As Akeno's eyes slowly flitted open, she noticed a marked difference. Instead of resting on one of her soft pillows, she noticed it was on something much harder. Getting her bearings straight, she looked down and saw it was a muscular chest. She blushed hard, her mind flying to thoughts of the night before. Tracing the muscles back up, she saw Elros smiling in his sleep.

"Right…," she said softly. She gently caressed his cheek and listened to the sound of his even breathing. He was nice to look at; hair that gently fell around his head, muscular arms and chest, chiseled features. In particular, she recalled his kind, deep brow eyes that gently twinkled in the cozy ORC. She thought about the scope of all they had seen; alien worlds she couldn't conceive, places still unknown even to travelers of the stars, things that one could barely comprehend.

Even though they had met the night before, Elros had a smile that seemingly never went away. Even now, in his sleep, his parted lips were curved into the ghost of a smile, barely showing his white teeth. It was bordering on haunting how at peace he looked.

'I guess if he spends so much time traveling, he doesn't have a permanent home. That's kind of sad,' Akeno thought, frowning.

Despite their hardly knowing each other, she felt some sort of attraction to him. Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, G.o.ds - it had all become by-the-by for her, something barely notable. The paranormal may as well have become the normal. However, even with all the news about the strange going ons around the world, she hadn't ever given much thought to the fact that there could be life outside of Earth.

Her thoughts began traveling to these worlds. Lifeforms with their own rules, lives, politics, cultures, beliefs, and everything else that made Earth special. The thoughts of those worlds excited her. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before scanning his chest again. She frowned as she saw the scar; however powerful he was, he wasn't invincible. She wondered what stories the scars might tell her.

As Elros woke up, he smiled he saw her beautiful face levitating above like an Angel, her hand resting against his chest. He brought his hand up to her cheek, making sure she was real.

"Ah. Good. It wasn't a dream, then," he said happily. Akeno giggled delightfully.

"Nope. Sorry. Are you disappointed?" She asked teasingly.

"Not even a little. I can't think of anything better than waking up in bed with a beautiful woman. Well, except the other thing," he said with a short laugh. Getting up, he put an arm around her; partly to hold her, but partly because he felt like plopping back down. She reciprocated, pulling him in for a gentle hug. As much as she wanted to stay like this, however, she knew that they had to get ready.

"Why don't you go shower first? I'll put on some tea for us," Akeno said as she got up and stretched. Elros paused and looked, admiring her. Her luscious raven hair fell neatly to the floor, no case of bedhead evident. It was like a black waterfall that he wanted to entangle himself in. Her porcelain white skin reflected the sunlight that penetrated through the open curtains, illuminating her and giving him more reason to believe she was an Angel. As Akeno caught him staring, she blushed a gentle red.

"What is it?" she asked softly, snapping Elros out of his funk.

"My bad. It's nothing. You just look really beautiful," he answered quietly, following her up. Suddenly, he swooped closer and kissed her on the cheek. "And again, thank you for the hospitality."

Akeno's gentle blush turned into a raging red, her cheek burning on the spot she felt his lips touch. She gently touched the area, surprised at his forwardness. This was her first kiss - on the cheeks or lips - and it happened so suddenly, she wasn't sure what to make of it. She stood rooted to the spot for what seemed like an eternity. But slowly, she smiled. Her mind and heart a flutter, she put on the tea, slowly replaying the moment again and again and again.

-o-

Looking at himself in the mirror, the events of the night before came rus.h.i.+ng back to him.

'Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels. G.o.d d.a.m.n, what a night! Guess I shouldn't be to surprised, what with Clark and Barry and everyone. And John. John's gonna love this,' Elros thought with a goofy grin, like a child in a candy store. 'Never knew Devils could look so hot, though. Far cry from Nergal. Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. Christ.'

As he turned the shower on, he let it run for a while. His eyes traced the water that erupted from a dragon shaped showerhead. He ran his hand underneath it; cold and crisp, just what he needed right now.

'Time to rest these weary bones for a bit longer,' he thought to himself as he let out a deep exhale. As he relaxed, he remembered the others members of the peerage. Asia, the pet.i.te blonde healer - shy and gentle; Koneko, platinum haired and catlike; deadpan, but strong; Issei, humorous and perverted but with a good head and heart; Gasper, a time stopping Devil-Vampire; Xenovia, the beautiful swords-woman; and Kiba, the well mannered and handsome swordsman. Head and shoulders above them, however, were Akeno and Rias. They seemed to be the big sister personalities of the group, attractive and caring. They had an air about them that exuded confidence and power, both captivating qualities.

While their personalities differed, Elros was sure of one thing: they all loved and cared for each other. It didn't seem to be something they did to present a good face, but genuine love for their small group.

'Can't think of a lot of people that'd save some random f.u.c.k that just blew up their house,' Elros thought, laughing a little. No, he was certain they were good people.

Still, he pushed them out of his head for the moment. Resting his hands on either side of the showerhead, he tilted his head up and let the cold water cascade over his body. The world could wait for a few minutes.

-o-

Half an hour later, Akeno finally saw Elros come out of the shower. As opposed to his ripped clothes from the night before, however, he was wearing a sharp green and black uniform. It ranged from his neck to his feet, the arm and leg areas black while the rest was green. Set in the middle of his torso was an embossed lantern. She admired how tightly it hugged him, the muscles clearly evident through it. Akeno swiftly moved to him, excitedly running her hands across his body. She wanted to touch every inch, starting from his shoulders to his arms and chest, front and back.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Elros asked with a laugh.

"You have no idea. I don't think I've seen anything like this. Now hush," Akeno answered with a light smile as she brought her hands back to his chest and ran them up and down his front, gently biting her lip.

"It's a bit much, but about the best I could hope for considering I don't have any other civilian clothing on me. And considering I don't usually go out in public naked, this was my only other option," Elros said.

"That's a shame. Could be a nice sight," Akeno said seductively.

"Happy to give you a private look, if you want?" Elros asked with a grin.

"Maybe later," she giggled. "I'm gonna get ready for now, though. Rias will probably bring you a pair of extras. If not, we can just grab your uniform at school."

"Is she on her way now?" Elros asked as he took a seat on her couch and spread himself out.

"Yeah. She should be here soon," Akeno said as she gave him his tea.

"Aww, that's so good," Elros said as he took a sip. He took another, slower sip, trying to draw out the taste as much as he could.

"I'm happy to hear it. Anyways, getting ready now. No peeking, 'kay?" She said.

"What do you take me for?! I'm a perfect gentlemen!" Elros answered dramatically as he watched her go. Akeno giggled on her way, giving him a wink as she closed the door behind her. Elros turned his attention back to his delicious tea and swirled it around his cup for a moment, smiling. He watched the light green decoction s.h.i.+ft upon itself as it exuded a small stream of steam.. As he continued with slow sips, he finally heard a knock at the door. A hand erupted from his ring and opened it while he took his time to physically reach it.

'Still as lazy as ever,' he thought cheerfully.

As Rias entered, he saw that she was in what appeared to be the schools uniform. She wore a long-sleeved white s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.ton down s.h.i.+rt that had a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape that matched her corset, and a short magenta skirt that cut off above the knees.

"You look fantastic," Elros said, slightly stunned by her beauty.

"Hey, Elros. Thanks," she said with a smile. It took her a moment to finally note what he was wearing. Quickly shutting the door, she began to run her hands over him in amazement, much as Akeno had done earlier. Elros smirked as he allowed her to feel him to her heart's content. Rias was sure to pause here and there, gripping his arms and chest; she tried to pinch the uniform off, but to no avail. It was as though it had replaced his skin.

"Enjoying yourself?" He wondered after a minute.

"Very much. Are you?" Rias asked with a coy smirk as she rested her hands against his chest and leaned in a bit closer, looking up. Height wise, he towered over her.

"Oh yeah. Feel free to feel me as much as you'd like. Happy to give you a tour as well, if you want," he said, gently taking one of her hands in his and sliding it down a bit. Rias giggled but stopped it, moving back up to his chest. She went on for a little while longer. Just as she saw the night before, he was toned and muscular. She saw his pecs, abs, muscles - everything shone through the uniform. She noted that she couldn't feel the scars, however.

'I guess he has another layer under it,' she said. She took his ring hand in hers and examined it with a look of wonder.

"Do you mind if I try it on?" She asked.

"I'm afraid I don't ever take it off. Sorry," he said.

"It's fine," she sighed. It was a long shot anyways.

'I would've pressed it if it was anyone else,' she thought. "Where's Akeno?"

"Showering, I think. Can't be sure though. She told me not to peek. Dunno why. I'm a perfect gentlemen, I'll have her know!" Elros declared as they took a seat on the sofa. Rias smirked and took a sip of another cup of tea that Akeno laid out for her.

"Did you enjoy your night here?" She asked.

"Kidding me? Best night's sleep I've had in months! Akeno is a great hose," Elros said.

"Did she tell you why I'm here?" Rias asked, licking away a few droplets stuck on her lips.

"Nope. Just that you wanted to talk to me. What's up? Something I can help with? I owe you, after all," Elros said, leaning back.

"I do want to talk to you. I wanted to ask if you've given any thought to what you're going to do now?" Rias asked.

"Hmm. Good question. I dunno," Elros said after a pause. "Well, I'm going to see a friend of mine sometime this week, so there's that. But I don't really have do much when I'm back on Earth. I try to help out with crime here and there, but that's about it."

"You don't have to save the Earth from some aliens or monsters or anything?" Rias wondered.

"Not today at least," Elros laughed.

"So where do you stay when you come back?" She asked.

"A friend of mine owns a club. I usually stay at the apartment above his place," Elros said.

"Do you have to go back there soon?" She asked.

"I may check in, sure. But nothing that can't wait," Elros said.

"I see. Well, I really wanted to ask you - despite the circ.u.mstances being what they are - is if you would consider joining my peerage as a Devil?" Rias asked. Unlike when she recruited the others, she felt her heart beat loudly, fit to burst. She looked Elros straight in his eyes, trying to discern what emotion could be playing across his face.

"Really?" Elros finally asked after a protracted pause. He crossed one leg over the other, making himself comfortable as he scanned Rias.

"Mmhm. You'd be part of and employed by the Gremory Household and act as my servant," Rias said. She quickly added, "But I don't want you to get the wrong idea of what that means! In my peerage, servants are like friends and family than anything else. You would be reincarnated as a Devil which means you'd get all the added benefits of being one."

"Oh? Like what?" Elros asked.

"Easy transportation to wherever you want to go, for one," she said.

"Ring already does that," Elros said, tapping it with his thumb.

"You could understand any language," Rias added.

"It already translates most languages in the universe," he said with a smile.

"You could modify your appearance however you want and use Magic," Rias said, feeling a bit more nervous.

"On other worlds, being a Lantern helps get my point across, so that wouldn't be helpful. As for Magic - I admit it's interesting, but the Ring can already do most of what I image Magic can do," Elros said.

"You'd have an extended lifespan! Being a Devil would also increase your strength and durability!" She added, a bit louder. There was a long pause, during which she felt Elros's eyes drilling into her.

"Extended lifespan?" He asked quietly. She nodded. "How long?"

"You'd live at least another thousand years. And you'd be a lot stronger, physically," she said. "But there's other benefits to. Being a Devil is sort of like a job as well. You'd be salaried, have benefits, and a lot of other perks. You could even become an Ultimate Cla.s.s Devil and start your own peerage."

"Hold on - salary?" Benefits?" Elros asked, bewildered and more than a little bit let down. "But what about the orgies and torture and stuff?"

"That's a myth," Rias giggled. "It really is more akin to a job than anything, especially for Reincarnated Devils. Those are Devils that aren't born as such, but are made into Devils by Pure-Bloods."

The disdain in her voice as she said the last words didn't escape his notice. "What's the difference between them?"

"Pure-Blooded Devils are descended from the 72 Pillars, which are the 72 most prominent Devil families. Each family is structured more like a clan, though, made up of several smaller families. There's less than 72 in reality - the actual number if probably half that. Some were eradicated during the Great War while others lost their status because they began mixing with other families. Almost all the Pure-Blooded families are going to go away, though; the Great War really reduced our numbers. But we can talk about that later - there's a lot to it and I can't explain it all right now. Reincarnated Devils are a bit easier to explain. They're Devil's created by High-Cla.s.s Devils - like me - and are a part of a peerage. They can work and take on jobs to move up the ranks of Devil society," Rias explained, giving him a broad overview. Elros listened with interest before finally cracking a small smile.

"An interesting offer, but I'm afraid I'd have to decline," he answered apologetically.

"What? Mmm… why?" Rias asked, feeling her heart fall. She had expected the answer, but was to focused on the positive aspect.

"You know, I'm not inherently against it. It actually sounds like an interesting opportunity. But if, for example, it interfered with my duties as a Lantern and I had to choose between the two - even if it was a dangerous situation here - I'd have to leave. There's to many lives at stake out there. Plus, as I said, the ring gives me a lot of benefits. Added physical strength and durability are innate to it as well," Elros said, smiling.

"But consider how much longer you could be a Lantern if you do become a Devil - centuries added to your lifespan! You could save more lives like that, too! And it seems like an important job. I don't want to get in the way of it. If that's your biggest point of contention, I'm happy to let you put it first," Rias said, obliging. With him in peerage, she figured the benefits outweighed the risks.

"Why are you so interested in having me in particular? I'm sure there are others that'd be interested," Elros said.

"I find you interesting," Rias answered honestly.

"I'd ask why but I imagine I answered that well enough last night," Elros grumbled.

"Intuitive as well. Another good quality," Rias giggled.

"Did you ask the others join as quickly?" Elros wondered.

"Not all of them, no. Xenovia joined a couple days after we knew each other. Issei I had studied for a while before having him join. Kiba, Koneko, Asia, and Akeno were… similar, but different. My brother wanted me to take on Gasper," Rias said.

"You studied Issei for a while?" Elros asked, interested. "Why not just ask him? From what I gathered, I'm pretty sure Issei would literally skin himself alive if a pretty girl asked him to."

"Still, it's not the kind of thing one just ups and asks someone who doesn't know about the supernatural or paranormal beforehand," Rias sighed. "The other's were all aware of it before they joined, at the very least."

"Interesting," Elros said, tapping his leg up and down. He continued sipping his tea in silence, all the while his eyes were locked with Rias's.

"Would it really be fair to you and the others if I just up and left here and there on a mission?" He wondered.

"Absolutely! Even though the others are my servants, they still have their own lives and dreams that they want to fulfill. It's not as though when you accept, you give up your entire life and devote yourself to me; far from it. It's more about creating a balance; and if I can help you somewhere along the way, it'd be my pleasure and honor to do so," Rias said pa.s.sionately. Elros could sense the love and compa.s.sion she had for her servants.

They were silent for a long while. Rias looked away after a minute of Elros's intense stare. Not quite a leer, it was nonetheless powerful, enough to make her blush and be a bit self conscious. As just quickly looked back at him, she saw the light of the living room twinkle in his eyes. They were an inviting and warm dark brown, but she saw a bit of something else there - something she couldn't immediately place.

"Give me some time to think about it. I'd be remiss to not consider your offer," he finally said.

"Of course! That's fine with me. Could you let me know by the end of the week? Or is that too soon?" She asked.

"That's enough time. I'll have an answer for you by then," Elros said.

"Great. I look forward to hearing it," Rias said, smiling. "There's something else I want to discuss with you. I hope you don't mind, but I spoke to my father about you…"

'Am I going to fast? I don't wanna make him uncomfortable,' Rias thought.

"Oh?" Elros wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He's really interested in meeting you if you decide to become a Devil," Rias said.

"Don't you think it's a bit early for me to meet your parents? I mean, I haven't even wined and dined you yet. I like to take it slow, I'm afraid," Elros said with a laugh.

"What? NO! Not like that!" Rias whined, blus.h.i.+ng a bit while he laughed louder.

"Sorry. What were you saying? Something about your hand in marriage?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Ugh. Please stop. I'm being serious," she said, blus.h.i.+ng even more.

"Alright, alright. I'm good now. Seriously, what's up?" He asked.

"Well, he's interested in meeting you if you become a Devil. I told him that you didn't really have anything else to do unless you get called on another mission or something. So he took the liberty of enrolling you in Kuoh Academy. It's the school all of us go to. You'd be with Akeno and I in third year," Rias said.

"You… enrolled me in high school?" Elros deadpanned. Rias went as scarlet as her hair as she realized how ridiculous it was. She enrolled someone she barely knew in a school he knew nothing of in a country he only landed in due to a bizarre stroke of luck.

"I just figured that if, you know, you had nothing to do, you could go to school or something! I suppose it was a bit dumb of me. You probably have to go save a planet or something. I just thought that…" Rias trailed off, twirling her hair around a finger.

"Ha. Relax, Rias. It's fine. Thank you for being so kind. I really do appreciate it," Elros said warmly. Rias recomposed herself and returned his smile.

"So what do you think? You'd be in the same cla.s.s as Akeno and I," she said.

"A unique proposition, that's for sure. Christ, I can't even remember the last time I set foot in a cla.s.sroom," Elros said, sighing deeply as he looked up at the ceiling. Flashes of red, brown, black, and blonde hair crossed his line of sight, eliciting a small grin.

"What do you mean? You grew up in the States, right? Didn't you go to school there?" Rias asked, surprised.

"I became a Lantern when I was young, so this is really the only life I've known. It wasn't a huge concern because the ring stores all known information on virtually any subject in existence. I managed to keep up with my learning, it was just self styled as opposed to a cla.s.sroom. I've no memory of any kind of cla.s.sroom teaching," Elros said.

"You're kidding!" Rias exclaimed.

"Nope. Been to a few college campuses, but those were for person reasons," Elros said, suggestively raising his eyebrows. He laughed as Rias blushed, figuring what he was implying. "I can see the gears turning in your head, Rias. What're you thinking about, I wonder?"

"Oh stop," she mumbled. "Anyways, what do you think? Do you want to give school a shot?"

"Yeah. Why not? Got f.u.c.k all else to do right now, anyways. Besides, could be fun," Elros said, grinning.

'A chance at a somewhat normal life? Well, about as normal as I can get. Let's see where this goes,' Elros thought, tapping his fingers along the couch. Rias, meanwhile, was beside herself in glee.

"Wonderful! We'll get you some clothes once we get to school, alright?" Rias said happily.

"Sounds good. But changing track for a second, weren't you guys on vacation or something last night?" Elros wondered.

"It's time we had taken off personally. We've had to deal with a lot of things these past few months and I thought that everyone deserved some time off to decompress. They've all been working really hard. I figured a few nights in the hills would be nice," Rias said.

"Until I crashed down. My bad," Elros sighed.

"It's fine," Rias said, smiling. "Have you remembered anything else yet?"

"Nope. I image I got hit by something. Pretty sure I didn't just fall asleep," Elros said, racking his mind.

"I'm surprised you still managed to get to Earth," Rias sighed.

"Ha, me too," he said cheerfully.

"You should probably be a bit more worried about getting got bottom of what happened," Rias sighed.

"I figure it'll come back to me. Once I'm on Earth, I just want to enjoy myself," Elros said with a boyish grin. "Now that I think about it, high school just might be the way to go!"

"Enjoy it while you can. This is our last semester, so we'll be entering college soon," Rias said, smiling.

"Even better," Elros said with a smirk, letting his mind wander.

"I can guess what you're thinking," Rias sighed, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"Jeez, I hope I don't have to repeat cla.s.ses or something, though. Did you forge my grades?" Elros wondered.

"Not really. My dad's the princ.i.p.al of the school, so the buck stops with him. I figured it'd be fine for you; you seem smart enough, at least. That said, you'll have to earn your grades just like the rest of us this semester," Rias said.

"And are we in the same cla.s.ses?" He wondered.

"Yup. Everyone in school is really nice as well, so I think you'll have good time," she said.

"Perfect," Elros said, leaning his head back as he heard Akeno exit. Fresh as a daisy, she smiled and went over to Rias.

"Ready?" She asked.

"More than ready. Wow. I love the dress code," he said, his eyes was.h.i.+ng over their figures.

"Want to give us a once over like we did you?" Akeno asked seductively, eliciting a smirk from Rias. Elros grinned and leaped up, pulling her in close. He hugged her close and slid his hands slowly down her back, enjoying every inch. Akeno bit her lip and leaned her head against him, tracing his chest and sides.

"A billion times yes. Care to join, Rias? I'm fantastic at mult.i.tasking," Elros offered, holding his hand out to her.

"Maybe later. Let's focus on school for now," she sighed.

"This is much more fun, though. Right, Akeno?" He asked as he ran them down her hips and the top of her thighs, stopping as he reached the hem of her skirt.

"Mhm," she hummed, looking up. Only a few inches separated their pa.s.sionate gaze.

"I don't deny that, but I think the others would like to see you soon as well," Rias said, feeling a pang of jealousy shoot through her. Akeno seemed to be enjoying his touch, she inferred; she had rarely seen her best friend so red. Elros sighed, nodding.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled.

"Don't get so depressed over it. There'll be plenty of time later," Akeno giggled. "Anyways, did you decide on whether you want to become one of us?"

"I'll let you guys know by the end of the week, like I said to Rias. It's an interesting proposition," Elros said.

"And you agreed to come to school with us?" She wondered.

"I did. My first day. Let's get going, shall we?" He wondered. The green uniform suddenly disappeared, leaving his tattered rags from the night before. The s.h.i.+rt was a still a bit small, the jeans torn; but it would do for the moment.

"You keep your civilian clothes on under your uniform?" Rias inquired.

"Of course. Otherwise, if I'm unconscious or the rings out of power, I'd be naked. I'm confident, but not that confident," Elros laughed.

"Handsome in a punk way," Akeno said, smiling.

"Very," Rias added.

"Ha, thanks. I hope the guys uniform doesn't make me look like a tool. But nonetheless, thanks again Rias, Akeno," Elros said as they stepped out.

"Not at all. Let's go. I'm sure the others would love to see you again soon," Rias said. Elros smiled, holding an arm out for either to take.

"Why thank you," Akeno said with a cute curtsey as she held on tightly. She lightly traced it up and down with a finger, admiring the muscles and veins.

"A gentleman it seems," Rias said, doing the same.

"I try my best," Elros said as they made their way downstairs.

As they stepped out into the rising sun, Elros took a moment and closed his eyes. sighing deeply. He smiled wide as he turned his face up to the sun, allowing it beat down upon his face, stars filling his thoughts. When he was on Earth, he liked to do little more than relax unless something urgent was about.

While seeming rather lackadaisical on the surface, it helped him work better as a Lantern; after all, even heroes needed some time off. Laying down in the shade of a large tree on a crisp day while the sun shone was one of his favorite past times; but on a day such as this, with the cool wind whipping gently about his face, the shade wasn't necessary - only the star that gave this planet life.

"Is something wrong?" Akeno asked worriedly as she saw him pause.

"Not in the slightest. It's just been a while since I've been able to enjoy a peaceful suns.h.i.+ne. Plus, with two beautiful women by my side - just making sure I have an image of this moment to keep," Elros said quietly, eyes still closed. Rias and Akeno smiled at each other as they patiently waited for him to finish, each hugging his arm a bit tighter. Finally, he opened his eyes and they continued to walk towards Kuoh Academy.