So here goes my first ever fanfiction. I had bounced around the idea of a darker, less outgoing Issei for a while, and eventually realized that I was well acquainted with a different protagonist who fit the bill perfectly.


It had taken several weeks for JB to find a school that met his requirements, though those in themselves hadn't been all that complicated.

Wanting to give being an 'ordinary student at an ordinary school' a shot was a simple, innocuous wish. In no way complicated.

Until you factored in that the request was made by one Kazami Yuuji.

In his home country of Japan, Kuoh Academy was settled upon as the best fit. It had only been co-ed for a few years, and a boy raised by women would probably do just fine as the far less represented gender.

Or he'd be in an ideal position to turn the overwhelming majority of his future peers into sobbing wrecks.

As much as JB would never, ever admit it, Kazami Yuuji had not been raised by any normal women. And that included her.

His arrival had been crowned by the dubious honor of having to be bailed out of the local precinct over the phone, because he'd walked across county lines with nothing more than a hiking pack and his school uniform.

In a fit of (blonde) insanity, JB had forgotten that Yuuji's near pathological distaste for trains would lead to him viewing an over 175 km hike as a logical alternative. True, the precinct had hopped to when Ichigaya came calling, asking for their dog to be let out of its kennel, but Yuuji wasn't the one being chewed out by the brass over his little stunt.

That joy fell to his handler, as did any other little joys Yuuji would bring, because JB had the glorious double duty of being his legal guardian as well.

JB didn't regret taking on that roll for a second. She did regret how much of her paycheck was devoted to beer and Advil.

The 'Yuuji fund' was starting to sound an awful lot like 'unhealthy coping mechanisms'.

She was already dreading the phone call she'd receive if (when) Yuuji made his teachers cry.


He'd found slipping into the meandering flow of students to be easy enough. No one paid him any mind in the hustle and bustle of early morning.

A somewhat tall young man with short black hair, bangs just long enough to cover most of his forehead. Sharp black eyes and an athletic body not quite concealed by the Kuoh Academy's black blazer and slacks. Kazami Yuuji received more than a few envious, and admiring stares.

It was less that no one was 'paying him any mind' so much as that the myriads of students whispering and staring at the handsome new mystery…

Simply weren't on his radar.

He'd expected highschool to be noisy, and it was. Perhaps if he'd cared anymore about the contents of the noise than the targets of the stares, he'd notice that most of them were focused on him.

If he'd really paid attention, he'd have noticed that the seeds of his fan-club, and the first tentative drafts of his new title, were already being formed that day.

But none of those thing were the faculty office, or the redhead staring rather fixedly at him from the third floor, so they could wait until they caught his attention.

That day was currently in a neck in neck race with the end of time as we know it.


When Rias caught sight of an unfamiliar face wearing Kuoh's uniform, it was nothing more than idle curiosity that let her gaze linger, one hand absentmindedly winding through her crimson locks.

In all likelihood, he was the exchange student Sona had mentioned. Not that that in itself was all that noteworthy.

She was an "exchange student" herself after all.

But when her gaze lingered just a heartbeat too long, dull, dark eyes had snapped up to meet her gorgeous blue, and an inexplicable chill had swept through the room.

Her pride was just a little stung when he broke eye contact first, with the distinct impression that whatever he'd been looking for, it hadn't been her.

While she'd never used that title herself, Rias Gremory was one of Kuoh's Two Great Onee-samas. Someone who could pass her over like that in her own school would bear watching, if for no other reason than the uncomfortable novelty of the situation.


"Class, today we have a new student joining our ranks, mind introducing yourself?"

"Kazami Yuuji. I'll be in your care." The subject in question stood almost to attention, before seemingly catching himself and relaxing a bit.

"Kazami here recently returned from abroad, so he's been away from Japan for a few years. He's only been on home soil for a few days, so make sure you help him out. Any questions for our new addition?"

Hands sprung up all over the room as everyone began talking at once.

"Where'd you move from?"

"How do you like it here so far?"

"What are your hobbies?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Yuuji spent a moment staring over the room, as if waiting for the flood of questions to die down.

"Canada. No complaints. Reading. No"

There was an expectant silence as the class waited for actual answers that an actual teenager was supposed to give, but when their expectations were met with a vacant, disinterested gaze, the boys thought 'jackass' and the girls thought 'sexy'.

For hormonal teenage girls, Yuuji's expression of ' lifeless boredom' subtly transformed itself into 'brooding mystery'. He was good looking enough for rose-tinted glasses to catch him at all the best angles.

Chatter died down to a dull hum as Yuuji was seated in a vacant desk by the window. He stared out the window, belatedly locking eyes with an out-of-place reflection in the glass.

Something strange and alien had wrapped itself in an ill-fitting uniform and was busy playing pretend. Wrapped up in some sick little game that only it could comprehend.

The faker in the mirror had eyes just like his.

It was probably for the best that JB wasn't here.


Apparently, it was traditional to invite someone to eat lunch with you using the qualifier, 'if no one had already asked'. This tradition seemed to not take into account that this was his first ever lunch period within these halls, but tradition could be strange that way.

Speaking of strange, why hadn't anyone approached him for 'that' yet? Was he unremarkable enough that they weren't even going to bother hazing him, or were they simply biding their time until after school? This definitely wasn't boot camp.

Well, a lot of the guys were grumbling about some 'damn handsome', so maybe they were preoccupied taking out their frustrations on someone better looking. That blonde guy at the front of the class seemed like a good candidate, and unlike Yuuji, the attention he was getting seemed to have nothing to do with being the next new thing.

The tiny white-haired girl that followed him, and dug holes into the back of his head with sharp golden eyes was a bit of a bother, but she seemed more wary than hostile. Could be the type that was inherently suspicious of strangers.

Could also be working up the courage to confess, but if she was, he'd pretend he hadn't noticed her immediately.

That was part of being a gentleman after all.

Seeking a buffer from the hustle and bustle that he frankly had no desire to be a part of, Yuuji eventually found himself on the rooftop of the school building.

Surprisingly, someone else seemed to have had the exact same idea.

The first thing that caught his eye was a long black ponytail, swaying in the wind like a silken ribbon. The next thing to ensnare him were a pair of soft, radiant violet eyes, and a gentle, welcoming smile that shone his way as the door swung shut.

"Ara ara, who would have thought I'd have company in such an out of the way place?"

A soft voice greeted him, and Yuuji had to fight down the feeling that he was ruining something beautiful.

The girl- no woman before him was easily the most beautiful Kazami Yuuji had ever laid eyes on. That long, glossy ponytail reaching almost to her ankles, tied with an orange ribbon, and curves that would make any woman her age (any woman period, who was he kidding) very, very jealous.

On a fellow student no less, if the straining white button-down and dangerously swaying magenta skirt were anything to go by.

Yuuji had never seriously entertained the thought of thanking someone for designing a school uniform, but if he was going to thank anyone, it would probably have to be the person who thought an outfit including a corset would be suitable for the women of Kuoh Academy.

Being confronted by such beauty wasn't nearly enough to make him hesitate, however. JB had worked hard to instill basic courtesy in him.

"Company was what I was kind of trying to avoid." JB had considered her hard work a complete and utter waste.

"My my, so cold, and we've only just met~" A soft giggle and a slight tilt of the head. If anything, the dismissal seemed to encourage her.

"School is noisier than I expected."

Leave me alone.

"You say that like it's an unfamiliar thing...?"

"I'm used to smaller schools."

Stop talking to me.

"Well I suppose I'll keep my voice down…?"

"Kazami Yuuji, class 2B."

If I tell you my name, will you go away?

"Himejima Akeno, 3A. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Yuuji-kun." Her smile, if anything, became even more welcoming. The curiosity in her eyes, less concealed.

"Akeno-san then. I'll leave you to it."

Get out while you can.

"Leaving already? And I thought things were going so well." Yuuji could almost feel the slight pout in her voice.

"If you wanted company you wouldn't be on the roof."

And neither would I.

"Oh but that was before my cute little underclassman wandered up." She giggled again, and Yuuji had to suppress the sudden urge to run.

Dammit Asako, stop being so-

He blinked the thoughts away and released the breath he had unwittingly been holding.

This isn't Asako.

The resemblance was uncanny.

The shared the same empty eyes.

Yuuji did his best to ignore how his pulse quickened in time with her widening smile.

Looking down, it seemed his traitorous right hand had relinquished its grip on the door knob.


"Hey, do you have a girlfriend?" The girl questioning Yuuji was a pretty one, with long black hair and violet eyes. She reminded him of Akeno for some reason. Less endowed to be sure, but he wasn't sure he'd ever meet someone who could naturally win that contest.

Her uniform consisted of a dark red jacket with the letter 'P' embroidered in gold, with a white undershirt, a matching red bow, and a green, plaid skirt.

For reasons well outside of his limited comprehension, this had not been the first confession he'd received in the mere week he'd lived here.

Never-mind the fact that her school uniform didn't match any school in town (he'd familiarized himself), usually the location of choice was somewhere a little less open than a public footbridge.

But her smile seemed honest enough, and the weirdness he was picking up on wasn't the weirdness an 'ordinary student' would likely pick up on, and so far his attempts at that had made his skin crawl, so...

"Heeeyy, did you not hear me?" She really did wear that pout well.

"No."

"No to which?" The pout increased in potency, and Yuuji reigned in the inexplicable urge to tug on those cheeks.

"I don't have a girlfriend, if that's what you're asking." Her sudden smile suggested that was the right answer.

"Then… Please go out with me!" the volume had picked up at the end of that question.

"Why?"

Whatever answer she'd been expecting wasn't that, but Yuuji hadn't caught the hint when every other girl had reacted to his blunt inquiry in identical fashion, so odds of him cluing in this time were low.

"..Because I've seen you walking home this way a few times and I think you're cute?" A bit contrived. But an ordinary student didn't possess his finely honed sense of paranoia.

And being an 'ordinary student' was the goal here.

He'd never been confessed to on a bridge before either. As good a reason as any to play along?

"Kazami Yuuji."

"Huh?"

"If we're going to date, we should at least introduce ourselves."

The blinding smile suggested that he'd finally managed to offer a favorable response to a girls incomprehensible affection, so he supposed that his broken clock was having the first of its two moments.

And it would be odd of him to turn down every confession, so he might as well go with the one that stood out?

"I'm Amano Yuuma, pleased to meet you Yuuji-kun. Oh I'm so excited thank you thank you." She swished her hips back and forth in giddy excitement, raven hair flowing in time with green skirt.

The genuine excitement in her voice helped mask the genuine guilt in his eyes, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow.

"Sunday then? Why don't we meet on the bridge here. Say noon?"

"That would be great, sure!" She chirped at him. That blinding smile never faltered.

"I'll look forward to it then."

"Mm!" She bobbed her head excitedly.

They exchanged their numbers and parted ways, Yuuma waving excitedly as she skipped off.

Only when she was out of sight did his slight smile fade. Kazami Yuuji was used to the sharp sting of regret, but the freshest wounds are always the hardest to ignore.

Asako had wanted him to live a normal life.

Asako had wanted him to be happy.

Asako would probably wonder what it was about the color violet that seemed so fragile and empty.


'Yuuma' let her smile fade and her feet still as she slipped around the corner. He was just humoring her, but something told her that his attempt to humor her would be treated with the same gravity as a real first date.

A shame really. A first date really was supposed to be special.

Just not quite like this.


Yuuji pushed the pamphlet into his back pocket without really looking at it. He wasn't that interested in whatever that cosplayer was advertising, but he'd accepted it to be polite.

He adjusted the collar of his dark navy blazer, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had a date after all, and putting in the effort was important. The jacket was complemented by a white T-shirt and simple, well-fitted slacks ending in leather loafers.

Yuuma waved happily from the bridge as he came into view. She cut quite the adorable figure in her little purple dress that matched her eyes, with a short jacket to match her dark hair.

Yuuji offered her his arm like the gentleman JB had drilled him to be.


Lunch at a little cafe, where Yuuma ate her parfait with stars in her eyes. Yuuji ate whatever fruity, colorful confection she'd teasingly put in front of him.

It probably had a name, and probably wasn't meant to have a coppery aftertaste.


Yuuma dragged him into a clothing store, trying on a few outfits, before doing a sudden 180 to use Yuuji as a live model.

She wasn't petty, so the jealous stares of the other women in the store had no influence on that little change of pace.

Just like Yuuji's raised eyebrow made it clear he hadn't noticed.

The day passed by in a blur, and as they walked into the park had in hand, Yuuji had just about worked up the courage to tell her he'd enjoyed the day.

That he wasn't filled with nausea.

That the man holding her hand wasn't a fake who had no business with a nice girl like her.

That the ice down his spine had nothing to do with guilt. But they were alone, and she clearly had something she wanted to say.

He bit down the bile.

You can lie to her later.

They sat down together on the bench, and Yuuma's near constant smile strained just a little, whatever she'd been hiding finally beginning to bleed on through.

"Hey Yuuji, I really had a lot of fun today. So could I ask you a little favor?"

"Sure" As long as it wasn't another date or another anything. As long as it wasn't accompanied by that damn smile.

She sighed and looked away for just a moment.

"Would you die for me?"

His response was lost in a great gust of air as the clearing exploded with whirling feathers.

And 'Yuuma' was above him, gazing down at him with cold violet eyes.

Held aloft on massive black wings that had erupted from her back.

"For what it's worth, I really did enjoy our date. And it's nothing personal. Blame God for giving you His gift."

Yuuji hadn't moved.

An angel?

"Goodbye Yuuji." She raised her hands, and a soft red light coalesced into something hard and sharp.

Yuuji remained still.

He was watching her with that same blank, almost bored expression that never quite seemed to leave him.

But inside, he was wondering if this time, it was okay.

After all, someone had sent an angel.

'Was that you, Asako?'

Asako didn't answer.

The spear that pierced his heart and erupted from his back was answer enough, he supposed.

He smiled gratefully up at the angel.

The last thing he saw of the Angel were a pair of silvery trails, running down her cheeks.

The smile died as his vision began to fade.


I don't understand.

Why was she so sad?

Nothing of value has been lost.

She'd done the world a favor.

She'd done him a favor.

Red light bathed the clearing as Yuuma flew away.

Don't look so damn guilty.

Man, he must have screwed something up.

Hey, Asako...

The crimson grew brighter, and brighter, as his eyelids grew heavier, and heavier.

Please... Let me try that again.


The sun rose like it often did, and Yuuji stretched and rolled out of bed.

He was pulling the curtains open when the issue with his situation became apparent. He gazed down at the scars covering his body, and noted that they were just that.

Scars.

No fresh wound- scratch that, no hole in his chest.

'Yuuma', if that was really her name, had revealed herself as an angel and skewered him through the heart.

Well, he couldn't exactly check beneath the skin, but he certainly wasn't feeling dead.

It was the morning after his first date in Kuoh, and here he was, very much alive.

So, probably a dream. A very vivid dream, that he'd had after getting home, to the house where he'd lived alone, and changed into the sweatpants he'd worn to bed.

After parting ways with Yuuma.

All of which he had no memory of.

Well, at least he didn't have a hole in his chest, but...

Damn, he thought he'd really managed it that time.

Unfortunately, his heart had seen fit to beat the same mocking rhythm as always.

So...

He hadn't told JB about the date, and who else did he really talk to? Akeno? They'd only spent one lunch together. She was quite the school idol he'd found out, along with that redhead.

... Whatever her name was.

So his only other idea was to retrace his steps and see if he'd bump into her.

...After school though. The sunlight was making his head pound, and he didn't feel like skipping class for the opportunity to make his headache worse.

This time, the morning run didn't offer any clarity at all.


His headache left him at the school doors, and he bumped into Akeno on the way in. She seemed a bit taken aback to see him, he must have really looked like shit.

After the excuses, though, she was friendly enough.

It was kind of cute how she hard she had to work to restrain herself, and not fuss over a near stranger.

That little white haired girl followed him around some more at lunch.

Maybe it was just a normal day after all.

Seemed she hadn't worked up the courage to approach him yet, but Yuuji wasn't in the mood for another confession yet so that was alright. Not while it was still unclear if the last one had really happened.

Part of him still tried to deny it, but dreaming an entire day in detail was a bit much even for him, Yuuji was at least confident that he wasn't that far gone yet.

School flew by in a haze, leaving him to retrace his steps in reverse.

Most don't revisit the scene of the crime, but a crime scene and blood stains would definitely prove something had happened at the park. And something 'definite' would be welcome right now, when he wasn't even sure he'd bled in the first place.

He had been a little short on time to examine the wound.


The park was as peaceful and empty as it had been the night before. No Yuuma, no blood stains-

A shiver ran down his spine. He hurled himself to the side as something smashed into the cobblestone.

He whirled to find a spear of blue light skewering the space he'd once stood. He followed the flight path. He didn't have to go very far.

"You're not Yuuma." Yuuji's tone rang of slight accusation.

"Yuuma? Is that what she was calling herself? Raynare did love her little games."

The owner of the deep voice was floating above him on pitch-black wings that reminded Yuuji of a crow. A thin, tall man in a long coat and wide brimmed hat. He curled his lip, as if he was looking down at something he'd scraped off his shoe.

Something less than an insect.

"I'm surprised you notice me, much less scurried out of the way. Cockroaches must be at least good at that much, I suppose. Now that you're a foul little Devil, however, this is just going to hurt even more."

"Don't sound so excited."

A devil? A cockroach? He was awfully creative with his name calling. But that confirmed things. If Yuu- no, Raynare was real, then last night had really happened.

Since for whatever reason he was still alive, it seemed Asako hadn't decided to let him off just yet.

Maybe next time.


She conjured the portal as fast as she could.

Of course he'd wanted answers. Of course he'd gone looking.

What else would he have done?

Rias should have known better, but she honestly didn't think the Fallen Angel would be audacious enough to try again so soon. And she had never imagined there would be more than one.

So when Koneko reported that filthy male crow flying overhead, she poured everything she had into making a portal directly to him.

Her connection to him through the Evil Pieces she'd put in him was so weak, she could hardly feel him at all.

Strange, given how many he'd taken in.

At this rate, Koneko would be forced to intervene, and she wasn't ready.

Not one, but two of her precious servants were in danger, all because she wasn't strong enough.

You failure.

She had expected the worst when she burst into the park, ready for battle.

Akeno was on her way, but there was no guarantee her Queen would make it in time.

No guarantee that-

The stench of blood and burnt flesh struck her like a hammer.

The cold, dark eyes of Kazami Yuuji followed up with equal force.

Scorched and bloody, wobbling in place...

Something mangled and dark clenched tightly in one fist, splattering a slow stream of crimson onto the cobblestone.

Loose black feathers drifting on the wind.

Behind him, a limp shape lay face down on the ground, the only noticeable feature the crow-like wing extending from its back.

One wing short of a pair.

Past that, a pale-faced Koneko, unharmed but unmoving as she trembled in mute horror.

The wet, feathered rag in his hand hitting the ground with hardly a sound, Kazami Yuuji straightened to his full height.

In spite of herself, Rias took a half-step back, crimson light staining the air as she braced herself.

Looming over her like some grim, blood-drenched specter, Yuuji took a single step forward, and collapsed face-first onto the ground.


So there's out first chapter down. One successful harem protagonist for another, but the similarities end quickly. Be warned, this is going to earn it's M rating. Yuuji doesn't always play nice. Read, rate and review, and I'll see you in the next chapter.

And for those of you who don't know, Kazami Yuuji is the protagonist of Fruits of Grisaia, which I highly recommend.