Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)
A High School DxD fanfiction by Yukikaze101
High School DxD is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. If I owned it, there'd be a blue R33 in my driveway. ;)
Note: This is the continuation of Digital x Dragon: Final Patch. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original Digital x Dragon, but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)
Fluff/silliness warning. Author's musical tastes warning.
Chapter 1: Thursday's On My Mind
Those who didn't know Sona Sitri - Shitori Souna, to the uninitiated - very well would probably find nothing out of the ordinary in her mood. A slight, quiet smile, a brisk kind of cheerfulness to the way she tackled the duties associated with the Student Council presidency.
To those who did know her, she might as well have been dancing around, singing while hanging from a lamppost.
Tsubaki had to suppress a smile of her own. She knew exactly what her friend and King was so cheerful.
It was Thursday, after all.
"There," Sona announced, closing her laptop. "All that's left is the festival coordination paperwork."
"We'll need that from Rias-sempai," Tsubaki agreed. "I can go get it, kaichou."
"It's all right. I've been working at this all morning. I could use the break," Sona told her, rising from her desk. She was humming to herself. It wouldn't be audible to human ears.
Tsubasa entered the room, waving to her King and Queen. She set a stack of pamphlets on the desk, paused, and looked quizzically at Sona. "Kaichou? I didn't know you listened to Phoenix..."
Sona froze, and looked at Tsubasa. "Phoenix?"
"The song you're humming. '1901.' Phoenix is the band who sings it." She smirked good-naturedly. "I guess Hyoudou-kun introduced you to them, too, hmm?"
"It's what he had playing last time I was there," Sona said, now slightly red-faced. "You like the same music he does, Tsubasa?"
"Our tastes overlap some," the blue-haired Rook said with a shrug. "We both have that album, though."
"Ah," Sona said, thoughtfully. From the look on her face, Tsubaki thought, their kaichou would probably be humming a different song by the band the next time Hyoudou visited. "Tsubaki and I are heading over to the ORC, Tsubasa. Why don't you accompany us?"
"Sure," Tsubasa said brightly, falling into step with her the other two girls as they left the office. "So. Thursday night, huh?"
"I shouldn't be surprised that everyone on the Council has that on their calendars now," Sona commented dryly.
"I bet Hyoudou is making good progress," Tsubaki prompted. "It's been two months already."
"He's progressing nicely, yes," Sona replied. Despite her words, there was a faint but detectable note of impatience in her voice. "Last time we played, he nearly beat me."
Tsubaki glanced at her King and friend. She hesitated, then spoke. "Kaichou, I have an idea." When Sona looked at her, she said, "I think Hyoudou might improve even faster if he knows."
Sona hesitated herself. The desire to agree with her Queen was apparent in her eyes. So was the stubbornness about holding her tongue. "...I do see your point, Tsubaki. But right now, I think it's best not to tell Hyoudou-san."
"I'm not sure I agree, kaichou," Tsubasa said, wrinkling her nose. "I see him almost as much as you do. And I think he's getting…" She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. "I think he might be starting to worry that he has a one-sided crush."
Sona whipped around to stare at her Rook, both eyebrows raised. Tsubasa shrugged. "I know better, but he doesn't know what I do."
Sona adjusted her glasses. "Let me give this some thought."
"Hyoudou-san?" Sona couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hi, sempai." Issei was blushing a little, and looking slightly downcast, but immediately pasted on an exaggerated smile. "I had a question for the ORC. It was a silly thing…"
"You okay, Hyoudou-kun?" Tsubasa asked, eying him. There was definitely something off about him, his usual verve absent. "You look like you're coming down with something."
"I'm fine, really!" Issei insisted, his tone fooling nobody but (maybe) himself. "Just fine. I need to get home… I'll see you tonight, sempai?"
"Yes, of course. The usual time," Sona assured him, looking at him carefully. "You're sure you're okay, Hyoudou-san?"
"Just fine!" Issei all but chirped, the exaggerated cheer in his face and voice painfully obvious. "Have a good afternoon, everyone!" He all but sprinted away from Sona and the others.
Sona looked after him concernedly, looking for a moment like she was going to follow him. Then, with a sigh, she straightened up and continued into the ORC clubhouse.
"I do not like the look of that," Tsubasa murmured to Tsubaki, nodding after Issei. The latter nodded solemnly.
xxxx
"I think that does it for the coordination paperwork," Rias said brightly, shuffling the forms into a manila folder before picking up her teacup. "That's everything, right?"
"Paperwork-wise, yes," Sona answered, looking uncomfortable. "Rias… I'd like to ask about the student who left just before we came in. Hyoudou-san."
"Hyoudou-kun?" Rias asked, pausing in mid-sip. "Oh, that's right. You're friends, correct?" There was a certain knowing look in her eyes.
"Yes, we are." Sona heard the faint note of possessiveness in her tone, and grimaced at the realization that Rias probably had as well. "I'm curious as to what he was doing here."
"You didn't know?" Rias didn't bother to hide her good-natured amusement. "Hyoudou-kun actually visited us to ask questions." She smiled as she contemplated the memory. "He outright asked if chess had something to do with 'devil courtship.'"
Sona's mouth fell open, and she stared as Rias. "He what?"
xxxx
"Thanks for the tea," Issei had muttered, sitting red-faced on the couch in the ORC clubroom. Rias was surprised; if his reputation had been accurate, he would have been eagerly gazing at her chest or trying to look up her skirt. If anything, he almost seemed afraid of her right now.
"Of course," Rias told him, trying to set him at ease. Now that she thought about it, though, his outbursts of horndog behavior had been declining in frequency. This seemed to correspond with the increased amount of time he was spending doing IT for the Student Council. And Sona's reports on him have become positively glowing, she pondered. Now, isn't that interesting… "What can the Occult Research Club do for you, Hyoudou-kun?"
"I have a question I couldn't find an answer for online," Issei said, looking very awkward indeed. "It's kinda silly, but it's been bugging me… I thought there was a chance you guys could help me."
"Certainly, if we can," Rias said expansively. "What's the question?"
"Well… you guys know 'bout devils, right?"
"We know a few things about them," Rias answered, her reply careful. It was good to be cautious, particularly around questions to do with her own kind.
Issei squirmed on the couch, his eyes fixed on the floor. There was something almost endearing about it. Finally, he blurted out, "Do you know anything about devil courtship?"
"I'm sorry?" Rias said, looking gobsmacked. She had to give Hyoudou-kun points for the way he kept surprising her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the ORC equally surprised. Kiba was staring at him with his mouth hanging open, while Koneko was frozen in mid-nibble, one eyebrow quirked upward. Even Akeno's omnipresent gentle smile suddenly had a vaguely frozen quality to it.
"Devil… courtship?" Rias forced out. Thank Maou Hyoudou hadn't noticed their abrupt lapse in decorum. His eyes were back on the carpet. "How… how do you mean, Hyoudou-kun?"
"Does it have anything to do with chess?" Issei asked, his face now doing a credible strawberry impression.
"Chess? Um…" Everything out of his mouth was throwing Rias for a loop. But she was starting to see… Sona. A laugh threatened to bubble up in her throat, and she choked it down. So is he the one, Sona? I never would have expected that… although, if he can surprise you the way he's been surprising me…
"Yeah," he said in a very small voice. "Like, having to beat a devil at chess before she - I mean, they'll date you…"
Oh, you poor boy, Rias thought, wincing internally. She cleared her throat, and shook her head. "No, Hyoudou-kun. I'm sorry, but I've never heard of chess being related to courtship among devils." She assumed a thoughtful look. "Although, there have been some indications of chess-like competitions being related somehow to social advancement for devils. So, you weren't entirely off the mark."
Issei's face fell, and Rias felt an urge to pet him on the head. "Oh," he said in a tone that tried not to sound crestfallen, and failed utterly. "Well, thank you anyway. For the tea, and the answer." His head still hanging, he stood.
"Hyoudou-kun… wait," Rias said impulsively, and looked him in the eye as he turned back around to face her. "This question… someone's teaching you chess, then?"
He bobbed his head in confirmation.
"A girl?" Her tone was sympathetic, nonjudgmental.
He hesitated, then nodded again. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand before she could say anything. "Please, sempai, I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone."
"You're sure we can't change your mind… Hyoudou-kun?" Akeno spoke up, a subtle lilt of seduction in her voice.
"I'm sorry, no." Issei's reply was flat, and Akeno's expression flickered in surprise at his lack of response. It wasn't angry on his part; rather, it was more like he had dismissed it as irrelevant to him.
This was the Hyoudou Issei of rumor?
Rias held up a hand, and looked at Issei again. When she spoke again, she didn't sound like one of Kuoh's Two Great Ladies. She sounded like an older sister coaxing her brother to confess to the girl he liked. "Hyoudou-kun, chess is a complex game. If this girl is investing the time and effort to teach you, she clearly feels something for you. Even if it's just friendship, you can probably learn things that will help you in later relationships."
"You sure about that?" he answered, unable to keep a hopeful note out of his voice.
"As much as I can be without knowing who she is," Rias answered, choosing to leave it at that. She smiled faintly at him. "Keep playing chess with her."
Issei's eyes were fixed on hers for a long moment. Finally, he squared his shoulders and took a breath. It looked like he had his second wind now, if nothing else. He nodded. "Thank you, sempai," and he left, his face taking on an expression of resolution.
xxxx
Sona's face was crimson, and her heart pounded like a snare drum during a concert. She didn't dare look at Tsubaki or Tsubasa; she was certain she'd see a gentle "I told you so" in their eyes. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to lecture Issei - Hyoudou-san, dammit, Hyoudou-san - or kiss him until he ran out of breath.
...no, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. It didn't involve a lecture at all, and involved far more than kissing.
She wanted to call him "Issei-kun" aloud, not just in her head. She wanted to show him how she'd felt about him for… well, for most of the past school year.
The urge to tell him had been growing each day, and even now her patience about it was frayed. But, it would be irresponsible to do so before he beat her.
Right?
But then again, maybe she wasn't doing him a favor by keeping him in the dark about the real stakes...
She jerked herself out of her reverie, and speared Rias with a cool look, that finally relaxed into quiet relief. "All right. Thank you."
"He seems quite smitten with you," Akeno observed in an oh-by-the-way tone. "It's actually rather cute."
The blush that had been starting to fade from Sona's cheeks reasserted itself with gusto.
"He is rather cute, now that I think about it," Rias added offhandedly, watching Sona's face from out of the corner of her eye. "Maybe he'd be interested in - " She stopped, staring at Sona.
Even now, the Student Council president's reactions were subtle, at least to someone who didn't know her. A sudden tightness around her eyes, her knuckles abruptly blanching.
That look of icy fury in her eyes, though, that was new.
So was the abrupt, thirty centimeter-high waterspout the tea in Rias's cup had turned into. It was somehow held into place, but only just, skating the edge of collapsing and splashing all over the ORC president. The cup was literally dancing on its saucer, threatening to topple over. The fact that the tea was now scalding, and sending up enough steam to turn the area around the coffee table into a virtual sauna, was a cherry atop the sundae of Sona's ire.
On either side of Sona, Tsubaki and Tsubasa exchanged looks and subtly scooted away from their leader. Behind Rias, Akeno and Kiba also backed away.
Rias met Sona's eyes, gulping. "I'm kidding, Sona…" She cleared her throat, and repeated, louder, "I'm kidding, Sona. I'm not going to do anything at all to him."
The cold anger in Sona's eyes slowly faded, and the tea returned neatly to Rias's teacup. Not a drop was spilled, and that degree of control was a chilling contrast to the restrained fury of Sona's reaction.
After a moment, Sona let out a breath, and bowed her head. "I apologize for my… outburst."
Rias raised a hand. "I should have known better than to needle you." Her tone held good-natured amusement. "I suppose we don't need to ask how you feel. Hyoudou-kun must have some serious hidden depths, then, to make you react like that. I'd expect nothing less from the man Sona has chosen."
xxxx
"Kaichou…" Tsubaki said, softly but pointedly, as they left the ORC clubhouse.
"Enough, Tsubaki," Sona said, just a little testily. "I… I get it. If…" She sighed, slumping her shoulders for just a moment, then spoke quietly. "If Issei-kun doesn't defeat me tonight, I'll bring him up to speed. And if he does, I'll do the same."
Tsubaki nodded slightly. In a rare moment of affection, she patted Sona lightly on the shoulder. The latter smiled weakly, and squared her shoulders.
"Call him that, kaichou," Tsubasa piped encouragingly. "It'll make him blush and squirm," she added with a grin.
"Thank you, Tsubasa," Sona replied, her tone clearly saying "you're not helping."
Issei sighed. He knew Gremory-sempai was trying to help, but her attempt at encouragement didn't help his mood as much as he'd hoped. Admittedly, probably nothing short of Shitori-sempai shoving her tongue down his throat actually would help…
He let himself indulge in the fantasy as he walked home, a lecherous grin flashing across his face as he ambled home. (His classmates might have been surprised: it had been sometime since his horndog side had publicly had the steering wheel.) Sempai's face flushed as she straddled him, cupping his face in her hands, her glasses slightly - and cutely - askew, her voice whispering "Issei-kun" in a tone only he could hear. "Issei-kun… Issei-kun…"
"- Issei-kun? Excuse me! Excuse me, please, are you Hyoudou Issei-kun?"
Issei snapped out of his daydream, stopped short by the girl running up to him. She was a true beauty, like a shorter and softer version of Himejima-sempai. Maybe that was why he wasn't immediately reacting to her; he was still a tiny bit miffed at Himejima-sempai's attempt to sweet talk Shitori-sempai's identity out of him. He didn't recognize the uniform, but that didn't mean much. "Um, hi there," he said, forcing a smile. "Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"
She bowed with obvious nervousness. "I'm Amano Yuuma. Um, I know this will come out of the blue, but… but I love you!"
"You what?" he squawked, his mouth falling open.
"Y-you see, we were in middle school together, a-and we only talked a few times, but I started to have a crush on you, and…" She wrung her hands together, looking down. Issei found her adorable. If he wasn't -
But he was. Whether Shitori-sempai was or not...
He cleared his throat. "Um. I'm sorry, Amano-san, but - "
"Do you already have a girlfriend?" She blurted out.
Issei blinked, slightly taken aback by her intensity. "Well, no, but I do have someone I like…"
"But does she like you?" Amano pressed. Issei hesitated, and she pressed on before he could respond. "How do you know she doesn't just think of you as a friend? Or as free labor?"
That last one flicked Issei on the raw, and it showed. He knew Sona. She wasn't like that… but…
…it was entirely possible he'd misread her. He'd never been great at reading people, especially women. There'd been a girl he'd crushed on hard in middle school, but he'd made a complete hash of his attempts to get to know her. Murayama was in the kendo club here, now, and her reaction when seeing him was to draw her shinai and try to draw his blood.
That was a bridge he'd haplessly burnt while trying to build it, and that knowledge had never quite stopped stinging.
Oh, it was entirely possible that he'd mistaken her friendship for something deeper. That same feeling of despondency he'd had earlier was threatening to come surging back.
No, stop that, he told himself, doing so as firmly as possible. You don't know anything for sure yet. Remember what Gremory-sempai said. And if it's true, then… then you'll figure it out from there.
Now, if I can just keep telling myself that...
"Even so," he said aloud. "I'm sorry, but I can't say yes unless she turns me down for sure." He put as much resolve as he could into his voice.
To his relief, Amano seemed to take this at face value. She looked disappointed, but nodded, and reached into her pocket. She brought out a card with her LINE information on it, and held it out with both hands. "Please, if you change your mind - !"
Issei took the card gingerly, and nodded at her. She was definitely cute, but something about her was making him uncomfortable. Aloud he said, "S-sure, thanks…"
She gave him a hurried bow, and turned around, walking away quickly.
He stared after her for a long moment, before hurrying home himself. It felt like, if he lingered, the doubt would start eating even more at him.
"A girl confessed to you today, Hyoudou-san?" Sona looked at him curiously across the game board. On the sideboard sat two glasses of ice water and a bag of chips, the latter a specific brand Issei knew Sona liked.
Issei would like to believe he was picking up a hint of dismay, of jealousy, in Sona's voice. "Yeah. Amano Yuuma-san. She said she went to middle school with me."
"She 'said' she did?" Sona raised an eyebrow. She reached out and made her move.
"Well, it's a funny thing," Issei answered. "I actually went and looked at some class photos from my middle school. The website still had some online." He considered her move, and made one of his own. Two months of this was actually having an effect… although whether it was enough remained to be seen.
"And?" she asked. Her brow was furrowed in thought, something he thought was too cute for words.
Like so much else about her. Like the jeans and blouse she wore tonight. She knew how to rock the nerdy-cute look...
"No sign of her anywhere. Not in my class, and I would have remembered her. She could be Himejima-sempai's little sister." That was an odd flicker in her eyes, but it probably didn't mean anything. "Or in any of the other classes from my year."
"Anything else about her?" Sona's tone sounded a little analytical now, as if she were mentally doing a Google search based on the information he were giving her. Not that that stopped her from making a move. Dammit, he was gonna have to think about that one.
"Well, I didn't recognize the school uniform… that's about it." Okay, I know! He reached out and made a move to counter hers, and was rewarded by another thoughtful frown on her face.
"Hmm. Well… this is just a guess, but… you're aware that there's more than just devils, correct?" Sona looked at him thoughtfully.
"I figured as much. You think she's… what, an angel, or something?"
"Or a fallen one," Sona said, surprisingly. "Or perhaps a youkai, or someone from one of the other mythologies." She smiled at his obvious surprise. "The supernatural world is a diverse and well-populated one, Hyoudou-san."
"I guess so," Issei remarked with a snort. He paused, making his next move, and asked, "Why the hell would she know about me, then?"
"Ah, that. Well…" Sona's cheeks pinked, very faintly. Issei choked down the urge to stare admiringly. "I'm afraid that might be my doing. I mentioned the Devil Summoning App to my sister. She's… well-connected, we'll say, within the supernatural community." She looked up at him, dry amusement in her expression. "There are more than a few people who are fascinated by the idea of modern technology and traditional magic being combined."
"So I'm being watched as a test case, then." Issei snorted again, and shook his head. Sona looked at him, quizzically. "What is it?"
Issei smirked, traces of bitterness in his expression. "Just… it kinda figures, doesn't it? First girl to ever make a love confession to me, and there's a good chance she's actually some supernatural figure wanting to use me for magical tech support or something."
Sona shook her head. "Don't run yourself down like that, Hyoudou-san. You have plenty to offer someone." She gave him a serious look. "Believe me. Only a fool of a girl would let you slip by."
You're not a fool, then, right, sempai? Issei desperately wanted to ask that. Instead, he said aloud, "You sound awfully sure of that."
She looked at him with gentle admonishment. "I am 'awfully sure' of that."
Issei just bobbed his head noncommittally. He kept his eyes on the board, once again resolving to win tonight. Whatever it took. Maybe Gremory-sempai is right, after all…
A deep breath, and he made another move.
xxxx
Sona had arrived just before seven that evening. It was after ten in the evening when the game had reached its conclusion, and both of them were staring at the board.
Issei felt like he'd been through the wringer. He suspected that he looked it, too. The results, though, were sitting right there before him. "I… I won," he said softly, his mind retracing the steps he'd taken to get there.
"Yes." Sona was also staring at the board. In contrast to Issei, who was still processing the fact, she looked relieved, like she'd just set down a tremendous burden. She looked up at Issei, smiling softly. "Do you mind if I take a picture?"
"A picture? Is it that much of a surprise?" Issei wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not.
"No! It's not that it's a surprise," Sona insisted, her cheeks pinking cutely. "It's… I'll explain in a moment… may I?"
Issei nodded dumbly, watching as she took a photo of the game board and spent a full minute fiddling with her phone.
xxxx
Tsubaki glanced at her vibrating phone and checked the incoming message.
She smiled as she saw the photo of the game board, and the text message reading 24 Oct 0600 GMT.
xxxx
In the Underworld, Serafall Leviathan perked up as the message tone for her sister played. "Something from So-tan?" she wondered aloud, opening the text.
When she saw its contents, she all but squeed. "So-tan! Good for you! And that must be the nice boy that Tsubaki-chan and the others have been telling me all about…" For the umpteenth time, she opened her phone's photo folder, and pulled up a candid that Momo had been kind enough to discreetly snap of her sister and her new fiance.
"I can tell I'll have to visit soon, and get to know him…" she mused.
xxxx
Sona put away her phone, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Issei savored the mental picture of her, looking happy and satisfied, and cleared his throat. "Sempai, there's something I really need to - "
His train of thought was derailed by Sona throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Heat rose to his face, his heart racing, and it took several tries to get even one word out of his mouth. "Sem… pai…?"
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," she whispered. "I've wanted to do this for months."
"You like me…" he said in a very soft voice, as if prepared to cringe away from the answer.
She pulled back, enough so that she could look him in the eyes. "Yes. Very much… Issei-kun." Her smile was gentle and affectionate, and worlds better than the way he'd fantasized she'd one day look at him.
Issei cleared his throat, his face burning. He knew he was grinning like an idiot, and couldn't make himself stop. "I-I like you too, sempai! More than anyone else…"
"Sona," she said, raising a hand to his cheek. "When we're alone, you can call me Sona," she added just before her lips touched his.
Even if it was a closed-mouth, chaste kiss, it blew the fantasy out of the water.
There was even a faint, magical light about it…
No, dammit, that was a magical circle.
Sona saw it even before he did, and reluctantly broke the kiss. She was making a soft, irritated sound, something he'd never heard come out of her mouth before. "Yes?"
Saji and Ruruko stood in the middle of the magical circle. The latter had the good grace to look embarrassed and apologetic. Saji didn't even try not to smirk. "I'm sorry, kaichou, but we have a contractor we're having a lot of trouble dealing with."
"Were Tsubaki or Tsubasa not available to help?" Sona asked. Issei could hear the faint but definite testiness in her voice. That, more than anything else, drove the fact that she likes me she likes me SHE LIKES ME! home.
"Tsubaki-sempai is tutoring the mayor's daughter," Ruruko said apologetically. "And Tsubasa-sempai said you gave her the night off for a family birthday…"
"That's right, I did," Sona said, closing her eyes briefly in frustration. When she opened them, she looked apologetically at Issei. "I'm sorry, Issei-kun. But I need to go."
Issei fought back the surge of disappointment. After all, even if she had to go this early, look at what had happened first! "I understand, Sona… sorry, sempai." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saji glower at him. He felt zero sympathy. Suck on that, jerk.
"If we're able to finish early, I'll come back," Sona promised, starting to rise.
"You don't even need to worry about coming back early!" Issei eagerly blurted out. "You can come back, if you want. Anytime. Even if I'm out cold…"
Sona smiled at that. "I'll try for early, anyway." She finished standing, starting to turn towards her associates.
"Sempai, one last thing," Issei said hurriedly. As she turned back to look at him again, he mumbled, face flushed again, "I'm not dreaming, right?"
Sona smiled brightly at him. "I'm not a fool… Issei-kun." She caressed his face affectionately for a moment. Then, with great reluctance, she joined Saji and Ruruko in the magic circle and disappeared.
The woman who claimed to be Amano Yuuma was jolted awake by her phone's IM ringtone. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes, and grabbed for the phone.
What she saw made her snarl.
It was a LINE message from Hyoudou, phrased way more politely than his (admittedly scanty) file would have predicted: Sorry to message this late. But I confessed to her tonight, and she feels the same. I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave you hanging.
Somehow, the fact that Hyoudou Issei was trying to be a decent human being really pissed Raynare off. What she wanted to do was storm into his bedroom right now, snap his neck like a twig, and take whatever Sacred Gear he had sitting in his belly. But Amano Yuuma was a lovesick girl who would probably spend the entire night crying about her rejection. So she just plugged the phone back in.
Well, he can have his night to enjoy the little bimbo, she told herself. Tomorrow I'll track him down again and rip that Sacred Gear right out of him.
"I told you not to call me unless it was an emergency, Saji-kun," Sona said icily. "This was not an emergency." She gestured sharply to the delivery van. Ruruko was only now slamming the hood shut, finally having managed to cobble the engine into something resembling driveable shape.
Sona could have been enjoying a pleasant night with her new fiance, indulging some of the milder fantasies she'd been collecting for the last calendar year. Right now, she groused, she should be in Issei's arms. Instead, she had spent the last three hours helping play pack mule and mechanic for a contractor. This was something Saji should have been able to do without much trouble, especially with Ruruko's help.
"Sorry, kaichou," Saji said as he closed up the now-empty van. He didn't look or sound particularly sorry to Sona. In fact, he looked like was trying (and failing) not to look pleased about screwing up his "rival's" night with her. The expression on Ruruko's face told her that she wasn't the only one picking up on it.
"This will not happen again, Saji-kun," she said, her tone laced with iron. "Not after tonight. Especially not on a Thursday."
Saji's face twisted into a pout, but he nodded curtly. Sona internally rubbed the bridge of her nose. This had to come to a stop, especially now that Issei-kun - and she still felt a touch giddy, at finally being able to call him that - had won a match.
"Kaichou, you can take off, if you like," Ruruko offered. "We can wrap this up. Can't we, sempai?" Saji was still pouting, so he didn't seem to register the brunette's tone, but he nodded in reluctant agreement with her words.
Sona sighed, and gave her other Pawn a slight smile. "Thank you, Ruruko. I believe I'll take you up on that." She walked away from her Pawns, checking her phone as she did. The display read 0135, and she grimaced. Probably way too late to go back to Issei-kun…
You can come back, if you want. Anytime. Even if I'm out cold...
The urge to go back, to just climb into bed with him, was strong.
She didn't think he'd mind. She knew she wouldn't.
She sighed. The responsible thing was to let him get some sleep. And let herself get some sleep. She couldn't just do whatever she wanted. There were responsibilities, and duties. To her family, to her peerage, and now to him too.
But… maybe this once. It's not purely selfish if it's for my fiance, too. Smirking at herself for the blatant rationalization, she summoned a magical circle and stepped through.
xxxx
Some minutes later, she stepped through another one, this time into Issei's bedroom. She was both chagrined and relieved to see Issei still up, apparently plugging away at some code. The light of the circle drew his attention away from the screen, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Hi, sem - Sona-chan."
Sona shook her head, trying not to smile. "Issei-kun, you didn't have to wait up for me…" The fact that he had, though, warmed her enough that the three hours outside already seemed a distant memory.
"I wanted to," he said. His smile was bright, if drowsy, and it made her smile too. "Besides, I'd already decided I'd go to bed at three if you hadn't gotten here before then."
"Three A.M.?" Sona shook her head, trying to look and sound stern. Somehow, she suspected it wasn't working. "I expect my boyfriend to be more prudent about getting rest. But… under the circumstances, I'll let it slide. Just this once. Come on..." She took his hands and gently pulled him out of the computer chair.
As he stood, he leaned heavily against her, his arms slipping around her shoulders and embracing her tightly. Her eyes widened in surprise, then half-closed in satisfaction, and she nestled against him.
"You're so cute in your nightgown," he mumbled tiredly, kissing her forehead.
"Thank you," she said, resting her head against his chest. Going home first and putting on a nightgown had seemed prudent, since she planned on staying with him until he fell asleep. She told him as much, and he seemed to perk up slightly.
The thought of outright staying the night, and the direction that things might go, brought a pleasant heat to her face. But she knew that would come soon enough.
"What do you want to do while I'm here?" She asked.
"Stay up with you as long as I can," he answered drowsily.
"Of course," she assured him. She remembered what he'd said on that night. The night she knew for sure that she wanted him for her future husband. Well, well… I guess you may not be the only one who feels most at ease when we're together, Issei-kun…
"Thank you, Sona," Issei said softly, kissing her forehead again. This was something that was surprising her, how eager he seemed to be for simple physical affection. That, however, was something she didn't mind at all... "You mind if I put something on? Just something simple and lighthearted…"
"That's fine," Sona told him, watching him fondly as he popped in a DVD and set his computer to fullscreen. As they sat on his bed together and the movie started, she gently pulled the covers up around both of them. His head leaned against hers, his eyes starting to droop, and she reached for his hand. After a moment, he interlaced his fingers with hers.
"Stay some night?" He murmured, sounding like sleep wasn't far away.
"Yes," she promised. His scent soothed her, feeling like home, or at least what would eventually become home.
She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring that thought.
Notes:
Well, here we go!
First things first: I can count the number of chess games I've played on one hand, they were all in high school (read: years and years ago), and I won exactly none of them. Thusly, the vagueness of the game in the relevant scene. Apologies to readers who actually know chess...
The note this chapter ends on is something I've debated for a while. On the one hand, Sona's smart and rational, which would seem to head Rias's little "naming convention" conniption off at the pass. On the other hand, I can also see her getting fixed into thinking that everything will follow "the plan," and forgetting that Issei never got a copy of the script, or thinking she can keep all the plates spinning until she fills him in. I kept going back and forth on it, but at the end of the day, I decided I want to kick things off on a happy note. This is, after all, intended to be a fairly lighthearted story, not like the other "Issei joins the Student Council" fic idea I have. It would be a bit boring if their path to love didn't have some obstacles, naturally, but you'll see those soon enough! (If you want to see the original, internally-angsty scenes, PM me and I'll send them your way.)
After a lot of thought, I've finally come down in favor of there being a harem in this story. It will be A) Student Council-centric; B) relatively small; and C) involve no one from the ORC. If you want to know who the girls will be, there are hints (some subtle, most not) seeded throughout this chapter and Final Patch. There'll be a list in the author's notes for Chapter 2.
This chapter takes its title from Sting's "Seven Days." One note I forgot to add to Final Patch that is semi-relevant here: Issei's musical tastes here aren't (purely) based on mine. They're inspired by Chapter 2 of ImaginaryGuy 117's The Geek and the Gamer, which devoted an impressive amount of word count to Issei listening to MGMT's "Kids," looking up the song's meaning, and deciding what it meant to him. Considering how often MGMT and Phoenix pop up in the same Pandora station for me, it seemed a logical extrapolation to me.
For those who want a rough timeframe, by this point I see about nine months having elapsed since the first chapter of Digital x Dragon. My logic chain is as follows: most of the original fic takes place over 1-2 months, except for a 3-month timeskip in the last chapter. Two months elapsed between the last chapter and Final Patch (my bad for not making that clear in Final Patch), and (as explicitly stated in this chapter) two more months have elapsed between Final Patch and this chapter. (And all that to just reach the "canon" starting point.)
Finally, I'm gonna be indulging in a small conceit at the end of each chapter: a quote of significance from the next one, to serve as a mini-teaser. I think the one for this installment will set the tone nicely… well, I hope so, anyway. ;)
-xxxx-
Next Time: Chapter 2: I Can Hear Your Laughter, I Can See Your Smile
"Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Husband."