AN: First fanfiction. No idea how this system works but eh I'll learn as I go. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. Flamers will be ignored, Violently... I wonder how that would work?

Chapter 1 – The nightmare begins

Long ago, in a dimension hidden between all others a war was raging. A war between two alien forms of energy know as the Dire and Radiant Ancients. Each ancient seeked to end the other and called upon five soldiers to do their will, soldiers based upon the greatest of warriors that they drew from the worlds around them.

But the ancients themselves were immortal entities, born from an old and forgotten alien power know only to themselves and as such would simply regenerate when destroyed. And destroy they did, both sides had fallen countless times only to come back with the next turn of day, a one year, one century, one millennium the war endured until time itself forgot how long it had raged.

But all things had to end, and the hidden dimension that housed the ancients was breaking under the strain of the battle. The ancients knew that if it did collapse then they would be spread across the void, too thinly spread to form again. In desperation, they tried to stop the war but for many aeons it had raged and even if they did stop it would only be a matter of time. As the sky began to shatter, the ancients in one desperate unified act called all their soldiers into their vast bodies and flung them and themselves through the kaleidoscopic dimensional gap in search of a place capable of hosting them. They found one. A young human child only 5 years of age. One Issei Hyoudou.

But the ancients had sensed on their way to their new host many other energy signatures. Signatures that were strangely reminiscent of their own respective energies.

That would have to wait however, it would appear that their new found host was in the process of getting the crap beaten out of him.

Issei wasn't sure what was happening. One moment he was desperately trying to defend his friend Irina from some bullies with his body when something strange happened. He was closing his eyes as he saw the front bully's fist near the end of its orbit towards his head when suddenly his body burned.

Like fire and ice were coursing through his veins, he crumpled to his knees mouth open in a silent scream causing the fist to fly wide. The others could only look on in horror as Issei clawed at his chest trying to stop the fire. Suddenly he stopped. The bullies looked on at the collapsed boy in trepidation.

RUN

A screeching cry echoed in the would be bully's ears, like rusted grating metal it ground against their minds.

RUN

The boys fled, as though a demon was hot on their tails. Meanwhile, a completely oblivious Irina had been lucky enough to be spared by the voice and looked on in confusion at her would be attackers retreating forms. Suddenly noticing her defenders prone form on the ground she quickly gathered her wits and started to drag Issei in the direction of her house as fast as she could.

Mindscape

Humid. That was what Issei described mentally of his surroundings as he lay on the ground. Sitting up blearily he slowly took stock of his surroundings. "Is this a...jungle? How did I get here? And where is- IRINA!" Bolting to his feet, he looked around franticly as though his English friend might simply hiding under the surrounding foliage.

'She is safe little one'

Whirling around in surprise, he came face to face with two...clouds? Like smoke, the two vaguely shaped figures stood before his short 5 year old form. Hovering just above the ground, one was of the purest blue accented with soft silver light. The other was a harsh contrast and bore a jagged crimson form with deep orange accenting light.

"Who are you?", the question slipped from his lips as he looked on in wonder at the two alien beings before him.

'I am the Radiant' spoke the blue one, its voice seemed to curl in twisted vines around Issei's body.

'I am the Dire', said the Radiant's crimson counterpart with a voice that seemed to echo cavernously.

And then in eerie unison 'We are the Ancients, The Forerunners, the Two that are One, the One that is All.'

Then in a much softer voice, 'And we are you little one.'

"Wha-what do you mean you're me?" he asked in confusion and slight apprehension.

'We are not of your world little one, we are from far beyond the genesis' came the Radiant.

'Our home was destroyed due to a conflict between us', continued the Dire.

'The sky was beginning to shatter, our soldiers were dying.'

'We had no choice but to cooperate and escape with our armies to another realm'

'We came to your world to find a new place to occupy'

'A place that would be able to withstand our presence'

'One that would allow us to keep fighting'

'We found you little one'

'Defending your friend'

'So we came to you and aided you'

'And now you are our host' they finished together.

Issei was in shock. His five year old mind struggling to analyse what the Ancients had said until after standing in shock for a few minutes he finally managed to get out, "So you're both a... part of me now. Right?"

'Correct little one' answered the Radiant.

'More specifically we now reside here within the depths of your soul' added the Dire.

Wide eyed, he looked around with new wonder at his surroundings.

Then another more pressing thought occurred to Issei. "What do you mean so that you can keep fighting?".

No sooner had the words left his lips, a low, echoing blast from a horn sounded across the canopy. The sound to battle, the rallying voice of command. The Call of War.

Suddenly the once silent jungle was alive with noise and from the gaps within the trees, Issei could see green and red creatures tearing at each other, trying with unbridled savagery to kill the opposing side. Body parts were hacked away in sprays of gore by bloodstained blades held by equally bloodstained wielders while bolts of green and yellow light were exchanged by four staff wielding creatures towards the back of each side with devastating effect.

Then a new fighter entered the fray. Clad in crimson plated armour and wielding a layered tower shield in one hand and a red guarded great sword in the other, he charged into the fray and to Issei's shock gave a guttural roar and released a great breath of billowing flames from the mouth of his plated helm. The green creatures were left untouched by the flames, but the red ones cried in agony as the flames hit, the scent of burning flesh filling the air.

Tearing his eyes away from the gruesome sight he collapsed to his knees in front of the Ancients and promptly emptied his lunch onto the ground where he continued to dry heave long after his stomach was empty. Finally, eyes wide with horror and revulsion at the scene of bloody carnage he had witnessed he finally worked up the will to lift his head and ask, "H-how c-could they?" and succumbed back to retching as his traumatised mind also became aware of the fact that this was inside his own soul.

'It is the way it has always been little one.' was the Radiant's level reply.

'We were cursed to continuously fight each other so that our attention would not turn to the other universes outside of our own.' elaborated the Dire.

'But then our prison broke.'

'We were freed but started to disintegrate in the void'

'And now you have a choice.' Spoke both the Ancients.

'A choice?' Issei said having somewhat composed himself.

'You are now our gaoler, the holder and a soldier of our cursed battle.' explained the Dire.

'We will train you, you will learn from the greatest soldiers to have existed and gain the power to not just fight for us but to defend us and by proxy yourself.'

Issei was torn. While getting trained by the two beings would give him power, the images of the rampaging knight and the bloody clash were still fresh in his mind. Suddenly a different picture came into his mind, Irina was laying on the ground defenceless behind him as he attempted to shield her from the three bullies.

'No' he thought finding his resolve, 'I will never allow that to happen again. No matter the cost.'

'Plus' he added lecherously 'Maybe I will finally get to see some oppai'

"I accept" he said happily steeling his resolve (and his inner perversion) as he faced the ancients.

'Then rejoice Hyoudou Issei' declared both, their voices echoing around him.

'So wha-' began Issei only...

PAIN

Unbidden a cry tore itself from his throat.

No sooner had the words left their non-existent lips, a deep smouldering pain made itself violently known to Issei's back and for the third time that day he collapsed to the ground only this time his descent was accompanied by a tearing scream from his own throat. He rolled around squealing in agony and to his morbid fascination saw two sets of lines slowly snaking across the skin of his arms. Finally after what seemed like hours of torture, the fire in his veins dispersed and he lay on his back panting in relief.

Bringing his arms to his face he saw two patterns now inscribed on them. The Radiant coloured set was ...flowing, like a wispy curl of mist or a curling ivy it traced itself around his arms like a vine splitting spiralling into strange glyphs and and disappeared past his shoulders. The other by contrast bore the crimson tone of the Dire and was harsh and jagged bending at sharp angles and formed what could be described as circuit patterns. Like it's Radiant counterpart, it too wound its way up past his shoulders. The marks were spread all over his body but only one was on each side of his body, Radiant on his right and Dire on his left.

'The marks are the proof of your pledge,' the Radiant said to his unasked question. 'They allow you to access your power and in time access our own powers.'

'But now you must wake little one, your friend is waiting,' said the Dire.

And with that, Issei felt the ground open up beneath him and everything fell to black around him.

Issei opened his eyes blearily and then immediately closed them as the setting sun light stung them.

'Uggh my head' was his first coherent thought immediately followed by a more desperate chorus of 'IRINA!' as he bolted upright.

"Issei"

He turned his head left so fast that one of his vertebrae cricked and came to face the eyes of the very person he had just thought about.

"ISSEI!" the action was immediately followed by a viscous hug from the aforementioned person as she hugged him tightly in her grip.

At first he was a bit perturbed at being hugged by a guy, but then he was suddenly acutely aware of the two bumps pushing onto him. 'Holy shit she's a girl!?' screamed his mind as he came to the ground breaking conclusion. He pushed that aside however in favour of comforting his friend.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly rubbing small circles on her back and getting a nod in response. "What happened?" he asked causing his long-time friend and partner in crime to bring her head round to face him.

"Don't you remember? You scared the bullies off and then collapsed on the ground, you've been asleep for hours." she said burying her head back into his shoulder as the memory of her secret crush spasming on the ground rushed back to her. Normally, the feeling of having a girl press into him would send his mind into the gutter but even a pervert like him had standards, and he would sooner die than take advantage of an emotionally drained girl. So he held her, let her confirm that he was alive and constantly whispered "It's all right" to her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours she calmed down and proceeded to fall asleep on Issei's shoulder. Noticing, he tried to remove himself form her grip only for her to pull him back stubbornly. Realising that any further attempts at extraction were futile, he sighed with a small smile gracing his lips and in a rare moment of non-perversion he reached down and hoisted her legs up onto the bed with him earning a brief frown followed by a purr of contentment. After checking that his friend was comfortable, he lay down and let sleep claim him and drifted off peacefully.

Unknown to both, both of their parents had been silently observing them having heard the commotion. Closing the door quietly so as to not alert the slumbering children they smiled at each other. 'They'll be fine' was exchanged wordlessly between them.

Unfortunately, for Issei it would be the last peaceful sleep he would be getting for a while.

Next day

"Issei I have something to tell you." Irina began, broaching the subject.

"What is it?" Issei replied looking up from his book as he sensed the seriousness of her tone. He had recovered completely from what the adults could tell and had been up and about with Irina all morning.

"My family is moving to England." she looked down unable to meet his eyes.

"Oh.." was his eloquent response. "How long," he asked morosely after a few moments of contemplation.

"Tonight," her voice cracked slightly at the end and tears threatened to fall from her violet eyes. The sight of his friend looking so vulnerable in front of him triggered something in Issei. Standing up, he crossed the room in two strides until he was standing in front of her. Gently, he tilted brought her head up to face him and with his other hand wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"Irina no matter how where you are, you will always be my friend." he stated with a firmness that he didn't know he possessed. Then in an act that surprised himself, he placed a soft kiss on her brow.

Then the moment passed and like the children they were, they turned away blushing furiously.

"Issei?" said Irina from over his shoulder.

"Yes?" he responded hesitantly only to feel a pair of slender arms circle around him and a head of brown hair appeared on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

And no more words were needed.

Time skip 10 years (canon begins)

"My name is Yuuma, and I-I-like you. Please go out with me." she stuttered hands clasped and violet eyes shut as her black bangs framed her face, the very image of teenage nervousness.

'Holy crap a girl wants to go out with me. ME of all people.' was running through Issei's head. The thought was immediately followed up with an equally fast 'Wait what?' as his brief excitement transitioned into bewilderment.

Issei was a part of what was know to the school populace as "the perverted trio", an aptly given title considering the actions of the group which ranged from peeping to verbally open declarations of perversion. So Issei was currently confused as to why an obvious bombshell of a girl was bothering with him.

Meanwhile Yuuma was still holding her expression of nervous embarrassment only now there was a bit of perturbation mixed in as well as she watched her targets facial features shift from shock to joy and then to confusion within the span of a few seconds.

"Alright who dared you?" broke her out of her musing as Issei came to the only logical conclusion he could think of.

"What?" she said losing a bit of her composure to confusion.

"There is no way on god's green earth that a girl like you would just ask ME of all people out, me the 'self-proclaimed-harem-king' and member of the perverted trio." he explained sinking down into depression as he admitted the cruel truth. Contrary to popular belief, he was not as blind to his reputation as others made him to be. Didn't mean he liked to admit it though.

"Ugh" now she had a conundrum. How would she manage to convince him to go through with her plan. Fortunately fate had other plans.

"But then again, this might be the closest thing to a date I'll ever get in my life so I may as well take advantage of it." he continued, "So how about Sunday then ten o'clock?" he proposed much to her relief.

And so it begins.

Ten o'clock Sunday. The air was clear in the crisp morning wind, the sun was shining brightly and shoppers were already mingling in the streets. Issei was already there, dressed casually almost brimming with excitement.

"Issei!"

He looked up to see his at least temporary girlfriend heading towards him and he couldn't help but appreciate the way her bust bounced with each step.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked with a small smile.

"No not at all, I only just got here actually." he replied cheering inside as he finally got to say a line he never thought that he would get the opportunity to say. "Shall we be off then?"

"Lets" she replied cheerfully.

From there the date panned out normally, they went shopping of course where Issei bought her a bracelet as a gift and they both went to get lunch at a nearby café.

As they came out of the café though, a woman in devil cosplay suddenly pranced in front of him and handed him an odd flyer. "For you sir." she said before prancing off again. Looking down at the flyer, he saw an odd circle pattern emblazoned on it with the phrase "your wish will be granted" below it in curling letters. Frowning he hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket and continued on with his girlfriend.

Finally, the day rolled to an end and Yuuma had picked a nearby park to end their date.

The scene was like a painting, the dying rays of light sparkled in the fountains clear water and wind blew comfortingly through the surrounding shrubbery. And Yumma was facing him with her back to the sun, a halo framing her figure. "Ise" she said getting his heart rate to shoot up.

"Yes?" he said with growing anticipation. 'Is she going to kiss me now?' he mentally giggled only for the more cynical voice of his psyche to speak up with 'Are he friends finally going give up the gig now?'.

"Could you do something for me?" she continued, never letting the smile fall from her face. 'Here it is. Here it is!' Issei chanted, mentally shoving the cynical voice back while nodding his head.

"Die for me." and all pretences of pretending left her face. Her form grew and shifted, her clothes tearing to give way to dark leather straps that barely qualified as clothing and black elbow-length gloves covered her hands. Finally, a pair of feathery black wings tore from her back.

Raising her right hand, light coalesced and formed a pink lance of energy. She drew her hand back to throw as Issei looked on.

'Die for me'. As soon as he heard those words he was in another place.

Flashback

His body was broken and bleeding as burning arrows punctured and seared his flesh. Tears of pain and horror were pouring from his eyes as he desperately tried to crawl away.

Clink

The sound caused his heart to stop.

Clink

He had to run!

Clink

But his legs were bent and broken.

KKKKKK

The sound of a bowstring being drawn taunt.

TWANG

Unbidden a scream tore from his bloody lips as another infernal arrow pierced his body causing him to cough up even more blood.

"Ha ha ha"

The sound of his tormentors raspy and grating voice rang out as his boot clad footfalls neared his form. He felt his stomach turn to lead as he looked up into the burning eyes- no the two infernal fires that were burning in the exposed skull of his pursuer.

Clinkz, The Bone Fletcher had come.

Issei could feel his skin melt as the heat of the skeletal archer's flames neared, closer and closer until his spiked jawbone was inches away from Issei's face.

"Die for me" he intoned with a voice of endlessly burning hatred as he devoured Issei, body and soul.

Flashback end

"Die trash and know that it was I, Raynare of the Grigori that killed you"

SPLAT

The light spear tore through his torso in a pile of blood and gore leaving a hole the size of his fist in its wake.

"Sorry sweetie" he vaguely heard Yuuma, no Raynare mockingly say as he fell to the ground. "But you were a threat to us if you managed to awaken your sacred gear so if you want to hate someone, hate the god that gave you your sacred gear."

He felt his strength fade as the life poured from the hole. At that moment when fear began to eclipse his mind, Issei Hyoudou went away. And another took the reins.

Suddenly his 'corpse' started twitching and to Raynare's shock began to stand jerkily on its feet head dangling loosely downwards.

"So the trash still has some fight in him eh." she sneered gathering her wits "Well another one should finish the job" she punctuated the statement with another slightly larger spear of light...

...only for it to be sliced apart effortlessly by the large and curved double-edged blade that had not been in his hands a second ago. Eyes widening in disbelief she quickly gained some distance with her wings and took to the skies.

"So you managed to awaken your sacred gear huh? Well it doesn't matter, human trash like you can never stand up to the might of a FALLEN ANGEL!" she roared forming two more spears.

SQELCH

Blood came to her lips. "What?" she uttered as a stab of pain made itself know to her stomach. Looking down in shock at the pitch black dagger of pulsating darkness had pierced her torso. Looking further she saw that it had somehow left a trail of shadows in its wake, a trail that lead to the feet of her victim.

Then he looked up.

The surroundings began to crumble as she gazed in horror at the now eerily glowing blue eyes of her victim as the scenery finally gave way to a black void.

An endless plane. The horizon of reality.

A voice that echoed around her like a coiled snake hissing with venom spoke.

The cusp of the universe.

Purple was beginning to creep up Issei's arm from where he held the strange blade leaving dark violet metal where it touched.

An ancient shadow of loneliness.

She began to turn, attempted to fly away from the approaching entity only to discover with no small amount of horror that it was following the shadowy path that the dagger trailed.

The solitary figure. The lonely beholder.

He was getting closer, close enough that she could see the purple armour creep past his shoulder and across his chest.

I am the Tormentor. The Haunter.

The transformation was almost complete, all that remained was for the last part of his face to be covered.

I am Mercurial the Spectre.

The last of his face disappeared and only the Spectre remained.

And I am your Haunt.

As soon as the line was uttered her pursuer suddenly appeared in front of her, bladed hand raised to strike her down.

"NO!" She vainly tried to raise a spear in defence.

Fall.

The violet blade cleaved through her spear like it wasn't there, the guard smashed into her shoulder with crushing force and sent her falling to the earth.

It was a surreal sight, a purple phantom shrouded in violet mist smiting a black angel down to earth.

CRASH

She landed without grace in an explosion of concrete, her clothes torn and wings broken having cushioned her fall somewhat. She looked up, and saw the Spectre landing gracefully in a flurry of mist its eyes never leaving her.

It was cold, she realised with sudden clarity much colder than it should have been in the warm evening air. Mustering her strength she managed to tilt her head to face the source of the chill though whether the action was out of morbid fascination or survival instinct she did not know. That was all swept away however when she saw the Spectre and immediately regretted her choice.

Luminous smoke had begun to stream in thick droves from the glowing eyes of the Spectre, cold frigid smoke that sapped the remaining strength from her limbs. But then it began to whisper. Wispy figures of curling mist with the same cyan eyes as the Spectre.

Then as though receiving a command, they all turned to dace her downed form glaring maliciously. Sweat started to pour from her body as they started to close in, gaining features as they walked. Someone was screaming in the distance, it was her she realised as another scream tore from her throat now crying as she started to recognise the figures as her former victims even her current comrades were stalking towards her with murderous intent. She closed her eyes as tears dripped from her cheeks preparing to finally face her creator.

"No."

A voice rang out causing the smoky phantoms to halt their advance. The word was not shouted nor was it intended as a command yet the iron weight of authority behind it was undeniably there.

"That is enough, Mercurial" it continued. This time she was able to pin point it to the floating visage of the Spectre yet its lips had not moved.

The Spectre seemed to disagree, the hateful glare never leaving it's face as it stared balefully at her. But nevertheless it seemed grudgingly give in as the phantoms dissolved back into cold mist and the surroundings swam back into view. Then with a hiss of escaping air the Spectre's form dissolved into mist to reveal a newly disillusioned Issei breathing heavily as the toll of his power showed.

Finally he seemed to regain his breath and then noticed the extent of her injuries. Slowly he began to walk over.

Raynare's eyes widened as her supposed target walked closer. Bracing, she closed her eyes as he knelt down and placed his hand on her wound, expression unreadable.

But instead of pain a warm sensation began to envelop her, and she could feel the aches fade away. Opening her eyes she looked up to see her would be victim's hand wreathed in golden flames as her flesh knitted itself back together and the tiredness of her body was burned away.

What he said next was the last thing she expected to come from his mouth.

"Sorry."

She had almost sneered at the pity in his tone but any mocking words she might have had died in her throat when she saw his eyes. Guilt was the first thing she noticed, regret as well was lurking in the brown orbs underlain by a deep loathing not at her but at himself for what he had almost done. Yet for one instance, encompassing all of that she saw the eyes of a broken man, she had only seen the same look once on the face of her leader Azazel right after the war had finally ended; as he fell to his knees before the thousands of bodies that were once his comrades.

When the last of the gaping wound had vanished he stood up not noticing the look in her eye.

"Go" his voice was a dead monotone. She stood slowly, cautiously from the ground but did not move. "Please." he was pleading now, "Do not force me to do something permanent."

And with that he ran.

For how long he ran he did not know but after what seemed like an eternity as the events of a few minutes ago played through his head he noticed that he was back in his room. A cough suddenly wracked his throat as he fell coughing but instead of saliva golden sparks sprayed from his lips and smouldered on his carpet.

"Damn it." he said as he realised how close he had come to ending an actual life.

[You are not to blame Issei] a deep voice not un-similar to the Dire Ancient whispered consolingly. He looked down to the back of his left hand where a pulsing green orb had appeared. [You reacted on instinct. There is no crime in defending yourself.] it continued consolingly.

He sigh and looked at the floor where the embers had dulled to a deep orange for a few minutes before looking back up. "Thanks Ddraig." he said and proceeded to lay on his bed and close his eyes. The Ancients were there waiting for him as he fell through the glassy sky of his soul.

Meanwhile at the occult research clubroom.

The circle was silent.

The buxom redhead that stood on its perimeter was equally silent as she waited. It had been hours since her familiar had handed Issei one of their summoning fliers yet the connecting circle had let to light up to announce its usage.

She sighed, not in boredom but sadness and disappointment. "Akeno, please inform Sona of Issei's demise." she called to her queen.

"Yes Buchou." she replied uncharacteristically solemn as she went to relay the message of her kouhai's supposed passing.

The next day, Issei was for the most part back to his normal perverted self or as normal as one could be after a near death encounter. Shaking his head clear of the prior days events, he stepped into homeroom just in time to hear; "...while he may have been a pervert, it was a great tragedy for him to have his life ended so- Issei-san!" she exclaimed in shock as he fully stepped into the room drawing the gaze of the rest of the class. "How are you here!?" she said non too softly for his comfort.

He looked up at her quizzically. "This is my homeroom. Why wouldn't I be here?" was his confused response as he walked towards his usual seat.

Only to pause when he saw the white funeral chrysanthemums that someone had placed on his desk. For a long moment no-one spoke until suddenly, without warning he started to laugh. It was not the perverted giggle that the school populace had grown accustomed to, no it was a bitter mocking laugh that seem so so wrong coming from the self-proclaimed harem king. 'Oh the irony' he thought mockingly to himself as he gazed upon the snow white blooms.

He was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the door slamming open as a puffing Rias Gremory stood there.

"You." she stated "Are coming with me." and yanked him from class without a second thought.

Said class had boarded the same train of thought since he had first walked in. A train that had then proceeded to crash in a poof of pixie dust and turn into a magical ostrich.

He could feel the Dire in them. He was seated in the old school building which coincidentally was the dwelling of the famed Occult Research Club comprised of most of the schools top idols. Seated to the left of him was the short white haired mascot of the academy, one Toujou Koneko who was working away at a plate of sweets. To his right was the Prince and Pretty boy, the blond and charming Kiba Yuuto whom almost all the other males despised with a passion.

Finally, sitting directly opposite him were the two great 'Onee-samas' of the academy, Rias Gremory and the black haired yamto nadeshiko Himejima Akeno.

Had the circumstances been different he would have savoured (and maybe drooled a little) the experience but given the way that they were all looking at him he was more than a little concerned. Seeing as no-one appeared to wanted to broach the silence, he decided to make the first move.

"So."

The word seemed much louder than it should have been in the small room.

"Why am I here and should I be afraid for my chastity or is that just me?"

"Pervert." The word was more of a statement of fact than a quip and the blank face of Koneko only helped to reinforce the effect. He winced at that particular truth causing his usual perverted demeanour to slip momentarily.

"You are Hyoudou Issei correct?" It was Rias that spoke this time.

"Yes?" he answered it questioningly.

She leant forwards hands clasped under her chin. "What are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did you survive the Fallen Angel?"

All pretences of pretending left his face. So they knew that he was being targeted, that meant one of two things; one they wanted him dead or two they were trying to observe him. Evaluating the options he concluded that it was probably both and that caution would be his best bet.

Meanwhile his sudden shift in expression had startled Rias slightly. From what she had garnered from his reputation, he was an irredeemable pervert with an obsession with boobs.

"Fallen Angel you say." he said with deliberate slowness and scepticism in his tone.

"Uuurgh" she groaned into her hands, she really didn't want to deal with this now after the mad sprint she had made to his classroom.

"Uhfufufu aren't you a stubborn little kouhai." came the melodic voice of Akeno as she watch her king's plight with open amusement, violet eyes gleaming.

"Alright I'll get right to the point then." she stood up, an action mirrored by the other club members. "Everyone here is a devil." and with that black leathery wings popped out from there backs in all their glory.

Looking at Issei she gauged his reaction as he took in the spectacle. Form her experience, she had expected fear, surprise or even denial of their appearance. She was wholly unprepared for the look of curiosity that instead occupied his face.

"Well then," he said at last eyes latching onto her own emerald orbs. "What would a group of devils want with me?" he asked completely calm.

They re-seated themselves, and she procured a crimson chess piece and set it down on the table in front of him. A pawn according to his limited knowledge of chess.

"There are three factions Issei, the Angels, The Devils and the fallen. During the great war between them all three sides suffered extreme losses. So to help repopulate the devil species, we created these; Evil Pieces." she gestured to the crimson pawn on the table. "Are you familiar with chess Issei?" she asked.

"I know enough." he said.

"Well the Evil Piece or as we call it peerage system is very similar, the 'king' of the peerage can use the other pieces to reincarnate other species into devils as their servants." Understanding flashed across his face as he finally got what she was hinting at. "So what do you say?" she smiled raising the red pawn "Will you be a part of my peerage?" the offer was made.

He frowned slightly. "Isn't that a glorified slave system?" he asked bluntly.

Here she winced slightly. "Well there are some families who treat it as such.."

"But the Gremory clan is not one of them." finished her queen. "If anything, the Gremory clan is actually infamous for how they treat their peerages like family."

He looked at the piece in deep contemplation. "Before I answer that, just one more question." he swept his gaze around the room before settling back on Rias. "Why me?".

"That fallen angel was after you for a reason Issei," she explained "I believe that you posses a sacred gear and a powerful one at that."

Ah, so they had deduced he had a sacred gear.

"Sacred gears," she continued "are special tools made by the biblical god that are gifted to humans." she paused to let it sink in "if you could learn to use it, you would be a fine addition to my peerage." she finished. Throughout her speech Issei had been watching intently looking for a lie. He found none but there was something else in the emerald depths, lingering yet not seen.

He sighed. "Can I have some time, this is a lot to push onto me and I would like to sleep on it."

"Understandable." she nodded "We will contact you tomorrow but please consider the benefits."

Her queen chipped in "If you rise high enough in our ranks you can even make your own peerage you know." she trailed off with a giggle as she watched his mind slip into the gutter.

'My own peerage' he repeated mentally as he imagined his own peerage of voluptuous females catering to his every need. Unfortunately for him however, Koneko had caught sight of his expression.

"Stupid pervert." the new addition to his title jarred him out of his thoughts. Sighing in resignation he stood up and made for the door.

"Well of that is all, I'll be on my way now." he said.

"By all means." Rias said courteously.

When he was gone her queen finally spoke up. "One day Buchou? Isn't that rushing things a bit?" she questioned.

"We're running out of time Akeno." she said sadness colouring her tone "As we stand now we have almost no chance against Riser and his peerage, we need more power...otherwise I'll be forced to marry that trash." Her expression darkened at that last part as did her peerage's.

Kiba suddenly spoke up. "Buchou I just realised something." he said in suprise.

"What?" she asked from her brief down.

"He never actually told us what he was."

Eyes widening in surprise, she looked back at the previous conversation and found that he had indeed been able to avoid her question.

"Well played Issei. Well played."

"Well that could have gone worse." Issei mused as he walked out of the clubroom at an even gait before stopping suddenly. 'If I go back now there's going to be hell to pay, not to mention Matsuda and Motohama will probably murder me. Decisions decisions.' he mused weighing the pros and cons of skiving off. 'Meh might as well, I can avoid all the other hassle here while I'm at it.' and with that he all but skipped off to enjoy his temporary freedom.

The sun was beginning to set when Issei finally emerged from the game centre which he had spent most of the afternoon in. Who knew that he would be so good at the keyboard.

'Well that was fun.' he thought contentedly as he walked home with his hands in his pockets admiring the way the suns dying rays gilded everything with gold. Alas the peace was not to last.

"Well now, what have we here? I do believe that Raynare was supposed to have finished you off, oh well I guess I'll have to do it myself then won't I hmm?." he looked up and for the second time in his life came face to face with a fallen angel. This one was older and male unlike Raynare, he was dressed in a light violet trench coat and a matching Fedora complete with gloves.

"Die by the hand of Dohnaseek human!"

So caught up in his musing that he almost got hit by the blue light spear that suddenly occupied where his head was. He sigh, he had already lost control once over three words and as a result nearly let Spectre drive Raynare insane with its power.

Kill him.

He heard the grating voice of the Dire in his ear. It was a valid solution he admitted, this way it would take out one of his would be assassins and buy him some time. 'But' he reminded himself 'that would go against my beliefs and draw more of the devil's attention to me.' The decision was taken out of his hands though when Dohnaseek's patience ran out and had lobbed a salvo of spears at him. Suddenly heat began to emit from his hands and just as the spears were about to touch he vanished.

"Take this you stupid human!" Dohnaseek cried as he launched the salvo of deadly blue light towards Issei. How a human had been able to avoid his first strikes was beyond him but he planned on rectifying that by his current assault. Or at least he would have had Issei been there when they hit.

"What?"

A fist suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blazing with an invisible heat it struck his cheek with the force of a bowling ball leaving a fist shaped burn. 'Shit!' was his mental screech as he fell to the ground, an ironic scene if ever there was one. Landing on his back, he was painfully aware that his wings had just taken a considerable knock and were probably broken. Forcing himself to sit up on his elbows, he looked around for the subject of his ire and to his shock found him standing exactly where he was just seconds ago. He was also for some reason palming his face.

Meanwhile, Issei had reappeared just as the spears pierced the wall behind him. He took one look at the sprawled fallen angel and promptly palmed his face at what he'd done. Sometimes having an army in his head which happened to care for his well being and had no qualms about acting on their own was annoying. He sigh, this was not his day. Noticing the very familiar degree of damage his hands once more lit up in golden flames as he knelt down and set about healing his adversaries injuries.

'Okay now I'm was confused.' thought Dohnaseek as the golden flames began to mend his wings and face. After all, what kind of person smashes someone tried to kill them into the ground and then heals him? Was it out of pity? No, as he looked into the eyes of his healer he saw a slight amount of guilt but no pity to be found.

When the last of his wounds were fixed he, like Raynare before him, stood cautiously never taking his eyes of Issei. Issei on the other hand had let the flames fade from his grasp and was regarding him as well.

"Apologies," he said surprising Dohnaseek "I don't generally make it a point to do lasting damage. Very bad for my reputation." and with that eloquent statement walked off.

"There are some devils coming now, you better run if you want to live." he called over to his shoulder and then promptly vanished in a flurry of blue particles mid stride. Dohnaseek decided to follow suite and quickly took to the skies on his newly repaired wings.

'Raynare was right; you are an interesting one, human.' he thought as he flew to the abandoned church that they were using as a base.

Ten seconds later a very confused Rias Gremory would appear with her queen only to find an empty street and some holes in a wall with no sign of her object of interest.

Next day

'Ugghh I did not get enough sleep last night' were the bedraggled thoughts of one Issei Hyoudou as he slumped onto his desk disinterestedly. It had been a while since he had had to borrow the powers of the other Dota and while an extremely low powered Sleight of Fist was nothing to him, two Phoenix flame usages over two days were enough to let him feel the drain on his body.

The wide berth that the rest of his class gave him due to his prior maniacal outburst didn't help his mood.

"Issei my friend, what has gotten you down on this fine day?"

Issei looked up to see the ever jubilant face of one of his partners in crime, Matsuda one of the few people who could just roll with his quirks.

"Yes, it is not fitting for a future harem king such as yourself to be in such a state." The 'three size scouter', Motohama himself made his presence known.

He smiled. Despite their quirks, Issei trusted them both implicitly. They had been his first friends when he started at Kuoh, the first since Irina... Irina, he wondered how his friend was getting on, he thought wistfully. The others must have noticed his wistful expression as their expressions turned slightly lecherous.

"Oho, I sense the traces of a woman on you Issei. Have you finally taken the first step to making your harem?" said Matsuda sounding like he had stumbled on a conspiracy.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, something that they noticed. "You could say she was 'raven' headed." he continued humourlessly.

There was a commotion at the door suddenly as a majority of the class (mainly those of the female disposition) suddenly flocked to the door.

"Ano, are you Hyoudou Issei? Buchou wants to see you and has sent me to fetch you." the prince and lady killer; Kiba Yuuto was waiting at the doorway politely ignoring the clamouring females.

'Oh lord' he thought as the collective gazes of the class swivelled to look at him.

"Kiba and Issei NOO it cannot be."

"He will infect you with his perverseness"

"WHY!?"

was what the majority of the class screamed. The most vocal complaints however were from his two friends...

"ISSEI YOU BASTARD!"

"HOW COULD YOU GO TO THE DARK SIDE!"

'Aahhh yes the sound of suffering idiots'. He thought, personalitydoing a brief 180 as he all but waded through the masses to the door in grim satisfaction.

"Please follow me." his blonde guide said as they began to walk.

"Bloody handsome." was his muted reply.

They had a shower.

Why on earth was there a shower (Complete with curtains) in the middle of the room?

And why in the hell was Rias Gremory showering in it!?

"Alright." he said scratching his head as he looked at the silhouetted figure behind the curtain. "I get that having a showering facility here makes some sense but why is it in the middle of the room!?" The statement was punctuated with a outstretched finger.

"Fufufu, he brings up a good point Buchou." tittered Akeno as she stood attentively beside the bath a uniform in hand. "Perhaps Buchou enjoys the feeling of showing off her body?" she said suggestively smile never leaving her face.

"Akeno! .. what? .. No!" spluttered the showering devil as she abruptly turned off the water and snatched the clothes from her queen's hands changing in record time.

"Anyway." she said stepping from the tub having regained her composure. Have you thought about your answer?" she asked taking a seat behind the lone desk in the room.

"Well to be perfectly honest I don't wish to give up my humanity just yet." he said bluntly.

"I see then Issei-kun. Well I hope you'll keep all this to-" she began sadly though she did not show it.

"But I am willing to offer you my services in the capacity of a magician." he cut in abruptly causing her and the others to look up in surprise at his admission. Rias beckoned for him to continue "I'm not exactly a master of the arts but," he raised a hand and focused the power of Icarus into it producing a ball of yellow orange fire, "I know a few tricks of the trade." he finished allowing the ball to dissipate. To his surprise though, the other occupants of the room had grow oddly silent at the sight of the fire in his hands and seemed to forget he was there. "Um hello?" he said trying to get their attention. 'This is like dealing with the other for the first time.' he thought recalling how difficult it was initially to get the other beings within his soul to acknowledge him much less lend him they're powers. He sigh noting the rooms continued silence. So it was with no stain on his conscience that he pulled out a cap pistol that he always kept on him in case he needed a distraction (namely when he got caught peeping) and without further ceremony fired it at the ceiling with a terrific crack.

The results were varied. Kiba had started to leap to his feet with a pair of swords in his hands only to trip over his own feet and land sprawled across the coffee table, Rias had slipped her head off her hands and banged it into her desk, Akeno had simply jumped only slightly; being used to the sound owing to her magic and Koneko had actually leapt onto the back of the couch she was sitting on and perched there like a large cat, complete with raised hackles. "Now that I've gotten your attention," a grinning Issei said lowering the pistol causing the other members to quickly fix themselves up and look away sheepishly or glare at him, "Do we have an accord, Miss Gremory?" he asked seriously.

"Well I suppose it's a good way to show you how we work," she said rubbing her forehead "Would you be alright to fill in as a temp perhaps?"

He mulled the suggestion over. "Alright then." he smiled and held out his handwhich was then grasped by Rias "We have a deal." she said.

'Such soft skin,' he thought briefly as he beheld the texture of the crimson devil's flawless skin. Reluctantly he drew back and to their surprise he took a step back and bowed formally towards them at the waist and said, "I will be in your care now." before straightening back up.

"Welcome to the club Issei." Rias said warmly.

And at that moment Issei genuinely felt content since the turbulent times from so long ago.