AN: Alright, can't upload till I finish this one, so I'd better get started. Chapter 2, GO!

But first, some reviews.

Guest 1: *Smiles mysteriously*

Guest 2: That is correct. And yeah, hope to see more of an opinion from you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD, nor any other series that may or may not be referenced in this story.

"Speech"
Text
Thoughts
Inner being to Outer being/[Ddraige/Albion]
Demonic/Draconic
Spell/Technique/[Sacred Gear]

Chapter 2: Certainty and Uncertainty

I paced back and forth in the kitchen, agitated. The apartment felt a tad too small, all of a sudden, and it was hard to keep still.

Meeting Raynare on my first day here was not something I'd expected. Nor did I want it, if her presence meant what I thought it did. But what could I do?

If she really was here to worm her way into my life and kill me, I really didn't stand much of a chance. I didn't have anyone to go to for help; if I went to the police, she'd probably spin it around so that I'd seem like an abusive boyfriend or something, even discounting the language barrier. Fallen Angels were probably as good with persuasion as they were with getting rid of the evidence.

But then I remembered what had happened in Highschool DxD canon: Raynare had killed Hyoudou Issei, but then he'd been resurrected by…

Of course. I could still feasibly survive this, if I could get my hands on one of the Kuoh Occult Club's flyers. However, something occurred to me. What about the real main character, Issei? Would he be left to die because of my desire to save my own skin? Or had Raynare already done him in and moved on to another-

"Hang on." The thought came to me so suddenly that I had to speak out loud. Fallen Angels like Raynare generally only killed humans because they disliked them possessing Sacred Gears…then, did that mean that I had one? If so, which was it? Boosted Gear, or maybe something else entirely? A sigh escaped me and I stopped pacing. I'm over-thinking this, I thought, I can't avoid her; the best I can hope for is that Rias is feeling generous enough to reincarnate my lazy ass.

I sighed again, and then went to my bedroom. Might as well pass the time on the internet.

.

In the following weeks, I found myself journeying outside my apartment frequently. Mostly it was just for walking purposes, getting the lay of the land, that sort of thing, but I was honestly surprised at myself.

While I wasn't exactly a Hikikomori, neither was I the type to voluntarily venture outside, especially if I had no destination in mind.

Well, whatever. If it got me away from Raynare, I suppose I could live with it.

As I wandered the neighborhood, I noticed that the atmosphere was very different from my home. Appearance-wise, the suburbs looked more or less the same, if a bit cleaner, but there was just enough of a difference that I could tell that I was far from my country of birth. I couldn't help but be reminded of a time when my family had gone to Vancouver briefly; the difference sheer difference in atmosphere was startling. Perhaps it was just the novelty of being in a different country? I don't know.

"Ah! Neseg-san!"

I flinched automatically. Speak of the devil-er, Fallen Angel, rather-and she shall appear. She was jogging towards me, wearing an outfit consisting of a black tank top and a pair of very tight black shorts that, had I been a manga character, would've given me a nosebleed.

As it was, I ended up turning away from her to try and adjust my hard-on. Stupid heterosexual body chemistry. She's going to freaking kill me! Still, she is pretty hot. Damn Fallen Angels and their prowess in seduction. And damn me for being so weak-willed! Shit!

"Hey~!" she drawled, bouncing up to me and patting me on the shoulder. I flinched again, but for a different reason now. "Why'd you turn away from me?" she chided, "I even dressed up like this for you."

I actually blinked and looked back at her. "What?"

She shrugged, smiling. "Well, since you're always so shy when we meet, I figured I should be the one 'attacking.' And you're always out walking, so I figured I join you."

"O-oh. Is that so?" I managed, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, "Well, I do need the exercise and all. You don't."

Raynare deadpanned. "I'll just take that as a compliment if that's alright with you."

"It was meant as one." For some reason. I mean, I might not want her around, but that was no reason to be rude.

...I may not be crazy, but I suppose my priorities would seem a bit strange to others. Well, whatever.

Anyway, she beamed at me. "Eh, is that right? I thought I'd have to try something a bit more drastic to get a compliment out of you, Neseg-san."

I flushed and looked away. This situation wasn't new; indeed, every time I went out for a walk in the last few weeks, she would soon come after me, though not usually dressed the way she was now. I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or suspicious that she didn't reveal her true colors immediately and just kill me. However, she was relentless, always trying to get a conversation out of me under the pretext of wanting to get to know me better as a neighbor. Since I knew it was only a ruse, I tried to make myself seem as uninterested as possible. Either she was that determined or I was a really bad actor. Maybe both.

"So, where're you off to today?" she asked cheerfully.

Nowhere. Think man, think! "Er...I guess I was going to look for the library," I mumbled rubbing the back of my head, "But I probably wouldn't be able to read anything there, now that I think of it. I'm better at speaking Japanese than recognizing Kanji." Raynare gave me a half-lidded look, as if to say 'what an airhead.' "W-well?" I sputtered in response, "This place feels similar to home and I was bored, so I thought I'd get some...books..." Sweet Christ, why am I making excuses?!

"Heeh," Raynare murmured, a small smiled tugging at the corner of her mouth, "So you like reading, huh? What sort of stuff do you like?"

The unexpected question made me stop in surprise. Why would she be interested enough to ask that? "Erm, well, fantasy stuff. I just really love things involving magic and mythological stuff, like dragons and heroes. And, ya know, I can't get enough of stories where they actually explain the magic system, and if it's really complicated then-" I stopped myself before I got on a roll.

Unfortunately for me, she seemed to have latched onto my impassioned answer. "Fantasy, huh? I've never really been one for reading, but if it's your recommendation, I might give it a go. Any ones that I should look out for?" she asked coyly.

Oh god. Oh god she's flirting, help. I could feel my face turning red and my thoughts started to jumble around in my head. "W-well, I have a few books back at the apartment," I stammered, not realizing what I was doing until too late, "But I guess, if they're in English you might have trouble reading them yourself."

At this, she frowned slightly, but nodded a little as if in agreement. "Hm, that's true, I guess," she said musingly. Considering that by now her spoken English was absolutely perfect, I had no doubt that she would be able to read my books, but I'd be damned if I let her get her hands on them. I'd rather not have them destroyed out of spite, thank you very much. My mutinous thoughts were totally interrupted, however, as she suddenly smiled brightly. It took a great deal of willpower not to smile back. "Well then, why don't you read them out loud to me?" she asked, pulling on my arm.

"I-!" my thought processes stopped completely. For the past few weeks I thought that no matter how provocative her temptations were, no matter how honeyed her words, I could at least resist them enough to keep myself alive. However, this suggestion was completely out of left field. She was trying to seduce me, right? So that she could kill me after a date, right? So what would make her ask for such a mundane thing as having me to read to her?

"W-why would you want that?" I asked shakily.

But then her smile took on such a genuine warmth that I found my heart melting at it. "You know, you never seemed really interested in talking much before," she explained, "And you're so private that I thought I'd never get to know much about you. But, when you were talking about stories and fantasy just now...you looked really happy." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, still with that completely disarming smile. "I want to see what's so good about them, if they make you open up so much. I want to get to know you, after all."

The only thing that emerged from my throat was a sort of choked croaking sound. I was stunned, completely floored by the turn that the conversation had taken. I knew, I knew that this was all just a front, that she was just softening me up so that she could get close and then stab me in the back. I knew that! But...

In that moment my knowledge, my certainty, was shaken. Even if she was out to get me, I...I couldn't say no. Somehow, in only a few sentences, she'd bored a hole straight into my heart. It might sound cliché if I say it like that, but that's how it felt. Raynare, it seemed, was a master of 'killing words,' on perhaps the same level as a dense Harem protagonist.

She said that she wanted to get to know me? Well...right now, I wanted her to do that.

In a trembling, small voice, I said, "...I'd like that."

"Yatta!" she cheered, pumping a fist into the air like an energetic schoolgirl, "I finally got through to Neseg-san! Victory!"

Yeah, I thought to myself, Victory. This time, however, my thoughts were not darkened by suspicion and sarcasm. I cleared my throat. "Well, then," I said, my voice still thick with emotion, "Th-there's no time like the present, is there? I'm heading back." So saying, I turned around and started briskly back along the path to our apartment building.

"Ah! Wait up!" she called, jogging after me.

.

By the time we reached my apartment, I'd managed to get my emotions back under control. However, I still felt a warmth in my chest area, regarding Yuuma. Even now, I was still aware that the beautiful young woman next to me was just a disguise. Nevertheless, my feelings of fear and paranoia had lessened considerably.

I turned the key in the lock and opened the door, letting her in behind me. Great. Now I'm just letting her into my home. Nice going! Of course, a certain part of my thoughts had gone particularly scathing. "So, this is my place," I said vaguely, keeping the nervousness out of my voice.

"Yes, I can see that," she teased, "It's pretty neat, isn't it?"

Despite myself, I snorted. "Give me some time. There'll be crap everywhere before you know it." GODDAMN IT WHY AM I BANTERING? "...I'll go get a book," I continued, indicating the nearby couch, "You can sit down if you want."

She giggled, settling herself on the proffered furniture with her legs tucked underneath her. "I'll be waiting."

I quickly beat a retreat to my bedroom. True to my word, I did have quite a number of books in my collection; fantasy, of course. Now, which one should I read to her? I found myself seriously considering what book she might like the most. Oh my god, I think I'm actually in love with her, I realized, astonished at myself.

Finally, I found the first book of one of my favorite series, grabbed it and walked back to the living room. Raynare grinned at me. "That was fast," she said cheerfully, "So, what is it?"

Wordlessly, I showed her the cover as I sat down next to her.

"Web...Mage?" she asked, cocking her head at the title, "Is that like a, um, a pun? On webpage?"

I shrugged. "I dunno," I said simply, "Maybe. You comfortable?"

Raynare nodded with a smile and slid over to me in order to read over my shoulder. "Un!"

Squirming from the closeness, I gave her one last look (inadvertently getting a direct view down her sizable cleavage) and quickly turned back to the book. "Alright, then...if you have any thoughts, let me know so I can stop."

"Haaai," she drawled, a teasing note in her voice.

I blushed and opened it up. It took a bit of doing, as the book had been left out in the rain once and become warped and stiff. "Okay...Chapter 1. 'Nothing here,' said Melchior, his voice echoing..."

And so it came to pass that I read a Ravirn book to a Fallen Angel. Surprisingly, I think she actually enjoyed it; whenever I read a bit of dialogue between Ravirn and Melchior- doing my best to recreate their snark with my voice -she would laugh. Quietly and softly at first, but the longer the banter, the harder her laughter became. For some reason, that made me smile a bit as well, though that made it a little harder to stay in character for the narration. In between chapters I would ask her for her thoughts on the story, and she'd tell me. When I reached the one or two sex scenes in the book, though, I found myself slightly embarrassed and ended up stumbling a little. However, despite blushing a bit herself, Raynare would only smirk and lean more heavily against me, molding her warm, oh-so-soft body against mine.

And slowly, ever so slowly, I found the last of my apprehension melting away.

I don't know how long it took, but before I knew it, I reached the end of the book. "'It would be my pleasure,' he replied, bowing to Cerice and digging for his magical tools, 'Let's go home.'" I let the last page fall stiffly closed. "That's all," I told her.

By this time, Yuuma had laid her head on my shoulder, seemingly drowsy. However, she quickly responded to the statement, pouting and asking plaintively, "It's over already?" When I nodded, she groaned and pushed herself upright, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back with a yawn. This also had the effect of pushing her breasts out a bit more with, complete with the slightest quiver of 'independent movement,' which of course drew my eye for an instant. Fortunately, I didn't think she noticed. "Thank you for that," she said finally, relaxing and giving me a lazy smile, "You have a really good reading voice, Neseg-kun!"

At last, I couldn't hold back the smile at the honorific. "Thanks," I replied, a little hoarsely, "But now my throat's killing me, so I'll just have a drink."

When I started to get up, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. "No, no, I'll get it for you," she said soothingly, "It's a thank you for going along with my...um..." She trailed off as if looking for the right English word, even though I already knew that the language barrier wasn't an issue.

Still, I played along with it. "Request?" I supplied, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, that's the one!" She stood up. "Just stay there, Neseg-kun." And so saying, she walked over to the kitchen area. I would've liked to point out that it was only an extra few feet, but then I noticed that her shorts had ridden up along the crack of her butt slightly, and decided to keep quiet about it.

"Just water is fine," I told her simply, watching her root around in the cabinet. A minute or so later she handed me a glass. "Thanks," I said gratefully, draining it in one go, "Hah, that's good...so, what'd you think of your first English fantasy novel?"

Raynare blinked at the question, then laughed. "Well, I guess I liked how Ravirn and Melchior got along so well, and how Ravirn came to care for Melchior when he learned that he was a real person."

"Mm," I nodded, smiling a bit more freely as I found myself in one of my comfort zones. "Well, personally, I just loved his personality. It might have been a bad idea, but I like a hero who knows how to get the last insult in. Most of the time, at least. But against all-powerful assholes like the Fates, who totally deserve it, it just makes me glad that there's a hero who doesn't hold back on calling them out."

She gave a soft smile. "I think we could all use someone like that in our lives." Then, for a second, a look of bitterness and regret crossed her face. "Still...it's sad."

"Hm? What is?"

She looked off to the side, as if remembering something painful. "He went through all of that for what he thought was right," she murmured, "But they still kicked him out for not sharing their beliefs. That's just...not fair."

I'll admit, I was a bit stumped for a second. Why would that stick out for her? Then I realized, Oh yeah. She's a Fallen Angel. All of a sudden, I couldn't help but wonder whether she was thinking about the story, or something a bit more...personal. "Well," I sighed, standing up myself, "That was pretty fun, Yuuma-san. Maybe some other time I'll read you the next one."

"Eh?" She seemed surprised, "There are more of them?"

I grinned. "Of course! You didn't think it would just end there, did you?" I winced. "...But I can't do it today; my throat's just about had it."

Raynare grinned. "I'll be waiting, then," she said. Then, as I walked her to the door and let her out, she turned on my doorstep. "Ne, Neseg-kun?"

"Ah, yeah?"

She suddenly blushed and fiddled with a lock of her hair in an endearing way. "I was thinking...maybe, this Friday...would you go out on a date with me? And then after that, we could read the next one?"

I stiffened. So this was it, then. In two days' time, she would try to kill me. Shockingly, I didn't feel that much fear. Even more shockingly, I only felt a bit sad that she probably wouldn't wait until we got back for the reading. Still, I suppose there was no longer putting off the inevitable. "...Sure," I told her, this time with my own gentle smile (or at least what I hoped was one), "Although, keep in mind...I usually don't really like going out unless there's food involved-"

"That's okay!" she said quickly.

"-and I can be a bit of a picky eater. Like, I'm sorry but I just can't enjoy most Japanese foods-"

"That's okay," she repeated, actually looking somewhat relieved, "I was thinking of a fast-food restaurant anyway..."

I flushed, looking away guiltily. "Oh...well, thanks for that. Friday, then?"

She nodded, smiling brightly, and stepped back to let me close the door. "I'll come by for you!" she called, "Since you'll probably lose track of time in there by yourself!"

Well, it wasn't like I could argue with that. "Thanks," I said. For what, though, I wasn't sure.

.

I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry or relieved when I didn't see Raynare the next day. I supposed that realistically, she probably wouldn't care enough to interact with me until the date, now that she'd gotten the agreement out of me. All the same, my apartment felt lonely, living by myself. The most I could do was just to peruse the internet. Oh, and I also learned what the 'upgrade' on my flash drive was, but I'll get to that at a later time. I did not get any writing done that day; my mind was just too preoccupied with the thought of going on a date. Yes, I'd be dying at the end of it, but it was still my first date. What person couldn't get excited by that? The girl in question was also smoking hot, which was a huge bonus.

...Even in Narration, I cannot believe I just used the term 'smoking hot.' I must be more out of it than I thought.

Anyway, because of that Thursday passed without incident.

.

Friday, when it dawned, brought me a wave of trepidation, nervousness and even excitement. I woke up pretty late, which wasn't that unusual for me. Fortunately, the date was scheduled for later in the afternoon, so I was given plenty of time to get ready. I ate lunch and spent most of the waiting time alternating between looking at the internet, finding nothing to catch my attention, and pacing around my apartment in fits of restlessness.

At one point, a thought occurred to me. Why was she going to all this trouble just to kill me? Even in canon, it hadn't made much sense for Raynare to pretend to be Issei's girlfriend when she could've just flown in through his window. Bam, light-spear, no more Sekiryuutei. I suppose that maybe her cruelty drove her to it and that it traumatized Issei all the way until Volume Ten, but...looking back on it, it seemed like an unnecessary risk for her.

Then, as I was putting on my socks, still wondering about the issue, a knock came at the door. Quickly, I crossed the apartment to open it. There stood Yuuma, dressed casually in a short black dress with a pale pink shirt worn over it. She smiled at me as I opened the door. "Hello!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hi," I replied, smiling shyly, "You...look nice."

"Thanks!" she said, "I was hoping you'd like it."

Almost reflexively I noted, "You seem to like wearing black a lot. A-anyway, shall we go?"

"Hai!"

Just before leaving, I ducked back into the apartment to take my wallet and key with me.

"I don't often take my money with me when I go out," I explained sheepishly, "So I almost forgot this time."

She smiled and patted me indulgently on the shoulder. "Sure, sure," she said soothingly, linking her arm with mine.

"Hey, what's with that tone?"

"Nothing~."

"Tch..."

.

So, as promised, she took me to a fast-food place first. I wasn't too big on going to those back home, but I wasn't one to turn them down exactly. Besides, Raynare was just trying to be accommodating to my eating habits, which I was grateful for. So we ordered, ate and chatted a bit. Mostly, she listened to me as I told her about various series that I liked. What? It wasn't like I had anything else to talk about, okay? I've a very limited range of interests and most of them don't involve reality if you get my drift. Well...at least the food was good. I paid for my share, in case you're wondering. I offered to pay for her as well, but she refused.

Anyway, I did ask about her interests afterwards, as we walked through the town. In the cool afternoon air, the sun shone bright and hot above us. She told me that she liked music, though her selection was pretty limited and she wasn't really in a position to discover new songs. I offered to play her some later, which pleased her a great deal. "Un! I'd love to hear what kind of music they have over in America," she said in a half-teasing, half-genuine tone that I was beginning to associate with her feigned affections. Still, it made me feel happy.

"Hey there!" called a male voice. I looked around to see a boy with brown hair and a red shirt walking up to me, a bundle of flyers in his arms. He handed me one, grinning. "For good luck," he said, glancing at Raynare with a lavicious grin.

Frowning, I looked at the flyer. It was a plain white, with the words 'Kuoh Academy: Occult Research Club' written on it. My eyes widened as I realized that I'd nearly forgotten about it. Without the flyer, Rias wouldn't know to find me after I was killed. A wave of relief swept through me and I gave the boy a small smile. "Thanks," I told him, pocketing it. But he'd already turned around and left.

"What was that?" asked Raynare curiously.

"Nothing," I told her, shrugging, "Just a flyer for something. I'm pretty bad about taking things that are handed to me." Sadly, that bit was kinda true.

As we kept walking, a second, much more delayed realization came to me. I'd just met Hyoudou Issei! So clearly he was still alive, or had been reincarnated already, judging by his handing me that flyer. However, if he'd been reincarnated...why had he only ogled Raynare? Hadn't she dated and killed him?

In hindsight, I really should have inspected that line of questioning further. Although really, I suppose it wouldn't have mattered at that point.

Nevertheless, time passed and the sun began to go down, dyeing the sky a brilliant orange and pink. I found myself in a park, sitting on the stone ring that bordered a fountain. While I had not watched the Highschool DxD anime, I had seen a video or two, so I recognized the place; this was where Issei had died in canon. Was this an omen of sorts?

"Heeh," sighed Raynare, who was seated next to me, leaning back slightly, "It's really beautiful, isn't it?" she said wistfully, looking at the sky.

I nodded, murmuring "It is," in agreement. I flinched as her soft hand suddenly laid itself over mine.

"Mou! You're really jumpy," she said, laughing, "Normally you're always so composed, but whenever I touch you you're like a frightened rabbit!"

I looked away, blushing. "I'm...not a physical person," I muttered, "It makes me uncomfortable to be touched by someone that I'm not...familiar with."

She gave a noise of understanding, looking a little disappointed. "Then, is this not okay? Should I..." Slowly, she removed her hand.

"I-" I struggled to find the right words. "I don't...hate it, or anything. It feels n-nice, but I..." failing to complete the sentence, I only shook my head some more, feeling my blush grow more prominent.

She gave another soft sigh, but this one was tinged with understanding. "I got it. I guess Neseg-kun is a more fragile person than I thought."

"Fragile?" I wasn't angered by adjective. On the contrary, I agreed with it, but was surprised to hear it from her mouth.

Raynare ducked her head, giggling slightly. "Well, when I first tried to approach you, you just wouldn't let me get close. I wondered if you didn't like me for some reason. After I asked about books and you opened up, I wondered if you were a Tsundere."

A cross between a sputter and a snort emerged from my body. "I don't...I don't dislike you," I stated plainly to her, smiling despite myself, "And I'm definitely not a Tsundere. I've always-" I broke off, my blush returning in full force as I realized what I was saying.

"What?" asked the Fallen Angel, leaning towards me with that teasing, but gentle smile on her lips, "What do you think you are?"

Why are you asking all of this if you're about to kill me? This thought was still present in my mind, but I didn't feel like breaking the charade. Instead, I confessed, "I've always considered myself a Dandere, really." I had to bury my face in my hands afterwards, but there. I said it.

Raynare stared at me, clearly taken aback. Then she smiled. "Is that so? In English, doesn't that mean...shy and anti-social? Fufufu," she giggled a little, "I guess that makes sense. So Neseg-kun was just being shy after all. I'm glad."

Because my hands were still over my face, I was taken by surprise when I suddenly felt a slender arm drape itself around my shoulders. I tensed, but with an irresistible tug, I was tipped over onto my side. Fortunately, my head landed on something soft. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that I was lying on my date's lap. With the soft, smooth skin of her thighs against my cheek, I could feel an even greater heat than before building in my face.

"Wow, your face is really red!" she laughed easily, rubbing my shoulder with one hand. With the suddenness of the contact, my body was frozen. "Don't worry, though," she continued, seemingly unaware of my extreme discomfort, "I don't mind if you're shy. You can use this lap-pillow for now, before we go back. I really wanna hear that next book, okay?"

"O-okay," I squeaked, barely audible. However, even as my pseudo-terror continued, it slowly ebbed away over the next few minutes. I realized that, pressed against Raynare's thighs, I could hear her heart beating steadily. It was surprisingly soothing, and I found myself becoming steadily more relaxed, and even a bit drowsy. If I die now, I thought to myself contentedly, I don't think I'll mind all that much.

I'm not sure how long we remained like that. Eventually, though, she spoke again. This time, her voice was gentle, without a hint of teasing. Even her faux accent was gone. "Ne, Neseg-kun. I really like you, you know? Even though you're shy like this...thanks for going out with me today. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you, but I was happy to spend time with you."

"You're welcome," was my only answer. Inwardly, though, my mind was racing, and I felt hot. Not in the embarrassed way I had been before, though; this heat was much happier in nature. Sluggishly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. In the process, my face came very close to Raynare's. It was close enough that if I had the courage, I could have leaned forward and kissed her. But, as always, I feared pushing the boundaries, so I didn't. Instead, I stood up, stretching my legs. "Shall we go back?" I asked, turning to face her.

"Hai!" she chirped.

This is it, I thought as she stood up, dusting off her dress, She's gonna kill me now.

She held out a hand, smiling. As I took it, however, her purple eyes suddenly drifted to somewhere over my head and widened. Her face paled drastically, without warning and she cried "Look out!"

I was so surprised that I barely registered her shove, even as it sent me sprawling away from her. I hit the ground with a grunt of pain. "What-?" I began to ask, but stopped.

Where I had just been standing was a long, glowing spear. In fact, I realized, it was made entirely of pale blue light. Oddly enough, the handle was positioned directly behind the blade, with a blue gem of sorts at the bottom of it. The blade itself was a long, wide triangle with a piece cut out of the middle. It was also stabbed point-first into the ground.

In the shock-muddled process of my thoughts, I registered that there was something off about the sight of the spear, the fact that it was made of light notwithstanding. I quickly figured out that it was the angle; whoever had thrown the spear had done it from behind me, and maybe from above?

The fact that there was a man in a coat and fedora floating in the air above the park was another clue.

"I've had just about enough of these antics," he said. His voice, reedy and slightly thick, was full of anger, "Seeing you draping yourself all over this drab nobody does nothing but make my stomach turn. When did you fall so low, Raynare?"

Raynare flinched visibly, still staring up at the man in...horror? What was she afraid of? Then her pale, vulnerable expression gave way to anger and distaste. "A fallen joke, Dohnaseek? When did you develop a sense of humor? I'd ask how you found me, but I very much doubt I want to hear an answer."

The man snorted. "You never did have any respect for your betters, Raynare." Okay, this guy was already getting on my nerves.

By then, her face had gone from angry, to a bored sort of irritation. She casually tossed her stray hair over her shoulder and said haughtily, "On the contrary. I have nothing but respect for my superiors. You, Dohnaseek, are not my superior, and never will be."

"Burn!" Both Fallen Angels jumped as the word burst out of me. Raynare looked particularly startled to see that I was still there. I had, at this point, gotten to my feet. "That was a good one, Yuuma-chan," I told her, chuckling, "Definitely worthy of Ravirn."

"Th-thank you," she mumbled distractedly. Then she shook her head, "No, rather, why are you still here, Neseg-kun?! This situation is..."

"Too dangerous for me, right?" I supplied for her.

Dohnaseek chuckled. It was an unpleasant sound to my ears. "At least he has some sense. Still, to be in this situation at all has spelled your doom, human. I mean honestly, did you really think that a girl of her caliber would court the likes of you? Your Sacred Gear aside, you're the most boring, dead-eyed lummox I've ever laid my eyes on."

Normally, I would be particularly vulnerable to verbal barbs like those. Despite my normal, somewhat aloof facade, such small things could spark my temper quickly. However, as I kept my eyes on Raynare, I saw her bristling with renewed anger herself. Is she...getting angry because of me? I thought, surprised.

"You take that back!" she snarled. A twisted, thorny red beam of light crackled into life in each clenched fist as she spoke. "Neseg might not have any strength, but he's a thousand times better than you, Dohnaseek!"

I cringed. "A thousand is a bit much," I mumbled, to no avail.

"What?" he asked disgustedly, look incensed.

"When he tells me his stories, he gives off such joy that I can't help but be happy as well!" she continued, ignoring him and turning to look at me, "He's also shy. So shy that he won't even touch me himself, but he doesn't run away from me, from even this! That alone makes him braver than you!"

This...this was unlike anything I had been expecting. I had gone on this date, knowing that I would die by her hand, and here she was...praising me? I felt my face beginning to heat up for the umpteenth time that day as her rant went on.

"Dohnaseek!" shouted Raynare finally, cutting through my train of thought, "I know why you're here. I know why you followed me all the way to this town. I know that you'll try kill Neseg here because he's with me. So," She crossed her red spears in front of her, "I'll take you down before you get the chance!"

Throughout her speech, Dohnaseek's face had taken an even uglier cast to it, he features twisting more and more into a gargoyle-like mask of anger and disdain. "Pitiful," he said at last, "This is why I loathe Fallen Angel and human relationships. You've truly deluded yourself if you think he can make you happy. Not that it matters at this point." Without warning, he dove. He streaked down towards me, a new spear poised to skewer me as he grinned maniacally. "Die!"

However, just before he could reach me, a black blur shot in front of him and his blue spear was intercepted by Raynare's red one. "You won't touch him!" she snarled.

"...Hoh," grunted the male Fallen Angel, his arm shaking in the deadlock of spears, "To think that you could still wield a spear of Light after all these years. Without spreading your wings, even!" He grinned predatorily, "As I thought, you will do nicely in my collection."

With a grunt of exertion, Raynare knocked him back with a great push. I was shocked to notice that through the whole exchange, she had used only her left-hand spear. "The only thing you'll be collecting is my spears in your hide!" she barked, leaping after him to deliver a brutal stab with the right weapon. She was dodged, but she kept on the offensive with lightning fast sweeps, jabs and spins of her spears, only to be deflected and avoided.

She's strong, I thought to myself as I watched, with no small amount of pride, She's so strong, but she doesn't want to kill me! But then a frown crossed my face as it began to sink in. Raynare clearly wasn't going to kill me. For all my suspicions, all of my (admittedly token) resistance to her advances and my unwillingness to get close to her...she wasn't going to kill me after all? Could it be that for all my knowledge of canon, I was in an Alternate Universe? In that case, did that mean that Raynare's feelings were...?

My musings were interrupted, sadly, by an interloper. A large, unpleasantly sweaty hand clapped itself over my mouth, and before I could do more than stiffen in surprise, a short beam of yellow light pierced through my heart from the back. My scream of agony was muffled by the palm against my mouth, even as the burning pain seemed to build by the second. Faintly, I heard an oily voice jeer in my ear, but I couldn't understand what was said. Then, to add even more insult to injury, the owner of the weapon ripped it up and out the left, causing a plane of suffering to shear through my shoulder, before finally taking their hand away from my mouth.

I fell to my knees, still slightly shocked from the amount of pain I was feeling. My left arm wouldn't move for some reason; were all of the muscles cut completely. I tried to draw in a breath, but a thick-soled boot struck me between the shoulder blades and I hit the ground entirely. A horrible bubbling filled my throat, and my attempt to breathe turned into a horrible retch, blood spraying from my mouth.

Distantly, through the haze of suffering originating from my chest and shoulder, I heard a female scream. A long, drawn out shriek of agony and horror. Was it a name? My name? Raynare? I wondered. Somewhere above me, the flashes of red and blue light became more intense, the sounds of explosions seeming to come from far away. My vision was growing dark.

Slowly, my right hand, the only one that still worked, drifted to the pocket where I'd put the flyer. Rias...Gremory, I prayed in my thoughts, If you can hear my wish...I want to live...

Nothing. Well, nothing yet. It might just take a moment, I thought sleepily, my eyes drifting shut, I'll just...rest for a minute before she gets here...

Sorry, Raynare. Looks like I'll have to put off the reading for a while...

Damn...it's cold out here.

AN: Well...that took a turn for the worse, didn't it? So, here's chapter 2 of Waking Dreamer. If any of you liked my first chapter enough to read this one, I'm glad. If not, your loss.

Summary time:

1. So, this being a Self-Insert, I of course know what happens in canon, so I'm suspicious of Raynare right off the bat.
2. However, I quickly realize that the most likely way I'm going to get a plot going for Storia is to die and join Rias's Peerage. Keep in mind that I don't want to die, but seeing as she's a Fallen Angel and I'm a human, it'd be next to impossible to avoid it on my own.
3. So I try avoiding her to put it off as long as possible. A few weeks or so. Raynare starts walking with me.
4. Unfortunately, I underestimate Raynare's gift for seduction and she worms her way into my heart through my love of stories.
5. She makes me read to her. Not going to complain about that one.
6. We also get a tiny amount of character development out of her afterward.
7. Afterwards, she asks me out on a date, and I'm so disgustingly besotted with her that I can't say no. Well, more 'don't want to' than 'can't,' but you know what I mean.
8. So we go out, have something to eat, and keep walking and talking.
9. Issei happens by and gives me one of the Occult Club's flyers. Yes, this does mean that he's a part of Rias's Peerage already. Him not reacting to Raynare is the first hint that something's off.
10. The famous scene in the park...which doesn't go anything like in canon. We just sit down and end up tripping over one of my weaknesses.
11. In real life, I really am uncomfortable with physical contact. This carries over into the fic.
12. Lap pillow! It ain't a DxD fic without one.
13. Moment of truth: Raynare doesn't plan on killing me! Shock of shocks!
14. Instead, we get Evil Dohnaseek, who's apparently stalking Raynare for some reason.
15. An exchange of insults, Raynare getting pissed off on my behalf (!), the beginnings of a fight...
16. ...And I get stabbed from behind by some dirtbag with a lightsaber. Bonus points for guessing who.
17. I try to summon Rias, with unknown results.

Is my story over before it begins? When I next wake, will I be a Devil? And if I am, how will I interact with them if I'm too old for High school? If you care enough to keep reading, then stay tuned for the next chapter, whenever that comes out.

As always, if you like this story and have a comment or a question, please leave a review or PM. If you don't like the fic, then keep silent and move on.

Also, if someone would please check out my fic Boundary of Dragon, I would appreciate it.

North South out.