Authors Note: What's poppin kings, dunno if anyone remembers me since I wrote a good story in December and lost motivation. Decided to give another go at it. Enjoy!

The dimly lit streets of a back alley somewhere in Kyoto, a place not even Police would bother investigating, whether due to wanting to leave the Yakuza alone or more mortifying cases of brutal murders there, in many cases, it was one of Japan's 'no-go zones' that no one spoke of.

After all, who'd believe that 'land of sunrise' would have areas so dangerous that police stayed out of it? Especially in a cultural city like Kyoto.

Yet, that was exactly why Hyoudou Issei was smiling so oh so smugly, even when faced with a red, hulking mass of muscle that dwarfed him three-times over. To a regular man, the sight of an Oni would be dismissed as a hallucination, or at worst, they'd defecate themselves and run home, but who would believe them?

"For someone so modest looking, you carry a terrifying aura." The red brute chorted, clad in nothing but a loincloth that covered what was necessary, yet unarmed. Short silver hair sat atop his scalp, while the rest of his face screamed 'monster'. An inhumanely wide jaw, two lower tusks rising from his lower set of teeth and steely eyes that struck fear into the heart of anyone who'd dare gaze at him. To the Oni, the sight of the short Human, clad in a dark jacket, jeans and trainers seemed to be the epitome of 'unintimidating'.

Issei scoffed at the backhanded compliment, shaking his head momentarily. The upper half of his face had a shadow draped over him, a combination of the hood over his head, alongside his shaggy, brown hair, nearly covering the young man's eyes. Grinning, the teenager rolled his shoulders back, readying himself for any sudden strike.

"Silent type? Whatever, why do I even care, you'll be dead in a minute." Cocking an eyebrow at the cocky young man, the Oni grinned back. "If you wanted a fight so bad, all you had to do was ask."

"A fight, then? I can work with that. Person who wants you dead didn't say how I had to kill you." He responded, attempting a lower, more baritone voice compared to his usual state. To him, it sounded silly, almost comical, but it tended to shake his victims. Months of practicing and talking to himself in the mirror allowed the young man to manipulate his vocal cords just enough to make himself sound more intimidating. It worked wonders when buying cigarettes, no one would ever ID him that way.

"So you do talk!" Retorted the overly-built Hulk. "Fighting is part of an Oni's spirit! Even if you don't look like much, we try our best to respect our opponents, regardless of size and strength. I understand Assasin's discrepancy, but may I at least have the courtesy of knowing two things?"

Shaking his head, Issei paused to consider his options. On one hand, revealing the identity of his client would be idiotic on his part, most definitely unprofessional too, but it wasn't like he cared about the consequences of his actions, after all, he was just a Japanese teenager to the naked eye, perhaps somewhat a delinquent too, but still normal. "Being a professional is for old men and those who worry they might lose. Ask away."

"I appreciate it. My first question - Who sent you?"

"Anonymous client, I'm not even sure myself." He shrugged.

"Smart move, I can think of a few things, perhaps a certain Kitsune, but no matter. May I know the name of my opponent?"

Nodding, the teenager pulled of his hoodie, alongside brushing his hair back, giving the Oni a full view of his youthful face. "Hyoudou Issei, Highschool student, among other things."

"I see. Thank you, Hyoudou Issei. I'll be sure to give you a quick death for that. For now, prepare yourself! You face Orochi of the mountains!" Laughing aggressively, the Oni flexed his left bicep, his pectorals contracting at the same time, before cocking a fist back and attempting to deliver a powerful strike at his target.

The sheer force, the velocity behind that strike was incredible. He could feel wind brushing past his face, akin to an industrial grade fan, yet he remained still up until the last second. Two steps back kept him just an inch away from the Oni's full blow, before he sprinted directly up to his enemy, delivering a roundhouse kick toward the raging Hulk's kneepit, breaking the beast's stance and forcing him on one knee.

"You're incredibly strong, even for an Oni. But even with that, you don't know how to use what you've been given. I just thought you'd know that." He spoke softly, rotating his hips forward, delivering a punch of his own right up against the Oni's nose, splattering crimson blood over both fighter's bodies.

Howling wildly, Orochi attempted to grab his smaller opponent, only to gasp as the Assassin kicked off from the ground, jumping a few feet back. "Fuck! That hurt more than my tribal chief's kicks! You're a better fighter than you let on, but your technique can't match up with an Oni!" Orochi cried, before following his opponent and dashing against him.

Issei was no stranger to fighting opponents with immense size differences, getting his ass kicked in fighting rings was something he was far too familiar with, as much as he wished he could've avoided it.

But there was no avoiding the tackle from such a massive opponent. Orochi's tree-trunk sized legs kicked off, sending the Oni right at the teenager, causing Issei to hold his arms up in defence, while his body ached as he found himself being slammed up against the wall, cracks forming against the concrete wall.

Dust, rocks and brick littered their surroundings, before a glowing green appeared. The Oni's eyes were wide in shock, as he found his fierce attack being pressed back by the Human's arm, yet his arm was not what caught his attention, but rather what covered it. A crimson gauntlet of sorts, adjourned with golden spikes and a massive, green glowing gem.

Meanwhile, Issei's arm was shaking immensely, alongside his entire body, barely able to hold himself against the giant of a Yokai, his entire body burned in pain, his muscles beginning to tear and breakdown from the overload. He cursed himself for being too slow to respond, being forced to take out his trump card too early in order to defend himself. The emerald gem glowed brightly, before a hearty, low voice yelled from it's center.

[BOOST]

"The… Boosted Gear? Just who are you?" Orochi spat, his own body tensing and shaking against the overwhelming force of the Assassin.

"N-No one of consequence. Dead men shouldn't ask too many questions." He scoffed back, before pushing himself to the side, breaking the stalemate.

[BOOST]

"I can't believe you had to make me use this. You fucking red piece of shit!" The Red Dragon Emperor's expression had changed dramatically, from a cocky teenager to something far, far more animalistic. Rage he'd been hiding had finally come out, alongside the part he hated the most - The voices, dark emotions and thoughts from the revenants of past hosts, all hellbent on erasing his mind into nothing but a puppet for their vengeance upon the world.

Before the Oni could even respond, Issei cried in a mix of pain and anger, delivering a flurry of punches at his enemy's face, each far stronger than the last. The energy of the Red Dragon surged through him, strengthening his body more with each passing second.

Orochi didn't even have enough time to process what had happened. One second he was about to deliver a killing blow to his attacker, the next was his consciousness fading in and out, being brutally beaten to a pulp. His tusks - The pride of an Oni, shattered beyond belief, two black eyes, cuts and bruises across his face. He couldn't even think properly anymore, his body unable to even fight back against him.

This was the Red Emperor Dragon, a beast so strong that the Gods couldn't even slay it, a true monster, infamous for corrupting each and every host. And here Orochi was, underprepared, ready to die in an alleyway for nothing but meager coin.

Eventually, the punches slowed down, but it was far too late at this point. The young man had his hands wrapped around in his neck with a grip so tight it could break steel. Orochi's strong neck was being made into putty by this short, maniacal teenager. It didn't matter how strong an Oni, or most Humanoids were, if no blood went to the brain, they were as good as dead. But at least he could die with no one to witness his shame.

"Stop! Leave Papa alone!" A young, feminine voice called out. One that was very, very well acquainted with the Oni.

Just his luck.

Feeling the Assassin's hands leave his neck, Orochi desperately gasped for air, attempting to try and regain his consciousness, but the damage was done. He might survive, sure, but would he ever be able to fight again? He doubted it, he wouldn't escape this without brain damage.

"P-please… Leave my daughter out of this." The Oni coughed, before finally falling unconscious.

"Daughter?" Raising an eyebrow, Issei let the red gauntlet fade out, looking toward the source of their interruption.

Out of the shadows, a smaller figure entered the fray, red skin, two horns and clad in a tunic and pants. Long silver hair and eyes very, very familiar to the Oni on the floor. Ignoring Issei, the girl ran to the fallen Oni, tears spilling down her red, sunken cheeks, clutching her father's body.

"Out of the way." He grunted, yet the girl refused to budge, looking right into him.

It was ironic, he who had fought so many opponents, fearsome and strong, was able to have his soul pierced by a young girl. He paused, shivering momentarily.

"Leave my Papa alone! He did nothing wrong, why are you hurting him?" She cried.

"Your father's a bad man. Killed a lot of people and stolen from innocents, get out of here." He replied coldly.

"Haven't you done the same? You attacked him for no reason, my papa did nothing wrong!" The girl roared back.

Issei felt terror in her, absolute fear. He stopped, it had hit him too deeply, wringing out buried emotions he'd promised himself he'd never remember, yet his mental fortitude was nowhere near as strong as he'd like to think.

He felt tears well up in his eyes, instantly turning around. This wasn't worth his time, or at least that's what he told himself as a coping mechanism. He knew exactly what he did, beat an innocent child's father brutally in front of her and justified it.

He was becoming exactly what he hated.

"Get back here! I'll beat you up for what you did to Papa!" He heard the girl scream at him, yet he continued to walk away. He couldn't face her, Hyoudou Issei was an Assassin, an Assassin never showed their true emotions, they were stoic, they were cold-hearted and relentless.

He was none of those things.

"He'll live, get him to a doctor. When your father wakes up, tell him to forget me. I'll never bother you again, don't come after me, don't seek revenge." He stammered, his voice cracking and breaking. His facade was ruined and those tears wouldn't stop coming, yet he carried on.

"What's your name? I'll get you back when I'm older!" Responded the young Oni.

"Hyoudou Issei. Don't come after me, you won't get anything out of revenge. I'll probably be long dead by the time you become a woman."

Forcing his legs to move, Issei began to run to the closest train station. He was heading home, he was done with this. The return of deep, buried emotions overwhelmed him. He walked, and walked, till he couldn't walk anymore. Finally, he slumped against the wall of the closest building and sighed.

After that, he cried like a newborn, he had no idea how long he'd been crying for, but he bawled over and over again in anguish. He hated himself for it, in so much pain and anguish for so long, yet he had no one.

[Partner.]

So alone in a cold, unforgiving world. Everyone else he knew was far more stable than him, far better off, why did he have to receive the short end of the stick?

[Partner.]

It was times like these where he just considered going berserk and giving in, to use the Juggernaut dr-

[As the Red Dragon Emperor, I command you to calm down and listen to your partner, Hyoudou Issei.]

"Right. Sorry, Ddraig." He apologized profusely.

[I apologize for not taking control sooner. A Dragon's spirit is proud, full of virility, energy and Dominance. You are in no state to bare any of this currently.]

"I'm fine! I just had a slip-up, you know how I am. We all have bad days, right?" He begged his partner, to no avail.

[I'm cutting you off. At least temporarily, until your mental state gets better. I shall only allow you to use the Gear in the direst of situations. I will be in contact with you to check on you, otherwise I am advising you to take a break. Go enjoy your life, you've done enough for now.] Ddraig spoke calmly, before fading away, the green glow on Issei's arm fading.

"No! Please, Ddraig, don't leave me… Please! I need you, right now!" Issei cried out.

[Take some time, enjoy your schooling days. You are but a hatchling. It was my mistake to push you too far, I forget that you're not an adult yet, even if you act like one. Go do what Humans do, make friends, perhaps even a romance. You need to destress.]

"Ddraig… Please."

[Go home.]

In Kuoh Academy, Issei was seen as a pervert, albeit an amicable, redeemable one, a pervert nonetheless. The company he kept didn't help either. Yet today, he was not happy, not one bit. The jolly, happy-go-lucky spirit that the perverted Trio's leader was known for had fade away, replaced with a dark, demeaning one. Sulking and grumbling wherever he went, Issei found himself being surrounded by the three usual figures during break, Matsuda, Motohama, and Kuoh's resident female pervert, Aika Kiryuu.

"Oi, oi, Hyoudou-kun, what's wrong today? Did a girl reject you or something? Why are you being such a wuss today?" The brunette teased the stroppy teenager.

"Go away." He responded, head pressed against his desk.

"C'mon, you can talk to me, we all know that a perv like you doesn't get girls anyway!" The girl obnoxiously chuckled to herself, earning a scowl from the perverted Duo, who refused to take action, far too fearful of Aika's 'size-scouter' technique. "You two are upset? You won't even defend your friend, he's just mop-"

The poor teenager was cut short by a sudden slam at Issei's wooden desk, as the angry teenager stood up, shooting a death stare at the girl. "Did you know sexual harassment is legal in Japan?" He growled at the shivering girl.

"N-no…" Aika stammered, shocked from the target of her bullying. Taking a glance at him now, she hadn't noticed before, but the teenager was far more muscular than she realized, covered in well-defined, lean muscle across his body, similar to that of an athlete, albeit a few scars.

Inching closer to the stuttering pervert, Issei lowered his voice to a faint whisper, his lips inching away from her ear. "Provided it's not penetration, I can do whatever I want and get scot-free, wanna give it a try?"

His threat alone was enough to set her off, squeeing and dashing away from him, with cries of 'rapist', 'brute' and 'delinquent'. It would've been hilarious if he wasn't so angry.

"Issei, you dog! You defeated the 'Cock Killer' of Kuoh. Are you alright, brother? You don't seem to be doing so well. Perhaps some… Visual novels will cheer you up, eh?" Motohama had asked, nudging the stoic teen.

Pushing his friend away, he shook his head and moved toward the door of the classroom. "Not today, guys. Just not in that kind of mood, y'know? Depression and all that jazz." He grumbled, earning a nod from the two. Mental health was something that began to grow as a serious condition among disgruntled Japanese teenagers, meaning he could get away with wanting alone time.

The old, abandoned school building. Issei had no idea why it was still there, despite it only being used by the esoteric, secretive 'Occult Research Club'. To be honest, he always assumed it was some kind of roleplay or cover-up for degenerate sexual fetishes, seeing as it's members were arguably some of the most attractive people in school, bordering on Internet models, but he was far too jaded to care, after all, he was all to aware how Kuoh was a front for affluent Devil heiresses to run the city.

But no one bothered him here, besides the occasional Shitori, but she was easily dismissed with a troubled student excuse. After all, he was an all A student, much in thanks to abusing the Boosted Gear to boost his memory capacity. If he wanted to, he could probably graduate High School on the honour roll right now, but then what would he do?

Leaning back against the tree by the building, he fumbled through his uniform's blazer, bringing out a pack of cigarettes. Adorned with the typical warning labels in Japanese, he placed the butt in his mouth, before using his lighter. Here, Nicotine and Caffeine were his favourite vices, letting him relax and stay focused, and most definitely stopped him from going insane and murdering bullies like Kiryuu.

"I don't suppose you're there, Ddraig?" He asked politely, only to sigh at the lack of response.

As Issei continued to huff down on the lengthy cigarette, now reeking of tobacco, he spotted his second-favourite part of being around the old school building - That beautiful crimson hair, attached to the biggest pair of tits he'd ever seen, barring the other girl - Rias Gremory. Hailed as one of Kuoh's 'Godesses', she was easily one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, no argument there, but hardly his type. Rich, spoilt silly and far too 'old money' and 'noble' for him, not to mention he'd either get rejected, forcefully demonized or murdered for being a Human, attempting to court a high class Devil.

That didn't stop him from waving to her, and her smiling back at him, as their usual routine went. She usually ignored him, letting him smoke while he left her club in peace, the sign of mutual respect between the two. Hyoudou Issei was known secondarily as the School's resident delinquent when he wanted to, having been caught in a few fights outside of school, alongside his smoking habit, earning a reputation for most to fear him, if not leave him alone. Beside Kiryuu, that is, who just happened to have a borderline obsession with him.

But today, today was different. Instead of shifting back from the window, he spotted the Redhead leave the Old School building, walking right up to him. Gods, she was even more beautiful up close, those blue orbs staring right into his soul with a kindness he'd probably never get to truly see, but a man could always dream.

She walked closer and closer to him, while maintaining eye contact. He happily huffed away on his cigarette, nicotine buzzing through his bloodstream, easing him up. Raising an eyebrow at the Devil, Issei nodded, patting the grass next to him, as if offering her a seat, to which she happily took it, even with a disgusted look on her face from the smell.

"You know, Hyoudou-kun, that's gonna kill you if you keep doing that." She spoke softly.

"Tobacco is a core part of Japanese culture, Senpai. I assume you'd know that, coming here as a foreign exchange student." He replied, lowering his head. "You want one?"

"I'm good, thank you." Rias replied happily, flashing him a smile, as she leaned back against the tree. "I'm more concerned about your behaviour anyway. I hear you threatened to rape an innocent girl today, who knew Hyoudou Issei was such a beast?" She giggled to herself, as he remained silent.

"Oh, Kiryuu. Wouldn't leave me alone, didn't know how to take no for an answer." He shrugged, before finally pressing the butt against the bark of the tree, putting out the finished cigarette.

"You sure know how to talk to girls. She was probably interested in you." The redhead replied curiously.

"Wasn't my type."

"Oh, so what is your type?" Rias's eyes widened, as she looked directly at him with an inquisitive expression.

"Well, let's see. Red hair, blue eyes, fair skin, goes by the name of Rias… You know any like that?" He grinned, causing the girl to flush and glance away, playfully slapping his leg.

"You can't just say things like that so casually!" She stammered.

"Like I care, it's just a joke anyway." He chuckled at her reaction, before returning back to his gloomy expression. "So, what made you come down here. It's unbecoming of a 'lady' like yourself to speak to someone of my… Uh, caliber."

"I was worried about you, usually you're so happy and wholesome. Word travels fast that you're becoming a Delinquent, perhaps you've become too on the edge?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that it? I'm disappointed, thought I'd make good company." He rolled his eyes.

"I never said you didn't, Hyoudou-kun. It's always good to be around friends… If you consider me one."

"I never considered us that close, but hey, my drago- Uncle, my uncle said I should make more friends, kinda gets boring hanging out with the same two dudes who don't talk about anything but Hentai all day." He chuckled to himself, while he could've sworn he heard Ddraig's roaring laughter at the mention of referring to the Red Heavenly Dragon as his 'uncle'. " To be real with you, Senpai, I'm not even that perverted. I like girls, I just didn't know anyone else here, everyone's way too upper class for me."

"As someone who's from a rather wealthy family myself, it's ironic that I understand exactly what you mean. A lot of people here can be a little snooty when they want to be. Don't blame them too much, they were born that way. You're better than that." His eyes widened as he felt the redhead place a soft hand against his toned arm, enjoying her comfort.

"I… I appreciate it, means a lot to me. Why me, though? Plenty of guys would kill to be approached by you, guys who probably come from a pedigree way higher than what I could hope to be." Scratching the back of his head, the teenager began to find himself in ease, smiling even. It was a nice change of pace.

"You're different. I don't know what made me come talk to you, but I'm not against it. This might be cliche, but you're not like other guys. You're also much friendlier than people give you credit for, maybe I'll keep you around as my secret friend, my personal little kouhai." She teased, earning a scowl from him. He refused to get played by a woman this easy, no matter how cute she was.

"You know, I've never actually been told that before, so you're gonna have to give me time to process that and actually come up with something witty to say to keep this conversation flowing." Stunned by the redhead's statement, he found himself far too confused to say anything.

"Don't be, you're a nice change of pace to be around. But unfortunately, all good things come to an end." He cursed internally, he didn't want her to go away that quickly, instead, opting to grab her hand.

"Don't say that. You doing anything tonight?" He asked politely.

"Why do you ask? Are you planning on serenading me?" She pouted at him, acting far too innocent for him to resist.

"Unless you count fast food and my company as romantic, sure. If you're lucky, we'll get dessert at a familymart and call it a night." He replied, half-sarcastically, he was definitely broke, but it'd be worth it for her.

"That's just like my anim- I mean, it sounds great!" Rias whimpered silently, attempting to look away in embarrassment.

"Cool. Let's bounce right now." He spoke, before leading the girl away from campus.

I'm putting in Rias x Issei, I don't give a shit what you people say.

Relax, there'll be plenty of time for other girls, I just like Rias.