I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*

M for mature topics. No children allowed. *

The Broken Boosted Gear

By Try Another Time

Great Red was analyzing him with interest. He had many hopes for Ddraig newest vessel but even he couldn't really figure out how the process was going to end. But now he knew the backstory behind Ddraig's new freedom. It was all thanks to Albion and he was enjoying every second of it. His own rival had given him the keys to freedom, and he didn't know it yet. "So, tell me once more is it really you Ddraig? Or is it the child who is in control?"

"Both. Right now, is me who is in control, but we can switch or take control at the same time. We are in synchronization and the process is not over but one day both will finally become one single entity. Right now, we shared memories and emotions, but the child's soul is still too young for the final step." Ddraig said as he stood up in front of the apocalypse dragon.

"So, you choose a partnership with him? I thought that you were going to take over the body and be done with it. What made you choose this option?" Tiamat asks.

"I never said that I was going to steal his body. He is the latest host of the booster gear. He didn't choose this for himself nor did he asked for a giant flying lizard to take residence on his body. I have been the cause for many of my previous hosts' madness and destruction and he is my final one. I wasn't going to eliminate him or erase him from existence just because I wanted his body. For now, we are two united entities but one day we're going to be one." Ddraig explained.

Great Red laughs after hearing this. "You really have changed. All of those hosts had their toll on you. So, what are your plans now? I want to know what the great Welsh Dragon is going to do now? Are you going to look for Albion and his current host? Is a new war going to start?" Great Red wanted to see what Ddraig was going to do now that he was free. He knew that he was far stronger now than back on his previous body especially after receiving his and Ophis gifts.

"Japan. The boy wants to look for his parent's graves and after that, I have some business that I need to take care of. I won't fight Albion, not now nor in the future. I'm done with our rivalry. The endless fights and destruction of multiple hosts have become unbearable to me. War is also not in my plans. I know that conflicts might come to me even if I don't want them but I'm not going to just attack heaven or the underworld to start a new war. I'm done with trying to prove my strength." Ddraig lifts his right arm, and a deep crimson flame starts to come out of it. "But if someone tries to fight me, they will pay the highest price there is."

Tiamat and Great Red were amazed after seeing those flames again. The flames that can even consume gods and will never go out until his enemies are erased from existence. Ddraig was truly back, and he didn't seem to be willing to offer any mercy.

"Good but not enough Ddraig. I need you two to grow far stronger. I'm telling you now, your debt to me is not something you can't easily pay. Get allies and grow even stronger Two-Headed Red Dragon of Chaos. That is your new title, so don't forget it because I'm the one blessing you with it. Now fly and keep growing stronger my child. Until the day that I required your assistance keep growing." Great Red says before he begins to leave. "Tiamat your debt to me is taken care of. You're free to go."

Both dragons watch as Great Red disappears into the vastness of his territory.

Ddraig stood in silence as he reflected after hearing Great Red's words. "Partner it seems that our future is going to be even more troublesome than what we thought."

"We knew that this was going to happen. We asked for help and one day we have to pay the price one day. Nothing more and nothing less. We still need to talk to Tiamat." Issei said.

Ddraig turns towards Tiamat. "Sorry. I know that I will never replace those objects but I'm willing to pay any price. If you give me some time, I might be able to get you some other items as initial compensation."

Tiamat stays quiet. She was thinking about how to approach this issue. Those items were irreplaceable to her, but she had allowed him to borrow them because they used to be friends and she had a crush on him. A massive crush on the wild and careless Red Dragon Emperor and now he was willing to pay any price. Maybe it was due to the long wait, her lack of any mate, or the previous suggestion of Great Red, but she said. "I want you. I know that I might not be the only one, but I want you as my mate. I want a child with you. A child is not replaceable and has no price task. I want one with you Ddraig." She said just like that.

Everything went silent. Ddraig and Issei were in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Tiamat, one of the great five had asked them for a child. Ddraig had no interest in relationships since he came into existence and Issei was still a child although one with the memories of many adults. He had absorbed all those husks into himself during the two years they were inside the egg, but he was still eight years old. "You want us to become parents?" Asks the fused voice of Issei and Ddraig. "we're still a child."

"No, you're not. You two are almost one single entity and you said that at some point you two will fuse into one. You're Ddraig and Issei, The Two-Headed Red Dragon of Chaos so take responsibility and stop escaping from me. I have been chasing after you for several centuries and now is my chance so don't give me more excuses. I'm tire of waiting and tire of the chase. You can take a thousand more mates but as long as I'm the first and number one I don't care." Tiamat says before she grabs him and forces a kiss between each other. She had waited centuries for this stupid hot-headed lizard with wings and now that he had gained a body, maturity, and seemed stronger than before she wasn't going to let him escape.

She was rash and seemed very inexperienced with her kiss but there was something special behind it. All of her feelings towards Ddraig were being transmitted to the pair through that single kiss. Ddraig and Issei didn't move or backed away. A thousand emotions and thoughts were going through their minds.

The kiss continued for a few more moments until Tiamat let go of them. Her eyes didn't move away from the sight before her.

He was immobile and silent. His eyes turn lighter and before long he began to talk. "He shut down," Issei said.

"What?" Tiamat asks.

"He still coming to terms with your confession. He doesn't want to talk to you for now, but he says he accepts. I'm still unsure of this. I don't know you personally although he and I shared memories. I'm still a child no matter what you said so I ask for some cooperation. We can be mates, but I can't become a parent without really knowing you, so I ask for a period for us to get to know each other. Ddraig says that this would be the best for us." Issei says as he bows to her and awaits her answer.

Tiamat stays quiet and reflects on this. She had waited for him this long and now he had him but Issei was also in the mix. She didn't consider him and just went ahead with her declaration without caring for his own opinion. "Why are we so impulsive as a species?" She asked herself as she realized the mess she had created. "Issei right?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry for all of this. I was too impulsive."

"Yes, you were."

"How long do you want for us to get to know each other?"

"I'm eight but I feel that at least 3 years of getting to know each other might work for us. None of this is normal but I need to adapt and stop thinking like a human. If you give me 3 years to get to know each other, we can make this work. Ddraig might also need that time. He has zero experience with romantic emotions although he has seen a lot of things through the eyes of the previous hosts. He says that he doesn't find you distasteful or unattractive, but he has never thought about any kind of relationship before. Fighting Albion and being strong was far more important than having a mate."

"Got it. He was far too violent and destructive for other females other than me to approach him easily. So, three years of being 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'?"

"That's the plan and about those other mates. Do you really think we're going to fall into that kind of relationship?"

"Issei you're a dragon and one of the strongest ones at that. You will surely find other females that you might develop feelings for. Your instincts are going to tell you to make them yours once they start to kick in and unless you gain control over them that is surely going to happen. Tannin is a dragon that lives in the underworld and he has many mates. He has a clan full of his children with different females. Is our nature and is not uncommon in the supernatural world for it to happen. Devils do it all of the time and dragons aren't that different." Tiamat says before she approaches Issei and hugs him. "Thank you for not denying my wish. I hate both of you for what you did but I been waiting far too long for this." She says before she bites his neck. The injury isn't big, but blood still comes out.

Issei twitches a little and feels a burning sensation throughout his whole body.

"Now do the same to me. This is how we mark each other as mates." Tiamat says after she releases him. She licks the blood from her lips and shows her neck to him.

Issei feels a driving force pushing him to do it. His eyes turn wide and more draconic before his body moves on his own. He bites her and feels her blood invading his mouth.

Tiamat moans after feeling his bite. Her body rejoices after feeling his energy entering her. She smiles after he releases her. He cleans the blood off from his lips. "Good. Remember to keep those instincts in check when you're in control of your body. Your emotions can be a very dangerous force that can drive you into distasteful situations. Now follow me."

Issei sees how she opens a rift in the space. "Where are we going?"

"Underworld. You need clothes especially if you want to go to the human world. I don't think armor pants and a naked torso is adequate for someone to walk around the human world." Tiamat says before she grabs his hand. "Let's go."

Issei nods and follows her.

Back in the Underworld.

The devil world was quite peaceful that day until all of the citizens of Lilith fell that immense presence. Demons all around turned their sights towards the place in which Tiamat and Issei had appeared.

"A child?"

"How is that child so strong?"

"This can't be real."

The voices of the devils' present reach Issei's ears. He had forgotten to hide his power.

"Issei hide it now! We don't want to start a fight with whoever is in power." Ddraig said.

Issei did as told. The flaming aura that was surrounding him decreased and almost disappear which decreased the tension in the area just a little bit.

"Follow me and ignore them. They will relax after some time." Tiamat said.

Issei nodded before he began to follow her. His eyes wandered around. The buildings, the sky, and the atmosphere felt so different from the human world. Although devils looked so similar to humans, their wings and obvious increased physical strength made sure that he didn't forget that this wasn't his original world.

"Here we are," Tiamat said as they stopped in front of a clothes store. "I'm paying so I get to choose what you going to wear."

Issei didn't object against it.

Time went by pretty quickly. Tiamat had fun by dressing him in many different styles of clothes. Suits, jackets, shirts, and many other clothing articles were bought at the end.

Now Issei found himself wearing a nice black business suit and a red long sleeve shirt. "Nice choice." Instead of Issei, it was now Ddraig who was talking.

"So, you finally decide to talk. I thought Issei was going to accompany me for the rest of the day. I bought it for him because he looked cute on it." Tiamat said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Ddraig sights. "Tia, this is not easy for me. I have zero experience with love affairs."

"Neither do I. Do you really think I was having one-night stands throughout all these centuries? I'm freaking Tiamat, The Chaos Karma Dragon. I don't sleep around with any cute male that comes around. I had my eyes on you since the beginning and no one else has taken that place. I hate you so much but at the same time I waited for you and now you're hiding behind Issei instead of talking to me." A flaming blue aura surrounds her body.

"I'm sorry for not taking your feelings into consideration for all of this time. Just don't attack me and try to rip my head off. We can work through this and make it work but you got to give me time." Ddraig pleads.

Tiamat looks at him and thinks for a second before cooling down. "You better not run or hide behind Issei. You know what I can do to you even if you're stronger than me."

"I know and I won't run away just don't get physical. Issei shares all the pain with me, and I preferred evading that if it's not necessary." Ddraig says after seeing that he evaded a landmine. "Now I think we should focus our attention on those devils outside the store. I can feel their anxiousness and fear."

"It was bound to happen. At least they were cordial enough to wait until we were done shopping. Do you want me to save the clothes in pocket dimension?"

"No, I have my own." Ddraig looks at the bags of clothes and makes them disappear in an instant. "Now let's see who the new person is in charge of this city."

"That would be Sirzechs Lucifer. After the previous hosts of the booster and dividing gear died many events have occurred. There was a civil war in the underworld. The old satan faction and the anti-satan faction clash against each other, in the end, Sirzechs and his allies won. He and Ajuka Astaroth are the most known figure within the underworld at the moment. I work for Ajuka at the moment." Tiamat explains.

"Sirzechs as in Sirzechs Gremory? I never thought that the kid would have it in him to finally kill the old farts. Well, let's see what he looks like now." Ddraig says as he moves towards the door.

The store owner who was shivering through all of this bows to her customers. Tiamat smiles at the devil and drops a bag of money on the table closest to her.

"Thank you for the clothes. I really enjoyed the selection you offered." Tiamat says before following her mate.

Point of view, Sirzechs.

He was calm but those around him were a mess. He heard the rumors and even felt the surge in power when they arrived at the city, but he still couldn't believe it. "Ajuka if everything goes to hell please take care of my family."

"Sirzechs what are you saying?" Ajuka replied.

"We both know I'm the one that can prevent the most damage even if I get killed at the end. I just hope that Rias can forgive me and that Grayfia can find happiness after I'm gone." Sirzechs says.

"Oh, you- "But before Ajuka was able to say something else the doors opened.

Ajuka, Sirzechs, and all of the other devil soldiers that were accompanying them turn the sights toward the pair. They knew Tiamat very well, but her partner was a completely different case.

"Ajuka, Sirzechs how are you doing?" Tiamat asks.

"Tiamat who is him?" Ajuka asks completely ignoring her question.

"I don't think we should discuss my identity in the middle of the streets. Sirzechs I believed we can talk in a more peaceful place. I expect better treatment for someone who is the bright star of the Gremory family." Ddraig says.

"That voice… no... is impossible... but how?" Sirzechs asked after remembering that voice. He had met him once many years ago while the previous Red Dragon Emperor was still alive.

"Sirzechs relax. We can talk about it once we are in a more private place." Ddraig said as he approached the current satans. "Don't worry, I not going to attack or do anything against you so just guide us to a more private place."

Sirzechs sighs. "Lower your weapons. He is a friend of mine."

Ajuka looks surprised at this but says nothing against it.

Sometime later, Gregory's residence.

Ddraig was sitting down at a table alongside Tiamat, Ajuka, Sirzechs, Grayfia, Zeoticus, and Venelana. The tensions were still high but not a single one of the devils was willing to move a finger.

"Ajuka, Grayfia, mom and dad, this person is Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon in the flesh," Sirzechs says after not being able to endure the tension for longer.

The shock on the faces of all of those present was expected and their fears only increased.

"But how? This shouldn't be possible. You were trapped inside the booster gear." Ajuka says.

"Indeed, I was but that is the past. Please relax I'm not going to attack any of you. Yes, I'm free from the booster gear but that doesn't mean I'm going to start blasting attacks all around." Ddraig says.

But nobody truly believes it. It took an alliance of gods, devils, and fallen angels to killed him once. They didn't have those same resources to do it again and the situation between the sides wasn't the best at the moment.

Tiamat sees their faces and decides to interfere. "Ddraig, bring Issei out. It might be better for him to talk for the both of you."

"Sure," Ddraig says before he changes places with Issei. "Hello, members of the Gregory family and Ajuka-san. My name is Issei Welsh, I'm the original owner of this body."

"Wait what? How? When?" Asks Sirzechs after hearing the change in tone.

"If all of you give some of your time, I will give you the answers you are looking for. So please pay attention to my story." Issei said before he began to tell them his story.

After the story.

"So, you were human?" Zeoticus asks.

"Yes," Issei replies.

"And you are sharing a body with Ddraig?" Venelana continues.

"That is the case although we're going to become one single being at some point in the future." Issei continues.

"Are you fine with that?" Ajuka asks.

"My body was burned alive; I pray for salvation and Ddraig saved me. I lost my family, my humanity and have nothing else except for him. Sharing a body with him is no something I dislike, nor do I really care about becoming one being with him. I lost far too much, and I can't go back. What's done can't be reversed." Issei explains with a somber tone.

Tiamat grabs his hand as a sign of support and the other watches the interaction with curiosity.

"What about the booster gear? Do you have it? Or was it destroyed?" Grayfia asks. After hearing the story, she had curiosity regarding the sacred gear and its final fate.

"We absorbed it. Right now, is no longer what it initially was. It can't even be considered as sacred gear after what we did with it. Its remains had become part of this body." Issei focuses for a second before his left arm is covered by some kind of gauntlet. It was very different from the usual booster gear armor. This one was red and black with golden jewels. His fingers were sharp like knives.

Ajuka and Sirzechs watched the gauntlet with total surprise. The aura that emanated from the arm was strong neither of them wanted to receive any attack from that arm.

Issei focuses once more, and the gauntlet disappears.

"So, no more humans having the booster gear? That surely has heaven in complete chaos. Who else knows about your freedom Welsh Dragon?" Ajuka asks.

"Ophis, Great Red, and Tiamat are the only ones that we know of. I have been trapped within an egg for the past two years and as you might expect Tiamat was the one protecting it. I don't think there is someone else who knows about it, but I can't be 100% sure." Issei admits.

"We can expect that heavens at least know. The fallen angels might lack this information." Sirzechs says. "What are your plans now? You are free from the booster gear and it doesn't seem you possess any alliances. Are you open to start a treaty with us?"

Issei stays quiet before he responds. "I want to return to the human world. Kuoh town is my home and at least I want to find the remains of my parents. Ddraig has other places he wants to visit as well. For now, I agree to have a relation of no aggression between each other but nothing else at least for now."

"You know that Kuoh town is part of our territory. If you need any help to find their tomb or how to get your previous house back we can help you without any extra conditions," Sirzechs says.

"Not a single one?" Issei asks. He was analyzing all of Sirzechs actions and words for any possible lies.

"None, just accepting a treaty of non-aggression with us is enough. I know that Ddraig can cause more deaths than I could ever imagine and not having you as an enemy is a big step. For now, I can offer you a room within this house until you're ready to leave for the human world." Sirzechs says before extending a hand towards Issei. "Do I have your word?"

Issei looks at him for a few moments before closing the treaty with Sirzechs. "You can trust us. We will not attack the underworld or its denizens."

The other devils present sight in relief after hearing this. A heavenly dragon wasn't an enemy they wanted to have at all especially now that he was freed from his prison.

Ajuka and Sirzechs also knew that if they played their cards right, they could gain an ally instead of an enemy.

Tiamat was just happy with the fact that the current satans were smart enough not to provoke Ddraig and choosing a peaceful approach with him. If they chose to attack him, she was going to fight alongside Ddraig regardless of her association with Ajuka.

The reunion was going well but then a certain red-headed girl entered the room catching everyone by surprise.

"Rias? What are you doing here? This was a private meeting." Zeoticus asked after seeing his youngest daughter.

"Sorry I just- "Before Rias could say another word her body froze after seeing him.

His green eyes were so scary but at the same time so appealing to her. His presence was something that she feared but it also called her to approach him. Her heart stopped for a second and she felt she couldn't move her eyes away from him. "Who are you?" She asked with difficulty.

His face told her about the deep sadness he had to endure but that small smile towards her was enough to capture her attention. "Issei is my name."

That was the first time they meet and it became the beginning of something she couldn't let go of for the rest of her life.