IX

Everything seemed in a happier state, as Issei walked the halls. The birds were chirping cheerily outside; the sun cast bright and cozy beams through the windows. There's nothing like being forgiven to lift the weight of guilt from your shoulders. Issei thought so glad that things had gone much better than expected with Koneko.

He turned down the hall walking the familiar path to the President's room. He approached the door and waited, not bothering to knock this time. He paused a moment then called out. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" with mock offense in his voice.

The door opened, Rias stood in the opening a smile playing across her full, red lips. "My, my, aren't you in a good mood! It went well with Koneko then?" She asked.

Issei nodded warmly. "She was happy to forgive me and even refused to let me take full blame." Issei elaborated.

"Oh?" Rias questioned.

"She said, that even if I set a bad example for her, she still chose to follow it. She knew that it felt wrong, but decided to do it anyway." Issei tried to quote her verbatim.

Rias smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Sounds like you're getting through to her." She paused, motioning for him to come in and closed the door behind him. "But I think admitting you were wrong and humbling yourself to ask for her forgiveness has solidified your character in her mind. And that will make all the difference as your friendship develops." Rias pointed to her bed gesturing for him to sit. Issei sat at the appointed spot before meeting her eyes and nodding.

"I think you're right. Thank you, again, for sending me to apologize."

"I did no such thing." She raised an eyebrow. "I simply made a connection you hadn't seen before. Your own sense of honor drove you to go 'make it right' as you said even before we finished our conversation!"

Issei wondered if she was irritated that he had left so abruptly, but her mischievous smile was all he needed to know she approved and was simply teasing.

"Sorry, Pres, I just… I couldn't stand the thought of being the cause of her bad choices. I'm supposed to be someone she can look to for guidance, ya know?"

She nodded and sat down at her desk turning the chair to face him.

"Speaking of your guidance. I want you to tell me how you've been punishing her." Her tone wasn't angry, but neither was it a request.

Issei raised his left eyebrow questioningly.

"Well?" she asked authoritatively.

"I…I'm sorry," he said, "It's just that you made it sound like you already knew when we were talking before." He pointed out.

"I have a vague knowledge, Issei, but I want details. Koneko is my charge. I am her guardian, and she is my friend. I don't think I need to tell you how severely you'll be punished if you've been bullying her."

Issei was taken aback. "Bullying!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Do you really think—!"

"No, I don't." She cut him off and raised a hand to calm him. "But this time seemed different from the last. This morning you were very upset. This afternoon, Koneko was punished harshly. I'm not saying she didn't deserve it… but I need to know exactly what happened."

Issei sighed but nodded his acceptance. "Alright, I was hoping not to have to get into too much detail to spare Koneko's pride, but if you feel that strongly…" he trailed off.

"I do." She replied quietly, but in a less accusatory tone.

"Okay. Well for starters, I didn't seek her out. She came to me."

"To apologize?" Rias asked.

"Yes." He nodded once. "Or so I thought at first. When she knocked on the door, I thought it was Akeno or Asia, so I just called out that I wasn't in the mood for company."

Rias nodded for him to continue.

"When I heard the door open, I turned to see who it was. I was surprised to see Koneko to say the least, and a little irritated that she had come in without permission. But, I didn't want to say something reckless; so I just turned away and asked what she wanted."

Issei sighed, he breathed deeply and continued.

"She started to say she was sorry, but I cut her off and told her that 'sorry' wouldn't fix what she did, and if that was all she had come for. She might as well leave me alone to think."

Rias frowned disapprovingly, but said nothing.

"I was angry, Rias-sama. I felt betrayed. I couldn't believe she'd used the secrets I shared with her to try to sabotage our relationship. I… needed time to think, and I didn't think she and I would continue to be friends. I mostly thought she had come to apologize just to assuage her guilt."

Rias sighed sadly. "I understand, Issei." She looked away trying to frame her words carefully. "Koneko is in many ways a child." She started. "Yes, she's fifteen, a teenager, but her childhood was spent as a servant with her sister; her sister went rogue and killed their master. Koneko was on the run with a bounty on her life. She was entrusted to me, but she's been terrified of her own powers. Between those: her life and her fear, she's had very little meaningful interaction or friends aside from me and Akeno. Socially… she doesn't know how to open up…"

"I know." Issei began quietly. "I've heard her story before. You know I'm sympathetic, I care a lot about her. I tried to help her get over her fear of her powers. I want to be her friend. No… more than that, I want to be her big brother. And I feel like…" He paused and met her eyes. "I feel like I'm finally getting there."

"Somehow, I think you're right. She needs someone who will love her even if she makes mistakes. Can you do that for her?" She asked pointedly.

"Yes." Issei responded immediately and confidently.

Rias ran her fingers through her long crimson hair and combed a lock behind her ear. She didn't smile, but her eyes softened, and she sighed in what he thought was relief. "Continue." She prompted.

"Well anyway, after I told her all our problems couldn't be fixed by her apology, I waited for her to leave, but she didn't."

"Instead, she…?" Rias asked.

"Asked me to punish her." Issei finished.

"She asked you to spank her?" Rias asked incredulously.

Issei nodded.

"Koneko couldn't get those words out if her life depended on it." She returned with heated skepticism.

"You're right." Issei agreed keeping his tone even. "Let me explain."

Rias blushed slightly. She was letting her emotions get the better of her. Issei is not a liar; not even to get himself out of trouble. I need to relax and let him tell me what happened. She breathed in deeply held it a moment, then released the breath in a long slow stream.

Issei noticed she appeared calmer, more relaxed. He took that as his cue to continue. "You said 'this time…' so I take it you know about the first time as well?" Issei asked.

"Little happens in my house that I'm not aware of, Issei." She returned haughtily.

"Fair enough. Well you might know then that during that punishment, I didn't make her take off her panties because I thought it would be harsh of me for her first punishment. What she said wasn't so bad that it was necessary either. Plus she was already embarrassed, that would have been cruel, I felt."

Rias nodded happy to hear that he was seriously considering how these punishments were affecting her friend. "I did know that." She agreed.

"Okay, well she happened to be wearing white panties with little blue cat paws on them."

Rias chuckled despite how seriously she was treating the subject.

Issei flashed a smile, but quickly continued. "Well, the other day, when I walked in on you, she called me a pervert again but disappeared in the scramble. So I went to go see her again."

"You didn't…" Rias' lips turned down in a frown a combination of sadness and disappointment. "Issei, be reasonable, everyone makes m—"

"I went to talk to her…" Issei cut across her. "Just talk. I didn't want her to be scared of me… just respectful."

Rias blushed again. That's the second time I've jumped to conclusions. She held a hand up to stop his story. She got up out of her chair behind the desk, and swept over to the bed, dropping down to sit beside him. She turned and looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Issei. I don't mean to be jumping all over you. I'm just worried. This position…relationship you've appointed yourself to…whatever you want to call it. It's a dangerous one. A wrong move could have drastic emotional consequences for Koneko, and I'm a bit overprotective when it comes to her." She spoke softly and sincerely raising Issei's spirits and lowering his defenses.

"I understand how much she means to you. And I know that originally, I was just fed up with her attitude, but it's different now. I can see some of what drives her." He smiled up at Rias. "She called me, 'Onii-sama.'"

Rias' eyes widened in surprise.

Issei nodded sharing her reaction. "I was surprised too, but now I want to live up to that title."

She smiled and touched his shoulder.

I think I've relieved some of her fears. He hoped.

She closed her eyes a moment, then still smiling asked him to continue.

"Well, during our talk the other day, I jokingly warned her that even though I was going to let her slide, I went easy on her the first time, but the next time the kitties wouldn't protect her."

Rias looked confused. Issei blushed.

"The cat paws on her—"

"Ah!" She rolled her eyes. "You're adorable."

Issei's face reddened. "So, this morning, instead of leaving after my comment, she tugged on my pants and when I turned to look at her, she looked me right in the eye while deliberately taking off her panties and handing them to me. The same ones with the cat paws." He explained.

Rias closed her eyes and giggled.

"It's not funny! This was a sincere and highly dramatic moment!"

Rias failed to stifle the giggle, her chest shook as she laughed trying to cover the sound. She wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This is just so cute, I can barely stand it."

Issei flushed.

"It's so Koneko though!" Rias added. "She could never utter the words to ask you, but she would find a way…. 'Actions are better than words' is sort of like her motto."

Issei nodded agreement.

"Okay, I understand now. She asked and you… agreed?"

"It must have taken a lot of courage for her to do that. Not only ask to be punished, but to undress herself in front of me too."

Rias nodded solemnly. "It's quite the statement."

Issei snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well, I felt in that moment I was making the future of our relationship. I could forgive her, accept her request, and take on a sort of a guardianship of her: accept the responsibility of guiding her, or… I could turn her down and send her away which would likely spiral her into depression or at least make her think that I thought she wasn't worth the effort effectively ending any possibility of us growing any closer. So…yes, I accepted."

"You can be really deep and level-headed sometimes, Issei. I'm proud of you and your decision." She seemed cheered by his intent so far, and she was back to her usual spirit.

Her praise, brought a goofy grin to his face. "I realized I needed to calm down, and I needed to get some answers before we continued so she and I could get on the same page and understand each other. So I made her promise to be honest with me and then asked her some questions."

"What did you ask?" Rias curiously inquired.

His hesitation made her even more curious.

"Did you promise not to share it with me?" she asked disappointed.

"No… not exactly. It's just that. It's really personal to her, I feel like. And she'll be embarrassed."

"Oh…" Rias sighed. "You don't need to protect her from even meeee, Issei." She whined.

"Well, technically, she gave me permission to share it." Issei began.

"Spill it!" Rias ordered half-jokingly.

"Okay, well I asked her why she didn't want you and me together."

"Nothing like cutting right to the chase!" Her eyes widened. He had her full attention now. "What did she say?"

"That she was worried about her future. That if you mar—" His face turned a brilliant red. "If you and I got serious, then I would probably achieve my goal of becoming powerful and important enough to start my own harem."

Rias giggled.

"And…" He continued, ignoring her laughter. "That if I did achieve that, I would take you from her, and maybe Asia, and Xenovia, and maybe Akeno…"

"Everyone except her." Rias nodded understanding.

"Because she's not sexy." Issei added.

"Issei!" She swatted his shoulder. "That's mean; she's still young!"

"Her words. Not mine." He shot back chuckling. "And she noted that she was mean to me a lot… and sometimes I didn't deserve it. And that might also have an effect on me not picking her for my family."

This time Rias couldn't hold back. She threw her head back and laughed for several seconds. When she caught her breath: "Sound reasoning." She offered.

Issei shook his head. "I thought you'd be more sympathetic." He scolded playfully.

"I thought this story would be more dramatic!" she returned giggling again. "Poor Koneko."

"You're laughing because you know it's ridiculous." Issei explained. "If all of that happened." It was Rias turn to blush a bit. "Of course we'd take her with us."

Rias nodded. "As if I'd let you say no."

He chuckled. "I told her as much."

Rias grinned.

"But I told her that she shouldn't worry about her looks, she'll mature before she knows it, and when that happens she'll still have those ears and tail, and she might give you a run for your money!"

Rias' eyes widened. "Oh really? I guess I'd better snatch you up before that happens."

They laughed together for a moment.

"After that, she felt even guiltier because everything she did this morning was for nothing."

Rias raised an eyebrow and nodded emphatically. "But you didn't let her off the hook?"

"No." Issei said simply shaking his head.

"Poor Koneko."

"Lying, sharing secrets, twisting someone's words against them, sabotaging friendships, and insulting her seniors." Issei shook his head. "They have to have consequences."

Rias met his eyes seriously and nodded her assent. She blushed a bit her eyes lowered. "Honestly, I've never been good at that part of being her guardian. I love her so much, and I worry so much that she'll feel she's losing the only friend she has…and…I know it's not a good excuse. I just… it hurts me to see her cry…"

"Didn't hurt you to give me a thousand spankings!" Issei pointed out.

Rias chuckled. "You're far from as fragile as she is."

"Your rook is fragile, right…" he joked. "I understand what you mean though…we'll get there." Issei relayed.

"Speaking of, you must be using the barrier to nullify her strength and defense otherwise you'd only be hurting your hand, she'd barely feel it." Rias asserted.

"Yes, it's been working pretty well. The first time she tried to break my arm when I put her over my knee. Luckily, normal fifteen-year-olds aren't that strong."

Rias eyes sparkled with humor.

"So, she submitted when I told her she was still in trouble. She climbed up on my lap, and I gave her a good spanking."

Rias winced. "She cried."

"Quite a bit."

For a moment Issei thought Rias might cry for her.

"You didn't hurt her though… right?" Rias asked desperately.

"Well spankings are painful, dear. That's the point of them."

Rias blushed both at his referring to her as 'dear' as well as his explanation. I know that but…mm poor Koneko.

"I didn't injure her, if that's what you mean. I was careful to hold her in place, I didn't hit her anywhere that could cause damage. It just really hurt, that's all. I even made sure to keep her tail out of the way."

Rias' eyes shot fully open. She gulped.

"Tail!" Her mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh Issei, you didn't make her change into nekomata?"

"She showed up to my door in nekomata form."

"Issei… that's too cruel." Rias all but whimpered through her fingers covering her lips.

He sighed. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know."

          "She told me that sometimes her transformation is triggered by extreme emotion like guilt…and she isn't able to control it until her mental state is back to normal."

"Really?" Rias asked surprised.

"No. she lied to me because she knew that I would make her change back."

Rias bit her lip and nodded.

"She also didn't mention the senses boost." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

Rias sighed loudly. "She felt so bad…"

Issei nodded. "It was the only way she felt she could make up for it, even if nobody but she knew."

"How did you find out about the senses?"

"Well, I'd have to have been blind and deaf not to notice the difference in her reactions. At first I thought it was just the difference in not going easy on her, and her not having panties, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on. She started crying too quickly. And her pleas were more desperate…"

Issei broke from his memory and glanced at Rias whose face had gone white.

"When it was over… I asked if the panties made a big difference. She said they did… but that her cat-form hadn't helped either… and then she explained."

Rias snapped out of her horror nodding.

"I guessed that she could change back. She confirmed. I asked as well if she could have turned back from the start, and if she lied when she said that her transformation was triggered by emotion and out of her control. She confirmed both of those as well."

"That explains the difference in the two spankings." Rias said to herself. "The second seemed so much harsher based on her reactions."

"Well… one more thing."

Rias gulped and looked up at Issei fearing what he might tell her.

"I… had to spank her again…for lying to me."

Rias' eyes shut and she shook her head. Denying what he was telling her. "Wasn't it enough? Enough that she pushed herself so hard?"

"No," Issei explained miserably. "Koneko had literally just finished promising to tell me the truth. The very first question I asked her… she lied."

A tear trickled down Rias' cheek.

"As much as I wanted to let it go, I couldn't. That would be saying, 'it's okay to lie as long as you think you have a good reason.'"

"Poor Koneko…" She whispered.

"I had to be strict… or it would all be for nothing. It was quick, much quicker than the first one, but severe."

"Stop." Rias begged tears gently washing down both her cheeks now.

Issei plunged on determined not to hide anything. "I used my hairbrush. I knew it would hurt more, but require a lot less time and spanks. It would be over more quickly for her."

"H-hairbrush…!" Rias gasped.

Issei waited for her to explode in rage. Instead, she covered her face with both hands and wept for Koneko.

Trembling with anxiety, Issei reach out to Rias gently putting his hand on her shoulder. In his heart, he knew he'd done what needed to be done, but would Rias understand? Would she just see him as cruel? If I touch her, she'll either let me comfort her or lash out. But he felt cowardly sitting there watching her cry. So he overcame his fear and reached out to her.

At his touch, Rias froze. Her chest trembled. Her blazing eyes burned straight into Issei's. Just when it looked like she would throw him against the wall with a powerful burst of magic, she dove into his chest, sobbing quietly.

Issei sighed in relief. He folded his arms around her.

When she had calmed, he softly rubbed her back. "My reaction was the same actually…" he told her. "When I was finished, I knew how painful it must have been, and I hated having to do it so much that I cried for her… with her. We…we held each other for a long time."

Rias tried to smile through her sadness, but failed.

"Issei… I could never… never have done that."

"I had no choice. If I didn't give her the consequences right then, she might have thought it was okay. Any relationship's strength is based on the honesty between the people."

"Healing spells." Rias cried suddenly. "Do you know any?"

"No."

"I have to go h—" she urgently replied.

"That won't be necessary."

"What? Why? Surely you can't still think she needs to endure it!"

"Of course not, what kind of monster do you take me for?"

"No—I, s-sorry."

"It's alright. I prepared a special ointment. A mix of aloe, lavender, and numbing gel and cooled it in the fridge, just in case something happened. It worked like a charm."

"O-oh." Rias smiled warmly in relief. "I'm so glad."

"I never intended to leave her to suffer."

"You're really living up to that older brother title." Rias complimented.

Issei smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

Rias pulled back from him and met his eyes soft and relaxed.

"It seems I was worried over nothing. I should have trusted you to be responsible with her." She started apologetically.

"You were just doing what any responsible guardian would do, protecting your charge." Issei reassured her. "I can't blame you for that."

"Thank you… for understanding, Issei." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Well then, I just have one more question…well one multi-part question: how did Koneko react? How do you think she feels about all this? Has she been behaving since?"

Issei frowned for a moment carefully considering everything he had learned about Koneko recently. He recalled her words and actions during each incident and analyzed the emotions and motives he'd read in her over the past several days.

"Well… initially, she barely put up with me. When I went to talk to her, she clearly was only tolerating my presence and wanted me to leave. She didn't respect me and refused to apologize. She didn't think there would be any consequences. During the first spanking she was shocked and angry at first… she was determined to win an impossible battle of wills. Eventually she gave in and apologized. I think. I think she knew she was wrong. When it was over, she didn't scream or yell, she didn't threaten me or say she hated me. Instead, she wanted comfort and forgiveness... which I gladly gave her. I hoped we could start fresh, and I might be able to build a friendship.

"During the next day and the conversation that followed, I realized she was afraid of me. And that felt awful…"

Rias nodded sympathetically.

"That wasn't what I was trying to do at all. I just wanted her to show me some respect. Which she did… but it was more out of fear than actual respect. When I went to go talk to her, she literally was on her knees begging for mercy the second I opened the door."

Rias frowned in surprise. "That's awful…Poor Koneko must have been so scared!"

"She was! And that hurt. I wanted to be friends, and she was terrified to even talk to me! I bent down with her and hugged her… tried to calm her down."

A small smile formed on Rias' lips.

"After that I sat her on my lap, and I promised her she wasn't in trouble. I told her I didn't want her to be afraid of me… and I shared that secret with her in hopes of gaining her trust by gifting her a peace offering. Things seemed better after that. Koneko understood why I was so hurt by her insults, and I think that gave her a reason to be nicer to me. We talked a few times and everything was going well. Until this morning… I couldn't believe after I went out of my way to do something nice for her, when I got home…" Issei shook his head.

Rias' eyebrow raised in mild annoyance at something that had clearly been bothering her. "I'm really surprised she went that far even with her fears. It's not like her. She's highly loyal to those she trusts."

"Well maybe that was my problem then…" Issei said quietly. "I somehow lost her trust. Or maybe I never had it."

"I don't think that's true." Rias thought aloud. "If she never trusted you, then she wouldn't have felt that bad when she shared your secrets. The fact that she felt so bad that she asked to be punished and took it upon herself to make it worse says to me that she did trust you."

"Hmm. You have a point. We locked eyes for a moment right after she told you… and the guilt in her eyes; it didn't look like she was just afraid that I heard her. That means something I did… or someone else convinced her that I couldn't be trusted. To the point that she was willing to betray my secrets rather than let me get close to you."

"She was trying to protect me from you, Issei." Rias explained. "Something had her very convinced that you were only interested in my body." She glanced at him interested in his reaction.

"Well I haven't made it a secret that I think you're sexy and beautiful!" Issei stated as though it were obvious. "But you have a lot more going for you than that! You're intelligent, kind, genuinely care about—!"

Rias pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. "I don't need to be flattered; I never believed her for a second. And…" She leaned close pulling her finger back and gently pressing her lips to his.

Issei fought off the surprise that paralyzed him and tenderly returned her lips' pressure. He felt her hand glide up his cheek and her fingers tangling in his hair. He stepped closer pressing against her body his hands resting on her hips. His blood seemed to boil in his veins as she swung her hips to the side and shifted her weight pressing her thigh against him. Her free hand slipped around his back and firmly pressed their chests together.

Issei let out a quiet groan as her firm curves were held against him. His hands slid around her hips and boldly grasped her firm, round cheeks through her skirt. She was unable to restrain a moan against his lips.

"Mmm." Rias gently nipped his lower lip and stepped back from him smirking at his lust-filled eyes. "And I never had a problem with you wanting my body." She whispered sensuously.

Issei struggled to recover his senses.

"I learned all I needed to just from your reaction when I told you about Koneko's warning." She smiled affectionately. "Surprise, disgust, and an immediate desire to put my fears to rest. It's enough, darling."

Not having to explain himself to Rias left him warm and happy inside. She really trusts me. I didn't even have to defend myself. She defended my honor from Koneko, and she silenced me when I tried to defend myself now. I already have her trust and her affection. How lucky can a guy get? 

Issei returned her smile gratefully. "Still I wonder what set her off…?"

Rias smoothed her uniform skirt and tapped her right toe absent-mindedly. "It's strange… certainly. Too many things don't add up. There's another factor involved, but we'll only ever know if she tells us."

Issei grimaced for a moment, but could only accept the truth.

After a moment, he was reminded why she called him back in the first place. "So healing spells… is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh! No." Rias chuckled. "Though it probably wouldn't hurt."

Issei groaned. "Hilarious."

Rias blushed. "I didn't even notice!" She shook her head. "Have you heard of a sound barrier?"

"Uh no, but by the name, I imagine it blocks sound from entering the barrier?"

Rias shook her head. "The opposite actually. It prevents sound from leaving the barrier. I assume you can't produce one?"

"I don't know how."

"I figured as much since the whole house could hear poor Koneko pleading and crying."

Issei flushed. "R-really?"

Rias nodded. "The first time you were in her room, on a different floor, and her cries weren't nearly so loud, so nobody really noticed… but this time…" She trailed off.

"Ugh…" Issei grunted. "Everyone heard?" he asked hoping to have preserved at least some of Koneko's pride.

"Well not everyone, but I walked by Asia's room, and she informed me that she was very sorry for forgetting to replace the empty toilet-paper roll, and she cleaned her room twice," Rias held up two fingers. "And she had been standing in the corner for like an hour scared she might be next." Rias laughed.

Issei's eyes widened, but then he burst out laughing.

The two of them shared amusement at poor Asia's apprehension.

"As if she'd ever do anything to get herself spanked!" Issei rolled his eyes.

Rias raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you'd spank her too if she stepped out of line? Presumptuous aren't you?"

Issei flushed scarlet. "I-I didn't mean—!"

Rias' laughter cut him off.

"I know what you meant. But…" she chuckled. "She'd 'submit' too, guaranteed!"

Issei's already red face burned even brighter. "Don't make it sound perverted!"

Rias laughed harder and waved her hand dismissing his complaint. "After morning training, go see Akeno to learn about the sound barrier. You're lucky you didn't need one the first time. Well, only partially lucky, Akeno cast it for you the first time. Cast a sleeping spell on Koneko to help her get through the night too. She was too late today though."