CHAPTER 24
Issei opened his eyes to find himself in his bedroom, lying on his bed as he stared at his white ceiling.
Again, the thought to put a wallpaper of some kind crossed his mind.
The brunet got up and stretched with swift, yet noiseless moves, sighing in relief when the pops and cracks all around his body relaxed his tense muscles.
Apparently, fighting in his mind against Ddraig and Zangetsu affected his body as well, in more ways than one.
Speaking of his two tenants, Issei learned why Asia affected his whole being so much, in a very unnatural level.
The italian nun, apart from her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, had a trait that was very rare amongst humans, or even other species.
She was a Dragon Tamer.
According to Ddraig, whenever a Dragon finds a person with that trait, they do whatever they can to protect that person, even risking their own life. Also, more often than not, a Dragon and a Dragon Tamer mate with one another, if their genders differ from each other. For that to happen, however, the Dragon had to have a human form.
Upon Issei's question why he felt that way about Asia, the Dragon's answer was very simple.
Issei was the wielder of the Boosted Gear, making him the host of Ddraig; a Dragon. And a very powerfull one at that. Add his Dragon Slaying abilities, which, as the name suggested, probably originated from a Dragon... and the Boosted Gear affected the wielder's body and personality, making them more of a Dragon than a human...
Issei didn't need any further explanation from that point.
In hindsight, it explained why it had been easier to agitate him as of late. The same went to his quick adaptation at horrific scenes, like the one from last night, or when the Devils killed Viser.
Not to mention his growing want to vent his frustration in a very violent way.
After all, his deadly spars with Ddraig and Zangetsu wouldn't do anything at this point, since he just got more frustrated that he couldn't beat them and he couldn't use his Dragon Slaying abilities.
Also, according to Ddraig, while the brunet had gotten stronger, he needed a catalyst to achieve his Balance Breaker; the final form of the Boosted Gear.
Then again, there was this Juggernaut Drive that Ddraig had mentioned once or twice, but was vehemently against this form, seemingly out of concern for Issei's well-being.
While the brunet was touched, he was again frustrated that Ddraig wouldn't tell him the entire story behind this Juggernaut Drive form.
Issei shook his head to clear it from all thoughts. Today he was going to have an amazing time with Asia and, then, at night, he would go and save her and Raynare from their fate.
Putting on a clean set of a red tracksuit and taking his wallet with him, the brunet got out of his room to go and have breakfast with his parents, before he headed out.
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Indeed, the time Issei spent with Asia was amazing, in the former's mind.
The nun was happily and innocently smiling all day long through whatever the duo did.
Her unintentional cuteness while doing so was just a bonus in Issei's book.
He showed her everything his hometown had to offer, minus the movies; just one movie was too long and their time together was limited to begin with.
The funny part of the day was when Asia had to order a burger, where her determination to do this on her own was just too cute for Issei to stop it immediately. Alas, he took pity on the cashier and the line waiting behind him and the nun, ordering the same as himself for her.
It didn't end there, though. Since she had lived a very sheltered life, Asia didn't even know how to begin to eat the burger and fries. Her amazement about discovering such a simple thing was just too cute to watch as well.
Her cute and shy gratefulness when Issei got her a small stuffed version of Ratche-kun from a crane machine ouside of the Arcade, where the two spent an hour of having fun with all the games inside, was the icing on the cake.
All in all, Issei's heart had melt from happiness, which, apparently, was the same sentiment that Asia felt.
However, that's where all the good things ended.
The italian nun was so overwhelmed by her happiness, that her inner dam with her negative emotions broke in a spectacular fashion, making her speak of her past.
Asia was an abandoned child, raised in an orphanage of the church at a very early age. When she was eight, she discovered her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, which she herself dubbed as a gift from God, by healing a puppy. From then on, she was revelled as a Holy Maiden, performing miracles by healing all kinds of diceases and injuries, lethal or not.
That is, until she healed a heavily injured Devil that had suddenly fallen in front her.
At the yard of a church. In Italy.
Then, somehow, someone saw and all hell broke loose.
Those who worshipped her all but shunned and cursed her for being able to heal a Devil with God's gift.
She was excommunicated and thrown out of the place she called home her entire life.
Then, the Fallen Angels took her in, making Asia hopeful that there would be a place where she belonged to.
Yet, in the end, she was to die in the most excruciating way possible, by the very people she thought would be her saviors.
What a tragic irony.
As if all that wasn't enough, she had grown up all alone, even if she was surrounded by people all her life.
Just like Issei himself.
Unlike the brunet, however, Asia never knew the term friendship.
And he set that goal in his mind. To teach the nun what friendship is.
As Asia cried that God had put her in another test, Issei turned his attention inwards as he gazed at the clear blue sky. "Ddraig." he called out mentally with an eerily calm tone.
The Dragon picked up on it, but didn't comment on it. [What is it, partner?]
"If this God of the Bible is still around... I'm gonna pound him to the kingdom come for what he's put Asia-chan through. And for sealing you and Albion in your respective Sacred Gears while I'm at it." he stated in the same tone as before.
For the first time in his life, sealed or not, the Dragon in the Boosted Gear was rendered speechless and couldn't even try to form a fitting response.
Zangetsu, on the other hand, was laughing his ass off in both excitement and amusement.
The brunet didn't even wait for the Dragon to regain his barings as he focused on the nun beside him on the same bench he had sat with Raynare on their date. "Asia-chan." he called out softly, with an unnatural calmness that the nun was too innocent to pick up on.
"Y-Yes, Ise-san?" she turned to face him with a small smile on her face, once she cleaned up the last of her tears. She felt a pleasant chill run down her spine upon looking at his eyes.
"You're my friend."
His simple declaration brought forth another round of tears, although, unlike before, these ones were of happiness. "Th-Thank you, Ise-san! Thank you so, so much!" she choked a little in her own tears as she hugged him for all his worth.
The brunet returned the embrace, though his arms wrapped around the blonde in a soft, comforting fashion, just like last night.
His ears and nose twitched as he caught the presence of a female Fallen Angel coming towards them. He was annoyed that his moment with Asia was about to be ruined, but he knew it would happen sooner or later, considering that it was early afternoon, a mere couple of hours before the sunset.
Issei knew he had very little time before the Fallen Angel arrived. So he leaned in her ear. "Asia-chan. Tonight, I'll come and save you and Raynare from that church. I don't know if the Devil I'm contractred to will come as well, but I don't care. I'll definetely come and save you." he whispered softly, albeit with absolute certainty, which managed to shock the nun enough to stop crying out of sheer disbelief. "Don't say a word to anyone, especially Raynare." he continued. "Just endure until tonight and I'll come for you two. That's a promise, Asia-chan. And, after that, I'll do whatever I can to make you happy and be the good friend that you need." he finished, gently squeezing Asia in his embrace.
To his inner surprise, the blonde didn't respond with more tears as he expected. "Then, me and Raynare-sama will wait for you, Ise-san." she smiled warmly at him as she slightly broke the embrace, her green eyes shining in hope and joy.
The brunet was so mesmerised by them, that he barely caught himself from leaning in and kiss the nun.
Unfortunately, their moment ended with the arrival of the Fallen Angel. "There you are, Asia. I've been looking for you."
Asia jumped on her seat in surprise and a little bit of embarrassment at being caught in an intimate moment with her friend.
Issei turned towards the serious, mature voice's direction and saw the bombshell that was Kalawarner. She looked like she was in her mid to late twenties, with long blue hair, that reached to her waist and a few strands of her front hair covered her left eye. Her visible right eye was a matching blue colour. She was as tall as himself, with a voloptuous figure and curves in the right places. Her bust size was the same as Raynare's and Rias'. She wore a maroon business suit, which showed a great amount of cleveage and the skirt stopped to her mid-thighs. The pair of two black, feathered wings on her back retracted and disappeared from view the moment she stepped on the park's pavement.
If she wasn't an enemy, Issei wouldn't have minded to do the deed with her. She was like Sona in the personallity department, which was his favourite.
On a side note, the Boosted Gear's and his Dragon Slaying abilities' influence affected his hormones too. Which was one more reason he paid attention to the females around him.
All these observations lasted for just a second.
"Ah! Kalawarner-sama!" Asia exclaimed in surprise, bringing him out of his musings in the process.
Kalawarner glanced briefly at the seemingly calm brunet, noting in her mind that it was Issei Hyoudou, the boy that should be dead by Raynare's hands, but was a contracted magician to Rias Gremory. A fact that she confirmed for herself, since she saw the Gremory crest on the back of his right hand and he didn't give off the feeling of a Devil. Then, she returned her eyes on the nun. "It's time to go Asia. There is an injured person in the church and the ritual will start when the moon is up." she explained stoically.
In his mind, Issei understood that the injured person was Raynare and whatever ritual she was talking about was the one to extract Asia's Twilight Healing.
To his credit, he didn't show how utterly furious he was. He was keeping it inside him, in order to express all that anger at the right time.
Asia's expression saddened as she nodded at the Fallen Angel, but still held a smile on her face when she turned to her friend. "Goodbye, Ise-san." she bid him farewell in a soft tone.
"Yeah, see ya, Asia-chan." Issei responded in kind.
The nun went towards Kalawarner with slow, hesitant steps, something that the bluenette noticed, yet didn't comment on. Since the boy seemed to be none the wiser about tonight and didn't make a fuss about Asia going with her, she didn't care in the slightest. Also, the Fallen Angel knew she couldn't attack him without incurring the Gremory Devil's wrath, which would be counter-productive in their plans for tonight.
When the nun reached her, the latter turned around and waved one last time at her friend, before, in a vortex of black feathers, the two women vanished in thin air.
The brunet boy gazed at the sky as he spoke aloud, but not loud enough to be heard by a passer-by. "Do you two mind if I use you tonight?" he asked calmly, despite his more than boiled anger.
"Are ya kiddin', King?!" Zangetsu raged in his head. "It's the perfect opportunity to introduce me to the Devils and put on a show about it! 'Course and I don' mind!"
[I don't mind either, partner.] Ddraig gave his own ok, albeit way calmer than his roomate.
Issei got the impression that the Dragon inside him wanted to say a lot more, but the latter held himself back, for some reason. That said, the brunet got what he wanted from the two and didn't have the clear mind to question any further. "Thanks, guys."
With that, the brunet stood up from the bench and, with an unnaturally calm smile on his face, he went towards his home.
After all, he had a sword to pick up from there, one that he didn't want to be seen floating through the town to get in his hand.
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The sun had just set in Kuoh.
At the ORC, Rias was at her desk, working on her paperwork, with Akeno by her side as usual.
The same could be said for Kiba and Koneko. The former read his book on the couch he occupied whenever his friend was there, while the latter munched on some sweets opposite of him.
What wasn't usual, was the tension in the room as they waited for the Archduke to call them about what to do with the group at the abandoned church.
Earlier in the day, the information gathering squad that was sent by the Archduke himself, had confirmed what Issei had told them the night before.
Well, technically, what Asia told the brunet.
Since the Archduke was informed of the situation, it was important for the gathered information to reach the Grigori.
Or, more accurately, their leader; Azazel himself.
Unfortunately, due to mistrust between the two races, that wasn't as easy as it sounded.
That said, it was only a matter of time before they got the ok to raid the church, or so Rias hoped.
Unexpectedly for three Devils, Koneko flinched violently in her attempt to reach for another coockie, immediately making the rest to be on high alert.
"What is it, Koneko?" Rias asked worriedly, albeit seriously.
Instead of answering verbally, Koneko turned to face her and, for what had felt an eternity for all parties present, the whitenette's emotionless mask had broken.
Rias, Akeno and Kiba were shocked to see that, not only did Koneko seem genuinely terrified of something, but she was also trembling uncontrollably.
Yet, when she spoke, her voice was clear as day, albeit equally scared shitless.
"Issei-senpai is here. And he's absolutely furious."
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