-Author Notes-

I decided to write this story due to how strongly I dislike the High School DxD at times.

As you might guess, I'm going to take my time and rant a bit before the important information comes, if you are just interested in the story, just read the bottom of the author notes and start from there, you can ignore the rest.

Don't get me wrong, I've watched all seasons and have a good grasp of what the light novels have to offer, and I wouldn't be writing a story if I did not care about the subject at hand.

I absolutely despise how tense and serious situations are ruined by unnecessary ecchi elements. "Oh Issei lost the fight and is nearly dying? Just grab some fucking boobs and you will be stronger than ever."

HS DxD is the only anime that I have ever actually forced my way through some episodes. The author of HS DxD is an expert at making a good build up for a fight or tense situation, just to throw it all away by going "Oh by the way, BOOBS EVERYWHERE".

Seriously, what the fuck.

In this story I aim to provide an alternate point of view on how the HS DxD universe could look with an actually competent MC, and with proper romance elements. None of that "You have protected me with your life time and time again and saved me from an unwanted marriage, but you refuse to say my name due to your trauma so I'm going to throw a hissy fit" I'm looking at you Rias.

In this story Issei will be stronger, smarter, non perverted, and just all around more competent, especially when it comes to romance. But make no mistake, I am not going to make him some sort of "Mary Sue". Issei is not perfect, he has his flaws.

I will do my best to portray Issei and all other characters in a believable manner, I am sincerely tired of reading stories where Issei is just a blatant author self insert who somehow gained godly powers, destroys every opponent and picks up girls like he was fucking Ash Ketchum going around catching Pokémons.

And don't get me started on stories featuring OC's as important characters. I've been reading stories on FanFiction for nearly a decade, for all kinds of anime/games/manga etc. And in that time I have seen TWO stories being able to pull of a believable OC that seemed relevant and fit well enough into the story as to not disrupt the flow of it.

/Rant END

Okay now for some actual information about the story itself.

The pairing will be Issei x Kuroka. That's it. This is NOT a harem and will never be.

The entire story has been planned with this pairing in mind, they will gradually learn to know each other and to figure out their feelings for each other.

Issei will NOT become a part of any peerages, nor will he become an actual devil/fallen angel/angel.

This story is based around Issei being a Nekomata, and he will remain as such through out the story.

This is the first story that I have ever written, so all criticism and feedback is appreciated, I hope to refine my writing as the story goes on, and that will be significantly easier if we cooperate in that regard.

Flames will be used to heat my dinner, and I'm hungry so bring it on.

-Author Notes End-

"Hello" - Regular Speech

'I am hungry' - Thoughts

[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear/Ddraig Speech

*CLANGGGG* - Expression, example of steel hitting steel.

Disclaimer: I do not own, High school DxD be it the anime, manga or light novel. What I do own however is my story and the changes provided within it.

Chapter 1: The Nightmare

Resentment. Pain. Hatred.

Issei found himself floating in pitch black darkness, not a single speck of light were to be seen anywhere. He looked around for a bit before he was overcome by a feeling of dread. It felt as if though cold tendrils were grasping at his limbs, sending shivers down his spine.

Suddenly Issei's ears perked up and started twitching, he was sure of it now.

He was not alone.

"Who's there!" Issei shouted in hopes of finding whom, no, what was down here with him.

Silence was the only reply. Issei started frantically searching for the source of his uneasiness.

'Calm yourself, remember your teachings. If you cannot find what you are looking for with your eyes, use your other senses.' Issei thought to himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, heightening his senses.

Unfortunately, to no avail. Issei could not pinpoint where this feeling was coming from no matter how hard he tried. The feeling was overwhelming, it felt as if it came from all directions, surrounding him like a cocoon.

*WOOOSH*

In the blink of an eye, the darkness surrounding Issei vanished. He found himself standing in what looked like a court, or at least, a part of one. Rows upon rows of benches were before him, forming a crescent shape around him.

Issei had been correct, he was being watched. And those that had watched him now sat before him. Rows upon rows of hooded figures stared down at him. He could not tell if these hooded figures were human, as underneath their hoods remained only pure darkness.

Issei stood in silence as he looked towards the benches where the hooded figures sat. An expression of shock briefly flashed on his face before his expression turned into a frown, his ears laying down along his head as his tails ceased their movement in anticipation for what was about to happen.

"Who are you?! Why did you bring me here!" Issei shouted up towards the stands as he waited in anticipation for their response. All the while he was mentally preparing himself for combat should they prove to be hostile.

Once again, his only response was silence.

"I said wh-" Issei started before he was felt an immeasurable amount of power spiking all around him.

The incredible power forced Issei to his knees, gasping for air. He had to focus all his efforts on purely being able to breathe.

Issei glanced towards the stands once again to see what was going on, to his shock, they were all still remaining seated. Not having moved even an inch from their spot. Anger started to overtake him as he started feeling as if he there purely for their entertainment.

However before he was able to do anything further, the previous silent figures now started whispering to him. He felt tens, no.. possibly even hundreds of whispers coming at him. Issei's pupils drew together becoming significantly smaller due to the sheer amount of fear he was experiencing.

The whispers grew louder, he could now make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.

"If you become that.." Voices whispered.

"He wishes for it as well.." Stated a darker voice.

"Ju...ge..aut Dr..e" The voices had started becoming distorted.

"Activate it." The voices whispered to him.

"…ugg..naut. Dri..e" Issei was not able to make out the word they were chanting.

The whispers had reached the point where it would be more accurate to describe them as shouts.

And they grew louder.. and louder.. and louder.

Issei truly felt as if his head was about to split wide open, his ears ringing, his lungs burning.

"ACTIVATE IT" the conjoined voices shouted at him with all their might.

Issei shot up from his bed hitting his head on the nearby bedside table on the way up.

Rubbing the area where he hit his head he slowly put his head in his hands as he was sitting in his bed, heavily panting, gasping for air.

'Th.. That dream again? It has been reoccurring more often lately..' Issei thought to himself as he swung his legs over the bedside, head still in his hands.

[Partner…] The concerned voice of Ddraig, the resident of his Longinus, Boosted Gear, echoed inside his head.

For any normal person, being comforted by an ancient dragon residing within one's arm with the power to destroy multiple nations, would not only be unsettling but would make one question one's sanity. However, Issei Hyoudou was not a normal teen, especially considering his cat-like ears and tails.

Issei is a Nekomata, an ancient, nearly extinct race of cat-like Youkai which specializes in utilizing ki.

The Nekomata specie is significantly dominated by female specimens, with male Nekomata being so rare that they are considered a myth in most places around the world that know of this rare specie.

A Nekomata is usually indistinguishable from a human if they hide their ears and tails as they share most other human traits, at least physically.

'I am fine Ddraig, it is just a dream' Issei replied mentally.

[You do not look fine partner] Ddraig retorted back.

Issei scoffed before replying; "For the Sekiryuutei to be bothered by a mere nightmare. Hah!"

And with that he stood up, turned off his alarm, and started stretching, preparing for his morning workout regimen.

After a couple minutes of stretching Issei went and got himself clothed. Issei's usual attire for his morning workout sessions were quite simple, a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. Issei preferred functionality over flashiness, and this setup allowed him to freely move around without restrictions.

Before Issei left his room he made sure that he hid his ears and his tails. Not because he was afraid that someone else would see them inside his residence, he lived alone after all. But rather to ensure that he did not forget to do so before he left his house. It would be awkward having to explain to your neighbors why you suddenly decided to cosplay as a cat, since they had no knowledge of the supernatural whatsoever.

Issei sighed as he looked around the living room, boxes everywhere, as he had arrived late last night he barely had any time to unpack and thus the boxes remained on the floor spread through out the house.

"I am really not looking forward to having to unpack all of this later" Issei stated out loud to nobody in particular.

Sighing yet again, Issei grabbed the keys to the house as he unlocked the door and stepped outside. The sun had barely started to rise at this early hour, thus it was still rather dark outside. But that did not deter Issei, he thrived at this hour. There was virtually nothing to disturb him as his neighbors were still lulling in their sleep.

Being able to see clearly in this darkness due to being a Nekomata was only a further benefit of being out at this hour. Naturally he could not see as well as he would be able to in his Nekomata form, but his senses were heightened enough in his human form to allow him to complete this task without any issues.

While locking the door he cast another glance at the building that he would be to call home for the next foreseeable future. Sighing yet again Issei thought to himself 'When Azazel-sensei told me that he would relocate me to Kuoh so I could attend Kuoh Academy, I thought he would have hooked me up with a small apartment in some apartment complex, not a two story house with a front lawn and balcony.'

He could imagine Azazel's reasoning for it, probably something stupid and perverted along the lines of "Hahaha, my boy, you will be able to fit several girls inside this building, a perfect start for your harem"

Issei scoffed at the thought, he had no interest in a harem. Or maybe that was just his Nekomata genes speaking, since Nekomata's search for a single mate to spend their lives with. Besides, having a harem would be too much of a bother to deal with since he enjoyed silence and serenity. Not to say that he wouldn't mind enjoying said silence and serenity with his future mate.

Issei looked at the clock on his arm and noticed that it was already half past four in the morning.

'I do not want to be late for the welcoming ceremony especially on my first day in the academy, Azazel-sensei would have way to much fun teasing me with that.' Issei thought to himself.

Issei shuddered as he remembered how annoying Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen Angels and Grigori could be if he set his mind to it. And with that, he set out jogging, his silhouette stretching across the street due to the rising sun.

-Scene Change-

Panting and drenched in sweat he unlocked the door to his residence. He looked at the clock hanging on a nearby wall and noticed that it was already 7 AM, he would have to hurry up if he did not want to be late for the welcoming ceremony.

[I keep telling you partner, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. You become so engrossed with your training that you tune out the world around you.] Ddraig stated, mildly amused at his partner's antics.

'Hmph. If you were aware that we were running short on time you should have notified me.' Issei retorted, displeased with himself for not keeping track of the time.

[You know as well as I do which dangers lie in disturbing a meditating Senjutsu user, partner.] Ddraig said, this time with a more serious tone, losing the mild amusement previously held in his voice.

*Sigh*

"I know.. Sorry Ddraig" Issei stated dejectedly.

And with that, he rushed up to his bathroom, throwing the dirty clothes in the laundry bin on his way into the shower.

Once Issei had stepped into the shower he once again released his ears and tails. They were snow white just like the hair on his head. Sighing softly as the warm water washed over them. Issei washed his head and body under the warm water. He stepped out of the shower and proceeded to dry himself.

He sat down and brushed his four tails, Issei, like any Nekomata, held great pride in his ears and especially his tails. As they do not only define who he is, but also signifies the owners ability in handling ki as well as their magical reserves.

It was common for Nekomata's to only have one tail, especially if they were young and inexperienced in combat. An adult and experienced Nekomata could have two tails, however going beyond this number was practically unheard of. And this was despite the long average life span of roughly ten thousand years that the Nekomata's were known for.

It was not that Nekomata's were weak, and thus could not obtain more tails. No it was the opposite, even a one tailed Nekomata could prove to be a significant adversary to a middle tiered devil, fallen angel or angel.

A two tailed Nekomata could fight toe-to-toe with a high class devil, fallen angel or angel and manage to pull ahead with a victory. Beyond this number there simply is not enough data available as the amount of individuals in history who have achieved more than two tails could be counted on one hand.

Nekomata's in general have significantly heightened senses while in their Nekomata form, alongside increased physical attributes that are required to handle the amount of power contained within them.

However this much power did not come without it's own drawbacks. Ki, and in extension, Senjutsu, was a volatile form of magic, reliant on the users own life force and emotions rather than only drawing from a magical reserve as other races do.

Magical exhaustion was a real threat that all Nekomata's were aware of, expanding too much energy too fast would result in the best of cases, extreme fatigue and decreased life span, and in the worst cases, excruciating pain and death.

However that was not the end of the problems that came with this power, as it was heavily reliant on emotions, traumas as well as emotionally scarring events could leave one without the ability to utilize their ki at all, thus leaving them utterly defenseless.

Issei had finished brushing his tails, and thus hid his Nekomata form while clothing himself with the Kuoh Academy student outfit which he had been provided prior to his arrival at his residence. He then proceeded to sprint to Kuoh Academy hoping he would make it in time for the welcoming ceremony.

-Scene Change-

Arriving at the Kuoh Academy school grounds just a mere five minutes before the ceremony was about to start, Issei was looking around quite panicked, searching for where the ceremony would be taking place.

'Damn old man purposely forgot to tell me where I was supposed to go so I would have to ask a fellow student, hopefully a cute girl to add to my harem as he would like to put it.' Issei groaned as he thought to himself, having grown accustomed to the inner workings of the Governor General's head.

Sighing he looked around for someone to ask, however they all seemed caught up talking with their friends about what they had done during the summer break, and Issei was in no mood to disturb them.

"Excuse me, do you need help?" A feminine voice suddenly queried Issei from behind.

"!" Issei exclaimed as he was startled from the sudden appearance of the voice.

"Pardon me, it was not my intention to scare you like that. You looked lost so I assume you are one of this years transfer students" The voice said, which Issei now realized coming from an attractive young lady his own age, her lavender colored eyes peered into his own yellow colored ones for a couple of seconds before Issei realized what was happening and straightened himself back up.

"No, it is quite alright I just did not sense you coming." Issei said with an embarrassed laugh.

"You are correct in assuming that I am lost, you would not happen to know where the welcoming ceremony is taking place?" Issei asked her, hoping she could help him find the ceremony before it began.

"The welcoming ceremony is taking place inside that building, however you are running late." She stated as she pointed towards the western wing of the Kuoh Academy.

"Thank you, er.. I never got your name." Issei stated, wondering who this girl who had helped him was.

"Sona, Sona Sitri" She answered bluntly.

"Thank you Sitri-senpai. I am Issei Hyoudou, I guess we will see each other around soon again." Issei said as he started walking towards the ceremony hall.

'A high class devil managing to sneak up on me? The Sitri heiress, sister of the Leviathan no less?' Issei mentally berated himself for allowing himself that moment of weakness.

'I have to admit though, being able to sneak up on me with such magical power.. Impressive Sitri-senpai, it appears as if I have misjudged you' Issei thought to himself, impressed that she was able to sneak up on him, naturally he would have detected first sign of magic being activated, but still.

'...' Sona pondered over their conversation in her head as she continued her walk towards the student council office. All the while she was unaware that their entire conversation had been seen by her fellow devil, Rias Gremory.

'Oho? The scouting starts early this year it seems like' Rias thought to herself as she kept her glance fixated on the teen running towards the welcoming ceremony. She was of course referring to the scouting of possible new additions to their respective peerages as neither of them had used up all of their Evil Pieces yet, the magical chess pieces capable of resurrecting a being into a servant devil.

"..Buchou?" A soft voice queried from behind her. Rias turned around and saw Koneko Toujou, her rook, and Akeno Himejima, her best friend and queen, standing there looking at her.

"The welcoming ceremony is about to start, Kiba is already there waiting for us.." Koneko's soft voice spoke again looking up at her master as well as friend.

"Ara ara, Rias, already looking for a boyfriend?" Akeno teased in her usual manner.

Rias just sighed at her queens antics and followed her rook and queen to the welcoming ceremony.

-Scene Change-

The welcoming ceremony had just finished and Issei was on his way to his class. Mentally preparing himself for the bombardment of questions transfer students usually receive from fellow classmates.

"…and now I will welcome a new student to our class, he recently moved here from another city so be nice to him." Issei heard his teacher say to the class as he waited outside the classroom for the teacher to give him the go ahead to introduce himself.

'That is my cue.' Issei thought to himself as he stood up and entered the classroom.

As soon as he stepped into the classroom the class was in full motion whispering to each other. He heard a few giggles coming from some of the girls while he heard some curse words being muttered by some of the guys in the class.

"Hello everyone, I am Issei Hyoudou. I recently moved here from Kyoto, pleased to make your acquaintance." Issei said to his now fellow classmates as he waited for the teacher to assign him his seating.

With his introduction over, the whispers only increased. He picked up some parts of the conversations that were held due to his increased hearing.

"He looks so fit.." He heard some girl whispering.

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Another voice squealed.

And the whispers continued until the teacher spoke up.

"Silence! You can get to know Hyoudou-san after class is over."

And with that, the whispers ceased.

"Hyoudou-san, you can take the empty seat next to Motohama-san" The teacher said to Issei, much to the dismay of the female population of the class.

"He's going to be corrupted by them!" A pink haired girl shouted. Several girls nodding behind her.

"They're going to turn him into a pervert just like themselves!" Another girl exasperated, with more nodding from the other girls.

"Silence!" The teacher shouted yet again, this time the whispers ceased for good.

Nodding to the teacher, Issei made his way to his seat sighing along the way. 'Of course I would not be placed in a normal class... This is probably his doing as well.' Issei groaned mentally, referring to the perverted Grigori leader.

And with this, the class continued as normal. Issei was bored out of his mind as he had already all had the subjects this school taught drilled into his head by Azazel, the Governor General.

As perverted as the Governor General may be, he is still an excellent tactician and would settle for nothing less than perfect results from his personal pupils.

-Scene Change-

The class had ended and Issei was making his way out of the classroom, yawning due to having fought off the feeling of wanting to fall asleep during the lecture.

Regardless of the fact that he did not care about his teachers nor his classmates opinions of him, being seen as a delinquent by sleeping through the first lecture of the semester seemed like an inconvenience to him, and thus he stayed awake. Well, most of the time anyways.

"Yo! Issei!" the voices of the perverted duo heard through the classroom as they made their way to him.

'Please do not act as if we are friends.' Issei thought mentally, disgusted by the mere thought of being associated with them due to having heard their discussions about various girls in their class during the lecture.

Issei turned around, sighing yet again, as Motohama suddenly spoke up.

"Yo Issei! How about you come with us and watch the Tennis club's practice session? Sweaty teenage girls in bloomers are something to die for you know?" Motohama said with a big grin on his face, while his accomplice, Matsuda, stood by the side grinning with a thumbs up directed toward him.

"No thanks." Issei replied bluntly as he turned around and started to leave the classroom, leaving his fellow students baffled at his reaction to the perverted duo's offer. They were certain that he would have succumbed to their perverted ways having spent an entire lecture sitting besides them.

Motohama being the first one to recover from his shock half-shouted to Issei noticing he was on his way leaving the classroom yet again, yelled out at him.

"Blasphemy! Are you saying that you are not interested by the female body? Are you.. interested in men?"

Issei sighed yet again, this time audibly, so that the rest of the class could hear him.

"No you idiots. I enjoy the female body as much as any other man would." Issei started saying, berating them for their invalid claims towards him.

"Then why d-" Matsuda started before getting cut off by Issei continuing his explanation.

"I am however not a sex depraved freak, that gets off watching his fellow classmates like some sort of creep." Issei said coolly, shutting both of the perverts down.

And with that, Issei walked out of the classroom, not even having turned his head to the perverts while speaking to them. They were not worth the effort in his eyes.

Meanwhile the rest of his class, especially the girls remained staring at the classroom exit where Issei had stood, awestruck at what just had happened.

Not only had he turned down their offer, he utterly humiliated them in front of the entire class. Granted, said perverted duo has little to no shame left in their body, and they would most likely be at it tomorrow again, but they were pleasantly surprised nonetheless.

-Scene Change-

As Issei approached the school gates he noticed a girl standing there waiting for him. She was wearing the Kuoh Academy outfit for girls and her deep purple eyes were shining with anticipation. Any normal male teen would have been enthralled by her beauty and shy smile, but as stated previously, Issei was not your normal teen.

Due to his enhanced senses he could easily decipher the fact that she was in fact a fallen angel, it would have been incredibly strange for him not to, considering how he spent most of his childhood training under one.

Regardless of this he decided to humor her as he was interested in why she, a fallen angel, was here in Kuoh Academy, which is devil controlled territory, looking for him. If Azazel had sent her here he would have been aware of it, Azazel could be perverted and absent minded at times, but he was not stupid.

He would not send a fallen angel to Kuoh Academy without prior notice and not expect it to be taken as a declaration of war. And war was something in which Azazel held no interest in, it halted his research after all.

[Be careful of this one partner, she is stronger than she looks.] The voice of Ddraig echoed yet again within his head.

'Who do you take me for Ddraig? Do you really think of me so lowly, that I would not be able to detect a fallen angel standing right before me?' Issei replied mentally with a mocking tone.

[Suit yourself.] Ddraig scoffed at him.

"Hyoudou-kun!" The female exclaimed and approached him with a big smile.

'She knows my name?' Issei thought to himself.

"I am sorry, but who are you?" Issei replied to the still unknown girl standing before him.

"Oh how silly of me, I am Yuuma, Yuuma Amano!" She exclaimed cheerfully, making Issei cringe internally at her blatant charade.

"I wanted to ask you if you would like to go out with me on a date tomorrow." The girl now known as Yuuma said to him. Shocking Issei somewhat, he did not see that one coming.

Although he kept the emotion from showing on his face as he formulated a reply.

"I am flattered that you asked me, however I am not looking to pursue a relationship right now." Issei said bluntly.

"Mou… And I was looking forward to it too." Yuuma stated looking crestfallen. Making Issei cringe internally yet again as he realized that he sounded like kind of an ass. Even though it was blatant that she was faking her emotions he could not help but feel a small amount of pity towards her.

[You have always had a soft spot when it comes to women partner.] Ddraig chuckled in his head, being well aware of his thoughts.

'Tch, I am going to regret this later, but I can not deny that I am curious as to what she is doing here. I suppose that I will humor her for a little bit.' Issei thought as he looked at the fallen angel.

"Well.. I do suppose that I do not have anything else planned tomorrow, we could hang out as friends if you would like." Issei compromised with the girl before him.

The instant she heard that she perked up, her smile returning to her face.

"Well then Hyoudou-kun, I guess I will see you tomorrow at noon, meet me at the nearby park ~Okay?" She said, her cutesy voice returning as she strutted away in the opposite direction as if nothing had happened.

'Really now, this girl..' Issei sighed mentally as he made his way home.

Chapter END

-Ending Author Notes-

Thank you for making it this far in the chapter, hopefully I have captured your interest enough that you will be around for the rest of the story from this point onward.

Expect this to be a long running story, 100k words will be but the first milestone for this journey. The next chapter will be out in a day or two depending on the feedback received on this one. If I notice anything with my writing style that needs to be adjusted, now is the best time to do so.

Favorite/Follow/Review/Flame,

The choice is yours!

Until next time~