Well, this wasn't out as quick as I'd like, but there we go. At least it's not been another year, huh?

Anyway, not much to say here. I was without internet for about a month and a half, but that's not much of an excuse for this story as it is Golden Spyral, since I have DxD volumes saved on my phone. Only up to volume 9, though. And unfortunately, the site I downloaded them from has been hit by a DMCA. Fortunately, I do have an alternate source, but that shouldn't be an issue for a good long while.

Er, anyway, I don't usually like warnings for chapter content, but if you like cats, one part of this chapter might be a little rough. Sorry about that.

As the world sped by, Yoko marvelled. She wasn't even running at full speed and she was bolting down the street like an Olympic sprinter. Her breathing was at the same rate as if she was on a jog, and despite being halfway across Kuoh town from the academy, the burn in her legs had only just started.

Giving her radar a quick check, she saw that she was still far away from her next delivery. Pushing herself harder, she started running at a speed approaching her max. It was like night and day, and despite the wind whipping around her face, her eyes didn't sting a bit. It was, in a word, exhilarating. Since the sun had started to go down, she wasn't feeling the same drain she did in the day, and she got the feeling that she could go even faster in the dark.

Despite her body being capable of handling such speeds, however, it didn't mean she was used to it.

Her foot slammed into a curb, and the world jarred to a halt. Yoko's heart leapt into her throat as she tilted over, the hard, stone pavement fast approaching. Faster yet was her reaction, and she threw her hands out, catching herself on the pavement before rolling forward and bouncing to her feet.

Heart going wild, Yoko looked around, heat flushing up her neck at the embarrassing tumble. A boy her age walked past, not looking up from his phone. The lady across the street sweeping her doorway didn't blink. Flush fading, she bent down and picked up the device she had dropped. "So, it's true…normal people can't even notice me right now." Looking over the device, she saw it had nary a scratch on it, despite landing on the screen. "What's this thing made of?"

The closest blinking dot happened to be right next to her, and she turned to see a middle-class home of moderate size. Her breathing now under control, she posted a leaflet through the door and carried on. "How much distance did I cover in that short time? Ridiculous. And my body barely even feels the strain."

She looked at her palms; fine, despite her harsh landing. Looking down at the pavement as she moved, she boggled at the crack where her hands had slammed into it. Again, "Ridiculous…"

This new body of her was amazing! She hadn't had the chance before to notice how her reincarnation had affected her physically, having been distracted by the sensory changes. But this was unreal. Yoko was far from unfit, but even she shouldn't have been able to do all this. She swallowed as she remembered her confrontation with Murayama. Maybe it was a good thing that Shitori had interrupted them.

Her hands clenched as she recalled why she could do these things.

The feeling of the device digging into her palm brought Yoko out of her introspection. She took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was doing all this. She had to play along until something came to her; something always came to her. She had no plan for the moment except to wait for a plan. The details of said plan were sketchy at best, and non-existent at worst. All she could do for now was go along with everything.

It was like the prep time she spent researching cafes and restaurants for dates. Tedious, mindless stuff, even quite annoying at times, but the payoff was worth it.

…

Was it, though?

Yoko came to a halt as the thought hit her. Was any of it worth it? The research, the dates, the schemes. Did any of it amount to anything at the end? All her pseudo-philandering got her was a spear to the chest, left to bleed out by her final date. Left her wishing for—

Yoko rapped her knuckles on her head, shaking the thoughts away.

What a stupid question. Of course, it was all worth it. She was adored by the student body of Kuoh Academy. Even some of her senpai had fallen prey to her charms. She was known as one of the most athletic, most charming, most attractive members of Kuoh Academy.

And yet…

She wasn't the most charming, athletic, or attractive student in school. There were at least four girls above her in popularity.

So what? It was a work in progress. She was on the way to the top already. By her third year, Gremory, Himejima, Shitori, and Shinra would be gone, and she'd be left as the most popular girl in school.

But was that a real victory? How can she claim to be the best, if the best had left before she could overcome them?

She had to be, though. There's no other option. She'd be the best, or she'd be nothing.

She'd be worthless.

She was beloved by the masses. Girls adored her.

But the boys hated her.

So what? She didn't care about them. She never had.

She used to be popular with everyone in middle school.

Middle school was different. She was still under the delusion that someone could give a shit about her.

Her old gang members cared.

Pfft, those bottom feeders?

They used to be her comrades.

They left her, though.

That was the Fallen's fault.

They were idiots. They couldn't see that she had nothing to do with it.

They were tricked. Just like she was.

Then she was an idiot too, for not seeing it.

It didn't matter, anyway. They were gone.

Just like everyone else in her life.

Just like Rina-chan did.

Her father was still there.

For all the good that does.

He cares, he gives her money.

He can barely stay in the same room as her.

He tries.

Too little, too late.

He kept her.

He was stuck with her.

Because she didn't want her.

She never wanted her.

"You worthless litt—"

Yoko gasped, her chest burning with the desire for air. She bent over, trying to catch her breath. She took a shaky gulp, realising that she'd stopped breathing for a while. She stared down at the device at the floor, having dropped it again at some point. With one last gasp, she picked it up and stood straight.

She took a moment to regather her thoughts. Looking at her surrounding area, she searched for something to distract her. Soon enough, she saw a small café that she'd never noticed before. A rare enough event, and if it were even a week ago, she would have gone in to scope it out.

But right now, the last thing she wanted was to butter up some serving staff and try out their menu. Even thinking about it, her thoughts—it's not even worth it, why bother, it is worth it, take a girl there, why even bother—

She shook her head, going so far as to pinch her face with her free hand. Looking to her other, she checked the map on the screen for her next drop off. A good run sounded like just what she needed. And sure enough, the next flashing light was a few blocks down. So, she ran, until the blurring of the world reminded her that she'd be there far too soon if she did.

So, she jogged. Focused on breathing and the motions of her body. A little dash of indignation towards Gremory was thrown in, and soon enough the rantings in her mind were about someone other than herself.

As Yoko jogged down the road, the café door opened. A small bell tinkled over the sounds of a waitress saying farewell, please come again. A young woman stepped out onto the street, taking in the fresh air. Her attire was conspicuous, consisting of a nun's habit. Out of the sleeves were hands clad in black, skin-tight latex; an out of place article in an already strange get-up. From the hood spilled light brown hair, long strands that twisted down to the woman's collarbones. A small, peaceful smile was on the nun's face, and even her eyes looked like a calm, clear sky.

After taking a moment to take in the world around her, the woman started walking in the opposite direction of Yoko. Her gait was slow, relaxed, but she moved with grace. For a while she continued on her way, humming an uplifting tune, one of a pious nature. Just as she was halfway through her rendition of Lord of the Dance, a pained cry came from a nearby alleyway.

With zero hesitation she entered the alley, a frown pulling at her peaceful features. She searched the alleyway, her gaze sharp and her body tense. Moving behind a large bin, her features softened.

"Oh, you poor thing."

Lying twisted on the ground was a cat. One of its legs was at an angle even a cat, in all it's flexibility, should not be capable of. Another had a small arrow through it, likely from a small, handheld crossbow. A pitiful mew came from the wretched creature, one of its eyes closed as it breathed heavily.

Tears gathered in the corner of the woman's eyes. She reached out and, without blinking, tore the latex around her fingers so she could allow her skin to make contact with the animal's head. The cat leaned into the warmth, purring weakly.

"I can only offer you this little comfort, dear one. Life has been cruel to you, has it not? Such suffering, such needless pain." A tear ran down her cheek, but this was at odds with the comforting smile taking over her features. She scratched behind its ear, trailing her fingers down the back of its neck. "I am sure that God will accept you, regardless of your species, for you are his creation, and thus you are loved.

Crack.

The cat's pained breathing stopped. The woman stroked its crooked neck, before removing her hand. Bringing her hands together, she gave a small prayer for the cat, but also for whoever hurt it so much. She prayed that they would find salvation, and that they repented for their sins when their time came.

With a twirl of her robes, she left the alley and continued on down the path. She resumed humming, her smile calm and comforting as when she broke the cat's neck. She began a new song—her favourite hymn—and even began to sing a little under her breath.

"Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,

The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide,

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me,"

She continued to sing as she walked, her soft tones echoing as the sun finally crawled past the horizon.

Rias paused in her paperwork as a teleportation circle appeared in the center of the room. She frowned as Akeno appeared, a frown on her Queen's own face. Rias sighed, figuring out the cause.

"You only just left, Akeno. Another client lost I take it?"

"It would seem that Akamoto-san has become quite the spiritual man. Turns out embracing Christianity is all he needed to get over his stress. I'm sure wearing a cross around his neck will make his subordinates incompetence so much more bearable," Akeno's lips curled into a light sneer. "Didn't stop him staring at my breasts, though. Nice to see some things don't change."

"He converted?" Rias was shocked, to say the least. It wasn't often that someone who contracted Devils did a complete 180 like that. Usually it was the other way around. "I think we can write off the nun being a stray, then. I can't see an excommunicated nun being concerned with encouraging piety."

"Could she be an agent of Heaven? Trying to weaken your standing in the city by reducing our contracts, and increasing their foothold with more believers?"

"I don't know." Rias admitted, bringing her thumbnail to her mouth. She didn't bite it, however. Just the thought of her mother finding out she chewed her nails made Rias shudder. "Would they do something so blatant as to mess with the relative of a Satan? The relatives of two Satan's, no less? Especially a relative of Leviathan-sama."

"Especially her little sister," Akeno conceded. "It's no secret that Leviathan-sama is quite protective of our Kaichou. Even the smallest perceived slight against her could result in an attack on Heaven."

"I would think if Heaven were to restart the Great War, they would do it in a less roundabout manner." Rias groaned, rubbing her temples. "If it weren't for the fact that she was a nun, I'd think she was just some random do-gooder, spreading The Word. Not to mention how it's like she targeting our clients specifically."

"Well, we'll just have to beat her at her own game. There's no way she can convert more clients than we can get them. How fortunate that we have someone new who can focus exclusively on getting more clients."

"Yes, Yoko-san. She may have to do quite a few nights of this," Rias said, pulling her hands away from her head and folding them on her desk. "Although, if she keeps refusing to take the bike, it may take longer than I would like."

"How curious that she would refuse it," Akeno said. A mean smile edged through. "Perhaps she isn't able to ride one. It wouldn't reflect well on her perfect image if it were to come to light."

"Even if that's true, don't tease her about it, Akeno," Rias said. "I'm amazed she's been as cooperative as she has so far. The last thing we need is to put her back on the defensive."

"You seem to have relaxed your opinion on her a little, Buchou," Akeno said, smiling behind her hand. "You're quite accommodating of someone you held such a little opinion of just last week."

"Yes, well, regardless of my opinion of her, she is family now. I want to make her as comfortable as possible. And after my screw up when I reincarnated her, I hope to improve her opinion of me."

"My, it's like we've gained a little cousin that nobody quite likes, but try to get on with anyway." Akeno closed her eyes, chuckling into her palm. "Maybe she just needs an Onee-sama to whip her into shape, mould her into a more respectable lady."

Rias raise a skeptical brow. "Yes. Because I'm sure you of all people know how to make someone respectable."

"Ara, that hurts, Buchou."

"…"

"I like i—"

"And that's the end of that conversation." Rias shook her head, but couldn't find her fond, if slightly exasperated, smile. "Either way, the situation remains the same. All we can do is continue our work. I won't let a single nun bring down the next head of the Gremory clan!" She stood up as she made this declaration, her hair fanning out dramatically behind her. "Now, there's another contract for you, Akeno, so how about you drop in on Kamiki-san a little early tonight."

"Ah, she always makes these delicious little tea cakes. They more than make up for listening to her go on about her unfaithful husband."

Rias sighed. "I'm so glad you only share these sorts of thoughts with me. If your clients could hear what you think about them, the nun would be the least of our issues."

"Ufu."

The front door of the Ikawazu household slammed open. Yoko dragged herself into the living room, collapsing onto the closest chair. She spent a minute catching her breath, wiping sweat from her brow. Her head rolled to look at the half empty bag by her feet, and she resisted the urge to kill herself. With a groan she pulled herself up and made her way to the kitchen. As she opened the freezer to pull out a couple of ready-meals, she took note of the state of her body.

Despite spending a few hours literally running around town, her body wasn't feeling the effects like it once would have. Instead of burning agony in her limbs, it was more that they were slightly heavy. Even her breathing was calming down already. The power of a Devil body, she supposed.

Still, she didn't want to have to keep jogging around town for however long she had to do these deliveries for. Sooner or later, she'd have to learn to ride a bike. If she thought back, she remembered seeing one in the garage, from a time when her father still had the spare time to actually indulge in his cycling hobby.

The idea to ask him to give her some pointers was shot down. Their conversations these days barely went beyond; "What's for dinner? Here's some money" and so on. Their talk earlier in the week was one of the few times they conversed in the last year or so. She hadn't asked him for anything more than an advance on her allowance through the majority of her life, and she didn't feel like starting now.

Her ready-meal finished, she put her father's in and took hers to the kitchen table. Most of the time she couldn't be bothered to make proper food, so they made do with ready-made. Considering she did the washing, the ironing, the cleaning, and the cooking, her father was smart enough to not complain.

He had tried to do these things after the divorce, but not only was he incompetent, he barely had the time. His job as a salaryman took up a lot of time, and the house had been a mess until Yoko sorted it out. The only similarity to those days was the ready-meals they ate three-fifths of the time.

Yoko grimaced at the taste of her meal. She would have much preferred to cook herself, but again, time was limited and she was a stickler for efficient time keeping.

…Now that she thought about it, she was going to have to re-examine her schedule, wasn't she?

Her brow twitching, she shoved some food in her mouth and got to chewing.

The beeping of the microwave nearly made her jump out of her chair. With a huff she got up, shut it up, and sat back down to finish her food. Soon enough, the bland nourishment (if it could count as such) was eaten, and she cleaned up after herself.

With that done, she decided to take a shower after getting a whiff under her clothes. Running around town all day did wonders for sweat production, after all.

Yoko let out a sigh as the hot water hit her skin. She could already feel the sweat wash away. Running her hands through her hair, she pushed it away from her face, so her shampoo wouldn't get in her eyes when she lathered it.

She paused.

Now, Yoko wasn't the girliest of girls; her dress sense and minimal make-up made that clear. But one thing she did indulge in was her hair. She'd been growing it since the start of middle school, and it was, by far, her favourite feature. She'd even dedicated time slots in her schedule for zealous checks for split ends—she actually had one penned in for after this shower. Only restraint and dedication to strict timekeeping stopped her from doing so daily.

It was safe to say that Yoko was intimately familiar with her hair.

It had never felt this silky before. Even after shampoo and conditioner her hair never felt like this, never mind after running around all evening. She spent a few moments running her fingers through it, baffled. Her fingers ghosted over the back of her neck, and in her state of hyper focus, she noticed something else.

Did the back of her neck always feel so soft?

Gliding her hand down her neck and across her collar bones, she found it wasn't just her neck. Her skin felt softer than it ever had before. Rubbing her arm, she marvelled at the feeling. Sure, she moisturized, but it shouldn't have this much of an effect; it wasn't like she bought expensive brands or anything.

Her self-exploration paused as she considered something. Was this an effect of becoming a Devil, as well? It made sense. So far, every Devil she had met looked stupidly attractive. She didn't like guys at all, but even she could recognise that Kiba was handsome as hell. Literally, apparently.

She crossed her arms to take up a thinking pose, but gasped as her arm brushed against her chest. A surge of heat shot through her at the slight contact. She stared at her breasts, mouth open. At the risk of sounding slightly repetitive; they'd never been that sensitive before. She swallowed and reached up to cup one of her boobs—and gasped again.

Yoko was happy with her breasts. They weren't small by any means, but they also weren't ridiculous shirt stretchers like Gremory's or Himejima's. Not that she didn't appreciate large breasts, of course not, but she'd never want to be saddled with them herself. That aside, from her own exploration of her body in the past she had learned that her breasts weren't all that sensitive. She felt something from them, sure, but nothing compared to what she heard from girls gossiping about their boyfriends giving them a squeeze.

With a hesitant motion, she ran a finger over her nipple. Her knees buckled. She tensed her legs, not liking the idea of slamming face first into her shower wall. Resting against it, she bit her lip as she rubbed her nipple again. She just about held in a whimper, ceasing the motion as she took some breaths.

A curious thought made her freeze. She swallowed, not sure if she wanted to answer the question that just popped into her head. After a few more seconds she reasoned, that, well, she should probably check. You know, just to know for sure. She wanted to know everything that had changed with her body, after all.

So, with a token amount of hesitation, she slid her other hand down her torso, past her stomach, and settled it between her legs.

Her breath didn't so much leave her as it did cease existing.

An embarrassingly short time later, Yoko was sitting in her desk chair, combing her hair in her dressing gown. Her face was still flushed, and not from the heat of the shower. Her breathing was a bit short, and she tried her best to focus on nothing but the soothing motions of comb gliding through her hair.

Deciding that it wasn't enough, she put down her comb and opened her desk drawer. From it she pulled out an old CD player. It was well looked after, aside from a small dent on top. In an odd juxtaposition from Yoko's usual style, the device was bright pink with a faded and peeling sticker of Sailor Moon slapped haphazardly in the centre. Placing it on the desk, Yoko pressed play.

The upbeat sounds of an old idol song came blaring from the device. Yoko hissed and, in a moment of panic, lowered the volume all the way to nothing. She glanced at the closed door, tense, but relaxed as she realised that her dad wasn't suddenly opening the door to judge her taste in music.

She looked back to the device with a frown. She always made sure that it was on the lowest possible setting that would both allow her to hear it properly, but also to be unhearable from outside her door. It was a practice ingrained in her since childhood—her mother never did appreciate additional reminders of her youngest daughter's existence.

Shaking her head, she raised the volume by one level, and flinched at the sound. It was still way too loud. A dark frown marred her face as she remembered her enhanced senses. Ah. That old chestnut.

She left it as it was. Even though it sounded louder than she'd like, she knew that it would still be inaudible to anyone standing outside.

Grabbing her comb, she went back to work, watching her reflection in her desk's mirror frown. She was getting a bit sick of the constant reminders of how she was now different. It was like puberty all over again, and once had been more than enough for that shit. She really needed to come up with a plan of action, something for her to focus on instead of her own thoughts.

For a while she mindlessly combed her hair, letting the cheerful tones of the idol wash over her. She refused to let her recent thoughts invade her mind during this time. This was her time, a moment of self-indulgence, where she both took care of and admired her hair. Even as she combed it, it would bounce back into its usual messiness, forever untameable. It couldn't be controlled; all she could do was poke it in the direction she wanted. She'd made it work for her, her unruly hair, and she'd gotten many a compliment from girls about it. So many jealous glances. They were her signature, and more than that they were a spit in the face of the hag who used to cut it to her ears.

As she ran the comb passed her ear, she caught sigh of the old scar behind the earlobe. As always, she ignored it, more than used to it by now. It had been accident, even she could admit that, but it didn't stop it hurting at the time. Physically, and emotionally. And even if it was an accident, the lack of care that caused the incident still hit deep.

She winced as the comb was caught in a tangle, yanking her from creeping thoughts of the past. After sorting out that last, stubborn lock of hair, she put the comb down and tuned back into reality. The CD has gone through most of its tracks, more than Yoko usually sat through. Running through her mental schedule, she grimaced as she realised that she was so far off her schedule it was barely worth sticking to anymore.

The thought made her stomach turn, and she clenched her fists, glaring at the wall. Her life was in shambles. She had no plan, and she couldn't even stick to her damn schedule. She was falling apart! Was her constitution so weak that this was all it took to throw her out of whack?

She was sick of it. She was angry. She—

She almost missed her door handle turning.

Heart leaping into her chest, Yoko turned off the CD player, dropped it into the drawer, and closed it as fast as she could without slamming it. She sat back in her chair, regathering herself just in time for her father to enter her room. She stared at him.

He stared back.

He was coming into her room a lot lately, it seemed. At least she wasn't naked this time.

Tamaki cleared his throat, the relief on his face hinting he shared the thought. "Ah, Yoko, er, just came to let you know something. Erm, the Satanakas are going away for the weekend. Leaving Friday evening in fact. So, they asked us to keep an eye on the house; gave us a key, just in case we need to get in for some reason." He pulled the key out of his pocket and walked over to place it on her desk.

Yoko kept her face blank, but inwardly was cheering. Finally, those randy old fucks were leaving! Only temporarily, sure, but she'd be able to sleep without the damn earplugs for a while.

"Since, er, I'm not here as often, I figure you should keep the key on you."

Her mood dimmed a bit, but said nothing. Just another responsibility she had to take on. Eventually, since he didn't seem to be leaving without a response, she said, "Alright. Sure."

Tamaki nodded. Instead of leaving, though, he gave an awkward glance around her room. His eyes dragged over the bare walls, lacking any kind of poster or picture that most teenagers plastered their walls with. It seemed almost wrong, for a teen's room to be so tidy, but he only really had his eldest daughter as reference. Looking back to Yoko, he watched her fidget in place a little. "So, erm, how are things?"

Yoko blinked. He sure was acting odd this week, that's for sure. "Fine," she said, eventually.

"Erm, well, it's just…well you seem a bit off lately, is all."

"Off?"

"Yeah."

Yoko blinked again. She doubted he even knew what to look for to tell something was 'off'. "Well, I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." Maybe there was something off with him, if he was being this attentive all of a sudden.

Tamaki swallowed, and opened his mouth, left it open, and closed it. He seemed to slump a little, then he nodded. "Ok, alright. Well, goodnight." He didn't wait for her to say it back, only turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

Yoko stared at the door. That was…different. Her mouth moved, mouthing 'goodnight' back without any conscious effort on her part.

Shaking her head, she leant back in her chair as she looked at her desk drawer. That had been close. Surely, with her new sense of hearing, she should have heard him approach the door? He almost saw her closing the drawer, and she didn't want to imagine what he'd think she'd be trying to hide from hi—

Her eyes widened. Her thoughts stopped.

Only one thing went through her mind. A memory.

"Ah, here we are," Kiba said, he and Yoko stopping in place before the Occult Research Club's meeting room. Opening the door, he led Yoko inside.

A burst of movement had Yoko looking towards Gremory's desk, just in time to catch the redhead closing a drawer. Gremory let out a small breath as she removed her hands from the desk.

Yoko had closed her drawer as her dad walked in, trying to hide the fact that she listened to girly pop music from a girly CD player. That would have been embarrassing, no doubt.

So, what did Gremory have to hide?

Surely if it was something she wanted others to see, she wouldn't have hidden it in a drawer. And surely she'd have nothing to hide from her trusted servants, like Kiba, right? Or maybe she did. Maybe whatever Gremory put in that drawer, she didn't want others to see. Even if she didn't mind Kiba seeing it, did that mean she minded Yoko seeing it?

It was flimsy. It was barely anything. It could be called a stretch. Maybe Yoko was reaching for something suspicious, something to further justify her dislike of Gremory. For all Yoko knew, Gremory could have been doodling her crushes surname next to her own, and was embarrassed at being walked in on.

But it was still something. There was something in that drawer, something that could offer Yoko an advantage. Something that, maybe, she could hold over Gremory in the future. Even if it was a schoolgirl's lovesick scribblings, that's still something she can use to get one over on Gremory.

And if it was something more than that, something damming that Rias Gremory absolutely did not want Ikawazu Yoko to see?

Well, wouldn't that be grand?

For the first time in a while a genuine, devious grin pulled at Yoko's lips. A calculating gleam glimmered in her eyes. Her mind was whirring, and this time, it was for something productive. A plan was beginning to form. And Yoko?

Yoko was, for the first time in about a week, starting to feel like her old self.

She had something to hold onto. Something to give her focus. The first step on her path to getting to the bottom of all of this.

Finally, she could stop fucking winging it!

Chapter end.

The gears are turning. Yoko's ready to get back in the swing of things!

Also, I think this chapter has gone towards earning that M rating some more. The scene with the cat was genuinely hard to write; I had to step away from my laptop for bit afterwards.

I've been waiting ages to finally start introducing that character. Can't wait for her to be in the story proper.

Things also got a bit frisky there in the shower. How do you guys think I did with that? I was trying to make it a it sexy, while also not totally tasteless. It's the closest I've ever gotten to writing smexy times, but I guess we'll see where things go in the future.

Little tidbits of Yoko's past leaking through there. Hints of what turned her into what she is now.

Anyway, let's address the reviews! Not as many this time, but last chapter wasn't exactly great or exciting so that's to be expected.

raw666—I'm pretty sure angels didn't have the card system until after the peace summit. At least I don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong.

Raiyoukai—Yeah not the most exciting chapter, but transitional and necessary. I think I tend to struggle with POV a bit, keeping it focused on one character.
I'm glad you like the bit with Kiryuu. The idea of Kiryuu being a friend with Yoko is something I do want to work towards. Yoko being Yoko, can't interact with Kiryuu properly at the moment, knowing that Kiryuu knows what she's really like. Yoko's far too paranoid to think that Kiryuu has anything other than ulterior motives. Perhaps a bit of projection, hmm?
Yoko not knowing how to ride a bike is just another effect of her childhood. Also yeah, expect her to be trying to figure things out by herself.
Raynare is such a blank slate that we fic writers can do just about whatever we want for her. We can really dig into her motivations, what drives her. The Azure Reaper has given me some great insights into his perception of Raynare, I'd recommend reading his reviews on this fic, if you're interested. In terms of fanfiction, she's great. In the series proper, though, she's a bit of a let-down.
Hope you liked this chapter better.

XenoLucifer—Forbidden Balor View is a nice one, that's for sure. Certainly something that's got a lot of potential for misuse. There was a show that was on when I was a kid, called Bernard's Watch, about this kid who had a watch that could stop time. That show made me super interested in time stopping as a superpower. Yeah, Forbidden Balor View would certainly not be a Sacred Gear I'd complain about having.

DschingisKhan—Eh, you're probably right about that. My intention was to show that Yoko was so lost at the time that she was going so far as to research dream meanings to try and get some measure of control on her situation.
Glad you liked the bit with Kiryuu. I wanted to explore more of Yoko's interactions with someone who isn't totally smitten by her persona. I'm looking forward to when Asia joins the class.
As for Kiba, well, we'll see. I've got my thoughts on how the other members will react to her in the future, but I will admit to not thinking as much for Kiba. Which is a failure and a shame because I really like Kiba. Need to work on that.
Yoko's pretty flexible when she needs to be. She was waiting for something for her to jump on, something she can work towards to figure out what is going on. I think she's found that now, and she's ready to start being a proactive protagonist again.

The Azure Reaper—Yeah, paranoid Yoko is fun. Glad you enjoy her POV. Sorry it's so short, originally that chapter and this one were going to be one big chapter, but I knew if I tackled it like that then it might never get done, so I decided to do it in two chapters instead.
A chance to help wrap my head around the BS that's DxD power systems? Even if I don't end up using it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And that you're planning an Issei replacement story is pretty exciting to me! Love those.
Hmm, yeah, he really does let Rias get away with a lot. The fact that Azazel let go of the fact that the head Satan's little sister killed a bunch of his subordinates, even if they were fiddling in her territory, is pretty cool of Azazel and only probably happened because Azazel wants peace so badly. You're right, Sirzechs did get way too involved even after Rias lost that Rating Game. Not that I blame him, but he's lucky no one looked into why Issei suddenly appeared and why Sirzechs just had a griffon at the ready for them to fly away on.
Well, maybe Raynare isn't really lazy, or even weak, but clearly, she wasn't happy with how quickly she was climbing the ranks. I think, if anything, she had the weakness of character that made her want to jump kick her career in one simple plan by getting a Sacred Gear. I think she thinks more of herself than she is, that she's more ready to be higher up on the ladder than she is. So, while maybe not weak or lazy, or maybe even stupid, her arrogance, hunger for power, and desire for love from her superiors, was her downfall in the end.
You make a great point about how the DxD world works, and how Raynare wants to be loved. Seems like she shares some similarity with our protagonist, ufufu.
Nah, you didn't offend me at all. These back-and-forths are super interesting, helps me consider things I might not have before. Clearly you see more in Rayanre than I do, and that's great! Hopefully, you'll like what I do with Raynare in this story. My plans for her are pretty set right now, but who knows. Either way, I hope you enjoy them.

Guest—Erm, well, I did. Not that I don't appreciate the enthusiasm, but maybe if you want Golden Spyral updates, maybe put them in Golden Spyral reviews? Maybe?

So, with that done, bring on some more! What did you think of Yoko's thoughts this chapter? How about the creepy nun? Did I write Akeno and Rias ok? Does Yoko's sudden source of inspiration seem stupid, or is it ok? Please, let me know!

And for this chapter's question; Which race would you rather be in DxD? Devil? Angel, fallen or otherwise? Yokai? I'd say God, but that's a bit too obvious. Or maybe I just have an ego and that's what I'd chose if it was an option?
Personally, I think I'd still like to be human, but only if I get a Sacred Gear! Then again, the Hero Faction might go after me.
Otherwise, well, maybe some form of Yokai. They seem like they know how to have fun. When they're not being picked out for peerages or bizarre rituals by terrorists, that is. (Man, the Hero Faction really are a bag of dicks, huh?)
Wait, no, dragon. Dragons are cool. But only if I can be humanoid in some way. I like chairs and stuff.

Until next time!