A/N: Been a while. So I sorta lost motivation for this story because I felt it was a bit rushed in pacing and a bit too campy. But campiness is fine considering the source material I guess.

Also, I had to reupload this because it came out weird when I read it on the second passthrough.

Extended AN below.

"I need some time alone, Akeno. Please, close the door on the way out…" Rias said, her face tight. Let it be known that Akeno Himejima loved her King as much as she would a sister, but she understood when Rias wanted to be left alone. Even so, there was an anger deep-seated in her chest that could not be ignored.

"I can't believe you." Akeno spat, venom lacing her voice. It wasn't hatred, just anger and frustration that caused this argument. They both knew it.

"Can't believe what, Akeno? What exactly have I done that is so impossible for you to understand?" Rias tried to keep her tone even, but they had just finalized the training schedule for the upcoming Rating Game. The realization that her pride had been used to goad her into gambling their future was a bitter pill to swallow.

"You- No. I'm not doing this." Akeno grit her teeth. "I'm not letting you use me as a way to fucking ease your guilt. You knew exactly what Riser was doing, and you still played right into his hands!" She wasn't as nearly as angry last night, Rias noted. It was probably only after sleeping on the details of the arrangement, and finally realizing how outgunned they were, that desperation began to take hold in Akeno's heart. And it was Rias's fault.

"You're right." It came out quietly, and the admittance caused Akeno to deflate. The black haired beauty scowled one last time before letting her frustration fall to the wayside. If there was one thing Rias valued above all else, it was her pride as an individual. It built her character, fueled her decisions, and made her dreams. Her being a Japanophile and not wanting to marry for status all looped back around to Rias's belief in her own existence. Even her studying in the human world was a way to separate her identity from others, as she had a passable amount of peerage members for her age. For Rias to admit that Akeno was right, was a special nuance.

Responsibility could be considered a way of divesting guilt. So could ignorance. Rias being a teenage girl would often rebuke comments against her with excuses such as "I miscalculated" or even "I didn't think this would happen". Direct affirmations of Rias's own inability. But never would she respond with admitting another was above her capabilities.

"It's really that bad, isn't it?" Akeno asked softly. Rias, unable to speak, nodded. Tears threatened to spill from the King's visage, but they would not fall. Riser had already outmaneuvered them politically and martially. She would not allow him to break them spiritually.

In truth, Rias would not have been able to face Narukami Yu anymore. How could she? The one simple friend she had made as a peer would have been an all too poignant reminder of the minor freedom she had cherished and lost.

Unfortunately, Yu had been the one to find her.

He had also been the first person to see the true depths of her guilt. He found her, tears trailing, hunched over on the bench they normally shared lunch. Rias had tried to avoid him earlier, by taking her lunch in the OCR room, but she couldn't stare at her documents any longer. So she came to the roof after excusing herself for illness from class.

Yu said nothing, and did nothing but offer his support. He sat next to her quietly as she tried to wipe away the tears. It did a lot. She didn't need words or platitudes. Just a reminder that someone would be there, and he served as such. Rias was always quietly amazed at how such a stoic guy could come across as so empathetic. Real life ace, indeed. They sat there in complete silence once Rias had taken control of her emotions.

It would be so easy, she thought. Easy to escape from this infernal duty. All she had to do was hypnotize Yu right now. A normal human versus a high-class devil's magic would be like an ant trying to move the earth. She could hypnotize him and have Yu take her right now. Invalidate the contract through infidelity. He'd like it wouldn't he? It'd be a teenage boy's dream, she reasoned. She shuddered. No, that would be no different than Riser. She could never look at herself in the mirror if she stooped to his level.

"Last time, you asked me if I would take action even if I benefited from inaction." He said plainly. The young devil looked him in the eye, wondering where he was going with this.

"And you said you would." She responded. He nodded.

"But you never answered your own question." Rias felt her mouth dry. His steely gaze bored into her cerulean ones. She didn't know why, but for some reason, it felt as though she was being judged by something beyond her comprehension. But, most importantly, it felt as though she was about to disappoint Yu.

"I'd like to think I would…" And wasn't that telling? Rias would like to imagine herself better or different from other devils. But she wasn't. She still connived her way into what she wanted. Even this easy relationship was something she had taken great effort to ensure benefitted her in some way. She was truly awful, wasn't she?

"There's nothing wrong with that." Rias's eyes snapped to the young man. He had spoken so passionately on the subject before. So convincingly. So… assured of his own choice. How could he not hate someone as selfish as herself? Yu's posture was relaxed, his arm stretched across the empty space of the bench. There was a resolute focus in his eyes as he stared off to some place Rias knew she could not follow.

"Like I said, it's normal to look out for yourself over the interests of others. But… I'm just not that kind of person." He said his face growing more serious. Rias had a feeling as to where this was going. She laughed melancholically. There was nothing either of them could do now. She said as much. Yu's stoicness was broken by a light smile.

"Don't underestimate what I'd do for my friends." It was beyond sudden. Or at least, that was how it seemed to Rias. In a moment, Yu brandished a tarot card that he pulled out of blue flames. And just as quickly dismissed it. Her eyes were entranced by the obvious display of magic. Yet, she couldn't feel a thing.

"I-you-How?!" Questions upon questions upon questions. They blew through her current grief, making her reconsider every moment she had shared with the young man. Had he really been a genuine friend? No, he certainly was, of that Rias was sure. But then…

"I'll… I'll explain. Eventually. But, please don't ask me questions. I hate lying, Rias." the vulnerability in his voice was clear as day. Rias swallowed her curiosity and surprise. If he knew about magic in some form, then he must have known about her as well.

"Just one question." She breathed out, chewing on her lip as the silver haired boy nodded gently in reply. It was the only question that mattered.

"Who am I?" This would define their relationship from here on out.

Yu answered.

That Was Not The Wisest Of Decisions

No, but it was necessary.

Perhaps. But Now Those Hidden In The Night Will Be Fully Aware Of Our Existence

She needed hope. I could give it to her. So I did.

Even With The Risk

I'm just not that kind of person.

No, I Suppose We Are Not

Originally, he had been planning on giving Issei some basic martial training, and perhaps some experience in fighting stronger enemies such as himself. After all, each of the Investigation Team specialized in their own type of fighting, it would be criminal not to give Issei the best of the best, especially when a friend is involved. Seeing Rias, a girl so full of confidence, broken before his eyes had made him realize something.

He couldn't say he was honoring his own Truth.

Sacrificing his friend so that he could throw off the trail? He would be a hypocrite of the highest order.

We have arrived at Yaso-Inaba Station. Passengers, please remember to collect all belongings and exit in an orderly fashion. We have arrived at Yaso-Inaba Station. Passengers, please…

Issei yawned lightly and popped his joints by stretching his arms square over his head. He cracked his neck a few times. The train ride here had been rather long, nearly four hours just the one direction.

"Well, my Uncle is outside ready to pick us up. Let's go Hyoudou-kun." Yu said as he stood up out of the aisle seat and reached for their small amount of luggage beneath the seats. They were staying with his family for a week after all. Issei nodded in response to his silver haired senior and groggily got himself prepared to leave the train. After some shuffling and more stretching both young men found themselves on the steps to the train station.

Yu looked around. It was a particularly nostalgic view in his own opinion. From the streets to the houses to even the bus and train station itself, not much had changed in the small town of Inaba. But there was one thing that was different from the quaintness offered by the town. There was a lack of weight on Yu's shoulders. Even when he first arrived and later left, he had been aware of that sense of emotional burden, but now…

"Big Brother!" A small voice crooned before Yu was greeted by a welcoming sight. A young girl in a pink sundress ran towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Yu smiled brightly.

"Nanako," He greeted fondly, patting the young girl on the head. She hadn't grown much in the year he had left, but she certainly had changed. No longer did she radiate an aura of loneliness that he found permeated her life. She also seemed so much brighter, beyond the happiness she expressed at seeing him again. It eased his heart to know that she held up so well while he was going.

"You've grown out your hair." Yu commented, noticing the lack of pigtails on the young girl. She smiled even brighter.

"You noticed! Do you like it?" She asked happily, waving her hair back and forth. Yu let out a light laugh.

"Of course, you look like a princess with long hair like that." The silver haired responded happily. Meanwhile, Issei Hyoudou watched quietly as this tender moment between two siblings took place. And he had but one thought.

Why is it that everyone who can kick my ass is a Siscon?! First Fried Chicken, then Buchou's brother, and now Narukami-senpai!

While Hyoudou contemplated the meaning of little sisters, life and unfathomable, unadulterated power, someone else took it upon himself to interrupt the scene.

"Yu, it's good to see you again!" An older man said cheerily, with his jacket slung over his right shoulder. A light five o'clock shadow could be seen on the man's jawline, but it fit with his distinctive look. In fact, Issei thought the man stepped out of a hardboiled detective novel with both the cigarette in his hand and the dull colored work suit with a red tie.

"Uncle Dojima, you look a lot more rested." Yu said shocked at the rather exuberant energy the man seemed to express. Dojima laughed it off, chuckling at his nephew's bluntness. It was a rather stark difference to the young man who spent a year away. While last year his Uncle had a type of gauntness that came from a man living on fast food, drink, and three hours of sleep, his Uncle seemed to have recuperated splendidly. His cheekbones were still high and well defined, but his cheeks themselves seemed to have filled out slightly. Even the grey shirt that used to hang slightly around Dojima's frame with a loosened tie was now a fair bit less baggy around the shoulders.

"Ha, thanks Yu. I've actually been getting a lot less hours at the station." He explained. Yu's eyebrows rose in alarm to that statement. Seeing the shocked face on his nephew, Dojima quickly rectified the misunderstanding.

"It's not what you think. I actually got a bit of a promotion after the case with Adachi was settled last year. Even though I tried to tell them I didn't solve the case, the department heads thought I was being modest and rewarded me for being able to solve a case with such tampered evidence and a corrupt cop tailing me. The hours are… better. I'm at home a lot more these days." Yu nodded, happy that his family seemed to settle themselves well even after his departure. It must have been much easier for them both with Dojima home more often.

"Anyways, enough about me. What about you, Yu? And… I'm sorry, I never got your friend's name." Dojima asked as he began leading both boys and Nanako back towards the family car. Issei took that as his cue to speak up.

"Ah, I'm Issei Hyoudou. I'm Narukami-senpai's junior. Please take care of me." He introduced himself formally trying to make a good impression. Yu's Uncle nodded.

"Nice to meet you kid, name's Ryotaro Dojima. I'm Yu's uncle. And this is-" the grizzled detective began before being interrupted.

"I'm Nanako Dojima! I'm Yu's little sister." The young girl cut in excitedly. Issei grinned at the warm welcome. Her cuteness made Issei lower his guard a bit. He always wanted a little sibling to hang out with, despite his parents' claims about Issei being a truckload compared to a handful.

"It's nice to meet you Nanako-chan. You can call me Ise, all my frien-" There was a grand sense of foreboding that settled upon Issei's shoulders once those words left his mouth. It came from somewhere past his left arm. He couldn't pinpoint it, but he was sure it was pretty obvious who it was originating from.

"Ahaha. I mean, how about you just call me-"

"Dead meat," the foreboding voice whispered next to him.

"Hyoudou-san! Just call me Hyoudou-san!" Issei tried to exclaim quickly. He feared for his life damn it, cute eight year old or otherwise! Nanako rolled her head around, as if trying to digest the name. She stopped before letting out a cute "Un!" and palming her fist.

"I'll just call you Issei-san. Is that okay with you?" She asked.

"Dead."

"Ah, a-alright. It's alright with me Nanako-chan!" Issei exclaimed with false enthusiasm, all the while cursing out siscons with all his heart.

"Meat." Isse whimpered as he got in the car with what he could only describe as an eight year old made out of sunshine, an old cop, and the devil's devil. It would have made a good premise for a joke, if it wasn't the situation Issei found himself in.

Why are all OP devils fricking Siscons!?

Issei was totally ready for this. He was gonna train super hard, sooooo hard, become a fucking Super Saiyan, blow up chicken Frieza and the Ginyu Ho's, and activate the Dragon Balls! Or something like that.

That's how being the protagonist usually worked right?

Turns out, he was in the wrong manga. Cause every single one of Narukami-senpai's peerage had fucking [STAND]s. And boy. Man. Like seriously. Fuck [STAND]s.

"Kamui-Moshiri, Bufula!"

"Takehaya Susanoo, Garula!"

Issei winced as a massive ice boulder enhanced with storm winds nearly ended his life. He grimaced as he picked up his pace. [STAND]s were fucking bullshit. Issei made it about another block around the strange looking town before he was alerted to another attack.

"Oi, dropping in!" Issei wasn't that great with names. But, he had to be honest with himself. It was super hard to forget a dude who threatened to strangle you with a literal chunk of flooring. So when the same blonde dive bombed him off the top of a nearby building, he got the hell out of Tatsumi's way. The blonde landed with enough force to crack the pavement below his feet, while his hefty chunk of floor (there was literally no other way to describe the dude's weapon) powdered the spot where Issei had been standing.

Oh, did Issei forget to mention that for some reason, instead of being limited [STAND]s like in JoJo, that every stand user was given the same physical capabilities of their [STAND]? [STAND]s were such fucking bullshit in real life. He glanced at his senior, who was surrounded by four beautiful girls while Issei was busting his ass training.

"Fucking [STAND] users…" He groused.

"The spiritual stress of working in the world of the Midnight Channel should give us better results, physical and otherwise. It's only a hypothesis, but given our own growth rates, it's one I can put confidence in." Naoto explained, while watching the four young men duke it out. Normally, Yu would have had a much more synergistic composition for Issei to fight, but given the introduction between Issei and his group…

Perv...

Creep...

Disgusting…

Hello, Police? I'd like to repo-...

Yu nodded to himself. It was for the best that none of the girls were allowed to get their hands on his junior. At least until he showed more promising results. They'd probably hurt him too much for him to learn anything useful, though Issei showed an amazing penchant for support skills. It was the first thing they had Issei work on when he arrived. He hadn't exactly been able to use Persona magic as the Investigation Team would have, but Issei had a strange talent for copying things he saw.

"Sukukaja!" Issei screamed. His entire body was shrouded in a purple energy, before it settled into his skin. Then he took off at full tilt. Yosuke, who was about to catch up, let out a grunt of frustration before pausing to take a breather and letting Teddie and Kanji get ahead of him.

"God damn it, I hate this guy! He's so frickin slippery. Hey, Partner! Can we please take it up a notch? We're not getting anything done at this rate!" Yosuke asked. Well, it wouldn't do to half ass this, especially with Rias's freedom on the line. He nodded.

"Alright, but no Dek- spells. Just make him stand and fight you." Yu told him. Yosuke threw him a thumbs up and a slick grin.

"Ya hear that guys?! Get ready to pick up the tempo! Takehaya Susanoo, Youthful Wind!" The brunette shouted, crushing his tarot card and manifesting his Persona. The storm god let out a warcry, a small whirlwind circling Yosuke and Issei's two pursuers, refreshing them and enhancing their mobility.

"Ha, you better be ready to eat rock you little runt!" Clearly Kanji.

"We're the same age, you ass! Sukuka-Ack!" Issei began before getting blindsided by a small hail of ice.

"Got you now! Now you gotta stand and fight us! No more running away!" Teddie exclaimed, finally catching the devil.

"Screw you, you blonde bishie! I'm a master in the most ancient and powerful technique!" Issei responded, picking himself up with a small use of Dia. This exclamation of course brought full attention of the group to Issei. Chie spoke up first.

"Ancient and powerful? Yu, didn't you say he was a normal guy before he was-" Chie began, until she was interrupted by a loud shout.

"BOOOOK IT!"

"Hey, you- GET BACK HERE!"

"SCREW OFF!"

"Snrk. Ha. Haha. Hahahahaaaa." Yu had to admit, what little Issei had in combat potential, he more than made up for in comedic effect.

"Hahaaahahaaaa!" Though…

"Ah, Yukiko, I don't think-" Naoto said, trying to head the black haired girl off before she really got started. Rise and Chie quickly joined in, trying to calm the girl down before she broke out into a full blown laughing fit. Yu let out his own chuckle. It was good to be back.

"Booking it. Get it? He ran away again! Ancient and powerful! That's- snrk. Haahahaha!"

"Yeah, yeah, Yukiko, it was hilarious." Chie commented sarcastically, years of dealing with her friend surfacing and making her opinion of Yukiko's humor known. Yu smiled. He wouldn't have it any other way, if he was being honest. However, there was a time for mirth and a time for work. He cleared his throat, getting the attention of the other four members.

"Naoto, Rise, you two said you had some important information?" He asked, turning an eye back to the training session. It seemed Issei had finally gone on the offensive.

"Ah, dude, what the hell is this crap? Where did you even get syrup in the frickin Shadow world?!" Yosuke screamed from somewhere deep in Shadow Inaba. Kanji soon followed suit.

"I am gonna gut you! Do you know how hard it is to get fish sauce stains out of a cotton shirt?!" The punk shouted over the thunder of his Ziodyne. Yu turned his full attention back to the others. Naoto broke the shy smile that had taken her face from Issei's antics. She cleared her throat to rebalance the sudden question from her Leader.

"Hem. Right. As you know, the whole town was recently contacted by members of the Kirijo Group. They asked us a lot of pointed questions about the murders last year, and if we'd seen anything particularly strange." Yu nodded, he had gotten a phone call from Yosuke about the incident.

"Of course, we gave them nothing. I can't say the same about the rest of the town, though I don't think they let slip anything too weird. But that same night, Kanji happened to stay up late and saw his television set flicker." That was new, Yu noted. The world of Shadows always existed, but the temples created by Izanami had been removed due to the defeat of the goddess. If the Midnight Channel was back on, that meant the locations created by the fog were coming back, which could mean anything.

"We hoped that it was just, you know, Kanji spooking himself. But, just in case, we've been watching it every night now." Rise cut in. He glanced at the other three members. They all confirmed it. The Midnight Channel was back on. But, thankfully, none of them had seen a person yet. The Kirijo group, however, was a whole different bag of worms. He wouldn't go so far as to say the corporate conglomerate knew about Shadows, but it clearly suspected something.

"So what's the plan, Yu?" Yukiko asked. There weren't a lot of options, as far as he could see at least.

"Just preparation for now. We need to get acclimated to fighting again. A few months break would dull anyone's skills." He explained. He had felt it the most when he had been fighting that reptilian monster week or two ago.

"Sooooooo, then, when should we start?" Chie asked.

Yu cocked one side of his lips and made to draw Blade of Totsuka. Of course, that was all the signal the four girls needed.

"Nice try, Leader! Hit him from all sides, guys! Haraedo-No-Okami, Dragon Hustle!" Chie shouted, her armored goddess taking center stage and giving all of them a major power up.

Guess they were starting off at full strength. Well, he couldn't let himself be shown up, could he?

"God's Hand, Izanagi-no-Okami! Let's kick it up a notch!" The pristine white form of Izanagi manifested, the Persona unleashing a devastating punch into the ground below costing the other four their footing as they made to position around him. Debris and smoke flew into the air, shrouding him from their view.

"Don't think it's going to be that easy, senpai! He's running your way Naoto!" Rise shouted, Kouzeon placing its vizor over the idol's eyes. Kouzeon wasn't the most well equipped Persona when it came to direct combat, but its analysis and predictive capabilities were second to none.

"He's going to start with a slash from the left, and he's using something with a strong electric and physical nature!"

"Understood!" Naoto shouted the moment Rise's command reached her ears. Yu shot out of the smoke, following Rise's prediction to the letter.

"Yamato Sumeragi, Tetrakarn!" A tiled barrier appeared right in front of Naoto as Yu swung his blade down on her right shoulder, forcing the blade off to the side. Of course, it wasn't the first time Yu had been caught flat footed mid swing. Many shadows often had physical nullification as an attribute, and they wouldn't learn until mid-combat. Correcting his momentum, Yu stabbed his sword into the ground and leveraged himself past it, turning his swing into a shoulder tackle.

The sudden change in attack was a move he mastered to help build distance from other shadows. Physical nullification didn't nullify kinetic energy after all. His shoulder hit the Tetrakarn roughly, throwing all of Ongyo-ki's prodigal strength into the blow. Naoto was forced back stunned, and Yu made to run. He was in a four on one match with no cover. Time to take a page out of Issei's book he supposed.

The book of hoofing that is. He pulled his sword out of the ground, and leapt towards the buildings in Shadow Inaba, all four girls on his trail.

"So, this is Yaso-Inaba. Quiet place." A white haired man in a police uniform said as he opened the door to drop off his passengers. One of them, a red haired young woman in a lavish fur stepped out and looked around.

"Indeed. It does not seem like a place where Shadows would congregate, but there is certainly something off about this town." She said, helping the other passenger out.

"Right. Well, I'll head down to the police station. Call me if you need anything, Mitsuru, Aigis." The red haired woman nodded, leading a blonde teen deeper into the town's shopping district.

"Can you sense the other Anti-Shadow unit anywhere, nearby Aigis?" The blonde haired girl stilled, and tapped her elaborate headphones for a few moments, then frowned.

"I apologize Misturu, the Anti-Shadow Weapon can't be contacted. There is some sort of interference with my sensors." Mitsuru frowned at the response.

Perhaps the town of Yaso-Inaba wasn't as quiet as she was led to believe.

"What the hell do you mean he disappeared?!" Dojima cried into his phone. Nanako watched as her father got in a heated argument with one of his subordinates. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him so angry, but he'd never been so… worried looking before.

"Right, right. So they let him into the rec room, then what? Poof?! Fucking magic? Are you kidding me, Yoshikage?! Agh!" The detective slammed the phone into the receiver much harder than necessary, the clack echoing throughout the small home. Nanako walked up to him, now that he was beginning to calm down. The detective looked down and his face softened.

"Sorry you had to see that, Nanako. Your dad's just… gotten some real bad news." Nanako nodded. The detective let out a deep sigh, and rubbed his hand over his closed eyes. He waited a few moments to sort out his thoughts before looking back down to his daughter.

"How about we go meet Yu and his friends? Get some ice cream?" He ventured. The girl was slowly opening up to him, but still, sometimes he could get carried away, and they both knew it. She broke out into a huge grin, before running upstairs to get changed.

"Alright, but I want chocolate!" She shouted from her bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll get a whole tub to yourself!" He called back up. Though, it did nothing to ease his thoughts.

How the fuck did Adachi escape a high security prison through a windowless fucking break room?

A/N:

It's been a while. Sorry this update came out later than intended. I was having a bit of problem ordering the scenes, and the first scene with Rias and Akeno was conjoined with a replay of the meeting between Gremory and Phenex families. I cut the meeting part out, because apparently, some people dislike reading Rias parts. I mean, she does interrupt the flow a bit because it causes overlap between perspectives, but some people really do not like Rias. I think it's weird.

Issei did more background work than forwarding work. I feel like that's fine, he's sorta had a shared arc with Yu being the whole "Intro to devils" part. Though, he's gonna be getting more screen time during the next update. Whenever that is.

As for Yu, I hope that was a satisfying chapter from mostly his perspective. Not a lot got done if I'm being honest, but I'm trying to work on my pacing with this story, so it helps a lot to focus on Yu's interactions and motivations rather than him stomping his way through the plot. I included a bit of action and comedy because I felt it was a bit too heavy of a lead-in.

And finally, the last few bits were empty leads to start the next arc. Spoiler warning, I will not be following the P4A and P4U stories that religiously. It won't be that long of an arc. Maybe 3 chapters. Or just 2 of 8k+ words.

I get that this seems super slow, and it is. Like I said, intentionally trying to slow down writing. Though, I do have a super crack fic that's basically just a 20k word fiesta of Yu straight up messing around in the DXD verse. That was more for storyboarding than anything though.

I honestly hate writing actions scenes unless it's for something Jojo related, so I'll try and make action happen as much as possible, but it's mostly character interaction that I care about. Though, chances are, one chapter of the P4A arc will be entirely action, and so will be the entire rating game.

But, who wants to talk about ~Muuuuuurders~? (Hiimdaisy's dubbed comics Adachi).

Man I fucking love Adachi. Not because he's a role model or anything. But him seeming so incompetent half the time is hilarious. Damn shame he won't be much of that here.

Read and Review :D