Mikasa Ackerman clenched her fists tightly.

It was the second least dramatic reaction to Sona's loss in the booth after Grayfia's quiet exhale of air.

Their Kings, obviously, were less measured in their responses.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Serafall Leviathan wailed to the sky as she collapsed to her knees. 

So grief-filled was her shout that one would think a family member had died. 

"SOOOO-TAAAAAANNNNN!"

"WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Sirzechs Lucifer, in contrast, was shouting in joy as he hopped up and down, waving his red flag energetically. "Go Rias. Go Rias. Go Rais."

The Crimson Satan's chant would have gone on longer if not for his fellow Satan tackling him around the waist with all the fury of a rabid hamster. 

The frozen gerbil, powered by the rage of a sis-con who just saw her sister lose, tried to strangle the leader of her race, frothing at the mouth with righteous So-tan-fuelled power.

Mikasa and Grayfia shared long-suffering looks of commiseration.

Then they went to stop a second civil war, one caused by an argument over whose sister was better.

Grayfia went straight for the physical option, grabbing her husband's ear and pulling it tight. 

Sirzechs flinched, partly from his wife's pinching and partly because Serafall had bitten him on the arm with all the small dog energy she could muster.

Mikasa, in contrast, went for the diplomatic approach.

"Serafall," Mikasa sighed. "What are you doing?"

"'effen'in-." Judging she couldn't get her point across adequately as she was, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for all devil-kind spat out Sirzechs' sleeve to proclaim her intent proudly. "Defending So-tan's honor!"

Long knowing her King, Mikasa didn't even try to argue. Instead, she just went for the nape of the neck.

"Instead of consoling her after her first Rating Game loss?" Mikasa asked simply.

It was like she had smashed her King with a hammer.

"AH!" Serafall gasped in horrified realization. "You're right, Mi-tan! Don't worry, So-tan! Onee-sama is coming!"

With a swish of her pink skirt, an unnecessary panty shot, and a rain of sparkles, Serafall teleported away.

Grayfia gave Mikasa a look of admiration and respect as she pulled her own King to his feet.

"Are you certain you do not wish to be employed," the maid asked. There was a thread of desperate hope in her voice, one Mikasa only noticed because of their similar way of speaking. "I assure you, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is more than generous in salary and benefits. And you would be a great help."

"No thanks," Mikasa answered bluntly.

Grayfia looked heartbroken, even though her face hadn't so much as twitched.

"What did you think of the match," Sirzechs asked, rubbing his cheek.

"They did good."

"They did more than good," Sirzechs protested good-naturedly. Mikasa remained silent. "Admit it, you are proud of Sona's Peerage."

She was, but she wouldn't admit anything to the man. Mikasa had nothing personally against the Satan, but also had no desire to be closer to her King's friend.

Or anyone else, really.

"They did good," Mikasa repeated.

Sirzechs pouted.

Would devils really be all right with this type of leadership? Mikasa asked herself that for the thousandth time.

Sure, they were in the Satan's private viewing room, but the Pawn was confident that all the Satans' eccentricities were not nearly as feigned as they liked others to believe. 

They really were these types of idiots. 

They just also were supremely powerful and could be competent. Sometimes. The juxtaposition was probably why they were so successful. Nobody was sure what was fake and what was true.

It was the only way these 'young' devils had been able to lead a faction full of millennia-old monsters with the worst sort of vices.

In the end, it was none of Mikasa's business.

"Be that way," Sirzechs sighed dramatically.

"I am going to see how they are doing," the Pawn said, preparing to teleport to the infirmary herself. Then she paused and finally asked a question she had been worrying over. "Will this loss hurt Sona's dream?"

"Not likely," the leader of the devils answered easily. "While most traditional devils value power over all else, none of the ones that really matter will have expected Sona to beat Rias or Sairaorg. Even if they don't hold the rank officially, a High-class Peerage has never beaten an Ultimate-class one. The match might actually do the opposite, as Sona's tactics allowed her to come close to defeating not only a new Ultimate class devil with the Power of Destruction but also the Red Dragon Emperor."

Mikasa nodded, letting a bit of relief fill her chest. She had been worried and wasn't politically aware enough to know if this would hamper Sona after she had declared her ambition so proudly.

"Sona demonstrated her mental ability, which is more important for her dream than direct power," Sirzechs must have noticed her relief because he continued. "And her Peerage demonstrated their competence against a stronger force, as well as coordination. Rias not only won but also demonstrated her power and control to a degree most Ultimate class beings struggle with. Even Issei stood out, making up for the showing with Riser and demonstrating perseverance and loyalty that will put even the hardest fearmongers to rest."

"Unfortunately, the rest of Lady Rias' Peerage will have to give a better showing in the coming matches."

"They have the entire rest of the tournament," Sirzechs waived off his Queen's concern. "No, this was likely the best outcome for both of them. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought they staged it. Hells, Sona might have planned it if she knew she couldn't win."

That did sound like Sona. Accomplishing her goal even in defeat.

Mikasa nodded in thanks to the pair for their explanation and once again prepared herself for teleportation.

"When you get the chance," Lucifer added before she disappeared. "Please talk to Rias and her Peerage as well. They might have won, but it was a rough go."

Mikasa simply nodded again as the device Adjuka created for her teleported her away.

She reappeared in the part of the facility designed to receive those injured in Rating Games. 

While fatalities weren't carried over from the fake space, there were always chances of aftereffects, and combatants would need a place to recover from exhaustion and unconsciousness as they were evaluated by the medics.

From there, Mikasa faced a choice. 

Did she go see Rias and her Peerage, as Sirzechs asked, or visit Sona and hers?

Mikasa did like Rias and her group, and she knew them decently well. Plus, Serafall was with Sona, so Mikasa's presence would be more of a hindrance as her King tried to distract Sona with her antics.

But...

"Please train me!" A young Kiba Yutto glared up at Mikasa. "Please. I have to kill them all!"

The newly named Koneko Toujo looked at her with blank eyes. Familiar eyes. The eyes of a girl who had lost everything but could never pick up a small blade to fight back.

"I am Himejima Akeno," the young girl curtsied formally. "Pleased to meet you." Mikasa wanted to shatter that fake and brittle smile.

"I'm not a monster. I don't want to drink blood." The boy hidden in the cardboard box could not see Mikasa flinch. "I'm not a monster."

Mikasa turned toward the section where Sona's Peerage was to be recovering.

It wasn't that she didn't like Rias and her Peerage. In fact, she was glad Sona had such a vivacious childhood friend. It was just...

It was like the Gremory Peerage was a blade, cutting deep into wounds Mikasa had thought long healed.

Every one of them reminded the former soldier of long-dead friends, of times of cruelty and death, and of a boy waiting under a tree. 

Hells, the Red Dragon Emperor even sounded slightly like Eren.

Rias had been the only exception, a bastion of joy and liveliness, so at odds with all the cruelties of the world and desperately trying to bring joy to those lost children.

At least until...

"We will be free," Rias declared to the world. Mikasa could almost imagine seeing the shadow of a grey-eyed boy behind her, and her heart sank. Was history doomed to repeat itself? "And we will destroy all who take that freedom from us."

... Mikasa would talk with them later. For now, it was better to check on the Sitri Peerage.

She found them without issue, as there were no other Rating Games at the moment to accommodate the Young Devils Tournament.

Deciding to step past the room where she could hear Serafall try to 'console' Sona, though she did smile slightly at Serafall's antics, Mikasa went to the larger room containing the rest of the Peerage.

They were all there, some crowding around Saji's bed as he had been the last to be defeated, but the rest were all talking to each other in low, dejected voices.

Tsubaki was the first to notice Mikasa's arrival.

"Mikasa-sensei," the Queen said in surprise, standing to her feet as the rest of the Peerage did the same. 

Or at least tried to, in Saji's case, but Riruko held him down forcefully to prevent him from standing.

Mikasa looked over the room, noting the looks of shame and failure.

"Good job," she said, trying to cheer them up.

It didn't really work.

"We lost," Momo murmured dejectedly.

"And you helped us train so much," Reya said as she sat back down with a sigh, staring at the floor.

"Sorry, Ackerman-sensei," Tsubasa apologized.

Saji didn't say anything, clenching his fists in frustration as he stared down at his lap.

Mikasa understood they were frustrated, disappointed, and sad that they had lost after giving their all.

But...

"I said 'good job' because you did a good job," Mikasa said simply. "You were evenly matched in numbers but were the weaker party." 

They all winced, but Mikasa continued bluntly. They needed to hear this. 

"Despite that, you managed to defeat all but two of them before they put up any resistance. You would have won if you were facing anyone but the Red Dragon Emperor and an Ultimate class devil."

"I almost had him," Saji growled through grit teeth. "Just a little longer."

"No," Mikasa answered brutally. "You didn't. The longer a fight goes on, the stronger a Red Dragon Emperor becomes. You could outlast him if he was a Pawn, but he's a Rook. You all lost when the surprise attack failed to take out Hyoudou and Rias."

"Then what," Momo asked helplessly, tears beading her eyes as she looked at their instructor. "Were we supposed to give up?"

"No," Mikasa repeated. "You did exactly what you should have done. You fought an organized retreat against superior opponents. When one of you fell, the others didn't panic, just reorganized. You extended a match that should have been over in a minute to over five."

None of them looked consoled, and the former scout shook her head.

"This is why I don't like Rating Games," Mikasa admitted, and they looked at her in surprise.

"Why not Sensei?" Riruko asked.

"They teach the wrong lessons," Mikasa leaned against the doorway. 

How to put this in a way they'd understand? Once more, the former soldier wished Armin was here. He was the one with a way with words. 

"In the real world, in the field, Hyoudou would have started Boosting before entering battle, and you'd have no chance of defeating him. Rias would have acted as artillery and destroyed the building from a distance. Or Akeno, since you- we are devils. In the real world, there would not have been a battle."

The Peerage looked more dejected, angry, or despondent with every word Mikasa spoke.

"Despite all that, in the real world, I would still choose to have you all and Sona over Rias and her Peerage."

"Ackerman-sensei?" Tsubaki asked, light returning to her eyes.

"I am not saying this because I trained you or to make you feel better," Mikasa explained with narrowed eyes. "I am stating the truth. If I went on a mission, I would choose you all over them."

"Why?" Tsubasa asked, hope in her voice. They all knew Mikasa wasn't one to mince words or use platitudes.

"Tactics, teamwork, and mindset," Mikasa listed off simply. "Rias might be more powerful, but Sona is the better leader. I'd trust her orders more. And we would work together rather than separately. Having comrades you can coordinate with is a force and safety multiplier. When someone goes off on their own, they are an easy victim. And when things went wrong? You all handled it logically rather than letting emotions ruin your plan."

How many times had she messed things up because she couldn't control her emotions?

Too many to count.

"You saw Hyoudou? The loss of his comrades gave him strength, but he became a blunt instrument. Instead of working with Rias, he took you all on practically alone. While they won the match, it was despite their faults, not because of their superiority."

By now, everyone was looking much brighter. Some were even smiling.

Good.

Mikasa was terrible at cheering people up. Or working with the emotions of others at all. It had always been difficult trying to sympathize with Grisha when he was growing up. Not because she didn't care or didn't have ideas to help, but because Mikasa had no idea how to convey what she was feeling or thinking.

Mikasa had always felt strongly about people, but conveying those emotions had been impossible for so long. It was like there had been a wall separating her from everyone else, and only rarely had she been able to cross it.

It had been easier with people like her adoptive family, but she had only been able to really express herself without issue with two people.

It had been Jean who had come up with the idea of putting a military lens on situations. Mikasa might not have been able to give a motivational speech to save her life, but she had given hundreds of After Action Reports.

It helped that these were the words Mikasa wished she had received when she was younger. When she thought her strength was all that was needed to keep those she loved safe.

The world needed more Erwins, Armins, and Sonas than it needed more Mikasas, Levis, and Rias'.

The world needed more people working together. 

The world did not need stronger monsters.

Mikasa made sure to stare them all in the eyes, one at a time, so that they would understand what she was telling them.

"You. Did. Good."

This time, her words had her desired effect as chests slightly puffed in pride. Mikasa nodded, glad to see the small smiles she received.

"More than good!" 

Mikasa whirled, sword appearing in her hand to point at the throat of the cheerful voice that had snuck up on her. 

Azazel didn't even flinch.

"You all were wonderful," the former Governor of the Grigorri was all smiles despite the blade at his Adam's apple. "So much data. I couldn't have asked for a better showcase of my Artificial Sacred Gears. I need to know everything. How did they feel? Were they responsive in live combat? Did you feel any change before and after the battle? And do you want to keep them? The same ones, or do you want to try some of my other inventions? Tsubaki, are you sure you don't want to try Heavenly Crimson Black Halberd? I think you will see even better results."

The inventor babbled happily, surveying the Sitri Peerage with a critical eye as they all squirmed under his gaze. 

Azazel's help significantly contributed to their good showing, thanks to his artificial Sacred Gears. Still, it didn't change that he could be off-putting because of his power, race, and mania whenever he started talking about sacred gears. 

Especially the ones he created and named.

Names that the group had immediately changed.

Mikasa put her blade back in her storage device.

"Azazel," the Pawn greeted with a nod, if not a particularly friendly one. She had nothing against the man, fallen or not, but he reminded her too much of Hange. And not the reliable Hange, but the one obsessed with Titans. And Mikasa had never really approved of how Hange would act around... "They've just fought. Give them time to rest."

"This is the best time," Azazel argued. "While the memory is fresh."

"Don't worry, Mikasa-sensei, we're recovered," Tsubaki nodded with a slight grimace. "It is the least we can do for Azazel-dono. So long as he lets Saji rest for a while."

"I'm fine," the Pawn tried to protest, but Riruko pushed him back into bed again with a frown.

"That's for the best," Azazel nodded quickly. "I have something else planned for him." Saji looked worried at the fallen's easy smile. "Don't worry. Next time you face Issei, you'll be able to do more than simply hold him off."

"You will tell both Sona and me everything you have planned before doing anything." Tsubaki adjusted her glasses so they glinted ominously as if daring the leader of an entire faction to test her.

"Yes, yes," Azazel waived off her glare quickly. "You'll agree, I'm sure. Now, come on, all of you. I want to get some readings as soon as possible."

Sona's Peerage shared long commiserating looks, well used to being directed, before filing out of the room.

Mikasa was going to follow them as well to ensure Azazel didn't push them too hard when she noticed Momo and Ruroko saying farewell to 'Gen-chan.'

Saji returned their farewells but completely ignored the more nuanced glances the girls shared with each other and how they looked at him.

Mikasa winced internally.

Right. 

That situation.

"I must speak to Saji," Mikasa said plainly, getting questioning looks, but she paid them no mind. Instead, she stared at the fallen leader. "Do not go too far."

"Who do you take me for," Azazel said with a foppish grin, placing his hand over his heart as if he had been wounded by Mikasa's words. "I'd never do something like that."

Mikasa just stared the man down.

"Fine," he sighed eventually with a slump. "I'll save the more rigorous and thorough tests for tomorrow."

Mikasa nodded.

She also discreetly signalled for Tsubaki to call her if the fallen tried something.

Azazel was too much like Hange when it came to Sacred Gears to not have redundancies, just in case.

It didn't take long for Mikasa and Saji to be left alone, and Mikasa closed the door and locked it. 

This would be embarrassing enough without being interrupted.

"Ackerman-sensei?" The Pawn shifted nervously on his bed as she walked over and sat on one of the chairs nearby.

Mikasa didn't say anything.

How was she supposed to do this? 

There was a reason she had put this off for so long. Talking with Sona about romance had been hard enough and only even possible because Mikasa had seen so much of herself in the young devil.

Well, herself and Armin. 

Sona was much more like her friend than Mikasa most of the time.

"Ackerman-sensei?" Saji said again, looking around nervously as Mikasa just sat there, looking at him and not saying anything. "What, um, what did you want to talk about? The match?"

"Saji." Mikasa decided to just speak bluntly and get this over with. "You like Sona."

The boy flinched, flushing as he looked down at his hands.

"Uuuumm," Saji cleared his throat as he squeaked out his words. "You could tell?"

No, but Sona had told her, and once she knew where to look, Mikasa had seen the signs herself.

"She turned you down."

"No," Saji said softly, still looking at the bed as his fists clenched in his sheets. "I didn't even get the chance to confess. She just knew. Pulled me aside and told me it wouldn't happen."

"Do you know why?"

"Because of-" Saji flinched, looked up to meet Mikasa's eyes, then looked back to the bed. His following words were spoken through grit teeth. "Because she likes someone else."

Mikasa knew Sona was trying to keep this boy's exact name and location a secret, likely to avoid either her parents' or, more likely, Serafall's attention. She couldn't even say it was without merit, knowing her best friend as she did.

Serafall had a surprisingly sly side to her, and more than once, Mikasa had let something slip she hadn't intended under the bubbly Satan's attention.

Mikasa was also unsurprised that Sona had ordered her Peerage to keep all information on the human a secret, possibly under threat of punishment. Sona would not have allowed such a point of weakness if she could help it. She had probably also had Rias and her Peerage under the same or similar threat.

In the end, Mikasa wasn't the type to pry. She'd find out who he was when Sona felt ready to share and make her judgements on the boy from there.

"I'm sure that's part of the reason," Mikasa nodded more softly than before. "Another part is her duty as a leader."

"I don't care about that!" Saji looked up to meet her eyes fiercely. "I know I'm just a Low class Pawn, but I'll get there. I'm going to be a devil worthy of her. I swear it!"

While his dedication was admirable, the boy was missing the point.

"You know Sona doesn't care about status," Mikasa scowled, and the boy looked away again. "That's not why she rejected you. It's because she's your leader. She will be your superior, your King, for the rest of your lives, even if you are both High class. It's not about the class. It is about the power dynamic. She doesn't feel comfortable with a relationship like that."

"She'd never take advantage of me, and I'd never ask for special privilege."

"Even if true, her emotional attachment would affect Sona's judgement. She doesn't want that. That's not the leader, the King, she wants to be."

Saji didn't say anything, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Mikasa didn't think she was getting through to him. Sona had probably already explained all this to him before.

Really, what was Mikasa doing here?

She wasn't some genius when it came to relationships. In fact, she was terrible with them. With feelings in general. 

Why had Sona asked her to do this?

Saji was stubbornly silent, body trembling. Was it rage at his situation or sadness that had his fists clenched so hard?

Despite herself, Mikasa's heart went out to the boy.

She might not be knowledgeable about relationships or love, but heartbreak? 

Heartbreak, Mikasa knew intimately.

"No matter the reason, Sona doesn't see you the way you see her," Mikasa said, face in a mask of neutrality. "So you have a choice."

"A choice?" Saji looked up, hope in his eyes. 

It was as if he expected Mikasa to have a way to get Sona to change her mind.

She didn't. 

All the former soldier had was the bitter truth of reality.

"Try to move on or persevere." When the boy looked like he would answer immediately, Mikasa cut him off with a look. "To persevere is not a good thing. Sona asked me to come here to stop just that." 

Saji flinched as if Mikasa had slapped him. 

"Why not," he croaked sadly. "He's not going to be around forever. He's human. I will always be by Sona's side. Maybe she'll change her mind."

"Maybe she'll find someone else," Mikasa said bluntly, and Saji flinched again. Mikasa sighed. 

She wasn't trying to hurt the boy, but this was all true, and he needed to hear it. 

"To persevere is to go years, decades, without doing anything. No acting on your feelings, even if they remain strong. Not even when, if, Sona is available. Because any time you try anything, you will just remind her why she rejected you. Whether or not you two end up together would be entirely up to her. If you falter, push, or are just unlucky, you will never have the love you want."

"That's kind of romantic, isn't it," Saji tried to smile. It came out as more of a grimace. "Someone always there for you, you know? Who always has your back, who you know loves you? That's a love story, isn't it?" 

His voice cracked, and he looked like he was going to cry.

Mikasa took no pleasure in her following words, though they needed to be said.

"That's not a love story." Her words were soft but no less deadly for their tone. "It's a tragedy."

The tears fell on the bed sheets, and it was Mikasa's turn to look away.

She pretended not to hear the tears fall or the muffled sobs.

Mikasa was terrible at this. 

All she was good for was hurting people, not helping them.

"It can work," Mikasa found herself saying, the words slipping out from her mouth even as she continued to look away. "That is how my husband and I got together."

"...What?" Saji's voice was soft and wet and oh so delicate.

"He gave me time to grieve. He'd loved me for years but didn't say anything, even when I was... available. It took ten years before I was ready to move on. But..."

Mikasa looked at the wet eyes of a young boy who had been rejected by his first love.

"But is that what you want?" The old widow asked gently. "My husband and I were happy together. Made a family. But... there was always someone between us. We both knew it. I couldn't help who I loved, just like you can't, just like Sona can't. It hurt him. And it will hurt for the rest of your life if that's what you choose to do."

Mikasa had come to love Jean. They had many happy years and memories together. Grisha was the light of her life.

But Eren's memory had always been there. A silence, a hole that could not be filled.

If it weren't for everything Eren had done for them, for Jean going into the relationship knowing exactly what he was getting into, and for Jean's own sense of empathy, their relationship would never have worked.

Mikasa Ackerman had loved Jean Kirstein, but she just couldn't physically find it in herself to love someone more than she had loved Eren Yeager.

And that knowledge had permeated their marriage from the moment they first kissed to the last kiss goodbye.

One last tiny tragedy, even amid the happiness of a long and happy life together.

"What else am I supposed to do," Saji asked, biting his lip and squeezing the sheets harder.

"You can try and move on," Mikasa said, trying to be gentle with her encouragement. She didn't know if she succeeded. "It won't be easy. It won't be quick. You will always feel something for her. But you will be happier in the long run. You both will."

"This would have been so much easier if she just liked me," Saji said, trying to joke as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Or if you liked the girls who like you," Mikasa pointed out the hypocrisy in his statement.

"What?" Saji asked, looking at the older Pawn in surprise. "What girls? Who likes me?"

Mikasa blinked.

Right, she was dealing with a teenage boy here. Utterly oblivious to the feelings of others.

Maybe he hadn't been ignoring Momo and Ruroko and had genuinely not noticed.

"I'll let you figure that out," Mikasa deadpanned, standing up from her seat.

She might not pry if they wanted to keep her in the dark about Sona's human lover, but she was petty enough to get a measure of payback. There was only so much teenage drama she couldn't deal with anyway.

She looked down at the boy on the bed, feeling relief that she had gotten Sona's request over with and more than a small measure of sympathy.

"Unless you deeply love Sona so much that you are willing to be alone for decades, potentially forever, you are better off trying to move on and find happiness with someone else."

There was some hope. 

Mikasa knew that Saji had only known Sona personally for a few months. This early on in their dynamic, there was every possibility he could move on if he tried.

It still wouldn't be easy, but there was hope.

"What you decide to do is up to you," Mikasa said as she moved to leave the room. "I can only tell you what I recommend. Chase your own happiness, Saji."

"Ackerman-sensei." Mikasa paused, hand on the door handle to look back at the boy. "Call me Genshirou, please," Sa- Genshirou asked. "And... Thanks."

Mikasa just nodded, glad to see some measure of determination in the Pawn's eyes.

Mikasa wished she was better at this sort of thing, but she had done all she could. 

Everything from here would be up to the boy's own choices.

She left the young devil to ruminate on his thoughts and get himself in order.

It wasn't a happy conversation, but it needed to happen.

Genshirou wouldn't have an easy time of it, no matter what he decided to do, but at least he shouldn't bother Sona anymore, which was the goal.

********

Alone in his medical room, physically fine but emotionally wrung out, Genshirou Saji stared down at his hands.

He was frustrated, jealous, sad, heartbroken, tired, and confused. 

He didn't know what to do with himself but knew he needed to do something.

Wholly alone, he allowed the tears to flow freely.

One hand wiped them away while the other pounded his bed.

Alone, free of fear of judgment, Genshirou Saji let out his true feelings in a low mutter of impotent jealousy. One last bitter, pathetic, and all too human venting.

"Damn Yeager," he murmured under his breath, voice rough with pain. "Why couldn't it have been me?"

For a minute, Saji sat there, feeling sorry for himself, letting the pain in his heart dwell.

Then he stood up from the bed, smacked himself on the cheek a few times, and wiped his red eyes dry.

Genshirou Saji was not a man to sit still and lament his lot. 

He might not be the man she liked, but he was still a Pawn of Sona Sitri, the devil who'd change the world. 

He still believed in her dream and still wanted to be a part of it.

Even if he wasn't the man she loved, Saji would still be a man she respected.

Even if it meant facing the pain of moving on from his first love.

With renewed determination, Saji left his room to set out and join his fellow Peerage mates. 

They might have lost the first Rating Game of the Young Devil Gathering, but Saji would be damned if they lost the second.

********

For all his determination to grow, to be better, and to walk forward, Genshirou Saji was still a newly reincarnated devil.

He was still unaware of just how sensitive a devil's senses could be.

Especially those of a Satan's Pawn who used to be one of humanity's strongest soldiers.

"Mi-chan?" Serafall asked her Pawn with worry. 

The door was halfway opened as the woman prepared to 'save' Sona from Serafall's attempt to 'kiss her boo-boos away.'

Then her friend froze mid-word, head darting to look back down the hall with wide eyes.

At the Leviathan's words, Mikasa snapped her head to look at her.

No... not her.

At Sona.

Mikasa didn't move as she stared the girl down, face more intense than Serafall had ever seen.

Then she spoke two words, eyes boring into Sona's.

"Eren Yeager."

Sona flinched, eyes darting around in a panic.

Serafall didn't know why.

All she knew was that she had never seen such a look on her Pawn's face before.

Everything happened so quickly after that for the Leviathan to get a clear answer out of her Pawn.

Then, the woman she considered a second sister was gone, and Serafall was left with her actual sister and dozens of questions.

Like, who was 'Eren Yeager?'

********

Please.

Please.

Please.

Please let it be him.

Please let it be him.

Please let it be him.

Ymir. God. Satans. Great Red. 

I don't care who answers.

Just please let it be Eren.

Please let it be my Eren.

Mikasa raced from her teleportation portal, having broken a half dozen laws to get to the human world on such short notice with Adjuka's device.

Mikasa didn't care about that.

All Mikasa cared about, all she could think about was Eren Yeager.

The Pawn took less than a second to move from the Kuoh teleportation spot to the spot in the park Sona had let slip.

Then Mikasa froze, feet and wings refusing to move, even as her heart did its best to burst from her chest.

A heady feeling overcame her, and she stumbled as vertigo overwhelmed her.

It was surreal. 

Like she was in a dream.

If what she saw was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.

In a clearing of trees along a dirt path, alone in the warm afternoon sun, Mikasa Ackerman found Eren Yeager napping on the bench.

********

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *Evil laughter intensifies.*

Already the longest chapter of the fic, but I had so much to write. Sorry, not sorry. Don't expect this length too often, though. I still intend to keep most chapters between 2500 and 5000 words, with an average of around 3500.

From her first appearance in the story to now, only ten chapters have passed. Still, it feels like forever. I had no intention of delaying Mikasa and Eren's reunion to the end of the story, but at the same time, there were reasons, both Watsonian and Doyalist, that they hadn't met till now. Only some of them are obvious, but they will all be fleshed out more in the coming chapters.

I am glad we are finally here, though I will address something people have commented on after chapter 28. It is not that Mikasa didn't see reminders of Eren in Rias. There were always such reminders, even before Eren entered their life. I've already briefly touched on, from Eren's talks with them, how they remind him of some of his old comrades. Mikasa saw that, too, but she was not a peer of theirs. She is a grown woman. Connecting to them, beyond a simple matronly figure, has a whole different set of problems. One Mikasa Ackerman is not suited to handle.

That is a bit of a microcosm of an issue I face with a story like this, almost wholly unique to crossover fanfiction. Mikasa has been around in this world for decades. She's influenced the world even before our story started. But, for narrative purposes, I have to balance her existence with the story's needs.

Do I introduce her in the first chapter, well before her role comes in, as a way of signalling what is to come? Or do I only introduce her when she starts to affect the main story? In the end, I settled for a middle ground. She only shows up when she, the character, would. 

I like this type of character-driven story, as it absolves me of many contrivances fanfiction writers often use. Imagine if Mikasa suddenly is with Eren on the bench with no warning. That would feel like a total ass-pull. This way, things happen more organically.

A few other misc notes to round us off. I am glad I could give Sona's Peerage and Saji a bit of screen time. They still won't be major characters, but they are a part of Sona's and Mikasa's stories, so they deserve some focus. Same with Serafall. She is also not going to be a main character, but she ties into both Sona and Mikasa so profoundly that she will get more exploration later.

With all that said, while you are still wringing from that cliffhanger, I will meet you all next time, with Mikasa and Eren, on the bench.

PS: .....Mwahahahahaha.