn't see his face because of his long hair, but she could hear the relief in his voice.

His whole body shook, and large wet drops fell on the scarf.

Mikasa understood.

At this moment, Eren wasn't sad that he was going to die.

He was not grieving that he only had a year left. He was not cursing the world's cruelty for reuniting them only to pull them apart later.

Eren was happy.

So happy that it brought him to tears.

"I'm so glad," Eren cried, his whole body shaking with waves upon waves of emotion.

He had never known what would happen after his death.

He set things up as best he could, but there was no guarantee that they would turn out as he hoped.

For all he knew, they'd die only minutes after him, and all his crimes and suffering would be for nothing.

Hearing it from Mikasa, hearing that his selfish wish had been fulfilled, relieved him more than words could express.

"I'm so glad."

Glad that all his sins, all that blood and death and hatred, had done some good for the people he loved.

Glad that the Devil had done one thing right.

Glad that the lone choice of a lost and angry boy who had never known freedom had been the right one.

It was not the right choice for the world, morality, humanity, or even his home.

But for them.

For the small handful of people, he had managed to save.

Eren looked up at Mikasa again.

His grey eyes were filled with tears, yet they were clear.

Eren was looking at Mikasa.

Not the future or the past, but the Mikasa here and now.

She realized it then. Even if Eren still held the Founder, he didn't have anyone with royal blood in this world to allow him to use that power.

He was no longer trapped by a future he couldn't change.

His vision was unclouded for the first time since the award ceremony after reclaiming their home.

Slowly, oh so slowly, with trembling hands, Eren lifted the long red scarf to her.

As if asking if he even had the right anymore.

Mikasa leaned forward slightly, presenting her neck.

"I'm glad," Eren repeated. His hands moved slowly, but all the shaking stopped. Movements he would never forget. "I don't know why. I don't know how. But I'm glad you're here. No matter how long I have left, I am glad we could meet. I'm glad that you didn't throw away this scarf."

Eren finished wrapping the scarf around Mikasa's neck.

"Thank you," Eren said softly, resting his head against hers. "For being here with me."

"Thank you," Mikasa smiled through the tears. "For wrapping this scarf around me."

"I'll.." Eren choked, but the tiniest, infinitesimal hint of a smile curved his lips even as his tears joined hers. "I'll wrap you up in it again."

So much was still unsaid.

Questions and confesions.

Answers and explanations.

Words of love and guilt. Of moving on yet remaining chained to the past.

None of that mattered.

The whys and hows could wait for later.

Today, here and now, they were together.

They were alive together.

Right now, they didn't care for the cruelty of the world.

Only its beauty.

Wrapped in a red scarf, two lost souls reunited on the bench.

********

I admit to writing this while listening to a playlist of 'Utsukushiki Zankoku Na Sekai,' 'Akuma no Ko,' 'Under The Tree,' 'Itterashai,' 'Nisennen... Moshiku Wa... Nimannen Go No Kimi E,' 'Call Your Name,' and 'Call of Silence.'

It may have affected my mood while writing.

As I wrote this, I decided to leave all the explanations, conflicts, and problems for later. We see some hints at it, but neither of our characters would choose to pursue them right away. Not after just reuniting. Their entire focus would be on each other.

All the issues are still there and waiting, but trying to shoehorn them in didn't feel right.

No matter the whys or hows, if Mikasa and Eren were ever reunited a world away, I can only imagine them as happy. Let's give them time to breathe.

Reality will rear its cruel head, but let's let Mikasa and Eren have their moment of peace and beauty.

We'll meet back up with them next week on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Eventually, the questions needed to be asked.

"You weren't reborn in this world," Eren asked with a frown.

"No," Mikasa denied, leaning against his side. "Serafall told me my coffin appeared in front of her one day with a note to reincarnate me."

"...And she just did it," Eren asked in disbelief, arm tightening around her at the mention of her death.

"Serafall is... impulsive sometimes. She did have Adjuka examine me first."

"Beelzebub?"

Eren's face took on an odd expression as if he didn't know what to think about her casual acquaintance with some of the most powerful beings in this new world.

"Yes," Mikasa nodded casually.

She understood the surprise, but really, all four Satans were very different from what their reputation portrayed them as.

After Adjuka examined her and discovered her genetic makeup was different from that of humans in this world, he was just as excited as Serafall about her reincarnation. The only question was if she would even be able to come back, as she had been dead for over a day, according to his examination.

Usually, that was out of the time limit the Evil Pieces had to bring people back after they died.

Mikasa remembered those first few hours as a hazy mess. A confusing jumble of questions, arguments, threats, and explanations.

Adjuka had theorized that she was from beyond the Dimensional Gap, thanks to her different genetics, the complete absence of magic, and the lack of any unified history they could agree on.

Devils had been around for tens of thousands of years and had no record of Eldia or Titans.

Mikasa hadn't wanted to believe everything she heard and demanded to be brought to the closest thing she recognized to home.

Paradis Island, or Madagascar on their upside-down map, had seemed like the best place to start looking.

"That's..." Eren sighed. "I wasn't like that. I was fully reborn as a baby. I ended up in an orphanage in a small town in Africa. Everything was hazy, and my memories were fuzzy till I turned six. Fragmented, like half-remembered dreams. One day, they weren't. That's when I fully remembered and... when I regained my power."

It was Mikasa's turn to tighten her grip on the boy, reminded of their limited time together.

"I should have looked harder," Mikasa said lowly, shame and anger at herself filling her.

"You had no way of knowing I was alive," Eren denied. "Or that I was a child. I might not have recognized you those first years anyway, and I hadn't transformed yet, so I didn't have any marks for you to recognize either."

Mikasa knew Eren was making sense, but that didn't stop her from feeling like she had failed. Maybe she could have saved him if she had found Eren before he turned into a Titan for the first time.

"After that, I became a solder," Eren continued. "A mercenary."

"What?" Mikasa asked, agahst.

Even now, in this new world, Eren still hadn't been able to live a peaceful life?

"You don't need to worry about me," Eren sighed. Despite herself, Mikasa felt her lips quirk at the familiar argument. "There weren't a lot of options for kids in that part of the world at the time. And I was fighting other humans. Mostly with guns. With my healing, I wasn't in any danger unless they got extremely lucky and hit my nape."

Once more, Mikasa was reminded about just how bullshit the Shifters had been. Slit throats, amputated limbs, even heads cut in half. None of it was fatal unless the spine at the nape of the neck was severed.

If that didn't happen, they'd just heal from everything eventually.

One of the greatest terrors of Titans was the sheer difficulty of killing them. Even dumb ones were pretty much immortal for most humans until they discovered their weaknesses and gained the technology to fight them.

"... Eventually, I made enough money to retire," Eren continued after a moment of thought. "Travelled the world a bit and ended up here in Kuoh a year ago."

"Did you..." Mikasa hesitated, unsure how to word the question or if she wanted it answered. "Did you tell Sona to keep you hidden?"

"No?" Eren tilted his head in confusion. "You asked about it earlier. Why would I?"

"... No reason," Mikasa said lowly.

Oh, Satans, Sona really had been hiding Eren from her and Serafall because she liked him, hadn't she?

And it was apparent Eren wasn't healthy by how thin he was, so that must have been what she was talking about when she mentioned he would die soon.

Sona liked Eren, maybe even loved him.

How would she take Mikasa's presence?

That she and Eren had... kissed?

Mikasa wanted to die of embarrassment when she realized she had been giving romantic advice to her honorary niece, using her past situation with Eren as an example.

They had been talking about the same boy without ever realizing it.

Eren could never know.

It hit Mikasa, then.

Sona.

What was Sona thinking now, after Mikasa had interrogated her like that and disappeared? Was she thinking her fears had come true and Mikasa would attack Eren?

Then another thought hit her, and Mikasa paled.

Serafall.

She had been there with her sister. She knew where Eren was. She might not know 'who' he was to Sona, but her curiosity would not stop until it was sated.

And then Eren would die, Titan powers or not.

Mikasa needed to get back to the Underworld as soon as possible.

"I didn't know who Sona was at first," Eren said as Mikasa had a silent panic attack. "She used a fake name."

"She wanted to stand on her own two feet," Mikasa nodded absently, mind going a mile a minute on how to save Eren from turning into a frozen corpse. "Didn't want to rely on her sister's reputation for her dream."

"She's going to be a fine teacher. She's already been teaching me Japanese," Eren nodded slowly. "Her and Rias. It's made my life a bit easier since I moved here."

Mikasa's mind ground to a halt.

"...Rias? Rias Gremory?"

Mikasa might be able to save Eren from Serafall since they were best friends but from Sirzechs Lucifer?

Eren was doomed.

Unless... Maybe she could get Grayfia to control her husband if she took that job at the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

"Yeah," Eren sighed. "I recognized her name right away. But she is... nothing like I'd imagined the sister of Lucifer to be like. Neither of them are."

"We will be free," Rias declared to the world, eyes firm with purpose. "And we will destroy all who try to take that freedom from us."

"What..." Mikasa's throat was suddenly dry. "What are you planning with them?"

Was this to be another Falco and Gaby situation?

In an attempt to understand Eren better, Armin had tried to piece together all his actions near the end. He had started at the end and worked his way back.

Obviously, Eren needed Falco to become the Jaw Titan for them to be able to stop him, and Falco's ability to fly was only possible thanks to drinking Zeke's tainted spinal fluid and gaining traces of the Beast Titan.

At the same time, Eren needed Gaby to shoot him so everyone could discover the source of the Titans, as it erupted from his neck when he could finally connect to the Paths.

It had been little consolation that Sasha's death had gained Eren the pieces he needed to achieve his final goal of wiping out all Titans from the earth, though it had explained his reaction to the news.

And it had all started when a disguised Eren had started to meet a young boy on a bench much like this one.

Was that tragedy going to repeat itself here?

"Planing?" Eren asked in turn, looking at her in confusion. "With them? Nothing. I had no plans on meeting them or getting involved with devil society."

Mikasa let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn't think Eren was lying to her.

"Then why did Rias say that?"

"Say what?"

"There's this... ceremony in the Underworld. Young noble devils state their dreams to the world. Rias stated her dream was to be free."

"Huh," Eren leaned back, looking at the sky as he stared upwards, obviously nonplussed at the news. "It's a good dream."

"She reminded me of you," Mikasa admitted.

"Those kids reminded me of us," Eren agreed slowly. "All of us. Not the same, but it was close enough that I couldn't stop myself from getting involved. I didn't tell her to say that, though."

"What have you been talking about?"

"Anything? Everything?" Eren shrugged, but there was a helplessness to it. "This world... It might not be a hell like ours, but people are the same. Devils are worse because they have more power and live longer, but humans are no different. I saw it all when I was a mercenary. Murder. Rape. Theft. Terror. Oppression. All of it committed by humans on humans. Ideals. Race. Religion. Power. Greed. The same reasons as in our world. Magic, gods, and devils have not changed humanity in the least. And I..."

Eren trailed off, and Mikasa heard wood creak. Looking down, she realized Eren was holding a cane.

A cane engraved with the blue and white Wings of Freedom.

"For some reason, those kids like listening to me ramble," Eren said as he ran his fingers over the handle. "I just thought... 'I don't want these kids making the same mistakes we did. That I did.'"

"Do you regret it?"

For a long moment, there was silence on the bench after Mikasa's question.

"...I have so many regrets," Eren admitted. "But I'd do it again. Because I really don't know of any other way. Maybe Armin could have figured something out, but I... I was just an idiot drunk on power and blood, no different from anyone else."

"He couldn't," Mikasa said, and Eren looked at her. "He couldn't find another way. He tried to think of one for years, but he couldn't."

"Huh."

"The problem was Ymir," Mikasa explained, dredging up old memories of long nights of Armin's ramblings on theories and speculations. She didn't remember even half, but a few key points stood out. "When she became the first titan, the Paths were created. Nothing before that could be changed, only the future. But, without other titans, there was nothing to destroy that worm, even if she cut her own head off. The only way to destroy the Paths, to be free, was to spread her bloodline. So she went back to Fritz, knowing what would happen."

"She loved him," Eren denied. "I don't know why, but Ymir loved Fritz. After everything he had done and would do, she still loved him. I know that for certain."

"...Love is irrational. It doesn't care about pain. It doesn't care about what is right. All it cares about is what you feel."

The pair remained silent momentarily before Mikasa continued with Armin's theory.

"She could have loved him because she saw their future together if her powers worked like yours. Or maybe she fell in love because of the children they'd have, and she wanted them."

"Loving someone because you saw your future together? It's possible."

"It doesn't matter," Mikasa pressed on, not liking Eren's tone of voice. "The problem was that, after Ymir died and Eldians started to spread, nobody among the Nine wanted to eliminate Titans. They were the source of their power and empire. For two thousand years, Ymir waited for someone who would free her from the Paths."

"Me."

"The Attack Titan is unique," Mikasa nodded grimly. "Because it sends memories back, rather than forward like all the others, the last Attack Titan will be the one to decide the future."

"Was the Attack Titan always moving forward, chasing freedom? Or was I doing that, and it was just my tool, and all my predecessors thought my will was the titan's?" Eren asked himself in realization. Shaking his head in wonder, he murmured, "That's just like Armin. I never thought of it that way."

"When Ymir created the Nine, she set the Attack Titan loose to guarantee an end," Mikasa continued to explain Armin's theory with a smile, glad to be able to share something about their best friend. "The other seven, apart from the Founder, were the tools needed for that end."

"And she needed you because the Founder couldn't alter your memories," Eren nodded, adding his own part to the theory.

"... Probably," Mikasa said, uncomfortable talking about her own role in the end of the titans. About what she had to do to free both Ymir and Eren. "She needed both of us, in that specific circumstance, for her to have her revenge, be free, and ensure her descendants would continue to live on after she was gone."

"It's a good theory," Eren nodded. "It might even be true. I can't say for sure since my mind was such a mess at the time. But in the end, it doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters," Mikasa argued. "Don't you get it? Ymir was the cause of everything. From the first titan to the Rumbling. Everything."

"No."

Eren's voice was so firm, so unbending, that Mikasa flinched.

"I understand," Eren continued more softly. "It would be easy to blame Ymir. To make theories or excuses. Nobody wants to be guilty. I don't. But I am."

"If you are, we all are," Mikasa argued just as softly. "We all put so much on you—our hope, our dreams, our sins. We were the ones to benefit from the Rumbling, not you. You died, Eren. You died. And we lived."

"I am glad for it," Eren hugged her tightly. She wanted to cry again, but she was all out of tears. She just felt wrung out. "Armin might be right. Ymir might have set things up so that someone who hated titans would be the last Attack Titan. She might have known that a suicidal blockhead like me would rather die than continue living in a world with them. She might have known about the Rumbling from the first second she emerged from that tree. It doesn't matter. Ymir might have created the situation, but my choice was mine."

"You were trapped," Mikasa tried to argue. "You couldn't change the future."

"I trapped myself."

Silence.

"I tried to change the future because I didn't want to die," Eren confessed softly. "Because I didn't want to have to kill all those people. Because I hoped the Rumbling wasn't the only solution. I looked. For years, I looked. But it was the choice I'd make. Not just because of Ymir or because I wanted to wipe out the titans but because I wanted that future. I wanted it so bad. I wanted a world without titans, where my friends got to live, where my home wasn't under threat, and where I had my revenge. I wanted a blank slate."

Eren's eyes stared blankly out over the park, at the trees and the city beyond.

"I chose that future. That's why it trapped me."

It was like he was staring at a world trampled flat once more.

"I just didn't want to die and kill so many people for that future. I couldn't change the future because I didn't want to change it. Deep down, I am that monster, that Devil. I chose death and all those sins rather than miss out on a future that I wanted."

All excuses, theories, or reasonings were irrelevant. Only actions counted.

Whether it was because Ymir had set things up that way, because of a thirst for vengeance, or to ensure his friends a long and happy life, it didn't matter.

Eren Yeager had made his choices.

He had died with them, and now he must live with them.

So must Mikasa.

They sat together in silence for minutes, lost in memories of a faraway world.

Mikasa eventually tore herself out of her funk and realized with some surprise that they hadn't been interrupted by an angry Serafall.

She had wholly forgotten after they had started talking about their past.

Honestly, Mikasa didn't want to leave, even if only to calm down her King and her honorary niece.

What if Eren disappeared again?

It did bring up a question, though.

"How do you know about devils and Peerages?"

"...I got offered one, once."

"Really?" Mikasa asked with some surprise. "Who? Sona or Rias?"

"Some King from one of the lesser-known pillars," Eren shrugged casually. "In one of my jobs, I ended up fighting Griselda Quarta."

Mikasa's eyes widened, and her arms tightened around Eren. Even she had heard of that woman.

"I took her by surprise, injuring her pretty badly. The devil had been following my career for a few years and decided to offer me a place in his Peerage. Explained everything to try and convince me. He wouldn't take no for an answer. It was the first time I transformed in this world."

Obviously, Eren had won the fight, but he had been lucky. Some devil bloodlines would have made minced meat out of him, titan or not. The only reason Mikasa was even a credible threat to anyone of significance was because she was fast and precise.

In a straight fight, one where she didn't have an element of surprise, she had no confidence against even the most basic of Ultimate class beings.

"I ran into a few other supernatural factions after that," Eren explained grimly. "I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. Most don't think highly of humans, so I ended up avoiding those I didn't want to have to fight and kill."

"I've noticed that as well," Mikasa sighed. "The perspective is different. So few supernatural races can die of old age. Many of their leaders have been around for thousands. They have powers humans don't, live so long, and know much more. If it weren't for Sacred Gears, nobody would see humans as anything more than playthings and tools, except for a few magicians or skilled people."

"I understand that," Eren acknowledged with a grim line in his mouth. "I know there is a reason. I can't imagine living for longer than titans existed and seeing regular people the same way. But just because there's a reason doesn't mean that reason matters. I know humanity isn't better or that the supernatural races are worse. I know it varies from person to person. But the system is imbalanced. Even Sacred Gears can't make up the difference in time and power. Especially since devils could enslave humanity's best with the Evil Pieces."

Mikasa didn't like the parallels Eren was drawing.

"They can do some good," she pointed out. "If not for Serafall, we wouldn't be here. Together."

Eren didn't have anything to say to that.

They lapsed into silence again, but this time, Eren broke it.

"Tell me about it," he suddenly said. "About what happened after I died."

Where to even begin?

"It was a mess," she eventually started. "The titans were gone, and the Rumbling was stopped, but we had to convince the survivors of that. And so many people had died. Everyone had lost someone. Most had lost everything. Just getting enough food for everyone was a challenge during those first few years. And the Yeagerists didn't make things easy. They used to drive Historia mad, complaining that they should finish the job you started."

"Sorry," Eren said, his voice laden with guilt. "I needed help, and the military was pushing for Historia to turn and get the Founder back in Royal hands. They wouldn't help me if I asked."

"...I know," Mikasa's voice was sombre, memories of fighting and killing old comrades filling her mind. People she had known since her cadet days. "Eldia wasn't without injuries either. All the titans had to pass by somewhere, and many of ours died, too. Our government was also a mess, between the loss of most military and political leaders. Those first few years were spent trying to gather information and clean up. Only after people were certain there were no more titans did the remaining nations and the Yaegerists start to make trouble."

"I see." There was pain in Eren's voice.

Pain and shame, but no surprise.

Even from a young age, he had known that not even a common enemy could unite people. His hope that the Rumbling and his death would change things had been naive.

"You left them so much work," Mikasa admitted. "Not that I was much help. I retired right away. They never blamed me, but I sometimes wish I had been strong enough to help with the peace and rebuilding efforts."

"Sorry."

"In the end, they managed it though. Historia and Armin mostly, but the others helped them. While fights and resentment never really went away, by the end, there hadn't been a war since the Rumbling."

"That's something, at least," Eren sighed in relief. "I am sorry to have left so much for you all to do. I just... there was no perfect solution. No timeline where everything ended happily for everyone. I looked, but I couldn't find one. I had to make a choice."

"We know," Mikasa agreed tiredly.

Despite everything, all the terrible things he had done and all the confusion leading up to it, none of them had ever doubted Eren's motivations in the end.

Maybe it would have been easier to get over him if he had just been the monster he had tried to convince her he was.

Maybe then she could look back at the lie he told her in their last meeting and believe those terrible words.

"Despite all the work and trouble, we were happy. By the time I died, we had rebuilt a large part of the world. Eldia was thriving, and thanks to everyone's efforts, so was the rest of the world. We were protecting our future."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Eren's relief was more than palpable. Then he shifted in his seat awkwardly, and Mikasa recognized that he was embarrassed about something. "What about... What about everyone? Specifics, I mean."

...Right.

Mikasa understood what he was asking about but didn't know how to start.

"Armin and Annie ended up getting married," she said, delaying a bit. "They had two kids, Erwin and Hange. Erwin actually ended up marrying Ymir, Historia's daughter. They were still ruling Eldia when I passed but were considering retiring."

"That's great," Eren said, genuine happiness for his best friend in his voice. "I was worried about him, but Annie and he must have balanced each other. I wish I could have seen it. And... Historia? She was happy?"

Mikasa took a deep breath.

Even to this day, she didn't know for sure, but she had always had her suspicions about Ymir's actual father. Historia's pregnancy and Ymir's birth had just been too perfectly timed.

But there had never been any proof, one way or the other, as the baby had inherited almost all her traits from her mother, not her father, whoever it was.

In the end, Mikasa decided it was for the best that she didn't know, so she never asked.

If she was wrong, she would just hurt others, and if she was right, she would just hurt herself.

Besides, Eren hadn't used the Founder's power until coming into contact with Zeke. That had to mean something.

"She was," Mikasa nodded. "I think they came to love each other. And she loved Ymir. Kept complaining about you, though, since you left her so much work."

"Did Reiner's crush ever go away?" Eren asked with some schanderfreude.

"No," Mikasa sighed with fond exasperation. "He was never married, but he did have a few lovers here and there. I don't think he had it in him, not after everything. Falco and Gabi did end up together, though. Four kids."

"I see," Eren nodded in understanding. "I'm happy for him. How'd Connie do? Captain Levi?"

"Connie was... Connie. He didn't get married either, but he was happy. While Historia was dealing with the problems at home and Armin was acting as a diplomat, Connie led the survey teams to find survivors and resources after the Rumbling. The midget was too angry to let his injuries stop him, even if he couldn't go into the field. After most of the rebuilding was done, he led the training of new cadets."

"What about Armin's other child, Hange? How'd they turn out?"

Mikasa realized they were both dancing around the issue.

The words going unsaid.

Eren did want to know everything about his former colleagues, but there was a question that burned more than any other that he didn't know how to ask.

Or if he wanted it answered at all.

But Mikasa knew what silences like this could cost.

Eren deserved to know.

"She," Mikasa said, unsure how to continue but knowing she needed to. "She became a doctor with her husband... Childhood friends who had the same dream and ended up together. They were happy together, too, her and Grisha."

"Gri-," Eren swallowed thickly at the name. "Grisha?"

"My son," Mikasa said softly.

"I..." Eren took a deep breath, his voice thick. "I see. Grisha. It's a good name. And you ended up being in-laws with Armin? I should have guessed as much."

Mikasa didn't say anything as Eren's ramble trailed off into silence.

"...Who?" He eventually asked, his voice thick.

They both knew who. It had been the one Eren hadn't asked about.

Mikasa answered anyway.

"Jean."

"Horseface?" Eren barked in disbelief, but his hands were tight around his cane. "You could have done so much better."

"...We were happy together."

"You better have been! If that bastard didn't do everything to make you happy, I'll go back and beat him up again!"

Eren's words were strong, but his figure remained hunched, and his knuckles white around his cane.

"Eren?"

"I'm glad you were happy," Eren bit out, not looking at her. "I am. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to forget about me. I wanted you to burn that scarf."

"Eren?"

"I have no right to be jealous. Not after so long. Not after wanting you to move on. Not after I did the same."

'Did the same?'

There was someone Eren... loved?

Was Sona's crush not unrequited after all? Or was it someone else?

It had been nineteen years. And Eren had no idea Mikasa was in this world.

It wasn't surprising he might have... been with someone. Might have developed feelings.

Mikasa had no right to feel jealous.

So why...

"So why do I feel like this?" Eren gasped, shoulders shaking. "You deserve to be happy. After everything I put you through, you deserve someone that will make you happy. So why am I still such a pathetic hypocrite?"

Mikasa didn't have an answer to that either, for she felt something similar.

Eren deserved to find someone he could love, too. Someone who wasn't as emotionally stunted as her. Someone who could tell him her feelings without holding back.

So why did Mikasa want to find this woman and rip her to shreds?

She knew why.

She, unlike Eren, had eighty years to grow and learn about herself and her feelings.

Love didn't care about hypocrisy.

Love just cared about what you felt.

That didn't make it easier to deal with.

"I waited ten years," Mikasa eventually said. Were her words for Eren or herself? "I grieved for you for ten years. And I never really moved on. I couldn't. Just because I got married doesn't mean I could forget."

Eren froze.

"...What did Armin tell you?"

It took Mikasa a moment to understand what the question meant.

"About your talk in the Paths, right?" Eren's whole body shivered at her question. "Everything."

"... I'm gonna kill him. I'm going to find him and kill him."

"He was drunk," Mikasa defended their friend, but there was a slight smile on her face. "It was Grisha and Hange's wedding. He told me he was glad he kept your talk a secret since things turned out so well. I got the full story out of him the next day with Annie's help."

"...Annie found out?" Eren asked in horrified disbelief, looking up and meeting her gaze with red-rimmed eyes.

They were distracting themselves, they knew, but they needed the distraction. Neither was sure how to continue, not after their words and their kiss.

Feelings were still there, still as confusing as ever. Love, joy, jealousy, it all roiled in their guts, just as it always had.

Both were still not the greatest when it came to expressing emotions. So, they continued to distract themselves.

"They all did by the end," Mikasa nodded, feeling some vindication and a hint of embarrassment. "She told the others at the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Heaven and Earth... That's what it ended up being called, our fight with you. We were trading stories, and it just came out."

"... I need to go back and finish the job. Letting you all live was a mistake."

Mikasa realized something as Eren clenched his fists in anger, staring into nothing as if he could see their old comrades laughing and joking at his expense.

Eren was free.

Free of all the expectations and hopes they had heaved on him.

Free of a future he couldn't change and a past he was forced to watch repeat.

There were no walls here.

And that freedom allowed hints of the boy he had once been to return.

And that gave Mikasa an idea.

They had so little time together. But even if they didn't get the long, happy life they wanted, Mikasa wanted Eren to be happy in what time they did have.

He deserved it.

"Eren."

"...Yeah?" Eren asked with trepidation at the firmness of her voice and the directness of her stare.

"Hold on."

"Wha-"

Eren almost lost his cane as Mikasa grabbed him under his arms, pulling him to his feet.

With speeds that the average human couldn't follow, she activated the minor illusion and hypnosis device Adjuka had given her when she needed to go to the human world.

Then Mikasa spread her wings and took off.

Eren's eyes were wide, mouth open as he gazed at the clouds around them.

Mikasa held Eren firm in her arms, carrying him through the azure skies over Kuoh.

Neither said a word as a devil's wings carried them like a song through the air.

Eren eventually relaxed, letting her carry him.

He spread his arms wide as if they were his own wings.

They flew, free of the burdens below.

The city, the mountains, and the bench disappeared as they flew together like birds in the sky.

By the end, almost an hour later, they both returned to the cold reality of the ground.

Yet on both their faces were the tiniest hints of smiles. Smiles of joy. Of contentment. Of beauty. Of freedom. Of reunion.

Both returned with their shoulders and hearts a little lighter.

Love didn't care about reality or logic.

It didn't care that you tried to move on or that decades had passed.

All it cared about was the feelings held fast in the chests of those two found souls as they regained their breath on the bench.

********

Man, after the response from the last few chapters, I could farm the Mikasa/Eren controversy for engagement and push my story to the top of the site. I won't, obviously, but man, was it eye-opening. Still, the story moves on. It's not cut and dry. Just because they are reunited and still love each other doesn't mean there aren't issues.

I am not saying one way or the other that Historia's child is Eren's. It was in a different ending that Isayama thought of, but it is very much left ambiguous in the canon ending. There are reasons both for and against, with the latter being slightly more substantial, in my opinion. That being said, whatever your headcanon is can fit with this story as it is an attempt to continue on from that ambiguous ending.

One thing I will comment on in this chapter was Mikasa's, and through her, Armin's, attempt to decipher the ending of AOT. As I've said, this story is partly coming to terms with what happened, both for the characters and me, the author. I have no doubt Armin would have done his best to understand everything he could about the lead-up to the Rumbling. There is a thread of logic there if you want to follow it. It is pretty obvious if you work backwards from the end of the show to its very beginning.

But I also wanted to point out that theories about 'why' don't really matter except for our understanding.

To say the ending of AOT was controversial is an understatement. Some loved it. Some hated it. Some understood it. Some didn't believe there was anything to understand. There are dozens and hundreds of theories crafted to explain either the Rumbling, Eren, the Paths, or whatever. I am guilty of that as well, trying to make sense of a story I love. The author of AOT leaves much up to interpretation, so we will never get a definite statement on everything. It's very Dark Souls-esque like that.

My point was this: It doesn't matter.

All headcanons, theories, or the like are utterly irrelevant in the face of the story we received. By trying to make sense of it and justifying our likes or dislikes of the show, we miss the overall message of the specifics.

There are no villains. There are no heroes. No absolute good or absolute evil.

There are just people and the justifications they tell themselves for their actions and their feelings. Everyone has justifications, in fiction and in reality, but that's all they are: justifications, reasons, and excuses.

Our actions and their consequences are what really matter.

A victim can become an aggressor. A loved one can commit an atrocity. Everyone has reasons.

Only by reconciling all that can someone really understand humanity. Denying reality will not change it. Whether you love Attack on Titan, hate it, or don't care about it, my stories at least contain a hint of that human experience.

I will leave you on that note and meet you again next week with our loveable DxD cast on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Aunty just left? Just like that?"

"Yes, Rias," Sona said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. It had been a long day. "As soon as I told her where he was, Aunty teleported away. She didn't stop. No matter what we said or who said it."

For emphasis, Sona looked over at her sister.

Serafall Leviathan was weirdly silent, reading the file the Sitri agents had compiled on Eren so long ago.

A file that was obviously missing huge chunks.

Sona had rarely seen her sister so focused, but she was glad to no longer be under the Levithan's interrogation.

She had managed to divert her sister to the file by explaining that 'Eren Yeager' was a former mercenary that had set up near Kuoh and that Rias was slowly trying to get to join her Peerage.

Rias, noticing the look, grimaced in understanding.

As much as Aunty could control Serafall's worst impulses, she usually listened to her King like a soldier when needed. For her aunt to straight up ignore Serafall like that was unheard of.

Usually, Sona would be panicking, rushing to the park to save Eren from her aunt's overprotective wrath.

That was what she had first thought to do when Mikasa teleported away, but she had been delayed by her sister's questions. When Sona had a chance to leave, Rias and her Peerage had appeared to investigate the disturbance and talk about the match.

Saji had also been attracted to the commotion, and Sona's plan to teleport to the human world to save her crush was stopped by a piece of information that had come up as she explained things to the Gremory Peerage.

By now, it was too late to do anything, and Sona would have to trust her aunt not to do anything too terrible.

"Kaicho, I swear, I never told her who he was," Saji repeated.

"I believe you," Sona nodded, but a part of his story stuck out. One that had been bugging her. "But you said his last name after she left."

"I didn't know she'd hear that," her Pawn defended himself.

"Irrelevant," Sona waved him off. "But you are absolutely certain you never mentioned his first name?"

"Yes, Kaicho!"

It was Akeno who asked the question on the Sitri heriress' mind.

"Then how'd she know who he was? She asked, using his first name, right?"

"Maybe the Child of Evil hurt someone she knows," Xenovia suggested with a scowl.

"While he was a mercenary? It's possible," Sona said, lost in thought.

It was possible but unlikely.

Her aunt barely left her house in the Underworld most of the time. How would she hear about some random human mercenary who had only been active for a few years after Mikasa retreated from the human world?

And that intensity.

Mikasa Ackerman had never looked at Sona like that before.

It honestly felt like if Sona hadn't told her aunt where Eren was, she would have been attacked by her sister's Pawn.

Whether that was true or not, Sona didn't know, but the fact she had felt like it was a possibility at all was alarming. Aunty had always been a source of almost matronly comfort and security for Sona.

Feeling threatened at all drove home how little Sona Sitri knew of the Mikasa Ackerman.

Despite all that, Sona would still trust her aunt not to kill a defenceless human.

"This doesn't sound like her," Kiba said, crossing his arms with a frown. "She's usually so cool and collected. And Senpai is too young to have done anything to her while she was human."

"Maybe it's the scarf?"

All eyes turned to Issei Hyoudou in question at his random statement.

"What did you say?"

Surprisingly, it was Serafall Leviathan who asked the question.

In less than an instant, the Satan had practically teleported next to the Red Dragon Emperor, the file on Eren Yeager still clenched in her hand.

The strongest female devil glared at the boy, all pretence of playfulness gone despite still being dressed as a magical girl.

"Um, ah, It was just a thought?" Issei stammered, clearly intimidated by the intensity of the attention from one of the leaders of all devil kind.

"What do you mean 'the scarf,'" Sona asked, trying to intercede on the boy's behalf. "Why do you think it's important?"

That red scarf was her aunt's single most important possession, and Mikasa never went anywhere without it.

But Issei Hyoudou should have no way of knowing that.

So why had he brought it up?

"Um," Issei hurried to try and step back from the Leviathan, though not without getting a peek down her shirt first, as he stuttered out an answer. "I was just spitballing an idea. Eren mentioned a scarf once, and I noticed she wore one. It's the only connection I know of, so I threw it out there."

"He never mentioned a scarf to me," Sona said.

"Me neither," Rias agreed, looking around the room and getting shakes of the head in turn. "What did he say?"

"Not much," Issei said, looking toward Asia awkwardly with a blush on his face. "He was, um, giving me advice and stuff. He mentioned saving a girl and wrapping her in a scarf. Said she kept it and that it meant a lot to her, to both of them. And, um... other stuff that isn't really important. My idea was just that maybe it's the same scarf, ya know? Like maybe someone gave it to your aunt, and she knows him because of that."

That was impossible.

Hyoudou was clearly talking about Eren giving him love advice, but Aunty had that scarf from her time as a human, well before Eren was born and from another world.

It was just a coincidence.

The others clearly thought so, too.

"That's probably not it," Rias disagreed with a shake of her head. "Aunty has had that scarf for years. Way longer than she's been a devil."

"Maybe it is their weapons?" Kiba offered, getting his own looks from the group. "Senpai's sword has a bit of a unique design. It's completely flat and thin, which is rare for swords because then they'd break easily. But it's made so that the blade can be replaced easily. The sword is disposable, but the handle isn't, like Lady Mikasa's."

As an example, the Knight summoned his Balance Breaker.

The radiation of Light and Demonic energies could not cover up the odd blade design.

"But their swords are different," Sona disagreed, having seen her aunt's original blade recently. "Hers is wider, and the handle has those two triggers."

"Senpai's has to fit in his cane," Yuuto explained easily. "That's why it's so narrow. However, the design principle behind it is the same. I don't know what Lady Mikasa's second trigger is for, but one of them releases the blade. Senpai's handle should have something like that as well. He did replace his blade after he broke it. The idea is such a perfect fit for Blade Blacksmith that it became a part of my Sacred Gear."

The Knight was right, Sona realized.

She didn't know anything about swords beyond the basics, but now that she thought of it, how her aunt fought was decidedly odd for a sword fighter.

What kind of swordswoman abuses her weapon till it breaks, then throws it away?

"So it was when Eren was a mercenary?" Akeno asked.

"That can't be right either," Rias denied. "Aunty has had that sword on her mantle since before I met her. He wouldn't have seen it unless Eren came to the Underworld."

"Uh," Asia hesitantly stepped forward, looking at Yuuto apologetically. "Maybe they met when she was dealing with the um, the Holy Sword Project?"

"Too young," Koneko disagreed. "Peace conference?"

"I don't think they met," Akeno disagreed, looking at Serafall for emphasis. "It would have to be before we met him."

Sona tuned out the theories that continued to be bandied about as she noticed something odd.

Her sister hadn't moved.

Ever since Issei explained his comment about the scarf, Serafall had not so much as twitched or even looked at anyone speaking. She hadn't even flaunted her bosom to tease the boy when the Red Dragon Emperor took a peek down her shirt.

Did she know something?

"So-tan?" Serafall asked, torn from her thoughts by Sona's light touch on her arm.

"Is something wrong," Sona asked softly.

"Of course not," the Leviathan denied with a wide smile. "Mi-chan is just curious about your little friend. Why'd you hide him from Onee-sama? Is So-tan trying to keep secrets?"

Sona wasn't buying it.

"...Onee-sama needs to talk to Ajuka-chan," Serafall eventually said, shifting her gaze from Sona's blank face to the half-crumpled file in her hand.

"Lord Beelzebub?" Sona asked in surprise, drawing the attention of the others in the room. "What for?"

"Is it Eren's disease?" Rias asked hopefully. "Did he have a breakthrough?"

The magical girl shook her head, still smiling but slightly pained.

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan can't say. It's a secret," Serafall said, leaning over and putting a finger over her lips for emphasis.

It also showed off her cleavage, much to Issei and Saji's joy.

"Onee-sama will be back soon. Stay here," the Leviathan told her sister. When Sona looked like she would argue, the Satan simply smiled. "Trust Mi-chan, all right? She won't hurt him."

Before Sona could ask what her sister meant, Serafall disappeared in a swirl of sparkles.

(The unnecessary panty shot was, of course, included.)

There was silence in the room for a long second, but eventually, Issei spoke up.

"I have no idea what's happening," he admitted.

"Uh, me too," Asia raised her hand in agreement with her boyfriend's words.

"...Me three," Koneko raised her hand, albeit reluctantly.

Xenovia, Saji, and Akeno all raised their hands in solidarity. Even Ghasper poked one hand out of his cardboard box in the corner to raise it.

Only Rias and Sona's hands remained lowered. The former watched her rival's face with intensity.

"Sona?" Rias asked, seeing something that the others didn't on the Sitri heiress' face. "Do you know?"

"...Maybe," Sona hesitated. "It's just an idea. But it's really unlikely."

So unlikely that it might upend everything they knew about reality.

"Give me a bit of time to think. Saji, please check on the rest of the Peerage and let them know something has come up. I'll stay here till my sister comes back."

Her Pawn nodded dutifully, and Sona thanked him before taking a seat and delving more and more into her train of thought.

Serafall keeping secrets from her wasn't rare.

Despite her childish antics, she was the Satan Leviathan. Sona genuinely had no idea what her sister did most of the time she wasn't filming her show or making a nuisance of herself to her family. Sona knew the gist of it, handling foreign affairs with other factions, but her sister never elaborated on the specifics.

Aunty's secrets were likewise not hidden. Not only was her aunt not the most talkative of women, but much of her past was painful or private, and Sona had never pried about her life as a human.

Eren's secrets were... well, they were a mess.

On one hand, he had opened up enormously since she first joined him on the bench over a year ago. On the other hand, many of the people and events he talked about did not match what her family's agents had found.

Sona didn't think Eren was lying. She hadn't thought anyone could fake those emotional responses for over a year, so she had always assumed that her investigation had missed something.

It was as if she had lacked one crucial piece of information that would bring it all together.

And her idea, no matter how unlikely it was, would fit the pieces she had built in her mind.

What if this was not Eren's first life?

Reincarnations were nothing new, though they were rare. Usually, the spirits of great heroes or famous figures pass through Heaven's system without too much damage because of the force of their personalities and deeds. These great souls were also more likely to be reincarnated with a Sacred Gear.

The only issue was that Sona had never heard of a reincarnation remembering their past life with precise detail.

But what if Eren was from a world beyond theirs, where the rules were different?

What if Eren not only reincarnated but also remembered his old life?

The more Sona thought of it, the more things started to fall into place.

Eren listed names of people they had not found any mention of, events that had never happened. Could those be from another life in another world?

It would explain Eren's competence. Despite being recruited as a six-year-old child, he had been an almost supernaturally good soldier without access to magic or a Sacred Gear.

If he had memories of a much older man, it would explain his strategic ability and how he had managed to go from a random orphan to a mercenary leader by his early teens.

Didn't he also act like he was much older than them? Sona had thought it was either due to being a few years older or because of a wider wealth of life experience, but what if he actually was older? Twenty years? Thirty? Fifty years older?

Eren was also increadibly blase about the oddness that occasionally cropped up around them, without ever knowing they were devils.

Or did he?

He might. Even if he never brought it up, Eren probably at least suspected their last names, once he learned of her true one, were infamous.

Either way, if he had reincarnated, he probably wouldn't be surprised by anything.

Another thought hit Sona then, and she went even further back.

Eren's name.

It had been written on the basket he had been found in.

Eren Yeager was not an African name, though some colonial heritage could have used it. It was clearly European in origin. And Madagascar had not been a German colony. That's why they believed it had been left by his, possibly European, parents. It would match his Germanic traits.

But didn't her Aunty also possess a name that had origins that sounded Germanic while being from another world?

What if, in that old life, Aunty knew him?

Whether he was the person who gave her that scarf or not, if Mikasa Ackerman knew Eren Yeager, then so many pieces would fit together.

She had spent a few months in Madagascar when she was first reincarnated, hadn't she?

What if she had discovered an infant and somehow recognized him as the same as her?

What if she had given him the same name as he had in his last life before leaving him on that church's step?

What if she heard the name of a boy who was supposed to be on the other side of the world come from Saji's mouth and immediately went to check on him?

...No.

There was something wrong with that train of thought.

Not that Mikasa might have known Eren from his last life.

That still fit.

It fit perfectly even, as Eren's birth would be around the same time her aunt had been reincarnated.

What didn't fit was that if her aunt cared so much about the baby, why wouldn't she have kept track of his growth? She had the means, both time and resource-wise, to either take him in or check up on him occasionally.

So, if Eren was reincarnated, remembered his old life, and was from the same world as Aunty, and they knew each other back then but didn't know of each other until now, then everything would fit.

It was just too many unlikely coincidences for Sona to believe likely.

Coincidences or design.

Was somebody behind all this?

...She'd put aside that thought for now.

Still, if all this was true, what was the relationship between Eren and her aunt?

For a brief moment, Sona entertained the idea that Eren had been her aunt's husband but shook the thought off.

Sona did know Mikasa's husband had died before her, but it couldn't be Eren.

He was very clear about his lack of luck with romance.

Similarly, Sona didn't think they had been friends. Eren had mentioned a whole host of names, and her aunt's hadn't been one of them.

No, Sona had a much more likely idea, one that sent a shiver of worry down her spine.

Mikasa and Eren had been enemies in their past life.

Eren himself had mentioned that his actions had impacted innocent people and that he was a man who had caused a lot of casualties to get revenge on his enemies.

Had her aunt's loved ones been among those he killed?

Maybe Issei was right, and the scarf was the same one Eren had mentioned, but that notion would take a much darker turn if Sona thought of it as a memento, not of remembrance but a victory trophy.

Sona shook her head, not wanting to think of either her aunt or Eren like that.

(There was a third option, one that niggled in the back of Sona's head.

Sona crushed it ruthlessly.

Eren's retelling of the nameless woman he loved and their parting did not match the young man her aunt confessed to loving.

Her aunt spoke of a boy with a terminal disease, one she didn't have the courage to confess to but had loved to the end.

Eren spoke of a woman who didn't return his feelings and whom he made into his enemy to carry out his plans, even if he still loved her.

They were completely different people.

Or so Sona told herself.)

"What is it?" Rias asked, interrupting Sona's thought process after she shook her head.

Her Peerage's theories had gotten wilder and wilder as time passed, ranging from Eren being an alien to a secret super soldier to actually being the love child of a devil and an angel sent down to bring peace between the races.

"I think I know what's going on," Sona eventually said.

Or at least a better idea than some 'Nephalem' or whatever. Angels couldn't even breed regularly without Falling. That was the entire point of the Brave Saint system. And devils were famously infertile.

It was such a preposterous idea that Sona could only shake her head at Rias' Peerage lack of grounding in magical theory.

On the other hand, a reincarnation from beyond the Dimensional Gap had its basis in proven magical phenomenon.

"Really?" Rias' eyes lit up in excitement. "Destined rivalry or childhood romance?"

"What."

"Ignore the weeb," Akeno said teasingly at Rias. The redhead stuck out her tongue in response. "Why don't you tell us your idea?"

"...I'm not certain of the specifics," Sona hesitated. "It's just an idea that fits."

"Gimme."

Under Rias's urging and the expectant eyes of the people in the room, Sona laid out her reasoning for believing Eren might have reincarnated with his memories from another world.

"Anime is totally real," Rias whispered reverently, eyes wide.

"Please focus on the important part," Sona sighed, rubbing her temples.

Had she really lost her first Rating Game to this tit-for-brain?

Was this really her rival?

Sona should reevaluate her life.

"Yes. The important part," Akeno nodded in agreement, but Sona didn't like how her eyes were alight with mischief and how she covered her mouth in a giggle. "Like how Lady Mikasa might now be a rival for Eren's affection."

"Akeno!" Sona chastised. "That's not it at all!"

"You said she was frantic when she left," Akeno, far from looking contrite, continued to stir the pot. "Maybe they were lovers in their last life, reunited after death. Ah, how romantic."

Rias looked like she was taking her Queen's words more seriously than Sona thought they deserved.

"That's no fair," the Gremory heiress muttered to herself. "The childhood friend always wins."

"So I was right?" Issei asked, looking inordinately pleased. "It really is the same scarf?"

"We don't know that for sure," Sona denied, trying to rein in the chaos of Rias Peerage since their King seemed to have fallen into a funk. "And reincarnation was just a guess. Who knows if it's the truth?"

"Maybe they're doing it right now?"

"...Pervert," Koneko pouted at Akeno, but the Queen didn't take the insult to heart, looking lost in her fantasies.

"Sorry, man," Issei said consolingly as he patted Yuuto on the back. "Don't worry, we'll find you another MILF."

"What?" Sona was at least gratified that the Knight looked as baffled as she felt. "No, I'm fine. I haven't had a crush on her in years. I hope they are happy together."

"Why are you assuming they're together!?" Sona yelled incredulously.

"Do you know Aunty's stance on mistresses?" Akeno asked Rias, who was still pouting. "Or do I need to seduce her first? What's she into?"

"No seducing my aunt!"

"At least she will help me convince him to join my Peerage, right?" Rias asked herself, looking like she was desperately looking for a silver lining.

Sona thought she saw a ray of hope that her rival might be at least focusing on the essential parts, like Eren's survival, but the Sitri should have known better.

"Aunty is pretty, but I have bigger boobs, and I'm still growing. And once I'm his King, we can hang out even more. I'm sure he'll like anime. I can make up the difference."

Sona felt despair like never before as she saw what her words had wrought.

Was this truly the Peerage of the woman who, only a few weeks ago, had threatened the Underworld?

Was devil-kind going to be all right once Rias became the Gremory head?

Why was she friends with these idiots again?

Sona Sitri turned to the two individuals who had never really interacted with Eren in desperate hope for some semblance of sanity.

Gasper Vladi watched everything from the two eye holes in his cardboard box.

Xenovia Quarta was-

"Come, Ise," the Knight said, tugging the back of the surprised boy's shirt. "We cannot allow the Child of Evil to have a baby before us!"

"Why are you competing with him at that?" Issei asked incredulously as the woman tried to drag him from the room.

He didn't look like he was putting up much of a fight.

"I'm sure we can find a private room somewhere around here," Xenovia said, ignoring the question. "Devils are famously infertile. We will need to keep trying if we want to beat them."

Issei looked like Christmas had come early.

"Uhhh," Asia wailed, trailing after the pair. "Wait for me!"

Was it too late to join a convent?

Thankfully(?) the trio was stopped before they could leave the room.

Sona never thought she'd see the day when she would look to her sister's arrival as a stabilizing force.

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan has returned!" Serafall Leviathan proudly declared, hands on her hips, as she reentered the room in a flash of pink light.

Sona could do without the dramatic light show that accompanied the teleportation but was genuinely grateful that her sister's arrival had calmed the madness that was Rias' Peerage.

"Welcome back," Sona said instantly, trying to get things back on track. "Why'd you need to talk to Lord Beelzebub? Did you discover something?"

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan has discovered something amazing through the magic of love."

The Satan twirled, shooting off more sparkles, and posed.

Koneko gave the show a slow clap.

Serafall Leviathan beamed at the dimunitive Rook.

"What?" Koneko shrugged at the looks she was getting. "Gotta respect the game."

"Sister," Sona sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples again. Should she take up drinking? No, that would ruin her work. "Please explain."

"Right! I have discovered that Eren Yeager is Dun. Dun. Dunnnnn." Serafall paused dramatically. "From another world!"

Silence.

"Well, at least my guess was right," Sona sighed, the rubbing of her temples gaining new strength.

"Ah," the Leviathan gasped, obviously surprised by their lack of reaction. "So-tan knew? And she didn't tell Onee-sama?"

"I guessed it after you left," Sona explained.

"So it's true? Eren's from beyond the Dimensional Gap?" Rias asked.

"According to Miracle Girl Levi-tan's wonderful deductions, yes he is!"

"Why does Lord Beelzebub think that," Sona asked.

"Pooey. So-tan is no fun," Serafall pouted, but she did explain. "Ajuka-chan used a bunch of words like 'recessive traits,' 'unknown pathogens,' 'magical incompatibility,' and other boring terms."

"I knew giving him that blood was a good idea," Rias said proudly.

"And he's from the same world as Aunty?"

"Yep, yep," Serafall nodded excitedly. "Ajuka-chan thinks they might even have a common ancestor, but that is way back."

"So they're cousins?" Akeno asked, eyes lighting up in another no doubt deviant fantasy.

"Nah," Serafall denied easily, much to Sona's relief. "Mi-chan is super special, ya know? Her blood has a whole bunch of nifty secrets, according to Ajuka-chan. The boy's blood is boring. As expected of Mi-chan!"

A thought struck Sona then.

If Eren really was reincarnated, wouldn't his blood not match her aunt's at all?

Had other people come to their world at some point in the past, and he was descended from them?

"I have a question," Issei asked, raising his hand like he was in class.

"Levi-tan's rival admits his weakness!"

"Rival?" Rias asked, the look of confusion on her face mirroring everyone else in the room.

Except Sona, who just sighed.

"There's talks of making a new show based on the Red Dragon Emperor. It's going to be a tokusatsu style targeting children. Audience reception for the Pilot has been off the charts in the lead-up to our Rating Game. Onee-sama has been complaining about it for weeks."

"Levi-tan is number one!"

"Really," Issei asked in surprise. "Why?"

"A mixture of the Rating Game against Riser Phenex, the novelty of a dragon emperor being a reincarnated devil, the rumours around the fight with Kokabiel, and leaked footage of the Youth Devil Gathering. We've all become quite well known," Sona explained, unsurprised the Gremory Peerage didn't know of their burgeoning reputation.

If she knew Rias, her rival and her Peerage had spent all summer at an anime-esque training camp.

None of them were the type to pay attention to the news cycles of the Underworld.

"What was your question?" Sona asked, pulling them back on track.

"Right. Is coming from another world a big deal?" Issei asked awkwardly, and when he received odd looks, he hurriedly tried to explain. "Like, we're in the Underworld, right? And a bunch of other worlds are real, too, like Heaven and stuff, right? So Ackerman-sama is an Elden from another world, and Eren is, too. Why's that important?"

"Eldian," Sona corrected, one of the few pieces of information she was confident about regarding her aunt's past. "And it's important because before we knew about Eren, my aunt was the only being we had ever met that originated from beyond the Dimensional Gap."

Also, if Eren remembered a past life after reincarnating, that would be the first verified record of such an account.

Sona could write her thesis on his situation alone. That was how monumental this discovery would be for the wider magical world.

"The Underworld is really close to Earth, relatively speaking, in the Dimensional Gap," Akeno took up the explanation. "That's why we could take a train here. Other dimensions are like that, too. We're all floating together."

"Think of it like Bleach," Rias explained in a way a teenage boy would understand. "The Underworld and all other neighbouring dimensions are like Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. But Aunty was Isekaied from Dragon Ball."

"Gotcha," Issei nodded in understanding.

"There have been theories in magical communities that study the Dimensional Gap that believed there were more worlds out there, other realities that operate differently than ours," Sona continued to explain, unhappy to have such impactful and important knowledge reduced to anime lingo. "But nobody could prove it."

"Why not?"

"Dimensional Gap is scary."

"It is deadly to all but the strongest beings," Akeno nodded to Koneko's summary. "And that's just the Gap. Its two inhabitants are the most powerful beings in existence. Great Red and Ophis."

"Isn't Ophis-"

"The power behind the Chaos Brigade? Yes." Yuuto nodded grimly.

"It's why the leaders are taking the Brigade seriously," Serafall, in a rare moment of maturity, warned. "Ophis is only weaker than Great Red, but that doesn't mean the Orroroboros Dragon is weak. It is still more powerful than all the Top Ten strongest beings combined. A list where the Ddraig and Albion at their strongest were only in the middle."

"Ophis is scary~" Gasper wailed from his box.

"Doesn't that mean we're screwed?" Issei asked with worry.

"If it were to fight directly, then yes," Rias nodded grimly. "But we would have already lost if it wanted to do that. Both Dragon Gods are born of the Gap itself. Concepts made real. Infinity and Dreams. Both the Dragon of Infinity, Ophis, and the Dragon of Dreams, Great Red, are powerful enough to destroy Earth, the Underworld, and everything else by themselves if they want to."

"But they don't," Sona took back up the explanation, knowing better than to let panic fester. "Until recently, both were content to live in the Dimensional Gap. It's the only place big enough for them to be comfortable. They would occasionally appear on Earth or the Underworld before leaving again. They're treated like natural disasters, even among the supernatural races. The last time Great Red appeared on Earth, he took a nap on a mountain range. His snores were loud enough to cause earthquakes."

"Who knows what Ophis is planning with the Brigade," Serafall shrugged. "They don't think like us. It's not to wipe us out, or it would have. It is after something else."

Then, as if her moments of seriousness were all an illusion, the Leviathan shook her head energetically, bouncing her hair.

"So uncute. I am glad Mi-chan didn't have to deal with those bullies."

"Anyway," Sona nodded at her sister's words. "That's why my aunt is a 'big deal.' Even if she's not the strongest by our standards, she's still the first being we know of to traverse the Gap and survive the Dragon Gods. Her existence and origin aren't a secret, but we don't advertise it to avoid panic. If Eren is also from beyond the Gap, it is a big deal because others might be too."

"Gotcha," Issei nodded.

"We got off topic for a bit," Sona shook her head and looked back at her sister. "What else did Lord Beelzebub say? Did he find a cure for Eren?"

"No, but seeing him so frustrated is funny. If he keeps up, Ajuka-chan will be as bald as Falbi," Serafall was the only one to laugh at the joke, the others only turning grim at the reminder of their continued failure to cure their friend. "Hey! Don't look so glum. Mi-chan will save him. Just you wait."

"She's going to reincarnate him," Rias asked, at once hopeful and downtrodden. "How can you be sure?"

"Levi-tan knows Mi-chan," Serafall said proudly, puffing out her chest. "If she guessed right, then Mi-chan won't let him die again."

"So you know how they know each other," Sona said eagerly. "How?"

"Um, Levi-tan wants to tell So-tan, but she doesn't know all the details," Serafall said apologetically. "Just that there was a big war in Mi-chan's world, and a lot of people died. The boy who gave Mi-chan her scarf as well. Levi-tan doesn't know more than that. Mi-chan is stingy with her secrets."

"So I was right!" Issei said proudly. "Eren did give her that scarf!"

"Yes, he did."

All eyes whirled to the doorway where Mikasa Ackerman stood.

A few people looked embarrassed to have been caught talking about her behind her back, but Mikasa didn't look bothered.

Instead, Mikasa looked wrung out.

Sona noted that her aunt's eyes were red from crying.

Mikasa surveyed the medical room, her eyes lingering on Sona and Rias for a moment before they turned to her King.

"I just came by to get some of my things, say a few goodbyes and tell you I'll be in Kuoh if you need to find me."

"Mi-chan?" Serafall asked.

"He won't come to the Underworld," Mikasa 'explained' with a minuscule shrug. "Just as stubborn as always."

"So it's really him," Serafall asked, eyes lighting up in glee. "Levi-tan is happy for Mi-chan. How long do you want? Five years? Ten? A hundred? Maids will deal with your house and territory; don't worry. I can have them build a mansion in Kuoh if you want? Or you can live with So-tan. And you have to introduce me. I have to see if this boy is worthy of my Mi-chan!"

"That's all right. Eren has a spare room," Mikasa shook her head gently. "I'll only be gone a year. Maybe less."

The ominous feeling in Sona's stomach turned into a pit.

"Wha?" Serafall's mouth opened in shock. "You didn't reincarnate him? He's not you-"

"No." Mikasa cut her King off, not letting her finish the question. "He's not. He won't be."

"Oh," Serafall whispered, eyes softening in sympathy. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's already more than I ever expected to see him again," Mikasa said, turning away to leave.

Despite her desire to bear impending heartbreak with maturity and grace, Sona noticed her aunt's fists clenched with white-knuckled strength.

"Aunty?"

Sona's call stopped Mikasa in her tracks.

The Pawn turned around and met her niece's questioning eyes. Then she looked around the room at the other eyes watching her in question.

"I can't make decisions for you all," Mikasa said softly to the entire room. "But, if you can trust me one last time."

Her eyes were only on Sona.

She knew.

Her aunt knew what Sona felt for Eren.

So many emotions raged across Mikasa's face, too many and too complex for Sona to grasp.

Two emotions ended up dominating.

Concern and pity.

"Be careful with Eren Yeager. You have no idea who he is. What he's capable of."

Softly, so softly that only Sona and her sister could hear, Mikasa whispered one last piece of advice.

"He'll break your heart."

Then Mikasa Ackerman was gone again.

********

This was supposed to be out yesterday, but I couldn't access it due to power and internet issues. I had to rewrite it all offline and copy/paste it from my phone, so pardon the lateness. It ended up being slightly longer than initially planned, so I hope that evens things out.

Once more, the 'Mikasa controversy' tree is ripe with fruit.

This chapter is partly so we see the DxD character's thoughts and partly to world-build a bit of DxD lore that isn't really in the anime yet, mostly later in the Light Novels, so some of you probably aren't familiar with it.

I know many people are excited about a catfight (pun intended), but I ask that you trust me to do the characters justice when they meet and interact.

I won't say anything more for the moment. I've lingered on this one day for long enough that it is time to get the story going again.

The big pivot of part 3 is over, but now our characters need to confront the change and face the future. Time will speed up once more as we inexorably march towards part 4, our final part.

I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Uh," Asia 'whispered' to her King. "Why are we hiding?"

"We're gathering information," Rias explained to her Bishop, lowering her binoculars.

They were enchanted, as regular human tools wouldn't help devils.

Not that they helped that much, with all the trees in the way.

"Rias is nosy," Akeno piped up, not lowering her own binoculars.

"I am not," Rias huffed. "Proper information gathering is essential to formulating a battle plan. I learned my lesson from our game against Sona. I don't want to be taken by surprise again. So we need information before forming a plan."

"...Nosy," Koneko agreed her set as she surveyed the bench from a nearby tree.

"While I am happy you are seeing the benefits of proper scouting," Sona sighed, rubbing her eyes under her glasses in exasperation. "When you said you wanted to all meet Eren and Aunty together, this is not what I had in mind and is a violation of their privacy."

Sona did not have binoculars.

No, she was not salty about it.

"There is nothing wrong with peeping," Issei defended, though he wasn't trying to spy on the couple(?).

Friends?

Isekai'd soulmates?

Rias didn't know how to categorize Mikasa and Eren's relationship, seeing as she was still missing a lot of details.

One thing she knew was that there was definitely a history there that made Sona's honorary aunt a fierce rival.

"I do think there is something wrong with that statement," Yuuto said, awkwardly scratching his cheek in answer to the Rook's comment. "But as far as I know, they are not doing anything inappropriate, right? And I admit I am curious about Senpai's relationship with Ackerman-sensei."

"Exactly!" Rias agreed with her Knight. "Nothing inappropriate at all. They are just sitting on the bench. I don't even think they're talking. Eren might be napping, but I can't get a good look. Can either of you?"

"No."

"Not on Eren from this angle," Akeno denied as well. "Aunty is leaning on him, though. It is pretty cute."

"Enough of this," Sona sighed. "I am going to talk to them. You are free to join me if-"

Sona's words were cut off as Koneko fell out of her tree with a small 'Eep' of surprise, hitting the ground solidly.

"Ara?" Akeno gasped in surprise, though it wasn't at the Rook's uncharacteristic clumsiness.

"What? What happened," Sona asked hurriedly.

Rias didn't answer, eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly open, a bit of drool leaking out of her mouth.

Asia was already racing to heal Koneko, though the Rook wasn't hurt by such a pitiful fall.

"Buchou? Akeno-senpai?" Issei asked worriedly.

"Ufufufufufufufu," Akeno started giggling like a creepy old man.

"Maybe we should leave after all," Yuuto said slowly, looking at the reactions of the three girls who had been watching through the binoculars. "If something inappropriate is happening, we can-"

"No we will not!" Sona said strongly. "I will not have lew... improper activities happening on school grounds."

"Nothing like that, ufufufu," Akeno denied, still giggling as she lowered her binoculars. "We just got caught, is all. Eren looked right at us."

It took a moment for the implications of that statement to sink in.

"...Eren?" Sona asked hesitantly. "Eren looked at you?"

"Yep," Akeno answered with a broad smile, eyes alight with mischief as she popped the 'p' for emphasis. "And guess what? You know the photo on his passport we have on file? The fake one he used as a mercenary?"

"....Yeah?"

"Did not do him justice."

Before Sona could ask what the Queen meant, a voice interrupted them.

"What are you doing," Mikasa asked, appearing in front of the group in a burst of speed that sent a few of their members scrambling back.

Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't happy.

"Every pervert for themselves!" Issei yelled, taking off running.

Mikasa caught him by the back of his shirt, quickly holding the Red Dragon Emperor in place as everyone else looked at him in confused surprise.

The Rook stopped struggling and looked around, seeming to realize the situation.

"Sorry," Issei apologized with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Instinct."

Koneko punched the pervert in the side, and her fellow Rook winced at the blow.

"Ignoring that," Sona sighed, looking at her aunt. "I simply wished to speak to you two. They are the ones who set up this whole... thing."

"Traitor," Rias muttered under her breath at her rival, having put down her binoculars at the Pawn's arrival.

Mikasa turned her glare to the Gremory Heiress, and Rias grimaced.

Hells, Aunty could be scary when she wanted to.

Still, Rias was unrepentant.

"Eren is my friend," Rias said simply, staring back at Leviathan's Pawn. "Human or devil, from another world or not, Eren is my friend. Our friend. We won't stay away just because you told us to."

Her Peerage looked buoyed by their King's firm stance and nodded fiercely in agreement at the older woman.

Or as fierce as a newborn puppy could look in Asia's case.

Mikasa's face turned from a glare to a look of pained regret.

"I wasn't trying to stop you-"

"Mikasa."

Eren's voice was gentle, yet the Pawn closed her mouth with a click as the older boy walked into the clearing, leaning on his cane.

"It's fine," the older boy said as he approached. "You don't need to baby us."

There were a few gasps as most of the group got their first unobstructed look at Eren's face without his bandages.

Rias fully understood the reaction.

As long as they had known him, Eren had given them the impression of a sickly and frail man, with the top half of his head completely wrapped in white fabric.

Without it, the impression was completely different.

He was still thin, but now it only looked like he was on the skinnier side rather than appearing a few minutes from death. He still leaned on his cane, but Eren held himself with a confidence and surety that was wholly lacking in most men his age.

And his face...

Eren wasn't the best-looking man Rias had ever seen, not even close.

Most supernatural races were just better looking than humans. It was the simple truth. Partly because of magic, but many also had some form of limited shapeshifting. There would never be an ugly devil, for example.

Still, Eren wasn't out of place even beside Mikasa, one of the prettier devils Rias knew.

Long dark hair in a knot framed an angular face with aristocratic cheekbones and grey eyes that seemed to pierce Rias' soul. Those eyes, so long hidden, were further emphasized by long curving markings that stretched from below his eyelids to the middle of his face.

Issei said it best.

"Damn handsome," the Red Dragon Emperor muttered under his breath, eyes wide in surprise.

It was probably one of the better reactions.

Akeno had started giggling lewdly again, and Sona looked like she had forgotten to breathe.

Rias knew the reactions were exaggerated due to a Cinderella-like effect.

The shift of perception from 'weak, sickly and blind' to 'thin, good-looking, and not blind' gave them more whiplash than if they had just seen Eren without bandages for the first time.

Still...

Come to mamma.

Mikasa's glare darkened, but Eren was utterly oblivious to their reaction's subtle(?) nuances.

"It's good to finally put faces to names," Eren said simply, looking around at each of them, his eyes ending up on Issei. They lingered on the pervert for longer than the others, still trapped in Mikasa's grasp. "I'm sure you have questions. Come on."

Eren turned and started walking back toward the bench, and Mikasa dropped Issei to offer an arm for him to lean on. The boy accepted it gratefully, and soon, the pair disappeared into the trees.

"...Damn," Koneko eventually broke the silence, startling everyone from their shock.

"They're grey."

"What was that," Rias asked Sona, shaking her head to get herself back together.

"His eyes," Sona explained with a frown. "They're grey. The passport said they were green."

"I think it's pretty obvious it was fake," Yuuto shrugged helplessly and started following the older pair toward the bench.

"I can guess why and how Eren would use a fake passport," Sona muttered as they followed. "Those marks would stand out. But why lie about his eye colour."

"That's what you are worried about?" Rias asked incredulously. "We've thought he was blind this entire time! He acted blind! I am glad he can see. I am. But I could have introduced him to anime months ago!"

Sona deadpanned at the Gremory, but Akeno stumbled slightly. When Rias looked at her Queen, the half-fallen looked away, ears slightly red in embarrassment.

Before she could ask about it, they reached the clearing with the bench, both Eren and Mikasa having taken a seat, though they were slightly further apart than Rias had seen while spy... gathering information.

"So you're really not blind," Issei asked with all the delicacy of a raging dragon as soon as he caught sight of the pair.

"And you're all devils," Eren said simply.

There were a few winces and sheepish looks, both recognizing they had been keeping secrets from the other.

Still, Rias felt there was a bit of a difference between not volunteering information and actively pretending to be disabled for over a year.

"Why'd you pretend?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I didn't plan on it," Eren sighed, looking away slightly in embarrassment. "My face is pretty... distinctive."

He gestured at the marks around his eyes for emphasis.

"I use the bandages to cover my face while travelling. With my condition, most people don't ask too many questions. By the time I decided to stay here, it was a bit... awkward to suddenly be able to see. For all intents and purposes, I have been blind for the last year. I really hadn't seen most of your faces before today."

Ah.

Was this it?

The fabled Gap Moe?

Seeing the ordinarily stoic or scowling Eren acting all embarrassed and cute was doing things to Rias that suddenly gave her a much greater understanding of her Queen's preferences.

"It was... nice," Eren continued softly, no longer looking away but down at his cane. "Not having to See. It was peaceful."

Ah, Satans, what were they supposed to say about that?

Were they supposed to get mad at the child soldier who decided he had seen enough cruelty in the world that he chose to live blind?

And who knows what his past life had been like? Probably not great.

"Well," Sona coughed slightly. "Now that we know, no more of this facade. At least during lessons. School starts again tomorrow, and I will be busy for the first few days, but after that, your lessons will resume. Now that you can see, we shall begin with hiragana and katakana. The Japanese writing system is much more complex than many other languages, though once we move on to kanji, you might find it easier to distinguish between homophones."

Eren looked at Sona in slight surprise but eventually nodded in agreement.

"I'd like that."

Mikasa looked at her niece, a complex look on her face as the Sitri met her sister's Pawn's gaze. Eventually, the older woman simply sighed and nodded, looking more resigned than mad.

The tension eased slightly after that, and the group of young devils started to relax, taking their own seats where they wished.

Rias brought out the blanket she kept in the storage box under the bench, laying it out for her, Akeno, and Sona while Issei and Asia sat together in one of the hammocks. Yuuto stayed standing, leaning against a nearby tree.

Koneko surprised everyone when she grabbed a few snacks from her pack instead of joining the other girls on the blanket and plopped herself on Eren's lap.

The Rook's blank face looked increadibly smug as she munched away under everyone else's disbelieving stares.

"Comfortable," was all the younger girl said in between bites.

Rias gave Akeno a thumbs-up when her Queen snapped a picture of the cute moment, Eren's face set in a bewildered expression as he looked down at the small girl in his lap.

Mikasa looked around the clearing, a conflicted look on her face.

"Don't mind it," Eren told her softly, placing a hand on hers. "I know you're worried. You don't need to be."

Mikasa looked at their hands for a second but eventually nodded slightly and relaxed against the bench, leaning slightly on Eren's shoulder.

Rias felt a twinge of jealousy at the intimate sight and couldn't help but speak up.

"So, how do you two know each other," she asked. Then, realizing how that could sound, hurried to clarify. "We know Aunty is from another world, and we guessed you were too, right?"

"Aunty?" Eren asked, looking at Mikasa in surprise. The Pawn flushed slightly, pulling up her scarf to cover her face as she looked away. Eren shook his head and looked back at Rias to answer. "It's... complicated. But yes, we are both from another world."

"That's so cool," Issei said, leaning forward. "Were there dragons in your world? Devils? What was it like?"

"It was hell."

Eren eyes were distant as he scowled.

"For the longest time, humanity was prey—cattle. And when it wasn't..." Eren's voice turned bitter, angry, regretful, and full of self-loathing. "We didn't have dragons, no. But we did have devils."

It was Mikasa's turn to reassure the boy, her fingers squeezing his hand as she looked over the bench at the Red Dragon Emperor, who had paled at Eren's words.

"There were no other sapient races, just humans. But you don't need other races to live in hell," Mikasa explained softly. She wasn't glaring at the Rook, but there was a note of warning in her gaze. "Island Devils. That's what they called us Eldians. A racial slur."

"Why would they do that?" Asia asked sadly, the sheltered nun unable to really understand humans hating other humans on a racial level.

"Our ancestors," Eren spat, voice full of loathing. "The Eldian Empire ruled our world for two thousand years. They committed unspeakable acts on anyone who didn't have Eldian blood. By the time we were born, the empire had been gone for a century, but the rest of the world still remembered everything Eldia had done. And they took it out on us."

"They were afraid of a new Eldian Empire," Mikasa continued, her hand squeezing Eren's once more. "It didn't matter that we had no idea about any of that or that nobody alive had been responsible. What mattered was the possibility. Fear and anger will make devils out of anyone."

Eren flinched.

Aunty's lips thinned, but she didn't move her hand or take back her words.

"... Penguin?" Koneko offered, looking sorrowfully up at the scowling boy and offering him a cracker.

Eren blinked down at the girl in surprise.

Then he sighed, his muscles untensing as he opened his mouth. Koneko fed him the cracker, looking pleased with herself.

"...Sorry," Issei apologized regretfully.

"Not your fault. You had no way of knowing any of that," Eren shook his head dismissively. "Just a sore subject. Our world was mainly like this one, though about a century in the past, technology-wise. Even the geography is largely the same, though with differences. No magic, though."

"Closer to forty or thirty years behind," Mikasa corrected gently.

"Really?" Eren asked in surprise. "They got that far? After everything?"

"Some places were better off than others initially," Mikasa allowed. "Armin spent a lot of effort trying to ensure everyone was as close to equal. People felt better that way. Less likely to do something drastic."

"Huh," Eren grunted in thought.

"You know," Akeno singsonged in the brief silence that followed. "You never answered. How do you know each other?"

"Yes, I did," Eren deadpanned at the half-fallen. "It's complicated."

"That's not an answer," Sona said, adjusting her glasses.

"It is," Eren denied with a scowl.

"Not a good one," Rias joined in.

While she was still slightly jealous, she was also dying of curiosity.

They usually didn't pry when Eren clearly didn't want to talk about something, and it was the same with Aunty, but this was too important to let up.

Had she been right that first day? Were they childhood friends who promised to marry?

Rias could picture it in her head.

Two young lovers, cruelly separated by death, only to reunite in another world and finally have a chance together.

Rias would have proof that anime was real if that were the case. She could hold it over Akeno's head for the rest of time.

Which might be worth some jealousy.

"It's the only one you're getting," Eren said, his scowl back in full force as he glared at the Queen, who acted innocent.

Eren was a stubborn mule—they all knew that. He wouldn't explain if he didn't want to, no matter what they did.

But all three girls on the blanket knew someone else who, despite acting strong and stoic, had a surprisingly soft side.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Mikasa Ackerman in supplication.

"It's... complicated," Mikasa said softly, looking away and raising the red scarf further to cover her blushing cheeks.

Unfortunately, she had looked in Eren's direction.

And Koneko, whose watery eyes looked up at Mikasa with all the cuteness of a wet kitten, silently begging for an answer.

The woman caved.

"His parents took me in after mine died," Mikasa explained with a sigh, hand resting on her scarf. "Brother and sister, in a way. Best friends. Then comrades when we joined the military together after they died. Eventually, we got older and... well, things happened."

That was probably all they would get, but Rias could piece things together from there.

Mikasa had been the one Eren had loved, the one he was ready to run away together with.

But either she hadn't felt the same way at the time, was too shy to admit it, or other circumstances stopped the woman from reciprocating.

Eren had gone on to enact that plan of his, the one that had collateral damages he was so regretful of, and the pair had never been able to be together.

And Eren had died.

The discrepancy in knowledge about their home world, Eren's rebirth, and Aunty's shock at discovering he was alive.

It all pointed to Eren's death.

Eren had died young in his home world, but Mikasa had lived a whole life afterwards. She had married, had children, and died an old woman before becoming Serafall's Pawn.

The idea filled Rias with mixed emotions.

On the one hand, it wouldn't be too out of place in an anime, though one a bit grimmer than she usually preferred. If she wanted, she could definitely use it against Akeno.

On the other hand, Rias was a romantic at heart. Eren and Mikasa had clearly loved each other, and still did to this day. To not be able to live together with the one they loved, to be separated by death, even if they were reunited later, it filled Rias with a sense of melancholy.

More than any jealousy, she felt sadness at the idea.

It wasn't right.

Both Eren and Mikasa deserved to be happy.

The world Rias dreamed of, the one she had promised, was one where the people she cared about were free to be happy. Where they weren't forced by other people or circumstances to live in pain, loneliness, and sadness.

Rias, lost in thought as she was, wasn't the only one to realize the implications of Mikasa's words. Sona, too, was grimacing in sympathy, but it was Akeno who had the most surprising reaction.

Far from teasing the pair about the possible illicit implications of their relationship, of having the same parents even if one was adopted, the half-fallen had paled and was looking between Eren and Mikasa.

"Akeno," Rias asked in concern at her Queen.

"Nothing," Akeno shook her head hurriedly. "It's nothing."

Nobody was buying that, but only Eren seemed to recognize what was going on with the girl. His scowl turned into a look of profound grief and self-loathing as he looked away from the young girl and to the ground.

That seemed to be enough for Mikasa to at least get an idea.

"Oh," the Pawn said softly, looking away from Eren to Akeno. "Right."

Akeno looked at the older woman in surprise, as if not expecting her to know about something.

Rias would admit to be dying of curiosity about what the three were thinking about, but even Issei could see how much the topic distressed all three of them.

An oppressive mood settled on the clearing as nobody spoke up.

"I have been curious," Yuuto eventually said in an apparent effort to change the topic. "What are those scars, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind," Eren shrugged, not bothered by the question. On the other hand, Mikasa bit her lip and clenched her fist tightly. "You could call them a side effect of my condition. I also had them in my last life. They do nothing besides make me more recognizable if that's what you're wondering about. They're not magical tattoos or seals or whatever you devils use."

"That's... not really how magic works," Sona couldn't help but put in. "While human magicians use precise magical formulas to enact various effects, a devil's power is much more malleable. While devils do have house seals, they are more like shortcuts to make certain spells easier and act as identification badges."

"I can't use magic," Eren shrugged again. "A holdover from my old world, I guess. And, to be honest, I tried to stay away from devils when I could. Most of the ones I had to deal with as a mercenary were not... Well, we didn't get along."

"Did you know we were devils?" Rias asked, morbidly curious if all their precautions had been for nothing.

"Most of you, sure," Eren nodded easily. "Not Sona, but the Gremory name is pretty famous, even if I tried to avoid devils. The rest of you were pretty clear about your relationship with Rias. I might be thick-headed, but I'm not stupid."

A pit formed in Rias' stomach.

If Eren had always known she was Rias of the Gremory, didn't that mean he...

She tried to shake off the thought, trying to focus on the positives of Eren's knowledge of devils and magic.

They could talk more openly now and get to know each other better without so many secrets.

There was also a greater chance of saving Eren now. He might have turned down becoming a devil, but they could work on changing his mind.

If he and Mikasa really were together, then surely he would like to spend more time with her.

Devils lived tens of thousands of years—more than enough time to make up for all the time the pair had lost together, to make happy memories instead of sad ones.

And Rias was happy. She was.

She was happy she could return to the bench with her friends.

She was happy she could finally look Eren in the eyes.

She was happy he was more relaxed than she could remember him ever being.

That afternoon, in that small park clearing, Rias Gremory was happy.

Still...

A traitorous part of her mind could not help but ask.

Had it all been a lie?

Utterly oblivious to her rival's inner turmoil, Sona took the opportunity to explain devil magic, culture, and history to the boy on the bench.

********

As I said in the last chapter, time will start speeding up again. I wanted this one to be both a transition and to establish a new status quo.

Yes, more secrets are out in the open, but that doesn't mean Eren, Mikasa, or anyone else will suddenly start spilling their guts on everything. Many topics are still just as painful as they have always been. Everyone is trying to find the new boundaries without stepping on toes.

Anyone who has had a friend group that suddenly gained a new addition can probably sympathize.

While a portion of this fic is romance-based, I don't want that to be the sole focus. I have been trying to keep a trifecta balance between 'Story progression, romance and the struggles of daily life.'

Ironically, DxD is better at this than AOT. AOT is peak pacing story-wise, but that is because it almost wholly focuses on the main plot at the expense of everything else. A few chapters to slow down and show a bit more of the relationship growth between Mikasa and Eren would have made the ending less controversial. While DxD suffers from a lack of entire story planning (and a stupidly large harem cast to focus on), every volume is self-contained as a balance of plot progression, romance progression, and daily life.

Eren's knowledge of the supernatural casts all their previous interactions in a new light. His lack of blindness might seem to be accepted relatively easily, but it doesn't mean it is without consequences for the characters, either.

(I also couldn't help paying homage to how absolutely thirsty the internet went over post-time skip Eren. It's not really story-focused, but I was giggling the whole time I was writing about teenage girls being confronted with an 'Oh no, he's hot' moment, so I left it in to lighten the mood slightly.)

Summer is done, fall is coming, and school has started. I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Sorry," Akeno said softly.

"Hm?" Eren asked curiously, looking at her out of the side of his eyes.

It was still surreal, even after weeks, to see him without the bandages covering the top half of his face. The curving marks simply enhanced the effect of his grey eyes.

It wasn't like Eren was suddenly cured or anything. He was still thinner than he should be, still paler, but his eyes conveyed so much more than what she was used to.

Like the softness in them as they watched Lady Ackerman tend to the flowers she was planting along the path in this small park.

"About prying," Akeno explained. "When we first came back?"

Akeno had been trying to find the time to get Eren alone for a while now to apologize, but Mikasa was always with him. Ultimately, she had decided it was better to talk to them together rather than keep putting it off.

Eren looked blankly at her for a moment, then his mouth set into a line, and he looked away, remembering her insistent questioning.

"I didn't mean to hurt you two."

"You didn't," Eren grunted.

Mikasa's movements slowed slightly, but she continued her work without saying anything.

"I did."

Akeno would never forget the look in Eren's eyes that afternoon.

For months, she had thought Eren's admittance to killing his parents had been, if not painless, then at least numbed by the fact that he hadn't spent that long with them.

After all, he wouldn't have had long between meeting them and his retirement.

But that wasn't true.

Eren had been talking about parents in an old world.

Parents who had raised him, loved him, and who he had loved deeply in return.

Parents who had been kind enough to take in a girl who lost her own mother and father.

And Eren had killed them.

That self-hatred, that absolute despair in Eren's eyes, Akeno had seen it before—seen it in her own eyes when she looked in the mirror.

And Mikasa's gaze…

She clearly knew about the incident, whatever it was. Clearly knew that the man she loved had killed the parents who had taken her in as their own child.

It didn't look like she blamed Eren, but she couldn't look at him at that moment.

Not for the first time in the last few weeks of internal struggle did Akeno ask herself what type of world they came from. One where children were put in situations where they had to kill parents they loved.

She wasn't surprised they didn't want to talk about it, but Akeno couldn't help wanting to know more. Wanting to know more about the man sitting beside her and the woman tending the flowers.

What a rotten woman Akeno Himejima was.

"What happened, happened," Eren grunted. "I'll never be able to change that. I made my choices. No matter how much I wish things could have gone differently, they didn't. They are my sins. I've lived with them for nineteen years already, and your questions did not hurt me."

More than he was already hurt by them.

It went unsaid, but Akeno understood.

Mikasa had entirely stopped gardening, but she didn't turn around. Didn't face the pair on the bench.

"Still-"

"I don't need your pity," Eren cut Akeno off. "Don't treat me like I'm made of glass. If you do, I am going to hit you again."

Mikasa made a little noise, her shoulders shaking slightly, and then resumed her work with the flowers.

Akeno couldn't help but smile at the sound. That had been the closest she had ever heard the usually so severe Lady Ackerman come to laughing.

Still, that didn't change what she had come here to do.

"I am sorry," Akeno repeated, and when Eren raised a fist, she hurried to continue. Less of fear of pain and more to not have him strain himself. "For pushing, if nothing else. It's not fair to try and pry when we were keeping secrets from you, too."

"Nobody needs to know everything about someone," Eren shook his head. "Secrets, lies, identities, even our pasts. They matter, but not to others. Only to ourselves. What matters to others is our actions. Yes, I am from another world. Yes, you are devils. But you all have never been my enemy, and I am not yours. For the moment, that is all that matters."

Mikasa looked back at the pair for the first time since Akeno had apologized. The Pawn had never been the most emotive person, but the Queen thought she could sense something in that gaze.

Relief? Concern?

"Maybe," Akeno allowed, meeting her fellow devil's gaze. Mikasa turned back to her work. "Still, I felt I needed to apologize."

"And now you have," Eren grunted again. Either he didn't catch Mikasa's look or, more likely, understood it even better than Akeno and saw no need to address it. "Feel better?"

Akeno winced.

Maybe Eren using his eyes wasn't a purely good thing after all. He had clearly realized how much it had been eating up at her, something he might not have while still wearing his bandages.

At least before she brought it up herself.

"A bit," Akeno admitted with a helpless smile. "I also wanted to explain myself a bit."

Eren just looked at her, no expression on his face. Akeno took a deep breath.

"My father is a fallen angel."

Eren kept looking at her with the same expression, even as she opened her wings as proof.

"He's actually... Baraqiel."

Eren just looked at her.

"Baraqiel is one of-"

"I know who Baraqiel is," Eren said, interrupting Akeno. "I just want to know the point of telling me this."

"Eren!" Mikasa said sharply as Akeno winced.

The older boy looked at the woman, almost as if he was surprised she had raised her voice against him.

He didn't look unhappy about it, though.

Mikasa just shot Eren a look that he was somehow able to understand.

"Right, sorry," he sighed, rubbing his face. "This is important to you. Your mother. She died because of your father, right? Because he was a fallen angel, and so were you. But... I can't help you, Akeno. I can't change who you are. If you just want me to listen, I can do that. But I told you already. You need to be the one to take that step forward, no matter how much it hurts."

A part of Akeno was happy that the confession of her race hadn't changed how Eren viewed her.

Another part felt a little betrayed. Gathering up the courage to talk about this part of her life wasn't easy, and taking that step forward had been a hurdle. To have it brushed aside so easily felt... Well, it didn't feel good.

The most significant part of Akeno felt foolish.

What had she been expecting? Eren didn't seem to care that they were devils. Why would he care that she was part fallen or Koneko was a nekoshou?

Had she been expecting her admission of being part fallen to garner sympathy?

Eren already knew why she hated her fallen side, that her birth had been what led to her mother's death. Had Akeno expected Eren learning that it was her fallen blood was the cause to suddenly change his views?

It all seemed so absurd to Akeno at that moment.

"Fufufu," the Queen couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at the questioning looks she was receiving. "Sorry, just felt very silly for a moment."

Eren clearly wasn't convinced.

"Silly?" Eren asked rhetorically, knocking his cane against Akeno's shins in chastisement. "Our problems might seem silly to others, but they are important to us. Your father... I know of him, like I said, but I don't know him personally. Never met him. I can't judge if he was a good father, whether he was to blame for your mom or not. But whatever you feel for him, whether you hate him or not, is not silly."

Akeno was honestly surprised Eren even knew who Baraqiel was. While he was well known in supernatural circles, to someone who only knew about the supernatural through tangential sources like Eren it was surprising to have heard about him. He was less known than the big names like Azazel or Michael.

Still, Akeno's giggling didn't stop. Less in self-recrimination and more at Eren's actions and words.

He could act like such an old man sometimes. At least she knew why now.

"Grisha."

"Mikasa?" Eren asked the woman turning up dirt.

Akeno also looked at her at the sudden name. Mikasa continued to work, not looking at either of them.

"That was our father's name. Grisha. He took me in after my parents were killed. He was a doctor. The best doctor in the area. He single-handedly saved hundreds, perhaps thousands, from a localized plague. As long as I knew him, he was a gentle, kind man. Never raised his voice. Never had a bad word to say about anyone. We loved him. I named my son after him."

Akeno didn't miss Eren's grimace at the mention of Mikasa's child, but he didn't interrupt.

"We learned later that we were his second family," Mikasa said, the ground ripping with a particularly strong tug. "Before he met Carla, he had another one. A wife he married for political reasons and a son he was nowhere near as kind to. He loved them both, but the man he described in the journals and the man I knew were so different that they would have been unrecognizable to me."

"Before he met my mom, he was the leader of a resistance movement," Eren explained with a grimace when Mikasa trailed off. "He joined it after he watched his sister, my aunt, be torn apart by dogs. They were children at the time, and she was still alive when it happened. He wanted revenge."

"I understand his reasons," Mikasa shook her head, still looking away. "But what he did to his son... I hated Zeke, but Grisha was not a good father to him. It doesn't excuse either of them. But the Grisha I knew and the Grisha back then were two different people."

"What happened?" Akeno asked.

"His rebellion failed. He was caught and sentenced to death. They tortured him and his wife. Before he died, though, he was saved. I don't know if it was Zeke turning him in that changed him, or it was seeing what happened to his first wife."

"It was both and his revenge," Eren said hollowly, eyes distant. As if he was watching it all play out in front of him. "He saw the man who killed his sister torn apart like she was. But rather than feeling happy, he just felt sick. After that, he never wanted to hurt anyone again... until he was forced to."

"... Grisha made mistakes," Mikasa eventually said, her voice soft. "He knew that more than anyone. But he could be the kind man I remember because of those mistakes. I didn't name my son after Grisha, the freedom fighter. I named him after the man who took in an orphaned girl when he didn't have to."

"My- Baraqiel is not like that," Akeno denied. "He's a leader of the Grigori. He's been around for thousands of years. He's one of the strongest beings in the world. He should have been able to protect his family. He should have been there."

"I don't know Baraqiel either," Mikasa sighed, repeating Eren's words. "I am not telling you to make up with him or forgive him. But losing someone you love puts things in perspective. The type of man he is now might not be the type of man he was before. Good or bad, you would regret not knowing what type of man your father is."

Akeno didn't know what type of man Baraqiel was.

She hadn't seen him since she ran away from him, blaming him and herself for the death of Shuri Himejima.

"Race is... it's stupid," Eren grunted, looking away from Akeno. "It's so stupid. I don't know if your dad deserves your hatred or not, but your race doesn't. Hating people because of their bloodline, because of something they couldn't control, is pointless."

Now it was Mikasa's turn to look at Eren in surprise, but she did nod in agreement.

"They called us Island Devils," Mikasa said, putting down her trowel and walking over to stand beside Eren. "The entire world hated us. Feared us. But the people who hurt us the most? They were also Eldian. Fritz, Ymir, Zeke, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, the slavers who killed my parents. They were all Eldian. Race had nothing to do with it beyond motivation."

"This world is different from ours, but in many ways, it's the same," Eren said, leaning back against the bench and looking up at the sky. "When I learned devils, fallen angels, angels, gods, monsters, and every other myth was real, do you know what I felt?"

"What?"

"Nothing. I felt nothing. Because nothing any of these supernatural races can do to humans is worse than what humans have already done to themselves, are still doing to themselves, and will do to themselves. The existence of monsters, of a common enemy, does not change humanity."

"It was not angels, fallen, or devils that created the Holy Sword Project," Mikasa pointed out. "It was humans."

What a bleak way to look at the world.

Still, that got another laugh out of Akeno, this one more genuine.

"As always, you are terrible at consolation. Both of you," she giggled helplessly.

Eren grunted, not commenting one way or the other. Akeno sobered as she continued.

"You are wrong, though, not about humanity but about the existence of the supernatural. It does change things. A lone human, no matter how powerful, will eventually die. No devil has ever died of old age. Grudges will last eons."

It had been humans that killed Akeno's mother. There was no denying that, nor was the Queen trying to forgive the Principle Clans of Japan. Even after Akeno fled, living in exile, the Himejima clan continued to hunt her and try to kill her.

But it was precisely because of Baraqiel's existence that such a thing happened.

The Lightning of God had made so many enemies, killed so many people, and led the Grigori for so long that entire generations of the Principle Clans had fought and died defending their land from beings just like him.

Several of Akeno's ancestors had died against fallen angels who still live today.

To her, those people might be a long thing of the past, but to the clan as a whole, they were enemies they couldn't forgive.

"Grudges and hatred will last centuries, even if their original causes are long dead and forgotten," Eren shook his head.

"There is also the benefit of long lives," Mikasa said to both of them, resting a comforting hand on Eren's shoulder. "Hatred will never fully die. Nor will war. But those who experience and rise above it will live longer, too. The mistakes of the past will not be forgotten over generations."

"We are at peace now," Akeno sighed, knowing what Mikasa was alluding to.

The leaders of the Grigory and Heaven were putting aside their millennia-old grudges for the sake of their people. Even the Satans of the Underworld, younger than the other faction leaders, had still lost family in the Great War.

But it was precisely because they had lost so much that all sides knew it couldn't continue.

Hell, Azazel was now their club supervisor.

He was watching over devil children, a race he had waged war on for countless years, yet he wasn't treating them in any way Akeno could describe as badly, despite his great interest in the Sacred Gears of the Occult Research Club.

If it weren't for Mikasa's liberal use of threats to get him to leave Eren alone, he might be there with them right now.

Akeno hated how petty she sounded, even to herself, when complaining about fallen angels while going to school with their leader and having an actual angel transfer in as a student.

At least Irina was good for teasing Issei. Rias had one-upped Akeno when she had somehow managed to get Ravel Phoenix some alone time with the Red Dragon Emperor.

If Akeno could get the new angel to commit to Issei somehow, she retake her lead in her little competition with Rias over who could get Issei's harem going better.

That, or get Xenovia to finally pursue her desire to have kids without interruption. It was like the universe was conspiring to keep Issei a virgin.

Akeno grimaced, shaking her head.

They had gotten off target about why she had come here in the first place. She hadn't intended to bring up their wounds about their past again when she was meant to apologize.

She was about to apologize again when she caught sight of Eren's face.

He stared up at Mikasa, his eyes wide as if she had just said something that had overturned his entire world view.

"Eren?"

"Sorry," the older boy said at the Pawn's gentle question. He shook his head softly, looking down at the ground and tapping thoughtfully with his cane. "Just... I was just wondering what it would be like if this world had someone like Armin in charge."

"Oh," Mikasa said, eyes softening. "I sometimes wonder about that, too. I miss him."

"Armin?" Akeno asked.

"Our friend," Eren said softly, still tapping thoughtfully with his cane. "Smartest man I ever knew. One of the kindest, too. But he knew how to get things done in a way nobody else could, even when he had to sacrifice that kindness. I... I left a lot of stuff to him because I knew I could trust him."

"We both did," Mikasa sighed as well, sitting on the side of the bench beside Eren. "Still, he always went above and beyond."

"Hmm," Eren nodded, still tapping away. "I see."

Then he looked up, meeting Akeno's gaze.

The tapping stopped.

"Sorry," he said suddenly. "Got lost in thought."

"I did the same," Akeno shook her head with a smile.

"Anyway, are you feeling better now?" Eren asked bluntly. "Don't you have another rating game coming up soon? Issei mentioned one. He's pretty angry."

Akeno grimaced at the reminder.

It was not that she had any doubt that they'd win. Diodora Astaroth simply had no way of beating the Gremory Peerage.

Instead, it was his unwanted advances on Asia and continual requests to Rias for a trade, combined with his inability to take no for an answer, that had her grimacing.

If anything, Akeno was looking forward to trying out her Holy Lightning on the Astaroth heir. She had a good idea now how to do it without hurting herself.

"Are you worried?" Eren asked, mistaking the reason for her grimace. "Don't be. It'll turn out fine."

"No," Akeno denied. Then, seeing an opportunity for mischief, she continued with a fake sigh. "I am just worried about leaving you."

Eren and Mikasa furrowed their brows at the Queen, though the Pawn looked noticeably more wary.

"I'll be fine," Eren grunted in displeasure. "I have been until now. Go fight your game."

"Ah, but before, we weren't leaving you at the mercy of an older woman," Akeno 'lamented.' "What if we return to find she has had her wicked way with you?"

The younger girl shivered in delight at the red hue both Eren and Mikasa's faces gained under her teasing words.

Akeno hadn't seen them so much as kiss, despite how close they were to each other at all times. She didn't know why they maintained such a boundary in their relationship. They clearly cared deeply about each other.

Something was holding them back, but that was one area Akeno knew well enough to leave alone.

Still, they were almost 'pure' in their reactions to her teasing, and Akeno couldn't get enough of it.

Seeing them together, talking to each other without words and with looks only the other could understand really showed how close they had been in their previous world. It made Akeno sort of jealous, but also devilishly pleased. She felt like every time she touched Eren, she was pulling a trick on the older devil.

Ah, what a rotten woman she was.

"I will be there," Mikasa said, her voice low and dangerous. "Sona is facing Sairaorg before your match, and I promised to watch her matches."

"Alas," Akeno sighed dramatically. "Eren must go unattended. Do not worry. I shall return to your side as soon as possible to keep you company."

Eren's blush had disappeared, and he was just looking at Akeno with a blank face.

Mikasa was grinding her teeth.

Maybe Akeno had gone overboard?

"Do you remember ODM training?" Eren asked suddenly. Mikasa looked at him and nodded slowly. "I think Akeno is feeling better. She could use similar training before her match."

Mikasa's eyes lit up, and Akeno suddenly felt very vulnerable.

"Eren?"

"I've always found that most supernatural creatures that can fly don't know how to use their wings to their advantage," Mikasa said lowly, two swords appearing in her hand.

"Eren? You'll save me, won't you, Eren?"

"No."

It took barely a second for the boy to be left alone again as the Pawn chased the Queen into the distance.

Eren wasn't watching them.

Instead, he spent the time thinking as his cane tapped away the hours on the bench.

********

Hmmm..... What to say with this one?

A bit of a time skip, but not a long one. More will come, but this is kind of a return to form to the first parts of the fic, only with Mikasa added to the dynamic. So much of what passes between her and Eren goes unsaid in AOT, and I am trying to get accross as much without dialogue as with it.

At the same time, both Eren and Mikasa are different from the last time they really 'hung out' as it were. That was before the trip to Marley and Eren's disappearance. Since then, not only has the Rumbling happened and Eren's death, but nineteen years for Eren and eighty for Mikasa. They are the same people the other knew as children, yet their views have also evolved.

Hell, the difference between pre-Marley Eren and post-Marley Eren is already so different to the readers, and Mikasa never really got the chance to talk to Eren after that change. These evolving relationships, these changes, cannot be ignored—at least in any fic that wasn't to continue from the ending of AOT.

I won't say much more, just that Akeno is as fun to write as always, and that we are still a bit away from the end of part 3. I am looking forward to the next chapter, and I know many other people are, too, so I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Vali's in place, nyaa," Kuroka said, sliding along the bench to cuddle up to Eren and rubbing her face affectionately against his side.

"Hm," Eren grunted in acknowledgement, tapping his cane rhythmically against the ground.

Kuroka looked up to the boy, glad to be able see his eyes since he decided to get rid of those annoying bandages when on the bench.

"Nyaa?" She rumbled in question at his distant look. "Did something happen? This was an important step, right? Vali said you nagged him a lot."

"It is," Eren answered absentmindedly. "I can't see why it's important, but it is. Otherwise, the entire plan falls apart. And I'm glad we can get rid of that annoyance."

Kuroka hummed, continuing to rub her face against his chest.

"Is it because you can't see it because of the bench?"

"Yes and no. There is a blank spot the entire time I'm on the bench, and I can't check it now. But my presence with Vali would also lead to failure. I know what happens. Vali has told me in other futures, but I don't know what the exact steps are because those are not this future, the one that will happen."

Eren paused, sighed, and stopped tapping with his cane.

"That's how it has always been. I see the end I want. I try to replicate the steps to get there. I try and try and try to find the best way to get there, one where I don't hurt people. But there isn't a future like that. I can only control myself. I wouldn't control others even if I could. So I have to focus on certain key steps and moments that have to go right to get the future I want."

As always, hearing about Eren's powers was endlessly fascinating to Kuroka.

Not only because any future Titan Kittens might inherit the same powers and because she wanted to be able to help her children but also because it allowed her to understand Eren more. His mindset. His burden.

His limits.

"Any new discoveries, nyaa?" Kuroka asked curiously as Eren started scratching behind her ears just the way she liked it. When he looked at her blankly, she elaborated: "About the bench and your powers?"

"I think it is time-based, not proximity," Eren said. "I think if I don't sit on the bench for a while, my vision will return. Either all at once or slowly. I haven't tested it. Longer than a few hours, at least longer than twelve, maybe a day. I don't know."

It was an interesting tidbit but not really what Kuroka had hoped for. Still, it was something.

"So you knyaaow when you'll leave the bench?" Kuroka couldn't help the yawn that escaped her as she stretched lazily, laying across Eren's lap.

She didn't forget to flaunt her breasts, of course, but Eren was still lost in thought and didn't react.

"Not the exact date," Eren denied. "I've been here for over a year and been unable to use that form of my power. But I do remember the general time frame. It's getting closer."

Kuroka looked up at the young man as he gazed at the sky.

"Is that why you are like this? Or is that woman?"

Eren's hands froze on her head.

Only for a second, then he resumed.

"Mikasa is part of it," Eren admited, not looking at Kuroka.

"Are you certain it is her? It could be a trap from one of the factions of the Brigade or the New Satans."

"It's her," Eren denied immediately. "She knows things I never told anyone. And even after all these years, she is still... her."

So many feelings roiled in Kuroka's chest at the thought of Mikasa Ackerman.

There was jealousy abound. There was jealousy at the emotions in Eren's voice when he spoke about her, to her, or around her. There was jealousy at the way the pair could silently communicate so fluidly. There was jealousy at the secrets the two shared only between each other, secrets that even Kuroka was ignorant of.

She was jealous that the love that seemed to have been reserved for Kuroka was now something she had to share with a woman who came out of nowhere.

Apart from jealousy, though, there were many other emotions.

Hatred, for one.

Kuroka had always known there was a woman in Eren's past he had loved, even if he never spoke about it. The way he danced around the issue had made that clear.

While Eren never said anything, Kuroka had put enough pieces together to know that this woman, this Mikasa, had hurt Eren. Whether it was accidentally or on purpose, Kuroka didn't know, but she hated the woman who had hurt the man she loved.

If that had been all, Kuroka would have had no problem hating Mikasa Ackerman.

But life and emotions were never so cut and dry.

After discovering the pair together on the bench, Kuroka had watched them over the last few weeks and realized something.

She saw it in the wonder in his eyes when he looked at her, like every time he saw her, Eren couldn't believe she was real and with him.

She heard it in Eren's voice when he asked Mikasa about their old world. The closure Eren had always been missing as he listened to what happened to friends he had left behind.

She felt it in the touch of his skin, the omnipresent tension that had lightened ever so slightly as if a burden he had carried for so long had been taken from his back.

She understood it in the way Eren acted. The life that had been absent in the automated machine for years was slowly bursting to the fore.

Eren had changed from his time on the bench. He would continue to change, Kuroka was sure.

But Kuroka also realized something, watching the man she loved look at another woman with evident love: He would not change alone. It took these young devils to get him started, Kuroka's support to carry him along, and more.

Eren needed Mikasa.

If Eren was ever to heal, he needed this woman.

And Kuroka couldn't bring herself to hate someone who could be the key to Eren's smile.

But it hurt.

It hurt to not be the one Eren needed.

So yes, Kuroka's feelings about Mikasa Ackerman were mixed, complex, and not easily dealt with.

And they hadn't even properly met yet.

"It's her, then," Kuroka said, pressing her face into Eren's chest so she didn't have to look at him. "She's part of it, nyaa. What else are you thinking about?"

Eren didn't say anything for a long moment, just running his hands through her hair.

"It's... everything," he eventually answered. "Mikasa, me, our world, this world, how we got here, why we are here... Everything."

"You are still trying to find out why you are smiling in the end, aren't you? Leviathan's Pawn is not the reason."

"...No. She's not. I am happy to see her. So happy. Learning about what happened after I died is more than I could have ever hoped for. I am so glad I got to wrap that scarf around her again."

His hand stopped moving through her hair.

"But?"

Kuroka felt Eren start to shake.

"But her presence makes everything so much worse."

"Nyaa?" Kuroka asked, pulling her face away from him to judge his expression.

Eren stared resolutely at the sky, teeth biting his lower lip and his fist clenched.

"She'll understand," Eren spat as if accusing the sky. "Mikasa will understand the horror of what I am going to do. Nobody in this world would have, but she will. And... I don't think I can do that to her. Not again."

"You love her."

It wasn't a question.

They both knew the answer.

"I hurt her," Eren eventually said. "I hurt everyone, but of those I... cared about, her most of all. And she didn't deserve it. None of them did. None of you do. But it's all I do. Hurt people. More than anyone, I hurt the people I love."

Eren took a deep breath, and his shaking stopped.

As he let it out, the rage left him with the air.

Leaving a husk.

A simple Senjutsu technique Kuroka had taught him to maintain control.

She hated seeing him use it.

"I didn't want to. I still don't want to. But I will. I know I will hurt everyone. The future I've seen, that terrible day, is getting closer. I can't stop it. So why? WHY?! Why was I smiling?"

It always came back to that smile.

Mikasa's presence was necessary to help Eren change, but it wasn't everything.

So Kuroka did what she always did.

She took all those complex feelings, jealousy, pain, and hurt, and she buried them deep within herself.

Kuroka didn't deny them. No practitioner of Senjutsu ever would. They'd have their time.

But that time was not now.

Right now, someone she loved was in pain, and she was the only one who could help them.

Kuroka sat up, adjusted her kimono, and, in as fast a move as she could make, grabbed Eren's chin and pulled him down for a kiss.

Not even two years ago surprising him was impossible.

Now? Eren froze at the brazen act of affection, mouth opening in surprise, and Kuroka deepened the kiss.

Long, deep, and filled with every emotion she could convey, Kuroka kissed Eren.

Eventually, the surprise faded, and Eren began to kiss back.

Satisfied, Kuroka pulled away with a smile and a rumbling purr.

Which immediately turned into giggles at the embarrassed flush on Eren's face.

"That's better, nyaa," Kuroka said, leaning against Eren's chest again. "You need to stop obsessing about the future. You said it yourself. It will happen. You might not know why you are smiling in the end, you might not know until that moment, but you will know then, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts!" Kuroka held a finger to Eren's lips and gave him a saucy smile. "Stop worrying about the smile. Maybe you can't understand it because you are trying to, nyaa? Instead of asking why you're smiling, ask a different question."

Eren looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped, bit his lip again, and hesitantly spoke up.

"Why me?"

"Nyaa?"

"Not—" Eren cut himself off, took a deep breath, and started again. "Not just why do I keep doing this. Why her specifically? Why Mikasa and me? It's not a coincidence. It can't be. Out of everyone from our world, it's both of us. And this bench happens to be right where the sister of Serafall Leviathan is going to school? It's obviously someone's plan."

"Why they want you is obvious," Kuroka said. "Your power and what you will do with it."

While Eren had never confided every step of the plan to anyone, not even her, Kuroka knew more than anyone else. She could think of a hundred different beings who would want Eren to follow his plan and at least a half dozen factions.

"Maybe it's Ophis' big plan, nyaa?" The Stray Devil said with a giggle, and even Eren snorted dismissively.

Ophis might have the power to organize something like that, but the Ororboris Dragon was... not a long-term planner.

"I understand why they want me," Eren nodded, starting to tap his cane again. "It's Mikasa's presence I don't understand. If they know me, they'd know I am less likely to go through with it with her here."

Kuroka suppressed the twinge of jealousy again and seriously thought about the matter.

"She must have some role to play in the plan. You can't see her, right? But she's Leviathan's Pawn. She's important." Kuroka's words didn't ease Eren's worries, so she tried something else. "Maybe it's not about your plan. Maybe she's important after?"

"After?" Eren asked as if the word was foreign to him. Tap tap.

"After you... die." Not that Kuroka would let that happen. "You can't see after that either, right? Maybe her part comes later."

"After," Eren repeated, trailing off. Tap tap.

"You never thought about what will happen after we're done, nyaa?"

"I know what will happen," Eren shook his head. "It will be the same in my world. Devil, angel, human, it doesn't matter. People are the same everywhere. Even now, when the world knows about the Chaos Brigade knows about Ophis, they aren't changing. A common enemy will never unite people for long. They'll get right back to fighting each other as soon as they can. Some haven't even stopped."

Tap tap.

"Sure," Kuroka nodded. "But I don't mean in general. I mean her specifically. You don't know what she'll do after, right? You said she'll understand. Maybe she's here to understand you?"

"Understand me? Can anyone ever truly understand anyone else?"

Tap tap.

"Never completely, nyaa," Kuroka shook her head. "It's impossible to completely understand someone. But, with enough time and effort, we can understand parts of each other. I might not understand the Eren from your world, but the Eren with me now? I understand him a little more every day."

The tapping stopped.

Eren's mouth opened, but no sound escaped.

Kuroka continued.

"You'll hurt her. I'm sure you don't want to, but you will. Either when she finds out who you are or when she finds out what will happen."

Just as Kuroka could see the love in Eren's eyes, she could see it in Mikasa Ackerman's every movement around the boy.

"She'll fight us," Eren said slowly, not looking at the woman beside him. "She won't succeed, but she'll fight us. They all will. They're good kids."

It took Kuroka a moment to realize Eren was talking about Shirone, the Gremory Peerage and Levithan's sister, on top of Ackerman.

"You'll hurt them too," Kuroka nodded with a grimace. Shirone wouldn't be happy, but she'd understand in the end. Kuroka was sure she'd understand. Still, best to cheer up Eren for now. "But they are strong kids. She lived after you died once, and they will, too, right? They have their entire lives ahead of them."

Eren would, too, if Kuroka had anything to say about it, but she didn't tell him that.

"You're right," Eren still spoke slowly as he looked into the distance. "They'll be here long after I'm gone. So will she. Mikasa's strong—the strongest. She'll never give up."

While it didn't feel nice to hear him complimenting the woman, Kuroka was at least glad Eren wasn't brooding anymore.

Then Eren looked at her, something in his eyes that even Kuroka had never seen before.

"You too," he said. "You'll be here. You all will be forced to live the world I'll build. Mikasa will understand, but you won't. You can't."

She didn't know why her survival was a revelation to him. Eren had flat-out told her that she didn't die.

This also wasn't the first time Eren had spoken about their inability to understand what he was doing.

It wasn't like he was concealing it either, so it wasn't a secret. It was more like Kuroka was missing some context, and she still wouldn't get it even if he told her flat out.

If Ackerman would understand, then it had to be related to their home world. Something only people who had lived there, who had experienced it first hand, would understand.

"Kuroka," Eren suddenly demanded, grabbing her shoulder and continuing to stare into her eyes. "I can trust you, right? Fully?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

Did he know? Had he always known?

Still, Kuroka knew how his ability worked, so if she ever admitted to it, even if caught, he could peer into a future where she did so and know the truth.

So Kuroka lied.

"You can," she nodded. "You know you can, nyaa."

Eren continued to stare into her eyes.

"Not just with the plan," he continued. "With everything. Can I trust you even after I die?"

This was getting too close for comfort for Kuroka, so she deflected.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her, nyaa," Kuroka said reassuringly.

"Hurt her?" Eren repeated, looking confused.

"Mikasa, nyaa~" Kuroka singsonged. "I'll make sure not to hurt her."

"What?" Eren asked, baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"Your harem," Kuroka said with a sly smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure there's no infighting."

Eren flinched, recoiling from her and letting go of her shoulder.

"We've never- I mean, I've never..." Eren babbled, shame covering his face.

Kuroka pressed the attack.

"I never expected you to be so sly," Kuroka giggled. "You shut down everyone in the Brigade. Was it just because you have a type? Jeanne will be so disappointed."

"Wha-"

"I see you with them, you know," Kuroka leaned forward on the bench, pressing herself against Eren. "The way you have those girls eating out of the palm of your hand. It's the dark hair, right? You should have told me."

"Kuroka."

"Poor Gremory. She'll have to dye her hair. Not Shirone, though. I forbid it. She's too cute as she is now. You'll just have to learn to love white hair, too. You'll have time. She's too young right now."

"Enough."

The steel in Eren's tone froze Kuroka in place.

It took her a moment to realize where she was, hands pressed on both sides of Eren's head as she loomed over him, tails waving frantically in the air behind her and ears flat against her head. Her breasts had even spilled out of her kimono.

Eren wasn't looking at any of that, though. His grey eyes bore into hers, unflinching even though he had been pushed against the side of the bench.

"Sorry," Kuroka said softly, pulling away and looking at the ground as she readjusted her clothes.

Eren watched her, not saying anything until she had composed herself.

"Matting season," he asked.

She appreciated his voice's lack of judgment or accusation, but it wasn't needed.

"No," Kuroka denied, still not looking at him. "Just got carried away a bit."

She wasn't lying, per se. She had diverted his attention with teasing as intended, but seeing his reactions had encouraged her on.

Why was it that she had to hide when Eren could finally express emotion?

Kuroka repeated the trick she had taught Eren, taking a deep breath and letting her frustration out with the air.

"What was that about?"

"Just... coming to terms with the change, I guess."

"Change?"

"I'm not the only one you love anymore."

Eren didn't say anything.

She didn't expect him to.

"Like I said, don't worry. I'll make sure not to fight Mikasa after everything. And I'll make sure the others are taken care of. Shirone cares for them, too, so I'll be seeing them a lot. You can trust me with them."

"That's... not really what I was worried about."

"You don't need to worry. Harems are the norm in the supernatural world. Once we can talk, I'm sure I can get along with her."

"That is really not what I was worrying about. You've been following Issei, haven't you?"

"Don't worry," Kuroka repeated. "Like I said, it's pretty standard—not just for guys but for girls, too. We nekomata are encouraged to have kids from a wide variety of races, you know? Devils are known for it, of course, but every long-lived race has some form of polyamory. Can you imagine being in love with only one person for thousands of years?"

"Yes."

"Then you are the exception, not the rule. Regular humans with no power have trouble lasting a few years, so imagine when you live for centuries, are surrounded by beautiful beings, and have a low fertility rate. Monogamy just isn't viable long-term for most of us. Even humans have lived most of their history with some sort of system-"

"Kuroka," Eren cut her off, and the nekoshou shut her mouth with a click.

She had been rambling, following a train of thought, all while unwilling to look at the man with her.

Ah, Kuroka had tried. She had really tried.

Why couldn't she just be happy?

"Kuroka," Eren asked, the steel bending into a hint of worry. "Are you all right?"

Was she?

"No," Kuroka denied, unwilling to lie. The tears came, heavy and wet. "I'm not."

She finally looked at him, trying to give him her usual teasing smile, even through the tears.

Her lips moved upwards, but the weight kept pulling them down.

"The man I love is going to die soon, and I can only spend time with him in secret."

It was Eren's time to look away in shame once more.

Even if Kuroka planned to change that future, she knew the odds weren't great. Everything Eren had ever predicted had come true without fail.

Neither said a word for a long moment.

Ah, she must look like a mess. She couldn't do this.

She needed to be the cool Onee-sama.

She needed to be the woman leading the Chaos Brigade.

Kuroka needed to be someone Eren could trust.

"Sorry," Kuroka repeated, wiping her eyes. "It's not your fault. I made the decision to go to Stray before ever meeting you. I have to live with the consequences."

"I could-"

"You cannot leave," Kuroka cut off with a glare, eyes still wet but unwilling to entertain the idea. "Not until you have to. I will not force you to live like you did before just because I am feeling lonely."

She wanted to be with Eren, but she wanted him to be happy even more.

Like it or not, Eren was happier here, on this bench, than he had been in all the years she had known him.

Kuroka didn't take that personally, understanding that his power, more than the lack of her presence, was the main factor.

It still sucked balls, as Shirone would say.

"You could-"

"No, I can't," Kuroka's glare redoubled. "They find out I am here and we will have to move forward with the plan early, and you'll have to leave. It's not even Ackerman. It'd be the same if she was gone. So, no. I will not meet them until it is time, either."

Eren's jaw clenched, fists tightening around his cane.

He wasn't angry at her, Kuroka knew.

"You don't deserve this," he eventually growled through clenched teeth. "None of this. None of you do. Yet I..."

She never wanted to see that look on his face.

Kuroka raised a hand to gently caress Eren's cheek, rubbing her fingers along his shifter marks and giving him a sad smile.

"You don't deserve it either," she said softly. "Nobody deserves anything. You told me that. But I have never regretted any of it. I never regretted loving you."

Eren leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers.

"I still have time," he said softly. "We still have time."

"We're going to make the most of it, nyaa," Kuroka said with a wet smile. "I'll take every second with you I can. But..."

Kuroka took a deep breath, steeling her resolve.

She had been vacillating on this decision for weeks, ever since learning who Mikasa Ackerman was to Eren.

In the end, Kuroka chose those she loved.

She always did.

"Before you leave the bench, you need to tell her how you feel."

"Kuro-"

"And!" Kuroka cut Eren off. "And you'll tell her about me. At least everything you can without jeopardizing my role. After that... Whatever happens after that, I want you to do what makes you happy."

"Kuroka," Eren said softly, pulling away and looking at her in bafflement. "Why are you doing this?"

She knew what he meant. Eren would never be able to give her the same... permission she had just given him.

But she was not Eren Yeager.

She was Black Cat Kuroka, the most infamous Stray Devil alive.

"Because I would want the same in her situation. I do want the same. Knowing someone you love is going to die, and not being able to hold them one last time... I don't want to feel that. I don't want someone you love to feel that either."

Kuroka hadn't been lying about the polyamory aspect of the supernatural world. Everything she had said was true.

It was increadibly common, and she had honestly never expected to 'settle down' as it were with someone. She had expected to find men she liked, certainly, but never stay with them long.

Kuroka had never forgotten her mother, nor had she forgotten what happened to the woman who gave her heart to one man alone and the tragedy that followed.

Kuroka had never understood Fujimai until meeting Eren.

She was increadibly jealous of Mikasa Ackerman. That had never changed and would never change, whether the other woman was with Eren or not.

Kuroka wasn't jealous of the kiss she knew they shared.

Kuroka was barely jealous that Eren loved someone else. She had honestly expected something like this years ago with how universally attractive power was to supernatural races. Eren had power in spades.

No, Kuroka burned with jealousy because she was no longer number one in Eren's heart.

She had been.

For years, Kuroka could say with a hundred percent confidence that Eren loved nobody like he loved her.

Now, she couldn't.

And that hurt.

Because there was nothing she did wrong, nothing she could do, that would change reality.

Kuroka knew emotions didn't work like that. Eren couldn't just stop loving Mikasa, any more than Kuroka could stop loving him.

There was too much history there. History Kuroka hadn't been a part of and barely knew about.

She knew.

Kuroka knew that she just had to say the words, and Eren would never touch Mikasa in that way again.

She knew because he hadn't, even after all these weeks, even kissed her again.

If Kuroka wished it Eren would live the rest of his life and go to his death having been 'loyal' to her.

And he'd never smile then.

Not when he repeated one of his greatest regrets.

Not when he was forever haunted by the love that never was.

For the man she loved, for the smile they both wanted to see, Kuroka would live with her jealousy.

"I'm doing this because I love you."

It was not a night of passion.

It was not a romantic fairy tale.

It was a kiss tinged with salty tears, fueled by grief for an inevitable parting and lament at the complexity of love and life.

And it was just as beautiful as any other moment that passed on the bench.

********

This is one of the rare cases where I deliberately went against canon portrayal. I do think it has a sound basis, though, given that this Kuroka has had a vastly different experience in recent years compared to her canon counterpart.

Canon Kuroka would have been like, 'You like Mikasa? What are you waiting for? Invite her into bed. I'm gonna watch.' It would have been less of a catfight when they meet and more like Kuroka teasing Mikasa to rile her up and running away because she couldn't be bothered with an actual fight.

I wanted to give her a bit more of a nuanced perspective.

Yes, DxD is a world where harems, polyamorous relationships, and the like are common. I tried to be a bit more logical with the reasoning besides 'power, boobs, unga bunga.' Even if these people are culturally inured to the concept in a way we (as people who might live in largely monogamous societies) are not, it doesn't change the fact that feelings are messy, painful things.

Kuroka might be fine with Eren boning other women, but does she feel the same about him loving others more? And what about Eren? Does he feel right about this? Mikasa is sure to have an opinion as well.

Kuroka and Mikasa will inevitably meet, but that isn't for a while yet. For now, Eren has to contend with revelations, plans, emotions, and upcoming meetings. He still has a ways to go before he can smile.

We'll be with him until then, waiting for the next meeting on the bench.

PS: For those unaware, my other fic, Rapturous Rhapsody, finished on Friday, April 12th. After two years and 750k words, it is finally done. What that means for On The Bench is that starting in May, we will return to two chapters released a week. Sunday will remain the same, but I'll also begin releasing on Fridays now that the slot is open.

That's not till May, though. I will catch my breath and finish ironing out my plans for the final part, part 4. I expect this story to end sometime in the summer.

Until then, I will be waiting for you all on Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

What a great day!

Issei Hyoudou couldn't stop grinning.

Not when he woke up after getting little sleep.

Not when he had to sit through the school day bombarded by questions by his classmates about his derpy expression.

Not when his two friends accurately guessed the reason for his great mood and started trying to beat him up.

Issei didn't even notice their attacks, thanks to his Rook durability, too lost in the memory of the night before.

The stupid smile did not even leave Issei's face as school finished, and Buchou gave the club a day off to rest after the battle yesterday.

Sure, Issei was alone at the moment, most of the girls dragging a red-faced Asia away and Kiba aiding Gasper with his powers, but he didn't let that get to him.

Issei simply decided to go for a walk, enjoying what a great day it was with a broad, stupid smile on his face.

"What happened?"

"Senp- Eren!" Issei jumped in surprise at the interruption of his idyllic thoughts.

He hadn't realized that his wanderings had taken him down the well-trod path toward the bench and its occupants. Ackerman-sensei sat up from where she had been leaning against Eren on the bench, looking over the boy.

As always, understanding what the Pawn was thinking was difficult, but the older boy was an almost open book with his emotions.

Eren's lips had thinned at the title Issei had almost called him, but he didn't comment.

Issei appreciated it.

Unlike the others who had gotten used to international standards of names, he had lived his entire life until only a few months ago in the Japanese nomenclature system. (A word Issei had heard Kachou use!)

While the others used suffixes to blend in, and Language translated it for him when they didn't, Issei still found it difficult to unlearn the habits he had grown used to.

"Did something good happen?" Eren asked again.

Issei didn't answer, reminded of last night's events, and his expression returned to that derpy grin.

"Yeah," he sighed in wonder, drawing a deep breath to appreciate what a wonderful day it was. "It was... great."

Eren's brows furrowed, and he looked at Mikasa. The woman was just as in the dark as him, though, and gave a minute shrug.

"That's... good," Eren said doubtfully. "Mikasa was telling me about your Rating Game and what happened. It's good to see you... happy, even after all that."

Issei flinched, reminded of the disaster that was their battle against Diodora Asteroth.

Sure, the devil scion had been getting on his nerves for the last few weeks with his incessant confessions to Asia and request for a trade. Still, Issei had not expected that the man would be in league with the Chaos Brigade until he used those weird snakes of theirs to fight the Gremory on equal footing.

And his Peerage...

Issei felt his good mood vanish as he was reminded of those women.

"Um, Ackerman-sensei?" He hesitantly asked, rubbing his cheek awkwardly, unsure how to do this.

"Yes?" Mikasa asked, face still inscrutable.

"Uh, what's, um, going to happen to them? The Peerage, I mean."

Mikasa's eyes softened, and Issei finally got something he could identify from her. Sadness.

"They're going to be alright," she said softly. "We, Serafall and the others, they have experience with these kinds of problems. There are programs in place to help people like them recover. They'll be safe. They'll heal."

Issei bit his lip, looking away.

Hearing that Diodora's victims had a chance at recovery was a weight off his back, but Issei did not miss the implication.

Devils had systems in place because this had happened before.

He had never really given it much thought about how lucky he was to have Rias as his King.

'Akeno. Do it.'

Sure, not everything was perfect, but Buchou did her best to take care of him. To take care of all of them.

It was one thing to hear about how other devil Kings could treat their Peerages and another thing entirely to see it in action.

Riser Phenex, the Yakitori, might have been a pompous ass, but his Peerage had genuinely cared for him. It was one of the reasons Issei had been jealous; Riser's harem had been, in a way, what Issei had always dreamed of.

What Diodora Asteroth had done, the lying and manipulation of naive women, separating them from all they had ever known and... breaking them...

It was like a punch to the gut.

A direct blow to every ideal Issei ever held.

A cruel mockery of Issei's dream.

A rage Issei had never known had burned in his chest. Never before had he felt such pure anger, such hatred for another being.

Then, even that anger was eclipsed when he believed Asia to have died because of Diodora's spiteful vengeance.

For the first time in his life, Issei understood why people feared the Red Dragon Emperor.

And now, he did too.

[Partner] Ddraig said softly. Consolingly. [Juggernaut Drive is not something you should ever use again. Not under any circumstances. I don't want to lose my favourite wielder.]

Issei wanted to smile. That was the first time Ddraig had ever called him that.

But he was lost in the memories of the rage.

"You told me hating someone is easy," Issei said, leaning against a tree and looking at the sky.

"It is," Eren said sombrely. "Rage is the easiest emotion to feel. Hatred is just rage with a target. We can create any number of reasons to hate."

Issei had lost himself in that rage, willing to burn the world and himself down if it meant satisfying his bloodthirst.

And if he had, if none of his friends had been there to stop him...

If Kiba hadn't fought him tooth and nail.

If Akeno-senpai's holy lightning had been less effective.

If Rias had let her grief consume her like he had and not defended her Peerage from his rampage.

If Koneko had not been there to take his blows.

If Xenovia hadn't hugged him...

Issei would have died.

Issei would have burned up his life force to fuel a rampage against a dead man.

If he didn't kill anyone else, that is.

And he would have never seen Asia again.

It was only dumb luck that Vali's team had been passing through the Dimensional Gap at the exact right time to rescue Asia before she died.

Without that dumb luck, Asia would have died, and so would Issei.

"You were right," Issei said, fists clenching. "I killed him. Killing him was easy because I hated him. I still hate him. I... I killed him, and I don't feel bad. I should feel bad, right? I killed someone. But I don't. Is it because I'm a devil? Because I am a bad person?"

"Being a devil has nothing to do with it," Ackerman-sensei said, and Issei looked around, realizing she was standing beside him while Eren remained on the bench. Watching him. "All it does is change race. The physical body. The resurrection does not change who we are. Who you are."

"Then I'm-"

"No." Mikasa cut Issei off. "You are not a bad person either. You are a boy. Hating someone who hurt you is normal."

Not just hated.

Killed.

Diodora Asteroth had been the first person Issei had ever killed.

He had defeated plenty of people before. Whether it was the occasional Stray Devil or Yuu-Raynare and her group, Issei had fought plenty of enemies who ended up dead.

But he had never killed anyone.

Was that why Buchou tried to finish all the Strays herself? To spare her Peerage the responsibility?

Was that why Akeno-senpai and Kiba were the ones to kill the fallen angels and stray exorcists?

Had Issei been protected all this time and not realized it?

This Peerage, these friends, this family, he was so lucky to have it.

And that made Diodora's actions so incomprehensible to him.

"I... I..." Issei stuttered, wiping his eyes furiously to look into the older woman's eyes. "I don't understand. Why? Why do something like that? If it's not because of being devils, why are people like this?"

"Race doesn't matter," Eren joined in, staring intently at Issei from the bench. "Devil. Human. Dragon. It doesn't matter. There are animals in every race. Monsters that look like people. But most? Most people who hate, kill, fight, and die? They are like everyone else. They have things they care about. Things they want to protect. Things they will kill for. And they are not bad people. Just people."

"I-" Issei cut himself off, unsure what to say.

It had been easy to ignore these feelings before, to live life pretending that everything was great, that nothing bad had truly happened, and that nothing would.

Last night had been wonderful. Everything he had ever dreamed of.

It was easy to drown worries in joy.

Asia was alive, after all.

Issei had been stopped before he hurt anyone he cared about.

A happy ending, right?

But even losing his virginity could not erase the fear in Issei's heart.

Fear of the future. Of what he might do. Of who he'd become.

"I hated him," Issei eventually said. "I still hate him. I don't feel bad that he's dead. That I killed him. But.."

"But," Eren nodded as if understanding Issei's words before he ever spoke them.

"But I feel bad that I don't feel bad. I don't want to do it again," Issei admitted. "I like my power. I like Ddraig and being a devil and fighting in Rating Games. But I don't like hating people. I don't like killing people. I don't want to live like that."

"You will need to," Eren said softly. "The world is not so kind to give us what we want."

"I know that," Issei said sombrely. "I know I'll have to kill other people. Some I don't hate."

Already, Chaos Brigade was becoming more active. Issei knew that he'd end up fighting them more and more. He'd end up killing some of them. People whom he didn't know and didn't hate.

Would you die for me?

There would come a day when Issei Hyoudou would kill others to defend his way of life.

And he didn't want to become that type of person.

"It gets easier," Mikasa said sadly. "It's not a consolation. The more you kill, the more you fight, the more you lose, the easier each battle and death comes. You become numb. But nobody is the better for it. You become stronger, but strength is not happiness."

There was a long moment of silence in the clearing with the bench. Issei was lost in thought, Mikasa giving him time to think, and Eren...

Eren was biting his teeth in a grimace, fists clenched around the handle of his cane.

He didn't look angry, Issei idly realized. He looked determined. Resolute.

It was like Eren was going to do something he didn't want to do and was gathering his courage to step forward.

But step forward he eventually did.

"I told you how we met," Eren eventually said, nodding at Mikasa but eyes never leaving Issei's. "Do you remember?"

"Yes," Issei nodded, wondering where the older boy was going with this. Mikasa seemed to know. She was touching the red scarf around her neck and looking down. Not in shame, Issei didn't think, but in memory. "You rescued her from slavers, then she rescued you, and you gave her that scarf, right?"

"Right," Eren sighed, leaning forward and resting his chin on his cane as he looked at Issei.

But he wasn't looking at Issei. He was looking beyond the Red Dragon Emperor to another world and another time.

That fierceness never left him, though.

"I was six. There were three of them. To rescue her, I killed two of them with a knife. Do you know what I felt?"

"What?" Issei asked part horrified at the idea of a boy that young killing someone, part admiration for Eren's willingness to save a girl he didn't know, and part fascination at another piece of the puzzle that was 'Eren Yeager.'

"Nothing," Eren said simply. "They were animals. Nothing but beasts that looked and talked like humans. I was angry at what they did, but I felt nothing for killing them."

"I killed the third one," Mikasa said, voice just as plain as Eren's as she retook her seat beside him on the bench. "Stabbed him in the back with the same knife. They killed my mother. My father. They wanted to sell me into slavery. And I... I didn't hate them. I was too numb to feel anything at the time. But I killed him anyway. Because I needed to fight. To live, we must fight."

"Those bandits weren't unique, either," Eren continued, squeezing Mikasa's hands and gazing into the distance. "I've killed so many. Some, I took pleasure in their deaths. I hated them. Others, I was putting down animals. Even more, they were just enemies. No hatred or love. Just a path of corpses toward my goal."

Eren took a deep breath, his gaze returning to Issei even though his eyes had never left him.

"Most... most of the people I've killed didn't deserve it. They weren't enemies, animals, or people I hated. Innocent bystanders. Friends. Loved ones. I've killed them all. Those... Those I feel every day. So no, you are not a monster because you killed someone or will kill again. You are just a boy who gained power. The same as me. There is no one way we are supposed to feel, no 'right' way to live. But we must live."

"Why..." Issei asked, voice cracking. "Why are you telling me this?"

"So you can understand," Eren said, voice grim. "So you don't make the same mistakes I did."

"The mistakes we did," Ackerman-sensei corrected. "I've done the same. I've killed comrades. I've killed bystanders. I've... killed loved ones. I shook. I cried. I grieved. But I did it anyway."

"You need to understand," Eren repeated, eyes boring into Issei. "Killing is something that happens when two sides clash. Ideals. Benefits. Hatreds. It doesn't matter. Even if we think the reasons are stupid, even when it seems so pointless, it is something that happens for a reason."

"I don't want that!"

"Nobody wants that!" Eren growled, physically shaking in rage. At Issei, himself, or the world, the Rook didn't know. "I didn't want that. She didn't want that. Nobody wants to kill others for no reason. Only animals want to live like that. But that is life."

Issei almost stumbled back as Eren rose to his feet, cane in hand and taking a step toward the Red Dragon Emperor.

"As your power grows, your ability to kill will too. It will grow and grow and grow until your every step crushes dozens of lives. And you'll do it. Because you have those you love, those you hate and those you want to protect. All heaven and earth will tremble with your every step. So you need to understand the cost of that step forward!"

"Eren." Mikasa barked, not unkindly but firmly, as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Eren blinked in surprise, the spell broken, as he looked at Mikasa's hand. Then, to her face, worry and concern shone through a warning expression.

Then at Issei, caught in a back step, Boosted Gear on his arm and raised defensively.

Instinct was a powerful thing.

"Sorry," Eren said softly, eyes not leaving the red gauntlet as he sagged backward back onto the bench. "I got... Sorry."

Mikasa looked at Eren, a question and concern in her gaze, and he just nodded and sighed. Her lips pressed together, but she did not comment.

She retook her position on the bench, sitting even closer to the boy as if her presence could heal him.

It struck Issei then how old the two people on the bench were. Not in age—he didn't know their exact ages—but in experience.

In life.

Issei wasn't a soldier or a war-weary victim. He was a perverted teenage boy who just happened to be born with the soul of a red dragon in him.

Half a year ago, his greatest worries had been getting a date, a harem and whether his grades were good enough to stay at Kuoh Academy.

So much had happened in such a short time that he wondered if his past self would even recognize the 'Issei' of now.

What would he look like after living a life like this?

Would he look like Eren and Mikasa, haunted by their past and their deeds?

Why... didn't that seem so bad?

It wasn't his dream or even his goal. It wasn't what he was working toward. But...

There was something beautiful about those two people on the bench, together and happy for that simple pleasure.

Even if he came to regret the choices he made today, Issei didn't want to be alone if he ever became the boy on the bench.

[He isn't wrong, Partner.] Ddraig said, the green gem in the Boosted Gear flashing with his every word. Both Eren and Mikasa looked on, not having heard the Red Dragon Emperor's voice before now. [My hosts are always powerful. And the actions of the powerful have consequences. Some will challenge you just because of what you are. You will either need to fight and kill or die.]

"I know that!" Issei snapped, helplessness colouring his voice as he sank to the ground, resting his back against the tree. "I know that. I just... I don't want that. I don't want to live like that."

"You're an honest boy, Issei Hyoudou," Mikasa said softly, almost motherly, as she looked at him. "Honest and kind. But you have power. We can help you. We can prepare you. But only you can decide how to use that power. What do you want, Issei Hyoudou?"

"I want a harem," Issei answered instantly.

Mikasa Ackerman blinked in surprise, but Eren didn't even twitch.

[Partner.] Ddraig said, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

It had been almost instinct, an automatic response for him.

Issei wanted a harem. As simple as that.

But it wasn't simple, was it?

Not too long ago, at the Peace Conference, Azazel-sensei had asked Issei for his opinion as the Red Dragon Emperor.

Did he support peace?

Issei had said yes, but only after being told that he wouldn't be able to enjoy time with his girlfriend if they were at war.

Issei was just as a schoolboy thrown into the deep end of wars, hatreds, and goals thousands of years old. He hadn't felt he knew enough to make a decision. Even with all this power and all this 'potential' that people said he had, he simply didn't have the knowledge or experience to understand what 'war' was. What it meant.

Now he knew.

Now Issei had his answer, what he wanted to do with his power.

His goal had never changed, but it was stronger now than it had ever been. More refined. Clearer.

"I want a harem," Issei repeated, more strongly this time, as he looked into Mikasa's eyes. "I want a bunch of women with wonderful Oppai that I love and who love me. I want to live with them, do naughty things with them, go on dates with them, and have a big family with them. I want to be the Harem King!"

"That's..." Ackerman-sensei clearly didn't know how to respond to that, looking to Eren for help.

Eren was just watching Issei intently.

"I'm not smart enough to try and fix the world," Issei continued, standing up. "I don't know anything about wars, killing, hatred, or anything like that. All I know is that I need to be strong to live with my harem in peace. I want to be so strong that nobody will ever be able to hurt those I love!"

"That is just more power," Eren challenged. "Even if you are the strongest person in the world, the world will still attack you."

"Then I'll be tough enough to endure every attack!" Issei responded, pounding a fist against his chest. "Even if Orphis, Great Red, or everyone attacks, I will endure it all! I'm going to be the strongest Rook!"

"Nobody can endure forever," Mikasa warned. "To live, we must fight."

"I know, but I'll fight like a Rook," Issei responded. "If my every step kills, I'll make as few steps as possible. I might have to kill people again, but I will only do it when I need to. I will be so strong that getting me to move will be almost impossible. I'm going to become the strongest wall to ever exist!"

It was like Issei's words punched the two in the gut.

"That is-"

"A Wall," Eren said contemplatively as if tasting the word on his lips as he interrupted Mikasa with a squeeze of her hand. She shot him a worried look, but Eren was still looking at Issei.

"A wall to protect everything I want to protect!" Issei reaffirmed, gauntleted fist clenching.

"Walls are... they are a defence, but they are also a cage," Eren warned. "If you become a wall, all you protect will be confined. Trapped in your shadow."

"Huh," Issei asked in confusion, not understanding what Eren was getting at.

"Walls keep people safe," Mikasa said with a severe look. "But people will come to depend on you. Use you. They will cease doing things for themselves, trusting their Walls to protect them instead of learning to protect themselves."

"Ah," Issei nodded, realizing what the pair were talking about. "I know. People will want me to do stuff like that when I get stronger. Want to use me. Buchou has been teaching me all sorts of stuff. But that's fine."

"That is not fine," Eren growled. "Walls create a different kind of animal. Cattle. Those who sit within their pens waiting to die. You cannot let that happen!"

"Um," Issei scratched his cheek in awkwardness, realizing he had made a mistake in explaining himself. "That's what my harem's for, right? And my friends?"

Both occupants watched Issei, clearly nonplussed at his answer.

"I'm going to defend them," Issei explained. "I'll be the strongest Rook, a wall that will never break. But... I'm not that smart. I know that. But my friends are. So they'll protect me, and I'll protect them, right? Buchou will never let people use me. I'll make sure I don't, um, trap them?"

Issei tried to use the metaphor they were using but wasn't sure he got it right.

"Buchou wants us to be free, so I'll let her worry about that part. I just need to get stronger so I don't have to kill people and can defend better."

Ackerman-sensei looked like she wanted to argue something but couldn't decide what words to use.

Eren just looked like he was considering the younger boy's words.

Eventually, Eren closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked back at the Rook.

"Issei," Eren said, and something about his voice made the Red Dragon Emperor sit up straighter. "I will trust you to not become a Wall that stands in the way of freedom so long as you understand one thing."

"What?" Issei's croaked, throat suddenly feeling dry.

"All Walls fall."

Eren words had the weight of a guillotine.

"All Walls must fall."

Eren was trying to tell Issei something important. Issei had never heard that kind of gravity in the older boy's words before.

"For people to grow, to be free, they need to tear down the Walls that surround them. Do you understand what I mean?"

Issei thought he did but couldn't answer Eren's question without knowing for sure. Not when this seemed so important to the boy on the bench.

Thankfully, there was someone there who understood Eren.

"When a wall falls, it happens because of two reasons," Mikasa said, voice just as serious as Eren's but more warning than threat. "Either an enemy has destroyed it, and it has failed. Or, those it protected tear it down themselves, and it has succeeded."

In a moment of clarity, Issei understood.

There would come a day when his existence as a defender was no longer needed. When there was peace or those he protected were strong enough to fight on their own, Issei had to be ready to step down.

No matter how strong he became, Issei couldn't force his protection on others.

He couldn't become someone like Diodora, who just lived without caring how others felt. Otherwise, he'd have lost the entire reason to become the strongest Rook.

His wall needed to fall if his friends and his family ever needed to go beyond his reach.

Issei needed to see that moment when he was not required, not as a threat but as a victory.

"I understand," Issei answered as seriously as he could. Giving his chest a thump with Ddraig as proof, he gave the boy on the bench the promise he needed to hear. "No matter how strong I get, I'll never be a wall blocking those I protect."

The two on the bench must have believed him, as Mikasa's lips quirked upward and her eyes softened. Eren let out another deep breath and slumped back against the bench.

"I'll trust you," Eren said, not looking at Issei but up at the sky. "This time, I'll trust you, Issei."

Issei grinned, chest filling with warmth.

"You can count on me Sen- Eren!"

Eren didn't look at the Red Dragon Emperor as he spoke, but there was... something in it that filled Issei's chest with that same warmth.

"... I suppose you're my junior in this. You can call me Senpai if you want."

For the rest of the day and the day after, Issei's grin never left his face.

The grin was less derpy, less pure than the one he wore when he left school.

But this smile was all the more beautiful for it.

Issei couldn't help but be reminded how great a day it was as he left Ackerman-sensei and his Senpai on the bench.

*********

I won't comment too much on this one. So much happened in such a short time in this chapter—for the characters and for the story. I fear I'll spoil too much if I start talking about it.

I'll just say that Asia's rescue after the whole Diodora fuck up was always a sticking point with me. It is way too far-fetched even for the suspension of disbelief DxD usually asks of its audience. At least in this fic, there is a reason it happened.

I will also note that Diodora is Issei's first confirmed kill in DxD. It's never given much weight because Issei's not that self-reflective as a character, Diodora was an asshole, and it would be a tone shift, but I wanted to at least show another aspect of the change Eren has brought to his friends. Through spending more time with Eren, they are becoming more self-aware. Even Issei.

I know some were expecting a Mikasa chapter after last week's chapter, but Eren is not prepared for that discussion yet. He doesn't even know what he wants to do, so we'll have to be a bit more patient.

Till then, I will meet you all again next Sunday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Why am I here?" Sona asked wearily. "I have work to do."

"Oh, relax," Rias said, tossing popcorn at her rival.

It missed, sailing over the couch and bouncing off Tsubaki's glasses. Rias gave the Queen an apologetic look before answering Sona's question.

"We're here for some downtime," Rias said. "No training, no talk of Rating Games or work. We're just here to have fun."

Sona narrowed her eyes at the Gremory.

"I would believe that if I didn't know for a fact that you are still training your power under the couch," Sona said, adjusting her glasses so they glinted in the light. Rias looked unapologetic at the accusation. "I also know you are doing this to brag about your Rook."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Akeno's King would have been more believable if she wasn't positively radiating smug satisfaction.

"Ufufufu," Akeno giggled at the glare Sona was sending Rias. "She's not wrong, Kachou. It has been a stressful few months. Taking a night off won't kill us."

"Some of us have duties to attend to," Sona sniffed.

"You'll work yourself to death with all your duties," Rias rolled her eyes, tossing more popcorn into her mouth. "You've been so busy lately that I've barely seen you on the bench."

Sona shot a quick glance to a corner of the room at Rias' words.

She wasn't the only one whose eyes travelled in that direction every few minutes. Half the teenagers gathered were sending looks that way every other moment.

Akeno was one of them.

On a plush long chair, with a smug Koneko on his lap and Mikasa next to him, Eren Yeager looked distinctly uncomfortable. His eyes roamed the large, opulent room as if searching for an escape route.

There was something about seeing the sickly boy anywhere but on the bench that seemed so... Not wrong, but it certainly was something Akeno was having trouble getting used to.

Granted, going from a plain wooden bench, even one surrounded by luxurious amenities, to the private home theatre the Gremory had installed when remodeling Issei's home was a significant change.

It was another moment of surreality that seemed common these days where Eren was concerned.

"How did you convince him to come to... this?" Sona whispered, leaning forward as if the question would attract the older boy's attention.

"Cuteness is justice," Rias 'explained.'

Sona looked at Akeno for a proper explanation.

"Koneko-chan was with Eren and Aunty," the hybrid nodded in their direction. "They were going to go home for the night, but she asked them to come. Eren doesn't show it, but he's really soft on Koneko. It's cute."

"Still," Sona whispered. "This isn't the type of thing they would enjoy."

Akeno doubted Sona needed to be that careful about attracting their attention. Both Gremory and Sitri Peerages, as well as Irina, were in the room, and nobody was trying to be particularly quiet.

Really, if it weren't for the prime drama going on right here, Akeno would have been in the thick of things, teasing and instigating all sorts of mischief.

Oh, what great targets there were now that Issei had been... unsealed.

Should she try to instigate the new angel to fall, convince Xenovia she and Issei needed to 'practice' some more, or tease Asia into a blushing mess?

Choices, choices.

Even if she didn't poke Issei and his little harem, Akeno was not lacking for other targets. While she'd feel bad about messing with Saji after his clear rejection by Sona, the way those other girls were pressing against him was fertile ground indeed.

"It's because it's his Kohai's big movie debut," Akeno giggled. "He'd never miss it."

"He would," Sona deadpanned. "Neither my aunt nor Eren appreciate this kind of... childishness."

"Maybe they've learned the joys of Tokusatsu," Rias sniffed in haughty dismissal. "I don't expect you to understand its subtle intricacies and mature appeal of the genre."

"You don't get to say that to me," Sona retorted. "You're not the one who had to listen to their sister break down children's shows, genre by genre and trope by trope and explain, in great detail, why Magical Girls are mathematically superior to all others."

"That..." Akeno hesitated with a shaky smile. "That sounds like Leviathan-sama, alright."

Sona's face was haunted, staring past Akeno toward some no doubt traumatic and horrifying memory.

"Four and a half hours. She had me frozen to my chair for four and a half hours. I just visited to talk to my mother. And she had... costumes."

Hmmm, Akeno should try to spend more time with Serafall-sama if she gets the chance. Seeing how Sona shivered in fear sent a wonderful shiver down the half-fallen's spine.

Rias, at least, decided to take pity on her rival.

"You haven't been around for a while, but something happened between Eren and Issei," Rias explained. "I think Eren said something that really inspired him. Issei's been giving training his all, even more than usual."

"...Your last Rating Game, perhaps?" Sona offered, and all three young devils grimaced at the reminder. "Still, I suppose it is for the best. Better his time be spent training than getting up to his usual perverted antics with his friends."

It was a clear topic shift from Diodora Astaroth, but nobody pointed it out.

"I don't think Issei needs to worry about that anymore," Akeno said slyly. "He has other... outlets."

Rias sent her Queen an aggrieved look, but Akeno returned a smug smile.

They had both agreed that Asia was a foregone conclusion and the 'head wife,' so she wouldn't count in their little bet, which meant Akeno was currently in the lead since Xenovia was the only other to officially join Issei's little harem.

Until either Irina or Ravel Phenex, both girls Rias had chosen to push forward, the score was one to zero in Akeno's favour.

It wasn't all peachy; Akeno was still searching for a second candidate that not only liked Issei but wasn't just a power-digging slut looking to hook up with the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Why are you so busy anyway," Rias turned from her smug Queen to ask her rival. "It's not academic, right? You're not even on campus."

"No," Sona denied, slumping back in her cushion. "I am, unfortunately, suffering from success."

Despite the words, Sona did not look happy. Just tired.

"You're sponsors?" Akeno guessed, and the Sitri Heiress nodded tiredly.

"I knew what I was getting into, but I underestimated how... bitter some members of our nobility are about the peace. Just this week alone, I have had a dozen meetings with Lords and Ladies of various ranks discussing how I intend to build my school, where it will be, and what its initial focus will be on."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Rias offered with a shaky smile.

Sona glared.

"If it were just them wanting to make certain that their wealth and influence was put to good use, then no, it wouldn't be too bad," Sona growled in a rare display of open frustration. "But it's not just that. They not only want to ensure favourable treatment for anyone they will send in the future, but they also want to ensure other races are taught the 'truth about devil culture.' Nepotism at its finest, and they are all but demanding I turn my school into a brainwashing center for propaganda."

"Your words did have a certain... target," Akeno said delicately. Sona's glare turned on her. "All I'm saying is that was your plan, right? Target the malcontents that would oppose your dream and turn them into allies. Then, by the time they realize what's happening, it's too late for them to stop you and you'll have the support of their political opponents."

"I know," Sona sighed, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. "As I said, I just underestimated... or I guess I overestimated them. I can almost understand some of the animosity. Those who lost family or friends in the Great War want to ensure that they don't lose in this new culture war. It does not excuse their demands that other race students be treated as slaves, but I can at least understand where they are coming from. Others though... they have asked for some truly vile conditions and have been none too subtle of the threat of withdrawing support if they are not met."

"Like what?"

"The tamest of which would make Diodora look like a saint," Sona deadpanned. "Since I've started taking these meetings, I have had fifteen marriage proposals, twice as many unwanted sexual advances, and five who all but demanded I prostitute my Peerage. I've actually been able to give your brother some names for him to investigate. You'd be amazed how some of them talk when they think I'm just a dumb girl riding my sister's coattails."

"Are you going to be all right," Rias asked, worried for her childhood friend.

"I might not be as strong as you, but I am not weak," Sona waived off the concern. "Very few of these reprobates are Ultimate Class, and Aunty is on the premises if I ever feel in danger. No, it is more likely exhaustion than violence that will kill me."

Unsaid was that even the most foolish devil noble knew how much Serafall Leviathan dotted on her younger sister. They might try to pressure her for benefits, but nobody was dumb enough to try and physically force Sona to do something she didn't want to do.

That was a great way to have your entire territory suddenly enter a new ice age.

Coincidentally.

"Still," Rias worried her lip in concern. "I know this is for your dream, but wouldn't it be better to put things off till you're older and stronger."

"The only reason I am getting this much support is the recent peace conference," Sona denied. "The outrage is fresh and that leads to impulsive decision making. It is either I lay the groundwork now using that resentment as fuel, or I wait decades for things to settle down. While that path might be safer, it doesn't account for any incident that might happen in the meantime. Besides, I've already started down this road. I'll see it through to the end."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Rias offered.

"Thanks," Sona gave her friend a slight smile but didn't look relieved. "I do not mean to vent, but I am just... disappointed. I knew there were bad actors and malcontents among the 31 Pillars, but I suppose I wanted to believe it was simply a few bad apples. But it's not. It's pervasive, even after the Great War and the Civil War. I guess I just hoped they had learned something. That they were better than all this."

"You both are fortunate," Akeno couldn't help but point out. "Your siblings and family are very modern and permitting. Just because a Pillar family sided with them during the Civil War does not mean they did it for the right reason. They maybe just wanted to preserve devil-kind, and now that population has recovered, they want to regain their lost glory."

It was a testament to how much they had gone through recently that neither heiress protested Akeno's words.

Not too long ago, they would have argued against any intervention from their siblings and family.

Now? Both Rias and Sona couldn't help but nod grimly, well aware by now of how sheltered and privileged they had been all their lives.

"That's what your school is for, isn't it," Rias told her rival, trying to bring the mood back up. "To help people learn from other's mistakes? You just have to put up with these types for a few years, then they'll have no choice but to bend to the times."

"I hope so," Sona sighed again, then visibly gathered herself, looking around the theatre. "So, when will this show begin? And I thought it had been airing for a while in the underworld?"

"We're just waiting to receive the final product," Rias said with a smile, returning to her popcorn. "The show is still mid-season, but it's been so popular that the studio decided to make a special movie. That's what we're watching tonight."

"We will have the first showing," Akeno elaborated. "It was actually done last week, but apparently Issei found out it was going to happen through Ravel Phenex and asked for some last-minute edits. The public won't see it for another month or so."

"What sort of edits would take a week," the Sitri heiress asked with a furrowed brow.

Sona would know all about the absolute marvel magic conjoined with technology had brought to film and television. Even if she didn't want to.

Serafall Leviathan had been the pioneer behind the incredible speed of the devil entertainment industry's rapid project completion. It was the only way she could film her show, movies, and specials while also attending to her duties as a Satan.

"Issei won't tell us," Rias pouted, throwing a piece of popcorn over to her Rook.

Even surrounded by his girlfriends, with a pleased smile on his face, Issei instinctively opened his mouth and caught the food, not taking his eyes off Xenovia's bust the entire time.

"He's really shy about it," Akeno smiled mischievously. "I can't wait."

"Be nice," Rias chastised her Queen. "And you, try and relax."

"Very well," Sona said, relaxing into her chair and idly swiping Rias' popcorn bucket. The red looked affronted, but Sona paid her no mind. "I can spare a few hours."

Then Sona froze, popcorn halfway to her mouth and glared at her friend.

"My sister can never find out about this. If she heard I watched her 'rival's' movie instead of one of hers, I'd never hear the end of it."

"Tell Aunty that, not me," Rias said as she stood up to grab another popcorn bucket from the machine against the back wall. As she did, she nodded toward where Mikasa and Eren were talking with Yuuto in low tones, Koneko napping against Eren's chest.

"... I'll talk to her tomorrow," Sona eventually said with a conflicted look on her face.

Akeno noted it but didn't tease her about it.

Eren's situation was already difficult for all of them, but having her aunt be the woman Sona's crush had confessed to loving and Lady Mikasa return those feelings would surely put Sona in a rough position.

Akeno wasn't entirely convinced Sona wasn't just using her work as an excuse to avoid the bench and its daily occupants.

However, she didn't have time to ask the student council president about her theory as Rias let out a cheer behind them.

"Got it!"

With a quick flash of magic, the Gremory King had a case in her hand. She hurried to set up the movie and returned to her seat as the theme song began.

'Zoom Zoom Iyaan.'

The room quieted as everyone sat back to watch the movie without talking.

They may be devils, but they weren't evil, after all.

The premise of the show was straightforward.

Ise Gremory was a young devil who made a pact with a legendary dragon to protect his friends when their school was attacked by evil monsters. After that, he goes on to fight other threats to devils.

All of which was relatively common for children's shows.

What was uncommon was Ise's love of breasts.

The man who loves breasts and fights for breasts. He turns into the legendary Oppai Dragon to defeat those who do evil deeds. He powered up by talking about boobs, seeing boobs, and touching boobs.

It lent the show an absurdist, comedic, and light-hearted tone while still appealing to more mature audiences.

Akeno could admit, if nothing else, that the production quality was well done. Although she didn't usually enjoy the genre, she could see why it became a monstrous show, boasting viewing rates of around 50%.

It was helped that over half the current devil population were either reincarnated devils or the children of such, meaning a large portion was very young compared to most supernatural races.

The movie covered the Oppai Dragon's origins, the first time he met the legendary dragon and the deal they made, which hadn't been shown in the show yet.

There was, however, one moment in the movie that took everyone by surprise.

Near the end, during the attack on the school, the legendary dragon demanded Ise Gremory demonstrate his conviction before agreeing to partner with him.

Cue a flashback.

Ise Gremory, a young devil sitting in a park.

Beside him on the bench is an older boy, face cast in shadow.

"Someday," the older boy said, taking a hand from his cane to ruffle Issei's hair affectionately. "Someday, you'll face a choice. You will have to choose what sort of devil you want to become. I am trusting you to make the right choice."

"I will! I promise!" Young Ise Gremory swore, eyes wide as he held a fist out.

The two boys knocked fists.

The flashback ends.

Ise Gremory stands up, covered in the red armour of the draconic scale mail.

"I promise!" He shouted, thrusting his fist out as if fist-bumping someone who wasn't there and destroying the monster tormenting his friends.

The leitmotif of the theme begins.

"I promise to become a devil that will defend all the Oppai in the world! So, trust me! I am the Oppai Dragon Emperor!"

The fight begins and, powered by the legendary dragon and by touching his girlfriend's boobs, Ise Gremory wins in grand fashion.

The movie ends with a shot of the Oppai Dragon Emperor flying away into the sunset, off to defend all the Oppai of the world.

"What." Sona demanded, popcorn fallen to the floor and forgotten. "What did I just watch?"

"Ufufufufufufu," Akeno was laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing.

Rias wasn't much better, biting one of her knuckles to keep from laughing as well.

"Well, um," Issei started to explain, face red as half the room looked at him. "Everyone else has a role, so I figured, you know, it wouldn't be fair if Senpai didn't as well. And, uh, the studio really liked the idea. I mean, they really, really liked it. They decided to rewrite the ending of the movie to include him."

All eyes turned to the back of the room.

Eren Yeager looked completely poleaxed, eyes wide and mouth open, as he stared at the credits rolling across the giant screen.

The look of confusion, complete bafflement so at odds with his usual severe expressions, sent Akeno into an even deeper fit of giggles.

Nor was she the only one.

Mikasa was facing away from Eren, mouth covered and shoulders shaking in silent laughter of her own.

"Congratulations," Yuuto said, prodding Eren on the shoulder companionably. Not one ounce of mockery could be heard in his voice. "My character is a villain in season 1 and doesn't join till season 2. He hasn't even shown up yet. When this airs, everyone will want to know who you are."

Shaken from his surprise by the nudge, Eren looked at the Knight in horror.

"They told me he will appear here and there for flashbacks," Issei said proudly, seeing he wasn't being yelled at. "'A mysterious senior with a hidden past! Who is he? What does he want? How does he know Oppai Dragon?' The director was very excited and said he'd sprinkle in scenes through seasons 1 and 2 to tease the audience. Still, since those are already written, you'll be a mysterious background character until you appear in season 3. Sorry."

"...That's-" Eren said, still looking confused but no longer horrified. He took a deep breath, released it, and looked at Issei again, face once more composed. "That's all right. I... appreciate the thought. Thank you."

Issei beamed.

The rest of the evening was spent eating, talking about the movie, chatting with friends, laughing, and discussing everyone's own favourite shows.

Akeno was glad to have a memory like that.

Eren had been right.

Memories like that were what pushed you forward when the world seemed determined to see you stop.

Such as when, the next day, Azazel appeared with a perverted old geezer, a hapless Valkyrie, and Akeno's father, Baraqiel.

********

Just a silly little chapter to bring a smile to the face. Absolutely nothing here is important to the later plot, I swear officer... and if there were, I wouldn't talk about it to avoid spoilers.

I will talk about a few silly things, though.

For those curious about the ripple effect, here are a few differences from canon. First, since Vali and his team only rescued Asia, while the Gremory Peerage were the ones to stop Issei's rampage, Bikou never called Rias 'Switch Princess,' so her character is not the main heroine; Asia's is. Secondly, while it is still 'Oppai Dragon Emperor' (Because Issei is still all about boobs), there is more focus on the heroic aspect because of his actions during his three rating games, so the narrative is slightly changed.

Only a handful of chapters remain in part 3, and then we will move on to the final part.

I will also return to 2 chapters a week this week, so I will meet you all on Friday on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"---"

Akeno's vision swam, messy blurs of colours and shapes blending into one another as darkness crept along the edges of her vision.

"......."

Her ears were ringing, a persistent and omnipresent buzz that made her head hurt and focusing impossible.

"....."

And then the pain.

Oh, the pain.

Akeno could say with certainty that this was not the type of pain she wanted to feel when she teased Eren.

"...!"

Eren... mmmh, there is a nice thought.

He was definitely an S, Akeno was sure. If she could rouse his anger... ung, the things she wanted him to do to her.

That was the type of pain she wanted. The short sting of a whip. The tight, almost chafing confines of ropes.

Not this vomit-inducing nausea, this bone-deep weariness, and the omnipresent ringing.

"...! ...!"

Lady Mikasa could join, too. Akeno wasn't sure if Aunty was an S, an M, or both, but she wanted to find out.

An M for Eren and an S for everyone else? Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

Of course, if the older woman wasn't interested, that wasn't a problem either. Akeno and Eren could sneak around. Akeno really liked the idea of being the mistress, the shameful little secret.

"---"

Ah. Right. Eren was going to die.

Or was he?

Rias hadn't given up yet, and maybe not Mikasa? Akeno wasn't sure.

Akeno would help.

She just had to seduce Eren, then he would want to be a devil and hold her and do naughty things to her and live together and have a family together and never leave her alone and never abandon her, and Akeno wouldn't lose anyone again.

That would be...

"...no!"

...great.

"Akeno!"

Oh, look, the colours were talking. The ringing was quieter. That was good.

Maybe?

Akeno's head was really starting to hurt.

"She's not talking!"

Everything hurt.

[BOOST]

[BOOST]

[BOOST]

[BOOST]

[BOOST]

[TRANSFER]

The speed at which the world flowed back into focus increased dramatically, and everything became clearer.

First came sound.

Dragon roars. The howls of wolves. The clap of thunder and the unending crash of lightning.

Then came smell.

Sweat. Mud. Blood. Burnt flesh.

Next, the disconcerting swirl of colours started to gain defined lines.

Akeno saw the green glow of Twilight Healing in the corner of her vision, but it could not hold her attention.

In the vague form of a serpentine dragon, a mass of shadow writhed around a wolf. Both monsters fought in a savage display of fangs and claws.

The familiar red-black of the Rias's Power of Destruction chased another wolf through the sky. When it turned to counterattack, its way was blocked by a wall of magic sigils conjured by a vaguely familiar white-haired woman.

Other figures fought across Akeno's line of sight: Yuuto, Koneko, Xenovia, Sona... They were all fighting what seemed to be clones of some other dragon. They killed one, but the nine others did not even falter in the slightest.

An idle thought that flitted through her mind. Every one of the clones was taller than Tanin, the dragon Akeno was most familiar with, which meant they had to be at least sixteen meters. Yet Midgardsormr, on which they were cloned, was the largest Dragon King by quite a bit.

Did that mean the clones were big? Or small?

Those sights came and went, vague impressions punctuated by moments of clarity, but two fights seized the Queen's attention.

Not even Asia's mumbled request not to move could stop her from jerking to get a better look, sending another wave of vertigo and nausea through her.

Akeno vomited.

Her dinner, lunch, and a not-inconsiderable amount of blood splattered onto the ground and her outfit.

It helped.

Slightly.

So she vomited again, more blood and bile spilling from her mouth in a truly foul-tasting concoction.

Asia was still healing her, hands pressed against Akeno's head, and the Queen could finally look to the sky. Asia took her movement as proof she could return to healing the mess that was the Queen's lungs.

The first and greatest battle across the sky was... 'apocalyptic' was the best word Akeno could think of in her dazed state.

Loki, the god who had ambushed them, was alight with enough spells that Akeno could not distinguish his form in their incandescent glow.

Odin, the old letch, had shed his veneer of a senile old fool who insisted on touring Kuoh's strip clubs and bars.

What replaced the mask was a true god of war.

His magic was less powerful and bright, but it was so exact and direct that the old god only needed to fire one spell for every five of Loki's. His every movement, every spear thrust, and every spell flowed like a river. One led to another to another to another.

Loki was the more powerful.

Even to Akeno's dazed mind, that was clear.

He glowed with the purple-black power that characterized those who received the snakes of the Oroboros Dragon. Yet, despite being pressed and forced back, time and time again, Odin held on without significant injury.

Their battle was fast. Violent. Confusing. And, more than anything, awe-inspiring.

In her semi-delirious state, Akeno couldn't help but laugh to herself.

These were gods. GODS!

No wonder that, for all their pretentious name, none of the twelve Longinus had ever actually killed a god.

Plenty had fought gods; some had even survived, but no Longinus had ever actually killed a deity.

Even Issei, clad in his Balance Breaker Scail Mail, was relegated to acting as a wall.

Their greatest fighter was relegated to using his Boosts to reinforce himself and fly around, blocking the shockwaves and after-effects of the battle between the two gods so that the others didn't accidentally die.

Occasionally, he'd have a reprieve to transfer some of his Boosts to one of his companions, usually Rias or Saji, to give them an edge in their fight.

Akeno couldn't help but wonder what had they been thinking?

They were kids.

There were undoubtedly kids with potential, but these were beings older than most countries with the power to reshape the map.

They were kids, scrambling in the rubble as two titans clashed, desperately trying to survive the side effects of the true battle.

Akeno realized then that Azazel had lied.

They hadn't been tasked with protecting Odin. Nothing they could provide was better than what the old god could do for himself.

The Gremory Peerage had simply been entertainment.

Curios to demonstrate the future potential of the three factions while the former Norse leader toured, caroused, and negotiated with Azazel about joining the Three Factions' peace.

Maybe not even that? Maybe Azazel had only gotten them involved to give Baraqiel, one of his oldest companions, an excuse to try and make up with his daughter.

Akeno's head, still swimming and half delirious, drooped.

Her eyes fell from the clash of the gods to the final battle.

The third wolf, dwarfing the first two in size by orders of magnitude, howled in fury and pain as Mikasa Ackerman, like a whirling blender, flew around it and carved red lines through its hide with her enchanted blades.

But that was all they were. Red lines.

Not even the best-enchanted blades money could buy or the underworld could produce could significantly damage Fenrir, the God Devouring Wolf.

Mikasa would have been swatted like a bug if it weren't for the two fallen angels.

Azazel and Baraqiel.

They were...

Akeno threw up again, gut-churning at what she saw.

Azazel lacked his usual easy smile and mocking grin. He was deadly serious as he faced down a being that, at its peak, had nearly been a rival to the Dragon Emperors. Spears of light, dwarfing even Fenrir's ten-meter size, rained down on the wolf as it tried to kill Mikasa.

He was meticulous, closer to Odin in approach than Loki, as he laid out a cage of tainted light. It burned fur and flesh, tearing another growl of pain from the massive wolf, but it was all a distraction from the true attack.

Baraqiel, the Lightning of God, unleashed a bolt of Holy Lightning that blinded and deafened Akeno, even though she was far from the battle.

Fenrir, distracted by Mikasa and trapped between giant light spears, could not dodge as a sea of blessed electricity coursed through his body. Its roar of pain sent a shockwave that blasted everything away from it.

Its children, Hati and Skoll, tried to help their father. Saji, Vritra, or whoever was in control at the moment did not let them, as the Prison Dragon held the two in place.

The other battles, the ones against the smaller clones of Midgardsormr, were halted for a moment as allies and enemies were forced to reorient themselves under the wall of sound.

With a moment of reprieve, Issei transferred a few of his Boosts to Rias.

The Gremory Heiress glowed with power, but rather than use it to deal a blow to one of Fenrir's children, she created thousands of raindrop-sized points of Destruction and threw them down.

The black rain tore through the Midgardsormr clones, killing almost all of them.

Rias returned to her battle against Skoll, aiding the Evil Prison Dragon King once more as she let her friends clean up the rest of the 'small' dragons.

Despite the reprieve in the battle between weaker forces, the truly momentous conflict was taking a turn for the worst.

Fenrir's fangs glowed, and he bit through his prison of light to lunge at Azazel with a bite strong enough to end the king of the Norse gods.

Odin himself had faltered slightly at Fenrir's roar, giving Loki the chance to gather power to unleash a truly massive spell.

The one-eyed god fell.

Not dead, but wounded.

Loki followed.

Akeno noted all this with the detached, almost apathetic feeling of watching a movie.

It was like a dream.

None of this felt real in this world of swimming colours and hazy pain.

Certainly not the image of Baraqiel laying in a pool of his own blood, his left side wholly gone.

His right and only arm raised to continue to pour Holy Lighting against the God Devouring Wolf to try and save his best friend from its god-slaying bite.

Akeno's fuzzy head remembered the ambush.

She remembered a tide of massive dragons arriving out of seemingly nowhere.

She remembered fighting them beside her friends. She had been in the air, flying and raining Holy Lighting, when the wolves arrived in a second wave near her.

Mikasa had distracted Fenrir for a moment, and Saji had transformed, using the other Vritra Sacred Gears to battle the smaller wolves for the first time.

Akeno had tried to make some space for better advantage but had been too close to make a clean break.

A Midgardsormr clone smashed into Akeno, sending her toward Fenrir. It snapped at her reflexively, massive jaws trying to swallow her whole.

There had been another blow, one that sent her spiralling out of the sky and the wolf's jaws.

Akeno's last blurry and painful memory was crashing into a Midgardsormr clone and watching a body fall in a torrent of blood and black feathers.

"Akeno-senpai!" Asia cried, continuing to heal the Queen. "Stop moving! You are making your injuries worse!"

Akeno didn't have time to praise the Bishop for her confidence. This was the first time Asia had ever raised her voice to her.

Nor did Akeno have time to listen to Asia.

Uncaring for the mud, blood, and bile on her clothes, Akeno unsteadily tried to rise to her feet.

She almost fell over immediately.

To remain upright and moving, she opened her wings and gasped in pain. They, too, were hurt, but Akeno didn't pay any mind to the pain.

She also did not spare any attention to Asia's surprise at seeing one of her wings covered in black feathers.

Akeno didn't have the concentration to maintain her usual disguise.

The Queen couldn't walk, so she tried to fly.

She made it less than a meter before falling back to the earth.

Small arms caught her.

"Akeno-senpai," Asia said, almost begging with tears in her eyes, and Akeno blinked the daze from her eyes. "You can't move. You almost died, and I need to heal you."

Right.

No matter how weak she looked, Asia was still a devil. One who had joined them for all their training. She had no problem holding the limp Akeno in her arms.

"...there," Akeno weakly pointed.

It was all she could do. All she could say.

Asia, the angel that she was, looked over at Baraqiel's half-dead form.

Then her tears stopped, and Asia looked intensely determined as her devil wings unfolded.

Akeno absently noted, with the wandering mind of those recently concussed, that the look reminded her of a puppy chasing its tail.

With Akeno in her arms and without the green light of Twilight Healing dimming in the slightest, the Bishop carried her Queen through the chaotic battlefield toward where her father lay.

It wasn't easy.

Asia's boost to strength from her Bishop piece was minuscule, and she had only been training for a few months. Before that, Asia had been comically weak in both strength and stamina.

And that was just the physical aspect.

Carrying a wounded combatant through a battlefield, even with the ability to fly, required more concentration than simply charging at the enemy.

Concentration Asia also needed to keep healing Akeno.

But she did it.

Asia dodged the flailing tail of one of the Midgardsormr clones. She flew to the sky, only to dive again as Skoll tried to swallow her whole.

Through spells, bodies, and weapons, Asia flew.

And in her arms, feeling safer than she had any right to, Akeno surveyed the battlefield.

The Gremory Peerage was winning their battles, and both the clones and Fenrir's children were being pushed back or killed.

Yet their victory wouldn't matter if the greater battles were lost, which seemed more and more likely.

Fenrir was chasing after Azazel, Mikasa barely able to retain its attention for longer than a moment. Baraqiel was grounded due to his injuries, only able to pour Holy Lightning down when the occasional opportunity presented itself. If any of the combatants attacked him, he would die.

It seemed like he would die either way, even if nobody touched him.

To Akeno, it looked like Odin was entirely on the defensive now, holding on only by the skin of his teeth.

How long that could last, she didn't know, but one thing stood out to the half-fallen.

Not because of some great insight into the nature of battle or understanding of strategy.

It was simply because Akeno was recovering from a blow to the head, had a bird's eye view of the battlefield, and from her experience as a sadist.

Loki looked scared.

He had ambushed them, completely taking them by surprise multiple times. Yes, his lesser forces were losing battles, but he was undoubtedly winning this little war.

All it would take was a lucky blow from either him or Fenrir, and Loki would have the chance to kill Odin and achieve his goals.

Yet, in those few seconds of travel, as Asia flew through a battlefield of gods, Akeno idly wondered why Loki was the impatient one.

Why did the attacker look like one of her regular patrons when she broke out the good whip?

Then Asia landed next to Baraqiel and Akeno thought no more on the subject.

Baraqiel was only still alive thanks to his quick thinking of burning his wound closed, but he had already lost a considerable amount of blood and a good chunk of his torso with his limbs.

"Akeno!" Baraqiel grunted in surprise, blood spewing from his lips with every word as he turned his attention from the battle with Fenrir at the sight of his wounded daughter. Then he looked at Asia. "Get her out of here!"

Asia didn't heed the order, instead crouching down between the pair so that one of her hands, glowing softly, was on each of them.

Akeno, who had been the one to urge Asia to come here, did not say anything.

She just zapped him.

"Gah," Baraqiel, Lightning of God, grunted in pain and surprise as he felt, for the first time, Holy Lightning hurt him.

Akeno had felt it hurt her too many times to count over the last few months.

So she zapped him again.

"Akeno-senpai," Asia cried.

Akeno zapped her father for a third time before she said anything.

"You don't get to die!" Akeno spat, her voice a rasp of pain. Every word hurt, but she needed to talk. "You don't get to come into my life out of nowhere and then die!"

"Wha..."

"YOU WEREN'T THERE!"

The battle didn't end or even pause when Akeno shouted at her father in rage and pain.

In fact, only four people heard her words amidst the clamour of battle.

Still, it froze Baraqiel in his place.

"You weren't there when they killed her! You weren't there when we needed you. When I needed you."

Every word seemed to pierce Baraqiel's chest, hurting him more than the pain of missing part of his body.

Akeno knew those looks.

She saw that same regret, pain, and self-loathing on Eren's face. On her face in the mirror.

Akeno did not have any profound realization upon seeing the guilt and pain written across Baraqiel's face.

Somewhere deep inside, Akeno had always known it would be there.

Akeno had always known she was the one in the wrong, the one blaming a man for the death of his wife.

She had always known that if she hadn't run away in anger when he had first found her, maybe she wouldn't still be carrying around this hatred for him and herself.

Akeno had always known that she was just as guilty as Baraqiel.

The last few days, seeing him again, seeing him try to awkwardly find a place in her life, had left her confused, angry, and, more than anything, afraid.

"You weren't there when we needed you," Akeno repeated far more softly. The tears fell as she looked at the man who had lost his wife and child the same day. "You weren't there when I killed her."

"Akeno, you didn't-"

Akeno zapped him again, the Holy Lightning feeble and flickering.

"I did!" Akeno snapped. "Mom died because of me, and you weren't there to save her! We are both guilty! So you don't get to die!"

Akeno didn't know if her words came from her anger at herself, the man bleeding out on the ground, or the boy on the bench.

It didn't matter in the end.

All three needed to hear it.

"You don't get to throw your life away defending me and feel better about yourself! I have to live with this guilt, and so do you! You don't get to die until we move forward. So live, you suicidal idiot!"

And all three heard it.

But neither of the two men who were the targets, one knowingly and one unknowingly, answered.

One, because he was hidden and far away.

The second didn't answer because, this time, the battlefield did freeze in place.

Not because of Akeno's words, though.

Instead, everything stopped because most beings on the battlefield ceased being able to move.

[DIVIDE]

[DIVIDE]

[DIVIDE]

[DIVIDE]

[DIVIDE]

The magic around Loki visibly dimmed as a white armoured figure blew past him, blue wings glowing with absorbed power.

Vali Lucifer used the absorbed power to kill Skoll and Hati in a blast of demonic magic.

Fenrir could not do anything to prevent the death of his children as he was attacked by a giant statue of stone and a monkey yokai in armour.

The God Devouring Wolf would have no doubt torn himself free of the attackers easily if it, too, hadn't been frozen in place by another new arrival.

Akeno had seen fragments of Excalibur before. She felt their aura, and any devil who did would never forget that sensation. The feeling of death and doom.

Akeno knew what six of them looked like, leaving only the seventh, which is said to have been lost to time.

Excalibur Ruler.

It alone had frozen the entire battle.

The blade, held in the hands of a blonde pretty boy, hung over Fenrir's frozen form as if it were a guillotine waiting to descend.

The wolf seemed paralyzed at the sight of it.

No, Akeno realized. Excalibur Ruler was doing something to the massive beast as it tried to wrestle itself free from the giant statue.

But the half-fallen didn't continue to watch, her attention torn to the side as Saji, still transformed into Vritra, started to writhe and roar.

"Oppai Dragon!" A young woman called out from the witch's broom above the black dragon's back. She glowed gold with magic, a large spell formula forming in the air. "Help me put him to sleep! He's hurting!"

Issei, it seemed, wasn't frozen due to Excalibur Ruler, just surprised.

He looked around the battlefield, particularly at Vali, and Akeno could almost imagine Issei's confused face, wondering what he should do.

They were technically enemies, after all. Vali was supposedly Issei's destined rival. One was supposed to always seek out the other and battle to the death.

Issei wasn't the type to care about such things, though. He decided to trust his rival once more.

Vali had recently saved Asia and was fighting Loki, so it seemed like the White Dragon Emperor was on his side this time.

Issei didn't know these others, but if Saji was really suffering, then Issei wanted to help.

[TRANSFER]

"Thank you, Oppai Dragon!" The witch yelled as her magical circle grew to preposterous size. Saji's writhing slowed. "Can I get an autograph later? I'm a big fan!"

"Um," Issei stuttered, no doubt completely befuddled by the events. He wasn't the only one. Akeno could see everyone else frozen in place, watching on in confusion. "Sure?"

A part of Akeno, the sane, rational part, noticed how Asia hadn't been frozen and continued to heal both her and Baraqiel. It also noticed that her father had been frozen but was already starting to twitch free of Excalibur Ruler's control.

That same sane part of her brain told her it was only logical.

He was Baraqiel, one of the first angels to fall and a leader of the Grigori. While she had been severely hurt and put out of commission because of one attack, he had managed to keep fighting with half his body missing when a human, or even most supernatural races, would be long dead.

Another part of Akeno, one decidedly less sane, decided that thinking about any of that was infinitely less important than the fact she had possibly discovered another member she could push into Issei's harem.

It would require some vetting (I.e. teasing) to make sure this witch, whoever she was, wasn't just a fangirl or power digger, but Akeno had a good feeling about her.

(Akeno would note later that, while she wasn't wrong about Le Fay Pendragon, the good feeling probably had more to do with the headache finally disappearing than any innate 'Harem member sensor.'

She, unfortunately, had not noticed that at the time and spent most of the rest of the encounter concocting elaborate schemes on how to convince a young witch to sign a deal with the devil to get into a dragon's bed, all so Akeno could win a bet with her King.

As such, lost in thought as she was, the rest of the battle and its world-changing end went almost entirely unnoticed by the half-fallen, so lost was she in her evil plotting.

Akeno blamed the concussion.

Everyone who ever heard the story thought that sounded like something Akeno Himejima would do, concussed or not.)

"Why are you doing this!?" Loki roared in rage as his power was once again divided. "We are winning! Answer me, Vali!"

Vali, surprisingly, did so.

More than just answer, Vali Lucifer fully retracted his Balance Breaker armor, leaving him flying in the air with only the blue wings of Divine Dividing.

"You went against the plan," Vali said simply, looking almost bored as he hovered in the air with his hands in his pockets.

"The plan?" Loki spat in rage. "There is no more plan! Wake up. He's dead. His plan is dead. Instead of following the plan of a dead man, I made my own plan."

"Without the plan, we will not succeed," Vali said with the bored cadence of someone who was saying something he had repeated a thousand times. "You are not forced to follow the plan, but anyone going against it will fail."

"The Chaos Brigade does not need a plan!" Loki snarled. Ever since the White Dragon Emperor had appeared, all of his calm facade had faded, leaving a god lashing out. In fear, a few observers noted. "We are just using each other for our own ends. Our goal is chaos itself! Why should we bow to the whims of a dead human!?"

"Uhuh," Vali absently nodded, looking at the man standing over Fenrir with Excaliber Ruler. "Are you almost done, Arthur? That noodle place I wanted to try closes at eleven."

"Give me one more minute," Arthur Pendragon said, face furrowed in concentration. "Co-opting a god's control is not easy, even with Ruler."

Loki was no idiot. He knew he was taking a significant risk by going against the orders of the Brigade leader to kill Odin before it was time.

He had simply tried to do it fast enough to not have any of the leading faction come down in time to stop him. Loki wasn't scared, or so he told himself, but rather, succeeding with their interference was much harder.

If he succeeded, he would have used his victory as an example to the others and overthrown the humans who had dared to command him.

But he had failed, and now Loki had to think of the consequences. Underneath the over-inflated anger, his mind had been running a mile a minute for a way out.

But he still had his pride as a god.

Loki could not stand the disrespect shown to him, the blatant disregard by a half-devil mongrel.

All this time, his healthy wariness of the White Dragon Emperor had stopped him from acting rashly, but even fear and caution gave way to rage.

For all his cunning, Loki was famous for his impulsive decision-making.

So he lashed out, almost without thought.

A torrent of magic, powered by Ophis' snake, tore through the sky.

Vali didn't even look at it.

[DIVIDE]

Without his Balance Breaker, Divine Dividing could only use its ability once every ten seconds.

However, Vali didn't look worried, even as half the attack approached him, and his wings vented the stolen power.

As if he knew he only needed one Divide.

A dozen clones of Black Cat Kuroka appeared for a half second, each sticking their tongues out in mockery as they took the blow and dissipated into nothing.

Loki only had time to regret pouring so much of his power into the attack, only had time to realize what it meant for Vali Lucifer to act like this, before the tip of a spear erupted through his chest.

Divine blood splattered the ground, and the spear glowed with white light.

Loki did not feel anything as he was bathed in the power of the Sacred Gear.

There was no incredible explosion, final words, or monumental event to mark Loki's death.

He just died.

Like a mortal.

For the first time in history, a god died, not to another god but to a human.

"This is why so many of our colleagues die," a man said, pulling his ornate spear from Loki's body. It was already dissolving into magic without the divine ego holding it together, yet the god's blood still stained the spear. "They always think they are going against the plan. We never forced anyone to follow it, just told them what would happen if they didn't. They never think that he accounted for their choices in the plan all along."

"Look away!" Azazel, somewhere on the battlefield, yelled, voice filled with command. "That's the True Longinus. Looking at it for long enough will kill you!"

Though most of the young devils gathered were frozen in place by Excalibur Ruler's control, they heeded the fallen's warning and focused their attention on the new arrivals instead of the glowing spear.

None of those new arrivals paid the combatants even the slightest of care.

"Don't give a speech," Vali snorted. "This wasn't a real battle worth celebrating. It was an execution. I hate his missions. There's no fun in a guaranteed victory."

"I think this is a great time to celebrate," the man holding the most powerful Sacred Gear in existence was, in contrast, all smiles. "The first Longinus to ever kill a god. An evil one at that. A deed that will never be forgotten. This is what it means to be a hero."

"Good thing we're not heroes," the monkey yokai laughed as he joined them in the air.

"All finished, Vali," Arthur said with his sister on the shoulders of the stone giant. "We have Fenrir."

"And I got an autograph," Le Fay said proudly. Vali grimaced.

[Oppai Dragon Emperor] Albion's laughter rang out from the white wings. [See what you have become, Ddraig.]

[...shut up.]

"Who are you," Issei asked what everyone was thinking as he carefully kept his eyes off the spear stained with divine blood. "And let my friends go."

"The Red Dragon Emperor," the man said, looking Issei up and down in approval. "I've heard good things. I am Cao Cao, the reincarnation of the hero by that same name. I lead the Hero faction, the leaders of the Chaos Brigade. While Ophis is the backer of our organization, you can consider me the temporary leader while the other two are absent."

Issei immediately went on guard, flying away and placing himself between Cao Cao and his friends on the ground.

"I am not here to fight you. That is not part of the plan," Cao Cao laughed lightly, casually knocking his spear against his shoulder. "We were just dealing with some housekeeping."

"I just wanted the dog," Vali said plainly, looking just as bored as ever with tonight's events as he pointed at Fenrir.

"... Okay, you have it, and Loki is dead," Issei said, relaxing slightly but not lowering his guard. "Let them go."

"Azazel, Odin, and Baraqiel already freed themselves," Arthur said, sheathing his sword. "You and the healer are also free, and the others will be able to move when we leave. I simply kept those we didn't need out of the fight."

"We do have a celebration to get to, so we won't keep you up," Cao Cao was all smiles and charm as if he hadn't completely changed the supernatural world tonight.

As if the fundamental truth, that humans were prey to the gods, hadn't been rewritten.

"Please spread the word of what happened tonight. Killing a god." Cao Cao took a deep breath as if relishing the moment. "I might not have done it alone, but I did kill a god. This shall be an example for humans and monsters alike. Anybody can die. That, Issei Hyoudou, is what it means to be a hero. An example and a warning."

Then he was gone, swallowed in mist, and all the devils present, even Vali, could breathe a little easier as the holy spear left.

"Vali!" Issei called out to his destined rival before he could depart as well. Then he bowed, deep and low. "Thank you for saving Asia."

Vali's eyes widened, but he just looked away and grunted in acknowledgement, nodding toward Le Fay.

"By Oppai Dragon," the witch waved enthusiastically. "Try to stay away from our boss, okay? He said he'd kill you. I'll be sad when you die, and they might cancel your show early, so try to live a little longer, okay?"

Then, before Issei could ask what she meant about that, Le Fay Pendragon teleported Vali, and his team were teleported away with Fenrir.

"Well," Azazel said dryly, and Issei jumped in surprise, looking around. "I am going to count tonight as a success. What about you?"

The leader of the fallen angels seemed to shimmer out of the air, along with Odin and Mikasa and Issei realized they had been beside him for a while.

"The Longinus," Odin said, looking toward where Cao Cao had disappeared. For the first time since Issei had met the old god, he looked... disturbed. "In the hands of Chaos Brigade."

"And Dimension Lost, if I am not mistaken. I can't think of another way they could remain concealed for so long. At least we now have a good idea of their internal structure. We might be able to cause more division and break off more factions if more aren't happy with their leader's plan."

"It will be harder now," Odin grunted. "They had this planned, used us to weaken Loki and waste his tools so they could kill him. They didn't even bother trying to kill us so we would spread the word. Other factions will fall in line. The Brigade might even see a boost in recruitment. They traded one uncooperative god for who knows how many others."

"A dead god," Azazel said, looking to where some of Loki's blood still stained the ground. "The world will be even more chaotic after tonight."

Mikasa was not interested in the talk of old men and used her new freedom to find the young devils scattered around the battlefield.

Most were relatively intact, with Akeno and Baraqiel sustaining the worst damage.

The latter would live, if barely, thanks to Asia's quick care, even if he'd be severely handicapped until Azazel created prosthetics he could use.

"Akeno," Baraqiel rasped quietly as they lay on the ground together.

"Hm?" Akeno hummed, still half-lost in thought over how to get Le Fay Pendragon into Issei's bed so she could have bragging rights over Rias.

From her position on the ground, she couldn't have looked at the True Longinus even if she had wanted to.

"You are right about one thing. I should have been there, but I wasn't," Baraqiel said, staring at the starry sky. Something in his voice tore Akeno from her mental wanderings. "Not a day goes by where I don't regret leaving that day. Not a day goes by without wishing I had not let you run away. I know you don't want me, don't forgive me, but I would... I would really like to get to know my daughter."

"I don't forgive you. I don't forgive myself. But someday, I might," Akeno said, more lucid than she had been in a while. "That's why we don't get to die."

Akeno's wandering thoughts went to the boy on the bench who still hadn't forgiven himself, whose every day was spent in memories as beautiful as they were cruel.

"I am going to move forward until someday, I can forgive us both."

********

"I had forgotten."

"About the orders you laid out for tonight," Kuroka asked Eren as they watched Shirone's Peerage leave the battlefield. They were setting up defences around the area, though. A god had died here, and there would be political and spiritual ramifications. "It's pretty important, nyaa."

"No," Eren denied, looking toward the father and daughter lying bloody in the dirt.

"I had forgotten this fear. The fear of losing someone. I know they won't die. I know I won't be able to smile if they die. Yet... I shouldn't have forgotten what this feels like. I'm glad I remembered."

Kuroka didn't say anything, having noted throughout the night how Eren had tensed every time one of his friends was in danger.

He had almost marched forward when Akeno had been trampled or when Fenrir nearly consumed Mikasa.

Kuroka almost wished he had, almost wished Eren had thrown the entire plan to the side if it meant seeing him transform again.

But he didn't, settling for clenching his fists tight enough that his palms bled and the wood of his cane cracked.

Rather than comment about any of that, Kuroka pointed something else out.

"With Loki dead, word will spread fast."

"I know."

"The others will fall in line. They'll know this was part of your plan."

"I know."

"... You're almost out of time, Eren."

"...I know."

Neither said anything for a long minute, long enough for the battlefield to be cleared.

"I have..." Eren started, then stopped.

He tried again.

"It's been coming to me. An idea. About why I'm smiling, in the end. I am still missing a few pieces, though."

"What is it?" Kuroka tried not to sound too eager.

"I can't say," Eren shook his head. "Not yet. I still have a few more meetings. And I need answers."

"...Have you decided on what to do?"

"I have." Eren's voice was firm and unwavering. "It will be up to them all. Up to her."

********

The longest chapter to date, almost an entire DxD volume of events crammed into one chapter.

One thing I dislike about stories is how authors can handwave away trauma. I try to keep my characters as realistic as I can. Akeno is better than she was at the start of the story, thanks to Eren, but she still has half a life's worth of trauma regarding her father to deal with. I didn't want to go, 'They made up, and everything is perfect now.'

One of my favourite aspects of AOT is that it does not do what DxD does. Trauma lasts. It compounds. It grows.

Until you face it. Then, you can only whittle it down, little by little, day after day. Winning against pain might be impossible, but you can move through it for a better life. Both Baraqiel and Akeno will have their entire lives to face their shared pain, and I don't want to cheapen their loss by saying it can be cured by talking to an Eldritch God of Boobs from beyond reality. (Yes, that is canon DxD)

Anyway, today is the first Friday release for OTB, and I will release one on Sunday as usual. That will be the schedule until I finish. There will be three or four more chapters in Part 3, then Part 4, which will be the last. I will see you all again soon on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Do it."

Rias almost jumped out of her skin at Eren's sudden words.

As it was, she barely managed to stop herself from dropping the portable player and pause the anime on the screen.

Only the two of them were on the bench. Mikasa had left to help a few of Sona's Peerage train, and many of her Peerage had joined them.

It seemed that the death of a god could be a significant motivational factor.

Which left Rias and Eren alone on the bench, ostensibly for 'language practice.'

"What do you mean?" Rias asked, putting the show to the side.

Rias had tried to act normal, tried to act like this was just another of their regular language (anime) lessons.

"You want to talk about something," Eren said. "You have all afternoon. Not once have you talked about the show."

She should have known Eren would catch something, if only the state of enervation she had been in since she arrived.

Not that she didn't have plenty of things to think about.

But it wasn't jealousy at her cute little servants getting to go to Kyoto soon, the impact of Loki's death, or even the fear that the mysterious leader of the Chaos Brigade had something against Issei that had occupied her mind all afternoon.

Rias didn't have the brain space to think about anything but her worries for today.

"I do," Rias said, gathering herself.

She had been putting it off for the last hour or so, but she really shouldn't have. The nerves were almost too much.

Today was the day.

This was the best chance she'd have to get the unvarnished truth from Eren without fear of anyone else getting in the way.

And, without anyone else getting in the way, it was the best chance Rias Gremory would have to convince Eren that she was trying to save his life.

"I can guess what about," Eren nodded, lips set in a firm line as he nodded toward the case poking out of Rias' bag.

The Gremory Heiress looked sheepish as she pulled the ornate box from her bag.

"I suppose it's obvious," Rias muttered in embarrassment, unable to believe she had made such a mistake due to nerves.

Then she took a deep breath and released it as she had seen Eren do a few times.

She looked Eren in the eyes, willing every ounce of care, sincerity, concern, and trust she could into her expression.

"Eren Yeager," Rias Gremory said formally. "I promise to always be someone you can trust and count on. I promise to never take your freedom. I promise to defend that same freedom to my dying breath. So, please, will you give me the honour of becoming a devil of my Peerage?"

Rias held out the case, opening it to reveal the eight pawns glowing with red power.

Eren looked serious as he reached in and delicately picked up one of the pawns, holding it to his eyes.

The nerves got to Rias again, and she couldn't help but babble.

"I have all eight, and I should be strong enough," she said hurriedly. "If I am not yet, I am still training, and I can grow. And I am still looking for other ways to heal you, so you don't have to become one now. I just... I need to know if... Please, Eren, don't die when I can save you."

Though she had started strong, Rias was practically begging by the end, the worry and fear of rejection making her eyes water.

"Mikasa said the same thing," Eren muttered, continuing to examine the red pawn.

"I don't know why you turned her down," Rias hurried to say. "But whatever it is, we can fix it. I can fix it. If you want, if you trust her more, I can... I can trade you to her after your piece settles. It's formality only, of course. Like I said, I won't own you or anything. And with a bit of training, you can be a high class in a few years, and at that point, it won't even be a formality. You have a lot of potential, and I know we'd all love to help you."

"I didn't turn her down."

Eren's words froze Rias in place.

"...What?"

"I didn't turn Mikasa down," Eren said simply, continuing to observe the Evil Piece. "She tried to use her Queen Piece as soon as she realized I would die. It didn't work. We don't know why, though there are a few guesses. It doesn't matter. It didn't work, and we can't change that. I can't become a devil."

Rias opened and closed her mouth, trying to get words out, any words out.

She couldn't, and the tears started to fall.

"I don't hate devils," Eren said softly, replacing the Evil Piece in the case and closing it.

Rias didn't try and stop him as he put it to the side with the movie player.

"Some devils I've met are animals and need to be put down, but I never hated devils as a race. I never really hated anything in this world. Nobody in this world has hurt me, so how can I hate them?"

Eren wasn't lying, Rias realized.

He wasn't trying to come up with an excuse to reject her. Eren really believed he couldn't become a devil and wasn't trying to change that.

"...Why?"

"You need to understand. Nothing I do or say is because I hate devils. I just-"

"NO!" Rias yelled, cutting Eren off before he could continue. She grabbed him by his shirt and threw herself over him so she was holding him down, staring into his grey eyes.

She almost couldn't see them through the tears.

"Why are you going to die," Rias asked, begged really, her voice thick. "Why can't I save you? I've worked so hard, I've trained every day, so why are you telling me that it didn't matter!"

Rias shook Eren.

"You don't get to turn this into some sort of lesson, some story! You are going to die, Eren! You are going to die and leave us all behind! The woman you love. Your friends. Your juniors. Everyone who cares about you. All of us! And you're saying there's nothing we can do to stop it? Why! Why are you okay with this? Why are you going to die? Why can't you live?"

Rias sobbed, shaking with the reality of her failure.

Over a year's worth of tears poured out of her and onto Eren's shirt.

Tears of long nights spent training.

Tears of fear of failure.

Tears of helplessness.

Tears of mourning.

Rias Gremory poured her heart into her tears, all her love and loss, all the fear she had been hoarding and building up.

And Eren...

Awkwardly, with the hesitant movement of those not used to physical displays of affection, Eren held Rias as she cried.

It was not her family's warm, tight hug or the tender and affectionate contact of a lover.

But it was the first time Eren had ever reached out to her.

Rias cried harder, pulling herself tighter against him as if by holding on tight enough, he would never leave.

"I died once," Eren said softly as he held her. "What is killing me now, I had in my last life. It came later, I would have lived to twenty-three instead of nineteen, but no older. In both lives, I've lived with a time limit."

"What even is it?" Rias asked, half hysterical. "You never told us. What is killing you?"

"It's..." Eren hesitated, but he did explain. "We called it Ymir's Curse, after our common ancestor. It's a genetic condition. Only Eldians can get it, and only a few every generation. But as soon as someone does, they only have thirteen years to live. My father had it before me, and so did my brother, though both died before it took them. I had it in my last life. I knew it would kill me, just like I know it will kill me now if I don't die to something else first."

"So what?" Rias gasped, bunching Eren's shirt in her fists. "You're used to it? Used to waiting to die? That doesn't make it any better!"

"In my world, I learned about my condition when I was fifteen, a few years after I got it," Eren continued. "I died when I was nineteen. I didn't want to die. I never wanted to die. I told you all that I wanted to live out the few years I had left with Mikasa. Far away from everything. I wanted to run away."

"But you didn't," Rias wetly repeated. "Because she didn't give you the answer that you wanted."

A part of Rias wanted to give Eren that answer right now, to say those three words he had wanted to hear so long ago.

But she couldn't.

Not out of fear of rejection but because Rias couldn't say them and truly mean them.

She liked Eren. She liked Eren a lot. She certainly had a crush on the older boy.

Rias could not say she loved Eren, or at least not say it with absolute conviction. A crush, even a deep one for a good friend, was not love.

Certainly not the type of love that lasted decades and transcended worlds.

Rias could not utter those three words unless she felt her love could match what she saw between Eren and Mikasa.

So Rias, like Mikasa before her, could not say the three words Eren had wanted to hear.

It was for the best.

Rias Gremory was not Mikasa Ackerman, nor should she try to be.

"I didn't," Eren nodded, resting a hand hesitatingly on her head. "That plan, the one that killed so many innocent lives, my friends included? It killed me."

Rias's breath hitched, and the tears stopped flowing.

"I knew it would. I knew what I would do was monstrous, terrible beyond all reckoning. I knew I'd die for it. I hadn't wanted to die, Rias. I spent years searching for another solution, one less terrible and one I could live through. For four years, I searched, and I found nothing. Nothing else would accomplish all my goals."

Rias looked up, and through red eyes, she saw Eren staring off into the distance as he spoke. He was looking at a different world than the one she knew.

"I was left with a choice. Go through with my terrible plan and die early, or run away and live a little longer. That night, that party, was just the last of hundreds of attempts. Like all before it, I failed to change my path."

He trailed off, still lost in memories of a world away.

And something struck Rias.

"Eren."

"Hm?"

"You've been using past tense."

"..."

"Eren," Rias asked, terrified of the answer she'd receive.

But she didn't look away from those grey eyes.

Rias needed to know.

"Do you want to die?"

"..."

"Answer me, Eren!"

"...I don't know."

"You don't know? That is not an answer, Eren!"

"I..." Eren bit his lip, looking out over a distant horizon. "I spent my entire life moving forward. Always advancing. Always attacking. I was chasing freedom. But in the end... I was chained to a future, a terrible fate that I couldn't escape. Not because of any control or outside coercion but because of my own choices. Because of who I was, who I am. I didn't want to die, but living in that prison, that hell of my own making, was just as terrible."

Eren's eyes refocused on Rias.

"You should always chase freedom, Rias," Eren said with the voice of a dead man. "But never become like me. Never let freedom be your chains. Because if you do, you will never be free."

Rias closed her eyes and slumped forward, resting her head on Eren's chest.

"You weren't free, were you? Not even in the end."

"...No, I wasn't."

"You still aren't, are you?"

"...I regained my memories when I was six. Since then, I've been chained to memories and an ending I cannot change. I've known since I was a child I would die at nineteen. My old world had no cure, and there would be no cure here. All my friends, all I had fought and died for, were a world away. And I... I didn't know why I should move forward. Every day, I've asked myself; Why should I do it all again?"

"What about now," Rias asked, half desperate. "You have Aunty, you have Sona, and me, and Akeno, and Koneko, and Yuuto, and Issei, and Asia. You're not alone anymore. If... If you don't know if you want to die or not, at least live long enough to find the answer. Don't give up so easily."

"I know," Eren nodded slowly. "I don't regret being born. I've been thinking about it a lot. Mikasa and you all. I think I am starting to understand. It doesn't change anything. It cannot change the day I'll die, but it... But I think this bench, these meetings, they are what I needed to keep moving forward."

"Then," Rias asked, looking up at Eren hopefully.

"It still won't save me," Eren shook his head. "Evil Pieces don't work on me, remember?"

"Are you sure," Rias asked. "Maybe it's just Aunty's? We can try with mine."

Eren froze.

"Eren," Rias asked hesitantly. "Will you let me try to save you?"

"...It won't work."

"I have to try. Please."

Eren bit his lip, his grey eyes boring into her, and Rias felt her heartbeat quicken.

The slightest movement of his chin was all Rias needed to scramble off his lap and dive for the case with her pawns.

It was clear that, for all his confidence that they wouldn't work on him, Eren was still incredibly nervous.

Whether he was deciding to trust Rias or his supposed immunity to them, Rias did not want Eren to be in that state longer than necessary.

Rias had her pawns in hand as fast as she could, pressed against Eren's chest and glowing with power.

"By the name of Rias Gremory, I beg you, be reborn as a devil and live your life with me!"

The Evil Pieces glowed brightly but did not sink into Eren's chest.

Rias closed her eyes as her pawns clattered to the bench uselessly.

"...I never hated devils," Eren repeated in the silence that fell. "But I do hate Evil Pieces. Do you know why?"

"Because they can take away your freedom?" Rias guessed weakly, having lost all energy with her failure. "It's not because you believe those stupid rumours that the Evil Pieces are secretly mind-control devices, right? If that were true, there'd be no such thing as Stray Devils. A reincarnated devil needs to stay close to their King for a few years to stabilize their transformation, but that is it. After that, the only thing stopping a new devil from killing their King is the law and personal loyalty."

"I don't care about race or changes of race. Maybe if races were different in anything but power, but they aren't," Eren shrugged. "I don't think I'd have cared if I was reborn as a devil or anything else. I'd still hate the Evil Pieces. Because they are a symptom of the problem."

"What problem?"

"The same problem my world had, the same problem humans have. Those with power will take the freedom of those without. The Evil Pieces are just the second best tool to do that that I have ever seen."

"The second best? What was the first?"

"The power to directly force other people to do what you want, even after you are long dead."

"What spell is that?" Rias asked curiously. Eren had said there was no magic in his world, so it had to be something from this one.

"It doesn't matter," Eren shook his head. "As I said, the Evil Pieces are a symptom, not the root cause. The root cause is the society that created them."

"For someone who says you don't hate devils," Rias sighed, leaning against Eren in emotional exhaustion. "You certainly sound like you do."

"Not devils. Devil society. A society where a child can decide they want someone, have someone kill them, and resurrect them as a slave. That slave, for thousands of years, has to remain loyal to their master who killed them no matter what their master wishes to do to them. Otherwise, they are hunted and killed, whether they have done anything to warrant that or not."

"Not all Kings are like that," Rias protested. "And there are safeguards, laws in place to protect newly reincarnated devils."

There was no energy in her rebuttal. Not only was Rias disheartened by her failure, but recent events had more than proven that Eren wasn't wrong.

Rias had known Diodora Asteroth her whole life and had no idea what sort of monster he had been beneath the surface. Who else was hiding those kinds of horrors behind a smile of nobility?

"I know," Eren nodded gravely. "I know a King who used her power to save lost and dying children, who sees her Peerage as her family and does everything she can for them."

Rias flushed red, twiddling a strand of crimson hair.

"I know another who gathers her Peerage after careful thought and interviews. Who chooses them not because of their power but because of their similarity of purpose and ideals. Who chooses people based on the world they want to create together."

Sona would probably fiddle with her glasses and look away in embarrassment if she heard Eren say such things about her.

"And I've heard of one who let her lost and confused Pawn run away and live alone, visiting occasionally to ensure the new devil did not turn into a monster yet still letting her live her life as she wanted."

That was probably Serafall Leviathan, Rias realized. Eren didn't know any other devil kings, as far as she knew.

"But, those are not the ones who created the society. They are young devils growing up in an old world. One who's laws were written and enforced by the same people who've ruled that society for thousands of years."

"The Satans are trying," Rias felt the need to defend her brother's efforts. "They grew up in the devil Civil War and have been trying to save our race. Already, things are better than they used to be. The Great War is finally over."

"As a tool to expand your race, the Evil Pieces work," Eren said but still shook his head. "Much better than what Eldia did. Plenty of people would trade humanity for long life and power. The problem isn't the change of race. It's the system. It's always the systems. The empires, religions, beliefs, and societies that only exist to continue themselves, grinding bodies into a road of expansion and power. What devils need is not another tool for the powerful to take freedom from others but a reset. A blank slate."

Eren paused, looking grave for a moment. Rias was going to prompt him, but he shook his head.

"I've gotten off track from what I wanted to tell you today," Eren said, looking once more into Rias' eyes. "I'm not saying my world was any better or that I am better; I just need you to understand."

"Understand what, Eren?"

"I am going to die, Rias," Eren said simply.

He had said it so many times before, yet this time, Rias felt his words were more absolute, more final than ever before.

"Whether I want to live or not, I am running out of time. And you all will live in the world I leave behind. So, I need you to understand this world. I need you to avoid making the mistakes I made. Mikasa told me about your words, your dream."

"Oh," Rias said softly. She'd usually be embarrassed, but the topic made it hard to muster anything but melancholy.

"I was glad to hear it," Eren nodded. "It is a good dream. Wanting to be free. That is what I want. Someone I can trust to keep moving forward. Someone who understands that, even if the world stands in their way, they must keep chasing freedom."

"I... I'm not that determined," Rias sighed, slumping against Eren and looking to the sky. "I don't really have a lot of ambition. I just want to be happy. To be able to live the way we want to live without worrying about people trying to kill us. I want Yuuto to be able to open his bakery. I want Issei to get his harem and Xenovia to have the children she wants. I want Asia to go to school and make friends. I want Gasper and Koneko to not be scared by who they are and what they can do. I want Sona to build her school. I want Akeno to accept herself.

She's been talking with her father, did she tell you? It's awkward, and they're having trouble, but they're trying to move forward. That would never have been possible without the Peace Treaty. I just... I just want us to be able to live in the way we want. I want to be free to be happy."

"That sounds like a lot of ambition to me," Eren commented wryly.

"Not really. I am not trying to change society or make everyone free. Just those I care about. I guess... that's the limit of my kindness."

"And you will kill to defend that freedom to be kind? The freedom to be happy," Eren said, his voice heavy with meaning.

"I will."

"That is what you need to understand," Eren said. "I want you to chase that freedom. I want you to kill to defend it. But I do not want you to lose that kindness. The kindness of a girl who approached a dying blind human and was prepared to use one of her Evil Pieces to save him, even though she believed he had nothing to offer."

"You knew who I was when we first met, didn't you? That I was 'Rias of the Gremory,' Lucifer's little sister?"

"I did," Eren nodded. "When you told me you were Sona's friend, I thought she might be your magician contract, but the name of Gremory is very well known, even to me, who tried to stay away from devils."

As always, Eren didn't mince words to make Rias feel better. He was blunt and direct, even when trying to reassure someone.

"Why did you never say anything? Was it all a lie?"

Was this friendship, this year and a half, all just a lie? That worry had been niggling the back of Rias' head for over a month since they had returned from the Underworld.

"A lie? No," Eren shook his head. "I wanted nothing to do with you originally. I thought you were like all the other devil Kings I had met. When you first approached me, I knew you were offering me the opportunity to join your Peerage. I was ready to fight you for my freedom. But when I turned you down, you did not force it. And you stayed. I had nothing to give you; you had no reason to stay and help me learn Japanese. But you did."

"You were Sona's student," Rias explained. "I couldn't just leave you alone."

"You could," Eren disagreed. "I would have. I kept waiting for the trap, the other shoe to drop. I kept thinking this was some sort of ploy to get me to join your Peerage. Then, I met Akeno and the others. I asked every one of them, even Issei and Asia, about you. No matter what I asked, they all said the same thing. Rias is kind. You offered a choice to those you could, saved the ones you couldn't and never once tried to take away their freedom."

"That's not true. I've told them not to do a lot of things. Yuuto almost died because he ignored my orders to chase after the Excalibur Fragments,"

Rias didn't know why she was arguing with Eren on this point. It wasn't like she wanted to take away her family's freedom.

Maybe she just wanted Eren to see Rias, faults and all, instead of 'Rias Gremory.'

"I was part of the military, Rias," Eren deadpanned. "I know a leader's orders do not take away from soldiers' freedom. It is the soldiers who put their trust in their leaders. Just because you worry about their safety and tell them not to do something that will get them killed does not mean they are your slaves."

"But I was trying to make you into a devil," Rias protested. "I did want you to join my Peerage. I still do."

"Then let me ask you, why are you offering me the position only now?"

"I had to get stronger," Rias answered easily. "I wasn't lying. You have great potential. I was too weak before. I might still be. If I train more, I may be strong enough to turn you before you die."

"I mean, why today? I still have time, you know that. If you think you can still grow stronger, why are you making the offer now?"

"That's..."

"Let me make a guess," Eren said plainly. "It has something to do with the abandoned Valkyrie Mikasa told me about? The one Akeno finds fun to tease? The one drinking herself under the table because she was fired?"

Rias didn't answer.

Rossweiss's situation was... complicated. She had, objectively, failed in her duty to protect Odin.

Only luck had saved Odin from being the god that died that night.

Being fired was one of the better results that could happen in such cases. More than that, it was clear that neither Odin nor the Valkyrie had been pleased with her assignment as his bodyguard.

Rossweiss couldn't even return to Valhalla because of the shame of her failure and dismissal.

Rias really wondered if Odin had tossed aside such a capable aide or if this was another one of his tricks.

If Rias reincarnated the Valkyrie, not only would she gain an increadibly useful and powerful Piece, Rossweiss would gain protection and patronage from anyone who took offence to her failure, and Odin would gain a connection to Lucifer through his sister's Peerage. A valuable connection now that the Norse pantheon was part of the Peace Treaty.

It was a political move that Rias wouldn't have noticed a year ago.

Yet Rias couldn't help but want to offer Rossweiss something anyway.

"Rias," Eren sighed. "Would you be happy if I was healed without becoming a devil?"

"Of course!"

"And what if I became a devil in Mikasa's Peerage instead of yours. Would you still be happy then?"

"I thought by the time we returned from summer break, you'd already be one," Rias admitted. "I was disappointed and wondering if there was a reason you didn't join her in particular, so I wanted to let you know that you could join my Peerage instead. Now I know it was because you can't join any."

"I have learned this about Rias Gremory over my time with her," Eren explained, resting his hand affectionately on her crimson hair. "She's a girl who worries constantly. A naive rich girl who is still learning about the world. A girl too obsessed with Japan, its culture and media. A girl who does everything she can to support her friends. A girl who cannot ignore someone needing a home, even when offering that home will cost her.

'Rias' offered that home to lost and scared children. She provided that home to a girl excommunicated from the church who had been her enemy only a few days before. And now, when she sees another who has lost her home. That 'Rias' is torn between offering that home to her or possibly saving her dying friend. She is afraid of what her kindness will cost her."

"...Sometimes I think you are too sharp," Rias sighed, leaning into his hand. "And it's not kindness. Rossweiss is a very skilled Valkyrie. A Pawn's versatility would suit her well, between her magic and skill with weapons."

"One pawn should not matter then unless 'Rias' thinks she needs all eight for some purpose," Eren said wryly, and Rias looked away. "I've also learned that Rias Gremory is also a girl who cannot be honest with her feelings."

"I don't want to hear that from you," Rias muttered.

"Rias," Eren said seriously. "This is not a joke. This is me telling you. Do not save your Pieces for me. I won't ever join your Peerage."

It hurt. It hurt so much to hear.

Yet Rias needed to hear it.

"I want you to use them as you always have, to be kind and grow your family. To offer a home to those who want one. Because I know how much having a home to return to can mean."

"That's not fair," Rias pressed her head against Eren again so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes again. "You are part of my dream. I want you to be free to be happy as well."

"Life isn't fair," Eren said plainly. "But no matter how unfair it is, you must hold on to that kindness, Rias. There will always be people who try and take your freedom. Unless you are the last person alive, you will always have enemies. But if you hold on to that kindness, even as small as it is, you will not destroy everything to get to them, like I did. If you hold on to the reason for your freedom, more than freedom itself, you will never become like me."

Eren rested his forehead on her, his words soft and pleading.

"I am asking more of you than all the others. It is something I failed at. I don't know if it's possible. But, please, Rias. Please be strong enough to not make my mistakes. Do not be trapped by your ideals. Be free, Rias. And free others with your kindness."

It was too much. It was too much like he trusted her to do what he could not.

It was too much like Eren was saying goodbye.

"Fine," Rias snapped, pulling away from Eren and standing up.

She had made her offer.

She had failed.

She had heard what Eren had wanted to say and understood what he wanted to convey.

Now, it was his turn to listen to her.

Rias Gremory loomed over Eren, thrusting a finger into his face.

"You don't want me to be like you? Fine! I won't. You obviously didn't learn enough about Rias Gremory, or you'd know she's a very greedy girl. She will keep trying to save her friends even if they give up on saving themselves. I am not Eren Yeager. I will not give up. I will keep searching for a way to save your life. You will be free!"

Eren looked at the finger in his face, then up to her eyes.

For an instant, Rias almost thought she saw his mouth quirk upwards.

"Is that from an anime?"

Rias flushed red in embarrassment.

Not because it was from an anime, though it might have been inspired by one or two, but because it was partly from the speech she had practiced. The one she had intended to use to convince Eren to join her Peerage before he had co-opted the afternoon by pointing out her plans.

"It is, isn't it?"

"No," Rias hurried to deny. "It's not. And I am telling the truth. I will keep looking. I'll always keep looking. I will offer Rossweiss one of my Pieces, maybe two, depending on how talented she is. But that doesn't mean I've given up on saving your life. So, answer me, Eren Yeager, if I can save your life, do you want to live?"

Eren's lips pressed again, hands curling around the stylized wings of his cane's handle as he seriously considered Rias' words.

"I do not know yet," he eventually said. Not dodging the question, just being honest. "All I can see is my end. What I'll feel, why I'll feel it... I don't know yet, so I can't answer. Only at the end can I give you that answer... If you don't change your mind by then."

"I won't ever change my mind," Rias said with complete confidence.

It was not the answer she wanted, but it was one she'd hold on to.

A promise to give Eren the choice he felt he never had.

Both had the same goal. Freedom and happiness for the ones they loved.

But of the two warriors fighting for freedom, the only one who had seen the future was the boy on the bench.

********

One of my greatest struggles with this fic is getting into Eren's brain Post-Rumbling.

Not only did he die, but he killed countless people. Perhaps even more tragically, his never-ending quest for freedom led him to a prison of his own making, where his own choices led him to a prison that spanned two thousand years.

I, honestly, cannot come up with a worse fate for Eren than what actually happened to him. This fic has to struggle with an Eren who went through that and is staring down the barrel of something similar happening again, only without the emotional connections that pushed him forward the first time.

The bench helps. Eren would not be able to move on, to come to terms, if he was still trapped by the founder's power. But all it does is even the playing field. He still has to find the motivation himself. In many ways, On The Bench is the story of Eren coming to terms with his own lack of freedom.

Anyway, just a few thoughts percolated around my head as we near the end of part 3.

I will meet you all again on Friday at our usual spot on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"That shall wrap up today's lesson," Sona said, putting away her flash cards.

She took Eren's portable whiteboard and marker and wiped it of the kanji and hiragana he had been practicing, taking care that nothing stained, before stowing it, along with the rest of the lesson's material, in the chest kept beneath the bench.

"I shall see you next week," the young Sitri said, standing up and walking away, carefully not looking at Mikasa as her aunt went through a few exercises.

"Sona," Eren called, and the student council president paused.

"Yes, Eren?"

"I need to talk to you."

Sona closed her eyes, exhaling, and turned.

Aunty was still doing her cool-down stretches, and Sona felt another pang of envy at the sight of her toned physique.

It wasn't even the muscles, the grace with which she moved, or even the self-confidence Mikasa held herself with.

It was everything.

Every little thing her aunt did recently sent feelings of doubt and envy through Sona, wounding her pride.

And it was entirely self-inflicted.

Sona knew it was.

Knew it was irrational and unfair.

Sona knew that her aunt did not realize the effect she had when she decided to use Sona's lessons with Eren as times when she could get some physical conditioning in.

Sona would even bet that her sister's Pawn was trying to be kind and give Sona some time alone with Eren without her hovering over them.

Mikasa Ackerman had always underestimated her beauty.

Sona hid all those feelings of envy and so many others as she looked over at Eren.

"Is it important? I have a meeting to get to."

Sona felt a twinge of shame at the lie. She was busy and did have a meeting to get to, but not for a few hours.

"It is," Eren nodded gravely. "It shouldn't take long, but you have been busy, so I need to get this out of the way while I still can."

Sona's heart seized.

"While you still can?" She asked, her worry shining through.

"I don't know if I'll have another chance," Eren's lips pursed. "You've been avoiding me lately."

This time, Sona could not hide the wince at the accusation.

"I've just been busy," Sona explained. "Some stuff happened over the summer, and I need to do a lot of networking for my dream. I haven't had much time for anything at all."

"I am not accusing you," Eren denied. "Despite how busy you are, you haven't missed even a single one of our lessons. I know I am not the most important factor at the moment, and that is fine. It's just... there is something I need you to understand, and I need to be sure you do before anything happens."

Sona looked to her aunt, wondering what she was making of Eren's grim words.

Mikasa was still going through the motions of winding down, but her eyes were closed, and her face was set in a line of grief and sadness.

Sona couldn't help but feel terrible.

Yes, she was jealous. Sona could admit that to herself.

Yes, she had good reason to be.

Right when she had decided to confess to Eren, she learned about his complicated relationship with the woman she had been going to for advice.

And yes, Sona was extremely busy.

Not only with her duties as overseer of this territory, Student Council President, King of a Peerage in the middle of the Young Devil Tournament, a student set to take her college exams soon, and now coordinating and appeasing her sponsors.

But that didn't mean she should have lost herself in her own life and problems.

Not only wasn't it Eren or Aunty's fault, but they had made no effort to rub their relationship, whatever it was, in her face. As far as Sona had seen, they might not have even kissed, let alone anything else.

Sona did not want to become a leader who would let her personal feelings get in the way of not only her happiness but also the happiness of people she cared about.

And... Eren was right. He didn't have much time left.

A few months at least if he did truly die at nineteen, but still, Sona should not be letting her awkwardness and jealousy take away from the time she did have to spend with her friend.

Losing herself in her work was easy.

Confronting her feelings, the truth of them, the truth that they would go nowhere, was much harder.

But it needed to be done.

If nothing else, she didn't want to regret missing these days later in life.

"Sorry," Sona said, closing her eyes and bowing in apology to the boy on the bench. "I shall endeavour to do better."

"Sona," Eren sighed, and Sona could not help the way her heart fluttered at the fond exasperation in his voice.

It was so hard to get even the slightest praise or concern from Eren that when it did shine through, it never failed to fill her heart with warmth.

"I am not saying you need to spend every moment with me. I do not need to be babied. Just slow down. When was the last time you played chess with Rias? Or spent any time with your Peerage outside of training?"

Sona... couldn't remember.

She knew it couldn't be too long ago, but the days were blending together. The closest she got was watching that ridiculous movie, and she left not long after to make up for the work she missed.

Sona was just... so busy.

Now more than ever.

It seemed like every one of her sponsors had wanted information on the events leading to Loki's death.

Half of the remaining Pillar Families were knocking down her door because they knew she had been there when the god died and were suddenly feeling the threat of Chaos Brigade.

While it had increased their respect for her, it also multiplied the demands on her time.

Had she talked to Saji about anything that wasn't his duty or how he was handling Vritra's other Gears? What about Riruko or Momo? Had their affections penetrated Saji's thick skull?

She knew her Peerage was doing well academically, as she tracked that, and physically because Aunty was helping them train, but emotionally?

How were they doing in their lives after watching a god die and being exposed to the True Longinus?

They had all almost died, and Sona... wasn't there to talk with them.

Even if she couldn't provide the emotional support Rias could to her Peerage, Sona had always prided herself on being able to lead them well, with a steady hand and a rilability unique among her generation. She strove to be someone they could trust to have their best interest at heart.

And she was failing them, just as she was failing Eren.

"You are right," Sona said gravely, meeting Eren's grey eyes. "You once told me I should not lose myself to my dream and forget to live. I have done just that."

"Your dream is actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Eren nodded at the spot on the bench beside himself that she had just left.

Sona retook her seat, well aware of her aunt's gaze.

"What about it?"

"The first time we met, you told me you wanted to be a teacher who would accept everyone. Do you remember?"

"I do," Sona couldn't help the smile that arose at the memory.

Oh, if she had only known who she was talking to then... Actually, Sona wouldn't have changed anything.

Still, Eren's approval had stuck out, if only because of what it meant to her.

"You called it admirable. A good dream."

"It is," Eren nodded, tapping his cane along the ground. "Do you remember what you said next?"

Sona cast her mind back. While some parts stuck out, it had been a year and a half, and specific details had faded.

"I thanked you for your words?" Sona half guessed.

"No," Eren denied. "Your exact words were, 'I am dedicating everything to achieving it.'"

That sounded about right to Sona's ears.

She was a bit surprised he remembered her exact words, though.

Sona was even more surprised when her aunt suddenly stopped her stretching to look at Sona in surprise.

"What is it," Sona asked, uncomfortable with the sudden attention without knowing why she received it.

"I am surprised you remembered," Mikasa said simply. "You were young."

"Remembered what," Sona asked again, unsure what the two were talking about.

"Our world, our military at least, had a salute," Eren explained sombrely, eyes lost on a distant horizon. "We, who believed we were all that stood between humanity and extinction, knew we could die at any moment. Knew the survival rate was abysmal. At that time, we did not have a nation, and though we had a king, very few of us ever actually fought for him or the institution. No, we were fighting for something else. Something greater than ourselves."

Mikasa, in an almost unconscious act, stood with her back straighter. Her left hand fell behind her back, and her right rose to form a fist over her heart.

"Shinzou wo Sasageyo."

Then she shook her head, dropping the pose.

It was as if the memory and salute were instinct rather than anything she had consciously thought about.

Half of Sona heard the words in the language Mikasa and Eren occasionally spoke. Eldian, she guessed.

Thanks to devils' ability to understand all languages, the other half heard it in the closest equivalent she could understand. Japanese, in this case.

"'Dedicate your heart?' As good as any salute as I've heard," Sona nodded.

She wasn't an expert on military subjects by any means, but she did know the basics. Salutes, flags, anthems, and marching songs were all tools to help create a sense of unity, of shared purpose and mission, in a military so that soldiers would focus less on themselves and more on the 'army' as a whole.

"It was the salute of those going to die," Eren said plainly. "It meant to dedicate your heart to something so completely that, even when you died, you entrusted your comrades to carry your heart on. Our dream would not die with us. A dream, a future worth dying for. A horizon we were all chasing."

"We all..." Mikasa started to say before shaking her head. "Or I guess most of us believed we were fighting humanity."

"You showed me this salute?" Sona asked, not really remembering something like this.

"When you were six or seven, you asked about my world," Mikasa said, wiping her sweat with a towel. "I told you I was part of a military. You wanted to know why I wanted to be a soldier and I didn't have an answer. I just told you I dedicated my heart to something and wanted to defend it. You spent the next few days telling everyone that would hear that you would dedicate your heart to anything and everything."

Sona's face burned with shame, and she didn't look at Eren in fear of what his face would look like.

"I thought here words were a coincidence," Eren said. Was Sona imagining it, or was there humour in his voice? "It was partly why I agreed to these lessons in the first place. I didn't mind helping a dream like that. I didn't know it came from you."

"That never happened!" Sona protested, face aflame. "I don't remember any of that!"

"It was before you had solidified your dream of being a teacher and a school for everyone. The words resonated with you," Mikasa said, pulling a bottle of water from the mini-fridge under the bench. Sona definitely wasn't imagining the humour in her aunt's voice. "We have magical recordings if you want. Serafall thought you were adorable and recorded you telling her you'd dedicate your heart to her. I'm surprised she hasn't used it to tease you."

Now that Mikasa brought that up, Sona had vague recollections of saying something like that, but she had been so young at the time.

She must have repressed the memory.

Repressed it hard.

"You stopped saying it when Serafall wanted you to say it while wearing a magical girl costume. 'Miracle Girl So-tan will dedicate her heart to justice!' If I remember correctly."

"Aunty!" Sona whined, mortified by Mikasa's plain and deadpan delivery of her dark history.

The way Mikasa said it, like she was talking about the weather, made it infinitely more embarrassing for the young heiress.

Sona wanted to die.

She wanted to dig a hole, crawl in, and bury herself alive.

The shame was the primary reason it took Sona so long to notice the look in Mikasa's eyes.

"You are messing with me," Sona accused her aunt. "Aren't you?"

"The story is true," Mikasa said plainly, but she nodded. "But yes, I am. I've always been concerned about your habit of putting feelings aside for work. Your reactions are more genuine when you feel your pride has been damaged. It is half the reason your sister acts the way she does."

Sona winced, acknowledging that Mikasa agreed with Eren about her workaholic tendencies. She knew that it was true, too. She did have a high sense of pride and fell to embarrassment quickly when it was poked.

"You two planned this," Sona asked, glaring at Eren.

"No," Eren shrugged. "We just work well together."

"Fine," Sona sighed. "I will take more care not to lose myself in my dream and the work involved."

"That's good, but..." Eren hesitated. "Not actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Both of you."

That got their attention.

Mikasa had been with Eren these last few months, almost every waking moment of every day. Anything he needed to say to her could be said without the other's present at any moment. Sona was sure they did so, talking about secrets from their world when nobody was around.

It was odd that he needed to talk to both of them simultaneously.

"Eren?" Mikasa asked, her plain tone giving way to worry and concern.

"I..." Eren paused, closed his eyes and tightened his knuckles on his cane. He exhaled a deep breath. "I don't have much time left."

It was like all air was sucked from Sona's lungs.

She knew. Had known it. They all did.

He had just said something similar only a few minutes ago.

For a while, Sona had still held out hope that Eren would become a devil, even after rejecting Mikasa.

Then she saw Rias make Rossweiss her Pawn and knew her friend would never use those pieces if hope remained.

Eren would not be reincarnated.

He would die a human.

Sona had just drowned that realization in more work.

Mikasa didn't look any less devastated than Sona, though her reaction was of grim acceptance.

As if she had already prepared herself.

Sona supposed her aunt had.

Mikasa had already buried Eren once before, after all.

"I've been talking with the others," Eren continued. "Trying to get them to understand. You two... You're all that's left."

Rias had mentioned something to that effect, something about Eren acting differently with everyone, but Sona hadn't been around for most of that.

Now, hearing his words, something clicked in her mind.

"You're leaving a will behind," Sona guessed in the silence after Eren trailed off.

"That's... not wrong," Eren said with hesitation. "I've done what I can to prepare the others, but I will entrust the rest to you two. I think... together, you can do it."

"Do what?" Sona asked.

"The hardest job of all," Eren said grimly. "Leading and teaching."

Sona still didn't understand.

Mikasa, though, understood Eren.

She understood what was happening.

After all, he had done this before.

At least this time, he was clear about what he was doing before he died instead of running ahead and leaving them to figure it out.

Maybe Eren really had changed.

"He wants us to make sure there is not another Eren Yeager," Mikasa said hollowly.

"What?"

"In our world," Mikasa explained, her voice as dead as Eren's had ever been. "His death left a mess for us. One that took years to clean up. But he entrusted that mess to our friends. And me. You want me to do it again, don't you?"

"It will not be the same," Eren denied, but his voice was weak. "I don't want it to be the same. But..." Eren shook his head and looked into Mikasa's eyes. "All I am asking you to make sure they do not make the same mistakes I did. That is it. Help them understand. Help them learn."

"Understand what?"

"That to dedicate your heart to a better future is dangerous," Eren said simply. "It must be done. Everyone born in this world has the right to live in it, and we inherit the hearts entrusted to us. But when you pass on your heart, when you dedicate yourself to a dream, you never know who will pick it up after you. Or what they will do with it."

"You... want me to carry on your dream?" Sona shifted uncomfortably.

"No. I've entrusted that to Rias. I want you to ensure she does not lose herself in it. I want you to pull her back. I want you to be a voice of reason."

"Sona is not Armin, Eren!" Mikasa snapped protectively. "Don't put this on her."

"I know that!" Eren snapped back, standing from the bench to loom over the shorter woman. "I am not asking her to be! I don't want her to be Armin. I want her to be Sona!"

"What are you two talking about," Sona joined in, eyes narrowed in anger at being left out.

The two former soldiers stared at each other briefly before Mikasa answered.

"He's asking us to make a better world," the Pawn said, not taking her eyes off Eren's. "He wants you to try and fix this world's problems."

"What?"

"You cannot fix people," Eren shook his head in dismissal. "You cannot fix a world. War will follow peace, and peace will follow war. That is reality. Accept it."

"What, exactly, are you trying to say, Eren?" Sona asked.

"I want you to achieve your dream, Sona," Eren said plainly, his eyes finally tearing from Mikasa's to stare through Sona's glasses and into her own. "I want you to be a teacher who will teach anyone who is willing to learn. And I want you to teach the truth. No political spin. No flattery or lies. The brutal truth of what sort of monsters are out there."

Mikasa's eyes widened at the realization of what Eren was truly asking.

"I was going to do that anyway," Sona huffed, a bit affronted that Eren expected her to not already intend to do so.

"No, Sona," Mikasa said, her voice filled with... fear? Sona looked back at her aunt and saw she was pale. "He means he wants you to teach about our world. To do that, he wants me to tell you everything."

Why... did her aunt look so afraid?

"They need to know," Eren said forcefully. "They need to know this path's risks and consequences. They need to know why we did what we did."

"Please, Eren," Mikasa begged. "Please don't ask me to do this to them. They will not... They can't..." Mikasa seemed to search for the words, unable to express whatever she was trying to say. "Their memories will be tainted. Do you really want this? Can't we just be happy?"

"I can only trust you with this," Eren said, voice laden with grief and self-recrimination. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't do this. They'd never learn, or if they did, they wouldn't understand. If I told them... If I had the time to tell them, they might not believe it. You saw it. You lived it. Please do this for me, Mikasa. Please do not let them make the same mistakes I did."

"They are so young," Mikasa closed her eyes. "They won't understand why you... Why I..."

Sona wanted to be affronted at the insinuation, but the pain writ clear across her aunt's face held her tongue.

"You can't baby people just because you are stronger," Eren reprimanded gently.

"Then what good is all this strength if I can't protect the ones I love!"

Eren's face softened at the tears beading Mikasa's eyes.

"You don't have to do it soon," Eren shook his head. "Sona is busy. They still have a while before they need to face it. But they need to know before walking down this road. There were too many corpses on ours. They need to look for another way. When they are ready, you need to tell them. Or history will just repeat itself. Please, Mikasa. You are the only one who can change the future."

It was as if Eren had punched her.

Mikasa swayed, and Eren stepped forward to steady her, pulling the Pawn tight against his chest.

Sona felt distinctly uncomfortable as if witnessing a private moment for which she should not be present.

"Sona," Eren said, still holding Mikasa close to himself. He looked over at the younger girl. "When you feel you are ready, you can ask Mikasa about our world again. She'll tell you. She's strong enough to tell you. And... You need to listen. No matter what you learn, you need to understand the reasons why it happened. Only then will you be able to teach others about it. Can you promise to do this?"

Sona looked at her aunt, searching for any response or further denial.

She received none.

All Eren was asking was for Sona to gain access to information she had always been curious about, yet it felt more than that.

It felt like there was some great, dark secret that would change her entire view of Eren and her Aunt. Like some yawning abyss that she would have to dive into if she actually agreed.

Mikasa Ackerman had always hesitated to talk about her past, and Sona would finally know why.

Yet she felt fear at the prospect more than joy.

"I will," Sona said, her throat dry.

"Good," Eren nodded. "As I said, I want you to be yourself and pursue your dream. Dedicate your heart to it. I know you can do it. Mikasa and the others will help you, but you need to be the ones to lead them."

"Rias is too headstrong," Sona denied. "And the others will follow her."

"She'll listen to you," Eren shook his head. "I know you aren't their King. That's for the best. They don't need a King. They need a friend and leader they can trust. I am trusting you to keep them in line. You need to be the one to make the hard calls. To need to be the one to pull them back when they run too far."

"Eren," Sona said hesitantly. "What does this all mean? I don't understand."

Sona was an intelligent girl, but even she was confused.

Eren was simultaneously trying to pass his heart and dream onto her and Rias and trying to make sure they didn't make the same mistakes he and Mikasa did.

It was contradictory and confusing, not helped by the fact that Eren didn't feel he could tell them what those exact mistakes were.

Over the year and a half with Eren, Sona had pieced together the bare bones of the 'mistakes.' Eren had never hidden that he considered himself just as bad as the worst monsters out there, but it hit Sona then: she was missing something crucial.

This was much, much bigger than any of them had suspected.

The only thing Sona could say with any confidence at the moment was that both Eren and Mikasa were trying to protect them, but each had different methods.

Mikasa wanted them safe and happy, taking the burden on herself, while Eren wanted them prepared to shoulder it themselves.

"Mikasa will help you make sense of this later," Eren shook his head. "I can't be the one to tell you. While she might not be impartial, Mikasa will be much better than I. And she knows more than me. You can go to her for advice after I am gone. Trust her to support you."

"I see," Sona said, looking away.

"Not yet," Eren said softly. "But you will."

Maybe she would. One day.

But it didn't stop the ache in Sona's heart today.

"Eren?"

"Yes?"

Sona hesitated for a long moment, then, swallowing her pride and embarrassment, she asked in a quiet voice.

"Can... Can you hug me, too?"

Sona's ears burned, and she couldn't look at the older boy.

Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure Eren could hear it.

What must Aunty think?

"...Sure."

Sona didn't give herself time to psyche herself out. She dove for his open arm and, hesitantly, wrapped her arms around Eren and her Aunt.

With one fist bunched in Eren's shirt, Mikasa wrapped the other around Sona.

They might not have much time together left, but Sona didn't want to miss any more of it.

For the first time, Eren sat in the center of the bench.

This close, Sona could hear Eren's heartbeat.

The heart he was entrusting to them all.

It was not the love and the life Sona had hoped for with her crush.

But no matter what the future held or what she learned, Sona would have memories like this to push her forward.

Memories of warmth, of friendship, and of beauty.

Despite all the pain that came before and would follow after. All the tragedy and sorrow.

Despite learning of the Devil, Eren Yeager.

His betrayal. His crimes. His war.

Despite it all...

Sona Sitri wouldn't once regret stopping to wake the dying boy on the bench.

********

I won't say much about this chapter or the next.

By this point, I want the story to speak for itself. If I've done a good job, it will. If I didn't, it won't.

I will meet you all on Sunday for the last chapter of part 3.

I'll be waiting on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Mikasa Ackerman knew Eren Yeager.

And she had been watching.

It was easy to watch when every day that with him passed felt like a new miracle.

Even now, after months, it still felt like she was living a dream. Every day, she awoke expecting to see the familiar ceiling of her small cabin in the woods, only to be met with the bare furnishings of Eren's extra room.

These simple days of planting flowers in the park, of training young devils, of sitting on the bench by his side, talking about everything and nothing...

They passed by so quickly, as if those four years they never had were condensed into two months.

It was... everything to Mikasa.

Everything to the woman who had killed the boy she loved.

And through it all, Mikasa had been watching.

Baring the occasional moment where she would visit Serafall or help the Peerages train, she spent her entire day by Eren's side.

It was a fool who discounted Mikasa Ackerman's presence because she rarely spoke, who considered her dull because she rarely emoted, and who thought her weak because she chose to love again.

Mikasa Ackerman was none of those things, even in this dreamlike time of happiness and reminiscence.

Mikasa had been watching Eren.

Nobody knew the boy on the bench as well as she did. The only possible exception had lived and died a world away.

And Mikasa knew, Eren had changed.

Not only from the boy she grew up with but from the man who had crushed the earth flat under his feet and wadded through an ocean of blood.

She knew why.

She was certain the Rumbling had an effect on Eren.

It had affected them all, but Eren most of all. And he had never had the time to process it like she did. Eren had seen it coming but had not lived long enough to reconcile the actions he took.

No matter what propaganda had said, he had never been an emotionless monster.

Eren's problem had always been that he cared too much.

He raged. He grieved. He believed. He loved. He despaired.

Rage and grief had led to a promise to exterminate all titans. With his final breath, he had done so.

Belief in an ideal had led him beyond the walls, beyond the sea, and beyond time and space in search of his freedom.

His love of his friends, of his family, and of his home had seen him slaughter a world that wished for their extermination.

Eren's despair over the actions he would take had led to years of fruitless search, and when that failed, death had been his only escape.

And even then, he had used his death to fulfill his goals. He had destroyed a world so those he loved could build one of their own.

All this because Eren cared.

And the Rumbling had been the final result of Eren's care.

An ocean of blood at the feet of a boy who only dreamed of freedom.

Armin and Mikasa had spent years, decades, trying to understand Eren. They had failed while he lived, so they had refused to fail his memory.

Mikasa could not say she understood him perfectly, even after all this time, but she had understood one thing from watching the boy on the bench.

Eren was trying to be understood.

It was a simple realization. Eren had said as much to more than a few of the children who joined him on the bench.

But it was alien to the girl who had chased Eren's back for her whole life.

It was only after his talk to Sona about the future that Mikasa truly realized what it meant.

Eren was laying out a path.

Not just running ahead, not just charging forward, forever attacking a world that cried for his blood.

Eren was trying to lead these children to a better future.

Even as he remained on the bench, he was still advancing, but now he had slowed down. Been forced to slow down.

And, as he slowed, he reached out to those behind him for the first time.

Mikasa had been wrong when she assumed Eren was trying to make Sona into another Armin.

Eren was not making anyone into anything. All he was doing was showing the path that had been run before.

Eren was trusting them to not make the same mistakes he had made.

In doing so, he trusted Mikasa to be with these children, to remain by their side, and to remind them of those same lessons. To be a voice they could turn to when he was gone.

He wanted them to live long and happy lives.

Even if it meant the people he had come to see as friends learned of the boy who destroyed the world.

Mikasa didn't think these devils would hate Eren when they learned of the Rumbling, but nor did she doubt they would be able to think of him the same way again.

It was just another way Eren was trusting these children.

So, when, on the morning before half of Eren's friends were set to return from their school trip, Eren suddenly asked Mikasa a question, and she was able to answer with full honesty and confidence.

It was a vague question but one she understood.

Mikasa had been watching, after all.

"Could you do it again?"

"I could."

The answer was immediate and without hesitation. It clearly took Eren off guard, and he looked at Mikasa. As if questioning whether she truly understood the question.

She looked back, willing him to understand her determination.

"Even after all I did? Even after all the pain and death? Even after I hurt you, lied to you, manipulated you, and fought you?"

"I could."

"...Why?"

Mikasa took a bit longer to answer this time, giving her words some thought.

"...Because it's worth it."

"Is it? Time and time again, I can't give you anything but pain and loss. I-"

Eren closed his eyes, and Mikasa pretended not to have noticed the wetness in them.

"I'm going to hurt you again. No matter what I do, I will hurt you again when I am gone. I don't want to, but I will. Because I can't change who I am."

"I know," Mikasa said, resting her head on his shoulders. "It took me a long time to realize when I was a girl, but caring for you is to be hurt. Over and over again."

"It's not right!"

"No," Mikasa agreed with Eren's angry exclamation. "It's not. But it's what we have. The world was never about what was right or wrong. It is about fighting for the future we want. You taught me that."

"...You hate fighting."

"I do," Mikasa admited. "But I am good at it. I am strong. So, I will keep fighting for the future I want. One where we both live long, happy lives."

"I wish you didn't have to be strong," Eren said almost petulently. "I wish I could have been the strong one."

"I need to be strong. To keep chasing you. To catch you."

"... You've caught me before."

"Every time I do, you slip through my fingers. All I can do is hold on for as long as possible, and then you are gone again."

Mikasa pulled away from Eren.

He looked at her, and she smiled, resting a hand on the scarf around her neck.

"I can do it all again," Mikasa said softly. "I chose to do this. I have always been free to choose what I want to do. Beyond life and death. Across worlds. The boy who wrapped this scarf around me. I will keep chasing him. As long as it takes."

Eren's hands gently brushed against the red fabric, but he did not take it in his hands.

As he did, his face contorted as if some tremendous internal struggle was taking place within his heart.

Mikasa didn't say anything to press him.

Eventually, and with a voice laden with guilt, Eren spoke.

"I will not lie to you again," Eren said gravely, staring at the scarf. "I will not push you away. I will trust you to chase your own happiness, no matter what."

"Thank you."

"But... There are things you need to know. Before anything else, I need to tell you about her."

Mikasa closed her eyes as her heart seized.

For the last few months, there had been an unspoken agreement between both of them.

Both knew each other. Both were jealous people.,

But both wanted the other to be happy—even if they weren't the ones they were with.

It was a painful dichotomy, one all too common in people.

Both knew the other had moved on and were, in their own way, glad for it, but neither wanted to hear about the details.

Mikasa had told Eren stories of her son, of the life she had lived and what had happened to the world he had left behind, but she had carefully avoided Jean.

Just as Eren had carefully steered clear of his mysterious companion.

In the few times he talked about his time in this world, there had been allusions to a woman, or at least a partner, who had accompanied him during his missions as a mercenary.

"Why," Mikasa asked, not looking at Eren.

"She got in touch with me again. Recently. While you were away. She knew about you. Who you are. What you mean to me."

Eren's voice was flat, and he spoke in clipped sentences as if he didn't know how to explain anything but the facts.

Mikasa didn't ask who this woman was, how she went unnoticed, or when this happened.

Mikasa knew Eren.

Any woman he came to care for would have to be not only competent but outstanding in some way. Everyone had fallen over themselves for Krista, the girl with angelic kindness.

It was only Historia, the worst girl in the world, that Eren had come to admire.

And it wasn't like Mikasa spent every second with Eren, as she didn't want to smother him. That had been a mistake of her youth, unable to recognize and control the emotions she felt. So she had given him what space she could.

So no, Mikasa did not ask about Eren's lover. She truly did not want to know, even if Eren felt she needed to.

Instead, Mikasa asked a more important question.

"What do I mean to you?"

Eren didn't answer.

Instead, he continued his explanation.

"I... I was alone. I didn't know why I was reborn. There was no Eldia. No Titans. None of our comrades. Armin wasn't here. You weren't here. So I... I just kept moving forward without knowing why. I fought. It's all I'm good at."

Even with her eyes closed, Mikasa reached out to Eren's hand and held it in her own.

"She was a tool. A comrade in only the sense that we fought together. We used each other. I never set out to... It was a side effect, I guess. I used her, and she used me, and somewhere along the way... it became something else."

It hurt. It shouldn't hurt, but it did.

Mikasa understood it. When you love someone, you want to be the one they loved in turn. You wanted their eyes only on you. Love is the most selfish of emotions.

That didn't change that it hurt.

A younger Mikasa, one who was unfamiliar with the world, her feelings, and love, would have sulked. Lashed out, maybe. Maybe she would have even hunted this woman down.

What she would have done then, even Mikasa didn't know. It would not have been pretty, no matter what happened.

But this was not a young Mikasa Ackerman.

This was a grown woman, one who had lived a full life. One who had faced the worst the world could offer and come out stronger. One who had already lost the boy she loved. One who had killed her heart once before.

So, she asked the most critical question.

"Were you happy?"

"No."

Mikasa did not feel any pleasure, any satisfaction born of jealousy, at the answer.

All she felt was grief and sadness.

"But," Eren paused, lost in thought. "...I think I could have been. If not for my limit. If not for my power. I think I could have lived a long and happy life with her."

Like Mikasa had with Jean.

It went unsaid but understood.

In some weird way, Mikasa was happy to hear that.

Happy that Eren, after all he had done and endured, could still find happiness in a world not plagued by titans and not dependent on Mikasa's existence.

Eren was going to die.

But if there was another world beyond this one, she hoped he would find the happiness, the life he deserved.

Eren and Mikasa were not soulmates, destined lovers, or anything of the sort. They were just two people who cared for each other.

But that small amount of joy, even tainted by jealousy as it was, did not erase the grief and sadness that Eren was not happy now.

There was a long minute of silence after Eren's confession, both processing their own complex emotions.

Nobody ever loved only one person. Humans were not built like that, and neither were devils. Emotions were messy, complex, unclear, and, more often than not, contradictory.

Still, Eren wasn't done.

"I'm telling you this because... well," Eren said in embarrassment, and Mikasa opened her eyes finally to see him looking away, his cheeks flushed red. "Like I said, I talked to her recently. She... She wanted me to..."

Mikasa furrowed her brows, not understanding the implications.

Was this woman just as jealous as she was?

Was Eren's lover telling him to tell Mikasa to leave?

That Mikasa was not needed now that Eren had moved on?

"Are you telling me to leave?"

They had not expressed any romantic connection except for the kiss they shared when they first reunited.

Mikasa wouldn't lie and say she hadn't wanted more, but knowing Eren had someone he had come to care about, she could understand why he had been hesitant to bring up anything of the sort.

She would have been just as confused if Jean had still been around.

Eren was not the sort of person to cheat. Mikasa knew that. It was why she had been content to not press him and remain by his side without bringing it up.

Besides, both of them had been relatively content in each other's presence.

Meeting again was already a gift that neither had ever expected.

Still, if this woman thought she could chase Mikasa away without a fight, she was in for a surprise.

"No!" Eren hurriedly said, face still red. "It's... It's not that."

Mikasa still didn't understand.

"What did she say," Mikasa asked.

"It's... She knows how much you mean to me and..." Eren stuttered out.

Of the man who had crushed a world, barely a shadow was left.

Only a boy unused to expressing his feelings, or even talking about embarrassing subjects.

Eventually, Eren took a deep breath, held it for a long moment, and exhaled.

With his air, all his embarrassment left him, and he looked into Mikasa's eyes.

"She wants me to be happy. Even if..."

Oh.

"Even if she's not the only one."

OH.

It took Mikasa an embarrassingly long time to realize what this woman had meant.

It was her turn to blush.

Even after spending more than a few days listening to Issei Hyoudou talk about harems and such, those thoughts were still alien to her.

It still boggled her mind how open people were about such subjects, especially those who were part of the supernatural communities.

Yes, they weren't human, and even among humans, there were some cultures that practiced polygamy.

That didn't change the fact that Mikasa Ackerman was not the type of woman who really considered such things. She didn't have any judgment on those who did. She just never... really considered it.

As possessive and jealous as Mikasa knew herself to be, she didn't even think she could have done what this woman did. If Mikasa knew Eren would definitely be happier with someone else, she could stand aside.

Maybe.

But Mikasa also knew Eren wanted her to be happy, and seeing him with someone else would, knowing it wouldn't ever be her... Mikasa certainly wouldn't be happy, just like Eren wouldn't be if he were to see her with Jean now.

Did that make her a worse person than his mysterious lover?

Not really. Just a different person.

One who was almost wholly unable to really consider the long-term implications of such a decision at this moment.

Especially considering Eren's current situation and limited time.

In the end, Mikasa did what she usually did in these situations.

"What do you want, Eren?"

Eren leaned back on the bench, looking up at the white clouds passing through the blue autumn sky.

He looked just as conflicted as Mikasa felt.

Embarrassment. Jealousy. Shame. Grief. Love. Concern. It all roiled in Mikasa's gut.

But she endured it, waiting for him to speak.

"I... I want an answer."

"An answer?"

Eren looked at Mikasa, and their eyes met.

Mikasa understood.

She might never be able to fully understand 'Eren Yeager,' but she understood him there and then.

She knew the question.

A question Eren had gone to his death without knowing its true answer.

It was a question he had wanted answered honestly for over nineteen years.

She knew what she was going to say before he even asked.

"Mikasa. What am I to you?"

She knew what pain it would mean for her, what sorrow waited for her with her answer.

Mikasa would still choose to do it all again.

And Mikasa answered.

Those three words Mikasa had whispered as her blade severed Eren's head from his spine eighty years ago.

The three words that haunted her nightmares.

Hearing her answer, a weight seemed to lift from Eren. A burden he had been carrying for too long had finally fallen, and he could finally breathe.

As if, no matter what happened now, Eren was finally free.

Hearing Mikasa's answer...

"I love you."

...Eren smiled.

********

Surprise.

I decided to give you an extra chapter when the finale for part 3 got too long. I will still release one tomorrow, but I want to keep these chapters within the bounds I've set, and I've already gone way longer than I intended. So I pulled a Mappa.

Complaints and comments (and there will be plenty) will have to wait for the next time we meet on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Something was different.

The young devils who joined Mikasa and Eren noticed the change almost immediately, but they couldn't quite pinpoint what.

Something had happened with Eren and Mikasa, certainly, but neither of them made any mention, and, by and large, they acted as they usually did.

So, the teenage devils enjoyed the pleasant evening air, with food, stories, and laughter in that clearing in the park with the bench. It was a time to unwind after the school trip and tell everyone about their time in Kyoto.

Or be interrogated about it, as the case may be.

What else could one expect when they were friends with Rias Gremory?

"I'm so jealous," Rias pouted, kicking her feet petulantly. "I want to go to Kyoto."

"You can teleport there whenever you want," Sona sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Though it would be better if you took the train, otherwise you will need to alert the Yokai of your arrival, and it might become an incident."

"It's not the same," Rias whined. "Going to Kyoto on a school trip is a girl's Romance! A right of passage for all protagonists!"

"Then you must be a side character," Akeno giggled slyly as her King stuck out her tongue at the Queen.

"It was interesting," Yuuto said with a smile as he passed around samples of his newest recipes, which everyone accepted with delight. "While Japanese-style swords are not my usual preferences, they have some rather fascinating examples of various works in one of their museums."

"Right!" Rias nodded eagerly. "I hear they even have a Masamune blade in the magical quarter. Gah! I want to see it!"

"...Good food," Koneko said, adding her input to the conversation between bites of a rather delectable lemon and poppyseed scone.

"The temples were really pretty," Asia joined in with a wide-eyed smile.

"Which ones did you visit?" Rias asked in excitement. "Kinkaku-ji? Tenryu-ji? Tell me you at least took pictures of Tou-Ji!"

"All three," Issei nodded with a smile. Asia fused over him, brushing crumbs from his shirt. "And we had time to visit Arashiyama. We even ran into a Tanuki!"

"Were there any issues," Sona asked with concern. "The Yokai are not fond of devils."

"Ah, um, no. We saw a few, but, um, they didn't try anything."

"What our Rook isn't saying," Akeno said, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Is that almost all of them asked for his autograph. Apparently, Oppai Dragon is being broadcast to other factions now."

"How do you know?" Rias asked, wondering how her Queen had heard of this and she hadn't.

"Rossweiss told me," Akeno said guilessly. "She was chaperoning, and we've been texting. I've been giving her advice on being a devil."

Rias narrowed her eyes at her Queen, well aware of their ongoing bet but unwilling to concede.

Ravel was this close to officially joining Issei's harem.

Rias could feel it.

"The show is way more popular than I expected," Issei said, completely missing the by-play. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I think it's making Ddraig sad. He's been sighing a lot lately."

"The Divine Dragons have been a staple of the Supernatural world since before recorded memory," Sona lectured. "They are figures of fear and awe, and every faction of any significant history has dealt with them before. Their Sacred Gear holders are just as, if not more, infamous due to their tendency to do battle wherever and whenever they wish, without regard for what is around them."

"...They destroy cities. Or countries," Koneko deadpaned. "People talk."

"The premise of having a show based on one of them would attract international attention, even discounting its quality," Sona continued. "And, if I give her nothing else, my sister's studio would not give anything less than their best."

"She won't say it, but I think Serafall likes the competition," Mikasa said, a small smile on her face. "She complained that the industry was getting boring, but she's been more fired up than usual. She even told me they are planning a crossover episode."

"...Cool," Koneko nodded.

"Will the mysterious 'senpai' show up in it," Akeno asked with a look at Eren, who shuffled uncomfortably. "Maybe Miracle Girl Levia-tan's secret crush?"

"No."

"A tengu we met asked about him, you know," Yuuto said conversationally as if he didn't notice Eren's discomfort. "I didn't really know what the studio has planned, so I just said he was an important character that would play a larger role later."

"Ravel's been keeping me updated on everything related to the show," Issei chimed in. "The devil forums are full of rumours and theories. Some think he's Oppai Dragon's brother or rival. Others are convinced he's secretly the big bad. He even has fans!"

"That is a bit excessive," Sona frowned. "A character that only appeared once for a few seconds is that popular?"

"Twice," Akeno said, holding up two fingers. Eren looked at her in horror. "The one in the movie, and in the most recent episode, my character had a flashback of her own. A younger version receives encouragement from a boy on a bench to throw off society's expectations."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"His words give her strength to declare her own desires like Oppai Dragon without shame," Akeno said, wrapping her arms around herself as if in a tight embrace. "She becomes a recurring supporting character who uses whips and leather. 'Mistress Night.'"

"Akeno," Eren asked desperately, knowing that the Queen definitely influenced such a story. "Why? Just... Why?"

"Because it's funny," Akeno giggled.

"It certainly helped the rumours," Rias nodded sagely. "You should never underestimate a fandom, Sona. They will pick apart even the tiniest detail and come up with the wildest theories. That is what happens when you love something so much. You are always thinking about it. Then the creator will pull the rug, and everyone will go, 'Wow! How did we miss this!' That is the beauty of anime!"

"Please don't go on another rant about anime," Sona sighed in despair. "I only have tonight and the morning off. I don't want to spend my limited free time listening to a weeb preach."

Rias, in a demonstration of her maturity and grace, stuck her tongue out at her rival.

"Did they have television in your world, Senpai," Issei asked Eren.

"Not before I died," Eren denied but looked at Mikasa.

"We had something similar," she nodded simply as she munched on a cookie. "They were still new, though."

"If you don't mind, Aunty," Sona said, leaning forward curiously. "I would love to hear about your world. Nothing important," Sona hurried to say at the frown almost overtaking her aunt's face. "Just its society and technology. I imagine its development without the influence of magical races is wildly different than this one's."

"...Maybe later," Mikasa said, with a sideways glace at Eren.

Sona nodded, swallowing her curiosity for the moment.

Rias took that opportunity to ask more about the Kyoto trip, the sights the second years had seen, and how she would have done things differently.

Rias had the layout of the famous Japanese city memorized and her ideal itinerary already planned.

It was the one time she was more organized than Sona.

"I'm sure I can get passes for the Yokai side," Rias said passionately. "Their leader, Yakasa, occasionally lets diplomatic envoys tour the imperial gardens and temples."

"You are not a diplomatic envoy," Sona said after swallowing the last of her muffin. Then, before Rias could reply, she cut her off. "And no, you cannot use your family's influence to make you one. Besides, you hate throwing your brother's name around."

"Kyoto is worth it!" Rias declared without shame. "And the Yokai side still has buildings dating back to before the Jomon period. You cannot say you aren't interested."

Sona paused as if the thought really was tempting. Then she shook her head.

"No, it would be a gross misuse of authority."

"... Boring."

"I am not," Sona protested as almost everyone giggled at Koneko's deadpan.

No.

Not 'almost.'

Everyone.

The laughter died quicker than it arrived as everyone stared at Eren in wide-eyed shock.

"Did you just..." Rias asked, unable to even ask the question.

"What," Eren asked, uncomfortable with the attention.

"He did," Mikasa said with surety, her own smile radiant despite its subtlety.

"Yes!" Koneko clenched her fists in victory. Then she held them out to Akeno. "Pay up."

Still in shock, the Queen absently handed over a bundle of yen thicker than her wrist that appeared from nowhere.

Koneko hopped on Eren's lap, shuffled to get comfortable, and then started counting her winnings. Satisfied it was all there, the Rook stuffed the money in her bag.

She'd be ordering the imported sweets tomorrow, and Rias couldn't nag her for spending her allowance since she had lost as well.

It was a good day to be Koneko.

By the time the younger girl was done, the group had largely gotten over their shock and were back to talking and laughing, even happier than before.

Seeing that everyone, especially Eren, was in such high spirits, Rias decided to try her luck.

"What about you, Eren?" She asked. "Was there anywhere you wanted to visit?"

Eren's birthday was still months away, but Rias had not forgotten about her failure this year. She wanted to do something memorable this time and was gathering information to plan it later. Nothing too large, but something Eren would enjoy.

Especially since it might be the last they have to celebrate.

(It should be noted that Rias' birthday was a national holiday in Gremory territory, so her ideas tended to be a bit... grand.

What she considered 'not too large' was already at the stage of renting out an entire amusement park or reserving whole sections of a city so they wouldn't be disturbed.

Needless to say, if Eren knew what she was thinking, he would have been completely befuddled by her thought process.)

"Not really," Eren said casually.

"Really? Nowhere?"

"No."

"What about you, Aunty?" Rias asked, judging that Eren wasn't lying.

"Me neither," Mikasa shook her head. "We didn't have many options. Most buildings and cities in our world were less than fifty or a hundred years old."

"Then what about the favourite place you've visited," Sona suggested, catching on to what Rias was doing.

They were both committed to making sure Eren's birthday was as memorable and enjoyable as possible.

(Sona, at least, had a more reasonable sense of scale when it came to such occasions.

She was much more likely to do something small but meticulously planned down to the last minute. One could argue that expecting people to adhere to such a schedule was even more unrealistic than Rias, but Sona showed how much she cared in the details.

And she had a lot of details planned for Eren.

This was despite the fact that her birthday was also a holiday, one even more famous thanks to Miracle Girl Levia-tan celebrating it every year with a special episode. Naturally, the reach of Underworld's most popular TV show should not be underestimated. Hundreds of millions of devils celebrated her birthday in big and small ways.

Every.

Year.)

Mikasa and Eren looked at each other as if in silent communication.

"The sea," Eren eventually said, and Mikasa nodded.

"Truly," Akeno asked. "We could have gone this summer if we had known."

"Not to swim," Mikasa denied. "The sea is... it's special."

"How come?" Rias asked curiously. "You've seen it before, right?"

Not only had Mikasa been around for decades, but Eren had travelled the world as a mercenary. Both should have seen the sea plenty of times.

"It's not that," Mikasa shook her head with a small smile. "The first time we saw the ocean... It meant something."

The group looked at the pair in silent question.

"'Did you know?'" Eren said, looking to the sky.

His voice was lighter than almost anyone there had ever heard him.

It sounded like he was quoting a book.

Or someone he knew.

"'Most of the world is covered by a water body known as the sea. And the sea is entirely made of salt water. It's large enough to never run out. Beyond the wall... there's a sea. On the other side of the sea... is freedom.'"

It finally struck those young devils.

What had been off while they talked, joked, and laughed.

Eren's expression.

For most of the afternoon, almost imperceptibly, Eren had been smiling.

The most minor, most content of smiles.

"Ah," Rias swallowed her suddenly dry throat and tried to speak again. "If you want, we can go to the sea. It's not far. I can't teleport us using my house's sigil, since you aren't a devil, but I can call a ride."

Then, her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Actually, my family has a private island off the coast with a small home. We can stay the night!"

That seemed to shake the group out of the strange state Eren's words and expression had put them in.

"It isn't a school night," Sona acknowledged with a tilt of her head. "And we do have the finals for the tournament coming up. We have been training hard, and some time to relax will do everyone some good. Very well."

"Awesome!" Issei said, standing with excitement. "I haven't seen the sea in years."

"Ufufu," Akeno giggled at the younger boy's enthusiasm. "We won't be wearing swimsuits, though. It's too late in the year to go swimming."

Issei immediately wilted, and Yuuto consolingly patted his dejected friend on the back.

Mikasa looked at Eren with a raised brow.

Eren looked surprised, but after a moment, his expression settled, and he nodded.

His smile was just a bit smaller, though.

It took little effort to clean up the clearing with the bench and put the blanket, utensils, and food away in the storage container and mini fridge.

Before she could call a ride, Mikasa whispered something in Rias's ear.

The redhead frowned in thought, then nodded at Sona to come over. Leviathan's Pawn repeated the action to her honorary niece.

"It should be possible," Sona said, also frowning in thought. "It's common enough for magicians, but devils usually don't usually need it except for familiars."

"Do it," Mikasa told her. "It is important to him."

Her words took the two Kings by surprise.

Something so banal and mundane was important? If they had known, they would have done it a while ago.

The sea and now this? It made them curious about what else they didn't know about Eren, even after a year and a half by his side.

Eren looked at the exchange curiously, but none of the three women answered his silent question.

Instead, Sona just approached him and held out her hand, pressing it against Eren's chest as she furrowed her brows in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked.

"One moment," Sona said.

Then she started to glow with blue power as the magical circle of the Sitri house covered her arm. The blue circles flowed like water from Sona's arm, and Eren flinched as they passed into him in a wave.

Nothing seemed to happen, though.

"It should work and last for a few hours," Sona said, stepping away with a frown at her aunt. "But we don't really have the time for him to get used to it if we want to go to the sea tonight."

"It works like ours?" Mikasa asked, and Sona nodded. "Then he already knows what to do."

"Even new devils take a few weeks or months to get used to it," Rias pointed out, worried for Eren. "It's even more difficult for humans. Their brains aren't used to thinking in the way they need to move safely."

Mikasa just shook her head at the younger devils with a small smile.

Then, without warning and in a voice that commanded attention and obedience, Mikasa barked a few clipped sentences.

"Incoming! East side! Twenty meters! Treetops! You have the nape!"

While the young devils jumped in surprise at the sudden orders that didn't make any sense, Eren had acted on instinct.

His body had whirled to face the east, one hand tightening on his cane and pressing a trigger that didn't exist while the other balanced himself.

A few of the more observant noticed how his hips were perfectly pointed toward the top of a tree trunk, but that was all they had time to notice.

Suddenly, Eren was off, flying through the sky with a cry of surprise.

Mikasa was flying right behind him, her wings extended and a slight smile on her lips.

"Wha," Issei asked dumbly.

He wasn't the only one surprised.

"It will be quicker if we fly," Rias said with a shrug, taking off after Eren and Mikasa, still slightly worried Eren would fall or hit something.

The rest extended their own wings, taking flight as well. At least Sona had the foresight to cast the usual disguising magic so people would see a bunch of teenagers flying through the air.

"How did he do that?" Yuuto asked curiously, pulling up beside the Sitri King. "It took me weeks to learn to fly that quickly."

"What spell did you use," Akeno asked curiously.

"Nothing fancy," Sona said. "Standard flight spell used to give landlocked familiars the ability to follow their partner in the air. It mirrors devil's flight magic, but it requires training to use."

"... Mysterious," Koneko summarized.

They didn't get an answer to their question as they chased Eren's shadow across the sky.

Eren had no problem staying in the air, though he initially flew in starts and stops as if he were being pulled by ropes rather than carried on wings.

Eventually, though, he gained the trick of it.

Eren stopped in the air, hovering and looking at his hands in wonder.

He looked above and around him, searching for something holding him aloft. He looked under his feet for a platform that wasn't there.

The only one with him was Mikasa, smiling slightly at him. The others were flying toward him as well.

It hit him.

He was flying.

Maybe not with his own power, but with his own will, Eren was flying.

He could contain himself no longer.

Eren took off toward the sky.

No longer carried, he rose by his own will.

Up.

Up.

Up.

Eren breached the clouds.

There, in the light of the dying autumn sun, with white clouds beneath him, the blue sea in the distance, and his arms wide as if they were his own wings, a sound rang out through the air.

There was no mistaking it this time.

The voice was deep, weathered by time and tragedy, but there was something pure and boyish in the laugh that resounded through the air.

Flying right behind him, Mikasa smiled.

Behind her, a group of young devils chased Eren through the clouds with their own laughter. Seeing Eren like this, the usually so dour and taciturn man... They couldn't help but laugh.

They flew to the ocean, free and happy.

The great blue sea stretched out infinitely below them as Rias led the group toward a private island the Gremory owned.

Even flying, it took the better part of an hour to reach the white beaches.

Nobody complained.

Not when they could see the smile on the boy's face.

The way he rose and fell through the clouds, travelling at speeds most reincarnated devils did not achieve for years, made it seem like Eren Yeager was born to fly.

Even when they arrived at the 'small home,' a mansion in its own right, Eren continued to spend hours flying over the waves, trailing his fingers through the surf until the spell wore off.

Sona offered to cast again, but Eren shook his head and remained with them on the beach.

They remained by the ocean for hours, Rias calling the rest of her Peerage to teleport to the island and Sona doing the same for hers.

The new arrivals brought more food with them, and a bonfire was lit as they sat on the beach.

The impromptu party by the sea lasted well into the night, devils being naturally nocturnal creatures. Most didn't have anywhere to go the next day.

Eren?

Well, he was the only human there.

It didn't stop him from staying with them till the late hours of the night.

His smile might not have been as wide, his laughter not as loud.

But it was there.

Eren laughed.

Eren smiled.

Looking back, everyone would be able to tell something had been different about him.

Not just his smile but his words and actions.

For that one night, Eren lived the life of a boy his age should.

As if all his burdens had been lifted.

As if he was at peace.

As if he didn't want the night to end.

But everything ends.

And Eren was only human.

As the bright moon danced on the waves, Eren told them he'd see them all later as he made his way to one of the guest rooms of the Gremory Mansion.

Nobody commented when Mikasa followed him in without a word.

It was everything they needed.

Everything they both needed.

For one night, they were truly happy together.

It wasn't perfect. Nothing ever was.

But it was theirs.

It was all they had for a moment, and for the moment, their love was all they needed.

When morning came, and Mikasa woke alone in bed, she did not grieve for what was to come.

For a few moments, as she lay amidst the memory of their shared warmth, Mikasa allowed herself to smile.

To be happy for the memories she had made on the bench and off of it.

For a few moments, Mikasa Ackerman remembered the beauty of the world.

Then she steeled herself to face its cruelty.

Getting up, Mikasa did not dress in the casual clothes she usually wore.

Instead, she pulled her combat clothes from her storage tool.

Leaving her room, she didn't say anything to the young devils eating breakfast, even when they called out to her.

Mikasa marched straight to the teleportation circle to return to the Occult Research Club under their confused gaze. This was a Gremory building, not Sitri, so their wards would stop her teleportation tool if she left from anywhere else.

It was fine, though.

Mikasa knew where to go.

Eren wouldn't have gone to the austere house they had shared over the last few months.

Mikasa had been watching.

This time, Mikasa had not lied to herself.

Eren had changed.

But he was still Eren Yeager.

And she had promised him.

Mikasa could do it all again.

Mikasa would do it all again.

If it meant meeting the boy who wrapped this scarf around her neck, she would do it a thousand times.

One world or a hundred worlds.

Two thousand or twenty thousand years.

Mikasa would chase Eren

Until they could have that long, happy life together.

It was just a tragedy that this did not seem to be the world where that would happen.

In a mirror of that day, only a few months ago, Mikasa flew toward the bench.

This time, she didn't rush. She even took her time.

Mikasa braced herself for what she would find.

She steeled her will to fight once more.

She'd pick up that knife as many times as it took.

No longer in a daze, in that dreamlike state that had seemed so common over the last few months, Mikasa approached the bench.

Somehow, despite being prepared for anything, even an empty bench, Mikasa was still surprised.

"Nyaa? You're early," Black Cat Kuroka said with a smile as she hopped off the bench she had been lying on,

Her seven tails swayed behind her as she sashayed her way up to Mikasa.

Mikasa didn't say anything at the sight of the infamous criminal.

She just pulled two swords from her storage and got ready for a fight.

"Nyahahaha," Kuroka laughed mischievously and held her hands in the air. "I'm not here to fight. I am here to surrender. Turn myself in. Repent my wandering ways. Become a good kitty."

"Why should I believe you," Mikasa asked, her voice flat and dead as she stared at the cane held aloft in the Stray Devil's hands, the two wings carved into the handle.

"Nyaa? Didn't that scary maid say she'd promise me my life if I surrendered?"

"I am not Grayfia."

"What if I said... Pretty please?"

Faster than she had ever moved before, Mikasa pressed the blade of her sword against Kuroka's neck.

Kuroka grinned wickedly, completely unfazed.

Mikasa wouldn't kill her.

They both knew it.

They both knew what this was about.

They both knew who this was about.

"What if, as the vice leader of the Chaos Brigade, I promised to tell you everything about its leader, Eren Yeager?"

If only nobody had followed Mikasa and heard those words, perhaps things would have gone differently.

Perhaps Mikasa could have shielded those young devils from the horrors of the world.

Perhaps they could have gone on living a happy, innocent life and not tinged with betrayal.

Then again, the world would become just as Eren willed it to be.

Mikasa closed her eyes in resignation at the voices of surprise, shock, outrage, and indignation coming from the young devils who had followed her.

Mikasa heard Sona's voice among them.

She hadn't changed either, it seemed.

She still wasn't strong enough to keep those she loved safe.

Even when she had known something like this was coming.

Despite being surprised by Kuroka's presence and Eren's cane in the nekoshou's hand, Mikasa was unsurprised by her declaration.

After all, more than anyone else in this world or another, Mikasa Ackerman knew Eren Yeager.

The boy who left the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Kuroka slunk quietly through the Dantalion estate.

She was taking a gamble here, being in the home of one of the prominent Pillar families while the Naberius agents were hunting her, but she needed to get out of the Underworld as soon as possible. The public transit stations would be heavily monitored, and she wasn't strong enough to teleport between realms.

Yet, Kuroka told herself.

She wasn't strong enough yet.

One day, she would be.

She'd be strong enough to come back here, rescue Shirone, and leave.

She'd be so strong that they'd be able to live together and wouldn't have to worry about starving or being victims ever again.

The thought of her sister made Kuroka's heart ache, but she swallowed the tears.

She could curl up and cry when she was safe. All she could do for now was hope that Shirone would make it. Kuroka had wanted to take her with her, but she hadn't been strong enough to deal with all the Naberius devils and keep Shirone safe at the same time.

Kuroka would have to content herself with killing her King and destroying the research on Senjutsu, even if it meant she couldn't prove her innocence.

A small price to pay if it meant protecting Shirone.

Nobody should have too much interest in Shirone now. By law, her sister could not be held accountable for Kuroka's crime.

The new Stray Devil tried to ignore the whisper in her mind that most Pillar families ignored the law when it pleased them.

She failed.

Still, the failings of the devil government were a boon at this moment. Pillar families were allowed to maintain teleportation circles to the human world that were entirely private. The Dantalion house was no different, despite being on the weaker end of the remaining 32 Pillar families.

Kuroka knew little about the family, just that their clan trait was relatively weak in a direct fight, and their territory was somewhere in Africa. It was enough to know that they weren't a big house, by noble standards at least, and kept to themselves.

Which meant less guards and scrutiny as she snuck through the halls, as silent as a cat in the night.

In and out with nobody the wiser, that was the goal.

Kuroka was exerting her full effort, whether with her Youjutsu, magic, or Senjutsu, to remain invisible and undetected as she searched the unnecessarily large manor for their teleportation room.

Eventually, she found something by following the life signs she detected using her Senjutsu.

Not the teleportation room.

"-ver one human?" An apathetic voice asked.

Kuroka snuck closer, hoping to either overhear what they were saying or discover where they would avoid the speakers. One was on the stronger end of High Class, while the other was only Mid at best, so Kuroka could take them if it came to a fight.

...Maybe.

It had been a few days without food or sleep, and Kuroka wasn't at her peak state either.

"A human that managed to defeat Griselda Quarta," a second voice answered defensively. "I've been keeping track of him for a few years now. He's talented, brutal, smart, and follows orders. He'll make a good Pawn."

"He is a human boy with no magic, skills, or Sacred Gear," the first man snorted derisively. "You should have captured that woman instead of missing such an opportunity. Or her Holy Sword. Both would make good trophies. Instead, you took a child. If you fill your Peerage with weaklings we will never rise in rank. Kill him and find someone else."

"I will if he does not meet my expectations, but once Whisper takes control, I'll reincarnate him. I do not wish to end up like Naberius. You can test him then, Father. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised."

"Very well. It won't be too late to take your Pawn back then. He better be worth all the effort."

"If nothing else," the younger man said with some humour. "Someone called the 'Child of Evil' is destined to be a devil."

"You got your love of dramatic irony from your mother."

"That is not how she tells it. She told me yesterday that you-"

The two devils turned a corner, and Kuroka stopped listening.

The Black Cat's mind raced a mile a minute.

That was probably Lord Dantalion and his heir. Based on their conversation, they had recently returned from the human world with a prospective new devil in tow.

Now, Kuroka was faced with a dilemma.

Whoever they captured might know where the teleportation circle was if they weren't unconscious when brought to the Underworld.

But sneaking around with someone else would be infinitely more difficult than doing it alone.

There was also no guarantee they would help Kuroka.

She had seen how the test subjects would do anything if they thought it would save them from being the next one under the knife. They might yell and try to turn her in if it meant going free.

In the end, Kuroka decided it was worth the look if only to find out who had defeated the legendary Griselda Quarta.

Curiosity led the Black Cat down halls and peeking into rooms.

Senjutsu allowed her to feel the life force of everyone in the mansion, but even though Dantalion was small for a Pillar family, that still meant their manor was massive and filled with hundreds of servants. Kuroka had no idea who she was looking for.

Following the rule of thumb, because most devils were cliche like that, Kuroka searched for a basement dungeon.

And, after only a half hour, she found a passage barred with a thick door and two guards flanking it.

It definitely looked like the type of place that led to a dungeon and maybe a teleportation room.

Invisibly, and with her presence as suppressed as possible, Kuroka wove an illusion over the guards so they didn't notice her paw one of their keys and slip through the door.

Because devils were creatures of opulence, even this part of the mansion was needlessly vast and sprawling.

It was only after descending two flights of stairs, passing through four wine cellars, and carefully avoiding a room that smelled so thickly of sex that Kuroka was sure it was a different kind of dungeon that the Stray Devil found the actual prison cells.

Only one was occupied.

A young boy, only about nine or ten, hung from the wall by chains wrapped around his arms and legs.

It was clear the bonds were designed for full-grown men and women, so they painfully hung his arms over his head and pulled his legs down. He was bruised and bloody, though without any severe wounds that Kuroka could see.

Magic swirled around him. Not his own but that of the younger Dantalion she had seen upstairs. Sounds and sigils flashed intermittently in the air as if whispering words that were just out of reach.

Kuroka didn't know if this was the Dantalion bloodline ability or a really advanced spell, but it was perhaps the most complete hypnosis spell she had ever witnessed. Leave someone in there long enough, especially a human without a devil's ability to resist magic, and eventually, they'd be reduced to a mindless servant.

All this Kuroka noted with a glance, prodigal as she was with magic.

It was for the best because her whole focus was on the boy.

The boy staring at her.

Grey eyes stared right at her from under filthy brown hair matted with blood and dirt.

Kuroka took a step back, fearful that she had been caught.

Then she realized she must be imagining things. She was still invisible and had her Ki suppressed. Only a supremely talented mage or sage would be able to sense her.

Then the boy spoke in a voice that was flat and empty of all emotions.

"Black Cat Kuroka."

This time, Kuroka did flinch.

"I want to make a deal with you," the boy continued, still staring at her.

Kuroka dropped her invisibility, though she kept her presence suppressed just in case anyone in the manor above had a sensing ability.

"A deal, nyaa," she said, sashaying her way closer to the cell bars. She was disconcerted but wouldn't allow this boy, whoever he was, to see that. She wasn't really dressed to impress, being dirty and not having bathed in days, but he was too young to have that sort of worry. "With you? What sort of deal? And how did you know I was here?"

If there was a flaw in her stealth, she needed to know about it right away.

"A deal of mutual benefit. You train me in Senjutsu, follow my orders, and act as my right-hand woman."

The way the boy spoke, so empty and emotionless, sent shivers down Kuroka's back.

She didn't let it show, though. She couldn't show weakness.

Kuroka had learned that the hard way.

"Ara? You want Onee-sama to be your lap-kitty? I don't wannyaa. I killed the last man to try."

"In return, I promise to give you the chance to reunite with Shirone."

Claws pressed into the child's throat, drawing a trickle of blood as feline yellow glared into impassive grey.

"Who are you," Kuroka hissed angrily.

She was tired. She was hungry. She was afraid.

Kuroka was at the end of her rope and one wrong move from this boy could very well send her over the edge.

"My name is Eren Yeager," the boy said impassively. "I know about the experiments. I know you killed your King to save your sister. I know how to clear your name. I know how to give you a chance to make up with her."

"How do you know all this," Kuroka demanded, skin tearing further under her claws. "Are you with the Naberius? Have you been spying on me?"

"I know this because you tell me it," Eren answered. "I know because I can see the future."

"No Sacred Gear can see the future," Kuroka denied. "Not even the Agares can see the future."

"It's not magic. It's not a Sacred Gear. Just me. You don't have to believe me now. You will later."

"I'd be more likely to believe you if you didn't end up in a lordling's dungeon," Kuroka taunted, trying to draw the boy's anger. Maybe he'd let the truth slip. There was no way he could see the future. "What's wrong, boyo? Didn't see this coming, nyaa?"

"It was the quickest way to meet you after you killed your King," Eren answered easily. "I can escape any time I want."

Kuroka lept backward as Eren's open wounds crackled with small bursts of electricity.

A silvery-white material flowed from Eren's back and sharpened into a scythe-like blade.

Kuroka readied herself to teleport through the bars again, but she needn't have bothered.

She was not the target.

In one swift motion, the blade severed the child's arms and legs.

Eren fell from the wall, landing on the ground with a 'SPLORT' of blood from his severed limbs.

Kuroka watched it all with horrified disgust.

What sort of mad child had she found?

Then she noticed something.

Steam wafted from the wounds as the white substance lifted the boy from the ground and propped him against the wall so he could look at Kuroka once more.

His wounds... They were healing.

Quickly.

Incredibly quickly. Far faster than any regeneration she had ever heard of outside of gods.

It would be only a few hours before the boy regained fully functional arms and legs.

That was insane. Even the best healing in the world could not regenerate limbs. Healing miracles were one reason the God of the Bible gained such a following.

Eren didn't seem to care about what he had just done to himself.

Like he was so used to pain that he didn't even feel it.

"Give me ten years," Eren said in that emotionless voice. "I will give you a chance to reunite with your sister. I can't promise she will take you back. I never meet her, so I can't see her. But I can promise to give you the opportunity. We will work together for ten years. We will make each other stronger than either of us can be alone. I will make sure your hunters never catch you. I will use you, and you will use me."

"...Neat trick," Kuroka tried to make her voice teasing, but she failed. "It won't be enough to deal with anyone after me. You cut off your limbs because you couldn't cut the chains, right?"

"That's right," Eren nodded easily. "Without being able to use my Ki, I cannot fight most Ultimate Class beings. I can take them by surprise, but if I don't, I will just be a punching bag without Senjutsu."

"So you are useless right now," Kuroka said flatly, finally regaining some composure after the disconcerting sight. "You might be useless forever. You are not a Nekoshou. It will take years of constant training before you can even sense your Ki. Years more before you can use it. And decades to gain access to Senjutsu, if you ever can."

"Within a year, I will be better than you," Eren said plainly. "Within three, we will take over a faction with the True Longinus as its leader. Within five, I will be equal to a Super Devil. In seven, I will be leading a force with gods in it. In ten, I will be the fourth strongest being in this world."

"Only fourth," Kuroka laughed at the absurd claim. "Why not claim you can beat Great Red while you're at it? Can you do that in fifteen years? Twenty?"

"In eleven, I will be dead."

The laughter stopped.

Kuroka looked at the boy who calmly prophesied his own death with a wary eye.

"... Say I believe you," Kuroka said skeptically. "Not about the future, but about your talent. That still doesn't help me now, does it? It won't help me escape with you now. Unless you can tell me where the teleportation room to the human world is, you are useless to me now."

Once she knew that, Kuroka could leave this crazy boy behind and escape. She didn't know if the Dantalion spells had driven him to this madness and that silver substance was a weird Sacred Gear of some sort, but she didn't want to be stuck teaching a mad child Senjutsu.

It already had a bad name because of her, and she did not want to paint an even greater target on Shirone's back by having an actual mad sage running around.

"We cannot leave yet," Eren said simply.

"Why not?"

"Because if we leave before I show you my power, you will never work with me."

"Your power, nyaa," Kuroka asked with feigned casualness as she nodded toward the silver substance that kept him propped against the wall. Maybe he couldn't see the future but had a mind-reading ability. That made more sense. "What can it do?"

"Not this," Eren denied. "This is just a side ability for the moment until you teach me Senjutsu. Until you do, I must go big to compensate for my weakness."

"'Go big,' nyaa?" Kuroka snorted a laugh. "I guess you're hitting puberty early."

Eren didn't even flinch at her teasing, and Kuroka internally pouted.

This boy would be no fun. She could just tell.

"Place an observation spell on me," Eren said as the silvery substance started to carve into the stone walls.

"Why?" Kuroka asked waryly.

"Because I am going to put you in a ball to protect you," Eren said simply as more silver approached Kuroka. It did so slowly so as not to spook her, but she watched it warily. "You won't be able to see anything from inside if you don't cast the spell."

"I don't need you to protect me," Kuroka said with narrowed eyes.

"You will need to also reinforce yourself with Senjutsu and magic," Eren continued, ignoring her words as the silver substance started surrounding her in a sphere. "You can sense that I have no magic or similar power. I can't stop you if you try to teleport out. This is just to keep you safe for the demonstration."

He was right, of course. Kuroka could sense absolutely nothing from the boy except for a stronger-than-average well of Ki. Ki that wasn't moving.

She had no idea how he was doing this, but it wasn't magic.

The Stray Devil seriously considered just leaving or trying to knock this boy out, but she decided that once she learned his game plan, it wouldn't be too late to do that later.

So Kuroka placed the observation spell on Eren, as he had told her to, and the metallic substance encased her in a sphere.

She also secretly placed a clone, the only one she could conjure at the moment, near the boy so she could kill him if he tried anything.

If she could kill him.

That regeneration was greater than anything she had heard of, and she didn't know its limits. She risked revealing herself with any magic that had a good chance of killing him.

It took a few minutes of Eren digging his way to the surface from the dungeon, minutes he spent reinforcing Kuroka's sphere till it was tens of meters thick and firmly locked in place on the ground.

The Stray Bishop kept waiting for the betrayal, for the metallic substance to try and attack her, but it never did.

That worried Kuroka more than she cared to admit.

Hidden in that dark sphere, those minutes gave the Nekoshou time to think. Time she hadn't had in the days since she had killed her King and fled.

About the strange boy who claimed to see the future.

About her own future.

About her past.

About Shirone.

Kuroka wanted to see her sister.

She wanted it so bad.

Was Shirone alright? Did she know why Kuroka left, or did she believe the lies the devils were telling her?

Did Shirone hate her?

Did she think Kuroka hated her?

Watching Eren dig upward through her spell in that dark sphere, Kuroka suddenly felt her exhaustion catch up with her.

She hadn't eaten or slept in days. Always on the move, always running or hiding.

Maybe that was why she was going along with this madness.

Maybe she was just using it as an excuse to catch her breath.

It didn't matter.

Kuroka was alone now, crazy child or not. She had to care for herself and get stronger for Shirone.

So they could be together again.

Eren breached the surface, and silvery metal carried him out of the hole and between two buildings on the sprawling Dantalion estate.

He looked with blank, grey eyes at the monument of excess wealth and opulence as he spoke to Kuroka through the spell.

"I will kill everyone here, but this will attract every devil in the area. I've reinforced the teleportation room, so it won't be destroyed, but we must rush to it after I am done. You are faster so you will carry me. Just follow the trail."

"What are you going to do," Kuroka asked, transmitting her voice the same way.

"Before I do anything, I want to make sure you understand the deal," Eren said, ignoring her question. "We will use each other for our own purposes. Everything else is your choice. Do you understand?"

"I use you, and you use me," Kuroka repeated suspiciously as her clone caught movement from a passing guard patrol. "Whatever you are doing, you better hurry up, or you will be caught. I will not save you."

"One final thing," Eren said, unhurried. "I will never have children."

"...What?" Kuroka asked blankly, wondering what this nine-year-old boy was talking about.

"I want you to understand that I will never have children," Eren repeated. "This power will die with me. Do you understand?"

"Do you... think I want your children," Kuroka asked with incredulity and disgust. "You obviously cannot see the future. I don't go after kids. I want a strong man, thank you. Someone who can give me powerful kittens."

"What's that?" A voice called out in the night.

"Do you understand?"

"THE PRISONER'S ESCAPED!"

"Yes. Fine," Kuroka snapped impatiently as Eren was discovered. "I understand. Now do whatever you were going to do before you get caught again."

Though she said it quickly, Kuroka knew she was too late.

Anyone employed by a Pillar was at least a Mid rank devil. A human child stood no chance, weird power or not.

And she was right.

The guard's spear pierced the child's chest straight through the heart.

Clearly, they had orders to kill any intruders rather than capture them.

Kuroka, still in the dark sphere of silver, closed her eyes in regret.

Mad or not, she did not want to see a child die. But she also couldn't go save him without getting caught herself.

No, she needed to stay alive for Shirone.

No matter how much she might regret it, that was the world they lived in, and Eren Yeager was just another dead kid.

Just like all the other ones she had seen.

Though Kuroka was so tired, she readied herself to teleport away.

She'd use the mess of Eren's failed escape to head to another territory and hope for better luck leaving the Underworld there.

With any luck, nobody would ever know she was here.

Then her spell picked up Eren's words, and she opened her eyes.

With a spear through the heart and blood flowing freely, Eren looked Kuroka's invisible clone in the eyes.

"Then we have a deal."

Yellow lightning crackled along Eren's open wound.

The world exploded.

Even through meters of solid material...

Even underground...

Even reinforced with Senjutsu, Kuroka still felt the shockwave.

It threw her to the ground, and her sensitive ears were ringing from the noise.

Her clone was gone, and...

So were most living beings in the mansion.

Hundreds of lives snuffed out in an instant.

Kuroka scrambled to recast the spell that had failed in the explosion.

What had just happened?

It took her a moment to establish her spell and another for Kuroka to realize what she was looking at.

It was... Hell.

Like a nuclear weapon had gone off, the cataclysmic blast levelled the entire mansion.

Stone and metal remained here and there, all that was left of buildings that once stood four or five stories tall.

And everything was on fire.

Kuroka could not feel the heat from her protective cocoon, but she saw stone and steel melt and war. Heat and steam billowed out to the sky, and what remained of the nearby forest was already covered in raging flames.

The screams of the dying filled the night as those unfortunate to live through the initial blast burned alive.

And in the middle of it all was... it.

Towering hundreds of meters tall, bigger than even Great Red was supposed to be, the colossal humanoid stood in the wreckage of the Dantalion mansion.

Its skin steamed, red muscle glowing in the night, and white bone glimmered in the light of the fires.

Long dark hair hung over a face without skin. A row of teeth, too many to be human, stretched from one side of the head to the other without lips to cover them.

Green eyes stared down at the destruction it wrought from hundreds of meters up.

The titanic being took one step.

Only one.

The earth was pressed flat with that one step.

The Underworld rumbled with that first step forward.

All the screams from the survivors of the explosion, those desperate wails of pain and fear and confusion, died with that single colossal step forward that crushed the Dantalion estate flat.

Through her Senjustu, Kuroka knew only she and the... monster outside survived.

Kuroka feared she had gone mad.

Actually mad.

That the propaganda about Senjutsu had some truth to it, and her power had driven her to hallucinate.

Sure, this destruction was nothing compared to what some Ultimate Class devils could do, but for a human child to be able to do this?

A boy not even ten years old?

Kuroka realized she was laughing.

In disbelief at the situation.

In horror at the charred and crushed bodies.

At the absurdity of such a being disguising itself as a human child.

It looked more like the Devil than any devil Kuroka had ever known.

And it wanted her to train it?

What would that colossal be like if it was as strong, fast, and durable as a regular sage?

No, it would be even worse. Its healing was already insane.

If she taught Eren Yeager Senjutsu, would she create an unkillable giant? One who had no problem killing hundreds in an instant, even when he was just a boy?

Kuroka's mad laughter cut off as, through her spell, she saw something fall from the sky.

Suddenly, Kuroka teleported from her protective cocoon and caught Eren in her arms.

Her devil wings kept them aloft as the giant fell to the ground with an earth-shattering rumble.

It lay there, crushing what remained of the Dantalion estate under its enormous bulk, as Kuroka held Eren in her arms.

Absently, Kuroka noticed that it was already starting to dissolve into steam. Whatever had conjured it wore off quickly after Eren left it.

Eren looked back at her with those emotionless grey eyes.

Red muscle and sinew dangled from his exposed skin. It looked like it had burned itself into his flesh.

A row of curved markings now ringed his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken as if they were trying to imitate the teeth of that titanic... thing.

Kuroka was suddenly struck by an impulse. A wild, reckless idea.

She could drop this boy, this monster, and let him crash to the ground.

It might kill him. If not, it should injure him enough that she could finish him off while he healed. She had spells that would totally vaporize his tiny body, and she doubted he could recover from that.

She might be saving countless lives if she killed Eren Yeager right here and now before he grew any stronger.

Eren continued to watch her impassively as if he could see her thoughts.

... It was just an impulse, though.

Kuroka wouldn't kill a kid, even if he was a monster in human form.

That, and whether he could see the future or not, having a giant like that on her side would make her life much easier.

"I use you, you use me, right?" Kuroka said with a mischievous smile, and Eren nodded. "Then I am glad to work with you, Partnyaa."

In her tired state, she couldn't resist the pun.

There was still no way she'd want to have his children, though. He was way too young.

Although... the idea of massive kittens jumping over mountains did have a certain appeal to her, now that she thought of it.

Still, that was for the future.

Kuroka would see if there was any truth to his claims about his skill with Senjutsu and his ability to predict the future later.

Eren had just exterminated one of the last 32 Pillar houses. That was way worse than killing one noble devil.

Whether he did it to get to her or not, it didn't matter.

They were in this together, whatever 'this' was.

They needed to leave the Underworld. Now.

The Devil and the Stray's first meeting resulted in a mystery that puzzled the Underworld for years and hundreds of deaths.

Very few bodies were ever identified.

It was just the first taste of the destruction this world would feel from the Titan's Path.

********

So begins Part 4.

I expect many of you are frothing at the mouth and wanting to get back to the cliffhanger of the last chapter, and we'll get there. I have no intention of dragging that out or doing a full recounting of Eren's time before the bench.

This chapter is meant to not only answer a few questions but also set the tone for Part 4, the final part of On The Bench. A darker, more mature tone. I still fully intend to have DxD-style tones occasionally, but as is obvious from this chapter, it will lead more heavily toward the AOT than before.

I do not want this to become torture porn or the like, and it won't be gratuitous with its descriptions, but you should expect AOT-level trauma and injuries.

On that subject, I know there are AOT fans out there who notice a few discrepancies with the healing and Warhammer usage. Keep in mind Eren is the Founder without Ymir's influence. He can shape his titan form however he wants and uses it even when healing from a severe injury, as we see when he is shot by Gabby.

All that said, I hope you stick with me through this last stretch so we can once more meet on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"I'll see you later."

Those were the last words Eren Yeager said to Koneko.

Those were the last words he said to any of them as he walked toward his room in the Gremory vacation home.

Koneko hadn't answered verbally, just raising a hand and waiving goodbye.

Eren was a human, not a devil, on top of being unwell. It made perfect sense for him to go to bed first.

Waking last made less sense.

Eren was usually at the bench in the park well before the sun rose and school started. As if he wanted to spend as little time away from it as possible.

Still, he had been up later than usual last night, so sleeping more than normal wasn't wholly unexpected.

If he was sleeping at all.

Mikasa was late as well.

Koneko had noticed the way Rias, Sona, and Akeno would occasionally look toward the room Eren had received.

The Rook didn't know how she felt about the subject, so she focused more on the brunch Akeno had made than any sort of complicated mess like that.

When Aunty Mikasa emerged, though, everyone took note.

The Leviathan's Pawn wasn't moving fast, nor was she slow. Her strides were long and direct, filled with purpose, and she didn't spare a glance at the eating teens.

Two things stood out, though.

The first was her clothes.

It was her combat uniform, tight-fitting and enchanted. Koneko had seen it a few times recently, both during the Kuoh Treaty and when the Pawn had rushed to help them during Loki's ambush. She didn't know why Mikasa would be wearing that this morning.

The second and more disconcerting was her face.

It looked like Mikasa Ackerman was marching toward her death.

Sona tried to call out to her, but Mikasa marched toward the room with the teleportation circle and disappeared.

"What was that about?" Rias asked, worried about the older woman's strange behaviour.

"Did the Chaos Brigade attack again," Issei asked, setting down his rice. Even he had noticed the odd mood surrounding the woman.

"She went to the clubhouse," Sona said, examining the sigil. Mikasa had to use external items and circles to teleport rather than her own power, so it was easy to discover where she went.

"... Forget something?" Koneko asked.

"No..." Sona said with furrowed brows. Then her eyes shot open. "Quickly! Someone go check on Eren!"

"On it," Yuuto said in a rush.

"What's going on?" Rossweiss asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly as Yuuto rushed past her up the stairs.

"No time to explain," Sona said, powering up the circle again. "Tsubaki, you are in charge. I want everyone ready to leave in ten minutes!"

"Hai Kaicho!" Tsubaki saluted, even though she was still in pyjamas.

"Sona?" Rias asked, but the Student Council President didn't have time to answer her rival as Yuuto rushed back down the stairs.

"He's not in his room or the bathroom," Yuuto said with panic.

"Let's go," Sona said as the light of teleportation enveloped those who had approached.

Koneko, Akeno, Yuuto, Rias, Issei, and Sona appeared in the Occult Research Club, and the Sitri heiress rushed to leave the building.

"Sona!" Rias called out as she followed her friend.

"Eren's been different," Sona said quickly as they ran out of the building. "Maybe for a while, but I haven't been around much. The last few days and weeks, though, it's been obvious. Yesterday especially. During our last lesson, he said he was almost out of time. But he shouldn't be. He should still have months left."

Koneko's heart seized as she realized what Sona was talking about.

"He's been acting like he's going to..." Sona choked on her words, and Koneko could hear the panic and fear in her voice. "Like he has days, not months."

"You don't think he would... " Rias asked, her own voice tinged with horror.

"I don't get it," Issei said.

"Senpai might not have wanted to die slowly," Yuuto said grimly. "He'd want to go out on his own terms."

"Everyone was gone for the party," Akeno said hollowly. "He once told me he'd die on the bench. Alone."

"Senpai wouldn't kill himself!" Issei denied, horrified at the idea. "He wouldn't give up like that."

"He entrusted his heart to us," Sona said in a voice filled with grief. "He... might have wanted his last day to be a good one."

Koneko didn't want Eren to die.

Not Eren, who could be scary but was actually really kind. Not the boy who had already gone through so much.

She wanted him to be happy. She wanted to keep visiting him for snacks and naps and make him laugh again.

She didn't want to be left behind again.

Koneko wanted Eren to live.

So her mind searched for any way that wouldn't be so, any justification that their worries were unfounded and Eren was okay—that he would be fine.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, she found one.

"...How'd he leave?"

Koneko's question silenced the others.

Sona, after a second, realized what the Rook was asking.

That was right. Eren shouldn't have been able to leave the island without help.

He had no magic, so he couldn't use the teleportation circle. And they had flown to the private island instead of taking a boat. There should be no way for Eren to leave unless he could swim the miles to shore or someone had taken him.

"I don't know," Sona said, but there was hope in her voice. "I just... Panicked when I saw Aunty like that. Maybe nothing happened?"

The desperation in her voice was all too raw.

"So he could just be somewhere on the island?" Issei asked with relief.

"Something is wrong," Rias said, but her voice was firm and determined rather than heartbroken. "Aunty wouldn't act like that unless something had happened."

"But it might not be related to Eren," Akeno suggested.

"...If she's not at the bench, we can ask her la-"

Sona's voice cut off as the group of young devils reached the small clearing in the park with the bench and the incomprehensible sight they found.

Mikasa was there, as they had expected, but Eren was not.

Koneko's heart seized in fear at the familiar dark-haired woman with a sword at her neck.

Then, fear was replaced with confusion at Kuroka's words.

What?

Eren?

With Chaos Brigade?

Their Eren?

Too-skinny-Eren?

The Eren who napped with Koneko?

The Eren who listened to her and spoke to her softly?

The Eren who she shared food with and who petted her ears just right?

The Eren who was dying and weak?

The Eren who, just last night, was laughing in joy as they flew through the sky together?

No.

Onee-sama was wrong.

There was no way Eren, their kind Eren, would be the leader of the terrorist organization that attacked the peace conference.

There was no way Eren, who was always trying to help them, would be allied with monsters like Loki and Diodora.

There is no way Eren would say he'd kill Issei-senpai.

Not their Eren.

Koneko didn't even hear her friend's own noises of disbelief and dissagreement, so shocked was she by the sight of her older sister and her words.

Kuroka heard them, though.

"Shironyaa?" Kuroka said in delight, waiving her hand in greeting towards the young devils' arrival.

She seemed to care little for the sword Mikasa continued to hold at her throat.

"Look! See! Onee-sama kept her promise! We're going to be together again."

The world seemed to swim before Koneko, and she tried to make sense of everything.

Why was Kuroka here? How had she gained another tail so soon? Where was Eren? Why did she have his cane? What was going on?

"What is going on here?" Sona asked, stepping forward.

She wasn't the only one.

Except for Koneko, everyone had readied themselves for a fight and spread out to give aid to Mikasa if she needed it.

"Let me deal with this, Sona," Mikasa said, not taking her eyes off the wanted criminal. Not a flicker of emotion shone through her expression. Just cold steel. "I need you to call your sister. Get Serafall here. And all of you need to leave. Now!"

"Why do you have that cane?" Rias asked, voice quivering with rage. The power of destruction filled the clearing, ready to tear the Stray Devil to shreds. "What have you done to Eren?"

"Nyaa?" Kuroka looked to the cane in her hand, then at the Gremory heiress. "This is my cane."

"It is not," Yuuto said, a copy of Purgatorio in his hand. "That is Eren's."

"It is mine," Kuroka said, frowning for the first time. "I made it."

"Leave!"

"No, you didn't," Sona denied, her own power gathering as she ignored Mikasa's order again.

It was harder this time. There had been a note of desperation in her aunt's voice that hadn't been there before.

"I did. I gave it to Eren. Now that we broke up, I'm keeping it."

Of all the things the infamous criminal could have said, perhaps no other words could have stopped the gathering hostility so completely.

Dead silence.

"...What?"

Anyone with ears and a heart could hear the heartbreak and betrayal in Sona's voice.

"It's all I have to remember the good times, so I am keeping it," Kuroka said petulantly. Then she looked over at Koneko again. "Sorry, Shirone. Onee-sama can't introduce you to your Brother-in-law. He's already run away."

"If I was with a woman like you, I'd run away too," Akeno said acidly as Holy Lightning crackled around her.

"Nyaa! I broke up with him! Not the other way around!"

"Where is Eren," Mikasa asked, pressing her blade tighter.

If she was angry at the revelation, or claim at least, that Eren had been romantically involved with Kuroka, she did not show it.

Blood beaded from Kuroka's neck.

"Who knows," Kuroka shrugged. "We fought. I lost. When I woke up, he was gone."

"That's impossible," Mikasa said with a scowl.

"Yeah!" Issei agreed, already clad in his Scale Mail and Boosting. "Senpai's cool, but he's human."

"Nyahahahaha," Kuroka laughed. "You don't know your Senpai very well then."

"I know what Eren is capable of," Mikasa denied. "More than you ever could. And I know he can't defeat you."

It hit Koneko at that moment.

"... Senjutsu," Koneko whispered in horror. When all eyes looked at her, the Rook spoke up. "He knows how to use his Ki. He knows Senjutsu, right?"

"Shironyaa is always the smartest on top of being the cutest," Kuroka said with pride. "I taught Eren everything I could. After a year, I could no longer defeat him. Even with seven tails, I still can't beat him."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed even further.

"What is Senjustu?" Mikasa asked, not taking her eyes off Kuroka.

"It's using your Ki or life force. It's like Sairaorg's Touki," Rias said, voice filled with disbelief. "It makes him stronger. Faster. But that's just Touki. Senjutsu is even more difficult to learn and comes with other powers. He can sense others. And hide himself. And other powers. There are very few sages alive, even among the supernatural races, and only a handful of humans have ever become sages. Eren is way too young to have learned something like that!"

"He's the best," Kuroka said proudly. "The greatest sage I've ever heard of!"

"Anything else," Mikasa asked grimly.

"...What?" Rias asked.

"I am asking what else it can do," Mikasa said. She didn't seem fazed by the declaration that Eren was a sage. Just resolute. "Eren wouldn't be able to lead Chaos Brigade with just that."

"You can't seriously believe her," Sona demanded, aghast. "She's obviously lying."

"Answer the question," Mikasa demanded.

"It... is mainly the physical benefits," Akeno said slowly. "There are a few techniques, usually manipulating plant or animal Ki, but it's not magic. A sage can use the world's Ki to supplement their own, meaning they won't run out. It is usually used in conjunction with other powers, like spells or racial abilities."

"I use it to power my Youjutsu," Kuroka said 'helpfully' as a clone appeared beside her for an instant before disappearing again. "Eren can't do anything like that, though. It's all physical with him."

"Still," Akeno bit out as Kuroka waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Anyone with Senjutsu is a high-class threat by default. Nobody is, though. They are all Ultimate class because it is a threat multiplier."

Despite the explanation, Mikasa's expression did not fluctuate in the least.

As if Eren's power was still acceptable.

"You all are missing the important parts~" Kuroka singsonged playfully as she stared into Mikasa's eyes.

As if she was taunting her.

Challenging her.

"What is it?"

"Senjutsu makes us stronger," Kuroka raised an arm in a flexing motion. "The stronger our body's base stats, the better." Mikasa didn't even blink. "It makes our skin tougher. Harder to hurt." Mikasa's eyes twitched, but she didn't say anything. "And it enhances our regeneration. A sage can heal quickly from just about anything." Mikasa's facade cracked for an instant, and Kuroka giggled. "There's one more though."

"She's wasting our time," Sona realized. "Delaying us. Where is Eren?"

"Long gone~ And are you sure you don't want to know," Kuroka asked with a giggle as she looked at Mikasa. "This one knows what's important."

"That final power," Mikasa asked. "What is it?"

With a grin that was as once proud as it was malicious, like a cat toying with a mouse, Kuroka answered.

"Sages can extend their Ki at a distance."

Mikasa frowned, not understanding.

"What does that do?" Issei asked.

"They can use physical attacks at a distance," Akeno said simply, not seeing the big deal. "Touki extends your Ki into armour and weapons, but most physical fighters are limited to close range. Not sages. They can turn the world's Ki into their own depending on their power and skill. Use racial abilities at a distance that usually aren't possible."

"I could summon my blades around me or in the air instead of just in my hand, for example," Yuuto explained, not taking his eyes off the Stray Devil in their midst.

"Most don't bother," Akeno continued. "If someone is close enough for that, it takes less effort to just run and punch them. Even the best sage would still fight better with their body directly."

"Still, that sounds useful," Issei said, looking at his gauntlet-clad fist in thought.

"Nyahahahahaha."

All eyes returned to Kuroka, who suddenly started giggling madly.

It didn't take more than a moment to realize why.

Mikasa Ackerman, who had just met a woman claiming to be Eren's lover and not even twitched.

Mikasa, who had borne the news that her childhood friend and love was the leader of a terrorist organization without doubt.

Mikasa, who heard he was a sage and possibly an Ultimate Class threat, didn't so much as blink.

That same Mikasa was looking at Kuroka with horror.

"What have you done?" She asked quietly.

Kuroka laughed harder.

"Answer me!" Mikasa snarled, kicking Kuroka in the stomach and sending her stumbling back into a tree. Two swords locked her in place, ready to cut her head off at the slightest chance. "Can he use the Warhammer at a distance?"

"Warhammer?" Sona asked, confused.

"Nyahahaha," Kuroka continued to laugh, but she did answer. "I don't know what the Warhammer is, but are you asking if he can use his power without being connected to it? Yes. Yes, he can."

"What powers?" Sona asked, desperately trying to keep up with this conversation but missing crucial details.

Her question went unanswered.

"You..." Mikasa snarled, looking at once furious and terrified. "You have no idea what you have done."

"I created the strongest sage in history," Kuroka said proudly, completely without shame.

"You recreated the Devil," Mikasa snapped. "He doesn't need the Walls anymore. He doesn't need anyone. He can recreate the Rumbling by himself."

"He mentioned something like that, nyaa," Kuroka ceased her laughter to ask with narrowed eyes. "What is the Rumbling?"

Mikasa's rage seemed to leave her at the question, and pity replaced it.

"You don't even know what you've done," she repeated, more in realization than in question. "Eren used you. Completely."

Any anger was gone, leaving only resigned sadness.

"We used each other," Kuroka shrugged, but it wasn't hard to tell there was some uncertainty in the gesture.

The Nekoshou was clearly in a less good mood now that it was clear she was missing something that the other woman knew.

"Why did you fight Eren," Mikasa asked softly.

"We always planned on destroying our enemies," Kuroka said. "But he disappeared before the plan was complete. I found him here. I confronted him. Turns out his plan would risk Shirone, which went against our deal. I tried to get him to change the plan. He wouldn't. So I tried to stop him. I lost. So here I am. I can't beat him, so I need help."

"Why are you here?" Koneko hissed. "Why not run away?"

"Don't be like that, Shironyaa," Kuroka pouted playfully. "I promised we'd be together, so I'm here to keep my promise."

"You are a Stray Devil," Rias said, stepping in front of her small Rook protectively. "You are caught. You'll tell us everything about Eren, the Chaos Brigade, and then you will be imprisoned for your crimes. You won't hurt anyone again."

"I am not caught. I am negotiating a surrender, compromise, and cooperation. Not only do I want to be pardoned for all my 'crimes,' I want to live with Shirone. I have a few other requests. I'm sure your bosses will be happy to give them to me. A seven-tailed Yokai can be pretty helpful in a fight, too."

"You are insane if you think we are going to trust you in the slightest," Sona spat.

"In exchange," Kuroka grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "I will not only provide proof of my innocence for when I first went Stray, but I will also provide all the information I have on the Chaos Brigade willingly. Not only their leader but their factions. Who, how strong, what sacred gears, and their goals. I was not only the vice leader. I helped create the Brigade. I know who it is secretly working them."

It terrified Koneko when she realized Onee-sama would get her way.

A god had just died at a mortal's hands.

Sure, it had been one of the Brigade's own, but the fact that a god could die at all was terrifying for most factions.

Chaos Brigade, which had been worrisome because of Ophis' name alone but generally unsuccessful, was now a genuine threat to every faction out there.

Yet they knew practically nothing about it. Not who belonged to it, which pantheons had traitors, or if there were other Evil Gods like Loki.

Just the ability for the devils to know who worked with the Old Satan Faction was already invaluable.

Diodora Asteroth was a mook among mooks, but he had almost killed not only the Red Dragon Emperor but Lucifer's sister because he took them by surprise.

And then there was Eren.

Eren, their friend.

Eren, who Mikasa seemed to suddenly be terrified of.

Eren, who Kuroka had trained.

Eren, who had Senjutsu.

No, the Satans would take the deal.

But all that was drowned out by something else.

Innocent?

Onee-sama... innocent?

"You said Koneko was at risk," Rias narrowed her eyes. "Why? And why is he after Issei? Eren won't hurt them. I know it."

Both Sona and Mikasa flinched, but nobody noticed because of Kuroka's words.

"He's not after Shirone, but she's in danger," Kuroka said, losing her playful demeanour in favour of a more dire tone. "Eren hates devil society. He doesn't just want to kill the New Satans, like the Old Satan faction. He's just using those idiots. He wants to destroy the Underworld. Completely."

********

Eren had spent the day wandering the small island.

It wasn't hard to hide his presence with Senjutsu. He couldn't go invisible like Kuroka, as he lacked her Youjutsu techniques, but going unnoticed by a group of young devils was not difficult when they didn't know to look for him.

Even the Gremory servants who arrived after everyone had left and cleaned the mansion had not noticed him, though he spent that time away from the mansion.

That had been hours ago, though.

Now, he was the only one on the island.

Eren was alone.

Once Eren had felt everyone leave, he had returned to wander the halls of the small mansion.

He had been in no rush.

Eren had lost himself in memories as he walked, a small, melancholic smile on his face.

Memories of a world away.

Memories of a bench.

Memories of a group of young devils.

A year and a half.

Such a short yet long time.

Eren had run away, searching for an answer.

He had his answer now.

Now, it was time to move forward again.

Unbidden, he had arrived outside the room he had slept in last night.

Eren did not enter.

He wanted his last memory of that place to be of Mikasa sleeping peacefully, a content smile on her face as the morning sun streamed through the window.

Tears threatened, and Eren turned to leave.

He did not deserve to weep.

Not with what he would do to this world.

Not when he would hurt them all.

Eren Yeager's feet carried him back to the sea.

The devil servants had cleaned the beach. Not even footprints remained of the party the night before. The sea wind had blown them away.

Eren's feet left deep imprints in the wet sand as they carried him into the surf.

Out there, beyond the blue water, beyond the horizon, was a bench.

But Eren could not see it.

It would not be long now.

As the surf washed away his prints, Eren Yeager watched the sun fall.

With it went his smile.

Once more, Eren walked the Path.

"Boss!"

"Georg," Eren greeted without turning around, gaze still on the horizon.

"It's good to see you," Georg said with a smile as he floated over the water on a platform, not wanting to get his robes wet. "Have you been here the whole time? It's nice. A vacation spot right under the devils' noses. You should have invited us."

Eren didn't answer.

Georg didn't take it personally. Eren wasn't one to share information that wasn't needed for the plan.

Whatever he had disappeared to do must have been important, and Georg's knowledge of it would have impeded Eren's desired future, or he would have been told about it.

That was how the Titan worked, after all.

Still, Georg couldn't see the future. He just followed instructions.

"Boss," Georg hesitated. "About Kuroka-"

"I know," Eren interrupted. "Her use has come to an end. I no longer need her."

Georg hesitated for a moment but decided to try and push a little.

Kuroka had been Eren's partner for years, well before they had recruited the Hero Faction.

Eren might be a cold and emotionless man, but a betrayal like that should still hurt.

Even if Eren had seen it coming.

"I know this is part of the plan," Georg said. "But when my role is done, I can-"

"No," Eren cut off, his voice dead and empty. "We used each other. That is it. I shall never see her again. It doesn't matter what she does. She cannot stop me from moving forward."

"...If you're sure."

"I am," Eren said, turning to look at the shorter mage.

No emotion shone from those cold grey eyes.

Georg fought a shiver that had nothing to do with the ocean breeze.

After a year and a half, he had forgotten how off-putting Eren could be.

"Take me back," Eren ordered.

Georg knew Eren wasn't one for idle talk, so he obeyed.

Eren did not hesitate in the slightest to step into the mist of Dimension Lost.

It only heightened Georg's respect for the man's willpower.

They didn't have much time left, and Eren looked way worse than before, but he stepped forward without hesitation.

A true hero.

They emerged in the headquarters of the Hero Faction, bypassing the wards on both ends easily.

The mist left them in a vast dining hall filled with dozens of people talking, eating, and laughing merrily.

It all stopped when their arrival was met with an ear-piercing scream of pain and terror.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Following the instructions he had received ahead of time, Georg swept the blonde woman up in another swirl of mist, and she disappeared from the hall.

Still, her scream had ceased all merriment as everyone looked at the new arrivals.

Everyone was familiar with Georg, as he was the most active of the executives, but for some, this was the first time they had seen Eren, and they wondered who this man with the strange eye markings was.

Many had already drawn their weapons, conjured their Sacred Gear, or manifested their magic, believing they were under attack.

"Boss!" Herc shouted, waiving excitedly at the new arrival.

"Eren," a young woman skipped to greet him with a smile. "It's good to see you."

Eren greeted the pair with a simple nod, then looked at Georg. The command went unsaid but understood.

"I'm going," the magician sighed, disappearing into the mist again.

Of course he was working while everyone was partying.

Still, it needed to be done and it was the price he paid for having one of the most useful Sacred Gears in the world.

"What was that about," Siegfried asked with a nod toward where the woman had disappeared.

Eren didn't answer.

"Our newest recruit can see the dead," Cao Cao explained. "She must have seen something frightening with our leader. She didn't even react like that when she saw Hades."

Despite his easygoing tone, it was clear that the holder of the True Longinus was curious.

He wasn't the only one.

"What'd you kill to freak out the vamp?" Herc asked eagerly. "Is that why you left? Tell me about the fight."

Eren, as ever, didn't explain.

"It doesn't matter," Eren said simply. "I just needed to send a message and she was the best tool to do it."

"You are right," Cao Cao nodded toward the room of curious onlookers. "You need to be introduced to the new recruits. We can talk later."

Cao Cao led Eren toward the head table under the new recruits' curious gaze and the veterans' grins and smiles.

While the executives of the Hero Faction retook their seats, Cao Cao and Eren stood.

Eren picked up the golden goblet placed in front of the seat of honour.

It was an exact match to the one Cao Cao held aloft to the rest of the room.

"Heroes!"

They roared.

"The Titan is back!"

They cheered.

"Drink! Eat! Laugh!"

They laughed.

"Today, we live as humans!"

They raised their cups.

"Tomorrow, we die as heroes!"

They drank.

Some sombrely. Some joyfully.

But they all drank.

Eren was no exception.

He drank deep and long.

He was not stirred by Cao Cao's words. He heard them every second of every day.

Power flowed into him from the physical manifestation of the Longinus in his hand.

It strengthened him. Reinforcing him. Preparing him for the end.

If Eren could, he might have thought back to a meeting on the bench and wondered: Would Michael be more appalled that he and Cao Cao were drinking out of the Sephiroth Grail or would the fact that the Chaos Brigade had both Holy Relics be more horrific to the Seraph?

If he could, Eren might have wondered what Xenovia's reaction would be to his blatant sacrilege, or he might have felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of Asia's sad eyes.

But Eren could not have such idle thoughts.

His memories were still there, but he was connected to the Path once more.

Everything that had happened and would happen was drowning those memories out.

His vision swam between this hall and so many other scenes.

The blood and bodies he crawled over were still warm and fresh. Some were no older than he had been when he first regained his memories.

Their sightless eyes looked up at him, judging him, demanding to know why he, the Devil, lived while they died.

They were a small step on his road paved with corpses.

The warmth of the bodies mixed with the heat of Kuroka's ardour she pressed against him and the inferno of burning buildings and searing flesh.

He could feel it all.

Eren could not hear the cheers, jeers, and laughter of those celebrating their life, as fleeting as it was.

All he heard were screams.

All of it, past, present, future, and a million 'what if' timelines played out for Eren every moment he lived.

All but the one he wanted to see.

Eren could not see the bench.

In a world of blue light and towering sand dunes, a young boy continued to weep as he built titanic bodies, tens of meters tall, one pail of sand at a time.

So Eren simply drank as grey eyes stared out impassively at a room full of living corpses.

********

The response for the last chapter was better than I hoped. Which is good. I still have no plans to go through every part of his life before the bench, but there will be the occasional scene that I feel is important to the story.

I will point out something that other people are confused about, though. In AOT, the 13-year life span of Titan shifters is called Ymir's Curse because people believe it is due to the fact that she died 13 years after getting her power. Some take this to mean that there should be no 13-year limit without Ymir in the Paths. This is never actually confirmed. Like much of AOT, it is left up to interpretation and other hypotheses are presented.

I won't say which I subscribe to, but I will caution anyone who confidently says 'this is how it is' with regard to AOT. A huge part of the story is about how knowledge can be manipulated through propaganda and the 'truth' is whatever one person wants it to be.

Again, I won't say anything definitive about this story. I will just say that I hope it all makes sense in the end.

I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Aunty hadn't been surprised.

That thought kept turning over and over in Sona's head as she and Rias' Peerage waited for news.

"She's lying," Issei denied, pacing back and forth in agitation. "Senpai isn't like Diod... Senpai wouldn't work with Chaos Brigade. She has to be lying. I won't believe her, no matter how magnificent her Oppai!"

"Ise," Asia said worriedly, placing a hand on his arm to try and calm him down.

Mikasa Ackerman wasn't the most expressive of women, but those she cared about deeply learned her tells over time. Those expressions that did slip through conveyed a world of meaning.

And, hearing that the boy she loved was being accused of leading an inter-pantheon terrorist organization bent on sowing chaos, Mikasa had not been surprised.

Like a song on repeat, Sona turned the memory over and over in her mind.

She was trying to make sense of this mess.

Trying to grasp onto anything, anything at all, which would let her understand what was happening.

Trying to find anything that would be a valid argument against Kuroka's claim that Eren was secretly in control of the Chaos Brigade.

That he hadn't been the one to help found it.

That the boy she had seen, talked to almost daily and come to care about wasn't secretly the leader of monsters. Monsters like Loki, like the Old Satan Faction, like Diodora Astaroth.

Sona was trying to find any way to prove that this last year and a half had not just been a lie. That Eren hadn't been using them, stealing information from the sisters of the Satans to further his own goals.

Only... Mikasa had not been surprised.

"Senpai..." Kiba stared at the ground with a dark look on his face. "Senapi's always had a dark side. He told us about it before. We just... never saw it."

"That doesn't mean he's a bad guy!" Issei denied strongly. "He's just... He might have done bad stuff before, but he regrets it. He's better now. The Senpai I know isn't a bad person."

Mikasa's only concern was with his revealed capabilities.

Like she had already thrown away every moment of care and love they had shared and Eren was now an enemy that needed to be fought.

Like Eren had always been her enemy.

She had accepted Kuroka's accusation as fact right away.

Like it made perfect sense for the weak, sickly human who talked with them, counselled them, cared about them, and laughed with them was secretly... Something else.

Someone else.

Had they ever known Eren Yeager?

Truly known him?

Understood him?

"Ise," Xenovia joined Asia in trying to reassure their lover. It was the gentlest anyone there had ever seen her. "You only knew a part of him."

Issei looked at her, hurt.

Xenovia pressed on.

"Eren Yeager did not become the 'Child of Evil' by kind deeds. He's killed hundreds. Maybe thousands."

"But," Issei floundered, trying to connect the boy who helped him with the Child of Evil Xenovia talked about. "But he was a soldier, right? A mercenary? He only killed bad guys, right?"

"I do not know of any indiscriminate slaughters, and most of his victims were probably enemy soldiers," Xenovia allowed, and Issei looked hopeful. "But not all."

The more Sona thought about it, the more she tried to find proof against Kuroka's claims, the more she found the opposite.

From the first day, it had been clear Eren had been hiding things.

Initially, it had seemed he had been a blind and scared youth, traumatized by his experience as a child soldier and looking to pass his last days in peace. She had thought he was hiding the fact that he had been a mercenary, unaware that they had been able to investigate him.

But that was only the first of what seemed like innumerable layers of secrets and mysteries. Whenever they peeled back one layer, believed they had understood Eren, thought they knew his depths, they discovered a deeper abyss.

Then, with the revelation that he knew about magic and wasn't blind, he kept secrets of his original world—secrets he and Mikasa had shared between themselves that they were so hesitant to discuss.

Another layer, another mystery.

Had Eren asked Mikasa to tell Sona about their world because he didn't feel it was right for him to explain, or had that been another lie, a way to put off a conversation until he betrayed them? It wouldn't matter what they learned then, would it?

Had it all been a distraction so they wouldn't ask about his time in this world?

"There are no good guys," Akeno said softly as she ran her hand through Koneko's hair as the Rook hugged Rias tightly.

The nekoshou had been clinging to their King ever since they had teleported to this waiting room while the Satans talked with Kuroka and Mikasa. Kuroka hadn't been opposed to them following, but Aunty had tried to push back.

To no avail, of course. They refused to be sidelined for something like this.

"Eren fought for warlords, in civil wars, or as an insurgent. Even if he only killed enemies, others would be presganged to join either his side or the other. Women. Children." Xenovia did not look like she took any pleasure in her words, though she said them with certainty. "Even without accidents, Eren fought for despots and other military strongmen. And there were accidents. If not from him, then from others on his side. People he helped went on to do terrible things, even if he didn't do them himself."

For an instant, Sona grasped onto the fact that she and Rias had their familiars watching Eren most of the time.

Surely, they would have caught suspicious activity at least once over the year and a half?

Then Sona realized that if Eren was as accomplished with Senjutsu as Kuroka claimed, it would have been pathetically easy for him to not only sense their familiars watching but also slip by and deceive them to keep in contact with his subordinates in the Brigade.

After all, he had managed to slip off the heavily warded Gremory vacation island without issue. None of the Gremory servants found traces of him having been there when they went to clean it.

"That church he destroyed? I don't know if the men he locked in there were slavers or not," Xenovia said grimly. "All I know is that a nine-year-old boy locked seven men in a church. He listened to them scream and beg for their lives as he placed explosives. Then, while my guardian bled out, he blew it up and left her to die. She told me he didn't even blink. Whether they were bad men or not, nobody who kills people that easily, that cruelly, without feeling anything is a good man."

Issei looked away, unable to meet his lover's eyes.

'Be careful with Eren Yeager. You have no idea who he is. What he's capable of.'

Suddenly, Sona felt so foolish. So very dumb. Immature. Childish.

She, a teenage girl, had let her feelings blind her to the holes in Eren's story.

How had a human child managed to defeat Griselda Quarta? One of the church's top exorcists would certainly not have been taken down easily, even if taken by surprise.

How had Eren known so much about the supernatural world when he said he tried to avoid it?

How had Eren, only seventeen years old at the time, had enough Ki to rival an Ultimate Class devil in power?

Not once had she tried to poke holes in his story, content to let him keep his secrets.

Sona hadn't challenged him at all, not once.

Because she had loved him.

'He'll break your heart.'

"But-but, he's better now, right?" Issei asked, looking around the room hopefully. Desperately. "He did those things to survive, but he doesn't have to anymore, right? He regrets it and is better now, right?"

"Eren..." Akeno trailed off before shaking her head. "Even if he did regret his actions, he'd still do them if he thought they were necessary. He'd still move forward. That's the type of man he is."

Mikasa hadn't been surprised.

Because, to her, it was expected.

Self-loathing filled Sona.

Why had she not heeded her aunt's warning? Or at least been better prepared for something like this?

Clearly, her Mikasa had concerns about Eren, even from the first day of meeting him again. Sona doubted she knew precisely what was going on with Eren, but she still was preparing herself. Mikasa had tried warning them in her own way, lacking as she no doubt had been in the detail department.

Mikasa had never had anything but their best intentions at heart, and they ignored her.

"Love. Always love. But never let love be chains."

Mikasa's feelings for Eren were real, and Sona was still certain of that, but her aunt had not let them blind her.

Why had Sona allowed hers to do the same?

Sona knew why.

Jealousy and pride.

And all they got Sona was this tearing, ripping, gut-wrenching pain in her heart.

"Why," Issei asked, looking around the room at the sad, pained, angry faces. Tears of frustration and pain started to bead his eyes, and he rubbed them furiously. "Why is everyone accepting this? Why do you think Senpai can do this? He is our friend. We need to believe in him!"

"It is because he is our friend that we know Eren," Rias said hollowly, arms tightening around Koneko. "I... I think if Eren had a reason, a strong reason, one he believed in and was willing to fight for, then he could do anything. No matter how much he'd regret it, he'd still keep advancing. Even if it meant becoming a monster."

"But why," Issei pleaded with his King. "What reason could Senpai have?"

"...I don't know."

"Um," a hesitant voice asked in the silence after Rias' despairing whisper.

All eyes, even Sona's, looked at Rossweiss. The newly reincarnated Pawn shifted uncomfortably at the attention.

"I... I don't know this Eren Yeager," the Valkyrie said, still new to the group and more than a few years older than those present. She was still trying to fit in. "But I think we need to know how he did it before we can ask why."

"What do you mean," Sona asked, seizing on any subject change.

Anything to distract her from the ache in her chest.

"Well, if that woman is right," Rossweiss nodded toward the room where Kuroka was still talking to the Satans. "He is the leader of the Chaos Brigade. He helped build it. According to every report I've read on the Brigade, they oppose the Peace Treaty and have formed with the Ouroboros as a figurehead. Apart from that, it's just a bunch of factions agreeing to stay out of each other's way for their goals."

"That is the common consensus, yes," Sona nodded quickly, glad to have the distraction from her spiralling thoughts. "We know a few factions by name. The Old Satans are the ones we've dealt with for the most part, as they target devils, but we also know of a faction of magicians from the attack on the school, Nilrem, and the Hero Faction. They claim to be the leading faction, but we can't say for certain. We don't know if there is still a Norse faction without Loki, but we can assume any number of other factions from other pantheons that are dissatisfied with the Peace Treaty."

"That is what I am talking about," Rossweiss said, gaining more confidence. "How is a human the leader of all that? If it is this Eren, then how did he do it? Loki said he wouldn't act on the plan of a dead man, which meant that while he thought the leader was alive, he was following their plan. How do you get so many factions, many with competing interests, to follow your plan? Not even the God of the Bible could do that, but a human could?"

"He has that sage stuff, right," Issei guessed. "If the nekomimi is right, then Senpai's super strong. Did he just beat them up?"

Despite his reluctance to believe Eren was their enemy, Issei looked almost excited at the idea that Eren was secretly a badass.

"All Senjutsu does is enhance what is already there," the Pawn disagreed. Rossweiss was a prodigy in magic, Sona remembered. She probably knew more about the subject than all of them except Kuroka. "Usually only existing Ki abilities. And even then, it's usually just physical abilities. Sages are rare, but even the most powerful could never fight gods except for a few who combined it with other abilities. Taoist spells or Youjutsu techniques. And even then, none of it reached the level of a properly trained Longinus user, let alone a god. So how did a human sage manage that if he has no magic or Sacred Gear?"

Rossweiss looked around the room. Realizing everyone was watching her as she lost herself in one of her favourite topics, the Valkyrie shrank back in on herself slightly.

"I just thought that if we knew how he did it, maybe we can figure out why."

"My aunt knows," Sona said softly.

"That 'Warhammer' thing?" Rias asked, and Sona nodded. "I don't understand. They said their world didn't have magic. Or any supernatural races. Even if... Eren was lying," Rias swallowed the words like her throat was stuck. "Aunty wouldn't go along with it."

"It could be a title," Akeno suggested. "We've never really seen Eren fight. If he's anything like Aunty, he could be very strong as a human... if he was healthy, I guess. Can any of you imagine Lady Mikasa as a Sage?"

Sona suppressed a shiver at the thought.

Her aunt lacked any magic or demonic power of her own, but thanks to sheer skill and speed, she could fight well above her weight class. With the right weapon, she could even kill Ultimate Class devils.

If she had Touki, let alone Senjutsu, Mikasa Ackerman would be an Ultimate Class devil easily.

If Eren could fight as well as she did and was as talented with Senjutsu as Kuroka claimed, he would definitely be an Ultimate Class threat.

"Eren 'Warhammer' Yeager," Yuuto tasted the words on his lips with a sardonic smile. "It isn't bad."

"It isn't a title," Mikasa said plainly as the sealed doors opened.

Everyone rose to their feet to look at the group that emerged. It was unsurprising that they could hear what the young devils had been speaking about from inside.

Sona noted that her aunt's was a mask of neutrality that didn't let anything pass.

Serafall, on the other hand, looked between Sona and Mikasa worriedly, biting her lower lip and twirling her hands awkwardly.

The other Satans, Sirzechs Lucifer and Adjuka Beelzebub, looked grim but resolute.

Falbium Asmodeus was nowhere to be seen.

Kuroka was all smiles, in contrast to everyone else's mood.

"So," Issei asked eagerly, not caring about propriety in the slightest and more concerned about his missing Senpai. "What's happening? Where's Senpai?"

"We don't know. Agents are going to the headquarters Kuroka told us about, but they are probably already abandoned. For now," Sirzechs said with a tight smile. "Eren Yeager will be listed as wanted, with orders to be captured alive, if possible."

"Why!"

"Issei!" Rias barked as the Red Dragon Emperor stepped toward the Satan's aggressively.

Issei bit his teeth but backed down.

"If it makes you feel better," Sirzech said, giving the boy a pained smile. "I don't think we can capture him."

What sort of power did Eren have that not even the Satans, with all the resources of the Underworld at their command, didn't think they could capture him?

"You really believe he is the leader of the Chaos Brigade," Sona asked, her eyes looking from her distressed sister to her placid aunt.

"He is," Mikasa answered simply.

"Mi-chan," Serafall looked at her Pawn sorrowfully.

"Eren will do what he thinks he needs to," Mikasa said.

Her voice was empty of all emotions.

Not cold. Just empty.

"He always has."

"What about her," Rias asked, looking at Kuroka with narrowed eyes. "What's going to happen to her?"

"That will depend on whether the information she provides is accurate," Sirzech explained.

"Onee-sama is a good kitty nyaow!"

"We shall see," Beelzebub said. "Falbium is already verifying your words."

Sona blinked in shock.

Something had gotten the infamously lazy Satan Asmodeus to do work? And instead of just sending subordinates to do it for him, he went himself?

What in the Underworld had Kuroka said in that room?

"For now," Sirzechs said with a sympathetic smile at Rias. "May we speak with Koneko?"

"What for," Rias asked warily, standing between the young Rook and the Satans.

"It is nothing bad," Sirzechs explained gently, not showing if his sister's caution had hurt him. "Before we can decide what to do with Kuroka, we need to know if she is guilty, and Kuroka said Koneko has the proof she is innocent."

"And you believe her?" Rias demanded angrily, stepping forward in a mirror of Issei's earlier action. "I am not going to let her hurt Koneko again!"

"...Buchou," Koneko held her King by the back of her shirt.

Rias looked back at the Rook, and Koneko gave her a small shake of her head. Rias still watched Kuroka like a hawk as she stepped aside. Not far enough to be out of Koneko's reach, though.

"I need to know," Koneko asked with narrowed eyes at her sister. "Did Eren go mad because of Senjutsu?"

Kuroka blinked in surprise, then her gaze softened, and she crouched down until she was at eye level with the smaller girl.

"No Shirone. Senjutsu cannot make someone mad unless they have a really weak mind. Both me and Eren are sane."

In a rare moment of anger, Sona wanted to shake the cat girl by the neck and demand to know what part of 'destroying the Underworld' was sane.

She didn't though. She understood why Koneko asked that question.

It would be so easy if Eren simply went mad due to his Senjutsu.

If exposure to the malicious Ki of the world had driven him mad, then he hadn't betrayed them.

Hadn't betrayed her.

But Sona could not bring herself to believe such a convenient fantasy.

Because Mikasa had not been surprised.

Kokeno stared into her older sister's eyes, looking for any lie.

Then she looked at Sirzechs Lucifer.

"...What do I need to do?"

"We just need to see your hairpin for a moment," Sirzechs said.

Koneko's brow furrowed as she raised her hand to the cat-shaped hairpin that kept her silver hair from her eyes.

"Why do you want it," Rias asked defensively. "It's all she has of her mother."

"We're not going to destroy it," Sirzechs reassured. "You'll get it back."

Koneko hesitantly took the clip out of her hair and handed it over.

Lucifer took it gently, not saying anything about the girl's trembling hands, and passed it to Beelzebub.

A magic circle lit up below the clip and enveloped it.

Beelzebub's eyes narrowed in thought.

"It's a device used to record information. Like a human hard drive, only it doesn't just contain documents and footage, but also spell formula."

"Can you tell what is in it?"

"It will take me days to go through all of it," Beelzebub told his friend. "But I can give a general summary right now. It is a copy of illegal research conducted by the Nebiros clan on how to create Artificial Super Devils."

Sona's eyes widened.

The Nebiros clan was a clan of Extra Devils famous as the last surviving of the Six Houses of Lucifer. All the others had either died in the Great War or joined the opposing side of the Civil War.

The sole exception was the last surviving member of the Lucifuge family, who married Sirzechs Gremory.

They were also a branch family of the Naberius house.

More recently, however, the Naberius clan was more well known for being the noble house involved in the Nekomata Incident, where a promising bishop was said to have gone mad with her power, killing her master and devolving into one of the most dangerous Stray Devils ever to exist, Black Cat Kuroka.

"While this is not a record from her master," Beelzebub continued, nodding toward Kuroka, whose eyes remained locked on Koneko. "It does mention the branch house he was a part of being included in the research and has extensive notes on experiments on nekomata. Their mother, Fujimai, in particular, was a major subject. Senjutsu was a significant study target, and the experiments were... not gentle. It corroborates her story."

"This is going to be a disaster," Sirzechs sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. "Get everything you can out of that and make sure you don't destroy it. I'll deal with the Naberius."

"What does this mean?" Rias asked her brother.

"According to the law, any King who violates the law loses the right to their Evil Pieces. And those Pieces are within their rights to defend themselves from said King," Sirzechs explained. "It was one of the first laws we put in to protect reincarnated devils. If the Nebiros Clan were indeed conducting experiments on nekomata, which it looks like they were, and the Naberius continued those experiments later, then she was within her rights to kill her King. Which means she is, legally, innocent and no longer a Stray Devil."

"The Naberius clan can lose their Pillar status over this," Sona said with narrowed eyes, realizing the larger implications of this revelation.

"If we can prove it and it's not scapegoated onto one member. They will either become an extra devil clan or lose clan status altogether, depending on how pervasive the experiments were among the family. Or it will push them to join the Chaos Brigade."

There was a whole mess of political intrigue there, one Sona was unwilling and unable to deal with at the moment.

For the first time in her life, Sona decided to be like her sister and leave that work to Sirzechs and not think about it.

"But," Rias protested, pointing toward Kuroka. "Even if she's not a Stray, she is, or was, part of Chaos Brigade. She's still a criminal."

"We've struck a deal with her," Serafall said, not taking her eyes off her Pawn. "Now that her innocence in her original crime has been proven, or at least has reasonable doubt, we can pardon her in exchange for information. Information we need."

All three Satans looked grim at the reminder, but Kuroka simply continued to smile gently at Koneko, who was staring at the elder nekomata in shock.

"For now, as part of that deal, she will remain under observation by Mi-chan- Er, Mikasa," Sirzechs stumbled but continued affably. "Also part of that deal was that she was allowed to live with, or near, her sister, so she will be staying in Kuoh. Between Mikasa, Azazel, and both your Peerages, she won't have much freedom."

"And it keeps her out of the Underworld," Sona said, with a note of accusation. "She can't spy on things from Kuoh."

The Satans gave her a wane smile but nodded in affirmation.

Sona had two other realizations that she didn't vocalize to the group.

First, by keeping Kuroka near Koneko, they were indirectly using the Rook as a hostage for good behaviour.

Second, Eren had already shown an interest in Kuoh and them in particular. With Kuroka there, they kept all his known associates in one place, which might lure him out.

Sona was certain that Kuoh was about to have dozens of Ultimate Class devils hidden nearby, just in case.

A year ago, the thought would have made her angry.

Now, she just didn't care about the blow to her pride.

Sona was just tired.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Shirone," Kuroka said softly, looking into her sister's eyes. "But I'm going to be there now. Even if you don't forgive me, I promise I will prove you can count on me. I will spend every day for the rest of my life proving myself if that's what it takes."

Sona couldn't even begin to understand what the young Rook felt at that moment. Rias clearly wasn't happy.

But Sona?

Sona wasn't happy either, but she could see the silver lining. With Kuroka at hand, she could get more answers.

Both Kuroka and Mikasa owed them that.

********

What to say about this one?

First, I don't plan to dwell too long on the aftereffects of Eren's betrayal, but I don't want to brush it over, either. Too often in anime, characters fall into tropes after a member betrays them. Either they go the Naruto route: 'He's my friend no matter what!' (Which I consider idiotic) or the Sasuke route: 'They betrayed me. I am going to kill them all. And their pets.' (Also moronic.)

I do want to show how a bit on how our DxD cast handles something like this, each in their own way. Despite all their growth, they are still young and haven't faced betrayal like this before, especially with someone they are so close to. As I said, I don't plan to delay the story too much, but I do want to present the conflicting mess of emotions they are feeling. I will try to portray them as best as I can.

Ironically, Eren is one of the best portrayals of this internal conflict. His relationship with Reiner is a great example. Being the rage gremlin he was (and the fact that the Armored Titan helped kill his mom and destroy his home), Eren tries to kill Reiner despite their years as comrades together.

But as he grows up, as he gains a more nuanced view of the world, he recognizes Reiner as a man just like him—a child soldier thrust into a war that has spanned thousands of years. While they still fight, it is not a coincidence that Reiner lives until the very end, when Eren could very well have created a plan that killed him.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts. Even as we approach the end of the fic, I don't plan to sacrifice the characters' growth for it. Everyone still has a bit more to go before this story is done. I will meet you in a few days on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"You know what we want. Speak!" Rias commanded imperiously.

"Don't wanyaa," Kuroka said as she stretched lazily in her chair, her tails holding Eren's cane out of the way as she lounged. "It's too early in the morning for this. Ask me again later."

"It's six pm," Sona deadpanned.

"Exactly."

"I think she has nothing to say," Akeno 'whispered' to Rias. "I think she's a mook. I think Eren learned Senjutsu from her, and she just hung around him because she was a stray cat with nowhere else to go."

Kuroka gave the Queen a side eye as she lounged but didn't rise to the bait.

Rias decided to try another tactic.

She put away the lamp she hung over Kuroka's head, turned the light back on, and threw away the fake badge on her chest.

Honestly, she thought the costume would lighten the mood a bit, but nobody was feeling it. Even Ravel Phenex's arrival and the School Festival's advent couldn't bring everyone out of their funk since Eren's disappearance, and Rias was at her wits' end.

"Kuroka," the Gremory heiress said seriously. The former Stray Devil gave the redhead a curious look, sipping from her saucer of sake as her tails swished. "You are under our jurisdiction now." The black cat raised an amused brow. "I am not saying we can beat you in a fight, though you might be surprised. I am saying that irrespective of your 'innocence,' you are our responsibility. And so is Eren."

"Eren is way beyond your pay grade, girl," Kuroka snorted indelicately.

"We don't know that," Sona said, staring down at the cat with crossed arms. "Because, except for Senjutsu, nobody has told us anything about what he can do."

"Just that alone should tell you everything you need to knyaaow," Kuroka shook her head as she took another sip. "No. You all need to stay away from Eren. I don't want Shirone anywhere near him when he decides to make his move. Just let the adults deal with it while you remain safe in Kuoh. No matter what the Satans think, he won't be coming back here."

"...Nee-san," Koneko's soft voice carried from the other side of the Occult Research Club room. "Eren won't hurt us."

"Eren won't want to hurt you," Kuroka corrected with a sad shake of her head. "But Eren does many things he doesn't want to do for his plan."

"Like work with the Old Satan Faction."

"Exactly," Kuroka nodded at Sona's point. "Eren would be thrilled if he could crush those bastards to death, and he has for a few he didn't need, but they have their uses. It's just that their uses in the plan usually lead to their untimely demise and failure."

"Coincidentally, I'm sure," Sona said with a tried rub of her eyes.

"So he's just using them," Rias clarified, hope swelling in her chest.

She could believe that Eren was secretly part of the Chaos Brigade. She could even suspend her disbelief and believe he was secretly super powerful despite looking like he was a stiff breeze away from death.

What she could not, would not believe was that Eren would kill Issei.

She refused to believe that everything over the last year and a half had been a lie.

But Rias needed to understand Eren. His goals. His powers. Everything that he had kept hidden while speaking with them.

Only then could she understand Eren.

Only then could she bring him home.

Two people had the answers she needed.

Kuroka and Mikasa.

Getting answers from Mikasa was like pulling teeth, so they decided to interrogate the Black Cat while Levitathan's Pawn pulled Yuuto away.

Unfortunately, it seemed that when Kuroka was not leading a global terrorist organization, she was a lazy mess.

Already, she had stolen some of Azazel's booze and one of Gasper's game consoles and seemed perfectly happy to have foisted the entire Chaos Brigade mess on the Satans to deal with. She was treating this all like a vacation.

It also seemed that she was perfectly happy keeping them in the dark about Eren to prevent them from trying to chase him down.

Which... Rias couldn't say she didn't want to do.

She wanted to find Eren, demand answers from the boy, beat him up for worrying her, and have Asia heal him so Akeno could have a turn.

More than anything else, Rias wanted to understand why.

Eren said he didn't hate devils, yet he wanted to completely destroy the Underworld where hundreds of millions of innocent devils lived?

Devils who never even touched an Evil Piece, let alone used them in ways he so hated?

Why had he done all this?

Why the lies?

"Why does he need them," Rias' pressed. "Why did he build the Chaos Brigade when he probably hates everyone involved? He could have worked with us, not against us."

"He doesn't hate everyone," Kuroka denied. "He and Vali are pretty good palls. Cao Cao, too. Georg practically worships him. Hells, half-the Hero Faction have huge crushes on Eren." Kuroka giggled as she sipped her sake. "Not that it did Jeanne or Georg any good. I got there first."

There was the familiar sting of jealousy.

Rias didn't know how close Kuroka actually had been to Eren. All they had to go off of was the Stray's words... Former Stray. There was no proof besides Kuroka's words and Mikasa's acceptance of them that Eren had been romantically involved at all.

Everyone, including herself and Sona, had held their breath on the subject. Not only didn't they have any right to Eren's affection, but it wasn't the most critical worry at the moment.

Mikasa had not even addressed the issue, just going about her day, keeping an eye on Kuroka and not rising to any of the prodding.

It didn't stop the jealousy, though.

It was also much easier to hate Kuroka than Mikasa.

...Even if Kuroka had reasons for killing her King, that didn't change the fact she had hurt Koneko.

Rias only needed one look at the younger girl, sitting as far away from her sister as she could and curled up on herself, to feel the rage gain fervour.

But rage wouldn't help her now.

"If you truly want to keep Koneko safe," Rias said, letting out a breath of frustration. "We need to know what we are facing. That magician girl said Eren planned to kill Issei, and we won't let that happen. So tell us."

It seemed like her words made a little sense to the Bishop, who sipped at her sake quietly.

Whether Kuroka would have eventually agreed or not would go unknown when Mikasa returned with Yuuto.

Surprisingly, Issei and Asia were accompanying them, as were Rossweiss and Xenovia, so Rias guessed they had finished showing Ravel around town. Where the Phenex girl had gone off to, she didn't know, though.

Rias immediately noted that Issei had that vacant look on his face, the one he got when speaking to either Ddraig or the former holders of the Boosted Gear.

Rias shot her Peerage a quick look of question. Issei didn't notice, still lost in his thoughts, but Asia gave her King a worried look as she patted her boyfriend on the back. Xenovia just shrugged.

"Ravel is doing something for Issei," Rossweiss explained. "Something about his show and children? I don't know the details."

That was enough for Rias, and she looked at her Knight.

Yuuto gave his King a smile that didn't meet his eyes as he nodded toward Mikasa. More specifically, toward the storage device she carried that held her weapons.

Rias didn't ask right away as tension mounted between the older women.

As soon as she saw Mikasa, Kuroka's eyes narrowed, and the fur on her tails flared slightly.

Rias felt a vindictive sort of pleasure at the sight.

It seemed like they weren't the only ones who felt jealous.

"Let's go," Mikasa ordered the Nekoshou.

"Go, nyaa?"

"You are the only one who knows Senjutsu, and I need to practice fighting a sage."

"Don't feel like it," Kuroka said lazily as she sank further into her seat.

"Too bad."

"I'm not gonna help you fight him."

"Don't you want to protect your sister?"

"Eren won't target her." Koneko flinched at her sister's words, and Rias' felt that protective rage once more. "She's safe, so long as she stays out of the way."

"You don't seem to care that he will destroy the Underworld?"

"Should I, nyaa? Nobody can stop Eren, so I won't try as long as Shirone is safe. I only told the Satans for the deal, but they won't be able to stop him. Best let him get on with it while I keep Shironyaa far away."

"I will stop him."

"How?"

Mikasa didn't answer, but she continued to stare at the cat, making it perfectly clear that she would not back down.

"Aunty," Sona said in the tense silence that had grown between the two women. Mikasa looked at the younger girl, and her eyes softened. "Talk to us. Please."

Mikasa seemed to waver, and Kuroka suddenly sat up. The quick movement drew Mikasa's attention back to her.

"I have a good idea, nyaa," the Nekoshou said with a predatory smile. "I'm on a roll with deals. Information for information."

"You withheld information?" Mikasa asked with narrowed eyes.

"Not from the Satans," Kuroka shook her head, then nodded toward the watching group. "But they don't know anything, and I'm not gonna tell 'em anything for free. I tell them about Eren, and I spend some of my precocious free time playing with you."

"All you have is free time," Akeno bit out sarcastically.

Kuroka ignored her.

"In return, nyaa~" she singsonged. "You tell me about Eren. About your world."

Mikasa continued to watch the smug cat with an impassive gaze. Then her eyes flicked for an instant towards Sona, and she gave a short nod.

"Great," Kuroka said. "Go ahead. Ask something."

Rias knew she should ask about Eren's abilities, his plans, and anything else that could help them find him and fight him.

The question that slipped out was about none of that.

"What is your relationship with Eren?"

"Hmm," Kuroka leaned back in her chair again, legs dangling off the edge as she held her hand in her chin. Rias was sure she was messing with them. "I've been a lot of things to Eren. Right-hand woman, teacher, errand girl, and taxi service when Georg isn't available. The best way to put it would be partners to lovers. We used each other and then fell in love along the way."

"Or he used you, and you fell for it," Akeno sneered. "Why else would he ditch you for over a year?"

Kuroka narrowed her eyes but, again, didn't rise to the bait.

Rias... wasn't sure what response she should have to that answer. It was consistent with what Kuroka had said before, but at the same time...

Her emotions were such a mess.

Was she supposed to hate Eren now? Fight him?

She should, right? He had lied to them, manipulated them, and was a threat to not only her world but her family and Issei. Supposedly, he had declared he'd kill her cute little Rook, the junior he had guided.

Was that a lie? A threat? A promise?

Jealousy, anger, fear, longing, confusion, and so many other emotions swirled around in her heart.

Despite asking, Rias realized that Kuroka's answer had not settled anything.

"My turn," Kuroka said, looking at Mikasa. "You mentioned something in the meeting that I want to know about. 'Yeagerists.' You said Eren had done something like this before in your world."

Mikasa looked once more at Sona before she answered.

Rias wondered what was going on behind that blank face. What must Mikasa be going through if Rias' feelings were a mess?

"We were soldiers in the military," Mikasa said simply. "Yeagerist was the name given to a faction of our population that formed around Eren. They were militaristic, imperialistic, xenophobic, and expressionistic. They led a coup, killing the leaders of the military who disagreed with them and supplanting almost the entirety of Eldia."

"Eren hates those types of people," Sona said with her arms crossed.

"In general, he does," Mikasa agreed. "But situations will make even an angel shake hands with a devil. Men into monsters. Victims into aggressors. In our world, we were hated for being born. Almost every nation in the world wanted to exterminate the Island Devils. And they had hurt us. All of us. We were scared. We were angry. Most of us thought it was us or them."

"...Us?" Koneko asked. "You too?"

"All of us agreed we needed to do something. The Yeagerists were just the most extreme. They were calling for our extermination, so let's exterminate them first. Only then can we be safe." Mikasa shook her head sadly. "I wasn't a Yeagerist, but that didn't really matter. There were no good guys. Not even us."

"And Eren went along with this?" Akeno asked doubtfully.

"In a way," Mikasa nodded. "Eren was a symbol for the Yeagerists. When he died, he was half deified by them. Very few of them realized he had been using them, and I am sure he is using Chaos Brigade. He will use anyone and anything if it means achieving his goals."

"That is why you weren't surprised," Sona said, her gaze shooting between Mikasa and Kuroka. "Eren has done this before."

"Yes."

That was all Mikasa said as she looked back at Kuroka. It was her turn to answer a question.

Sona was the one who asked this time before anyone else could get ahead of her.

"When, where, and how did you become partners with Eren?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "Did Eren seek you out specifically, or did you just meet by accident? How'd he convince you to work with him?"

"That's too many questions, nyaa," Kuroka pouted.

"No," Sona denied firmly. "They should all be covered by how you met him. I do not believe it was a coincidence that Eren, who you said is the greatest sage to ever live, ran into you, who could train him in Senjutsu."

Because of her angle facing the door, Rias noticed how Mikasa suddenly leaned forward.

The first hint of genuine emotions flitted half a second across her eyes, but it was too subtle and complex for the Gremory to say what it was with any certainty. Fear? Despair?

Anyway, it was clear the Pawn was just as interested as everyone else in Kuroka's answer.

"It was a coincidence," Kuroka shrugged. "I had just killed my ex-King and was on the run. I was trying to sneak out of the Underworld using the Dantalion interdimensional teleportation circle when I found Eren chained up in the dungeon. The family's heir had been following his career as a mercenary and wanted to reincarnate him. They were trying to brainwash him first because he was... uncooperative."

"That sounds like Senpai," Yuuto said with a crooked smile.

"Dantalion?" Rias frowned at the name, trying to place it. "Weren't they-"

"The Pillar family that died ten years ago," Sona said, adjusting her glasses once more. "They were exterminated, the only Pillar family to go extinct since the Civil War. Nobody knows what happened, though. Their estate was completely destroyed. You did that? If you could, why didn't you fight the Naberius agents?"

"It was mostly Eren," Kuroka shrugged casually. "After I freed him, he helped me escape. The guards found us before we could get far, and he transformed. That initial blast did most of the damage, and we just dealt with the stragglers to prevent anyone from following. We've been partners ever since."

"Transformed," Issei asked, emerging from his conversation with the inhabitants of the Boosted Gear. "Like my Scale Mail?"

"Nope, nope, nope. It's my turn nyaaow," Kuroka shook her head, sitting up again to face Mikasa. Then she leaned forward, her smile all predator. "Tell me about titans."

"'Titans?'" Sona asked with a furrowed brow. "The group of Greek deities before the current pantheon?"

"That is just how Language translates it," Mikasa said plainly. "Technically, it translates to 'Giant Human' or 'Huge Man.'"

"You had giants in your world?" Issei asked, emerging from his funk to finally participate in the conversation.

Mikasa looked around the room again at the expectant and pleading eyes. Then, almost minutely, she seemed to sag slightly. Then she straightened and spoke with the plain candour of a soldier.

"No," Mikasa denied. "Only humans. Titans were humans that had been transformed. They ranged in height from two to twenty-five meters tall on average. Their features varied wildly. Some looked more like cartoons or caricatures of humans, but they were always vaguely shaped like men and naked."

"...Gross," Koneko said with a scrunched nose.

"They had no genitals or orifices but those on their head," Mikasa denied, speaking in the simple, clipped tone of someone delivering a military report. "They did not need to eat or drink to survive, absorbing power from sunlight. One I know of hid underground for almost a century without moving."

"Ah, that's what you meant when you said no magic," Sona nodded in realization. "It is a physiological transformation that follows rules of biology and physics, even if they are slightly different than ours."

"Yes."

"Eren is one of these titans?" Akeno asked, interested. "How big was he?"

Kuroka, with a mischievous smile and a waggle of her eyebrows, conjured an illusion in the middle of the room.

Everyone jumped, some preparing for a fight, as suddenly the entire room was filled with teeth the size of their arms on a massive face that only partially fit inside the club room.

"Nyahahahahaha," Kuroka giggled at their reaction as the illusion shrunk. "Consider this a freebee. This is what I meant when I said he transformed."

It didn't take too long for Rias to finally get a good look at her first 'titan.'

It was about Issei's height, though it was clearly shrunk to fit inside the room.

It was a man or at least a crude rendition of one. Two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. The limbs were proportioned properly, and Rias couldn't help but notice how muscular the figure was, its tanned skin positively rippling with muscles, like a martial artist who spent their entire life training and fighting.

Right away, Rias could understand what Mikasa meant about the lack of genitals, as it looked closer to a doll below the waist than a regular man...

So Rias was a curious teenager, sue her. It wasn't like guys had a monopoly on porn... or hentai in her case.

It was the face where the lack of humanity truly shined, though.

Mated dark hair hung to the shoulders and half-covered long, pointed ears. The nose was typical if a touch too sharp and angular, but the eyes were sunk in too deep to be really human.

And its mouth was... unnerving. It had no lips to cover the teeth, a sharp row of them that would have been scary enough even without the fact that someone had decided to add what seemed like dozens of extras to each end of the mouth. The result looked like something that had lost its cheek and whose mouth split the face in half, top to bottom, from one ear to the other.

Its eyes were emerald green, and they burned with a raging inner fire, like all it wanted was to see the world burn.

Then, a tiny silhouette appeared on the thing's shoulder. A miniature version of Kuroka stood beside its head and barely reached its ear.

"That's Eren?" Issei asked with wide eyes. "He's huge!"

"The Attack Titan," Mikasa nodded. Did Rias imagine things, or was the initial dark emotion she had noticed earlier was gone in favour of... relief, maybe? "He's fifteen meters tall. The form of the titan varied from person to person, as does the size. You can imagine how deadly it is to regular humans without magic. Just brushing against one is enough to kill most humans, and if you are hit or stepped on, there is no saving you."

"Fascinating," Rossweiss said, peering closely at the illusion. "Apart from the size and strength, the immortality, and lack of need of sustenance, did titans have any powers? They would have to if Eren fought high-class devils, right?

"Regeneration," Mikasa answered plainly. "Cut off the limbs, carve out the heart, stab their brains, burn them, freeze them, blow them up, it doesn't matter. They will regenerate. The speed varied between titans and sunlight exposure. I have seen one cut in half, with its brain leaking out of the missing front half of its body and bleeding out, and it still managed to drag itself for days. Eren shoved explosives down its throat, blowing it up, and it still would have regrown if Historia hadn't found its weak spot."

Every word the former soldier spoke, in that dry, bored tone, made Rias feel queasy. How could someone get so used to such a gruesome sight that they could talk of it and sound bored?

Issei was looking nauseous as he held Asia tightly to his chest.

"So they do have a weak spot," Kuroka asked curiously. "I've seen Eren regenerate from losing limbs, most of his body, and half his head. You never mentioned anything about a weak spot in the meeting."

"Because it doesn't matter for Eren anymore," Mikasa said with an annoyed look. "All titans have a weakness, the spine at the base of their skull. Destroy that, and they die. But you allowed him to create a body at a distance, right? This means that he and his weak point can be anywhere. He doesn't need to be in his titan."

In his titan? Ah, it clicked for Rias.

It wasn't a transformation. It was a mech.

A meat mech, but still. Humans were the pilots, their bodies hidden in the spine of the titans. Like an Eva, only smaller and less mechanical.

Eren could turn into a mech, but he had never shown her? Newfound rage burned in Rias' weeb soul.

"Titans were the primary form of military strength in your world, weren't they," Sona said, still looking over the illusion in the center of the room. "You said your world was a century behind us in technology. The size and strength of titans alone would make them unkillable by regular humans without modern weapons."

"We managed. Only after years of study, and even then, we had heavy casualties most of the time. No other nation was as good at killing titans as us, and we still lost half a dozen soldiers for ever one we killed," Mikasa said gravely. "And you are right about military strength. Whoever controlled the titans controlled the world. But you are missing one thing. Only Eldians could become titans. A bloodline from the first titan, Ymir the Founder."

"Ymir," Rosswiess asked, looking up. "The Jotnar?"

"It is just a coincidence that she had the same name," Mikasa shook her head. "I checked when I learned of it."

"That's why they thought of you as devils," Rias said softly, staring at the miniature titan. "You weren't human to them."

Those green eyes glared at the world like they couldn't wait to rush forward and tear everything down.

Attack Titan, indeed.

"The Eldian empire spanned two thousand years because they were the ones who controlled the titans," Mikasa said softly. "Details have been lost, but the one thing everyone could agree on was that Eldia used titans to rule the world. They... encouraged the spreading of Eldian blood in order to gain more titans. They were a cruel country, on both their enemies and their own population. But by the time I was born, the empire had collapsed."

"So," Asia said hopefully. "They were stopped?"

"Nobody could stop them while they controlled the titans. It was a civil war that ended Eldia," Mikasa shook her head. "The king went into exile with a big portion of the Eldian people, hoping to pay for the sins of his ancestors. It didn't change anything except the name of the country and who was in charge."

"... And the titans?" Koneko asked, staring into the raging green eyes of the illusion.

"Eldians still made up a large percentage of the global population due to forced breeding over centuries. We were outcasts. Devils in human skin. But they still needed Eldians for the titans. Marley, the largest country formed after Eldia's collapse, had gained control of titans and used it for their imperial ambitions. If not them, someone else would have. They hated and feared Eldians, but they'd use us."

"People are the same everywhere," Yuuto said softly. Like everyone else, he was staring at the illusion of the titan in their midst. "Just weights on the scale."

"Why didn't you fight them," Issei asked innocently. "You guys could turn into titans, too, right?"

"Not everyone could, I am guessing," Sona said.

"No," Mikasa denied. "Everyone with the blood of Ymir could become a titan. I am one of only a few I know about who, and everyone else is also an Ackerman. My family is the product of genetic experiments by the old Eldian Empire. My friend thought it was an attempt to make human titans. Either way, a few bloodlines like mine couldn't become titans, but every other Eldian could."

"That's why Lady Leviathan said your genetics were more interesting than Eren's," Akeno realized, biting her lip. "But that doesn't explain why you didn't fight back."

"Because becoming a titan is a terrible fate," Mikasa said gravely. "You cannot turn back."

"What," Kuroka asked, content to mostly listen to Mikasa until now. "That's not true. I've seen Eren transform hundreds of times."

Mikasa just shook her head.

"When someone transforms, they became what we call Pure Titans. They lost all sense of self, acting wholly on instinct, like children or animals. That is how they were used in battle. Like rabid wolves, they were thrown at an enemy and let loose to run wild. A Pure Titan will stay like that until something kills them, possibly for centuries. Both Eldia and Marley forced that transformation on people for their wars. Becoming a titan is a fate worse than death."

The younger, more inexperienced in the room paled at Mikasa's words.

"But what about Eren," Kuroka pressed.

"There were nine exceptions," Mikasa explained with a nod toward the projection. "The Attack Titan was one of them. Anyone who held one of the Nine kept their intelligence and could transform at will, though the number of times per day varied by type. While shifters aren't transformed, they keep the healing and enhanced abilities to a lesser degree. The Nine were the core of the countries' military forces. A handful of the Nine working together could destroy a country in a day."

"The Warhammer," Yuuto said, looking at his one-time crush. "That was another one, right?"

"Yes," Mikasa nodded, then she looked at Kuroka. "You've seen him use it. It's that silver or white bone material. Show them."

A ring of white metal seemed to flow from the illusionary titan, surrounding it in a wave of jagged spikes that erupted in a wave.

"It looks like mercury," Rosswiess said offhand as she scribbled something on one of her notepads.

"I don't know exactly what it is made of," Mikasa admitted. "It is harder than bone and most metals. But it made the Warhammer Titan the third strongest, though most considered it the second, after the Founder. It could create weapons and armour while all the other titans only used their bodies. It could even form the titan away from the host, meaning even cutting its spine wouldn't kill the shifter."

Mikasa's emotions shone through as she shot a glare at Kuroka.

"Its weakness was that all the material had to remain attached to its body, or it would dissolve. A weakness Eren doesn't have anymore. I have no idea how far he can use the Warhammer from his body, but just the fact it doesn't need to be attached makes it incredibly deadly. He can create as many titan bodies as he wants without exposing himself to danger."

The nekoshou didn't look repentant in the slightest. In fact, she looked smug.

Rather than responding to the cat, Rias pointed out a discrepancy.

"You said there were nine special titans, right? Eren inherited two? Or are there nine types, and someone can show up with multiple different ones if they're talented. Like our clan traits?"

"Nine total. At any given point, there are only ever nine, never more. It gets iffy with the Founder, but that is the rule. Eren is the first since Ymir to hold more than one. He held three. The three most dangerous. The Warhammer, the Founder, and the Attack Titan. Thankfully, we only need to worry about the Warhammer."

"Why," Xenovia asked with her arms crossed. "You said the Founder was stronger."

"The Founder's main ability is to control all who share Ymir's bloodline," Mikasa explained simply. "I am the only Eldian here, and Ackermans cannot be controlled due to the genetic manipulation. There are no other titans in this world for him to control, and nobody can become a titan. Besides, only those who possess the royal bloodline or those touching someone with that bloodline can use it. Neither Eren nor I have that bloodline, so the Founder is useless to him."

"What about the Attack Titan," Sona asked with a nod toward the representation of Eren in the center of the room. "What is its power? By process of elimination, it is either the first or second most dangerous titan."

"It doesn't matter," Mikasa shook her head. "By itself, it is only a slightly stronger and smarter titan. Only when its power worked with the Founder's did it become a problem. Without it, and in this world, it is essentially powerless compared to the Warhammer."

"What if it did work," Kuroka asked curiously, staring at her illusion. "What if he did have those other powers? How strong would he be then?"

Mikasa looked at the former Stray as if judging the reason for her interest.

Eventually, she answered though.

"If Eren could use the Warhammer Titan, the Founding Titan, and the Attack Titan, then he'd be the strongest being in this world."

"Really, nyaa" Kuroka asked doubtfully. "I've met Ophis. Eren is super strong but not 'Ouroboros Dragon' strong, and nothing compared to Great Red."

"Not in direct power," Mikasa shook her head. "But it wouldn't matter. The world would become as Eren willed to. Actually, just the Attack and Founding Titan powers would be enough. He wouldn't even need the Warhammer. It is just a tool he needed last time."

That answer didn't disenchant Kuroka in the slightest.

If anything, that made the cat girl all the more smug as she beamed over at her sister.

"Do you understand how awesome Onee-sama is now, Shironyaa? She snagged a super cool brother-in-law for you."

"Who dumped you," Akeno pointed out again.

"Doesn't matter," Kuroka shook her head. "Lovers fight."

"You sound like you want him to win," Rias accused.

"Eren won't lose. The Underworld's only hope is that he changes his mind, but I am not counting on it. I am just here to keep Shirone safe," Kuroka shrugged. "He'll finish his business and come around. Besides, can you imagine our kittens?"

"Eren will never have children."

Mikasa said it with such certainty that it took everyone by surprise. And anger.

"Maybe not with you," Kuroka said acidly. "But I am not giving up."

"Give up."

There was no anger in Mikasa's voice, just grim certainty.

Which seemed to anger Kuroka even more.

Gone was the playful facade of joviality as she practically teleported right in front of Mikasa, her seven tails swaying angrily.

Mikasa watched impassively, not flinching as the former vice leader of the Chaos Brigade hissed at her.

"I'm sick of this," Kuroka spat. "I had high hopes for you, you know? I know how much he cares about you. I was the one who pushed him toward you."

"Am I supposed to thank you?" Mikasa asked in that same bland tone.

"You're supposed to feel something!" Kuroka snapped. "You are supposed to care about him! You are supposed to love him! You are supposed to support him!"

"I am not chained by love."

"Kuroka," Sona tried to interject, but she was ignored.

"So you just throw him away as soon as you can? The first person to claim he's an enemy, and suddenly you are ready to kill him?"

"Nee-san," Koneko tried to help, but even she was ignored.

"I know Eren," Mikasa simply said. "I am not blinded to who he is. What he is. He makes his choices, and I will make mine. He would hate it if I didn't."

Rias and Issei hurried to place themselves between the two women and the rest of the room. Rias summoned her Rain of Destruction, and Issei started Boosting.

"You know nothing," Kuroka spat, hackles raised.

"I know your request for Evil Pieces won't work," Mikasa said. "Even if you get them, Eren will never become a devil. Eren is going to die. Accept it."

"I refuse to accept a future like that! The only future I want is one where I can live a long, happy life with Eren, Shirone, and a litter of titan kittens! That is the only future I will accept!"

For a long second, Mikasa didn't say anything.

Then, in a quiet voice, she asked.

"You... told Eren this? You said you wanted titan children?"

"Aunty-"

Sona's urgent voice was cut off by Kuroka's answer.

"Of course," Kuroka said proudly. "This world is full of monsters worse than humans. Unlike you, I don't hate titans. I don't hate Eren for who or what he is."

"Titans eat people."

"... what?" Kuroka asked.

Rias could understand the hesitation and confusion. Mikasa's words were so quietly and simply delivered that Rias thought she had misheard.

Mikasa's voice was unhurried, but there was a note of acid there that hadn't been present so far.

"They eat people. Humans. They will never attack animals. They only hunt humans. To eat them. They weren't weapons. They were predators. And we were the prey. The cattle to the wolves."

"But you said they were people!" Issei protested.

Mikasa didn't even look at him. Her eyes were dead and haunted as they stared into Kuroka's.

"So?"

"That doesn't make sense," Sona denied, shaking her head frantically as she stepped away from her aunt. "You said they don't need to eat to live."

"They don't," Mikasa agreed. "Pure Titans hunt and eat humans on instinct, not for sport, hunger, or any other reason. They eat, eat, and eat, and when their stomachs are full, they throw up the half-digested corpses in a ball to eat more. If someone's lucky, they are killed right away. Titans only want to eat living humans. They don't care about the dead. So you are still screaming as your head is bitten off, you are swallowed whole, or torn limb from limb by titans fighting over who can eat you first. The luckier ones die in one bite to large titans. If you are unlucky, you get caught by a small one, and it eats you one bite at a time. The only solace is we know who they are when we find them. Others aren't that lucky. Comrades bit in half. Sometimes, limbs are all we find. Maybe we have to dig through the corpse balls if we want to know if someone died. We never found out what happened to most of-"

"Stop it!" Xenovia shouted.

Rias realized the Knight was holding a trembling Asia as the room looked at Mikasa in horror.

Mikasa just watched Kuroka with blank eyes.

"...Why?" Rias asked, and she was ashamed of the crack in her voice. "Why do they... do that?"

"Instinct," Mikasa repeated simply, still with that eerie haunted look. "It is the only way they can regain their humanity."

"What do you mean?" Kuroka demanded. She was the most horrified of anyone here. She had actually seen Eren as a titan. "What do you mean by that!?"

"The only way for a Pure Titan to turn back into a human is if they become one of the nine Titan Shifters. The only way to gain that power is to take it from the old shifter by eating them."

"...Who?"

"...Eren gained the Warhammer by consuming one of our enemies," Mikasa hesitated before answering Sona's horrified question, seeming to come back into herself for the moment. "He invaded Marley and attacked in the middle of a festival to get her. She tried to fight back with other Shifters, but he got her in the end."

"And the other two!?" Kuroka demanded.

Mikasa didn't answer.

Rias realized she had never intended to go this far with her explanation. She had intended to tell them the basics about titans and leave it at that. She never wanted to tell them about the... forced cannibalism.

About what Eren had gone through.

Rias's second realization was that Sona had immediately noticed something was off, something Rias was just now picking up on.

Mikasa was absolutely furious.

For all that her aunt pretended to be stoic and strong, she must be in pieces internally.

Reunited with the boy she loved, only to have to find out he was going to die? He already has a lover and is an enemy she has to fight?

Whether it was the situation or Eren, Mikasa was barely holding on. She had been trying to be strong for them.

But Kuroka's words had pushed her over the edge.

Those two realizations prompted a third.

Even raging mad, there was still something she was holding back. Something even more horrific that Mikasa didn't want them to know.

"Aunty," Rias prompted. "Please tell us. We need to understand. Eren... What happened to him? Who did he... eat to gain those powers?"

Mikasa looked around the room, almost like a cornered animal searching for an escape... No. Not like an animal.

Like a soldier looking at fresh recruits and deciding if they were ready for the horrors of war.

Eventually, her eyes settled on Sona, and they stayed there.

Mikasa's rage seemed to leave her, and she just looked... sad.

Heartbroken.

"... The Founding Titan was consumed by the last Attack Titan before Eren. He's the one that turned Eren into a Pure Titan. He did it so Eren could eat him and gain both their powers. He entrusted everything to Eren."

"Who?" Sona asked.

"Grisha Yeager," Mikasa said, closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at the horror on the young devil's face. "Our father."

"...no."

"He did it a day after we watched our mother get eaten by a titan."

"...you're lying to hurt me. You have to be!"

Mikasa turned around, walking toward the door of the club room. However, she didn't ignore Kuroka's horrified whisper as she paused with her hand on the doorknob.

"Eren hates titans. More than anyone else to ever be born, Eren hates titans. He dedicated his life to exterminating every single one of them. He would hate nothing more than unleashing titans on this world after he died. Especially his children."

"He never told me!"

Even Issei could hear the heartbreak in Kuroka's voice.

"Every time you told him you wanted titan children," Mikasa continued, still not looking back. "You were telling him that you wanted his kids to eat him, then get eaten in turn by their children. Just like he had to eat his father. A never-ending cycle of hell."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kuroka snapped. "How was I supposed to know when he didn't tell me?"

"No. You didn't know," Mikasa said sadly, still not looking back. "And you still know nothing."

Then Mikasa left her plans for training long forgotten, leaving the younger devils to reconcile the new information with their memories of the boy on the bench.

They might have come from the Underworld, but their world was not a hell in which they had been forced to eat their own father.

As Rias tried to console Asia, she couldn't help but notice that though Mikasa Ackerman's back was straight and she moved with purpose, she looked incredibly lonely.

********

I seriously debated splitting this chapter into two, but I decided against it for pacing reasons. I don't want to spend too much time on exposition, and what I do show needs to either help the story or the characters along.

I think that, as AOT went on, people started to lose a grasp of how horrific Titans were, on principle. The trauma of being forced to eat someone, the horror of seeing your comrades torn apart in front of you, the fear of being prey. I know why it happened. They ceased being figures of horror and became weapons of war, which is good storytelling as it mirrored how the cast thought of them as well.

But I don't think it does anyone any favours to forget that Eren, in the midst of the Rumbling, was forced to watch and experience every instance of a titan eating a person, every forced transformation, and every horror inflicted all for the power of the Titans. He lived through both sides of the death of all his comrades, friends and family, some of which he knew he inflicted himself.

I don't think any sort of condemnation of Eren's desire to wipe out all Titans can be talked about without acknowledging that he has very good reasons to want them gone. Attack on Titan fanfiction tends to gloss over this subject, but I think it is core not only to Eren's character and the reasons he acts the way he does but also to everyone else in the world of Attack on Titan. Everyone from that world, since the time of Ymir, has been living in the shadow of the titans.

They are not a power source. They are a source of trauma by their very nature. Nobody should ever want to be a titan, shifter or not. But societies kept pushing their young soldiers to chase that horror in the pursuit of power.

There were no good guys in Attack on Titan. Only victims and aggressors. Who was which depended on what side you were on and what day of the week it was.

I'll meet you all next week, with our cast grappling with what they learned and what they still need to learn. I'll be waiting on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click tap.

Koneko bit her lip as she looked at her older sister from behind the tree.

Kuroka was on the bench, sake cup in one hand, while she stared up at the autumn moon.

In her other hand, she held Eren's cane by the handle, absently unsheathing the blade by the smallest amount, only to resheathe it right after.

Koneko knew she should be in bed. They had the championship match against Sairaorg Bael tomorrow, and she wanted to be in the best shape possible.

...Even if victory in a Rating Game tournament seemed so... small right now.

It was hard to get fired up about a fake battle when you learned your friend had fought through hell and was now out to destroy all you knew.

But Koneko Toujou was not in bed.

No, she was out in the middle of the night, looking at the familiar bench in a familiar park.

Kuroka had clearly not taken Mikasa's words well. She had been much quieter since learning about the nature of Eren's powers, less teasing and more introspective. She had also been looking a bit ragged, lacking her usual elegant seductiveness.

Koneko, getting out of bed a bit late for a midnight snack, had noticed that her sister's door had been open.

Seeing that empty room, a sense of panic and fear had overtaken Koneko.

It hadn't been logical, but she had been seized by a sense of crisis.

Had her sister left?

Again?

Like Eren?

Was Koneko going to be alone?

So Koneko had searched the entirety of the sprawling Hyoudou Residence they all lived in.

Kuroka wasn't in the kitchen. Or any of the living rooms. Or the entertainment rooms.

She wasn't on the roof, on the grounds, or in any of the bathrooms.

Koneko had been at her wit's end with worry.

So she had gone to Mikasa's room, only to find her missing.

That both reassured and doubled Koneko's terror.

Consciously, she was aware that if Mikasa was also missing, it likely meant Kuroka was with her.

Unconsciously, it meant that someone else had left her.

For the first time in almost a decade, Koneko wished she knew Senjutsu. Then, she could find her sister and trainer.

...Then Koneko might have been able to sense Eren, to stop him, before it was too late.

Koneko hadn't even thought of waking anyone else up, acting almost wholly on instinct to find her missing sister.

Not once did Koneko think of trusting Mikasa to bring Kuroka back if the latter had run. Nor did she even entertain the idea of just returning to bed and that the pair might have gone somewhere to train or something equally innocuous.

No, in her panic, Koneko did not even consider those possibilities.

All she knew was that she could not handle losing anyone else.

So, she set out looking for her sister and her minder.

To be fair to Koneko, she guessed where they were on the first go.

If they weren't at the Hyoudou residence, there was only one other place in Kuoh they'd go this late at night.

After a quick teleport to the Clubhouse and a run through the park, she found her sister sitting on the bench drinking.

It was the mood and the atmosphere that surrounded Kuroka that made Koneko hide more than anything else.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click tap.

Reassured, realizing her panic actions had been illogical in the first place, Koneko started to calm her racing heart.

"Joining me, nyaa?" Kuroka suddenly said, and Koneko flinched, thinking she had been discovered.

But Kuroka wasn't looking at her sister.

Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the sky, no longer focusing on the moon.

Mikasa Ackerman descended silently on devil wings to stand in front of the bench and its occupant.

"I wanted to see what you were doing," the Pawn said simply, not elaborating further.

"I didn't meet anyone yesterday or the day before that, and I won't meet anyone tomorrow or the day after," Kuroka snorted with a roll of her eyes and a swig of her drink. "I really did leave the Brigade. I have no intention of spying and reporting on anyone."

"And Eren?"

Kuroka didn't answer.

There was a long minute of awkward silence between the two women, and Koneko was seriously debating returning to bed.

Then Kuroka spoke again.

"He told me we'd never see each other again," the Black Cat eventually said. "...I don't think he was lying."

"Eren can lie. He can manipulate. But he only does it if he needs something from you. Otherwise, he's too emotional and hot-headed to bother."

"See," Kuroka said, gesturing at Mikasa with her saucer. "That. You say that so easily. It took years for me to learn that Eren wasn't some emotionless monster. You've only been with him a few months, yet you can confidently say something like that. I hate that."

"...I knew him most of his life."

"No," Kuroka said, setting her saucer to the side and facing Mikasa directly. "You didn't. He died at nineteen in your world, right? He has nineteen years here. I spent nine of them with him. So why can you read him like a book while I struggled to learn even a little about who he really is."

"Eren... he's been through a lot," Mikasa eventually said. "Our world was a cruel one."

"I am not talking about what he went through," Kuroka pressed with narrowed eyes. "I am talking about you. He never even said your name. I only know about Armin because he let something slip, but he never mentioned you."

"I am honestly surprised he talked about Armin at all." Mikasa wasn't being unkind, nor was she sugarcoating her words. "I didn't think he would. The three of us were... close."

It was clear Mikasa was uncomfortable with the situation to Koneko, torn between her duty to supervise Kuroka and a desire to not talk about her past.

Still, Kuroka was like a cat with yarn and would not let up.

"It is different with you, though," Kuroka accused, pointing a finger at the older woman accusingly. "Talking about you, it hurt him. And not just in the missing you sort of way."

"What are you getting at, cat?" Mikasa asked with narrowed eyes.

"What is the Rumbling?"

Koneko almost missed it when Mikasa's hand instinctively went to summon her weapons.

She didn't, though. Instead, the Pawn simply clenched her fists and answered.

"Guess."

"I do have a guess," Kuroka said. "It was an attack, right? Eren led those Yeagerists you talked about either to attack the non-Yeagerist Eldians or those other countries like Marley to start a war. I'm guessing other Titans were involved too. Eren had that Founder you mentioned and the Attack Titan you are scared of."

Mikasa didn't say anything, but even Koneko could see how her hand spasmed on instinct once more.

"I'm right, aren't I," Kuroka pressed triumphantly. "Then let me make one last guess. You did not side with Eren. You fought him, just like you are going to fight him again."

"What are you getting at, cat?" Mikasa repeated.

There was no hiding the anger in her voice.

"How did Eren die?"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

All the anger seemed to leave Mikasa in that dreadful silence.

All of... everything left her, and only a shell remained.

Koneko's fur stood on end at the absolute emptiness in Mikasa's voice.

"I am not going to tell you anything."

"You had no problem speaking a few days ago," Kuroka growled, clearly not pleased by the reply she was getting. "What's wrong? Not so talkative when you are the one getting hurt?"

"I never intended to hurt you," Mikasa spoke in that empty voice. "I just spoke the truth. Once again, you don't know what you are talking about."

"What are you getting at, dog?" Kuroka spat in mockery of Mikasa's earlier question.

"I don't hate you. I pity you."

It was Kuroka's turn to flinch, but she reacted the same way she had her entire life when hurt.

Kuroka lashed out like a wounded animal rather than let herself be vulnerable.

"Don't pull that crap with me. You're just mad that your man found someone else. Someone who actually cares. A real woman."

In a mocking gesture, Kuroka placed an arm beneath her chest and hefted them suggestively.

"No, Kuroka."

Koneko realized it was the first time she had heard Mikasa say her sister's name.

Mikasa said it without that soul-chilling emptiness but instead with pity, which made it all the more poignant.

"I hate that I am not the only one he loves. I hate that you got to spend more time with him. I hate that Eren needed you, that you were good for him. I hate that you could have made him happy. But I do not hate you."

"Why not?" Kuroka demanded, her fur entirely on end and her tails waving frantically. "I helped found an organization hell-bent on spreading chaos and destruction! I didn't do it for any noble reason. I did it because I want my sister and Eren. The rest of the world can burn for all I care. I stole your man! I turned him into the greatest threat this world has seen in thousands of years! I've been flaunting our relationship in your face! And you don't hate me? Are you just as emotionally dead as you look!?"

"I hate this burning jealousy. I hate that you can express your emotions better than me," Mikasa admitted quietly. "I don't hate you because I stopped basing my happiness on Eren long ago."

"...What?"

"I am grateful for the time we had here. I am... grateful that you told him to talk to me."

The last bit sounded like it was coming out through clenched teeth.

"When Eren dies, I will mourn him, no matter what he does. If there are other worlds out, I hope we meet there. We will meet again, and one day, we will be happy together, if it takes two thousand or twenty thousand years. But my happiness does not depend on him."

"Are you listening to yourself? You want to be with him, but you'll be happy without him?"

"Tell me Kuroka. If you died, do you want Eren to remain single for the rest of his life? To be alone and miserable."

"No! And don't change the subject. We are talking about you."

"I wouldn't either, no matter how jealous I am at the thought. And Eren is just as jealous as me. Just as pathetic as I am. We have long lives ahead of us. All of us. And Eren would want us to be happy."

"...You're speaking like he's already dead."

"Unlike you all, I have gone through this all before. I have buried Eren once already." There was a note of listlessness in Mikasa's voice. A weariness that made her sound just as exhausted as Kuroka had been these last few days. "He asked me if I could do it again, and I told him I could. I will. Because loving Eren is to be hurt. But love's beauty is worth its cruelty."

Mikasa's wings unfurled again, and she looked ready to take off.

"That's why I don't hate you, Kuroka. Because you are the only one who understands that. Now talk to your sister. You've put it off long enough."

Koneko froze as Mikasa took to the air once more.

She didn't get far.

"Wait!" Kuroka called, and Mikasa looked down at the cat girl blankly. Not the void of emotion, but simply not conveying emotion. "...You said he had two other powers. The Attack Titan and the Founder. You said he'd be the strongest being in the world. Were you telling the truth?"

"I was."

"If... If he could get those powers back," Kuroka hesitated, looking almost scared by her words. "If he had all that power, could we save him? Could he find a way to heal himself?"

Mikasa grew distant, no longer staring down at Kuroka but out into the night.

Maybe she was thinking about what could have been.

"...Maybe. But I am glad he doesn't have the Founder. Nobody deserves that hell. Not even Eren."

Mikasa shook her head as if shaking herself out of the funk Kuroka's words brought.

"No. If Eren could use the Founder, he'd need to die. It would be the only way for him to be free."

Then Mikasa was gone, retaking to her position to watch Kuroka from the sky.

...Or she went home, Koneko didn't know.

Either way, it was clear the Pawn didn't want to talk anymore.

Koneko, feeling like she had seen something she shouldn't have, decided it was time to go back to bed.

"Shironyaaaaaa~"

Koneko froze, instinct holding her place at the singsong purr in her sister's voice.

"Did you come looking for Onee-sama," Kuroka asked, having retaken her seat on the bench and looking directly at her younger sister's hiding place in the tree. "Did you have a nightmare? Want to sleep with Onee-sama tonight?"

With deliberate movements, Koneko stepped out from behind the tree.

Kuroka didn't move besides picking up her sake saucer again, but her eyes never left Koneko's.

"...Nee-san," Koneko greeted quietly, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable she was out here alone at night with the black cat.

Kuroka was a seven-tailed nekomata, tied for the strongest their race had ever produced.

Even with Mikasa nearby, it would be effortless for the former Stray to rush at the Rook, grab her, and teleport away before she could be stopped.

Almost as if she could sense Koneko's sudden wariness, Kuroka's playful smile softened to something sadder.

"Onee-sama really is going to stay with Shirone," she said gently. "I promise I won't hurt you again."

"...What about Eren?"

"What about him?" Kuroka asked curiously.

"What if he comes back?"

"He won't," Kuroka said with absolute confidence. "At least not yet. Not till he's done. He's too set on his plan to stop now. I am just here to make sure Shirone is safe while he does it, nyaa."

"... Even if the rest of the world burns?"

Kuroka didn't answer, sipping her sake and gazing at the moon.

"... You knew I was there," Koneko accused.

"I did," Kuroka nodded. "So did she. That's why she came down tonight. Instead of ignoring me again, she wanted you to know she was here. She's just like Eren. They both want to talk, to explain themselves, but are terrible at it. You need to push them sometimes."

"It was a ruse?"

"Nyaa, isn't Onee-sama smart~" Kuroka stuck her tongue out playfully.

Koneko just watched her, hatting how she knew that Kuroka was lying.

Maybe not completely. Maybe there was some truth to the former Straystray's use of Koneko's presence to bait Mikasa out, but those emotions, that rage, had not been a ruse.

The listlessness over the last few days was not a ruse, nor was the white-knuckled grip on Eren's cane faked.

Mikasa's words still haunted them all. Koneko knew Asia had nightmares, and Yuuto had confessed to having one himself, involving getting eaten by a giant.

Even Koneko thought back to all those naps she shared with Eren, all those long afternoons of companionable silence, and wondered what horrors he had been reliving while she remained blissfully ignorant.

How much worse was it for Kuroka, who had seen a Titan in person? Who had known Eren had that power without ever knowing what he had to do to get it?

And Koneko could see that haunted look in her sister.

Even after all these years, Koneko hated how easy it was to read her older sister.

"Onee-sama... never pretended to be a good woman," Kuroka eventually said after a long moment of staring from her younger sister. "When it was just us, I did bad things so we could survive. I did worse with the Naberius. Onee-sama's never been a good kitty, Shironyaa~"

Though she singsonged the last sentence in her usual playful tone, Kuroka finished off her sake with a long drag and a self-deprecating smile.

She then pulled a jug out of... somewhere and poured herself more.

"But that's all gonna change, nyaa," Kuroka giggled.

It came out forced.

"Onee-sama has a clean start now. One she can share with Shirone."

Kuroka raised the sake again. Her following sentence was spoken so quietly into the drink that Koneko was unsure if she was supposed to hear it.

"All she had to do was sell out the man she loves."

"...Nee-san."

"Ah, don't worry about Onee-sama," Kuroka hurried to shake her head and gave Koneko a smile that was supposed to be reassuring. It wasn't. "She's going to get those kittens from Brother-in-law, even if they're not titans. Then Onee-sama, Brother-in-law, and Shirone can all live together... I guess Eren can keep the dog since she makes him happy. But besides that, it will be perfect. Shirone will see, nyaa."

"Nee-san," Koneko said, gathering her courage. "What about Issei?" Kuroka winced, looking away. "Does Eren really plan to kill him?"

Koneko hadn't really liked Issei when they first met. He was a pervert, after all. One obsessed with big breasts while Koneko was still young and hadn't hit her growth spurt yet.

But...

Issei grew on her. She still had no idea what Asia, Irina, Xenovia, and Ravel saw in him regarding romantic partners, but Koneko couldn't deny that he was a friend.

She spent hours with him, training to fight like a Rook and helping on jobs. He was a reliable comrade, stupidly honest, and had a strong work ethic.

More than that, under his perversion and naivety, Issei was simply a very kind boy.

In a world filled with those who chased power for power's sake, fame, or politics, seeing a Red Dragon Emperor, famed for their city-destroying rampages, singing with devil children on a television set was one of the most heartwarming sights Koneko could imagine.

Issei... was precisely who he seemed to be. Not two-dimensional but not super complicated either. No traumatic backstory, secret agenda, or long-term game plan. Issei was a simple, perverted, honest, and driven boy.

Issei was just Issei, and he didn't deserve to die.

"Eren... has a plan," Kuroka tried to say gently. "I don't know the details. But... the Red Dragon Emperor... for the plan to work... Issei needs to die."

Koneko didn't have to think about her response. It just came out.

"Then Eren won't be happy."

Koneko hadn't spent nearly as long with Eren as her sister or Mikasa. Nor had she spoken with him as much as Sona, Rias, or Akeno had, and she didn't call him Senpai like Yuuto and Issei, but Koneko did know Eren in her own way.

If Eren had to kill Issei to achieve his goals, then even if he lived, reunited with Kuroka, and was free in the end, Eren would never be happy with that kind of life.

Because Eren, too, in his own hurt way, was kind.

Eren might be able to make hard choices and might be able to build a world he wanted even if it meant his friends dying, but Eren wouldn't be able to live happily in a world built on friends he killed directly.

Kuroka bit her lips and looked away again.

"...And I wouldn't be either," Koneko finally said as she finished her approach and sat on the bench with her sister, though they were on opposite sides.

"I... I just want us to be together and safe," Kuroka admitted, squeezing Eren's cane tightly. "Is that too much to ask?"

"You left." Kuroka flinched as if Koneko had punched her. "You might have had good reasons, but you left me."

"I know."

"Safety... It's not happiness," Koneko said, looking at her small hands. "I never cared about safety. Maybe I was too young and didn't understand danger, but I never cared that we weren't safe."

"Shirone..."

"Because I had my Onee-sama with me."

Koneko leaned away from Kuroka, who tried to reach out to touch her. The older sister froze while the younger one furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes.

When she could, Koneko looked at Kuroka again.

"Even after Rias took me in, even after I was safe, I wasn't happy. Because my Onee-sama had left me behind."

"If I could have taken you with me, I would have," Kuroka pleaded. "Without Eren, I might not have even survived to leave the Underworld."

"I don't know if you did the right thing or not," Koneko said, shaking her head, but her eyes were sad. "All I know was that it took years for me to be happy again—with my new family."

It hurt Koneko how heartbroken her older sister looked, but she needed to get these words out.

Needed to face her fear.

Needed to wipe the slate clean so they both could move forward.

"I understand why you did it, but I don't forgive you for leaving me, Nee-san," Koneko stared into feline eyes as she drew her line in the sand. "Even knowing you were doing it because you thought you were saving me, I don't forgive you for hurting me."

"Shirone..." This time, it was Kuroka's eyes that started to water.

Koneko pushed on. She needed to get this out because she wasn't sure she could say it all if she stopped now.

"I found other people who make me happy. Rias, Akeno, Gasper, Yuuto, Eren, the pervert, Asia, Xenovia, the Gremory Family, and others. That's what Aunty was talking about. That's why she can fight Eren. Because her happiness is not dependent on only him, and mine isn't dependent on only you anymore, Nee-san."

Despite saying she couldn't forgive her sister and meaning it, Koneko took no pleasure in the pain her words were causing.

She was sure that if she was anyone else, Kuroka would have lashed out in response with her own hurtful words or coy veneer.

But she wasn't anyone else.

She was Shirone... Or she had been.

Right now, she was Koneko Toujo, the name Rias had given her. The name she had found happiness under.

"You aren't part of my new family," Koneko declared firmly. Then, she continued in a much softer, much more vulnerable voice. "But I want my Onee-sama to be part of it."

There it was.

The raw, unvarnished truth.

Despite the pain, the nightmares, the abandonment, and the loss Koneko had felt over the years, there would always be a part of her that yearned for her older sister once more. The part that had stayed up late at night, waiting for her sister to come home.

That part had only grown once she learned of the true reason Kuroka had left her.

Koneko couldn't forgive Kuroka, but she could also not resist trying to get her sister back one last time.

It would be up to Kuroka to prove she wouldn't hurt Koneko again.

Kuroka's naked hope, her sheer relief, and the older cat girl's wide smile filled Koneko with uncomfortable warmth.

She still hadn't forgiven her sister, just offered her a fresh start.

"I promise, Shirone. I will do whatever it takes for you to be able to call me Onee-sama again."

"Then teach me Senjutsu."

"Of course, nyaa," Kuroka agreed readily, smiling and without hesitation. "Once you return from your rating game, Onee-sama will teach you everything she can. Like Onee-sama said, it's not hard to control yourself if you know what you are doing. Now that Onee-sama is here to help, Shirone has nothing to fear!"

Koneko didn't know how she felt about the quick agreement.

Even with the assurances that Senjutsu wasn't a source of madness and that she would turn into a monster from learning it, it had still taken Koneko days to gather the courage to request to learn it.

It had been the source of her fear for most of her life, and only her desire to not be left behind, both literally and figuratively in the power sense, by her friends had pushed her to make this step forward.

To have Kuroka, who was so insistent on keeping her safe, agree so quickly... Even though Koneko had been the one to ask, it made her feel very foolish.

Then again, fear was never logical.

"And your trick to gaining more tails."

That stopped Kuroka in her tracks, and she gave her sister an awkward smile.

"Maybe when Shirone is older."

"Why?" Koneko frowned. "Is it a secret technique? Did you do something horrible? Or does it consume your lifespan like the pervert's Juggernaut Drive?"

Besides Senjutsu, that was the greatest way to increase Koneko's strength. Yokai gained tails as they aged, and each tail was accompanied by a burst in power. Sometimes, it was the reverse, and they gained the tails because they were powerful enough to develop them, but even that took years.

As a nekoshou, she had a leg up over other Yokai, but Kuroka's trick, whatever it was, was Koneko's best chance to catch up with her friends.

"No, no," Kuroka waived off hurriedly, looking more embarrassed than Koneko had ever seen her, which further stoked Koneko's curiosity. "It's nothing bad. It's just... a form of Bouchujutsu is all. One that only works with Eren, specifically."

Oh.

OH!

Koneko felt her face flush a deep crimson.

Her... with... Eren?

"Onee-sama isn't saying you can't," Kuroka hurried to say. "Just not yet. Shirone is a bit too young and... small. Eren... Well, Titan is one way to call him."

As if that was the point Koneko was stumbling on!?

"Once you're older and a bit bigger, Onee-sama will help convince Brother-in-law... and the dog too, I guess. So just be patient, and Shirone will have seven tails in no time, maybe more. There's never been a nekomata with more than seven, so Onee-sama will test it first. Onee-sama is aiming for nine to rub it in the Kitsune's face. If it works, Shirone can too."

Nine tails? Nine... times with... Eren?

Koneko, it seemed, had forgotten the downside of having an older sibling.

The embarrassment they could bring.

Kuroka was even worse at this, given her lack of shame or sense of conventional morals.

Satans, Koneko was sure her older sister hadn't worn underwear in years.

It was all too much for Koneko, and she decided that she had been up late enough and that it was time to go back to bed.

Without so much as a goodnight, a red-faced Koneko stood from the bench and left.

With an amused yet longing smile, Kuroka watched her leave.

Kuroka ran her hand lovingly over the two wings carved into the cane's handle as she thought about the two encounters of the night.

Maybe both Shirone and the dog were right. Perhaps she was basing her happiness too much on Eren and Shirone.

But Kuroka didn't think she was wrong either.

In Kuroka's heart, there was a dream.

The dream that had barely changed since she was a child, and her mother had died, leaving two young girls alone in a cruel world.

In the dream, the two sisters lived happily together.

Safe.

No fear of starvation or violence, they had a home all to themselves and a few kittens of their own. In the Underworld, maybe in the human world, it didn't matter.

What mattered was that their family was together and safe.

The only change to that dream had been the addition of the man with them.

No, Kuroka didn't think that dream was wrong.

If wanting a home and family was wrong, Kuroka didn't want to be right.

But... Shirone was right about one thing.

Eren wouldn't be happy if he had to kill his friend.

Eren had said he was smiling in the end, so Kuroka had always believed he had been able to find some solace or closure and that things weren't as terrible as he believed them to be.

But now, hearing the dog's words about his power and having overheard his talk with the Gremory, Kuroka had another idea.

What if Eren was smiling despite the terrible things he had to do... because he was going to die?

Kuroka had learned just how little she knew of Eren over these last few months, and this last week in particular, and she was beset by the greatest sense of uncertainty she had felt in a decade.

She still had complete confidence in Eren's victory, but her role in it...

Eren had always stressed that he didn't control their futures, that they still made their own choices, and he had just already lived the results.

So... what would Kuroka choose?

Kuroka, for the first time, didn't know.

All she knew was that she missed her lover.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click tap.

So Kuroka sat, fiddling with Eren's... with her cane as she drank deep into the night.

The night was long enough to pass from dreams of the future to memories of the past.

Of two little girls trying to survive in a world built by and for the powerful.

Of a boy and a girl plotting to overturn that world.

Of moments of passion and emotion here on the bench.

********

I was halfway finished writing the next chapter when I realized something. Kuroka hasn't had time to be a character outside her relationship with Eren. While that relationship is a big part of this story, I wanted to flesh out how she and Mikasa interact a bit more and her relationship with her sister, which is also a big part of her character.

It also allowed me to lighten the mood a bit. Part 4 is the story's most serious and AOT-like part, but I don't want the DxD parts to be lost in the drudgery. So, hopefully, you all can forgive a bit of a delay in the story progression for a bit of character progression.

I'll meet you all on Sunday at our usual place on the bench.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Get up!"

Issei blinked stupidly.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Where was he again?

He hurt. Every part of him hurt.

His head and heart especially.

The noise hit him.

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!'"

Oh. Right.

The Young Devil championship final match against Sairaorg's Peerage.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

"Ise!" Asia cried out in worry from the podium from which the Gremory Team watched the battle.

Issei rose to his feet.

Sairaorg Bael laid him out with another punch to his temple.

The Underworld swam.

The enormous stadium, filled with tens of thousands of people who had flocked to the floating island in the Agares territory, became just another blur.

"Get up!"

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

"Issei," Buchou yelled, just as worried as Asia. "We can switch!"

The red claws dug into the dirt of the arena.

Issei got to his feet again.

A knee caught him in the chin, and he fell.

Blurry eyes stared out at the crowd.

"Get up!"

Oh, look. There were the kids. Right there in the front rows.

Issei didn't know how much he had made from the Oppai Dragon show, but it should be a lot since Ravel had been able to buy the entire first three rows of the enormous arena when he had asked her to.

Apparently, he had bought tickets for tens of thousands of children on a whim.

He hoped they had enjoyed the match.

Issei was just a bit sad that he was disappointing all his fans.

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

"Issei." Kiba was not yelling. He was not worried, though his fists were clenched. "You can win."

The damn handsome.

The golden lion in front of Issei looked down on him.

"Get up!" Sairaorg Bael commanded again.

Issei got up.

He blocked the first punch.

The second took him in his solar plexus, and he fell.

It was like the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail did nothing to stop the pain. Nor did his Rook physiology.

Issei wanted to complain that Touki was busted.

And Senjutsu was stronger than this? Eren would...

[Partner]

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

[Issei, you can do it!]

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Issei didn't answer Ddraig. He didn't respond to the spirits of the previous Boosted Gear wielders.

Issei got up.

A golden fist filled his vision.

The fist of an Ultimate Class devil, wrapped in the gold armour of the Longinus Regulus Nemea and glowing with the hazy Ki of Sairaorg's Touki, crashed into Issei's skull with enough power to shatter the arena.

Issei fell.

"Get up!" Sairaorg once again demanded. "Where's your heart? Where's your fighting spirit? Get up!"

Once again, he didn't deliver the final blow to his downed opponent.

Issei didn't know why.

Sairaorg and his Pawn, the manifested Longinus he now wore as armour, were all that remained of his Peerage.

All the others had lost in this round-robin style Rating game. Even the Longinus was no longer counted as a fighter, reduced to a tool for the purposes of the remainder of the match.

Sairaorg was all that was left of his Peerage. All their dreams for success, goals, and ambitions, and the effort they had put in to reach the finals, were on his shoulders.

The Gremory Peerage, in contrast, still had quite a few members left.

Koneko had only fought once before losing. Rossweiss, being worth two Pawns, had fought three times before being taken out. Xenovia had only fought twice, but her sacrifice in the second bout allowed Kiba to eke out his win.

Akeno and Gasper had achieved mutual destruction with Sairaorg's Queen and Bishop, taking out the most significant threat except for Sairaorg himself.

Asia had not fought yet, but her most significant use was healing the combatants between bouts. Neither had Rias, the points not lining up enough for the King to step on the field.

Looking from the outside, the Gremory should have no problem winning. Even if Issei lost, the others should be able to fight the enemy King, steadily wearing him down until they won.

Except Sairaorg was a monster.

Kiba was fast enough to keep up with him, but even his Balance Breaker couldn't pierce Touki and Regulus Nemea together. It would take one hit to knock the Knight from the fight.

Rias might be able to beat Sairaorg if she landed a clean hit, but he'd destroy her faster than she could use her power.

So all that stood between Sairaorg Bael and victory in the Young Devil Tournament was Issei Hyoudou.

And the Red Dragon Emperor was losing. Badly.

Yet the black sheep of the Bael family would not finish him off.

So much was riding on him.

Sairaorg's dreams to become a Satan. His Peerage's dreams as Exiled Devils.

This was their chance to prove to the entire Underworld that it had been wrong about them. To shun them to the corner of society just because of their birth.

Yet he would not finish Issei while he was down.

Why?

'Would you die for me?'

Why?

'Akeno. Do it.'

Why?

'You can call me Senpai if you want.'

Why why why why why why why why!

Issei was nothing! A nobody! A regular teenage boy! A pervert!

Why did this keep happening?

Because he was the Red Dragon Emperor? Because he was too trusting? Because he was naive?

The Underworld. The kids. The Boosted Gear Senpais. Sairaorg. Rossweiss. Ravel. Buchou. Akeno. Koneko. Ddraig. Gasper. Kiba. Irina. Xenovia. Asia.

They were all watching him. All eyes were on Issei Hyoudou.

... Maybe, somewhere out there, in a secret lair of the Chaos Brigade, Senpai was watching him too.

They were watching him fall.

"Get up!" Sairaorg roared.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Why did they expect so much from him?

"Are you just going to lie there?"

He had no tragic backstory, no great heritage, or secret power.

"Are you just going to let me win?"

Issei Hyoudou had been a regular teenage boy until six months ago.

He had grown up with regular parents in a regular town with regular problems. He was average in intelligence, average in looks, average in strength, and average in every other way.

"I wanted to fight the Red Dragon Emperor!"

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

...Someone else should have been the Red Dragon Emperor.

"I wanted to win against the greatest young devils the Underworld has ever seen!"

'Would you die for me?'

...Someone less naive.

"Fight!"

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

'Akeno. Do it.'

...Someone who wouldn't be a burden.

"Fight!"

'You can call me Senpai if you want.'

...Someone who could understand what Senpai had been trying to entrust to Issei Hyoudou.

[Boost]
-

The Boosting stopped.

The arena quieted.

"...Hey," Issei rasped from the ground.

He couldn't see out of his helmet, so he retracted it.

The entire Underworld saw the tears as they splattered the arena floor.

Issei looked at the armoured man standing over him.

Maybe it was the concussion, but Issei could almost imagine the eyes were rimmed in Shifter marks.

"Am I an idiot?"

"You are."

"Am I weak?"

"You are."

"Am I... this pathetic?"

"You are."

"Then why?" Issei cried. His voice cracked. "Why do you believe in me?"

He hadn't earned any of this trust, these hopes.

He didn't deserve this pain, these betrayals.

It all weighed down on Issei's back like a boulder.

Whether Issei trusted them. Die for me. Or they trusted him. Call me Senpai. It didn't matter.

Issei couldn't carry all these dreams.

He wasn't strong enough. He hadn't gone through a tenth of what his comrades had gone through. He hadn't suffered even a hundredth of what his Senpai had.

"Ask them," Sairaorg gestured to the stands.

ZOOM ZOOM IYAAAN!

Ah, right.

Everyone was watching him cry.

Ravel had even gotten the children to start singing to cheer him on in the silence.

HE HAS SEEN LOTS OF OPPAI, BUT HE LIKES BIG ONES THE BEST!

It was such a silly song. Ddraig usually got depressed whenever he heard it.

But they looked so happy when they sang it that Issei couldn't stop himself from joining in when he did the meet and greet the other day.

Even when his heart hurt, Issei didn't want to disappoint those children's wide eyes, full of hope.

Not a single child in the crowd looked worried. They sang and cheered and clapped.

Issei had been losing. Badly.

Yet they still had complete confidence that Oppai Dragon would win.

...Eren wanted to destroy these smiles?

Issei refused to believe it.

OPPAI DRAGON ALSO PUSHES TODAY!

"It doesn't matter if you are an idiot. If you are weak and pathetic," Sairaorg said with a nod toward the singing crowd. "Not to them. Idiots like us, we can't disappoint those counting on us, even if we don't deserve it."

Somewhere, Sairaorg's Peerage and the part of the Gremory Group that had lost were probably watching this as well.

"If you don't have power, don't you have your body?"

ON THE EDGE OF A CERTAIN SEA, THE OPPAI DRAGON WAS FLYING!

"If you are lacking something, cover the thing you are lacking with something else! It can be brute strength, it can be intelligence, it can be speed, so make up for it! You will definitely win one day if you don't give up!"

IN THE SUMMER SEAS, THE OPPAI IS FULL OF DREAMS!

Right. Buchou had told Issei those were the words Sairaorg's mother told him before she fell ill.

The words that had turned a boy born with weak demonic power and without the Power of Destruction into the monster Issei was losing against.

DRAGON DRAGON OPPAI DRAGON!

Sairaorg hadn't been born with a Sacred Gear.

Yet he had made himself so strong that a Longinus decided to work for him of its own free will.

Sairaorg had been exiled with no political power at all.

Yet a group of promising young devils had tied their dreams to his, and he had reclaimed his position as heir with his fists.

ZOOM ZOOM IYAAAN!

Issei Hyoudou was not Sairaorg Bael.

He could not tear his way to the peak of the Underworld on effort alone.

[Boost!]

Issei Hyoudou was not Eren Yeager. He could not keep advancing through all the pain without ever giving up.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Issei Hyoudou was a weak, pathetic idiot of a devil.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Issei Hyoudou was a boy betrayed by his first girlfriend, held hostage against his first crush, and left behind by the first person to ever support his dream.

[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]

Issei Hyoudou did not understand why people trusted him or why he could still trust people after everything.

But Issei Hyoudou wanted to.

So he started chanting.

I, who is about to awaken,

[Are you sure about this?] Ddraig asked worriedly.

They had thought up a way to use the power of Juggernaut Drive without going on a rampage, but there was no way to tell the after-effects.

It could shorten Issei's lifespan again.

For a tournament match, for a win that mattered more to Sairaorg than to Issei, he shouldn't take the risk.

Issei continued the chant.

Am the Red Dragon Emperor who has discarded the principles of domination.

[Alright. I am with you, Partner.]

I shall defend the road of righteousness by having infinite hopes and dreams.

[We'll trust you, junior.] The senpais said.

I shall become the Wall of the Crimson Dragon.

Issei rose to his feet on unsteady legs as he chanted.

And I promise you all!

Sairaorg backed up, grinning like a lion, holding his fists ready.

I shall protect the future which shines in true crimson light!

Issei was not a Roaring Lion fighting to right injustices.

Issei was not an Attacking Titan forever chasing freedom.

[Crimson World Wall]

Issei Hyoudou was a Defending Dragon guarding his hoard of hopes and dreams.

The wings of the Red Dragon Emperor grew and grew and grew and grew.

In a flash of crimson light, Sairaorg Bael stood opposite a wall of red scales.

It stretched from one side of the arena to the other and all the way up to the ceiling of the wards, dividing it in half.

Sairaorg grinned as he stared at the red wall that separated him from the Gremory podium and half the audience.

He was absolutely certain that if Issei wished, he could make this wall even bigger.

A crimson wall that could stretch from one end of the horizon to the other.

A quick glance to one of the dozen screens along the side he could see told the Bael that those behind Issei could see through the wall to see him, while he couldn't see them.

The Crimson Wall glowed with red power, and Sairaorg knew it was Boosting, growing stronger and more durable with every passing second.

He just had one question as he stared at the uniform red scales.

"How are you going to fight me, Issei Hyoudou?"

Right in front of Sairaorg, in a part of the wall that looked and felt the same as every other part, one of the scales retracted like a helmet to show Issei's face.

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"I am not as strong as you," Issei admitted, face still streaked with drying tears.

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"I am not as fast as you."

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"But I am the Rook of Rias Gremory. I am the Oppai Dragon!"

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"Nobody will ever get by me!"

"Is this how you plan to win?"

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"You either break my Crimson Great Wall, or it will grow stronger until it reaches the limit of the Red Dragon Emperor. Even I don't know how strong that is."

"Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon! Oppai Dragon!"

"Then all that power will go to those I am protecting!"

There it was.

Issei's answer.

The logical endpoint of the 'Transfer' ability all Boosted Gear holders had, yet had never fully developed. Even those who used it on their summons or familiars would never consider dedicating the entirety of the Gear to others.

It was simultaneously the least and greatest example of what it meant to be a 'Dragon' in this world.

He didn't know why people were entrusting their hopes and dreams to him, and he didn't know what he had done to deserve it.

But even if he didn't know why, even if Issei Hyoudou was an idiot, he would still defend those treasures he had been entrusted with.

Until those dreams were ready to advance on their own, Issei would be the wall to protect them.

To become the Harem King. To have friends and go to school. To have children. To open a bakery. To one day forgive themselves. To be free. To not let the children down.

They weren't ready yet, the world still wasn't peaceful enough for these dreams, so Issei would endure until it was.

It was the complete opposite of Juggernaut Drive, the draconic urge to rage and destroy a cruel world that hurt and killed.

It was the draconic urge to protect and nurture a more beautiful world.

If Sairaorg wanted to win, he would need to tear down this wall before it grew so strong that all its power could be transferred.

It was against the match rules for the observers to help the combatants, but there was no rule against the combatants helping the observers while they were still fighting.

Passing along equipment before you lose, relaying information, and even healing were all tacitly approved in the rules for this type of match for one simple reason.

It led to a better show.

So, either Sairaorg tore down the wall, or he'd lose to Issei's replacement.

The Ultimate Devil grinned and punched.

The punch contained everything he had, all his Touki, everything Regulus could put in, and more.

Right now was when the wall was at its weakest. It was his best shot.

So Sairaorg gave the punch every ounce of effort he could.

The gold fist crashed into a red gauntlet, and the arena shook.

Sairaorg's grin grew, and in a flash, he was at the side of the arena and kicking the World Wall where it met the barrier.

An armoured boot crashed right back.

Sairaorg flew over the wall, punching and kicking with enough force to destroy mountains as he tried to tear down the barricade.

Every punch, every kick, every blow, physical or magical, was met with one of the exact same force.

Red scales cracked.

Golden armour chipped.

Sairaorg could not see Issei directly, but looking at the screen from the other side showed that Issei was just as bruised and battered as the Bael was becoming. He was part of the armour and appeared wherever a new blow landed to counterattack with the same force.

Sairaorg laughed.

He had been slightly worried that the match wouldn't be interesting to watch if it was just him beating on a wall, but he was wrong. The crowd was absolutely frantic as they watched this slugging match between two Ultimate devils who were not even in their thirties.

Looking at his bloody knuckles, the King laughed harder.

Issei was an absolute madman.

He had given up all attacking ability, all mobility, everything to build this wall. All the blows Sairaorg received matched his own perfectly. Issei was only using precisely the right force to make sure every blow he received, he dealt right back.

All that extra power that wasn't used to fight back was going into making the Crimson Wall even stronger.

It was such a passive way to fight. It went against everything Sairaorg had ever heard of.

If he never attacked Issei, the Bael wouldn't get hurt at all.

Issei had given up on intelligence, strength, and speed. He had turned this into a battle of endurance, forcing his opponent to play the game he, as a Rook, as a Dragon, was best at.

Right away, Sairaorg knew the weaknesses of this technique.

It locked Issei down, meaning his opponent could just leave, and Issei could do nothing.

It wore on Issei. Every part of the wall was part of him, so he felt every punch. Since he wasn't trying to defeat the enemy attacking him, just matching them, if they could deal more damage than Issei could handle all at once, Issei would crumble.

Finally, it was utterly useless if nobody he could trust was inside the wall. There was no reason to use the technique if no one was there to pass on the power or no one with suitable abilities.

In fact, using Crimson World Wall at the wrong time could be fatal.

Issei wasn't just visible from the inside; he was vulnerable. All his defence was focused outward, and an attack from within would destroy him.

More than that, Issei's only chance at winning was either hoping his opponent couldn't take as much damage as they dealt or that someone he was protecting would be able to finish them off with his stored power.

Crimson World Wall was a technique that gave up everything to protect those inside.

And in return, it became something nobody in this world could ever ignore.

Every second, the wall grew stronger exponentially.

Every second, the Red Dragon Emperor's power returned closer and closer to the peak of what the Divine Dragon had ever achieved when it was alive.

And that power could be given to anyone.

The second Crimson World Wall was born, Issei Hyoudou was strong enough to form a faction rivalling any other.

The Heavenly Duo had been terrible, yes, but they had been alone. They hoarded all that power for themselves.

And they had died for it.

Sairaorg could imagine the possibilities.

With the power of the Y Ddraig Goch, Rias would be stronger than her brother by orders of magnitude.

Who knew the limits to Asia's healing when she had the power of the Red Dragon Emperor?

Would the Valkyrie be as strong as Odin?

...If Sairaorg was the one protected by that wall, would he be the greatest Bael to ever exist? Would he eclipse even the Great King, Zekram Bael?

Sairaorg wanted to know what that kind of power felt like, what it meant to be on par with one of the world's Top Ten existences. What it meant to be a Dragon so strong that all three factions had to pause the Great War and work together to take you down.

If even Issei's opponent felt this way, Sairaorg could only imagine what the audience felt.

Sairaorg would lose this match, and all he could do was laugh.

Issei Hyoudou had just changed the world and he didn't even realize it.

Attack the Crimson World Wall, and if you can't get rid of it fast enough, Issei will just give his power to your perfect counter.

By simply existing, Issei had become one of the greatest threats this world had ever seen.

Usually, the Heavenly Duo were targets of fear. It wasn't rare for a wielder of Boosted Gear or Divine Divinding to be hunted and killed because the world powers didn't want crazy idiots with that kind of power.

But there was one surefire way to beat Crimson World Wall. Since it only focused on defence, so long as you never tried attacking Issei or those he protected, he'd never bring it out.

It was a power designed solely for peace.

It was a technique that no other Dragon Emperor, full of arrogance and pride, intoxicated by their own power and relying only on themselves, would never have come up with.

One ideally suited to a world simultaneously on the brink of either peace or war.

A simple message to the world.

Do not touch the treasures of the red dragon, for they are jealously guarded.

Sairaorg's fighting spirit rose through the roof.

This was why he hadn't finished Issei off.

Victory was great.

A good battle was even better.

But the future of the Underworld, the one Sairaorg wanted to build, was not something he needed to win in a tournament.

Sairaorg Bael would become a Satan when the Underworld decided he had to be one.

Winning a championship by beating up those weaker than him would not help that dream.

Issei always failed to realize that he helped others with their dreams just by chasing his own.

But Sairoarg would not give up just because he had achieved his goal.

No, he was going fight and fight and fight.

The Golden Lion roared.

The Red Dragon endured.

The battle, lasting far longer than anyone had expected, was a pulse-pounding, as exciting as any Rating Game anyone had ever seen.

Sairaorg threw everything he had at the wall, and Issei endured it all.

Clever tricks and esoteric powers had their place, but it wasn't here.

It was a battle of wills.

If Issei faltered, it was Sairaorg's victory.

But he didn't.

Issei endured.

Through every blow, every punch and kick thrown by an Ultimate class devil and backed by a Longinus, Issei endured.

Until the end.

The match ended when a bloody, battered, and grinning Sairaorg watched crimson scales dissolve and retract into the collapsed Rook's body.

[Wall Fall]

Issei lay unconscious on the ground, yet every child in the arena continued to chant for their hero with broad smiles.

"I hope you don't mind if we start right away," Sairaorg's final opponent said with a proud smile at the unconscious boy teleported away. "That was the deal when you equipped that armour. If you want to win, you must beat us all, one at a time, without rest. I hope you don't think we are taking advantage."

Before he had failed under his own wounds and injuries, Issei had not transferred his power to Rias Gremory.

It was not the holder of the Power of Destruction of the Bael, King of a Peerage, and cousin to Sairaorg that stepped onto the arena.

"It's fine," Sairaorg readied himself, grinning a bloody smile. "I still have some fight left in me."

Some might see a political statement in Issei's choice. Either a revolt against his King, a symbol that Sairaorg shouldn't fall to the power he had never wielded or something of the sort.

Issei Hyoudou was too much of an idiot to think of anything like that.

He'd simply given his power to the friend who had been with him since day one on his journey as a new devil. To the one who would be fast enough to defeat Sairaorg without fear of being knocked out first.

"I am proud that I can fight you with my comrades."

Yuuto Kiba was all alone, yet there was no mistaking what he meant as he levelled Purgatorio toward Sairaorg Bael, glowing with the power of the Red Dragon Emperor.

The tens of thousands of copies of the thin black and white blade also levelled themselves against the Golden Lion.

When Issei awoke, he'd bitterly lament that the finale of the Rating Game ended up being a match between two Damn Handsomes.

Still... he was just as happy as everyone else with their victory.

He might still not know how to feel about Eren, but Issei had come to a decision.

Issei would not let his Senpai crush the dreams of those devil children.

Issei would be a wall to protect all those smiles, even if it was from Eren Yeager.

Issei might not understand what Eren had been trying to tell them, but he'd hold on until he could.

... It was for the best Issei came to that conviction when he did.

A day after their victory in the Young Devil Tournament, the massive Hyoudou residence received some uninvited guests.

Vali's team had defected from Eren and the Chaos Brigade and had come with dire warnings.

They brought Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon, and a half-catatonic dhampir as proof of their intentions and words.

********

Because Kuroka never attacked the gathering, Issei didn't rescue Koneko, and she didn't become infatuated. She did not start repairing his life force from Juggernaut Drive. Because the Hero Faction never attacked Kyoto, Issei never developed Cardinal Crimson Promotion to fight Cao Cao. Because he is a Rook and not a Pawn, he can't be promoted to a Knight or Queen to fight Sairaorg on even footing.

From a single pebble, a landslide that becomes a wall.

I'll meet you all next week on the bench.