CHAPTER 19

Issei was in his room, sitting on his desk and had just finished his homework when Kiba called him.

The brunet was a bit surprised, considering he had been at the ORC for the better part of the afternoon.

He had hoped that he would be left at his own devices for the rest of the day, but, apparently, fate had other plans.

In the form of a Fallen Angel, called Dohnaseek. The guy was out in search for him.

In Issei's mind, this Fallen Angel was conspiring against Raynare, though influenced by a third party. Said third party was, probably, someone higher in the chain of command, almost close to Azazel. Otherwise, neither Dohnaseek, nor anybody else from Raynare's group would have listened. Logically, at least.

That said, it begged the question. How many people, Fallen or humans, from Raynare's group were like Dohnaseek?

Issei frowned in frustration. Again, he had too little information to go on. And he couldn't risk doing anything drastic to expose Raynare to the third party.

Neither could he go and beat up Dohnaseek and, then, put the blame on Rias or Sona. If he did that, there was a chance of igniting another Great War, with Kuoh being the center of it.

He couldn't have that. He wanted peace. Especially in Kuoh, where his parents resided in.

Lastly, for all he knew, the third party was actually hoping for a Great War. And who knew how many accomplices they had watching their back.

With all that in mind, Issei decided to play the waiting game. Asia Argento was to arrive in two days. Once he made contact with the excommunicated nun, he would see what could be done. And, hopefully, Raynare would remain on their side until the end of this scheme.

A scheme that the brunet very much doupted that would end so quickly. The culprit, or culprits, would, most definetely, lay low after this whole thing blew off. He was certain that they would strike again in the future.

In conclusion, all Issei could do was wait for the right time to end this in one fell-swoop.

All of these thoughts were relayed to Kiba, who, in turn, relayed them to Rias, who, in turn, would relay them to Sona.

He didn't need their approval of his thought process; he was sure he had it right. Nor did he care much for their worry over the whole matter.

Issei sighed in frustration, again, as he rubbed his temple.

He almost jumped in surprise when he heard a voice in his head, but regained his composure immediately.

[You're stressed, partner.]

"You noticed?!" was the brunet's snarky response to Ddraig's nonchalant comment.

[Yes.] the Dragon didn't seem offended. [Lately, you're sighing a lot more.] he added his observation as an afterthought.

True to the Dragon's words, Issei sighed again, before he spoke. "I've got a lot in my mind, as I'm sure you've seen, Ddraig. And, in case you didn't notice, you and Zangetsu are part of the reason why I'm stressed, what with you two trying to make me understand that killing other beings will be the norm in the future, near or otherwise." even though he was serious, it was clear that he was equally irritated and frustrated.

"You know that we're doin' this for you, right." Zangetsu interjected, sounding more than a little annoyed by his wielder. "So, stop bein' a little bitch and man the fuck up. I don't care that you're a fuckin' teenager. Ichigo was the same age as you when he had started to fight for everyone's sakes and he didn't have the amount of power you possess from the get-go. Ichigo had to gain all his power, the one you have in your possession, through many hardships and deadly battles and never, even once, did he fuckin' complain about it. Yet, here you are, bitchin' and moanin' because you don't wanna kill anyone. Newsflash, boy. In the Supernatural world, it's kill or be killed, whether you like it or not."

An awkward silence followed after the sword spirit's quite explosive rant. Ddraig, though, seemed to hum in agreement with Zangetsu. Something that the brunet noticed, but decided to not comment on.

Then he brought his open palms on his eye-level as he spoke outloud in a forlorn tone, though quiet enough to not be heard by his parents. "I... I didn't ask for all this power... Yes, I need all this power to protect the world, or even just my parents. However, I didn't ask for it in the first place. Nor was I asked by anyone. It was bestowed to me even before I was a full baby inside my mother's belly." he took a calming breath, before leaning back on his chair to stare at the room's ceiling as he continued. "Ichigo, on the other hand, actually had the choice given to him and he took it with open arms. He wasn't burdened with the protection of his world. He took it upon himself to protect his world, with as many allies as he could get in the process. You demand of me to be the same, Zangetsu, but you forget on thing. I'm not Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm Issei Hyoudou. I accepted the power that was given to me, because I had no choice and because I actually want peace. That said, I accept to become this world's number one protector, like Ichigo in his own world, but I'll do it my way, not yours or even Ddraig's. If I have to kill somebody in the future to achieve peace, then I'll do it, even if it turns my heart to stone and deal with the aftermath myself. Or, even better, have you two to help me through it."

Issei's rant was followed by another silence, though it felt comfortable in comparison to the first one. He hadn't even noticed that he sounded determined in the middle of his rant, with his expression matching his words.

"Dammit... I hate it when mere teenagers make more sence than they should..."

Issei smirked victoriously as he heard Zangetsu's complaint. He could see him, figuratively, pouting in frustration like a child that didn't have its way with something it wanted from its parents.

[Well said, partner.] Ddraig hummed in acknowledgement, making Issei's smirk widen a fraction. [You just earned a round of lessons as to which individuals deserve death as the only way to get rid of them. The same goes for people that aren't like the Fallen Angel, Raynare, who listen to reason and change their ways accordingly. So, get ready, partner, because we start tonight.]

Issei's face fell upon hearing the warning, as well as what his next lessons would be. Also, Issei was certain that, even though the Dragon didn't say it, those lessons would be accompanied, or followed, by even more deadlier spars. "Great..." he sighed in defeat.

"Ise~! Come down, honey~! Dinner's ready~!"

Thankfully, Issei was reminded by Akane's melodious voice that he had until after dinned to prepare himself. So, he stood up and called out with a smile on his face at the thought of his mother's mouthwatering food.

"Coming, Kaa-chan!"

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When lunch break came the next day, Issei headed to the SCO -short for Student Council Office- as Sona had told him the day before when she left from the ORC.

Well, more like demanded, but the brunet didn't mind. After all, he had wanted to talk to Sona since his exhibition match against Kiba.

The brunet knocked the door three times, ignoring the curious gazes and the rumors whispered by some of the other students as he waited for Sona to give him the ok to enter.

Thankfully, it seemed that it was only her and Tsubaki in the room.

"Enter."

He opened the door and closed it behind him and he noticed that Sona was behind her desk, utensils in hand as she ate from a bento box that was on the afforementioned ornament. Tsubaki was enjoying her own food at the coffee-table, sitting on the couch to his right.

"Welcome, Hyoudou-kun." Sona's business-like tone brought him out of his observations. "Take a seat." she gestured at one of the two chairs in front of her, specifically the one that would allow him vision to Tsubaki as well.

He did as was told with just a nod of his head. Unlike before, Issei didn't start a stare-off with Sona as he took his seat and prepared to eat his own lunch.

Sona took notice of the small detail, but decided to not comment on it.

After swallowing his first bite, the brunet spoke without looking at the Student Council President, his gaze at his food. "I'm sure you know of my contract with Rias-san, Sona-san." he said airily.

"Yes." Sona nodded, her eyes on him as she ate, ignoring the fact that he showed no respect to her position. She knew she had lost his respect and she had to earn it back. "Is there a problem with your contract?" she asked professionally, in order to continue the conversation.

"No." Issei shook his head. He swallowed another mouthful, before he raised his head to face Sona, his expression stoic to hide his emotions. He didn't want her to read him like a book. "It's a pretty good deal, considering the payment I'll get even from one contract a month. However, I want to use my contract with Rias-san as an excuse to quit from being the Shishou at the Kendo club." he explained.

"I cannot say I did not expect something like that to happen." Sona replied, much to his curiousity. "Even if you hadn't signed a contract with Rias, Hyoudou-kun, I was expecting you to resign from the Kendo club. After all, after my mistake with the exhibition match, I have been informed from my servants that you are feared from all students and teachers. Even some of my servants fear you, unfortunately. And, at this point, I cannot do anything to reverse my mistake; the reputation of one of the top students being destroyed by the Student Council President herself. For all that, the least I owe you is an apology and I hope you find it in you to forgive me and, some time in the future, allow me to make ammends, in every way you see fit." she ended her heart-felt admition with a bow of her head.

Tsubaki's eyes widened a bit from the shock of seeing Sona bowing to a human and ask for forgiveness. Then, she regained her composure and, with a smile that noone saw, she continued to eat her food in silence.

As for the brunet, he didn't show any outward reaction. Because, on the inside, he was hurting very much due to the reminder of practically everyone's fear of him. Honestly, he wanted to forgive Sona, but couldn't find in him to do so, even though he was interested in her. Not yet, at least. He also saw through her attempt to gain his respect. At the very least, her first step to that direction was a right one. "Alright. Apology accepted, Sona-san." he simply said.

Sona raised her head to meet his eyes, hiding a bitter smile under her mask of professionalism. "Thank you, Hyoudou-kun."

They ate the rest of their food in silence and they noticed that there were ten minutes to spare.

"Is there something else you want to address, before I take my leave, Sona-san?" Issei asked stoically as he prepared to leave.

Sona was about to say no, but held herself back at the last moment, because she remembered a request from her friend. In Rias' words, she had more of a possibility to get an answer out of the brunet. Though, Sona, despite her intelligence, or because of it, believed that it was the other way around. That said, she decided to try her luck. "Actually, Hyoudou-kun, there is a matter that I am curious about you." she said conversationally.

Issei raised an eyebrow in curiousity. "What?"

Sona fixed her glasses in a way that reflected the light of them room, for a moment, giving her an ominous vibe. "How are you able to move without making a sound?" she asked.

At her question, time seemed to stop for Issei as his painful memories resurfaced and hit him with the force of a speeding train. His stoic expression, during that second he was flooded with his own memories, didn't break in the slightest.

He had been a very carefree child when he was younger. However, his sheer speed and physical strength made the other kids his age, including their parents, to fear him. And, as a result, he was left alone. Then, Rin came to his life and filled that loneliness, only to make it worse when she had to move to England. The kids continued to fear him and all but shunned him, with the teachers and his parents being completely unable to help him. So, in order to be able to come close to others without making them fear him, he subconsciously tried his best to be as quiet as possible. He did it so much, that he adapted to that style and couldn't even bring himself to come out of it in fear that other people would notice him and avoid him like a deadly virus.

All in all, it was one of the reasons he didn't want that kind of power in the first place. Even if heroes grew up alone and he was aspiring to be one when he was younger, he would have prefered to be able to make more friends and be normal.

All of these thoughts passed through the brunet's mind in just a second. And, as mentioned before, his expression didn't break in the slightest.

His heart, however, was another story.

Without her knowing, Sona hurt him more than she could have imagined with her question.

Issei closed his eyes and turned around, starting to take his leave, with his expression being hidden by his front hair.

Both Sona and Tsubaki noticed the change in his demeanor, but waited for his answer.

He did so once he opened the door, his voice stoic as it had been at the earlier conversation. "I've told you once, Sona-san. There is a thing called privacy and I like mine."

With that, he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Once they thought he was out of earshot, Tsubaki turned her head to speak to Sona, but noticed her shocked expression and became bewildered. "What is it, Sona?"

Sona didn't answer her immediately. Her eyes stared at the door Issei had just left.

Or, more accurately, the spot Issei stood before he exited.

There, on the carpet, she saw a small wet spot that hadn't been there as far as she remembered.

"Tsubaki..." Sona gulped as she couldn't take her eyes of that wet spot, making the other girl even more bewildered. Especially since, along with shock, Sona's expression showed genuine regret.

"I think that I've made another horrible mistake at the same person..."

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