Alright everyone, I'm already back. As most of you should know, my story Great Red Betrayal has reached its conclusion. In light of that, I've created this story to take its place. I got a lot of inspiration from fellow writers and thought long and hard about this. It's much different from the norm, I assure. And it will be longer than GRB. That, I also want to assure for you.
So, I hope you do enjoy.
[WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I'M GOING TO K-KISS YOU…]
"...Ughh. God dammit..."
The alarm clock was loud and blaring. It was designed to wake him up with a tsundere voice, but it didn't have the function to actually move him from the comfort of the sheets.
The owner, in the end, fell to the floor after having a nightmare once more.
That person was Issei Hyoudou. An average high school student with nothing really extraordinary about him.
It was the worst way to wake him up but the recurring nightmare he's had have become so real, he feels closer to death each time.
It's been the same dream, again and again. No matter how much he's tried it's never left him. It's always haunted him. And it's been getting closer and closer every day.
At first, when he was twelve, it came once every three months. But recently, since his seventeenth birthday, it became more frequent up until every night. And now, it's become more vivid, more realistic, and almost as if everything happening to him, in the dream, was happening to him in real life.
"Wake up, Ise!"
His mother's voice called from the stairs. Every morning she woke him like that. And it always reminded him that he was still alive.
"I know, I know! I'm getting up now!" He shouted through the door.
The brunette picked himself up and stretched while releasing a stiff yawn. He felt so down after waking up and didn't feel like going to school. Sadly, he had his academics to keep up with so, begrudgingly, he moved to get ready for the day.
He took a shower, threw on his uniform, and walked downstairs to the front door. There, he slipped on his school shoes and grabbed his school bag before opening the door.
"I'm off," he shouted back into the kitchen.
There was no response but he knew his parents heard him. Stifling a yawn, he left the house. But what he didn't know was that it'd be some time before he would see it again.
-XOXOXOXOX-
A private school. Kuoh Academy.
That was the school Issei attended.
It was a co-ed school as of recent, having been a girl's school a couple years ago. So, now, there were more girls than boys in a massive ratio split. As the grades went down, the number of boys increased, still leaving much more girls than boys overall.
Issei Hyoudou was a second year high school student and the ratio of girls and boys in his class was seven to three. For the third year students, it was eight to two. Just as an example.
Even now, the girls had a much stronger authority than boys. The majority of the students on the Student Council were girls, and the Student Council President was also a girl.
Kuoh Academy was a school where boys can't stand tall, but it didn't deter Issei from joining among its ranks.
It was a very simple explanation as to why as well.
The place had more girls. That alone was the only reason.
He was able to pass the entrance exam for this school, just barely, due to its rigorousness, thanks to his perverted guts. Yes, he was a pervert, a huge one at that. And he didn't care to show or say it either.
Issei's goal in all of this was to be able to study while being surrounded by the opposite gender. A shallow goal indeed.
And for that reason alone, he was currently attending the school.
What was wrong with that?
What was wrong with being a pervert!?
It was his life. He wouldn't let anyone argue against him about it too. He was going to build a harem at the school. It was his set mission when he first entered the academy.
But now, after his first year and some months, he felt very depressed. He was naïve for thinking he could make two or three girlfriends at the school where the majority of students were girls. It was still the real world after all.
Only one group of good looking guys were popular and girls didn't spare a glance at him. To be more precise, they ignored him, as if he was trash lying on the floor.
It wasn't in his plan to be unpopular. In his plan, he was supposed to get his first girlfriend right after he entered the school a year ago. After that, he would break up with her and start dating a new girl. He would then repeat so, by the time he graduated, heaps of girls would be fighting over him in a battle for his heart.
But, at this rate, his objective will end as just a dream.
What was wrong with it!? Was he in the wrong era to have such a goal? Was it the law of monogamy itself? Or was there something wrong with him...?
Issei didn't want to even think about that...
Sadly, those were the things that went through his head every single day.
-XOXOXOXOX-
The perverted brunette arrived to class and released a big sigh. He sat down in his chair without taking a single glance at anyone. Something that had aroused slight suspicions from the rest of the class.
"Hey, buddy. How was the DVD I lent you? It was some good stuff, wasn't it?"
The bald headed guy who spoke to the boy was his first best friend, Matsuda. He looked very athletic, but he was a pervert who made sexually harassing comments every day to the female student body. It was a surprise he hadn't been expelled yet. Hell, Issei should've been too.
Matsuda was a sports-boy during his time in junior high school where he broke many records, but, since his transition to high school, he's joined the Photo-Club now. He is really open about his ambition of wanting to take photos of every part of the girls' bodies through the camera lens.
And that alone earned him the nickname "Perverted Baldy" and the "Sexual Harassing Paparazzi".
"Phew...the wind sure was strong this morning. Thanks to that, I was able get a good view of the girls' panties."
The guy with the glasses, who was trying to act cool, was Issei's second best friend, Motohama. He had a special ability called "Scouter" and with it, he can tell the numerical values of the girls' measurements through his glasses. The drawback, however, it that he has a special body where his strength plummets when he takes his glasses off.
That has given him the nickname "Perverted Glasses" and the "Three-size Scouter".
These two were Issei's partners in crime. And together, they formed the Perverted Trio of Kuoh Academy.
Any other day, Issei would have been fine to see them. But today, facing them in the morning, after such a hard night, was really making him upset. He felt sick, almost like he was jabbed in the stomach. Possibly even stabbed. But there was no marks or signs of blood when he checked after his shower.
"I got some nice stuff today!" Matsuda exclaimed with a smirk. He opened his bag and tips out the things inside his bag without any hesitation.
Books and DVDs were piled up on Issei's desk, all having very suggestive titles and images on the cover.
"Kyah!"
A small scream comes from a girl far away from the trio.
Of course she would react like that. After all, something like that was happening in so early in the morning. And in the wide open at that.
"You guys are the worst!"
"Die, filthy perverts!"
Those were a few of the comments they received from the female body. But, Matsuda and Motohama didn't care. Nor Issei, but for different reasons.
"Silence! This is our entertainment! Girls and kids should look away and keep away! Or else, I will rape all of you inside my head!"
Matsuda's threat was very vulgar. Issei couldn't help but lower his head deeper into his arms. Students could notice his disdain but had yet to comment on it. It was very weird seeing him out of character. Usually, he'd be all over the porn on his desk but the brunette hadn't even taken notice of it.
Matsuda sighed while looking back at his friend's dull face.
"Hey hey hey. Why do you have a face like that when there are so many treasures right in front of you?" He asked with slight irritation.
"You haven't been in the mood lately. It's definitely weird of you Ise. You aren't the same as usual."
Motohama had added on while poking his glasses. It was in a way as if he found Issei boring.
"Whatever. I'm just not feeling good, alright?" The brunette replied with half his face buried behind his arm.
"Are you sick dude?" Matsuda asked, showing his first signs of concern.
"No, I...had the dream again."
Matsuda and Motohama's eyes widened slightly. They knew of their friends recurring nightmare and how frequent it had become. But to see that the nightmares were affecting him like it did made them question if the dream was getting worse.
"What happened?" Motohama asked.
"The same as usual," Issei replied shortly.
"You should have stayed at home," Matsuda said.
"I can't..."
""Why?"" They asked simultaneously.
Issei stayed silent for a while. He had a subconscious feeling in his head that was now starting to become more noticeable. It had been bouncing around since he left the house but was now at the forefront of his mind. The thought itself was frightful but, for some reason, Issei wasn't scared of it. He simply didn't care at that point and wanted to focus on resting. So, his next words just came out, not a single sign of hesitation or fear in his tone.
"I don't know. But, it feels like I won't be back for some time."
"What does that mean?" Motohama asked.
"...Even I don't know."
And that was the beginning of the end for the Issei Hyoudou everyone knew.
-XOXOXOXOX-
Eventually, break time rolled around and the Perverted Trio did as they always do. Or, well, Matsuda and Motohama did as they usually do and Issei laid on a mat, still feeling unwell since he woke up.
The Kendo Club members were currently getting ready for practice at their club. The three second years had snuck into the storage room next to the girls locker room. There, they moved some equipment aside and revealed a hole that allowed them to look into the changing room.
On the other side, a handful of girls could be seen taking off their shirts, skirts, socks, and other articles or clothing. Fully undressing all the way down to their bra and panties. Being oblivious to the peeping toms on the other side, they continued to do so while talking and teasing one another. And unbeknownst to them, they were giving a sexy show to two of the three perverts on the other side.
"This is the best thing ever!" Matsuda exclaimed in a whisper.
"I know. I think Katase's hips grew three inches since my last calculation," Motohama added in an equally low volume.
"Issei, you should snag yourself some whacking material before it's gone," Matsuda called back to the brunette.
"Yeah. Murayama's grown as well. I'm sure you'd like to see your crush in some daring underwear," Motohama said, trying to coax his friend to peak.
Issei didn't budge. He kept his back to them as he felt the pain in his gut. It flared up, making the boy tighten up as he clenched his stomach. He then felt his head start ringing and placed a hand to the side of it.
'Why does it hurt...?' He questioned.
'It ends with death.'
That voice. It was the voice from Issei's dream. It never said something like that in the dream, so why now? What did it mean by that?
"Issei, are you listening!?" Motohama shouted.
"What was that?"
"It sounded like it came from the storage room next door."
"It's those perverts! Let's get 'em!"
The shouts of the kendo girls made Matsuda and Motohama's blood freeze and they stiffened from the war cry next door.
They scrambled themselves up and shot to the door faster than imaginable. The duo left the room without even looking back, or checking if Issei followed. They just ran for their lives, hoping that they could get away in time.
The kendo club was the next to open the door to the storage room. They had their shinai in hand, ready to beat the perverts into puddles of blood and bruises. But, when they opened the door, all they saw was Issei resting against the wall with his head lowered.
While the girls were pissed it wasn't all three of them, having at least one to take their anger out on was enough. So, they slowly surrounded him, each with their swords ready to bruise and batter. With their anger boiling, they failed to realize that Issei wasn't the one to peak. In fact, if they looked closely, they would notice he made no attempts to run, hide the hole the duo used earlier, or even try explaining the misunderstanding. But, the girls anger left them blind and the brunette was sure that he wouldn't be walking straight for the next couple of days.
Just as the beating was about to start, Issei simply closed his eyes in acceptance. Maybe this was what the voice meant by death. But Issei was too tired and under the weather to really fight back. His condition had become noticeably worse, something noted by one of the girls.
"Wait!" She suddenly shouted. This made the girls stop their first swings midway and turn to the girl. Issei, who was very surprised by the shout, decided to look up at the person who delayed his misplaced punishment.
The brunette's eyes widened when he saw Murayama standing before him. Her back was to him and her arms were spread in a protective manner.
"Murayama, what are you doing?" A girl with short pink hair asked. She was Katase.
The one standing above Issei was a busty brunette, who had her hair tied in a ponytail. She was the one Issei had a huge crush on, all the way back to their first year in junior high. She was one of the main reasons he started peeping.
"Look at him. He looks horrible. I don't think he was the one peeping," Murayama explained with a firm look.
"But he's in here. He had to have been." Katase then noticed the hole that connected to the locker room. "Look! There's even proof right there!"
The female brunette didn't even flinch. "He would have ran then. He was most likely dragged here by his friends who, surprisingly, aren't here as well."
"It could be a trick though..." Katase said with less fire. The other girls also seemed to have cooled their earlier anger.
"If it is, then I'll take responsibility. Just go back and start stretching, I'll be there soon," Murayama ordered.
There was no response after that. Still upset, but obidient, the group left the room until the two brunette's were all that was left. There was silence between them until the door shut, into which Murayama turned to face Issei.
"You're lucky, you know that?" She said with folded arms.
"Yeah..." He muttered.
"Ise, why do you continue to hang out with them?"
"Why does it matter to you?"
"You weren't like this in junior high," Murayama argued back.
"Neither were Matsuda and Motohama. So why are you saying it to me?" He asked, raising his head to look at her.
"Because I actually care for you." There was no hesitation there.
Issei's cheeks flared up red but he lowered his head to avoid it being caught. He'd rather just leave things at that instead of possibly being made fun of by his own love interest.
Murayama took the brunette's lack of response as acceptance. She still felt worried for him but could only do so much with their relationship only being at the acquaintance level.
"Listen, if you ever need anything just talk to me, okay?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"..." There was no response. Murayama could only hope at this point. So, she stood and left, leaving her fellow brunette to mull over her words.
-XOXOXOXOX-
The rest of the day passed by very slowly for Issei. He still felt depressed, he made a fool of himself in front of his crush, and Matsuda and Motohama were nowhere to be found. So, to chock it all up, he had the worst day of his entire life. And it was only going to get worse as he awaited the nightmare that would come again later on tonight.
With no enthusiasm or energy left, Issei just sat at his desk. He looked out the window to see the sun setting behind the buildings of downtown. He wondered how he let the day go but could only dread the little time he had left before he decided to go home.
The brunette scratched the back of his head with both hands as he stared at the top of his desk. What could he do? He swore at this point that the dream would become so vivid this time that the line between reality and fantasy would start to blur. It hurt to think about it and now, that pain might become physical. What was left for him to do? No one really seemed to care about it, no matter how it affected him. A curse from all the bad things he's done, possibly.
*FFSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH*
And it looked like things were gonna get worse for him.
The sound of slight movement caught the boy's attention. Once he turned, his eyes widened to the size of saucers. He shot up from his desk and turned to face whatever had come to horrify him.
"Y-You..!" He said in shock, pointing at the thing that had come in.
Somehow, a large caninish-beast had entered into the school and now stood before him on the other side of the class. It's back nearly touched the ceiling and it's paws looked like it could crush a desk with ease, sharp claws at end. It's fur was snow white with a few strands tipped in black to create a multitude of spots across half of its body. One eye shined gold while the other glowed a neon green. It's fangs looked sharp enough to rip and the saliva dripping from its maw covered the floor in a gooey substance.
'I've come for you, Issei Hyoudou,' the beast said inside the brunette's mind. It horrified him but the boy was still frozen and couldn't move.
The beast glided across the classroom, it's eyes glued on the boy's. No desks were knocked over and the beast looked careful not to make a mess of anything. Besides the saliva, the monster kept everything relatively clean as it approached Issei, who stayed unmoving.
"W-Why are you here...?" Issei choked out, having found his voice.
'For you, of course,' the beast answered telepathically.
"But why me?" Issei asked suddenly.
The beast stopped before him and settled for just staring at him. Issei still couldn't move and the headache he felt earlier returned full force the longer he looked into the heterochromatic eyes of the spotted monster.
'...That is not for me to reveal,' the beast finally answered.
"Then...who is it?"
A dark portal appeared under the beast and Issei's feet. The brunette felt the air start to shift around him but his eyes were stuck to the beast's. There was nothing he could do and, at this point, who could hear his cries for help?
'I shall take you there. Then you'll receive the answers you need,' the beast said as its paws disappeared into the ground.
The brunette hesitated for a second. He'd finally get the answer to the dream that had been haunting him for the past five years?
Was it a trick or the truth? Could he even trust the beast, despite its lack of fact in the first place. It hasn't taken any attempt to kill him? That was always a plus.
And did he really have a choice against it? After all, he was buried waist down into the floor already, so it's not like he could stop things from happening at this point. Man, he really was calmer than usual.
In the end, Issei decided to accept his fate. Wherever the monster took him, he would have to follow. But one thing was for sure, his nightmare had come real.
Matsuda.
Motohama.
His mother.
His father.
...And Murayama...
Sadly, he wouldn't be able to see them again, that much he knew. In fact, it was almost as if he knew the entire situation was going to happen. All just subconscious thoughts that were now being pushed to the forefront of his mind.
Maybe that's why he wasn't as scared as he should be.
As thoughts continued to jump through Issei's mind, he and the beast disappeared completely into the floor. It was also at this time that a swarm of students entered the room, urgency seen by their facial expressions and rapid panting. But the portal had disappeared before anyone could do anything to stop it.
"Dammit, we were too late!" One of the students shouted.
"The barrier is gone. Along with Issei Hyoudou." Another student had added.
"What do we do now Buchou?" A third asked.
"What can we do? We have the faintest of idea as to where they went," the first student answered.
"This is very troublesome indeed," the second one muttered.
"Kaichou, can we do anything?" A fourth said in question.
"...There is nothing we can do, so we must clean up this mess and move on."
[Hai!] A good number of the group said.
"Rias?" The second student called. But by then, the first remaining said nothing and left the scene silently.
The second student watched them go before turning to another student on her right. "Tsubaki, make a report about this. You know how to do it."
"Yes ma'am, Kaichou," the new student said before hurrying off to complete the task.
Kaichou merely stayed and watched as the remaining group started to clean the thick saliva of the beast. Whatever it was, it was something she had never seen before. And for it to come for one of her students was unacceptable. She would berate herself, and her underclassmen later. But for now, she had to keep things under wraps about what she witnessed today. Everyone who came also knew of the protocol, just as much as she did.
Issei Hyoudou would now be considered missing.
-XOXOXOXOX-
When Issei Hyoudou didn't show up to school the next day, most of the class thought little of it. Many were glad to have one day away from the pervert, despite his lack of action from the day before.
The Perverted Trio was reduced to a duo for a day and the girls of the academy, mainly the kendo club, was able to brutalize the ones peeping on them yesterday. Matsuda and Motohama shrugged off their friends absence, believing it to be him taking their word and resting.
When Issei Hyoudou didn't show up to school the following day, the students of Kuoh Academy couldn't believe the ultimate pervert was still gone. Matsuda and Motohama, meanwhile, had begun to experience the first signs of worry when he wasn't in class again.
When Issei Hyoudou didn't show up for a week the atmosphere of gratitude disappeared and was replaced with one of concern.
After all, they had all walked by the missing posters that had been put up by the brunette's parents after the first few days of his absence. Nearly every student had recognized the face of the person on them due to constantly battering it when they caught him peeping.
"Well... at least none of the Perverted Trio have made an attempt to spy on us," a girl said to try and lighten the mood.
She was quickly met with several looks of anger and regret. The girls of the school may have hated Issei's guts for his lecherous antics, but that didn't mean they wished genuine, lasting harm upon him.
Matsuda and Motohama, on the other hand, had completely cut their perverted hijinks, focusing on trying to find their friend each and every night. They called Issei's phone number hundreds of times, not ever receiving anything but a voice mail. Calling his house achieved the same result. Going there themselves proved equally fruitless, as no one would answer the door, not even his parents. So, they spent the night looking through the streets and asking around, trying to find their fellow pervert. And by the time they came to school the next day, they were too tired to even spare a glance at anyone.
What had happened to the brunette who had no shame?
-XOXOXOXOX-
A month had passed since Issei's disappearance. The school gave up on waiting for him and he was presumed dead. No one wanted to believe that as no one wanted such a fate to fall on the perverted boy. But, as time had passed, their hope for his return grew smaller and smaller.
Rias, one of the third years, was one of the last few to have hope. Issei Hyoudou was a guy she kept her eyes on and to see his disappearance affected her. She continued to wait, hoping that whatever took him returned. But the likely hood of that was minimum and her hope diminished.
As a club leader, however, she still had a peerage to run, clients to work with, classes to attend, and the omnipresent problem of a marriage to try and break off.
It was a Monday morning, just before the first class of the day. She was speaking to her fellow devil, the Student Council President, about matters upon a few upcoming dates. Both were prestigious heirs to their family and the town of Kuoh was known as their territory.
As they talked of a few important decisions, a blonde male ran in. He was a servant under Rias and was the popular guy of the second year.
"Kiba!" Rias said with surprise. "Why are you in such a rush?"
Her Knight didn't even bother to stop moving before he started speaking. "It's him! He's back!" He said excitedly
"Who?" Sona asked with the least bit of emotion.
"Issei Hyoudou!"
Both heirs eyes widened and the sudden life that flew over the courtyard flooded their senses. It was as if balance was being renewed upon the grounds as they could hear the students shouts of excitement from the window.
It was true. The boy, Issei Hyoudou, had returned.
And that's a wrap. Hopefully this was good and, as all know, I update the second chapter as soon as possible. So, go nuts.
Now, this will be a single pairing as GRB and I'm sure you all can guess who. I haven't seen many stories where she gets her own spotlight, so I'll be doing it. Hope you all don't mind.
I'd love to hear feedback, so do post it down below.
Oh, and Issei will not despise devils but he also won't befriend them. He'll be neutral, unless provoked. So do watch out for that.
Cheers.
-stormgreywolf