Author's Note

TheAnimeSage: Hello again, my dear readers and I gotta say holy crap this story has over 3,500 views, 200 followers, 125 favourites and more than 40 reviews. It's been added to a community as well, Sepiroth's Ancient Fantasy. This is brilliant, more than brilliant and I love it. In writing this chapter, I figured that it was better if I released a chapter on a bi-weekly basis considering that it's taking quite some time to actually get to writing the chapter, revising the chapter, editing the chapter and getting it all together which is tiring for me but on the plus side, it gives the additional benefit of it being more coherent and engaging.

deathleader: Issei gets around a lot and he has a lot of allies in unconventional places.

War historian: Issei is a conundrum, that is all.

RizomataNyan, Animeloverq8, and Fenrir44: The harem for this story is a big list and I will have some difficulty juggling it so here is the list of possible harem members *takes in a deep breath*:

The big harem list:
Ophis
Aika Kiryuu
Tamamo no Mae
Raynare
Murayama
Asia Argento
Rias Gremory
Akeno Himejima
Koneko Toujou
Kuroka (?)
Seekvaira Agares
Sona Sitri (?)
Serafall
Gabriel
Rossweisse
Irina Shidou
Xenovia Quarta
Le Fay Pendragon
Tiamat (?)
(?)

hellfire45: Thank you and Tamamo is not his girlfriend. She's a whole lot more than that.

RangerElk76, RedSS, Sasuke75249, Verno Rayan, Apocalypse1950, Guest, Gabriel790, SpecH82, Zarroc789, Imperial-samaB, BrotherCaptainShepherd, NinjaFang1331, TheLaughingStalk Lenny-Kun: To all you lovely reviewers, I thank you for your praises and one particular reviewer, not to kill yourself. It really warms my heart to know that my story has actually entertained you guys and I feel like I'm living the dream because as a storyteller if I can make one person happy then I did it.

Raven Marcus: I really wanted Aika in this story so badly cause the way I see it, she is a great counterpart to Issei and they get along so well.

Guest and I'm just a Guest: I'm assuming, you both are the same person. Yes, it is the Tamamo you're thinking of but it's not the Tamamo you're thinking of.

HeavensDownfall: I'm still an amateur writer so I'm trying to find my groove and not be so cliche. Give me constructive criticism, make me better at my craft, if I do something that you think should need improving, do not hold back.

T-B-R: Aika - half-vampire/half-succubus, she's gonna be so badass and Tamamo is definitely here to stay.

To the guest that gave this awesome and insightful review:

"So Rias would rather prefer that Issei dies so she can have him in her peerage without a choice? It is like the concept of talking to him about joining her Peerage never even entered her mind...

Funny enough the ones pushing for Rias to be wed to Riser are forcing her to have no choice in the matter which she dislikes very much so for her to attempt to do that to Issei make her a giant hypocrite."

I love it when people give me exciting things to work with and the people on this site are simply AMAZING! You're gonna see something special this chapter.

A special mention to my favourite authors and spectacular sensei: Eiichiro Oda for his lovable SBS corners and glorious arcs and RebukeX7 for the sheer scale and awesomeness of his stories. Epic does not cover it.

Now onto the story.


Beyond Infinite Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD.


"Your usefulness has come to an end, Hyoudou." Rain poured down upon the two warriors, a black-haired man holding a spear by his side and a boy in draconic crimson armour, the helmet gone.

"I won't let you get away with this, Cao Cao!" The bright red gauntlet shone as he clenched his fist, the green jeweled responding to his command boosting his strength as he leaned on a claymore. Blood trickled down his face as he stood shakily on his legs.

"You are foolish, Hyoudou, into thinking that Ophis could be anything more than a tool. Our goal is to eradicate the fallen angels, devils, and dragons of this world. I will annihilate them with the power of the Infinite Dragon God.' He readied his spear, slowly walking forward to meet his opponent. "But I'm finished wasting my breath on the likes of you."

"I'm gonna save her and if I have to tear you apart then I will gladly do so!" He snarled in rage, he was practically vibrating in his armour, the itch to destroy, to completely and utterly annihilate him.

"You still refer to it as her." He couldn't control it anymore. He wanted to shut him up so bad, only anger was coursing through him and he began to chant.

"I, WHO AM ABOUT TO AWAKEN!' A corona of energy burst forth from him as the dragon within responded to the call, howling in fury.

"You think that Juggernaut Drive will save you when I have three of the Longinus on my side." A young boy and a teen appeared by his side as the boy in armour completed his transformation into a fearsome dragon.

'RAHHH!' Issei was too far gone as he roared, charging towards the people who dared take her away from him.


Chapter 3: An Underserved Fate


Issei's Apartment

"Ah, Issei you're looking quite handsome today." Reiko leant on the counter tending to Olivia who stared at her brother as he continued to adjust his clothing. He was dressed in a blood-red hoodie with black lining with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and army green pants with black sneakers.

"Wow, Onii-chan is so cool!" Olivia was dressed in a yellow sundress and Reiko was styling her chestnut brown hair into two loose ponytails.

"Yup, your big brother will always be cool for you." He patted her head and she blushed at the treatment, beaming happily at her elder brother before hugging him.

"Thanks again, Reiko-san." Issei hugged the woman and she patted him on the shoulder, dusting away any loose hairs.

"Issei-chan, you deserve to relax today on your date and I'll make sure Olivia does not get into mischief." She rubbed the top of Olivia's head affectionately and she

"Have fun on your date, Onii-chan!"

"Behave with Reiko-obaa-san, okay." He said sternly but the smirk on his face said otherwise before squeezing her into another hug.

He arrived at the scheduled spot, earlier than the usual time. He was walking by an older, dark-haired women in vampire outfit that hugged her curves nicely and showed a nice amount of cleavage. 'Aika would get a kick out of seeing this.'

"Here, take a flyer." He looked over the flyer and saw the summoning circle plastered on it.

'We grant your wish.' He assessed the summoning circle in his hand. 'Hmm, a low-level summoning circle based on desire, mass-produced if it's being handed out like a pamphlet and the residue energy suggests that its devilish in nature. There's also the fact that the Gremory crest is smack-dab in the centre.'

He looked up to see that the woman had gone off to hand out more flyers to passersby and he pocketed it before turning to see Yuuma waving towards him and she flushed in embarrassment, "Sorry, I kept you waiting, Issei kun."

Issei took the moment to look at her, wearing a short black dress with a small light purple jacket on top and he found it to be quite appealing. Many heads would turn at her simple yet stunning appearance.

"Don't worry, I just got here as well." He watched in amusement as she breathed a sigh of relief at his words. "You look beautiful today."

Yuuma's cheeks tinted with red at his sincere compliment, "If it's not too much trouble, Issei-kun, can we end our date at the park at sunset?"

"Huh, sunset but why?"

"I thought we could make it special by watching the sunset together." She seemed to blush at her own words before Issei smiled at her request.

"As you wish." He nodded before putting his arm out for her. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way."


'Why did he have to so perfect?' Raynare had to wonder to herself as Issei had been taken her throughout town, never staying long enough at one venue as they seemed to have made their way throughout the entire prefecture. She remembered one instance when they were trying on some clothes.

"Issei, does this dress look good on me?" She had changed from her normal outfit to a black dress that hugged her body, showing off the contours of her hips, waist, and bust. She spun around her and it got all the men in the store drooling with lust and the women enraged at seeing their boyfriends' blatant ogling. Issei idly looked up from his seat and gave her a once over.

"To be honest, you look better in nothing." Her face reddened heavily at the implication and the guys had their utmost respect for him that day.

"Damn." One of the women whispered in awe at that line.

She had been preparing herself to kill him, just finding anything to motivate her into getting more pleasure when she would shove her spear through his chest and watch the life drain from his eyes but her resolve weakened as she thought back to the conversation on the bridge and she found herself becoming attached to her assignment. No, to him. To Issei. To the boy, she was supposed to murder.

Her train of thought was broken as Issei suddenly stopped, his hair shadowing his face and she found herself scared that she had disappointed her date. Wait, where did that thought come from?

She followed his line of sight to see a scruffy-looking man on a bicycle and she could hear the boy next to her heave a shuddering breath as he gently placed her shopping bag to the ground.

"Issei-kun, what's wrong?" She said in concern as he began to crack his knuckles.

"Excuse me, Yuuma-chan, if you can just wait here for a moment, I just have to have a chat with someone who took a liking to my bike. I promise I'll be back." Issei took off in a sprint as he yelled obscenities at the scruffy-looking man who looked taken aback before panic set in as he tried to ride away.

Raynare stared in shock as her date ran off on her and she felt all the resolve to kill him return, feeling insulted that he left, amused that Issei was cursing loudly at someone in public and confused on why. She stood there waiting impatiently for a few minutes until she heard the roar of a motorcycle engine. Raynare looked down the road to see a man on a motorcycle headed towards her. The motorcycle swerved until it was positioned horizontally in front of her. She couldn't see his face due to it being covered by his helmet but when the visor slid up.

"Issei!"

"No time to explain, get on now!" She was dumbfounded for a moment until she heard the roar of several more motorcycles and quickly complied.

"Issei, what's going onnnnn!" She shrieked as he revved up and accelerated away before being followed by other bikes who shouted over the wind.

"Oi, bastard, give back aniki's bike!"

"Die!"

"Hold tight." She squeaked as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, the motorcycle swerved in and out of traffic. They were still giving chase to him and Issei noticed that Yuuma had squeezed him tighter, her breasts pressed tightly against his back. He put that out of his mind, however when he noticed that they were getting closer to him.

"Fuck, he's good, call the boys to come in on the other exit." One of them yelled.

Raynare would swear that she had never felt her blood pressure jump up and down in her life until she got on the bike with Issei. They were heading towards a section of the highway that was still in the process of being constructed with a ramp up ahead.

"Ha, look at that, he's at a dead end! We got him, boys!" The bikers were eagerly coming on Issei's tail with smug grins but looking ahead at a ramp, he saw his one chance to escape and accelerated faster. Raynare paled when she felt herself speeding up instead of slowing down.

"Slow down, Issei! We're going to go over the edge!"

"Yuuma, do you trust me?" He asked from behind and he felt her nod against his back. "Take my helmet off and put it on yourself!"

"But Issei!?"

"Hurry!" Following his instructions, the helmet went over her head and she wrapped her arms tighter around him, trusting him completely in that moment.

"No way! He's gonna jump!" The bikers shouted incredulously, their wheels screeching as they braked.

"Kid's going to die!"

Issei revved the bike harder and they soared off the highway. As the wheels left the ramp, they were in the air and he could swear that he felt a rib pop painfully as Yuuma hugged him as hard as she could as the feeling of weightlessness fell upon them.

ERK! ERK!

Until the tires met the road again. He exited off the road quickly as the bikers jaws dropped at the suicidal stunt that Issei pulled.

Raynare's heart beat rapidly against her ribcage until she was snapped out of her shock by Issei who had stopped at the park. He had a wide grin on his face as he broke into raucous laughter. Yuuma didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of the situation or euphoria she felt from escaping unscathed and found herself holding back tears of mirth with Issei.

He propped the bike against a tree and took her by the hand to the fountain, resting down on the stone as she sat down next to him.

"What a way to end a date." He chuckled, wincing in pain as held his sides.

"That's understating it." She giggled. Raynare found herself conflicted on the inside however she didn't want this date to end but she had an assignment and no matter how much she wanted for him to live, she couldn't risk failing, else she would suffer a fate worse than death at Kokabiel's hands.

"I-Issei, I-I…" He held up a finger to stall her as he reached into his pocket and brought a silver pendant with an intricate circle and a small crest weaved into it and Yuuma couldn't help the stab of guilt as she quietly accepted the gift putting it around her necklace.

"Can you see it, Yuuma-chan?" He pointed towards the orb that was waning over the horizon and she was taken aback at the kaleidoscope of colours that filled the sky. The perfect end to a date.

'You know it won't last, but you savour every moment of it.' She bit her lip as she continued to watch with Issei who had a serene smile on his face.

"Beautiful."

"Yeah, you were right about the sunset."

"I wasn't talking about the sun." She felt herself flush and the pounding in her chest got faster.

"C-can you please close your eyes?" She cursed herself for stammering and she had to use all her willpower to go through with it but a tiny voice inside her wished otherwise. 'You don't have to do this, you can lie.'

"As you wish." He closed his eyes and an easygoing smile was on his face.

'No, I have to do this but the least I can do is give him a kiss.' She leaned forward to capture his lips and she felt his arms enclose around him. And she lost herself in the kiss. She poured everything into the kiss, the desires that Raynare dared not hope to have but for one moment, she could be honest with herself, she could be Yuuma Amano. Tears slid down her cheeks and she tore herself away from him whispering, "I'm sorry."

She changed into her true form, her clothes shredding to be replaced by a black, leather thong with gloves running up her arms ending in a shoulder guard with three large spikes and matching thigh-high heel boots. She matured from a young teen to a mature woman as black wings sprouted where she flew up and away from him.

"Yuuma-chan, what's going on?" A look of confusion was on his face and his eyebrows raised at her changed outfit.

"My name's not Yuuma, it's Raynare. If there is anyone to blame, blame God for giving you a Sacred Gear." She materialised a pink spear in her hand before thrusting it forward straight towards his heart.

She turned away not daring herself to look at his face. When she didn't hear the thud of a body, she looked back to see that the spear was an inch away from his chest, stopped by his hands, a film of white energy covering his body.

"Ah, it's really impolite for you to kill someone on their first date." Her eyes widened as she watched him shatter her spear into light particles. "But I guess that's expected from a Fallen Angel."

"What? How did you survive!?" Her feelings forgotten for the moment at the fact that Issei just held her light spear with his bare hands

"Pushups, situps and plenty of juice." He said with a straight face, his demeanour changing to one of calm confidence.

"I'm sorry, Issei-kun, but you're too much of a threat to our organisation to let live." She materialised more light spears and threw them forward. Issei side-stepped away from the attack, weaving through each light spear as he made his way forward to her.

"If you're going to kill me, can you at least put some effort into it." He drawled bored as he stepped forward, she growled and a dozen spears, much bigger than before, formed in the air.

"Is this enough effort for you!?" The light spears flew faster than before and Issei simply stood his ground as a huge explosion kicked up dust where Issei stood. She almost collapsed from the effort, her wings barely supporting her.

'What's happening to me? I could fight longer than this.' She landed back on the ground to survey if Issei had died in that explosion.

"That all you got, Yuuma-chan~?." The smoke cleared away to reveal Issei unharmed from the attack as he continued forward. "I know, I'm that awesome that I can leave you breathless without doing anything."

Her eyes widened as her movements began to grow more sluggish and the spear that she had formed took twice as much effort to create. "What did you do to me?"

"Nothing, you, on the other hand, started tossing spears around as if it was candy, you really should have been watching how much energy you were using." With her last effort, she weakly threw her last spear at him and watched it shatter without him doing anything.

"Well, I think it's my turn now." He vanished from her sight and appeared right in front of her. Panic set in as a half-formed light dagger materialised but he was already gone and she turned her head to see his right fist reared back.

Death/!

It exploded forward barrelling towards her, filling the entirety of her vision as it closed in. There was nothing Raynare could do, it was too late for her to dodge, blocking would have the same effect as she did standing there helpless. She couldn't do anything, she was going to die…

Until the fist stopped halfway and her eyes were still wide in shock before Issei flicked her on the forehead, knocking her out.

"That was easy." Holding out a hand, a summoning circle flared on the ground in front of him and in a blue flash, Tamamo appeared wearing a dark blue kimono with flame patterns that showed off her cleavage, her hair was tied up in a long ponytail that reached down to her waist and she was barefoot. What was different from her normal appearance were the fluffy fox ears atop her head and the bushy tail that was swaying back and forth. "Tamamo-chan, I need your help."

"Of course. And who is she?" Tamamo narrowed her eyes at the unconscious Fallen Angel but Issei rubbed his head sheepishly.

"She is uh... my date." She looked back and forth between Issei and the unconscious woman. "You know, you don't need someone unconscious to do that."

"That's not what...look she tried to kill me and I need information on the rogue Fallen in town.."

"And you want me to take her back to your apartment." Tamamo crossed her arms under her bust and stared at Issei.

"Yup and please grab all of the money from under the bed, please." He pecked her forehead and the top of her mouth curved into a sweet smile, scooping Raynare over her shoulder and she was gone, a magical circle teleporting her back.

Shaking his head, he took out the flyer from his pocket and made a wish. The circle glowed and electricity arced from it before two beautiful girls appeared. Crimson red hair that reached down her thighs, a colour that he loved when he saw it, surprised blue-green eyes that stared into his brown ones, smooth alabaster white skin, a buxom figure and a sizeable bust as the school uniform did very well to emphasise that. He wasn't surprised to see Rias Gremory here but when his eyes roamed to the other, he was pleasantly surprised to see Akeno. The hair was the first thing he noticed about her was her hair, tied with an orange ribbon, it was long enough to reach her legs and he took note of her violet eyes that was shining with mischief. She had a voluptuous figure and an even bigger bust than Rias, many would call her a Yamato Nadeshiko and he could see why.

"When I wished for a beautiful girl to show up, I didn't realise that I would get a two for one deal." He complimented and the girls blinked in surprise at seeing Issei summoning them. "I'm assuming that the both of you are devils."

"And how did you know that?"

"Besides the obvious, I can sense the unholy energy from you two, and there is no way on Earth that two beauties like you could exist."

"Ara ara, what a charmer you are, Issei-kun." Akeno greeted with a warm smile, nodding politely to him.

"Why have you summoned us?" Rias inquired with a raised brow.

"Would you be willing to answer something for me?" He asked in a pleasant tone, taking a seat on the fountain, making sure to brush away the debris, now that the ladies were taking notice of their surroundings, they could see the signs of battle had happened.

"What happened here?"

"Just had to take care of a fallen angel."

"So you know about the Supernatural World?" A cryptic smile was all that she received before his voice lowered to a chilling tone and his eyes pinned Rias to the spot with his piercing gaze . "Were you expecting for me to die?"

She was unnerved by how his eyes seemed to look past her, stare deep into her soul and was judging and had found her wanting. She had to keep her voice from faltering when she answered him, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you had a Sacred Gear that I needed." She tried her hardest not to squirm on the spot.

"Always with the Sacred Gears today," He muttered before he dropped his gaze from her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "That's the wrong answer, by the way."

"What do you mean?" She blinked when he casually dismissed her answer.

"I'm sure we can discuss this tomorrow, it is getting late after all and since I summoned the two of you here, I guess you'll be wanting payment and before you ask, my soul and me joining your peerage are off the table."

She composed herself quickly and the President of the Occult Research Club was back in place and she kicked herself mentally when she had let her guard down like that before."Hmm very well, if I can't have you as payment then can I have you join the Occult Research Club?"

"Um...sure. That seems pretty straightforward." He blinked, accepting the request.

"Ara ara, buchou, what about my payment? I was summoned as well." Akeno frowned and Issei found her expression to quite amusing, chuckling to himself.

"I'll offer any payment but the same condition still stands, Akeno-san."

"Ara, I don't want anything right now, Issei-kun, just a favour in the future."

"As you wish, in any case, I'll see you two tomorrow, bye!"

He turned around walking off as she stood there miffed at his sudden departure and a burning question was on the forefront of her mind. "Wait, before you go, who are you, Issei?"

He turned his head slightly and gave her a lopsided grin, "Only the most interesting man in your life."

Frowning, she was about to say something but stopped herself, as she knew asking him now was pointless and that he would talk to her tomorrow. A red runic circle appeared underneath her and Akeno taking them away.


Outside Club KONO

Aika wasn't exactly thrilled to be waiting on the sidewalk by one of the biggest clubs in Kuoh Town on a Sunday night. The neons lights of the district shined, brightly illuminating the night, with various partygoers milling about waiting outside clubs and restaurants in fancy dresses. She was in a dark grey coat with fur lining the hood, a modest white t-shirt and a plaid skirt with knee-high socks tapping her foot impatiently, readjusting her purse strap. She was at home, watching the latest episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha when Issei had texted her to come to Club KONO and bring all her money that she had with her, she wouldn't deny that she wasn't slightly suspicious when he asked her to bring money. She turned her head to see Issei walking towards her with a bag over his shoulder and Tamamo in casual clothes by his side.

"Evening, Aika-chan, and thanks for coming." He waved with a lazy smirk on his face.

"Ah, Issei what are you doing with Tamamo-san?" She quirked an eyebrow at seeing the school nurse.

"You haven't told her yet, Issei-kun." The aforementioned woman admonished him by puffing her cheeks angrily which had the opposite effect as he found it quite cute.

"That's why she's here. Tamamo-chan is here to help ease the process in explaining some things about myself."

"Oooh, ominous. Well, this had better be a very good explanation for getting me out here, my legs are freezing." She pointed to the knee-high socks she had on.

"Come on, let's go."

Walking up to the bouncer at the front club, a giant of a man in an expensive suit and a pair of shades, he nodded to the man who let him in much to the protest of the other partygoers who were silenced by the imposing glare that was sent by the big bouncer. The moment they entered, their senses were assaulted by the blaring music and the flashing laser lights as men and women danced to the beat of the music, gyrating and grinding their bodies against each other in a mix of sweat, desire, and alcohol.

"I can taste the lust wafting from this club." Aika idly commented, seeing a couple making out heavily in the corner.

"You're going to be tasting bloodlust soon." Issei was leading them through the packed crowd and towards the back area when a drunken man was strolling up to Aika, ready to grab her ass when he was stopped by an iron grip on his wrist.

"Don't touch me." Aika kept a cool stare towards him and her eyes flashed to red for a moment frightening the man and he staggered back away from her.

"Oh, I like her," Tamamo said in approval. Seeing another bodyguard next to a door, Issei bumped fists with the man who letting them in, as they climbed the stairs, the noise of the club receding only to be replaced by the thunderous roar of a crowd, shouting and cheering at two men in who were pummelling each other with everything they had. One of the combatants was a tall imposing man, heavily muscled and had numerous tattoos covering his body while the other smaller but muscled man had a scar running down his face. He was losing ground as the powerful strikes were going past his blocks until he was put down by a hook to his head.

"Yamada! Yamada! Yamada!" The audience chanted, savouring in the violence and brutality of the fight.

"See that big guy over there? He is one of the best fighters in the underground fighting ring and I am going to fight him." He pointed to the tattooed man lifting his arms up in victory as they dragged the bloodied scarred man away.

"And you're what, one of the best?" Aika appraised Issei who shrugged off his hoodie to reveal a black muscle shirt underneath it.

"Nope, one of the worst." He walked up to the bartender, a nice looking man with a beard and a cigarette on his lips. "How's it going, Tetsuo?"

"Ah Issei, going to fight again eh? I'll bet the usual then." The bartender greeted, taking a 10,000 yen note from his pocket. "It's great that you have faith in me, old man."

"Something tells me it's going to be my lucky day, brat." Issei took the offered note from him and the bartender continued to serve another customer, some drunkard with a fist full of money.

"The fight against Yamada will have big odds and you are going to be betting a lot of money on me." He nodded to Tamamo who smiled serenely at him before he moved towards the circle.

"No offence, I know Issei's a decent fighter but I don't think the big guy is going to be pulling punches."

"Neither will Issei." Her smile was brimming with confidence. "How much did you manage to bring with you?"

"All of it but..."

"Do you trust Issei?" She was put off by the question but remembering all the events that transpired the last week, she would place her trust in Issei, if it allowed her to learn more about him.

"Yes." Tamamo began to lead Aika to a man who was dressed extravagantly with bright colours, hollering for all the watchers to bet on the fighters.

"Alright ladies, how much and who are you betting on?" The betting man asked.

"I'd like to bet 445,000 yen on Issei Hyoudou to knockout Yamada with one punch."

"That's some big odds lady, 20:1 if he's going against Yamada. Are you sure you want to make this bet?"

"Positive." She handed him a huge wad of cash which he accepted from her.

Issei was taping his hands together, his shirt was gone and he was stripped down to his pants, where a litany of scars marred his back and a particular scar stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip.

"Haha, if it isn't little Issei, tell me did you bring your girlfriend with you?" Issei remained silent, his face a blank mask not showing any emotion as he turned to Yamada. "Maybe after I'm done kicking your ass, I can show her a good time."

The announcer came up towards them, hyping the crowd with his presence as he yelled boisterously. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen tonight is the final fight for the night where we have the underdog of the ring, HYOUDOU ISSEI!"

The crowd cheered when Issei stepped forward in the middle. "And here on my side of the circle is the monster of the box, the Bear of Tanaka Pass and the undefeated champion, AKIMOTO YAMADA!"

"There is something you should know about Issei before he attended Kuoh Academy, he was trained to fight his entire life." Tamamo's eyes were still on Issei as she said so.

"But what about his fight with Kaido and his friends?" Aika remembered that fight, sure Issei got a few shots in but the end result was that his face ended up a bloody mess.

"He was trying to adapt as a normal human being. He had to play the part."

"So he's not a normal human being?"

"Well, he is a human being, but not normal. Just as you aren't normal either." Aika turned to Tamamo in surprise but she held a finger to her lips. "Look, it's starting now."

Yamada had a smug smirk on him and he lifted his arms in the air showing off his muscles and hyping of the room where the crowd was going crazy. The announcer brought his hand down to begin the match.

"Come on, give me good show before I break you." Issei kept his calm gaze and stepped back, in a boxing stance and closed his eyes. The roar of the crowd died away and he was only focused on his opponent. His obstacle. His prey.

The face of Kaido was in his mind and he could hear him whispering, "You're nothing, Hyoudou, you're not worth the dirt that I tread on. You'll be nothing."

Yamada stepped forward, his arm was the size of a bear moving forward with the intent to pound Issei into a bloody pulp but to his eyes, it was like he was wading through mud.

Kaido's face was gone and in its place was Kokabiel's, sneering at him. "You are human and you are the weakest race."

The giant hand balled into a fist was an inch away from smashing into Issei.

One more face appeared a face that Issei hated with all his being. "You will never save her."

Issei's hand shot up, his fingers clenched around the man's fist. His eyes shot open staring fiercely into Yamada's. The man struggled, trying to pull his arm back but he clenched tighter and he dropped to his knees. Pulling his arm back, his fist shot upwards, the knuckles dug into Yamada's chin into a jaw-shattering uppercut that sent off his feet and on his back unconscious, a few of his teeth missing, groaning at the pain.

The noise in the room died instantly as Issei stood over Yamada, before turning to the crowd shrugging as if to say 'sorry to disappoint' before the place went ballistic.


Issei's Apartment

Issei lounged on one of the sofas in the apartment resting his head against the cushion, his spoils leaning against the side of the couch as Tamamo was in the kitchen preparing tea, Aika sat on the sofa opposite of him.

"I'll get to the point Aika but you have a basic grasp of the Supernatural World given your unique heritage, right?" She nodded at his assessment.

"I used to part of an organisation called The Khaos Brigade where our goal was to remove the dragon, Great Red, from the Dimensional Gap for our leader, Ophis. I was part of the Hero faction that was made up of several Sacred Gear users, descendants of past heroes and holy/demon sword wielders. So for five years, I learnt how to fight, how to kill, how to use my Sacred Gear, training so that I could one day defeat Great Red." She took the offered tea from Tamamo, who left for Issei's bedroom and Issei took off his shirt showing the scar. "But, I was betrayed by the people I once called my brothers and sisters and in my anger, I tried to fight them but it destroyed me and I was left to die, alone in the middle of nowhere."

"How did you survive?"

"I was saved by an old man, who taught me to control myself, to hone the raw power that I had. And I dedicated the next few years to travelling the world and training myself and I met people like Tamamo-chan." Aika took a moment to digest all this information, closing her eyes as Issei continued.

"Can you show me your Sacred Gear?" Issei's eyes dulled as he clenched his hands, he shook his head negatively.

"I wish I could and I've been trying but I can't." Aika wanted to say something to comfort him, the sadness in his eyes wasn't something she wanted to see, but he continued. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this but I have a dangerous past and sooner or later it's going to catch up to me. I'm going to give you this chance to walk away from this, the fight earlier showed not even a glimpse of what I could do and I don't want you in any danger." There was an uneasy silence but Aika stared resolutely into Issei's eyes not backing down.

"Issei, you really must not know me if this is going to stop me from being your best friend. I don't care about your past but no matter what happens, you're still Issei and I will always stay by your side." Issei blinked in surprise before a smile appeared on his face which turned into a full-blown laughter.

"You really are amazing, Aika." Issei held out a hand before a runic circle spun into life above him revealing a blank wedged shape tile that fell into his hand. "If you're going to stay by my side, then you're going to need this."

"This is a blank shogi piece." She looked over the tile, there was nothing special about it as she turned it over in her hand. Tamamo walked in, standing beside Issei. "Yup, keep it on you and when the time is right, the piece will show you its power. But allow me to introduce you to Tamamo better known as Tamamo-no-Mae, the legendary fox spirit." And in a blue flash, her clothes was replaced with her kimono and her kitsune traits were out for the world to see.

"S-she, she's…" Aika's eyes widened at seeing a mythical figure standing in front of her, who inclined her head towards.

"Beautiful, terrifying, awe-inspiring." Issei listed off before Aika lunged towards Tamamo catching her by surprise, as she began to stroke her foxy ears.

"KYAH!"

"So cute! Your tail is so fluffy!" Tamamo blushed at the ministrations that Aika was giving her, particularly when she touched the base of her tail and she started to pant in pleasure. Issei sat rooted on the couch as he watched Aika pet Tamamo, their boobs squishing against each other as Tamamo moaned under the magic of Aika's fingers.

"Why don't you come join us, Issei-kun~?" Issei shuddered, feeling a wave of lust wash over him before clamping it down.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna take a cold shower now."

"Do you want us to join you, Issei-chan?" Tamamo breathed rather heavily and the way she was positioned so tantalisingly, he had to turn away from them lest they see his mighty 'dragon'.

"Yes. I mean, no! No, stop messing with me and quit groping Tamamo-chan." He pointed rather indignantly at her.

"I don't know, your finger says no but mini-you says yes." She trailed, her eyes never wavering from the bottom half of his torso and she licked her lips rather seductively.

"Leaving now."


Raynare groaned, her eyes blinking awake as she tried to adjust herself. She looked around to see herself in an unfamiliar bed with cream walls, a desk was off to the side with paper strewn all over and the sun was shining through the window. Her attention turned towards the small child who was peering at her with her head tilted. She was taken aback at how such a little girl could sneak up on her. Her. Someone trained to be an assassin.

"Hi, my name is Olivia. What's your name?" She peered at her, wide-eyed and innocent as any child could be but she radiated purity and kindness that she hadn't seen since...He died.

"Raynare." She didn't mean to say her true name, she wanted to say something else, to say Yuuma but something compelled her to speak honestly.

"That's a weird name but I like it. You're really pretty, Raynare-nee-san. Onii-chan has a lot of pretty friends." Olivia spoke, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet at the prospect of befriending her with her smile brightening up the room and she yelled. "Onii-chan, your pretty friend is awake."

Footsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards as the boy that she remembered from last night stood in the doorway albeit he had his school uniform on."Alright, imouto, go get your pancakes, Tamamo-san is making them today."

"Yay, pancakes!" She raced out of the room leaving Issei and Raynare alone. She shifted uncomfortably, drawing the blanket around her with Issei continuing to observe her. She was the first to break the silence. "Why am I alive?"

"Because I need information." Issei didn't dance around the issue and got straight to the point, moving from the doorway, he brought a chair over and sat down next to her.

"And what's to stop me from killing you and returning back to base?" She met his gaze and he quirked an eyebrow at her. Issei debated whether or not to humour her but decided against it, going straight for the truth.

"Well, for one you couldn't really kill me now and you tried your hardest to kill me back at the park, two even if I did let you leave, your allies aren't going to be pleased that you got captured by the enemy and there is the possibility that you could have told me their plans in which case they won't allow any loose ends. So feel free to leave at any point you like." Raynare sat there, her hands in her lap as the realisation that she couldn't return or else she face death was sobering.

"Where am I?"

"In my apartment."

"So what happens to me now? Am I going to be your prisoner forever until you decide to kill me?" She turned to him, directing her anger and resentment towards him.

"No, but as I said before I need information on the goal and purpose of why you and your group here."

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you? I will never betray them." Raynare's glowering eyes met Issei's impassive gaze before he breathed deeply.

"You said before in the park, that you said if I should blame anyone, I should blame God for giving me a Sacred Gear. So your objective seems to be eliminating Sacred Gear users before they become a threat to you and your organisation, am I right?" By the way that Raynare's form stiffened, he was right and she inwardly cursed herself for carelessly revealing information at the park. "Well, you don't have to worry about me having a Sacred Gear."

"W-what? But I confirmed it, I could sense that you had a Sacred Gear inside you."

"Yeah, I can't really call on it anymore." He chuckled sardonically. "In any case, feel free to join us for breakfast and maybe change into your other form."

"Wait, what do I do here, you can't expect me to stay here and do nothing?" Issei turned his head in thought before he shrugged noncommittally, "I'm sure Reiko-san can think of something. Besides, if you're going to stay here I might as well teach you a couple of tricks, your throwing speed was slow and I barely felt your spears touch me."

"Hmm, and what could you teach me?" She said, not at all arrogant and haughty.

"Besides actually hitting a target," She growled at the reminder. "Raynare, I'm going to teach you how to live."

"Eh?" She blinked in confusion, wondering what that meant before leaving, he stopped by the doorway.

"For what it's worth, I really did enjoy our date and I hope I can go on another one with you." Raynare's cheeks flared in embarrassment, her mind drifting back to the date.


Kuoh Academy

He sighed wearily into his arms as Matsuda and Motohama chatted away in front of him discussing what they did over the weekend and their daily ritual on worshipping the female form much to the disgust and shame of the females around them except for Aika who just whispered under her breath, "Amateurs."

He became aware that someone was watching him and he turned his head to see Murayama staring at him before blushing and realising that she got caught, turned away in embarrassment. He figured that now was a good time as any to talk to her since their last conversation ended with her in the nurse's office. He got up from his desk and strolled over to her and her circle of friends.

"Murayama-san, is it alright if I talk to you privately?" She nodded and they walked outside of the class with many of the classmates speaking animatedly about the Deadbeat and the Captain of the Kendo Club leaving together.

"So what did you want to talk about?" They were in an empty class and Murayama was trying not to meet his gaze, finding everything else much more interesting.

He rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to start the conversation but figuring that apologising was a good way to go. "I'm sorry about injuring you in our match, I didn't mean for it to get out of hand like that."

"No, don't worry about that. It happens all the time with these kinds of activities. But I gotta say that you were amazing in our match, one of the best opponents I ever had. You showed impressive skills and I would like to face you again." She said with appraisal and respect to him.

"Nah, I just picked up a few things from my sensei." He said sheepishly.

"Ano, if you don't mind me asking, who is your sensei?" She inquired rather curious on who Issei's sensei would be. Issei had a fond expression on his face, remembering the man who trained him.

"He's a rather secretive man but I'll introduce you to him when he comes in town." He had a soft smile on his face and Murayama nodded to accept the face, excited at the prospect of meeting someone who trained Issei to beat her. Murayama trained all her life to become proficient in the art of Kendo so it was an astonishing feat when he beat her.

"Hyoudou-san if you are willing, as the Captain of the Kendo Club I would like to extend an invitation for you to join us." She offered. Issei stopped and stared at her, his mind racing at being in a club full of hot girls but he did promise to join Rias' club and he had to slap himself for being as cocky as he was to summon the girls like that.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline, I already joined a club." He was truly apologetic given the missed opportunity to spar with someone who had as much drive to the art of the sword as his master.

"Oh." She said deflating, quite disappointed that he was already taken.

"But, I won't say no to a sparring session this afternoon, Murayama-san." She perked up at that bit of information and quickly left thanking him. He was about to leave the classroom when a small white-haired girl stood by the doorway.

"Issei-senpai." Koneko greeted with the same monotonous tone that she had. Issei could tell that she was happy to see him even if she didn't know it herself by the way that her eyes lit up when she caught sight of him and a small almost imperceptible twitch of her lips.

"Koneko-san, how are you this morning?" He addressed the girl with a two-fingered salute.

"I am well, senpai." She acknowledged with a nod.

"Is Kaido giving you any trouble?" He asked with worry evident in his voice.

"No, senpai." She shook her head and Koneko felt touched about Issei defending her even though he didn't have to.

"That's good."

"Buchou told me to inform you to meet her at the old school building, this afternoon."

"Message received. Thanks, Koneko." She left giving a nod on the way out.


After classes had ended, he headed straight to the old school building with Aika in tow finding it quite strange that something as obscure as the occult research club got a building to themselves but he chalked it up for the influence that Rias had over the school and her connection with Sona.

"Aika, this is going to be a great big world you're taking a step in."

"I'm ready to meet this great big world but I'm not sure if they're ready to meet me, though."

"That's the spirit." He knocked on the door and heard a voice call out for him to come in, opening the door he stepped inside to a view that contrasted greatly with the exterior of the building. The interior had a Victorian-style to it, wooden panels covered the walls, with couches and chairs added tastefully to give it a high-class aesthetic and off to the side was what he believed to be a setup for a bath and emblazoned on the floor was a magical circle.

'Hmm, a multi-purpose teleport circle, a bit more intricate in design, mid-level by the looks of it and takes a decent amount to activate and travel to its intended destination, not bad." Issei eyed the circle analytically.

"Welcome to the Occult Research Club, I am the vice-president Akeno Himejima. Buchou will be with you shortly." Akeno bowed with a smile and Issei nodded, continuing his scan of the room. Koneko was sitting on one of the couches, nibbling away at a sweet before nodding towards him in silent greeting. A handsome blonde teen walked over and Issei instantly knew who he was judging by his demeanour and the gentlemanly way that he carried himself.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Hyoudou-san, I am Kiba Yuuto." He said politely, offering his hand to shake.

"Oh please don't call me Hyoudou-san, we're all friends here I'm just Issei." He took the offered handshake and gripped it tightly when he felt Kiba matching him in strength. Kiba turned to the Aika, taking her hand in greeting as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kiryuu-san."

"It's nice to meet you too, Yuuto-san." She said with a saucy grin that Kiba's cheeks pinkened before he calmed himself.

"Oh don't start." Issei had to resist the urge to groan when Aika was working her magic again, he could sense her using her succubus powers as he had gotten curious on how it worked, needless to say, Matsuda and Motohama acted more like horn dogs to girls that day causing much chaos that day which Aika took delight in.

"I was saying hello." Aika pouted, Koneko whipped her head towards Aika when she sensed her powers being used but didn't say anything as Akeno came in with more sweets and tea.

"Sorry, I took so long, I was just freshening up," Rias said, coming in from the bathroom.

"Please, come sit, you are our guests after all." They both sat down on the comfy sofa and accepted the offered tea from Akeno.

"I'm sorry but why is Kiryuu-san here?"

"Show her." Aika stood up to reveal her wings and fangs and her hazel eyes were replaced with red as she showed off her true form and her horns grew out of her head, curving upwards with her breasts growing larger to match Akeno's bust size.

"Aika's part of the Supernatural World as well and it is fitting that she be a part of the Occult Research Club, plus you would be doing me a favour if you accept her.." Rias closed her eyes, considering his words for a few moments.

"Very well, thank you for telling me about this and Kiryuu-san, we are honoured to have you in our attendance." Aika changed back to her human form.

"The club's merely a facade for your activities as Devils so why did you have me join your club when I summoned you?"

"I had you join us because you are an anomaly. You are a total wildcard and it is my duty to ensure the safety of my peerage, the people of this town, supernatural or otherwise." She stated much to the surprise of Aika. "By having you join my club, I can keep an eye on you and see if you're a potential threat to us."

"Very clever of you."

"Thank you."

"I'm just wondering if you're ready to answer my question again?" He took a sip from the cup and realisation dawned on her as her mind went back to the meeting yesterday.

"And what would that question be, Issei?" She said quite calmly, refusing to show any weakness.

"Why do you need me in your peerage so badly?" He asked with an eye open, his tone changed from its usual apathy to an uncommon seriousness that had an underlying edge.

"I told you, it's because I needed your Sacred Gear." She answered, still sticking with the response she gave him.

Issei looked at her for a moment, calculatingly like the way Sona would do sometimes when she faced off against Rias in a game of chess and that scared her. "Strange way of phrasing it."

"What do you mean?"

"Considering that you are a devil, and it is in your inherent nature to desire something, it's odd that you said that you 'needed' instead of 'wanted' my Sacred Gear?" He began, cheeks on his knuckles and his foot crossed over his knee, like a king on his throne.

"So those words are interchangeable, I don't see what the difference is."

"Oh, there is a big difference between a want and a need. A want is something that you desire to possess, a need, Rias, a need is something that you require because it is important more than it is desirable. Because when you say you 'needed' my Sacred Gear, it spoke of desperation, so in translation you needed my strength, you needed power." He paused momentarily to let everyone digest what he had said. "Even if you did resurrect me, I can't access my Sacred Gear."

"What do you mean?"

"An incident in the past that almost cost me my life but I digress. Why do you need strength so badly?"

She tensed as he continued to deconstruct her words.

"Your last name is Gremory. One of the 72 names from the Ars Goetia, if I'm not mistaken. A Pure-Blood name in the Underworld. You are contracted to marry Riser Phenex, are you not?"

Surprise would be an understatement to describe what Rias was feeling right now as she was blown away by how this person, this enigma, could dissect her reasoning all from her wording alone.

"How do you know?" She inquired.

"I didn't but thank you for confirming that for me. Out of all the prominent families, I had to narrow it down to a list of eight with potential male heirs. So, you are forced to marry a man that you don't love and stuck in a contract that you can't escape from. The ones who are forcing you to wed this man are not giving you a choice because you are from a noble and prestigious clan in the Underworld, something that you hate with a passion, so they are most likely your parents. You can't refuse them either because it is your duty as an heiress to restore your society to its former glory and so you try to break the contract instead. Given that you were desperate after probably years of failed attempts to escape this contract, the thought of asking me didn't occur to you so you waited for me to die and reincarnate me into one of your servants having you join your peerage. But do you see what the big problem I find in all of this?" He finished his explanation by sipping once again on his tea.

"W-what?" She said shakily.

"That you're one big hypocrite." Instantly, Issei could feel all the members of the club flaring their malice towards him, the one who would dare insult their master but Rias held up a hand as she looked down shame-faced.

"He's right. If I had reincarnated him using one of my pieces then I wouldn't be any better than my parents giving him no choice in the matter. Isn't that right, Issei-san?"

"You are correct, for all intents and purposes, maybe I didn't want to be a devil, maybe I didn't want you to save me or maybe I wanted to die. However, you reviving me would have placed me under your servitude." He drawled but Aika's eye widened at his words.

"But the Gremory are the kindest people, they accept their peerage members as family," Akeno interjected trying to defend her best friend. Kiba nodded vehemently as well remembering when she saved him from the brink of death when he had nothing to live for.

"But the Gremory are the exception and not the norm, and I'm not keen on being stripped of my free will." She winced as he shot down her excuse.

"So Buchou, why do you need me?" He spoke calmly, his brown eyes softening at her distress and he could see the emotions in her blues eyes, shame, helplessness, desperation but one that stood out was hope. She was silently pleading with him and it agonised him to be the source of her anguish. Her lips parted and a whisper, a tiny murmur in the room but with so much more meaning in those words. It was all Issei needed to hear from her.

"Because I need your help."

"Okay," Issei said immediately.

"I understand if you don't want- wait what did you say?" Rias snapped her head to him, not believing what she was hearing, staring at him slack jawed.

"I said okay. I'm going to help you." He said simply.

"W-why?" She stuttered.

"Because you asked me." He stated simply as if he wasn't aware of the emotional turmoil that she went through. "And no one deserves a fate like that, especially a beautiful girl like you."

"Thank you." She bowed her head to him, humbled. "But, how did you know about the contract?"

"You'd be surprised at what I can get up to in my spare time." He turned to all the other peerage members and bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry for upsetting you all and it wasn't my intention but I needed your master to see that what she was trying to do was wrong."

"No, you were right and I'm glad that I have your help and I'm sorry for not asking earlier." She said sheepishly.

"You're forgiven but as a show of good faith and to prove that I'm here to help, I managed to ascertain some information from the Fallen Angel that tried to kill me. She said that she was killing me because I had a Sacred Gear inside that could prove to be a threat to her organisation."

"I didn't realise the Grigori were killing Sacred Gear users."

"They're not, she was acting on her own and I don't believe that Azazel would do something like that. He's into researching them rather than eliminating users who have them."

"This doesn't bode well if members of his own faction are going rogue. We will wait to see if there's any more information before we can act, we can't risk sparking another war given the tentative peace that we are in."

"That's wise of you, and I'll be on the lookout if there's any movement."

"Thank you for meeting me here, it was an...enlightening discussion. I'll see you tomorrow." Both Issei and Aika left the room, bidding the rest of the club farewell.

"Ara ara, Issei-kun is turning out to be an interesting character." Akeno

"Yes, he certainly is."


CLACK! TWACK! CLACK!

Wood snapped against wood as two warriors faced each other, locked in combat. They danced around each other, pivoting on their feet as the blades locked once more in a series of precise movements that spoke years of training. The first warrior, only wearing a pair of track pants and a white t-shirt, lunged forward, the blade sailing overhead to strike his opponent down. The second warrior, her robe flowing and her own sword rose to block his in a horizontal movement where they remained in blade-lock neither giving an inch.

"Something bothering you, Hyoudou-san." She broke the sword lock, kicking out with her feet catching him in the abdomen but he merely grunted, being on the defensive as she hammered away at him driving him back.

"Just a troublesome day, Murayama-san." He raised his bokken letting the edge of her own slide over as he used the pommel of his sword to jab at her, taking her breath away as she stumbled back. She managed to roll under his swipe and leveled her weapon against him. She was breathing heavily, sweat dripped down her forehead, itching close to her eye but she suppressed the edge to wipe it away, if this was real combat, she would not give her opponent in a chance to deliver a critical hit.

"Care to tell me about it?" Issei twirled his bokken in hand, deep, measured breaths in and out of his mouth, his foot shifted pointing straight forward. Narrowing his eyes, he surveyed her looking for any weaknesses in her stance but the more time he took, the more stamina she would regain so he acted. The wooden sword flew forward, startling Murayama at the speed and she paid for it feeling the tip press harshly against her shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain that she felt. She almost dropped her sword but pushed his outwards, trying to slash at him but he leaned backward and backflipped away.

"Rias-buchou asked me for help with this guy problem that she's been having for a while now." She swung her sword down and he sidestepped the move but paid for it when he felt his arm sting at being hit. "Nice moves."

"Thanks, but why would Rias-onee-sama ask you for help?" They struggled against in each other with Issei putting his weight behind his attack, trying to dominate her with his strength.

"I had a particular set of skills that she needed." She let go of the sword, twisting his body and he landed on his back, moving his head away from the sword that jabbed downward. His sword whipped out, hitting her ankles and she had fallen down on the mat before she found the edge of a shinai against her throat with Issei's face inches away from her, their bodies glistening with sweat and she was panting at the intense sparring session. "I win."

Noticing the close proximity they were in, Murayama enjoyed how his toned muscles were pressed against her and she found herself disappointed that he stood up before seeing a hand in front of her. "That was a good spar."

"Thanks but you were still the better opponent." She brushed herself off, taking the bokken from him. After getting changed and locking up the club, Issei asked her, "Want to get some yakitori?"

She smiled at his offer, "Of course, Hyoudou-san."

"Are you going to keep calling me that? You know, you can call me Issei right? We are friends after all." Issei said exasperatedly.

"But it's more fun calling you that, Hyoudou-san." Issei's eyebrow twitched at her passive aggressiveness.


Murayama had her arms wrapped around Issei's waist, driving her home after the offer of food was too good to pass up. She was finding more and more about Issei that she thought were never possible and she was slightly ashamed of herself in believing that Issei was no more than a deadbeat. But today, he had shown a different side that she didn't expect when he wasn't sleeping in class, he was funny and caring, often telling her jokes and stories that made her sides split from laughter. The earlier sparring session had gotten her fire burning, the close contact and focus into the spar exhilarated her more than anything else and she wouldn't mind spending more time with Issei.

She was startled however by the bike swerving on the road and she saw a trench-coated man, standing there and his gaze fell upon Issei. Issei got off the motorcycle, his helmet ripped off and tossed to the side.

"Hey, asshole, don't stand in the middle of the road, you're going to get someone killed you jackass." She was surprised to hear Issei cursing at the man but she would too if he was enough to stand there.

"So you're the one that Raynare failed to eliminate. I always knew she was too weak but I'll be sure to rectify that mistake." The man strode towards them, uncaring of Issei's words and she found herself confused.

"Issei, who is this guy? What's he talking about?" He turned to her with a grave expression and it was a sight that unsettled her, never seeing such a face on the narcoleptic teen.

"Murayama, run, whatever you do just run." He ordered but she was having none of that.

"I'm not going to leave you with some psycho."

"Yes, you are, please do as I say and run." He begged her and she relented, nodding before she ran from the street.

"Not so fast!" He tossed a spear, piercing the air and it was about to hit her when Issei stood in front of her and shattered it with a palm strike.

"Your fight is with me, Fallen." Issei glared, a white film of energy covering his body, pulsing like a heartbeat. She was shocked when black wings ripped itself from the man's back and in his hands a glowing blue spear.

"I really can't let the both of you leave now, witnesses and all that."

"Murayama, run! I'll take care of him." She turned to Issei for a moment, his face hardened glaring at the man. She hesitantly moved away from him, fear striking her body as her legs carried her away. But she swallowed the fear down and hid behind a car watching what they would do.

"You've got some fight in you, boy, I like that. The name's Dohnaseek, remember it as I carve it into your body." The winged man lunged forward with his spear, ready to thrust it into Issei's heart but he ducked to the side, pulling a metal bo staff from the air, no from a red circle, and Murayama's eyes boggled at such a sight.

The two did battle but she saw Issei fighting with much more skill and ferocity then she had ever seen, he batted away all the strikes and returned it two-fold. He swung the metal staff into the man's stomach, folding him in two and sending crashing into a car. The man growled, tossing a spear in retaliation but Issei knocked it away. He disappeared in mid-strike and it left the winged man confused until his body started bouncing all over the place and he was flung into the air where he righted himself.

"That was a warning, I'm giving you this one chance to walk away from this and I'll forget this happened." Murayama had never heard the frosty tone that came out of Issei and he was glaring at the man. At the black-winged angel.

"You brat." A few dozen light spears blinked into existence behind him. "We'll meet again but consider this my parting gift."

The spears shot forward, Issei shattered them with ease but something was coming fast, something sharp, something blu-

SQUELCH!

Her eyes widened, staring at the blue spear embedded in her stomach, dumbstruck at how quickly it had happened. The spear dissipated in her hands and she fell back but she felt strong arms catch her and she saw his eyes. Brown eyes, full of guilt and sorrow, that she reached her hand up to his face.

"No! No! Murayama! Why didn't you run!?" He took off his jacket, trying to put pressure on the wound and she coughed up blood, it hurt, everything hurt.

"I couldn't leave you, I-issei. I don't leave my friends behind." She cracked a smile and a strange sound emerged from his throat, something between a laugh and a sob.

"You idiot. I would have been fine." His body glowed like a radiant angel and she was so sure that he was. "Shit, Murayama, stay with me! Stay with me! Don't die on me!"

She smiled weakly, she wanted him to smile again.

"Remember the sensei I was telling you about. He would have been happy to meet you. Live for that. Come on, live for that." Her vision was getting hazier and all the lights were so pretty. "Tamamo, I need you!"

A beautiful woman came over, she recognised her as the school's nurse but there was something fluffy on her head and she tried to reach out to grab it.

"She's lost too much blood, Issei-kun." Moisture welled up in the corner of her eyes, it was so hard to breathe.

"I don't want to die, Issei." Those words desperately calling out to him and he squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"I'm not gonna let you die." She was fading away, floating in and out of consciousness, a look of distress crossed Tamamo's features.

"You can't, Issei!"

"I got her into this, I'll pay the price for it as well."

'Sleep, I'm so sleepy.' Her vision darkened and everything was turning slipping away. 'Sleep...'

"In the name of Issei Hyoudou, I bestow upon you…"