Resolve

It has been 5 days since the start of their training. Half of their allocated time had gone by pretty quickly but Tiamat was quite happy with how much everyone improved over the past few days. Rias had managed to improve her control over her power of destruction. Akeno had increased the potency of her spells. Kiba had increased his stamina and finally toned down his chivalry attitude of not striking his opponents in the back as well as trained with his sacred gear. Koneko overall strength had increased. Asia had also increased her stamina and was even able to train with her partial transformation although not at a level effective in combat but that's normal. Finally, Matsuda had more mastery over his sacred gear and his body could handle further boosts than he originally could. She did notice that during his breaks, he would take Asia with him and do something. She thought it was some kind of secret training but she wasn't so sure since every time they came back, Asia was blushing like crazy and Matsuda looked satisfied. Doesn't matter anyways! Her goal was to train them. If they wanted to keep their training a secret, then it's fine by her.

Boom Zap

Swish

Currently, everyone was sparring against Issei at the request of Tiamat to see how far they had come. Of course, even though they all improved their skills, they were still no match for Issei who dodged each of their attacks with ease. Eventually, all of them tired out so Issei decided to end the spar.

"Alright everyone we will take a small break" he told everyone as they all dropped to the ground, especially Matsuda who was pouring sweat whispering "I hate you Issei" repeatedly.

Issei made his way towards Koneko, in order to address something that has been bothering him.

"You are doing very well Koneko-chan. I would like to talk to you for a minute if you don't mind." He asks her

"What do you need, Issei-san" she asked as she wiped the sweat of her face.

"I would like to ask you, why you are not using your Nekotama powers?" All of Rias peerage who heard that, except Matsuda and Asia who did not understand what was going on, were stunned, but none more so than Koneko.

"How… How did you know?" She asked him.

"During my training, I've learned to be able to distinguish someone's aura to the point that I am able to determine which race they belong to with a simple glance. From the aura I sensed coming from you, I could tell that you were a Nekomata." He explained to her. You could see how Koneko seemed distraught that he figured out her identity. Meanwhile, Asia and Matsuda looked confused.

"Ano… What's a Nekomata?" Asia asked tilting her head cutely. Rias being the king of the group, looked nervously towards Koneko as though asking permission from her rook. Luckily, despite her state, she was able to nod at her king who then proceeded to explain to Matsuda and Asia what race their fellow peerage member was.

"Well, this isn't how I wanted to reveal things but since I've received Koneko's permission, I'll tell you. As you've heard Koneko is a Nekomata. They are basically a species of Yokai. However, Koneko-chan is a Nekoshou, which are a variant species of the Nekomata race as well as the strongest of her race." Rias revealed her rook's race which seemed to have impressed them.

"Really. She's a Neko. That's so cool." Matsuda exclaimed. One of his dreams was to have a Nekomata as one of his harem members. He couldn't believe that one of his fellow peerage members filled the criteria. Then again, he shouldn't considering how cat-like Koneko usually behaves.

Even Issei was impressed. He knew she was a Nekomata but he did not expect a Nekoshou. They were extremely rare and one of the species at risk of becoming extinct. In fact, they might be in greater risk of being extinct than the dragon race which is saying something. From what he recalled, Nekoshou have mastery over Youjutsu and Senjutsu, both of which would be invaluable in the upcoming fight against Riser, especially Senjutsu which is the power to control the flow of life of a living being. Meaning, it targets the spirit or the life energy of a person rather than their physical body. This technique would be extremely effective to use against the Phenix regeneration since it targets the opponent's life force which cannot be regenerated by their ability. Using it would be a huge boon for the upcoming game. So then… why isn't she using it? However, one look at Koneko's expression revealed the answer to his question. He had seen that look before. In Akeno's eyes and in himself.

Rias sighed as she continued "In the past, both of Koneko's parents had died leaving behind Koneko and her older sister to fend for themselves. They were extremely young and it was very difficult for the two of them. Until one day, they were both taken in by a devil from the House of Naberius, who reincarnated her sister into his peerage in exchange for providing both of the sisters food and shelter. They were living well until one day, Koneko's sister Senjutsu power manifested and she went out of control killing off her master as well as all of his peerage before becoming a Stray Devil fleeing from her pursuers leaving behind a traumatised Koneko-chan who had witnessed the whole thing. As a result, many devils wanted to execute her in order to prevent a similar incident but my brother protected her and place her under his protection and she eventually came under my care where she became my rook. Anyways, that's the story behind why Koneko-chan does not wish to use her powers and I always respected her decision."

Matsuda and Asia felt sad after hearing of her tragic past with Asia going to give Koneko a hug.

However, Issei found something a bit strange with her story.

'That's odd! From what I learned of Senjutsu, it's the power to control the flow of life energy or ki in living beings. Using it, one can strengthen both their internal and external bodies or even cause vegetation around them to bloom or wither. I understand that it's possible that by using Senjutsu, the user is able to take in the malice and ill will that flows in the world, I do not believe it is enough to make someone go beserk. Also, if her sister did in fact go out of control, then how could Koneko still be alive when she had a front row seat to the slaughter… Something is missing'

Issei looked to Tiamat and she seemed to have the same opinion as him. There's just something that wasn't adding up. It's true that power can corrupt a person but he didn't believe it was to the point of making someone lose control of themselves. There needed to be an additional factor involved. An emotional one. Issei was the prime example of this since he had experienced it first hand. When he had lost Shuri and Akeno in the past, he lost control and his power ran rampant. If it wasn't for the timely arrival of his parents, there was a good chance thousands of innocents could have lost their lives that day.

In any case, this wasn't the time to dwell in such thoughts. It's not like he could change anything.

"So, the reason you do not want to use your powers is because you fear you will lose control like your sister." Issei asked Koneko who nodded dejectedly, her eyes not looking away from the floor.

He looked down at her and spoke with as much kindness and sympathy "You know that at one point in time, I also hated my powers." All of them were very surprised at his reveal, especially Akeno, since for as long as she could remember, he had nothing but pride for his powers. They all listened attentively as he continued

"When I thought that Akeno had died that day, I fell into despair because I was not able to protect the women I loved. I felt worthless, not only for having failed Akeno and her family but for failing to uphold the promise I made to use my strength to always protect them, no matter what. However, that day, I was shown the foolishness of my arrogance and failed to do what Akeno did for me." he said as his voice mirrored the sadness he felt while remembering those days. Akeno became somber seeing how sad Issei was for her death as well as hatred fer herself, thinking all those years that Issei did not care about her.

"Akeno saved me from a path of loneliness, all those years ago, by simply saying a few words and extending her hand in friendship and yet, when she needed my help, I was not able to help her. Despite all of the power and potential that I possessed within me, I was not able to save her as she did for me. Power and strength mean nothing if it is not used to protect those you care about." Everyone listened in to Issei's speech with Akeno stepping forward and grabbing his hand to try and console him which he greatly appreciated a shown by the smile directed towards her. He then looked back at Koneko.

"That's why, even though our circumstances are a bit different, I do understand what's it is like to hate your powers. Being scared of going out of control is a rational reason that I'm sure many have experienced."

"D-Do you scared of your powers going berserk?" Koneko quietly spoke but it was loud enough for Issei to hear.

"Absolutely." Koneko quickly looked up at Issei in surprise. She just couldn't see how someone as strong as him would be scared.

"You have seen what I am capable of. My power is vast and overwhelming. Heck, I even blew up a mountain once by accident while experimenting with my abilities" Everyone went wide eyed when they heard he destroyed an entire mountain. Even Tiamat looked a bit surprised but at the same time, understood having faced him in battle that Issei's strength was overwhelming.

"So, of course, I would be scared of my powers getting out of control. What would have happened if a youngling was playing in the mountain? Just the thought of it scares me. Any person with common sense should feel frightened of his powers going out of control since you run the risk of hurting not only yourself but those you care about. What was it that the Humans say? 'With great power comes great responsibility.' I completely agree with that. That is why we train ourselves every day. So that bit by bit, we learn to overcome our fear and bring our power under control so as to never let it control us. Isn't that why you are pushing yourself extremely hard during our training" Issei explained while posing his last question at Koneko. He and Tiamat had noticed that she was pushing herself extremely hard, beyond the limits.

"I am the weakest member here. Matsuda has the power of a heavenly dragon, Asia can heal, even though I am a "Rook", I am the most useless and even though I want to become stronger, I don't want to use the power sleeping inside of me… My Nekoshou powers… because I am afraid that when I do, I will become just like One-sama and that scares me. But I don't want to let Buchou down. If it wasn't for her, I would have been executed on the spot for my sister's treachery and she has treated me with nothing but kindness since I became a member so" Koneko told Issei while shedding tears. She then worked up the courage to look up at Issei and bowed "Please help me." Issei was surprised but Koneko kept going "You and Tiamat are both strong enough to be able to stop me if I go out of control… so please… can you help me learn to control my powers." She begged him. "I don't want to be useless anymore and let Rias-Buchou down."

To say that it was shock for everyone would be an understatement, especially for Rias who couldn't believe how Koneko felt about the matter. She was both extremely happy that her rook truly valued her and disappointed in herself for not having realized her own member's feelings. Just another reminder that she had a lot to learn in order to become a better king as well as a better friend.

Akeno, on the other hand, had a different feeling on her mind when she heard Koneko call herself useless for not using her powers. She felt remorse. In a way, both of them have similar circumstances with regards to their powers. While Koneko didn't want to use her powers out of fear for losing control like her sister, Akeno despised her fallen angel powers because it was the cause of her mother's death. Akeno looked at her hands as memories of that dreadful day still traumatised her. She kept hearing the jutsusha words replay in her head about how fallen angels are evil existences and that her mother would still be alive today if she didn't associate with them. That is why it is so hard for her to use her powers. She didn't lie to Issei when she told him that she is slowly trying to be able to forgive her father but using her powers was a different story even though she knew it was wrong. What made it worse was that she knew that her powers would give them an immense advantage against the Phenex for even though they had immense regeneration, they were still devils and were still very weak to light attacks.

Issei, unknown of his mates inner turmoil, smiled at Koneko and patted her head.

"It was always my intention to help you guys train. Although I am not very familiar with Senjutsu." He then looked to Tiamat. "How about you Tiamat?"

"hmm. I do have a bit of knowledge on the appliance of Senjutsu but not too much however I should be able to help our little kitten here learn how to control her powers." Tiamat responded earning a nod from Issei as he looked back to Koneko who had raised her head.

"There you go. From now on, Tiamat will be in charge of helping you with your Senjutsu abilities and I will do whatever I can to help."

Koneko wiped the tears off her face as she thanked them both.

"Alright then, we have kind a bit of work ahead of us then. We don't have a lot of time left so let's get to it. Everyone else can get back to their own training."

"Yes" Everyone shouted as everyone resumed their training.

Night fell and everyone headed back to their rooms in order to get a good nights rest. Issei on the hand decided to head into the forest and lie down there. A few moments later, he felt a presence coming towards him. He turned his head around and noticed that it was Tiamat who followed him. She then sat down beside him.

"How was Koneko's training?" he asked her. Tiamat had decided to start Koneko's Senjutsu training as soon as possible. Even if she could not master it in the time remaining they had, being able to control Senjutsu would give the group a huge advantage in being able to take down Riser.

"Considering that this is the first day, there wasn't much progress but she is very diligent in her training which is very good. I had her focus on meditation in order to be able to feel the energy surrounding her. As long as she keeps training very hard, I'm sure she will be able to learn a bit how to manipulate Senjutsu. Even that would be a huge boon for the upcoming fight." Tiamat explained.

"I see." Issei looked up at the sky before re-directing his gaze to Tiamat. She did look absolutely beautiful in the moonlight. His instincts begun to flare up demanding him to take her right then and there and it took every fiber of his being to resist to urge to follow it. He grabbed Tiamat's hand interlocking his fingers with hers which caught her a bit by surprise.

"Tiamat, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for all your help with their training. There is no way that I could have trained them to this degree without your help so thank you." He thanked her from the bottom of his heart causing Tiamat to blush a bit before she answered back.

"It was my pleasure Issei. I did say that I would do anything to convince you to take me as one of your mates and I meant it. I know how much all of them mean to you which is why I'm doing everything I can to ensure that they become stronger so you do not have to worry about them." She smiled at him.

It was this smile and her sincerity that made him realize that he did in fact love her which was why the next action he did was justifiable. Before Tiamat even realized it, Issei had brought her in for a deep kiss. Despite her surprise at the action, she instantly melted into his kiss and returned it with just as much passion. The kiss continued for quite a while before they had to separate to get a respite of air.

Tiamat small Lemon (don't expect to much since like I said before I'm not really good at writing these scenes)

However, their instincts have now begun to take over as both their eyes turned to slits. Issei's golden eyes peered into Tiamat's blue ones. He then began to marvel at her body. She was absolutely breathtaking and all he wanted to do was to devour her flesh. To claim her as his own no matter the consequences. Issei then went in for a deep kiss and soon after used to his hands to start fondling her enormous breasts only to feel that they are being covered by her shirt which displeased him. Tiamat, seeing this and also very much looking forward to what comes next literally destroyed her clothes revealing her naked body to him. Issei clearly liked what he saw and just as he was about to continue, Tiamat stopped him as she moved her head towards his ear.

"It isn't fair that I am the only one to get naked" she whispered seductively in Issei's ear. Issei nodded and burned away his clothes revealing his chiseled body to Tiamat who couldn't help but drool over his well toned body. She was also very excited when she spotted little Issei who wasn't so little anymore. Issei didn't give her any more time as he immediately went for another kiss which soon led to a full make out session as both of them fiercely grabbed each other, their tongues wrestling with one another. Tiamat grabbed Issei neck to further deepen the kiss to which Issei responded by grabbing one of her firmly huge breast and began kneading it tightly causing Tiamat to moan in pleasure. Issei then placed himself on top of Tiamat, his hands under her blue hair as the two grabbed onto each other tighter. Her breasts were squashed into his chiseled chest. Simply looking at her caused his instincts to flare up wanting to completely devour and mark Tiamat as his own. He placed himself right over her opening spot.

"Are you ready?" he asked

"What do you think?" she smirked.

All of a sudden, Issei felt a sudden push from the back which caused him to ram inside of Tiamat without warning, only to figure out that she had wrapped her legs around his back and forcefully pushed him forward. Her overwhelming force, which caught him off guard, was enough to make him lose his balance and fall onto Tiamat's large breasts. Tiamat for her part didn't scream of the top of her lungs but was rather feeling a mix of both pain and pleasure. Issei then lightly grabbed her curvy hips and began to pound her. He went slowly at first so as to ease the pain down. Afterwards, Tiamat gave him a signal to speed up which he happily obliged too. Tiamat then quickly initiated a kiss as Issei continued to pound into her. Moans of pleasure and bliss could be heard from both of them. They kept going until finally both of them climaxed together.

Issei then proceeded to get off of Tiamat and laid beside her. His eyes still viewing her beautiful body that he had just devoured. Before he even knew what happened, Tiamat had suddenly placed herself on top of him. She looked at him full of lust, not ready to end it all just yet and looking at little Issei, it seemed he wasn't through with her yet.

"I'm not done yet." Tiamat stated seductively

"What a coincidence… neither am I" Issei responded before they restarted pounding into one another for a few more rounds. At some point, they even reverted back to their dragon forms and proceeded to ravage each other some more. Thank the heavens that Issei had place a barrier surrounding them or the entire Underworld might have heard them have sex.

All in all, it was a pleasurable night for the both of them and they were satisfied.