Alright people, the Fallen Angel arc starts now! Now I understand that the previous chapter was quite disappointing and half-assed, I should also say that the start of this might be a bit slow, but bear with me here. I promise you, I have plans for this arc, and I'm confident that it should at least be good. You'll just have to trust me on that. Anyway, let's get started.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but OCs. If I actually owned Highschool DxD…well, you know, that'd be cool.

Chapter 9: The Crows Are In Town

It was a fine afterschool day in Kuoh Academy. All the students were currently participating in their respective club activities, while members of the go home club quickly left. However, we now go to three males who were currently relaxing outside the school while watching a few of the clubs that were currently working.

These three, were Matsuda, Motohama, and Issei. Also known as the "Perverted Trio". At some point, Issei decided to speak up,

"I gotta say, boobs are the best thing ever," The brunette had said it so dreamily too.

"Trust me man, you and me are on the same page." Matsuda nodded in agreement.

"Me too." Motohama spoke up, "But it's all pointless." Before his tone turned into a sad one and depressed one.

"Matsuda, Motohama," Issei said, "Can you guys tell me why we enrolled in this school again?"

"Like you don't know." Matsuda snorted. "We're in a place that up until a few years ago was nothing but chicks!"

"We HAD to take advantage of this male to female ratio," Motohama added, "And the foreign exchange students here are ridiculous."

"Chicks are far as the eye can see," Matsuda started, "We figured hoes would be linin' up to get on our jocks and we wouldn't have to do a damn thing! We'd be drowning in that stank!"

"Like our very own harem!"Issei proclaimed very loudly as all three of them struck a pose.

"Hell yeah! We were going to have casual, unprotected sex chicks and then never call them again!" Matsuda cried in delight.

"You do know that just sounds wrong, right?"

All three of them turned to the new voice to see that none other than Yoichi Kakazu had approached them. What surprised them was the fact that the golden eyed teen had bandages on his face and hand. What they didn't know, was that there was even more under his clothing.

"Kakazu, haven't seen you in a while." Issei greeted. "Where've you been?"

"Medical problems," Yoichi waved off, "As you can see from the bandages."

"Yeah, about that, why ARE you covered in bandages?" Matsuda asked. "You look like shit."

"And yet I still have a better chance with a female than you ever will." Yoichi shot back, causing the baldy to get depressed. Yoichi sighed, "If you gotta know, it's just a little scuffle with a big guy."

"Yeah, I can see that happening with you." Issei nodded.

It was then, that they started hearing whispers from the girls nearby,

"Look, it's those perverts with their equally perverted new bodyguard."

"A brute and a lecher, that Kakazu really is the worst."

Yoichi turned to Issei questioningly, "Bodyguard?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask me." The latter waved it off, "I think it's 'cause you've been hanging out with us. Plus, you DID beat up Murayama and Katase."

"Who and who, now?" Yoichi asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"The two kendo girls you knocked out to protect us." Issei reminded with a sweat drop.

Then it clicked, "Oh, right."

"Yoichi-kun!"

Another new voice then called out, causing all four boys to turn to see Kiba calling out to the golded eyed teen. "Yoichi-kun, c'mon, let's head to the clubroom!"

He called out again and Yoichi nodded, "Right." He turned to the three perverts, "Well, see ya."

"Wait a second," Matsuda shouted, "You're friends with that damn bishounen?!"

Yoichi blinked, "Yeah, we're in the same club so it's natural." That was all he said before he continued walking away, the baldy and four eyes both shouting "Traitor!" at him while the brunette leader simply shrugged.

"Alright, let's go." Yoichi said once he reached the blonde pretty boy who simply nodded.

And of course, as they made their way to the club, there were several girls mumbling curses at Yoichi for being friends with the object of their affection which was named Kiba.

Seriously, how did Kiba put up with this crap every day? Having fan girls would've just been straight up annoying. But then he decided, it wasn't his problem, so he just decided to ignore it.

Later

After a few minutes of walking, Yoichi and Kiba made it to the clubroom. When they arrived, Koneko and Akeno were already there, and Rias was just done

getting dressed after a shower.

"Ah, Kiba," Rias greeted, "And Yoichi, I see you came to school today."

"Yup." Yoichi nodded.

Yeah, here's the thing, after the…"Incident"… with Vermilia, both Yoichi and Tatsumi took a few days off from school so that their injuries could heal. While Tatsumi decided to push himself and go after only about three days, Yoichi took an entire week off.

Because unlike Tatsumi, Yoichi would rather not go out of the house until he's at least able to fight so, he took a bit longer. Rias said as soon as he came back to school, they had to discuss a few things. However, a part of Yoichi kind of knew what she wanted to talk about.

"Now," Rias started. "Let's discuss your fight with Vermilia."

Yup, he was right. That being said, he then took a seat and waited for Rias to start the conversation. If he was being honest, just the mention of that stray disgusted him. However, there was no malice coming from him. Mainly because he knew for sure what happened to that eight legged freak.

"So, what'd you wanna know?" Yoichi asked.

"First off, let's start with the stray's current condition." Rias started. "When we found last night, we not only found the stray to be completely headless, but also the corpses of tiny creatures that we could only assume to be her children. Was that your doing?"

At that question, tension seemed to slip into the room. It wasn't suffocating, but it was still very much noticeable.

"Yeah, it was." Yoichi nodded without hesitation. And that's because he didn't regret killing Vermilia whatsoever. The bitch had it coming.

"I see," Rias nodded neutrally. "Well, I won't judge you for that. After all, we're supposed to kill strays. However, there's one more thing I need to ask you."

"And that is?" Yoichi raised an eyebrow.

"It's about your Sacred Gear." The tension seemed to lessen when Rias mentioned that. However, it only served to confuse Yoichi.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked.

"Your Sacred Gear." Rias clarified. "Yoichi, it might have been small, but when we found you last night, we definitely sensed that your power increased. Not to mention, we sensed all the energy being thrown around in that factory."

"Energy?" Yoichi asked before realization started to hit him, "You mean this?"

Flare

He raised his hand, and lighted a flame on his palm. The sight seemed to intrigue every occupant in the room.

"I see," Rias said, a smile forming on her face, "Can you explain how you managed to awaken it."

"Well I kinda lost my mind when Vermilia was about to kill Tatsumi." Yoichi started. "Everything after that is mostly blurry. But, I remember just being able to do this after a burst of rage, and then everything after became blurry. The most detailed part I can remember was killing that bastard."

"I see." Rias mused as she examined to flame. "You most likely awakened it because it was responding to your feelings, it's not uncommon for Sacred Gears to be awakened like that." She explained. "However, judging from the looks of it, you have quite a simple Sacred Gear."

"You're talking like you've got some catalog for this." Yoichi commented.

"That's because we do." Rias answered as if it were obvious. "Of course, there are still numerous Sacred Gears whose identities we know nothing about, but there have been numerous names and powers revealed throughout history by each independent possessor. And throughout that history, each faction has discovered and cataloged numerous sacred gears."

"Alright then," Yoichi nodded, "So I'm guessing mine's one of the known ones. What is it?"

"Yoichi, your sacred gear is "Flame Shake", Rias said, "It's a sacred gear that grants its wielder pyrokinetic abilities."

"So, fire powers, got it." Yoichi nodded. Then, a giant smirk formed on his face, "Heh, this is great. Who knows what I can do with this?"

"…Don't get your hopes up too high. It's not a Longinus or anything." Koneko pointed out, her eyes not even leaving the snack in her hand.

"Longinus?" Yoichi cocked an eyebrow, "The hell is that?"

"A Longinus are the thirteen top-tier Sacred Gears with enough power to kill Gods." Rias explained. "This class of Sacred Gears is specifically named after the True Longinus, the first and most powerful, and unlike other Sacred Gears that have more than one of the same types, the Longinus are utterly and completely unique, and only one of each may exist at a time."

"And I'm guessing mine isn't one of those." Yoichi clicked his tongue.

"No, I'm afraid not, but don't worry. Who knows? Your sacred gear might not have a powerful history behind it, but maybe you can change that." Rias consoled.

"Hm." Yoichi stared at his palm with a thoughtful look. "Maybe, but not much to do with this power except making it stronger, there's no evolving."

"Well, that is true," Rias nodded, before her expression suddenly became serious, "Anyway, I think it's time we turn to a different topic. It's definitely the most important one."

And just like that, the tension came back, and this time, it actually was suffocating. Everyone had serious looks on their faces. Whatever this next topic was, it was definitely no joke.

"Which is?" Yoichi raised an eyebrow.

"I believe Fallen Angels have infiltrated out territory." Rias replied, and despite the dramatic buildup, not a single person even flinched. The other members most likely saw that coming, Yoichi on the other hand,

"Hell yeah!" Yoichi exclaimed in excitement. "That mean we'll be kickin' em out? 'Cause that sounds great right now." and that was a true fact. It had been quite a while since Yoichi was able to enjoy a battle, since he couldn't really enjoy himself in the fight with Vermilia.

"No, we won't be doing that." Rias deadpanned.

"What?" Yoichi returned the look. "I thought Fallen Angels and Devils don't get along? Plus, you just said they're on our turf. Ain't that enough to take action?"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Rias sighed, "As much as I would like to, I cannot regulate those who enter or exit my territory. Unless they have broken some sort of law or defied the order of this town in some way, I cannot prevent someone from entering even if it is without permission. I can report their unannounced entrance into my territory to the Fallen Angel Governor and, if not him, the others."

"…I swear, the political bullshit of the supernatural are worse than human's." Yoichi sighed. "You know their intentions at least?"

"We do, actually." Rias nodded. "We have reason to believe the Fallen Angels are targeting someone…" She paused for a moment, "For execution."

Yoichi's expression didn't change, "And that someone is…"

"Well, the person is someone living in this town, and it's someone from our school." Rias said, she seemed a bit hesitant to say the next few words, but she had to do it. "Yoichi, they're after your friend."

Now this caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed immediately, "…Seriously? They're after Tatsumi?"

"No, not him." Rias shook her head.

The hostility lessened a good amount from Yoichi, "Oh, then who?"

"Issei Hyoudou." Rias said. "They are targeting your friend, Issei Hyoudou."

Yoichi blinked, his face blank, "First of all, "Friend" is a stretch." He started. "Second, why him?

"I can't be sure as to why they are targeting him, but seeing as he is warranted for death, I'm certain it's due to his power." Rias explained.

"Power?" Yoichi snorted, "Issei?" He began snickering. "The pervert?" here it comes, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, right, whatever you say, HAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone in the room sweat dropped at the boy's reaction, the words, 'Insensitive much,' rang through their heads. Rias sighed and decided to just ignore his laughter.

"Haha…" He started to calm down, "Ok…I'm good." He said as he wiped a tear out of his eye, "So, Issei's power aside, what's out course of action?"

"For now, we can only observe and guard him as best we can, but it's important that we keep an eye on him contact with him-which will happen. But until then, we're not allowed to make any hostile move on them." Rias explained.

"I see," Yoichi rolled his eyes. "And I'm guessing the reason for that is 'cause of political BS again." It was obvious at this point.

"Correct," Rias nodded, "The humans are considered the lowest compared to–"

"No need for explanations," Yoichi interrupted, holding up a hand to stop her, "I honestly don't care. If that's how it is, then fine. Don't we have other things to do?"

…

Everyone in the room rolled their eyes. They couldn't believe how nonchalant the boy was being. Even after being told that his friend could be killed, he just shrugged it off. It was honestly hard to read this boy.

"…Well, alright then," Rias decided to continue, "With that being said, I suppose there's nothing left to do but get on with club activities."

[Yes Buchou!] / Sure

"Yoichi, I'll start with you. A previous client is asking for you again."

"Alright then."

With that, he went through the normal processes. Akeno prepared the magic circle, he stepped on it, and teleportation. To his surprise, he found himself in a familiar room. Despite only seeing it once, it was pretty easy to see where he was, judging from the giant dojo he was in.

"Hello again, kid." The voice of an old man spoke. When Yoichi turned around, there he was, Shoji Akamatsu, his very first client not too long ago. "I see you've grown a bit since the last time I saw you."

Yoichi tilted his head in confusion, "…I'm pretty sure I'm still the same height."

"I was talking about your strength," Shoji explained. "I sensed your growth in power despite it only being a bit. Let me guess, you've awakened your sacred gear?"

This caught Yoichi by surprise, "Yeah, though I didn't think you knew about Sacred Gears."

"Kid, I said I was a family friend of Rias, I thought that would've made it obvious that I know a lot about the supernatural." Shoji said while stroking his beard.

"Huh," Yoichi thought for a moment before it an idea popped into his head, "Since you know a lot, is it alright if I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure, go ahead," Shoji nodded, "It's not like I summoned you for something important, just wanted another chat."

"In that case, what can you tell me about Fallen Angels?"

Meanwhile

"W-wait, what?!"

Throughout his life, Issei Hyoudou has always been regarded as a massive pervert. Girls despised him, while the guys at his school all act like they hate him and his friends to impress the girls (While failing.)

And yet here he was, in a situation that he thought would only happen in an eroge. A girl, a beautiful girl, one of the most beautiful he had ever seen, had confessed her love to him. She had smooth, long flowing hair, she was wearing a school uniform that he couldn't recognized, but he didn't think too much into that,

Since he was too busy staring at her large rack. Anyway, after a few moments of stunned silence, he finally found his voice,

"L-like I said," the girl stuttered, "Will you please be my boyfriend!"

'There, she said it again!' he screamed in disbelief in his head. After that, there was only one question left in his mind, 'Is this for real!'

Chapter End

Alright, let's end it there. I was really trying to be careful on how I write this out. With how terrible the last chapter was, I can't afford to mess up anymore less I want to have to rewrite this whole damn thing. Either way, I'm gonna stop it there. As you can see, this is just the set up for the arc.

Next chapter, we shall see how well Issei's date goes. I'm sorry if it feels like the quality dropped guys, I'm trying here. I'm also trying to make sure I put in development for each character so hopefully I'll be able to give Issei, the ORC, AND the fallen angels fair amount of screen time and characterization in this arc. Wouldn't want Yoichi be the only one getting that.

Anyway, Ciao!