The First Flame

The rate of chapter production is directly proportional to the amount of homework given. In other words, this is my sorry-ass attempt of procrastinating. Enjoy!

High School DxD does not belong to me.

Chapter 10: Fuel to the Fire

"Hey, Onii-chan, do you want some?"

The girl thrust her triple scoop ice-cream cone to his face. Issei flicked his eyes from the dessert to the girl's dark eyes, who were wide and expecting. He had a feeling he wasn't meant to refuse. He took a bite from the ice-cream, and the girl took it back. He had to admit, the vanilla was very creamy on his tongue. "It's good."

"I love ice-cream! You have no idea how amazed I was when it was first invented. It's really come a long way since then!"

"Yeah." Issei replied absently. "You get vendors almost everywhere these days."

"I know! And there are sooo many different types, too! And I've tasted almost all of them! Oh, my favorite place, though is this store in Rome that sells the world's best gelato! I had one taste, and I melted! It was like I..."

This mindless banter continued on for a while, with both parties too preoccupied to discuss anything of importance. The girl, with her frozen treat, and the teenager, with his hurried thoughts.

The two of them had moved to a nearby park. The sun was still quite high up, so it wasn't empty yet, with several children and their parents playing. The mismatched pair got a few strange looks, but they went back to minding their own business once she started nagging Issei to get her ice cream. Just like a spoiled little sister.

I would appreciate a little help here, guys! Who the hell is this kid?

That's... a long story. Sera said in an uncertain tone. But I can assure you that she is not dangerous, at least not to us. Treat her well, and she will respond in kind.

Sera, what are you keeping from me? She said that we've met before, when?

I'm not hiding anything, Issei. Please believe me when I say that. And the one who met her in the past was not you, but a past incarnation. Namely... Avi.

So that old coot's the reason for this, huh...

Oi, show some respect, you brat. Ulrich snapped. Avi is wiser than all of us combined. It's because of him that this girl's so friendly with you, so the first words that come outta your mouth when you see him better be 'Thank you', got it?

"..,ii-chan! Onii-chan!" The annoyed yelling and the tug on his sleeve brought him back to the outer world, where he came face-to-face with the young girl leaning over him, face set into a stern, yet adorable glare, her hands on her hips. "Geez. It's very rude to ignore a girl when she's asking you a question, you know?"

Issei raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. I promise I won't space out again. What did you want to ask me?"

"Hmph. I asked you, what name are you using now, Onii-chan? You change your name every reincarnation, don't you? It always seemed like more trouble to me."

Issei noted her knowledge of his cycle of reincarnation. "My name is Issei. Issei Hyoudou."

The girl crossed her arms, and tilted her head in thought. "Hmmm, Issei...nii-chan? Issei-nii... Oh, never mind. You're still Onii-chan!" The girl nodded her head imperiously, as if granting him that designation should be the biggest honor of his life.

"Right. So, what do I call you?"

Another glare. "If I didn't already know what you are, I would be insulted, Onii-chan. I am pretty memorable after all! I'll give you my name again, but you better remember it this time! It's no fun if you don't know who I am. And, and you have to buy me more ice-cream! As a penalty!"

She stepped away from him, twirling on her feet to face him. "Just as you are the concept of fire, the amalgamation of billions of desires for survival, given sentience and soul," She bowed her head, settling into a curtsy. "I am the concept of 'Famine'. When people sate their hunger, when they suffer in the throes of starvation, when entire nations are crippled by drought, they do it in my name.

"My name is Famine, the third of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Forever-Ravenous, the Holder of the Scales, the Rider of the Black Steed of Starvation." A cheerful smile graced her features. "But my friends call me Minnie!"

...

"Onii-chan?"

...

"Onii-chan! Are you ignoring me again?!" she pinched his cheek

"Why are you a loli?" He couldn't help but blurt out the first question that popped into his mind: why a being that was thousands of years old would choose to take the form of a ten-year-old girl.

In the space between spaces, a similarly-looking conceptual being sneezed.

Minnie blinked twice and looked down at herself. "Oh, this? The answer simpler than you might think. I am Famine. I get hungry. And you'd be surprised how much free stuff people offer me when I look like this."

Issei couldn't repress the shiver that ran up his spine. "Actually, it doesn't surprise me at all."

Minnie gave him a strange look. "It doesn't bother you does it? I guess it is weird to see a being like me look like a little girl. I can take an older form, if it would make you feel more comfortable. I get a lot of free stuff in that form too, you know!"

"No, no, it's fine."

"Are you sure? It would only take a second. I won't even have to change clothes! Although, I admit it would be a tight fit..."

Issei clamped down his nose to stem the rush of blood. "NO, um, it's fine. You can stay in that form if you want. Let's just... Sit down so we can talk about this, please?" He gestured frantically to the bench, urging her to sit down.

"Oh? So this one has those kinds of tastes, hmm?" She smiled coyly, and Issei knew that he had to correct this now.

"What? Nonono, hell no! That's Matsuda's fetish not mine. That is so not what I meant!"

"So you don't like this form at all?" Her lips began to quiver, and her eyes became wet with unshed tears. "I thought I looked cute like this..." She raised her hands to her face, hiding her expression.

"Oh, for God's sake... NO, I didn't mean that at all! You are cute, beautiful even. In fact, when I first saw you, I could barely take my eyes off -" his eyes narrowed, as he saw the corners of her lips peek out from behind her hands. "Now you're just fucking with me, aren't you?"

Minnie gasped in shock. "How dare you use such vulgar language in front of this innocent little girl? But yeah, I'm just fucking with you. Avi wasn't nearly as much fun to tease. Well, no matter. More to the point, what do you so desperately wish to talk about?"

The mercurial change of tone threw Issei for a loop, and irritated more than it should have, but he forced himself to stay on topic. "Like, how about why you're here?"

"Huh? I already told you why! I wanted to catch up! I haven't had contact with your last few incarnations, but I've really missed you! So, I'm sure you've noticed the Devils camped out in this city. Have you met them yet?"

"Met them?" Issei just had to laugh at that. "Man, do I have to catch you up." Why the hell not? She's just like me, and most likely stronger. She'll find out sooner or later. And for now, at least, she seems to be on my side.

You're right, Issei. said Seraphina. You can trust her. She respects us, so have the courtesy to return that respect. I won't say that she's on your side. More like she's on her own side, which just so happens to coincide with yours. But for now, she will not betray your confidence.

Issei told her, pretty much everything about his circumstances, his contract, his deceptions, and what he thought may happen in the future. It didn't take as long as he thought it would. It was somewhat depressing that the past month of his troublesome life could be summed up in a few sentences.

"Wow, you have been busy." Minnie seemed impressed. "Looks like you'll have a rough couple of months ahead of you." She tapped her finger against her chin in thought. "You know, I can help you out a bit here."

"How?"

"Why don't I just kill them for you?"

Nonchalant. Completely casual. The same tone she used when she asked him for ice cream. The absurd suggestion left her lips without any emotion.

"It's not as if it'll be difficult. I've already scoped them out, and I can kill them in my sleep. And I promise there won't be any property damage. I have better self-control than that!"

"Stop it!" He couldn't stand it anymore. "You're not killing anyone!" He shouted.

Minnie seemed genuinely surprised by his outburst. "Huh? But you just spent the last twenty minutes telling me of how much trouble they put you through. If I kill them, it'll solve a lot of your problems!"

"Minnie, you can't just go around killing people!" he protested.

"...But I'm not. They're Devils. I would never kill innocent people. What kind of monster do you think I am? But surely these Devils are free game, right?"

The rebuttal made him stop cold, as he received a new insight into the true personality possessed by the concept of Famine. She obviously had some sense of morality, refusing to bring harm to humans she deemed innocent, but it seemed that that was the extent of her mercy. Anything that wasn't human was treated with cold hostility and ruthlessness.

This was the first time he had ever spoken to her, but he already knew that he would never be able to appeal to her in an emotional level. She would not understand that he wanted to keep killing to a last resort for the simple and possibly naive reason that he thought it was wrong. She just wasn't capable of the same kind of morality he relied on. She would kill those Devils without a second thought if they inconvenienced her. And the only reason she hadn't already was because she thought that they were on a level below her attention.

So if emotional arguments wouldn't work, he'll have to resort to logic.

"Look, those two are practically Devil royalty, okay? Kill them, and I'll have two of the Great Satans on my ass! I appreciate the offer, bu these Devils are small fish, I can handle them. You don't have to go to the trouble."

Minnie puffed up her cheeks. "They're literally the Devils you know, huh? Hmph, fine. I won't lay a hand on them. But if they bother you again..." The rest did not have to be said. "Just so you know, I don't need your permission to kill them, but this is your town. I'll follow your lead."

Issei sighed and knew that it was the best he could do. He decided to change the subject, before she changes her mind. "Exactly how do you know me? You mentioned Avi, but how'd you meet him?"

"Eh? Um, well, that's kind of embarrassing..." Minnie sheepishly twirled a strand of her hair with her finger. "Can't you just get Avi to tell you the story?"

Okay, now I have to know. "Exactly, I'll find out sooner or later, so why don't you take the chance to tell me your side of the story?"

Minnie hesitated slightly, before scarfing down what was left of her ice-cream cone, as if it contained whatever courage she needed. She took a deep breath, and cleared her throat several times before speaking. "I, uh, I may have, sorta, kinda, tried to... seduce him."

Issei blinked once. Twice. It was after the fifth blink that he managed to twist his head and look at Minnie's body. Her ten-year-old body.

She caught his gaze and started waving her arms. "No, no, I had a grown-up body back then, he wasn't a pervert like you!"

"Hey, wait a second..."

"Like I was saying," she cut him off. "I was just travelling at the time, and I really didn't have a place in mind. Anyway, I was somewhere in the Himalayas and I saw this old man sitting cross-legged on this ledge on the mountain. I mean, it was 20 degrees below zero and the guy was wearing a robe. I had to wonder if he was dead or not.

"So I flew over, and pinched the guy's cheek. Really hard. But he didn't even react! Didn't even bother to open his eyes! But he was warm, so at least I knew he was alive. So I said to him..."

"Old man! Wake up! What are you doing up here?!" Finally, I got a reaction. So he opens his eyes, and starts looking at me as if I'm the crazy one. I was about to yell at him, then I realized that you usually don't see young, beautiful women while meditating on a mountaintop.

Yes, I was beautiful. And I still am! Shut up!

Anyways,the first thing he does, was look at me, then he says to me, "I must have been up here longer than I thought."

Stop snickering!

Needless to say, it wasn't the best first impression for both of us. After some verbal wrangling, I managed to get his name out of him, but I had to wade through so much of his stupid philosophies. I also told him I wasn't human, but he didn't really seem to care much about that. He was more interested in why I approached him in the first place.

I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it!

So, you know how I'm the concept of Famine? That means I can sense people's cravings and desires. The reason I bothered to look at the guy was because I couldn't sense any hunger from him. As in, ZE-RO. Oh, his body was hungry alright, from what I could guess he hadn't eaten in days. His stomach was probably the size of pea But it was like he didn't even notice. He was talking and acting completely normally.

And he barely even looked at me! I didn't know whether to be insulted or impressed. Everyone craves sex, no matter how much they want to deny it, but I got nothing. I even turned into a guy in case he was gay, but I got no reaction either.

Yeah, I was so shocked, I thought I was having an aneurysm.

So we got to talking, and he keeps yakking about how he had released himself from the bindings of material desire. Something about how it was necessary for spiritual freedom, that it was the first path to enlightenment.

I know, it sounds like a fortune cookie.

Hunger doesn't just come from the body, Onii-chan, it comes from the soul. Look at humans! All you can eat, all the time, but they're still always hungry. Hunger isn't just something you say that isn't there anymore! I really couldn't stand his rambling anymore, so I decided to knock him off his pedestal. Literally, I yanked him off the mountain and flew him to India.

Don't look at me like that, you would've done it too.

Anyway, the world was a very different place back then. It was right in the middle of the Age of Exploration, and the Portuguese had already set down in India to control the spice trade. Spices were worth more than their weight in gold back then, so the Portuguese had their hands full trying to control the locals.

It also meant that wealthy Portuguese merchants decided to make their new homes in this exotic new country to closely oversee their businesses. But of course they weren't going to settle for mud huts and straw roofs, so they brought their fortunes with them. Of course, this meant that there was a huge divide when it came to the distribution of wealth, but let's not get into that right now.

I introduced him to all the pleasures the world could offer a man... The richest food, the most delicious wine, the most beautiful women, the rarest treasures ever made, and he rejected them all. Barely gave them a glance! He just took a loaf of bread and a glass of water to be polite! And those women wanted me to pay up front! Not that I didn't get my money's worth, but still!

Wipe that stupid look off your face, Onii-chan. You pervert.

I was going crazy. I needed to break this old man. So I thought to myself, go back to that old saying. If you want to know a man's true nature, give him power. Didn't some president say that? Whatever, I may be mixing up the times. I thought, well, if he doesn't like the good, maybe something a bit more immaterial?

The point is, back then it was hilariously easy to pretend you were somebody important without anybody the wiser. They didn't do a lot of background checks in the sixteenth century. As long as you talk big, and have the money to back it up, you could be a King. Every nation was just a puppet running on strings made of gold and silk. So that's what I offered him. I gave him the strings that any man could use to control the world.

Yeah, you see where I'm going with this, don't you?

Well, what do you think happened? I was pissed! I went through all this trouble and this old monk just keeps spouting crap about how unnecessary it all was to gain true happiness. Can you imagine? Some, puny, insignificant human telling me, Famine, about true satisfaction? Like I was gonna let that go!

Well... that's the other embarrassing bit. After I failed to seduce him, I, uh, tried to kill him.

You can guess how well that went.

Anyway, at least I managed to surprise him, when the gaping hole in his chest closed up in a burst of fire. But I was pretty surprised too. Sure, I had met other deities, but this was India, gods were everywhere, still are. The only other conceptual beings I had met were my brothers and sisters.

Now, I was really annoyed. I couldn't tempt him, I couldn't even be rid of him by killing him. Even if I flew away, I'd leave knowing that such an annoying person exists. So I went along with it, and tried to figure out what was wrong with this guy.

And, crazily enough, he kind of grew on me.

I started to understand how he resisted his hunger. And the answer I could dredge up from his philosophical ramblings, was that he didn't resist them. I already knew that his body felt hunger, but I thought that he was just restraining it. But he wasn't.

He had learned from many different religions, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, everything. He traveled around and listened to any quack who was preaching at the time. He was trying to see if any of them, or some kind of combination would lead them to unconditional satisfaction. And what he came up with sounds impossible.

He said that, humans are not meant to deprive themselves of the pleasures the world has to offer. He said that a soul instinctively seeks happiness, and to deny the soul is the same as denying one's own existence. I mean, in the end, humanity come from the soul, right? So instead, what he did was find satisfaction in existence itself. His mere presence in the universe was enough to inspire joy in his soul.

Look, I don't know if it's actually possible or not, but it worked for him!

Avi was something that I never thought I would see on... well... anyone, not just humans. At least not for so long. He was content. Even if his stomach was empty and he hadn't had a drop of water for days, he could still bring a smile to his wrinkled face.

He was an old man. He died not three years after I met him, and I stayed with him for those three years. At first, I was just waiting for him to slip up, but then I realized, I just enjoyed his company. He was such a breath of fresh air from all of the humans I had met before. When he died, I buried him up in that mountain ledge where I found him, and I still remember how he was smiling.

I can't say that I knew him best, but I can definitely say that he was the happiest man I have ever met.

"So you can see, Onii-chan, why I'm so interested in you!"

Issei was just trying to process the information that was just dumped on him, when he heard Minnie's declaration. "Wait, hang on. Is that what you're expecting from me? 'Cause if that's what you're looking for then I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed. Celibacy isn't exactly my life goal."

Minnie could only give him a deadpan look. "Yeah, I kinda figured that as soon as I me you. But, another thing I learned from Avi is that humanity is full of surprises, especially if the human is someone from your, uh, lineage. So I'm sure you'll surprise me like he did!"

In other words, from what Issei understood from that statement, Minnie was sticking around.

That night, Minnie skipped along the dimly lit streets, munching on a bag of candy a nice man gave her earlier. He was very kind, offering to bring her to his house and play with her if she couldn't find her own home. Unfortunately she had to decline, but he was rather persistent, and, well...

She didn't think anyone would miss him, really.

The shadow of the deserted Kuoh Academy came to view. Even in the darkness of the night, or perhaps because of the darkness, the structure made for an imposing view. She finished off the candies, throwing the bag in a neary trashcan. She nimbly leapt over the chained gates, and made her way to the old building behind the school.

She felt the wards before she touched them. Normally, she'd just barge straight through, but she was going for stealth here. It wasn't really her forte, but she could pull it off if she had to. She concentrated slightly, until her form seem to melt into the shadows themselves. An instant later, the shadows coalesced as she reformed inside the building.

Minnie wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't here to fight Issei. Even if he was quite inexperienced right now, she still had no idea how such a battle would turn out. Not to mention the amount of collateral damage that would inevitably occur. Two ancient concepts clashing wouldn't be good for anybody in a thousand-kilometer radius. Not to mention her own abilities weren't suited for a one-on-one confrontation.

But if there was one thing he had a disadvantage in, it was his limitation to a physical form.

Issei was an exception amongst beings like them, having slipped into the cycle of reincarnation to get actual human bodies. But she, along with the rest of their brethren had to create their own physical forms. These forms were much more versatile, more durable, and disposable. It was why she could sneak into a place protected by wards preventing teleportation by unknown entities.

Teleportation, despite its appearances, was simply a very fast form of transportation in the material plane. But Famine was a conceptual being. Without the binds of a physical body, she could very easily slip in and out of the material world at any location she wished.

Right now, that location was a very, very dark room, with only pale, intermittent, flashes of light from the corner. The lights were accompanied by the soft sounds of gunfire and explosions. Minnie looked around the room, noting the cute dresses lying around, and the tastefully decorated coffin in the center of the room. Finally, her eyes rested on the room's sole occupant, who was furiously mashing the buttons on his console, controlling the camouflaged avatar on the wide plasma screen.

She had sensed this boy (she mentally gave the figure a once over before confirming that yes, the child was indeed, a boy), when she had been scoping out the Devils. She found the seals, and wondered what these power-hungry Devils could be hiding in a school. What she saw certainly exceeded her expectations.

A Dhampir, a Daywalker, the result of the union of a Vampire and a human. Certainly a kind and gentle soul, and yet she saw the darkness and hunger that was hidden deep inside. Oh, and power, there was a lot of power in the boy. It could only be a Sacred Gear, something within his eyes if she sensed the energy correctly. Oh, I could have some fun with this.

Issei wouldn't be very pleased when he finds out, but she did only promise not to touch them.

She flexed her abilities, reaching out to the boy's soul, and left behind a small seed. Well, seed was a bit of a misnomer, since this will grow much, much faster. She smothered a giggle, before leaving the room in the ame way she entered, completely unnoticed.

Gasper Vladi paused his game, and headed for the well-stocked mini-fridge in his room. I guess it's time for a snack...

Something's wrong.

Issei paused his scribbled note-taking upon hearing Seraphina's anxious voice. What? What happened?

I'm not sure, but we can all feel it. Something's about to happen.

Issei had grown to trust Seraphina with his life. He'd be a fool not to. He recalled his earliest memories, replaying the morning trying to find something, anything, out of place, but he was unsuccessful. He didn't have to wonder for long.

The intercom buzzed harshly, and the voice of Kuoh Academy's principle rang throughout the school. "Apologies for this interruption, but this is an emergency. All students and faculty evacuate the school at once. Students, calmly follow the faculty members to the emergency exits. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill." Click.

Everyone looked at the speaker in bewilderment before chaos immediately ensued. Their teacher set about calming everybody down, leading them out the doors. However, Issei had different thoughts. Sera, the principal... his voice was...

Hypnotized. Seraphina confirmed. Most likely by one of the Devils. They wouldn't take such a drastic course of action rashly. For some reason they want humans out of this school.

I kinda got that. But the thing is... Should I get involved? It's technically not my problem, and Shirone hasn't asked for my help.

Personally, I think they can take care of their own problems. Ulrich said gruffly.

I agree. Issei, the choice is yours, but I think maintaining a strictly professional relationship would be better in the long run. Nick added.

Issei joined the gaggle of students pouring out of the doors. Nobody was really paicked yet, but as was expected of bored teenagers, they were very curious. It made sense, they didn't really have any idea what the supposed danger was, so it was ulikely they were going to take it seriously. He joined Matsuda and Motohama at the end of the line, and contributed his own crazy rumors to the conversation.

They made it to the main lobby when Issei felt it. It wasn't much, but Issei couldn't help but notice it. It was similar to the Devils' [Aura], but there was something sharper about it. The Devil's taint was still there, but it seemed muted, as if this new presence was overpowering it. And it was coming from the direction of the Occult Research Club.

Issei hesitated for five seconds before succumbing to the inevitable. Oh, fuck it. He slowed down his walking until he was behind the rest of the group. He looked around and made sure that no-one was around before sending a stream of fire at the carpet at the corner of the lobby. Nodding at his handiwork, he cupped his hands over his mouth. "FIRE! Right behind us! FIRE!"

It only took a millisecond for the students to acknowledge the shouting, and another for them to see the roaring flames behind them. Any semblance of order was instantly dispelled as the students sprinted for the exits. In the ensuing panic, Issei easily slipped away and ran to the disturbance.

He made it to Rias' building and immediately noticed something about the wards that were there. Before, they were a mixture of detection and barrier wards, designed to keep out any enemies. Now, though, they were containment seals, meant to trap whatever it has inside.

Following his senses, he blew straight past the building, heading to the same clearing behind the clubhouse where had previously fought against Kiba. That was the source of the new energy.

He rounded a corner, and encountered a chilling sight. Kiba and Momo were on the ground, conscious, but bleeding profusely from deep wounds on their bodies. Reya and Tsubaki were kneeling beside them, working their healing magic. In front of him were Rias and Sona, who were talking, almost shouting over each other. The other members of their peerages were arranged in a circle around the clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, a young girl wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform with pale blonde hair and slitted pink eyes, held Akeno from behind, with one hand holding onto her ponytail to tilt her head backwards. The girl was breathing heavily, her mouth poised over Akeno's neck. Wait a second, are those fangs?! But there was one more thing that stood out about her appearance.

She was completely drenched in blood.

"Gasper, don't do this!"

"Gasper, release Akeno, right now!"

"...Senpai... I'm so hungry... she smells so good..."

Issei ran to Shirone, who was one of the people surrounding the unknown girl. "Koneko! What the hell is this?!"

"Rogue half-vampire."

"Kuh..." Oh, sure, why the fuck not?! "You wouldn't happen to have any holy water around, would ya?" Glare. "Yeah, yeah, stupid question. What's wrong with her?"

"Him. His name is Gasper. And we don't know. He's Rias-senpai's Bishop, but he's been sealed for his own protection for a while now because of his powers, but Gya-suke managed to break out. We think his vampire blood is acting up for some reason."

"Wait, that's a guy?!" Glare x2. "Right, sorry, not the issue. Why can't Akeno just knock him out with lightning or something?"

"Because whenever anyone tries anything-" At that moment, Tsubasa silently charged in behind Gasper and his hostage, but she didn't get far. Gasper snapped his eyes towards the Rook, and there was a flash of light, and when it died down an instant later, Gasper and Akeno were standing three feet from their original position, and Tsubasa was on the ground clutching her stomach.

"... No, no, no! Stay AWAY!" Gasper screamed, his breathing becoming more labored and raspy, and he looked like he could keel over at any moment.

"The hell was that?"

"Gasper's Sacred Gear, [Forbidden Balor View]." Sona answered from next to him. It seems that she had given up on trying to reason with the vampire. "It has the ability to stop time in an area specified by the user. And also the reason why we've been having so much trouble."

Time stop? Holy shit, talk about OP. "I assume you got some kind of plan?"

"I'm afraid you're only half-right. Rias is doing her best to try and dissuade Gasper without violence, but her efforts are only serving to stall for time. Our job is to try to separate the two of them before he sinks his fangs in her."

"This may sound like a stupid question, but don't you have some blood bags you can throw at him?"

"What do you think he's covered in? And besides, in the bloodlust he's in, cold, lifeless plastic bags filled with week-old blood wouldn't even compare to the scent of a warm-blooded virgin in his arms, especially since she used to be human."

"So what's our play?"

"Do you see Saji over there? That gauntlet on his arm?" Issei squinted his eyes, and made out a black gauntlet on Saji's left hand. It looked kind of like a small black lizard curled up around his wrist. "That's his Sacred Gear, [Absorption Line]. It has the ability to drain someone of their power, but he needs to make contact with Gasper before he can use it. But as you can see, that's easier said than done right now."

"So what do we do?"

"[Forbidden Balor View] has a two-second delay between activation periods. If we can attach [Absorption Line] to Gasper in that window, he won't be able to evade us, and Saji can drain his energy without harming him too much. But his time stop abilities are too difficult to overcome. without endangering Akeno."

"Leave it to me."

Issei, are you planning on employing that technique? Your control could still use some work.

Unless you can think of another way of getting Akeno-senpai out of his hands in one piece... Besides, we're only dealing with two people here, and right now they couldn't be more different.

"You may want to tell Tsubasa-senpai to get clear. Saji, get ready!" He extended his senses, focusing on the two Devils in front of him, or more specifically, their [Auras].

If there was a word he would never have associated with Akeno, it would have been submissive, and yet that was the emotion she was projecting now. He didn't know exactly how powerful this Gasper boy was, but to inspire such fear into Akeno, he must have abilities beyond what the [Forbidden Balor View] granted him. Abilities that Issei couldn't allow him to use.

On the other hand, Gasper Vladi's [Aura] was completely overwhelming, all-encompassing, bearing down on them like a cloud of suffocating smoke. It was a wonder that the other students didn't pass out from being in the same grounds. And it wasn't static, it churned like a maelstrom, threatening to swallow anything that came too close in its hunger.

...You know what, I think I just figured out why this shota went berserk. Putting that thought aside for now, he raised his hands, and released a wave of flame straight for the two of them. Gasper didn't bother to dodge, but instead yanked Akeno roughly in front of him, fully expecting him to disperse the flames. But the white fire never slowed down.

"Issei, what are you doing?!" Rias screamed in fear for her Queen and Bishop, but Issei ignored her, as well as the shouts from everyoe else. Just relax, I know what I'm doing. Sorta. Before Gasper could react, he expanded the flames to fully encompass them. Gasper and Akeno disappeared within the roaring flames.

But before anyone could attack Issei, a single scream was heard. Gasper fell to the ground, rolling around in an attempt to smother the flames dancing on his skin. His hostage fell to her hands and knees beside him, completely unharmed.

Selective burning. It was another new ability that Issei was learning along with flight. It involved programming his flames to burn only a specific target, and pass through anything else. He already did it whenever he covered himself in fire, to avoid burning his clothes off. It was easy applying it to something he was used to having on him, since he already had a natural aversion to being naked in public. The trick was to apply that same aversion to anything he might want to protect from his own flames.

"Saji, anytime now!"

Saji raised his gauntlet, and the purple eyes began to shine, as glowing blue cord shot out like a chameleon's tongue, attaching itself to Gasper's neck. Issei extinguished the flames, since he knew Rias didn't want Gasper harmed.

Already he could see the draining effects of [Absorption Line]. He could visibly see the bulge of power travelling up the cord into Saji's gauntlet. Gasper squirmed, not in pain, but in extreme discomfort. His eyes lit up again and again, but he could never muster the enrgy to activate [Forbidden Balor View]. He tried to get up, but Tsubasa and Koneko immediately restrained him. It seems that while his magical capabilities were extremely high, he didn't have much physical prowess to speak of.

Soon enough, the glow in Gasper's pink eyes subsided, and he became limp in the arms of the two Rooks. As soon as everyone was sure that he was unconscious, Rias immediately came to Gasper's side, cradling his head in her lap as she ran several spells on his body. "Akeno, start heal- what the hell happened to your clothes!"

Issei thought that no matter what the situation, he could not be blamed for looking.

Akeno's uniform had been reduced to mere scraps that did a terrible (or was it a fantastic) job of covering up her body. Issei's eyes couldn't help but wander, and it took all of his willpower to stop staring at those round, firm and bouncy-

"I apologize, Akeno. I swear to you that this was not my intention." But I'm certainly not complaining. Turns out when Issei commanded the flames to burn everything but Akeno, he really should have been more specific.

"Ah, it's no worry, Issei-kun. It was due to your magic that we safely subdued Gasper-kun, after all. I'm sure you only had good intentions."

Issei wasn't very sure about those intentions, but he could practically feel Shirone's eyes drilling into his back. He coughed loudly. "Um, Rias-senpai, how did Gasper-san get free?"

"We're not certain, but it seems that we have underestimated Gasper's power. It was decided that he would be sealed nearby for his own safety, until such time that I can help him control himself. Unfortunately, it seems those protections were not sufficient."

"So he broke out on his own?"

"That is the most likely conclusion." said Sona. "The wards around the building weren't penetrated, and it seems that the wards were broken from the insides."

"Can I see those wards?" Issei interjected.

Sona looked at him for a few seconds before jutting her chin to something behind him. "You're more than welcome to examine what Gasper left of them."

Issei turned around, and wondered how the hell he had missed that. In the side of the building, was a gaping hole, that was intermittently giving off small sparks of pink energy. He walked over to the opening, and started scanning the debris. Sera, what do you see?

An extremely powerful magic user. There is no technique here, but plenty of raw power. That Dhampir must have been extremely determined to acquire sustenance. These wards, they're like tempered glass. If you force your way through with no proper preparation, you'll end up damaging yourself. But that boy tore through it like paper. If he ever builds up control to match this strength, he will become a fearsome adversary.

And that's before we take the [Forbidden Balor View] into account.

Did you like my present, Onii-chan?

Issei whirled around, and saw the Concept of Famine hovering right behind him. Her body was ghostly, as if it was made of fog, floating in the air. Without even asking, he knew that in this form, the Devils wouldn't be able to perceive her. He couldn't hold back the scathing glare.

You and I need to talk.

Alright, that's chapter 10, and with it the identity of another loli.

So, I introduced personification of a concept, namely, Famine. Just by doing that, you can probably guess, I don't know, maybe three other concepts I plan on bringing in? (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.)

You know something? I toyed with the idea of having Minnie mess with someone else from the ORC, but after some thought, I concluded that Rias would only end up molesting her servants, Akeno would go on a sadistic rampage, Kiba would immediately fly to the Vatican to get his revenge, and Koneko would bankrupt every restaurant in Kuoh. So by process of elimination, Gasper it was.

The ripples are becoming bigger aren't they? And I didn't do it just to bring in a certain shota earlier. Oh, who am I kidding, I burst out laughing when I saw the 'Vampire in a Box' for the first time. And I'm not kidding, Forbidden Balor View is OP as fuck! Stopping time, I can have so much fun with that ability, and I can think of really cool scenes in the future. But that's a long way away. But I still think Gasper's awesome, especially in the light novels.

Like I said earlier, this came out (relatively) quickly because, it's the holidays, and there's nothing else to do but homework, and I'm a master procrastinator. But also, I really liked the idea of ending 2016 with a nice round number. And what a year it's been, huh? Well, we can only hope for the best for the next one.

Oh, and as for my New Year's Resolution? What else? Watch more ani- Ahem, I mean, focus on my studies! 'Cos I'm in my final year of high school and it is kicking my ass.

Well, that's all I gotta say. I hope you have a Happy New Year's Eve, and I'll see y'all in 2017!