A/Ns are bottom of the chapter, be sure to read them.

There are Spoilers for AGK and Highschool DxD in this story. Read at your own risk

I do not own Akame Ga Kiru/Kill or Highschool DxD or any other elements that may be used in this story

"To think... it's been sixteen years since that day."

Tatsumi sat behind his desk while scribbling down notes as the teacher lectured on the proper use and primary function of the quadratic formula. However, his mind was in a much different place then in mathematics class, which was understandable since it's not everyday that the anniversary of your reincarnation and birthday rolled around.

It started sixteen years ago, when he was born into this world with all the memories of his past life. Every battle, every drop of blood spilled, every enemy... and ally killed. He remembered it all and it was hard to not to think about it. Although, before one could even be reincarnated... one had to die first… and that particular memory wasn't one easily forgotten.

Unconsciously, Tatsumi lifted his hand right above his heart. "Sometimes… I can still feel it." He thought, a somber look on his face.

Esdese.

She was the one that delivered the blow that ended his life... but he had done the same to her in return. They went down together, it was a fitting end he believed, and she probably did too. Neither one would give into the other and naturally, they were destined to become enemies. It was impossible for both of them to get what they wanted in a situation like that, and of course, somebody got hurt.

The battle with Esdese went as well as one would have expected: a one sided beating like no other. She was crushing him no matter how hard he tried to fight her... but it was well worth it because everything he, Night Raid, and the Revolutionary Army had worked for was being realized. The corrupt empire behind all the suffering, all the death and anguish was falling. The prime minister, Honest, had been killed. In Tatsumi's last vision of the world he left behind, he saw the Night Raid flag bellow in the wind of the courtyard. Finally, after all of that suffering, it was finally over.

"Well... at least I didn't die in vain so I'm happy." Tatsumi commented in his mind as someone walked by and placed something on his desk.

Then there was the awakening, being born into this world which was a very interesting feeling that Tatsumi couldn't really explain. Although, it wasn't a feeling that was easily forgotten since he was fully aware of what was happening from beginning to the end. It was quite strange but after it was all said and done, Tatsumi got to meet Sayuri and Yamada, his mother and father. Yes, they were his parents, and the reason that he was here at Kuoh Academy, a private school that used to be all-girls. That was with both benefits... and drawbacks.

"Alright class, it's self-study until I deal with some faculty matters." The teacher said as he left

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow when he noticed the large mass of goods that had amassed on his desk. An assortment of different tins, foils, bags, and small boxes filled with cookies or candies.

"Not this again." He thought with a cringe before turning to the side to see a group of older female students giving him cutesy little waves. "Why won't they leave me alone?"

Ah yes, this was one of those drawbacks... or benefits depending on interpenetration. Since middle school, Tatsumi noticed that for one reason or another he was very popular among the older female students, even the ones that were in the same grade but were a year or two older. He didn't know why and he didn't really bother asking either but stuff like this happened all the time. He lost count of how many gifts he had been given in the last year or so from the older classmates and even the teachers. Even now, in his 2nd year at Kuoh this stuff is still happening.

Tatsumi eyed the pile of treats curiously before picking out a round piece with a transparent yellow wrapping. "Hmm... butterscotch." He unwrapped the candy and tossed it into his mouth before his green eyes shifted towards a group of boys sitting in the back. They were glaring pure murder at him. "Oh brother."

Despite being so popular with the older female students, Tatsumi was painfully average in the eyes of his other classmates, namely the male ones. Asides from his average popularity he had average grades, was a member of an average music club, and had an average part-time job at an average cafe. In all meanings of the word, Tatsumi's life was average. But... that didn't mean he felt average, it was quite the contrary actually. He felt like something was missing, that there was something out of place and no matter how long Tatsumi thought about it there was only one possible answer.

Incursio.

One of the 48 Teigus, Imperial Arms, created by the first emperor in order to strengthen his empire. The Demon Armor: Incursio was made from an extremely powerful and dangerous danger beast known as the Tyrant that could evolve to suit its needs and take on stronger opponents. Incursio was originally wielded by Braht but... it was just part of the inheritance, as was Braht's will.

"I wonder what happened to Incursio." Tatsumi wondered as he sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

Strangely, Incursio just vanished without a trace. The armor and the key both disappeared as Tatsumi laid dying. Why they had just disappeared was beyond Tatsumi, but the fact was that they were gone and weren't likely to return was very clear. Although, there was a part of him that felt that maybe... just maybe…

Suddenly the bell rang and everyone got up to leave, but Tatsumi stayed a minute longer to take half of the treats he got and put them into a bag. He got his stuff ready, picked up the remaining treats, and left to his next class. It was chemistry... oh the joy.

As Tatsumi walked towards his next class he felt that someone had tugged on his sleeve instead of calling out to him, or in some other way verbal way getting his attention. Tatsumi smiled and stopped walking before looking over his shoulder to see a girl. The girl was very petite, being shorter than Mein. She was in the four feet range, had short white hair in a bob cut with two black cat shaped hairpins, hazel eyes, and a very child-like appearance despite being a high school student. Her name was Koneko Toujou, a first year, apparent cat lover, and Tatsumi's good friend.

Their relationship was an interesting one to say the least. One could best compare it a pet owner feeding their pet... figuratively speaking of course. But it was ironic that they did become close after Tatsumi gave her some sweets though. There was no questioning something like that, food was the fastest way to someone's heart apparently.

"Hello Koneko-chan." Tatsumi said as he produced the bag of treats he made earlier.

"...hello." The white haired girl replied in a low monotone voice as she was accustomed to doing.

"These are for you." Tatsumi said as he handed the bag of treats to Koneko, who took them curiously.

"Thank you." The girl said as the two started to walk down the hallway side by side. "Are you working today?"

Tatsumi shook his head. "I work tomorrow since I have a club meeting today."

The white haired girl nodded, she could understand that since she was in a club too. Although, she was very secretive about her club for whatever reason, so whenever Tatsumi asked her about it all she did was stare at him or change the subject. The only piece of information that he could ever coax out of her, even with sweets as a bribe, was that she was in the Occult Research Club. That was it, nothing more and nothing less. After not getting an answer the first dozen times he asked, Tatsumi pretty much stopped caring and stopped asking.

"Well, this is my class." The brunette said as the two stopped outside one of the labs. "I'll see you later."

"Not yet." Koneko said as she rummaged for something on her person. "Happy birthday."

Tatsumi grinned when Koneko produced a guitar pick. When he took it from her the first thing he noticed was the cat shaped design on the side and that it had the same coloration as her hair: white with a black accessory. He had no idea where she found something like this but it was pretty impressive. He loved the cat shaped gifts that she gave him and she seemed to be like the sweets he made her weekly just as much. He played bass so the guitar pick was something that he could use.

"I love it." he said while rubbing her head affectionately. "Thank you."

"...you're welcome." Koneko said with a nod.

"Although I guess it would be more of a trade than a gift in this case." The brunette pointed out. "I gave you sweets and you gave me a cat themed guitar pick."

"...yes?"

"Okay, well, I'll see you later Koneko-chan."

Koneko nodded and walked away silently like she always did before Tatsumi walked into the classroom.

The sun was starting to set as rays of orange sunlight escaped over the horizon in their last show before night fell. The sunset was beautiful as it always was and it was definitely something that needed to be admired from time to time. Right now... was not one of those times.

"Dammit! Dammit! I'm going to be late again!" Tatsumi thought as he ran as fast as he could down the street, a large bass case strapped to his back.

He couldn't believe this was happening again! That damn big lunged, blowhard, perverted club president made him late again with another one of his crappy speeches. Like always, the president started off talking about music but somehow got off track and started talking about breasts and who had the biggest breasts in Kuoh. If Tatsumi learned anything from those speeches... it was that a 3rd year named Akeno seemed to possess that title. He never went to confirm that though.

"It's like talking to Rabac... sort of…" Tatsumi commented mentally as he made a sharp turn to take a shortcut through the park. "Who am I kidding? It's exactly like talking to Rabac."

However, from the very moment Tatsumi stepped into the park he knew something was wrong. His first indication was that there was no one in the park, not a single person which was pretty ominous since there was always someone there. The second indication was that something felt... off and out of place. He couldn't really place his finger on it, but something was very unsettling here. The third indication was the glowing red spear coming straight for his head... wait…

Tatsumi titled his head slightly as the spear hissed by before logging itself in a tree.

"Impressive." A taunting feminine voice called. "I didn't expect you to dodge."

Tatsumi looked over towards the fountain, which was in the middle of the park, and blushed slightly at what he saw. Standing on the top level of the fountain was a woman. The woman was very beautiful... no... that wasn't the right word. Seductive was a much fitting word in this case. Regardless, the woman was definitely beautiful and seductive. She had hip length black hair, sharp violet eyes that fixed her look into an almost perpetual glare, a fair complexion, and a very large bust. Although, the feature that commanded the most attention were the two black wings sprouting out of her back.

"Well, that isn't something you see everyday." Tatsumi thought as his eyes moved lower. His blush from before intensifying even more at what he was seeing.

Tatsumi honestly had no idea what she was wearing but the best way that it could be described was as a collection of black leather straps with spiked shoulder pads and black thigh-high boots. It was an outfit that could have made even Leone cringe and that was something that was not easily done. Well, whatever those straps were supposed to cover up they were either doing a terrible job or a brilliant job.

The winged woman laughed. "You must like what you see if that stupid face is any indication."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed." The green eyed male commented. "Who are and why did you just throw that thing at me?" He asked with a serious look plastered on his face as he jabbed a thumb at the spear in the tree.

The woman smirked. "It doesn't matter. You'll be dead anyways." She said cruelly before creating another spear. "However, I'll tell you as a final wish." She continued. "My name is Raynare. Remember it well, as it will be the last name you'll ever know."

Raynare huh? What a strange name, not like it mattered though. Tatsumi calmly removed the bass case from his back, laid it on the ground, and opened it. He heard Raynare laugh, seemingly at what he was doing.

"A bass!?" She laughed while holding her side. "What is a bass going to d-!"

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she jumped backwards as the part of the fountain that she was standing on was cut in two. The fallen angel winced in pain before she looked down to see a rather large cut on her side. The wound was bleeding a good amount and it hurt like all kinds of hell. It was definitely one of the most painful wounds that she had suffered to date. It was going to leave a scar there, no doubt about it.

She growled and looked up to see Tatsumi standing just a few feet in front of her, a long sword in his hands. The look in his eye was disturbingly intent. They were much more focused and sharp than all the other men she had seen so far. But, what did she care? He was a human after all, she just need to hit him once with a spear. The blow from before was just a fluke.

"You're full of surprises aren't you?" Raynare said with a sneer, recovering from the momentary shock. "You got lucky twice. You won't have the third time."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow but didn't let his guard down. "Strange, I was expecting you to saying something about the sword or about the fountain I destroyed."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Raynare countered. "You're still just an ant in the end, and ants always get crushed!" She shouted and even made a crushing motion with her hands.

The green eyed male twitched an eyebrow. Now that was an insult. He was actually quite proud of the swordsman skills that he had managed to keep sharp despite having to hide it from his parents. Although, frequent spars with the Kendo Club at school helped with that. It all started a while after Tatsumi was reborn in this world when his sword, which he had died with, returned to him for some reason. He couldn't explain why his sword, an object he didn't have the same bond with as Incursio, followed him into a new world while Incursio did not and just vanished like it never even existed. It was also a pain to make a secret compartment in the bass case in order to carry it around in public... for emergencies of course.

"Even an ant can move a mountain." Tatsumi retorted with a smirk. "Boss would be so proud of me right now."

Raynare scoffed and summoned two spears and threw them both at Tatsumi. He easily dodged them and bolted forward, his sword posed to strike again at her abdomen. This time he would make sure that he cut her in half... but he would settle for taking off her arms though.

Raynare smirked. "Not this time."

The fallen angel formed a spear and threw it right in front of Tatsumi before throwing another one right at him. The young man twisted to dodge both of them and quickly entered melee range before swiping with impressive speed, intent on not allowing Raynare to fly away. He knew that his advantage would only last if they fought on his grounds.

"Why is he so fast!?" Raynare barely dodged each blow thrown at her. Every dodged blow resulted in a small cut. She was actually starting to sweat and a strange feeling was swelling inside of her. Was this... fear?

"Damn it, seems I lost a bit of my touch." Tatsumi glowered as he kept up his assault while looking for an opening. If this were his other world, he could have killed her by now.

"Missed!" Raynare gloated with a smirk as she ducked under the swing aimed at her neck. However, the smirk soon vanished when a leg kicked her in the side, the same side where the cut was located. Blood spattered onto the ground like red paint. "Grah!"

This was his chance! Tatsumi swung his sword for the killing bow. The blade came closer and closer to Raynare's neck before he was suddenly knocked by a gust of wind. He quickly regained his footing and placed his focus back on his opponent. The first thing he noticed was the sheer look of absolute anger in her face. It was quite impressive.

"You pest!" The woman roared before throwing spear after spear at Tatsumi, who dodged them all with ease before charging forward. As Tatsumi drew closer and closer Raynare's anger grew. How dare this human insult her like this! She would not stand for it!

"Enough!" Raynare shouted as she formed another spear and threw it at the ground causing a large cloud of smoke to kick up. She took the opportunity to take to the skies. "I'm done playing games!"

Tatsumi glared at the flying angel. He made the mistake of letting her take flight. If he learned anything from Ran it was if something could fly... don't let it, or else it becomes a one-sided battle.

"You're still pretty arrogant for someone who's covered in cuts." The brunette commented with a smirk. She looked the type that liked to hold grudges and was quick to anger. He would know, he used to be like that as well. "Take the bait."

"Shut up!" Raynare shouted and formed a spear.

Tatsumi braced himself to dodge but was surprised to see the spear vanish. However, it only took him a moment to figure out why. There was a new presence in park and it commanded attention. Raynare seemed to notice that detail too judging by her expression, a look of failure.

"It seems that you have gotten a lot bolder as of late. I suggest correcting that quickly." A new voice declared.

Tatsumi looked over and was presently surprised to see someone he hadn't seen since his 1st year at Kuoh.

"Rias-senpai?"

When he turned to the side he saw a buxom woman who appeared to be in her late teens. She was extremely beautiful, well deserving of her title as one of Kuoh's great ladies. Her face was definitely not something that is easily forgotten. She had fair skin, silky crimson hair that went down to her thighs, and blue eyes that had a very commanding light as of right this moment. She was still wearing her school uniform: a white button-down shirt with a black ribbon tied around the collar, a black shoulder cape, a button-down corset, and a magenta skirt. The brown dress shoes and white crew-length socks were her own additions.

Rias glanced at him briefly before turning her attention back to Raynare. "Leave now, or perish."

"Tsk." Raynare scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "I did what I came here to do." She sneered before looking at Tatsumi. "This isn't over! I won't forget this insult, human!" With that said she flew away, leaving Tatsumi and Rias alone.

When she was finally gone Tatsumi sighed, stabbed his sword into the ground, and turned to narrow his eyes at his senpai.

"Would you care to explain just what you were doing?" Surprisingly that didn't come out of Tatsumi's mouth. It was Rias that said it.

The green eyed teen blinked. "Excuse me?"

Rias crossed her arms and developed a look that practically screamed "I'm going to scold you." Tatsumi groaned and developed a bored look on his face. He was so done with today, she didn't even know just how done he was.

"I asked you would you care to explain what you were doing?" Rias repeated this time with her senpai voice.

Tatsumi scratched his cheek. "Um... I guess I was fighting." He replied, sheepishly.

"Why?"

"She attacked me first." Tatsumi raised his hands defensively before suddenly glaring at Rias. "Wait, why are you even here!? We haven't spoken one word to each other and then you just suddenly show up!? What is with that?"

Rias and Tatsumi traded glares before a very distinct and familiar scent reached his nose. It was robust and metallic like copper but at the same time it was thick and... depressing. It was the stench of death and it seemed to be coming from around the fountain.

"She didn't!" Tatsumi said suddenly as he ran past Rias and around the fountain.

"No wait!"

The brunette didn't listen and rounded the fountain where the scent was strongest and quickly spotted the source of the smell. There, laying on the ground was the body of a Kuoh student. Tatsumi bit his lip as he slowly walked forward towards the corpse to examine it. The body was male, looked to about average height, possessed brown hair and brown eyes that were frozen in a death stare, seemingly fixed on what had killed him. A quick glance identified why he died, there were two large holes in his gut. Tatsumi knew this boy, he sat next to him in art. His name was Issei Hyoudou, the resident pervert.

Issei and Tatsumi didn't really know each other that well but that didn't mean Tatsumi wanted him to die, especially like this. The poor guy never had a chance. It was a reality all too real in Tatsumi's previous world. Dozens of innocent people were slaughtered like this everyday.

"Some things never change do they?" Tatsumi thought somberly as he knelt down to close Issei's eyes. "She did this didn't she?"

It should have been pretty obvious who he was talking.

"Yes she did."

Tatsumi got to his feet. "She'll pay for this. I'll make sure of it."

Rias arched an eyebrow. Surely he was not saying that he was going to go after the fallen angel? She had seen the fight from before and she was impressed that he was able to hold his own against the fallen angel, but any sort of advantages he may have had, quickly evaporated when the angel took to the skies. He was going to lose and die in vain at any rate.

"Tatsumi-san." Rias said softly with a frown. "Surely you aren't going to go after her?"

Ever so slowly Tatsumi started to turn around until she could see his entire face. The face that was usually even and happy was now... distorted. His face was cold but she could see the restrained angry in his eyes. He radiated a considerable amount of killing intent. It was so think that there was no way it could be the work of a mere amateur, no... it was the look of a seasoned professional.

"What is this?" Rias thought as her body shook like a leaf. "How is he doing this?"

"No!" Tatsumi stated loudly, but didn't shout. "I won't go looking for her." He said as he lifted up his sword. "But, if she is unfortunate enough to cross my path again... then I can't guarantee her safety."

"Why wou-!" Rias went to say before realizing that Tatsumi was literally right in her face. "How did he."

"I just realized something rather interesting senpai." The brunette said with extra emphasis on 'senpai.' "How would you know that she killed him?" He asked as he took a step forward, his sword in hand. "The only way you could possibly know is if you watched her do it... or were here completely by accident."

Rias backed way. There was definitely something not right here. This wasn't the Tatsumi she had seen interact with Koneko, he was the exact opposite. He was cold, so much colder than anyone she had come across in the past. Why was that? Why did he strike fear in her heart? Why didn't he freak out when he spotted the fallen angel? And... why was he able to fight so well and talk about killing as if it were a common occurrence for him? All of these things... made her very afraid.

"I can explain everything, but only if you give me a chance!" Rias offered as she continued to back away from the advancing Tatsumi. "Please."

Tatsumi stopped and sighed, but he continued to glare at Rias intently. He was still very suspicious of her and it would be a cold day in hell before he let an incident similar to what happened with Aria to happen again. That was when he learned just how truly evil and corrupt the Empire really was, and when he lost his two best friends in the world. But it was also the event that brought him into Night Raid. Besides, as far he could tell, Rias didn't seem to have any ill intent towards him... unlike Aria.

"Fine." Tatsumi said as he walked calmly past Rias and to his bass case. "I'll let you explain." He put his sword back in the bass case. "Although, I would like to hear your excuse for letting Issei die like that."

"You say that like you two were close." Rias commented with sigh, relieved that he was going to hear her out.

"No." Tatsumi replied calmly. "In fact, the only thing I knew about the guy was that he was a pervert and that he hung out with two other perverts." His grip suddenly tightened on the bass case. "But... he was innocent, he didn't deserve to die like that."

"I understand." Rias nodded. "I guess this is where I explain myself."

"It would make me less suspicious of you that is for sure." Tatsumi said broadly as he closed the bass case and strapped it to his back. "Let's start with why you let Issei die."

Rias frowned and folded her arms, causing her bountiful bosom to bounce. "Fine, but don't be surprised if you don't believe me."

Tatsumi deadpanned, he was no stranger to weird or strange things. In his past life he fought a giant reanimated skeletal danger beast controlled by his comrade's sister, a freak that liked to cut off people's heads, and a sadistic general that had a massive crush on him. At this point, weird was pretty much his last name and he was pretty sure that no matter what she said, he would be ready for it.

"I'm a devil."

Oh was that all?

"Huh? What? Huh?" Was the intelligent response.

Rias sighed and shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me so maybe I should show you." A pair of black wings suddenly sprouted from her back. "Now do you believe me?"

Tatsumi blinked and nodded. "Yeah that pretty much proves it." Was all he could say before recomposing himself. "It doesn't really explain why you let him die though."

"I was getting to that." Rias frowned. "The reason I'm here is because of this." She said as she produced a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it.

"What is that?" Tatsumi eyed the symbol curiously.

"This is what allowed me to be right here right now." She answered. "Issei-kun had one on his person as he laid dying, and his strong desire to live is what called me here. However, what I found was you fighting with that fallen angel."

Tatsumi tapped his chin in thought before declaring. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, but at least listen." Rias countered sternly, causing Tatsumi to nod. "Anyways, under normal circumstances there would have been no reason for that fallen angel to kill a simple human."

An eyebrow arched "But?"

"But... unfortunately, there was one for killing Issei-kun." She explained. "Issei has a Sacred Gear inside of his body, and a strong one at that if this fallen angel went out of her way to get rid of him. She most likely considered him a threat."

Tatsumi nodded, that made sense. What he learned during his time with Night Raid was to exterminate targets quickly and before they had time to react. It seemed to be no different in this case, at least from the angel's point of view. Now, he didn't know what this Sacred Gear thing was but he could assume that it was a lot like Teigu if someone was going so far as to kill to stop one from ever being used.

"But he can be saved!" Rias proclaimed with a broad smile until she saw Tatsumi walking away from her. "H-hey where are you going?"

Tatsumi waved her off. "I don't really know what you're getting at... but I'm exhausted. This is too much for me to process it all right now." He tiredly said before turning around and giving Rias a sharp look. "I don't care what you do afterwards, but make sure that Issei-san gets a proper burial at least."

The crimson haired teen didn't say anything and instead watched Tatsumi walk away. She had so many questions for her kuohai, but it seemed she won't be getting ant answers today. That was okay, she would have her chance later, and if her plan panned out well, then the time they would be spending together would be more than enough for all of her questions to be answered. However... for now, she still had the other task to complete.

The door opened to reveal a large living room filled with high quality furniture, expensive looking antiques, and a flat screen TV. All of the furniture was imported from different countries and everything else seemed to follow this pattern. On the way into the living-room, a quick turn to left will reveal entrance to a full sized and fully stocked kitchen complete with top of the line appliances. Even the cabinets and counter tops were top of the line. It was very nice. The living room then had two hallways which lead to a total of eight bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was the very definition of a living the high life.

This was Tatsumi's apartment, the one he shared with his parents who were apparently absent at the moment. Perhaps the note on the kitchen table might hold the answer for that.

Dear Tatsumi-chan,

Sorry that we had to leave so suddenly but we were called to go to Europe to conduct business trips for the company. If we could, we would have declined and stayed for your birthday, but this was something really urgent requested by the company president himself.

We'll celebrate your birthday properly when we get back so please don't let it get you down. I, your mother, have prepared you something special and placed it in the refrigerator. You're father put your birthday present on your bed. We hope you like it!

Love,
Your loving parents Sayuri and Yamada.

P.S. Do not read dirty magazines while we're gone.

P. S. S. Don't have any girls over and if you do... send me a photo first.

P. S. S. S. Call me everyday!

Tatsumi nearly slapped his face with his hand at what he had just read. His parents had yet again left him out of the blue to go on a business trip overseas and had left another quirky letter behind. It seemed that kaa-sama, not -san it was -sama in this household, had wrote it. Both of his parents had a very strange way of writing letters to him but only his mother would point out that she is his mother and that he wasn't supposed to have girls over... without sending a photo first, whatever that meant. Tou-san's letters were funnier and weren't as commanding.

"This day is just brimming with surprises isn't it?" The green eye male commented as he walked to his room.

He opened the door to his room, which by far, was the most plain-looking part of the house. It didn't have any distinguishing features other than the fact that it was completely clean and bare aside from the desk by the door, the bed place against the window, and the shelves near the bed where he kept various objects aside from books. It was incredibly plain, but if it wasn't… Tatsumi might not even know which room was his since all of the bedrooms would have looked the same except for his parents.

"I don't get why they need to have antiques in every room. We're running out of space to store them." He noted before spotting a large black object laying on his bed. "Oh boy."

On the bed was a new bass with a case. The bass itself was a Fender Deluxe P Bass Special 4-String Bass, in other words a pretty freaking expensive bass but nothing his parents couldn't afford and then laugh about later. It was a very nice bass though. The case that it came in looked the same as the one he currently had on his back.

"Well, at least I won't have to hollow it out." Tatsumi stated optimistically with a sigh of relief. The last time he had to hollow the case out to make a compartment for his sword it took him all night. The brunette yawned, moved the bass, took the other bass case off his back, and laid down on his bed. "Rias-senpai is probably going to want answers tomorrow. I have to be prepared for that. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer her though."

The brunette sighed and closed his eyes. He could deal with that tomorrow, today was still today and he was exhausted. Besides, maybe he would find the answer to her questions in his dreams.

"In the end I couldn't sleep a wink."

Tatsumi trudged towards the front gates of Kuoh Academy like a zombie. He was hunched forward and had large raccoon rings around his eyes. It seemed that Esdese returned from the dead to haunt his dreams, which was rather strange since she was probably the furthest thing from his mind. In fact, it had been at least ten years since he had a dream about her. Although, this dream was more... erotic than the first one he had and while it was frightening, it was strangely satisfying as well. Surely, this couldn't mean something to come... could it?

"Let's not even think about it." Tatsumi shook his head before he noticed a group of girls pointing behind him with angry faces. After yawning, Tatsumi looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened to the size of plates.

Walking towards the school entrance was the last person he expected to see: Issei Hyoudou, alive and breathing, and apparently back from the dead.

"What the!?" Tatsumi turned around completely to face the perverted boy as he walked towards the gates. Focusing his sight a bit more, he saw Rias standing behind a tree a bit distance away from Issei. She seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked away guiltily while Issei... he looked completely clueless about something. "Well then... not the expression I was expecting but okay."

The green eyed teen crossed his arms and developed suspicious look on his face as he waited for the perverted boy to reach the gates. The sight of Issei walking around, after Tatsumi clearly saw his dead body, brought back memories of Kurome, Akame's sister and wielder of March of the Dead: Yatsufua, a twisted Teigu that allowed the user to control up to eight dead bodies that the sword had slain and control them like puppets. It was by far the most disturbing Teigu Tatsumi had ever seen.

"I don't like this." Tatsumi said as he began to retreat into the building. "If we're playing a game Rias-senpai, I don't like it one bit."

The rest of the day and the next few days afterwards were spent dodging any attempts by Rias and anyone associated with her to contact him. An over the top reaction? Not quite, especially after what Tatsumi overheard Issei saying to his friends. The used-to-be-dead boy kept talking about a girl named Yuuma but no one remembered her, not a single person. He also kept talking about a 'date' as well. A date with Yuuma to be specific but once again... no one remembered her. Not a single soul. Tatsumi's first guess was that this "Yuuma" was in fact Raynare considering the park was free of any people and the time was perfect to be having a date.

In other words... it was a perfect setup for the fallen angel to murder Issei.

However, Tatsumi also noticed that Issei was sincere. The way he talked and the words he said truly did make Tatsumi believe that not even he had any idea what was going on. He was perfectly innocent and as far as Tatsumi could tell it didn't seem like he was being controlled either. Although, in case he was, Tatsumi kept his distance from Rias, Kiba, Akeno… and Issei.

Why Yuuto? The second day after Issei's mysterious return to life Yuuto pulled Issei out of the class to take him to the Occult club which belonged to Rias according to what Tatsumi heard Issei talking about one day. Why Akeno? Because she is always seen hanging around near Rias and was unnaturally close to her as well, it likely wasn't a normal relationship. It was clear as day that their ignorance in the situation was unlikely.

"They're going to pin me down at any rate." Tatsumi thought as he scratched the back of his head as he walked to chemistry class. His raccoon rings have only gotten larger due to these days without sleep."That damn pretty boy is more persistent then he looks."

He knew that eventually he wouldn't be able to weasel his way out of the situation. In fact, he knew that they were going to get him soon. He was starting to run out of steam. Ever since the whole incident with Raynare, he tripled his sparring sessions with the Kendo Club in order to get his edge back in swordsmanship. In addition, he also had his job at the cafe, attend music club meetings had to do chores around the apartment, practiced sword forms at the evening, and didn't sleep very well thanks to the erotic dreams with Esdese... that still were frightening and satisfying at the same time.

Tatsumi yawned before he felt something tugging on his sleeve. Well, this was some serious deja vu, now wasn't it? The brunette gave the best smile he could muster and looked over his shoulder to see Koneko standing there with the usual apathetic face as usual. However, there seemed to be an unusual gleam in her hazel eyes that they didn't have before.

"Tatsumi-senpai." She said with her monotone. "You look sick."

Tatsumi cringed before shaking his head. "I'm fine, just a little tired." He said with a nervous laugh.

"...liar."

"You can see right through me can't you?"

"Yes." She stated plainly.

"I thought so."

"Tatsumi-senpai... you need to sleep." She said with a slight, almost completely unnoticeable concern in her tone.

Said teen yawned. "Sleep is for the weak."

"...senpai." She muttered while looking down.

"Hmm?"

"Please... give Rias-senpai a chance." Koneko said suddenly while looking back up again at Tatsumi with her hazel eyes. "Please."

Tatsumi sighed and gave Koneko a tired look. So she was one of them huh? Well, she had him fooled. The past few days she visited him at his job like she normally does and nothing seemed to be out of order. She was acting like she normally did at school too. She had him fooled the entire time. Even during his sleep deprived induced hallucinations nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Straight to the point like always." Tatsumi laughed. "So you're one of them, Koneko-chan?" He asked her while rubbing his head. "I should have guessed it. I think I understand your club now." He continued, the smile never leaving his face. "The Occult Research Club is all of you isn't? Rias-senpai, Akeno-senpai, Yuuto-san, and Issei-san. A club of devils."

Koneko nodded slowly but didn't say anything.

"That's okay." Tatsumi said as began petting Koneko's head. "I trust Koneko-chan." He said, causing the petite girl to blink at him. "Tell Rias that if she comes to my workplace today, then I'll listen to what she has to say."

"Thank you." Koneko stated with a small nod. For a split second a small smile appeared on her face and then quickly disappeared before Tatsumi could notice it.

Tatsumi yawned. "Don't misunderstand me. The only reason I'm hearing her out is because you asked me to." He stated bluntly with a shrug. "Well, I'll see you later Koneko-chan, I'm going to class."

The white haired girl nodded and turned in the opposite direction to go her class.

The Arlington Cafe was a strange place and that wasn't just by cafe standards either. It was an "antique" cafe that, at first glance, looked like nothing more than the simple sit-in cafe but there was something more to it than just that. The Arlington Cafe actually had promotional events where the "theme" of the cafe either changed everyday for as long as the promotion ran or simply adopted a single theme during that time. It was quite strange but it was equally as effective since business boomed during those events.

The event this week was called "Animal Paradise" in which the employees would wear animal ears and tails in addition to their normal uniforms. It was less popular than the "Animal Servant" event but it worked.

Sitting at a table with the view of the window were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. They had just got here and for them it seemed to be a lively place. It was clean, the service was good, and all the waitresses looked really cute with their animal ears. There didn't seem to be any waiters though, just waitresses which was quite strange. Although, that was quickly overlooked by the other factors.

"So, Tatsumi-kun works here?" Akeno asked turning to Rias.

"Apparently." Was the redhead's response. This place was amazing, she couldn't believe that Koneko didn't tell her about this place before. "This make for an interesting cafe to visit every once in a while.

"Sorry for the wait. I had to wait for my break."

Both Rias and Akeno turned their heads and saw Tatsumi standing there with his arms folded. He sure had grown a lot since the last time since they saw him. He was still average height, his hair was still messy and light brown, and his eyes were still green, so not really much had changed about him. He was just simply older than he was before. The two also noticed that he was wearing the male uniform of the cafe: a white dress shirt with a black waistcoat on top, black trousers, a black tie, and black dress shoes. In addition, he also had a pair of rounded ears on top of his hair and a bushy tail sticking out right above his rear end. The raccoon rings around his eyes completed his look.

"Oh my, how adorable." Akeno said right off the bat with a giggle. "What are you supposed to be?"

Tatsumi blushed and looked away. "I'm a tanuki."

"Ufufufu, it suits you well."

The green eyed male narrowed his eyes. It seemed that Akeno-senpai hadn't changed at all since the last time he saw her. Her figure was still to die for, no wonder the music club president kept yapping about it, it definitely did not disappoint. She still had her black hair tied in a leg length ponytail that was held in place with a orange ribbon. Her eyes were still the same shade of violet like they were before, very close to being the same shade of amethyst if they weren't that shade already. In full, she was gorgeous and Rias was nothing to sneeze at either. They were both well deserving of being Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies.

"Anyways, what is that you wanted to tell me?" Tatsumi said, dejecting Akeno's previous comment and sitting in the seat in front of them.

Rias looked at Akeno before looking back at Tatsumi. "Alright," The red haired woman said. "I wanted to continue the explanation from before."

"I'm all ears."

"Anyways, you've already noticed that Issei-kun is back from the dead... but that is only part of the story." Rias said, knitting her fingers together. "Koneko also informed me that you are aware that everyone in the Occult Research Club is a devil."

Tatsumi nodded. "Birds of a feather flock together."

"Perceptive." Akeno commented.

Rias narrowed her eyes slightly. "And you are correct, Issei-kun is in fact a devil now." She said confirming Tatsumi's conclusion. "He's a pawn."

An eyebrow was raised. "A pawn? A pawn as in the chess piece pawn?"

"That is correct." Rias replied with a slight nod. "You see, we devils have a system called the Evil Pieces which is set up just like chess. There are 15 chess pieces in total and they are used to reincarnate other beings into devils."

Tatsumi sat back in his seat and folded his arms. "Why would devils need to do that? The way you're talking makes me think that there is a lot of... devils still walking around."

"A long time ago a war was waged between the Three Factions: Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. This was known as the Great War and caused heavy causalities on all sides before it was over. In all means of the word it was cataclysmic to all three of the Factions." Rias explained before pausing to allow the info to sink in. "We devils developed the Evil Pieces system in order to get our numbers back up again."

Tatsumi rubbed his chin and nodded at the explanation. It made sense since there was no telling if another war could possibly break out, which would very much spell extinction for the three sides if they are low on population.

"When a being is reincarnated using one of the Evil Pieces they take on the traits of said piece. Each piece has its own strengths." Rias said.

"So you must be the king then." Tatsumi deduced before pointing at Akeno. "And she must be the queen."

Akeno giggled. "It seems I've been found out."

"How did you know?" Rias asked, not really shocked by how quickly he deduced that fact.

The green eyed teen sighed before glance briefly out the window. "The queen is the closest piece to the king and you two are always together." A single green eyed looked at the two ladies. "The queen is the strongest piece on the board and the most fitting to protect the king. It wouldn't be wise to leave the king unprotected."

"Do you play chess?" Rias asked, earning a shake of the head from Tatsumi.

"No, but... let's just say that I've played a game similar to what you are telling me." Tatsumi said, thinking back to the game the Empire played by sending Teigu users to fight Teigu users. It was deadly for both sides.

The crimson haired teen nodded. "You are correct about the queen being the strongest piece asides from the king." She said. "Although, I think we should start from the bottom rather than the top so that would be the pawn."

After a pause Rias continued. "A pawn is a front line fighter and the lowest of all the pieces. But…" She said with a smirk. "a simple pawn can become very strong. Like in normal chess, a Pawn can promote to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight."

Tatsumi was a bit shocked but he didn't let it show. He could only imagine just how scary a team would be if they could have nine queens, counting the original one, running around. The mere thought of that made Tatsumi shiver a bit.

"Well, that is terrifying."

"The next piece is the rook." Rias continued her explanation. "A rook has superhuman strength and possesses both high defensive and offensive capabilities. However, they normally aren't that quick."

"Basically what Braht would be like if he wasn't so fast."

"Then there is the knight. A knight possesses great speed and mobility which allows them to preform high-speed techniques. However, they have low defense." Rias said before adding. "If you were a reincarnated devil Tatsumi-san, then you most likely would have been a knight based on your natural speed."

Tatsumi arched an eyebrow. Well, it wasn't like he could disagree. He was pretty fast and mobile, and Incursio used to increase those features even more, among others as well.

"The bishop is the next piece. The characteristic of the bishop are their enhanced magical abilities that allows them to conjure a variety of different spells. However, more powerful spells and abilities consume a lot of magical power and it takes a long time for it to return on its own."

"Kinda like Demon Extract only much, much, much... much weaker."

"The queen is the final piece and is the strongest of all the Evil Pieces." Rias said, glancing at Akeno. "It possesses all the abilities of the weaker pieces and, as such, is very powerful."

"What about the king?"

"The king is the master and a top-class devil that the Evil Pieces were given to in the first place." Rias replied. "All of the pieces are the king's servants."

"So, as king you can do anything you want to your servants?" Tatsumi asked bluntly. This was something he needed to confirm before this went anywhere else.

"Technically speaking, I could." Rias stated, causing Tatsumi to shift uncomfortably. "However, I take care of my servants and to me they are like family. But there are some devils that don't have the same thought process as I though."

"I see." He replied. There were bound to be others that weren't so courteous. "So, Issei is...?"

"Well taken care of I assure you." Rias replied without hesitation and with a warm smile.

"Good to hear that." Tatsumi stated with a smile, the first one that he had shown to either one of the ladies in front of him. "Your taking good care of Koneko-chan as well, are you?"

"Of course." Rias again replied without hesitation.

"Thank you… there is also something else I want to ask you about." Tatsumi said, gaining the attention of the two ladies. "You mentioned something about a Sacred Gear but you never explained what it was."

Rias nodded before elaborating. "A Sacred Gear is an artifact that was bestowed upon a human by the God of the Bible."

"Sounds extravagant." The green eyed male pointed out. "So they are something like the Teigu."

"They are, but they are also extremely rare. Because of their power, devils often try to recruit humans with sacred gears into their ranks." Rias stated knowingly. She had done the same with Issei after all.

"Do I have a Sacred Gear?" Tatsumi inquired.

"Hard to say." Rias stated with a shake of her head. "I was too focused on Issei at that time to really care."

"Is that why you brought Issei back? For his Sacred Gear?" Tatsumi asked with an even look on his face.

Rias bit her lip. "That is... correct. However, in doing so I saved Issei-kun's life and as I stated before, he won't be mistreated in my care."

Tatsumi smiled and nodded. Well... that was a lot to sink in but it did answer a lot of his questions. His eyes looked up to see the looks on Rias's and Akeno's faces. They seemed to be anxious about something, well, at least Rias did, Akeno had a smiling poker face going on. He just sighed and consigned to his fate.

"Alright, what do you want to ask me?"

"Well, now that you've heard the explanation of the Peerage system, I would like to ask you to join my peerage as my second knight." Rias offered with a friendly smile. "Kiba-kun is my other knight."

The brunette shook his head. "As interesting as that sounds, I think I'm going to keep my humanity. I can't imagine coming into this world as something and then going out as something else entirely."

The red head sighed. "While I'm sad to hear that, I won't push you much on that matter. But the offer still remains if you ever change your mind." Rias stated, with a glimmer of hope. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, could you perhaps explain why are you so fast and skilled with a sword? Oh, and why do you carry a sword in a bass case?"

Should have seen that coming.

"Well, I'm fast because I train regularly. I'm skilled with a sword because I spar with the Kendo Club at school and because my mother taught me fencing and other sword techniques." He lied straight through his teeth. "I carry the sword in the bass case because it would freak people out if I carried it normally in public... not to mention it is probably illegal."

"And where did you get the sword?" Akeno inquired.

"Grandfather left it to me in his will. He was a fine collector of real swords and he left that one to me after he passed away."

Goddamn liar.

"I see." Rias said seemingly satisfied before standing up. "Well, thank you for your time Tatsumi-san. While I wish that we could talk a bit more, but we have some matters to attend to." She gave a small polite bow. "Allow me to offer another piece of information as a sign of good faith."

"And that is?" An eyebrow was raised.

"My peerage isn't the only one in Kuoh Academy." Rias said before leaving the café with Akeno.

Tatsumi's face drained of color. There was... more of them in school? Great, now he had two groups to watch out for, and he didn't even know what the other group was.

While Tatsumi didn't detect any lies during the entire time she talked, he still didn't trust her as he was certain that some information was left out. After all, it wouldn't be wise to reveal everything to someone who they barely know without the fear of it coming back to bite them.

Tatsumi sighed tiredly as he folded his arm on the table and placed his head on them. "Guess living a normal life is always a temporary thing for me, before chaos finds me and drags me right back in."

Tatsumi sighed again, oh how wished he was in his bed right now and sleeping away his troubles….. without Esdese appearing in his dreams.

A/N

So I'd thought I'd give this story a try after working on my other story for such a long time. I'm going to level with you guys...I'm getting sick of that story and I need something else to work on before I go back to it. There is a possibility that another story will be released before that other one is updated. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to do that though.

Review, comments, questions, or concerns?

Harem:
Harems are easy to write in DxD because...why the hell not? So, yes this story does have a harem but features some more obscure picks that are rarely used. The characters have already been picked BUT if you make a suggestion for someone to be in the Harem, I and my Beta will consider changing our plans to include them. You have to provide a valid reason for wanting them to be in it though. This character can be from, I guess anywhere, but try to stick with AGK or DxD please. Sound fair?

Tatsumi's Power Level:
As of right now and based on his skills alone, Tasumi is pretty strong. This Tatsumi is the one that he becomes much later in AGK, so around the time of the latest chapter. He is NOT going to OP or Godlike like all those Naruto stories and he is actually going to STRUGGLE against more powerful foes. No offense to those of you that may have written or like a story were Naruto is OP or Godlike, but...that is how I feel.

Spoilers:
I've warned you three times. No turning back now.

Poll:
There is a poll on my profile page that is related to something else that I had an idea for. I need more votes because 32 votes isn't going to cut it.

Previews: (This the last chapter I published)

Again, these are meant to be taken with a grain of salt, do not be offended or came at me with torches and pitchforks for screwing something up. These are previews they do not always reflect the original. They also only reflect possibilities not certainties. Anyways, pick your favorites and let me know what you think.

I'll warn that one of them is for Naruto. My feelings about Naruto crossovers has not changed one bit and I stand firmly by what I said. Basically the idea DOES NOT involve Sasuke or Naruto in anyway so no Godlike, uber-Demon, #yoloswagninja420, #idonttweet or GG WP Naruto or Sasuke.

I do not anything own anything associated with these previews, the previews from before, or any preview I down later. They belong to their respective owners.

Preview #1

"Are you stupid!?"

"What are you doing!?"

Those two boys from the front gate said as they whisked me out of the courtyard where a large group of...g...g...g-g...girls had gathered. It looked like they were about to fight or something. When were a safe distance away, aka the gate, we gathered in a circle.

"There were girls." I said

"Of course there were girls!" The taller boy said. "Didn't you know? Nangokuren High School use to be an all girls school until recently. As guys we're the minority with girls being the majority of over 99%"

I gulped. "99%"

"And that is not the best part." The tall be added as he started to drool. "About half of the population are...monster girls."

I nearly flat lined right there. Girls and monster girls!? What kind of hell has been spread upon us!?"

Series: Dragon's Rioting x Daily Life with a Monster Girl

Note- Genius idea

Preview #2

Itachi Uchiha shifted his eyes to the side. He had felt a presence tailing him and it had been tailing him for a while now. He first noticed it when he walked out of the cafe after he stopped to get some hot chocolate. Whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to be threatening, but appearances were never to be trusted without proper inspection.

"Sorry mother, I'm going to have to call you back." Itachi said as he hung up the phone and took a short trip to a scarcely populated street and into an alley.

Then it was set, if someone was following him then they would likely follow him into the alley.

A few moments later a woman walked into the alley and adopted a completely bamboozled look on her face. Where did he go? She literally just saw him and then he just upped and disappeared into an alley. How was that even possible?

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes widened before she spun on her heel to see Itachi standing directly behind her. In shock, she stepped a few feet back. "How did you?"

"That isn't important." Itachi said as he walked towards her. Every step he took forward was matched by her taking a step back. "Who are you?"

"I uh..." He was getting dangerous close to her and the wall behind her as getting closer as well.

"Who are you?" The raven haired male repeated in the same voice as before.

"No...I don't." She felt the wall touch her back, there was no escape now. Now he was close, his face just inches from her's.

"Last chance, who are you?"

The woman gulped. "Number 43."

"I see." He replied as he raised a hand and placed it on her cheek. She was burning hot and her face was flushed red. "Whats a little bird doing so far from the nest?"

Series: Itachi x (easy to figure out)