12 The New Path

It was a scene right out of a horror movie.

The body of the client Issei had been sent to, Koneko recognized, was crucified to the wall of his house. His limbs spread wide, and his face frozen in a silent scream of pain that told her he had not died quickly.

The smell was the worst. Blood, old and new, filled the air. And that was some of the more pleasant scents.

It made Koneko angry. 

Minato had been kind. Most of his requests usually revolved around having Koneko help with moving things he couldn't due to his bad back with her enhanced strength. 

And he baked some fantastic macaroons.

Koneko wanted to punch someone. Minato hadn't deserved this.

The culprit was the madly cackling man waving around a light sword and gun in priestly robes, making rude gestures from behind his compatriots' backs.

Whoever this fallen priest was, he was clearly a psychopath, and Koneko shuddered at the thought of what he might have done to Issei and the girl he was blocking if Kiba hadn't been there to call for backup and Issei didn't have a Rook's durability.

Four fallen, three women and a man, stood opposite the Gremory Peerage. Issei was behind his comrades' backs, a blond nun clutched protectively in his arms as he angrily glared at the black-haired woman.

Koneko was sure Buchou had said her name at some point, but she hadn't been paying attention.

Mooks didn't get names.

"We are not leaving without the nun," the black-haired woman said with a smirk, a lance of light in her hand.

"You can't take Asia!"

"Issei!" Rias cut off the Rook with a chastising look before returning her attention to their enemies. Kiba softened the blow slightly by patting him and the blonde nun on the shoulder. Asia just watched everything with wide eyes and tear marks on her cheeks. "I am well within my rights to kill all of you right now."

"You can try, bitch," the goth lolita reject laughed derisively.

Koneko was going to punch that one's teeth down her throat.

Rias didn't get angry, at least on the surface. Koneko knew her King was absolutely livid inside but was maintaining control for the moment.

"I have already alerted your superiors of your previous actions in my territory," Rias said, her voice a careful monotone, unlike her usual passionate speech pattern. Her face was also wholly blank. "The killing of a client and harming one of my Peerage on top of it are reason enough to do whatever I wish."

Koneko smirked slightly at the unnerved look in the Fallen's eyes.

The Rook liked Eren. She really did.

But there was no denying his way of speaking could be... off-putting. Not all the time, and it was getting rarer these days, but sometimes it was like he was completely empty.

Like all joy, hate, or emotion had been drained from him by the beatings of the world.

And when that expression was directed at you? It was like your entire existence was irrelevant. 

As if you were nothing but a bug to be crushed underfoot.

It made for an excellent intimidation tactic, even if Rias would have to back it up a bit more.

These fallen seemed especially stupid.

"Big talk from a bunch of kids," the man in the trench coat sneered.

Koneko had been warned about people like him. She hoped he was wearing clothes under there. She already had to deal with one pervert on a day-to-day basis... Well, two. 

Akeno was a different kind of pervert.

"I will give you this last chance," Rias declared impassively, crimson orbs of destruction centimetres thick filling the destroyed living room. They floated in the air like red raindrops, and the fallen stepped back at the sight. There were hundreds of them in the destroyed room. "Leave. Leave the nun. Leave this house. Leave my territory. Leave with your lives."

The black-haired woman looked like she was going to argue, a snarl forming on her lips, but the other Fallen with blue hair placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"The ritual," was all she said.

Koneko's sensitive ears picked it up, and it was likely for that reason they kept their words to a minimum, out of caution that the Peerage had someone like her. Enhanced senses weren't rare in the supernatural world.

"Fine," Head-mook snorted, whirling around and grabbing the crazy priest roughly by his neck. "We'll leave. For now."

"Hey! Let me go! I wanna gut the fucking devils! And the bitch! I want her!"

The wacko priest continued to his stream of expletives as the fallen angels carried him by the neck as they fled through the hole they made in the house when they arrived.

There was a moment of tense silence as the devils didn't relax their guard.

"Gone." Koneko eventually spoke.

Rias untensed, whirling around and pulling Issei into a hug.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, but don't scare me like that!" She chastised the Rook. Rias pulled the boy back, his face set in a derpy grin as she searched for injuries. "Are you hurt anywhere? Why didn't you run?" Eventually, she looked at her Knight when Issei continued to not respond. "Kiba, what's wrong with him?"

The blond Knight awkwardly scratched at his cheek, unsure how to reply.

Koneko didn't have that problem.

"Pervert is being a pervert."

"Oppai," Issei murmured as if in a trance, a goofy smile on his face from the hug.

Koneko felt her point had been made, so she yanked her fellow Rook away from their King. He stumbled but managed to regain himself to avoid falling to the bloody floor.

"As long as you are okay," Rias sighed with a smile before looking around. "We should leave. I'll have a few agents come through, clean up, and make an official story. Let's head back to the club."

"I'm not leaving Asia," Issei said, standing in front of the nun who had watched this interaction with confusion.

She hadn't understood the language but recognized the intent and care in the room, which was at odds with how she expected devils to act.

"Bring her along," Rias said easily. The redhead turned to the scared blonde for the first time and spoke in her native tongue. "We're not going to hurt you. Will you come with us?"

Asia looked at Issei, who nodded and stood up from her kneeling position. Blood was on her clothes, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Um," she stammered. "I don't want to sell my soul."

"We don't want your soul, don't worry," Rias reassured her. "We just want to ask some questions, that's all."

"Like why you are with the fallen," Kiba said with an easy smile. "You've been expelled, haven't you?"

"Yes," Asia said, looking dejected.

Koneko elbowed Kiba in the side for being so blunt, and the Knight grunted in pain.

"We should have killed them," Akeno argued as they left the building. Koneko could still smell the lingering scent of ozone from the Queen as they walked the streets. Teleporting with Asia wasn't possible, so they were walking as a group for safety's sake. "We had justification, and there is no way they will let this go."

"I don't want to fight in the middle of the suburbs," Rias argued back. "And not without knowing Issei's state. I am not worried about them. 'For now.' Pss. That is a mook line if I've ever heard one."

Koneko nodded sagely, glad her King was as good at identifying scrubs as she was.

"You saw how they looked at her," Akeno cautioned. "They will not leave Asia alone, no matter the warning."

"I know," Rias sighed as she slowed slightly to walk closer to Asia and Issei. The blonde flinched, but Issei tried to reassure her it was all right. "But an area filled with sleeping civilians is not the place for a showdown."

Issei gained a point in Koneko's book for how chivalrous he was being in this whole thing. Seeing how protective he was of the nun was quite cute.

That still put him at a negative nine hundred and ninety-nine points.

Out of a hundred.

"Why are they so set on you?" Rias asked the nun bluntly. "Most healing spells of the church don't work on the Fallen. What's your Sacred Gear?"

Koneko wondered if spending so much time with Eren was a good thing or not. Her King was clearly taking after him with how blunt she was being.

"Twilight Healing," the nun said softly after Issei gave her an encouraging nod.

"I see," Rias sighed as she and Akeno wilted slightly. Asia looked like she would cry, so the King hurried to answer. "Nonono, it's a good gear. Great, in fact. It's one of the best healing Gears out there. There are only a few active users, and all factions are looking to recruit people with it; it's just..."

"You can only heal injuries, right? Not diseases or sickness?" Akeno interjected, getting a hesitant nod from the nun. "One of our friends is sick. We had hoped you had a gear that could help him."

"Sorry," Asia apologized with a bow.

Now Koneko felt like they had kicked a kitten.

The others also clearly felt that way, as even Akeno looked guilty.

"I think your Gear is awesome," Issei interjected with a broad smile, trying to cheer her up. He exaggeratedly rotated his shoulder. "I don't feel any more pain after being shot."

"You were shot!" Rias whirled on her newest Rook, looking him over more intensely than before. She noticed one of the holes in his uniform, over his left shoulder, was circular and covered in blood.

To be fair, much of Issei was covered in blood from rolling around and scuffling with the fake priest before the rest of the Gremory Peerage had arrived. That hole was one of many in his clothes, and there was no wound, so Rias hadn't missed anything.

"Twilight Healing also works on devils?" Kiba asked himself, but Koneko heard him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rias fretted over Issei, poking at his body for any other unmentioned wounds. "Light energy is poison to us. Did he get you anywhere else?"

"I'm all good now," Issei defended himself with his arms raised, not looking like he minded the attention at all. A pervert's gotta pervert, after all. "Asia's got me."

Rias narrowed her eyes at the boy as if daring him to lie to her but eventually accepted his words as the truth.

"Thank you for healing him," Rias said as she bowed to the nun. "Issei's new, a bit clumsy, and a pervert." "HEY!" "But he is my cute servant, nonetheless. So thank you for taking care of him."

"Uh..." Asia stuttered, eyes wide with panicked surprise. "NO! I, uh, I mean. Issei has been very kind to me, even if he is a devil. It was just... the right thing to do." She said the last part with a flush on her face as she looked away, twiddling her thumbs in embarrassment.

"Still, thank you," Rias smiled cheerfully. 

Akeno nodded in thanks as well. Kiba smiled kindly at the blonde, and even Koneko gave the girl a thumbs up.

The pervert was still a pervert, but she didn't want him to die for it.

Just get kicked in the nads a few times.

Asia looked utterly overwhelmed by this positive reinforcement, as if her worldview was being rewritten.

"See," Issei urged. "You Gear is super useful. Much better than mine."

"I think Issei's glove is cool," Asia disagreed.

"All it does is let me punch things without hurting my hand," Issei rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "And since I'm a Rook, I'm already tough enough, so it's useless."

"There, there," Rias patted his head consolingly. "You just haven't awakened it yet. Once you do, I think you will be happy with your... glove." The redhead and her Queen snickered as if they were in on a joke that the others weren't.

"Meaning?" Koneko asked with a frown, not liking being left out like this.

"I'll tell you later," Akeno smiled mischievously. 

Koneko nodded. That was fine. So long as she wasn't the last to know.

"Hey! It's my Sacred Gear! Tell me," Issei protested.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, so you will have to awaken it yourself to find out," Rias denied. "I'll just tell you that Sacred Gears are known to respond to emotions. Try focusing on what you really want."

Issei took her advice to heart, closing his eyes and muttering to himself as he walked.

"Harem King. Harem King. Harem King. Harem King. Harem King. Harem King. Harem King."

Koneko sped up a bit, so she was in front of the boy and held out one of her feet.

Issei tripped, smashing his face on the pavement and getting chuckles from the rest of the Peerage.

"Issei!" Asia, on the other hand, rushed to aid the boy in rising to his feet. Her hand glowed green, and she pressed it against his face.

"Don't bother," Koneko said with an imperceptible smirk. "He's a Rook. He's not hurt."

True enough, apart from some dirt, Issei stood unharmed after his fall.

"That was mean, Koneko-chan!"

"Git good scrub."

That got a few more chuckles from the group as Asia looked on in confusion. Rias must have taken pity on the poor girl because she decided to shift the topic.

"Do you know what you want to do," the redhead asked the nun. At her bewildered expression, Rias explained. "You are technically my prisoner of war, but I don't have any plans for you. You can stay at our clubhouse in one of the spare bedrooms tonight, but eventually, you will have to decide what comes next. The fallen did not seem to want to let you go. Once they leave my territory, I'll let you go if you want to follow them. Or you can stay here."

"If I want to stay," Asia asked softly, looking at the ground. "Do I... Do I have to become a devil?"

"It would make things easier," Rias admitted. "I think you would enjoy being in my Peerage, and I want you to join us. Your Gear is very useful, and I think we'll get along. But no, it is not a requirement."

"What do you want, Asia," Issei asked with far more gentleness than Koneko thought possible from him.

"I want... I want to go to school," Asia said softly as if admitting to a sin. Then her words started to pick up speed, sounding more determined than ever. "I want to have friends. I don't want people to be mean anymore. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to return to the church with Freed, Mittelt, Kalawarna, Dohnaseek, and Raynare."

The Peerage shared small smiles at the small, simple, selfish wish.

They were devils, after all.

Granting selfish wishes was their job.

"I can arrange that," Rias smiled kindly.

"Thank you," Asia bowed, tears in her eyes as Issei cheered.

"But nothing comes for free in the world," Rias cautioned. They had arrived before school by then, making good time as the client's house was pretty close by. "There is a price for everything. I can make you a student, find you a home, help you make friends, and protect you from the fallen. But you will need to do something for me."

"Hey, that's not fair," Issei complained.

"What do I need to do?" Asia asked, eyes still wet with tears but looking far more determined than before.

"All I want you to do is to try to heal my friend. The one we told you about earlier."

"But," Asia looked sad and regretful. "I really can't heal diseases. I've tried before, but I can't."

"Maybe not," Rias acknowledged. "I just want you to try your best. Maybe you can't heal him completely, but you might be able to reverse some of the symptoms. Give us more time to find a permanent cure. Can you promise to do that?"

"I can!" Asia declared passionately. "I'll do my best. I promise."

"Wonderful Asia," Rias said gently. "I'll introduce you to him tomorrow. Until then, get some rest. Akeno, can you show her to one of the available rooms?"

"Of course," the Queen agreed. "This way. I have some old clothes that might fit you."

Asia looked at Issei briefly, but he just nodded for her to follow Akeno.

"Do you need me to teleport you home," Kiba asked Issei. "It's pretty late, and your parents will wonder why you're covered in blood. I can get you in unseen."

"Thanks, man," Issei sighed in relief. "Asia healed me, but I am wiped, and I soooo wasn't looking forward to that conversation."

"Get some rest as well," Rias frowned at the boy in concern. "If you find any other issues, let me know immediately. Rogue priests are no joking matter for new devils."

"Will do Buchou," Issei said with a salute as he and Yuuto teleported away.

Koneko was also going to head to her place but paused when she saw Rias's face as her King sat behind her desk to finish the paperwork she had been working on before getting the emergency call.

"Buchou?" Koneko asked.

"Oh, Koneko," Rias said, emerging from her thoughts. "Sorry, I thought you had left. Be safe on your way home, okay? I don't think the fallen will pull anything tonight, but be careful just in case."

The smallest of frowns crossed the nekoshou's face as she looked at her King.

"You alright?" She asked the older girl.

"Hm? I'm fine," Rias said. She didn't look fine to Koneko. "Just a letter from my parents, that's all. Issei's recruitment has some... implications I needed to inform them about. I'll give you the details tomorrow. For now, get some rest."

Despite her King's assurances, Koneko maintained a frown as she wished Rias a good night.

Her last sight of the heiress, before she left, was of Rias holding a letter in her hand. Instead of reading it, she repeatedly tapped it on her arm, lost in thought.

Rias stared out her window into the dark park and the bench that lay within.