So I'll be bringing back one of my older fics, A Cracked Resolve, due to a poll I released a bit ago. Mostly everyone chose ACR over ADR. I'll do it properly, and won't make him an edgelord-Sasuke wannabe. Because that's what I did in the original. He'll be that silent dark type, but not edgy. Kind of. He won't just utterly yell out his revenge to people.

Suck it Nos. Edgelords are overused.

But you can kind of view this as a completely different story, as there aren't many things that are shared with the original. This is basically a completely different story, so you shouldn't really compare the two. You can if you want, but the only relation between the two is how both Isseis are exorcist, and the exorcist team is the same in both stories.

Anyway, here is the first chapter of Fragments of Reality. There isn't really going to be any overly complicated lore. It's basically just DxD. With Issei as an exorcist.

Fair bit of warning. My writing style is a bit...odd. I have a habit of keeping things vague, as I want the readers to imagine the place. But I keep it too vague, and readers have no idea what I'm talking about. So apologies. Places will not be described right away, and usually, you'll know where they are after reading a fair bit.

Full Summary: He wants to save his comrades. She wants to become the strongest exorcist. He wants to keep humanity alive. She wants to keep her lover happy. He wants to bring back the honor of his family. She wants to destroy the Church. He wants to fulfill all of their dreams. These seven, with all their different dreams and views of reality, will form under one banner, bring forth a new age. The world will bend to their rule, as they will surpass all limitations of humans.

Chapter 1

Valper Galilei cackled as he slid another orb down a large tube.

"Another piece taken."

He hummed as he drummed his hands on his keyboard. He started to type, analyzing the amount of holy power he needed left to finish.

"Hm. Call in another."

His most loyal of exorcists nodded, and stepped outside. The door shut without a sound.

From the outside, it would look as if the exorcist had exited the bathroom.

But the room was really in its own dimensional space, completely separated from the location that Valper was performing his experiments. It was impossible to access Valper's room without the key to the dimension.

Valper waited patiently for a few minutes, and eventually, the exorcist returned holding a small blonde girl in his arms.

"Excellent. Set her down."

The exorcist put the girl onto the table gently, strapping her in. He locked the cuffs, preventing her from moving away. His eyes glanced down at the girl in pity, before turning away so Valper can take out the holy element inside of her, killing her as well.

There was only so much screaming that the exorcist named Siegfried of the Sigurd House, descendant of the original Sigurd that slayed a dragon, can take.

Valper grinned as he cradled yet another orb in his hands.

"This should be the last one, before the final product is ready."

He walked back over to his desk, and dropped the orb into the large tube.

"Now we just have to wait for a person to inherit this power. He'll become the strongest exorcist that's ever been known to mankind."

Hyoudou Issei jumped back, creating some distance between his opponent.

He swung his blade upwards, attempting to buy more time to regain his balance, but she merely parried it, and jabbed forward.

Issei was forced to smack the flat edge of the blade away from him, causing her to widen her eyes as she stumbled forward.

Again, Issei was forced to catch her, preventing her from falling onto his chest.

"That was a bad ending to the fight."

She smiled at him, her purple eyes twinkling.

"Yeah. We both ended up slipping up. That was good though Irina."

She giggled. "Thanks."

She patted his cheek, and removed his arms from around her. She spun around childishly and hummed as she walked back to where their bottles were.

She took a long drink from hers, and her eyes glanced over to Issei.

His brown hair was disheveled with sweat, strands poking up in random directions and places. His body was coated with sweat, similar to hers, which showed that he was at least trying to fight her.

Which felt good. It made her feel as if she were on equal levels with him, despite her knowing that he was far beyond her level.

There were multiple meanings to her statement.

"So we done here?" Irina spoke up.

His brown eyes glanced at her.

"Yeah. We done for today. We've been here all day. We should head back soon. The others will probably be wondering where we are. We didn't tell them anything."

"Well...we can always say that we were on a date." She smiled at him suggestively.

Issei shook his head. "That won't work. They know that we don't go on dates on weekdays." There was a small blush on his cheeks when she had mentioned dates.

"Well...maybe we just decided to change our schedule?" She said hopefully.

Issei sighed and shook his head. "Let's just head back already Irina."

She pouted, but nodded.

Issei proceeded to walk towards the door, and opened it, the door opening with a slight creak due to the old age. He looked back at her, seeing as she barely started to follow him the moment he reached the door. He waited for her to walk through first, before following himself.

"What a gentleman." Irina commented.

The cold wind of December hit them, but the two of them didn't feel cold as of yet. Their warmed-up bodies would keep them warm for a bit, before their body temperatures would cool down. Only after their bodies cooled, would they feel cold.

And he would have to play the role of the gentleman once more, and keep Irina warm.

Not that he minded.

"So...how much longer until your break is over?"

"Two more days before I have to get back to hunting Strays." Issei frowned.

"Why are there even Strays in our area? This is the Vatican."

Issei nodded. "That's what I was thinking. There was an outbreak a bit ago. Having me on this break is slowing down the process of taking down these Strays, and it can potentially cause more casualties than needed."

"You need to take a longer break. You've only had a break for a week."

"A week is plenty."

After a few more minutes of silent walking, did Irina finally shiver. She stepped closer to Issei, and he wrapped his arm around her, bringing her closer to him.

"Thank you."

She smiled at him, and took complete advantage of their close proximity. She reached around him, and also wrapped an arm around his body, allowing her to get even closer to him, pressing her left breast against his side.

He blushed, a small tinge of pink forming on his face, but did not proceed to do anything further than hold her close against him.

But it was good enough for Irina, who would not see him for another month after he leaves on his mission. There were only rare moments when Issei would turn like this, and she learned to appreciate them when she can.

After all, she knew the horror that Issei had witnessed. She knew how hard it was to show love for anyone.

Even her, his childhood and closest friend.

They walked in silence, looking as the cars drove by, their headlights shining brightly at them. Black dots filled their vision after the headlights stopped shining directly into their eyes.

"We were in there for a long time. Makes me wonder why you used that training center, instead of the one attached to our base."

"Because then, I wouldn't have been able to hold you like this."

Irina cursed herself, as her heart beat faster. A blush rose up to her cheeks, as this was also one of the few times he would speak like this.

Issei gave her with a cheeky grin that she knew was reserved only for her.

She faced away from him, trying to hide her ever growing blush.

Issei switched from wrapping his arm around her shoulders, to around her waist, and laced his fingers through her much smaller ones.

"Well well, what do we have here."

Issei recognized the voice. He glanced behind them and nodded at them.

"Yo, Freed."

Freed Sellzen grinned at them, his red eyes widening at the sight of them. In his hands were multiple bags that most likely contained groceries. Issei remembered how empty the refrigerator was when he opened it in the morning.

Hence why he was only able to get the entire team only a piece of toast with an egg on it for lunch.

He and Irina went out and bought some American burgers, but he didn't know what the others had for lunch. Most likely instant ramen again, just like every other day when he or Irina wasn't around.

"You gonna help me with these, or nah?" Freed barked. "Because my arms are definitely not tired from having to walk twenty minutes to the store and back."

"Well good. Because my arms are too tired to hold any of those."

Freed widened his eyes. "Oi, you seriously aren't going to make me have to carry all of this heavy crap for another ten minutes, right?"

"Who knows. Think of it as your strengthening training." Issei walked faster, knowing that Freed won't be able to follow as fast due to the weight in his arms.

"Hey! You fucks! Slow down a bit!"

"You better hurry up then."

The giggling and smiling of both Irina and Freed brightened the dark hole inside of Issei.

He'll do whatever he can to keep his comrades happy.

"Welcome back!"

Issei and Irina stepped into their headquarters, and they were immediately greeted by a young blonde woman with grey eyes. She wore short shorts that emphasized her buttocks, black stockings, and a white sleeveless shirt with a tie. Her hair was done in a large braid, and a silver tiara rested on her crown.

"Hey Jeanne." Issei smiled at her.

Her eyes lingered on their held hands, and a small grin broke out on her face. "So you two were on a date?"

"No. We were training."

Jeanne stepped forward, and was about to say something, before wrinkling her nose. "Get in the shower. Both of you smell."

As she walked back into the kitchen, she called out over her shoulder. "Tell me when Freed is back!"

"He'll be back in about five minutes."

There was no sign that Jeanne had heard him.

He let go of Irina's hand. "You heard her. You know how she gets when people smell while eating."

She laughed. "Yeah. Let's get cleaned up."

They walked up the stairs, holding onto the oak railing, Issei ahead of Irina by two stairs. Their steps were quiet, and they shared quiet laughs and jokes.

When they reached the top, Issei saw a blue haired woman with a strand of green hair. She wore a blue kimono with pink flowers and wore no socks or sandals. She had hazel eyes, and her facial expression was cold, but when she saw both Irina and Issei, her eyes brightened, and a small smile appeared.

"Hey Irina. Hey Captain."

Issei grunted. "Call me Issei Xenovia."

Xenovia's eyes twinkled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to remember, Issei."

Issei sighed, and continued walking past her, knowing that she'll go back to calling him "Captain" eventually. He wondered why he was chosen to be the leader of this one exorcist group.

He waved goodbye to Irina, and stepped into his room, which was right across from Irina's.

He stripped of his exorcist robes, and walked to his bathroom nude. There was no risk of anyone seeing him through a window, as there was a barrier around the entire house that prevented civilians from walking near, or seeing into the house.

They had a problem when they first built it, and teenagers saw Jeanne's breasts while she was changing.

He sighed as he turned on the water, filling the bathtub up to the brim. Usually he would use the shower head and take a quick shower to get to dinner as soon as possible, but he felt like doing a bath. Dinner wasn't until at least an hour, due to how long rice took to cook.

He stepped into the tub, the water level rising a bit. He slid against the back of the tub and closed his tired brown eyes, giving a sigh of content.

He enjoyed the hot water, resting his eyes from the bright lights of the house. A few minutes later, he picked up the soap, and was about to start washing himself, but a knock on the bathroom door made him stop moving.

"Issei? Can I come in?"

He nodded, and waited for the door to open, but remembering that Irina couldn't hear him.

"Yeah."

The door opened a small crack, and Irina slipped through the tiny opening. She closed the door, being able to keep the towel wrapped around her.

There was a light blush on her face, as she looked at his toned arms. His arms weren't extremely muscular, but they had enough muscle so his arms looked toned. The water hid the rest of Issei's body, but if she concentrated enough through the steam-

"My eyes are up here."

Her blush darkened, and her violet eyes snapped back onto his face.

"What are you waiting for? You wanted to join me right?"

She nodded, and slowly unwrapped the towel from around her, revealing her ample breasts for him to see. She dipped her foot into the water and yelped. She pulled her right foot back, and glared at Issei.

"Why is the water so hot?"

"If it's hot, just add in some cold water." He waved his hand at the faucets at the front of the tub.

She huffed, knelt, leaned forward, her rather large breasts hanging, allowing Issei to drink in her feminine form. Despite her vigorous training, she still managed to keep the fat in all the right places. Her arms were not muscular, and she did not have emphasized abs, but she had just enough to make her not look weak.

"You didn't untie your hair."

Her eyes darted to him, as he pushed off the back wall of the tub, the water rippling as he moved. He pulled the tie out of her right tail. Part of her chestnut hair fell, and slapped his shoulder on the way down.

Her eyes darted downwards, looking at his toned abs.

She watched as more of his body was revealed, as he moved upwards to get the other tail.

She saw the V that led down to the-

She snapped her head back up to avoid looking at his part, and Issei leaned his head back. "Hey, watch it. You almost bashed my jaw. If you wanted to kiss, you can always give me a bit of warning."

"T-That's not what I was trying to do!" Irina stammered.

"Oh." He said plainly.

He pulled the second tie out of her left tail, leaving her chestnut hair to fall down to her thighs.

"Do you want me to wash your hair?"

Irina smiled shyly. "Sure."

She stepped into the tub, and she relaxed. She closed her eyes and felt water start to fall onto her hair. After a few moments, the water shut off. She felt Issei's hand run through her hair gently. He untangled the knots expertly, never once pulling too hard.

"You look tense. You should relax more."

"I should be saying that to you." Irina scoffed. "You hardly ever rest. You always do what the Church says."

"It's for the good of God, no?"

Irina frowned, but nodded. Despite her hate for the Church, she still answered the calls of God.

"Besides, this one is pretty local."

"Yes, I know that. We discussed this at the training center."

She heard his chuckle. "Yeah, my memory is bad."

She heard something become uncapped, and knew that he was starting to apply shampoo into her hair. He ran his hands through, applying it, and gently massaging and scratching her hair.

"Dear?"

She felt him stop at the call of the nickname.

"Yeah?" His voice was quiet.

"Let's go on a date when you get back from your mission."

He was silent for a few moments, before continuing to scratch. "Yeah. Let's go anywhere you want."

She smiled.

Issei sat on a small stool, as Irina crouched behind him. She moved the bar of soap across his back. She spread out the soap, and began to rub the area.

She paused when she noticed that his muscles were tight.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer him, and lightly started to rub his shoulders.

He groaned lightly, and a light blush formed on her face. She liked the sound of Issei feeling pleasure by her touch.

It was hard enough seeing Jeanne give him a massage!

Even though she knew that Jeanne wasn't interested in Issei. Hopefully...

"How does it feel?"

"Good." He croaked.

Her blush got darker when he couldn't form words.

She peeked over his shoulder and nearly gasped when she saw his thing growing in length. She hid behind his back again, and continued to press her finger pads against his skin, applying little pressure.

Irina stopped after a few minutes. "How did it feel?"

He was silent, before saying. "It felt good."

Irina did a mental dance when she saw his cheeks tinged with pink, and his posture noticeably more relaxed than before.

Issei glanced at her. "But you still haven't finished washing my back."

The brown-haired male grinned at her. Her cheeks became a bit lighter, but still had a pink tinge from either the heat, or from the close proximity with Issei.

Feeling like teasing him further, she hugged him, pressing her breasts against his back. He stiffened, and she made sure to rub them against his skin. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Wash it yourself."

She stepped away from him quickly, and bolted out of the bathroom.

When she closed the bathroom door, she heard a "Fucking hell."

She giggled, and dried herself with a towel, ignoring the water droplets that were currently gathering on the floor. She then put on one of Issei's sleeveless black shirts. The shirt ended around her mid-thigh, and the lack of sleeves allowed one to see that she wasn't wearing a bra. If she wasn't careful, one would be able to take a peek at her modesty.

But it didn't matter. She wore it just to tease Issei even more when he came out. She'll put on undergarments after.

So yes, this is the first chapter. I'm not sure how I did with it. I focused entirely on Issei and Irina this chapter, because why not? There won't be huge moments of fluff like this every single chapter (looking at you Belial), but I'll have these kind of scenes every so often. Already, 6 of the 7 main characters have been introduced.

Also, I have plans for Freed's personality. So don't worry. He'll turn into a crazy fucker eventually.

This story is an AU, so expect a ton of changes, as well as the lack of focus on Rias and co. It's focused primarily on Issei and his team. This first arc will not last long, only 5-7 chapters at most. It can be less than 5, but it'll definitely not pass 7. After it, will be jumping straight to the action.

So yes, don't forget to favorite, follow, and hopefully leave a review! Hope your day is as wonderful as your butt.

-King Apeiron

~A.K.A. Houvdon