There used to be a time where I got 5 new followers per chapter, and went 'nice'.
Now if it doesn't hit at least 50, I feel like I wasted the effort and think of ditching the story. Strange how small success changes people. Or me, particularly

But I'm not here to be pretentiously philosophical by admitting my hubris

The first arc is over. And if you feel like Rias and her peerage was just 'there', that's because they're not really key players in that arc. Not even Raynare. Issei and Azazel are. It's centered around these two discovering the glitches and finding ways to make use of it.

This 'arc' is where they'll start to mesh into the story

And where everything will start to derail from canon dxd. Seriously, stop doubting me for sticking to canon plotline.

enjoy

Fates Reforged

[Chapter 9]

||Whores||

"I'm sorry, Irina."

Were the first words he said to her the moment they met again, in the hallway of Kuoh Academy's old school building, where everything began to change.

She was still in her comfy blue pajamas. Her hair let down naturally and a complete mess, with cowlicks here and there, looking somewhat puffy.

Her violet eyes blinked, then narrowed as her brows furrowed. "That's not the right response to 'what're you doing here'. What gives?"

"Everything gives. You, a Devil. Me, knowing and not telling you about it. Until today. Ten-twenty seconds ago. Give or take five seconds."

She froze.

Her smile fell, and Irina had never looked so concerned. "You mean… you know the whole…"

"Devils, Fallen Angels. The supernatural stuff. Sacred Gears and others," he walked next to a wall to lean his shoulder against it. "I'm part of it, actually."

"...What?"

"I'm like you, Irina," he said, still too vague for her. But that might just be her denial. "I have a Sacred Rear. Gear," he shook his head incredulously. "No, my ass isn't divine… I appreciate divine asses though."

She looked hurt. Pained. Making a face most would make after being hit with hard truths. That was obvious and expected. Then she forced a smile, along with an understanding sigh. "...Then why're you saying sorry? It's not like you're in the wrong…"

"Rias told me what you did for me and my family."

"Our family, Issei."

Right… of course. Moronic of him to even forget Irina was orphaned.

"Yeah."

She sighed, her shoulders slouching. The tingly feeling in the place where a sword had stabbed her through was gone for a moment.

"...You know I'll never blame you for something I chose to do… Well unless I'm joking around and point fingers for the heck of it, but… this isn't something to joke around. Even I know that."

"You did it for me and mom and dad," he continued. "And I thought if I'm you, I'd feel frustrated. Don't want you to start thinking it was all for nothing. I'm watching over you here, y'know. As your older bro."

She made a 'psh' like noise. "You're so thoughtful," she said sarcastically, "and you're just five months older than me!"

"Yes, and I'm already eighteen, while you're still considered underage for most things."

"Well not like you can drink and smoke either."

"Those rules apply only to law-abiding Japanese citizens who have no idea about this side of the world."

"Then why bring age up?"

"To annoy you."

"I will kick your leg."

"Maybe when my body doesn't break easily like a celery."

Irina winced, in a good surprise kind of way. "...Wow. Where did your sass come from."

"It sort of grew in me unexpectedly... Like a tumor." And 5 years of being enslaved and overall being absolutely fed up and ridiculed by everything else around him. Even his own reflection looked ridiculous to him. Ridiculous in a way that 'look at where you've brought yourself, moron'.

Irina snorted. "You shouldn't joke about that stuff."

"Probably. I will anyway because I'm an inconsiderate asshole," he smiled ear to ear, without the teeth. "You're taking this pretty well, all things considered."

"...I mean I literally just woke up..." From one and a half days of rest, thanks to… her old acquaintance.

"Really? Hard to tell," he glanced down at her wrinkled baby blue shirt and shorts. Irina had dressed lightly ever since Italy. Not that he could tell. "Figured it was the best moment to deliver remotely bad news. Let the real shock seep in during the day. So. Breakfast?"

"...Egh… yeah…" Irina rubbed her eyes, when she suddenly jolted awake, and remembered. "...Wait...Murayama... I gotta see Prez—"

"She's at her house," Issei said, grabbing her wrist and stopping her. "Potentially wondering if everything was just a dream right now, until she meets Koneko who is picking her up. She's fine, Irina. Go eat your breakfast first."

"Do you even know what happened to her?!"

"Rias told me. Three hours ago when it was still morning." Some people might see eleven as part of morning, but that was really pushing it, really. Not that he ever slept... The Dragon body Ophis and Red created for him was so disgustingly perfect that he felt repulsed. He couldn't even enjoy life's simple things. Like food or sleep, since they weren't necessary.

Not like he had the time for them anyway.

"Your breakfast is getting colder and colder by the moment, you know," he told her, wanting to move things along.

Irina paused, scrutinizing him. "...How are you so… strangely casual about this?"

"What part of me 'knowing everything' you don't get?"

"Yes but for how long?"

"Long," he said vaguely.

She sighed. "Murayama got hurt because of me, Issei."

Oh boy here we go. If he wanted to be rude to his literal childhood friend turned wife who now had become sort of a step-sister with heroic self-blaming issues, he would have rolled his eyes. But he didn't, because he was the only one who was years older than them.

"She got hurt because one of those Exorcists shot a bullet through her chest. Incidentally, she triggered the flier she got from Rias' familiar, and is brought back as her Pawn, and likely saved your life."

Her eyes widened several more levels and intensity. "Wh— how did you know this much? I mean how are you even allowed?! Prez wouldn't— but whatever—" Irina yanked her wrist from his grip. "It doesn't change things... If I was better, then Murayama wouldn't—"

"I'm not going to let you beat yourself like this."

"I am at fault, Issei!"

"And I'm guessing it's your fault the Exorcist shot their gun too."

"If I was faster then I could've—"

Like he said, he wasn't allowing this. "Turn back time? Jump to the past like that superhero in red tighties with a ridiculous thunderbolt in his chest?"

"You don't get it…" Irina exasperatedly sighed, throwing her hands. "I was there, you know?! I have power to protect her!"

"And those bastards have the power to not kill her or hurt you. They did it anyway because they don't give a shit. What's the point you're trying to make here? Holding yourself responsible for something you didn't do?"

"I'm holding myself responsible for something I could've done better!"

"Be better then," he stared at her hard and harshly. Just the way someone should when Kiba got edgy all of the sudden. "There's not always a next time, eh? But there is for now. One for you and one for Murayama. She's your junior Devil now. You failed once, get over it and get better so you won't fail twice."

There was anger in her face before. Now it had left, and replaced by a mixture of bewilderment and 'did he really just say that?'.

"...Since when did you get so wise…? You were staring at Prez's boobs the entire day yesterday."

Because he was the biggest failure in the room, but failures tend to bring wisdom to those who actually learn from them instead of wallowing themselves in self-pity and bend over and let all the 'what-ifs' and 'if I could have been better' fuck them in the ass until they were dead both on the inside and outside.

"Aside from porn, I actually do watch movies." Instead, he said one of his prepared lines whenever anyone would question his 'wiseness' or 'grumpiness'.

"You've got to be kidding me." Unlike most, Irina didn't stutter or take aback or even shocked or blushed. She was raised with the boy for a year. All of her remaining innocence after she lost her parents had been stripped away day by day. So all she gave away was a trained rolling of her eyes. "This isn't a movie, Issei."

"No, but some movies have something you can learn from. Like 28 Days Later, about the importance of mental health during times of struggle. This is that time of struggle, and blaming yourself is very not good for mental health."

Very not good. He wouldn't have used any of these childish adverbs or adjectives if he didn't need to speak remotely similar to his appropriate age.

But whatever he had to do; he did. No questions asked. No one could answer him anyway.

"Come on," he slapped her hand in a playful manner. "You look like shit. Go eat then take a shower. Everyone's already eaten."

"...That's something to say to a girl."

"Pretty sure I thought you were a boy."

Irina scoffed, giggling. "That was before I have boobs."

"Yeah? What good are they if I can't squeeze 'em anyway," a blunt statement that slackened her jaw. "Let's go. Murayama's gonna be here any minute. You don't want your first impression as her Senpai to be looking disheveled and unprofessional."

break

True to his words, the Kendo captain did come.

Her reactions to becoming a Devil were reminiscent of his own. It completely wiped the shock of breathing the same air as the school's three divas. Murayama was stunned, flabbergasted, at total loss for words. Honestly scared and confused, panicking that Devils were bad people and scared she'd turned bad. All so humane and unfiltered… The fleeting joys of being a teenager, where wearing emotions on your sleeve was a good thing and not necessarily a weakness others could exploit.

Though Issei didn't remember this all being so… dramatic, he supposed was the better word to describe the scene.

Then again, the surprise didn't pack the same punch if you see it the second time. He could be a wiseass throughout this whole 'introduction', but he just stayed behind, near the exit door, where he just lied against the wall, hands crossed, looking like someone who was just there to spectate.

Some time later, Irina made a promise to protect both Murayama and Asia to be an 'Excellent Devil Senior', apologizing profusely for her failure. Unsurprisingly, Irina had heard of Asia's tale as the Holy Maiden, though not the disgusting treatment she received on a daily basis. How the Catholic Church treated her as a tool to 'spread blessings', relying on the 'kindness and gratefulness' of the people to fund their blessings. Where then the well-meaning higher-ranked individuals were unknowingly tricked to spend the spare donations to fund the undisclosed project of forcing orphans to train how to hold and swing a holy stick, or die trying.

The core religions looked good on paper, and they were good. The extremists and those who used it as means to and ends had always been the one to bring problems. Scary how easily faith could be and was used to misguide innocent and common people into wars. They separate instead of unite. Tools used by the ruling classes and the corrupt whereby the masses could shortly relieve their suffering via the act of experiencing religious emotions and connection to a God that wasn't there.

If he didn't know better, he would have blasted Heaven for their poor management. Damn Angels and their 'can't do bad things even if it's for good' moral code...

Many hugs were shared. A very emotional moment. If he wasn't so dead inside, maybe he would've felt touched other than feeling a bit awkward and borderline uncomfortable. Then again, Issei admitted he was a bit detached after years of practically being alone with the Dragon residing in his Longinus.

Speaking of uncomfortable, Raynare was out of place and out of it. Rias chided her skimpy getup for freaking out Murayama, but the Fallen Angel didn't even react or look pissy. Stuck in her own collapsing world. She left not five minutes after the obligatory introductions were finished, and Rias, understanding her circumstance, gave her the needed time alone without much consideration.

Seemed she was still trying to figure out a way to approach Raynare. Unlike most of her Servants, Raynare was far from vulnerable. She was the type to steer clear from people and push them away when they got too close.

To be fair, Azazel was a bit… severely honest with her earlier.

'You're no longer part of the Grigori. You're Rias' Gremory's Servant. Do your duty as a Devil and try not to sully your half-kin's reputation any further, will you?'

Her silence was justified. Did he feel bad for her? Yes and no. Yes he felt bad, but not to the point where he felt obligated to console her. She was a year younger to his consciousness. She must understand why Azazel was that harsh. Harsh, but necessary. Otherwise, it'd never get through her thick skull and she'd find ways to claw her way back to lick Azazel's boots, instead of doing things for herself.

"But… if you're all Devils… then even Hyoudou?"

First time his name was brought up after the introduction.

"He isn't," Rias answered her newest Servant. "Hyoudou is an ally. He bridges the gap between the Devils and the Fallen Angels, so to speak."

"Eh?! Hyoudou? Seriously?" Murayama gaped at her classmate, and subconsciously veered her eyes the instant they met.

"I'm someone who likes to stick their nose in things aside from boobies and butties," he added, earning the expected reactions from everyone around him. A harmful and judgeful stare from Koneko and Suzaku, amused face and giggle, innocent confusion, and a long, drawn-out sigh of pure disappointment. The last one came from Irina alone, who was still huddled in her group hug.

Rias was the only one who didn't react too strongly, though she did let out a small sigh. She understood he was the type of person to say things to get a strong reaction. Like a harmless fly that flew around to annoy people. Though instead of a fly, this one's a Dragon.

"Way to ruin the mood, Ikkun..."

"Nothing lasts forever," he shrugged, slightly raising his arms. "Well then, since we're all acquainted with each other… I probably should leave while you Devils fill her in with your… Devily duties."

"Leaving, Hyoudou?" Asked Rias just as he slid to the door.

"Gotta train hard 'n stuff, I mean look at me." He pulled up his shirt, his unsexy skinny body coming to view. Stomach flatter than old Koneko's chest and so barren of muscles. Which still flustered both Murayama and Asia as they blushed and pretended not to look. Koneko snorted a very harmful snort, but he didn't hold it against her. He knew how to take a joke.

"Look at my pecs," he said. "I'd snap like a twig. I want Irina's body. Minus the tiddies."

"You going to work out? I'll tag along then," Irina said with a hint of excitement, now clothed in the appropriate clothes for exercise; a loose shirt hiding her black sports bra but not her nicely toned abs, and a pair of track shorts that left half her thighs open for Issei to leer at without reservation. Her standard daily outfit, really.

"I need to stretch my legs a bit, that's fine right, Senpai?"

"Of course," approved Rias. "Though don't overdo it. Considering recent events, I can't allow you to leave the school grounds yet, Irina."

"Sure." He wasn't planning to anyway. Their school wasn't the most frugal with their immense budget. Baseball field, football field, in and outdoor swimming pools, a gymnasium completed with a baseball or volleyball court, a track court — hell, this was where he had spent most of his earlier days as a Devil to bulk up.

"Well… you better not ditch me, Ikkun."

"Damn. Really thought I could get away from you."

"Hm? What's that? Do you want to see how fast I can get if I'm serious?"

"You're a Knight. That's cheating."

"Well you have that Whoosh thingy! That'll make us even."

"It's 'Boost', not 'Whoosh'." Casting Haste might actually allow him to match her speed, but he was going for endurance, not explosive power at the moment. No Spells or Boost this time, and you could hear a deflating whine coming from a Dragon that wanted to be useful the moment he decided this.

"And while they train, Asia,"

"Y-yes?"

"Would you like a tour of the school?"

Asia beamed a bright, enthusiastic smile that brightened the clubroom. "Yes! Yes please! Thank you very much!"

Rias smiled gently. "We'll get new clothes for you as well. And Raynare… Anyone want to tag along?"

"I'm out of snacks," Koneko was a whisper to Irina's standard volume. "I'll go."

"Hmm… picking out clothes for our new juniors? Do you need to ask, Rias?"

Rias turned to Murayama. "You should join us too, Yukimura. There are some things you need to know as a Devil."

"G-gladly!" Like she could refuse the once-in-a-lifetime offer of going shopping with Rias Gremory.

Good for her, Issei supposed. The sooner she got accustomed to Rias and her peers, well, as her own friends instead of idols, the better she could grow both as a person and as a Devil.

That left only one Devil. "You? Suzaku?"

"I'll stay here. With Hyoudou-san and Shidou-san." For safety reasons.

"Cool. We got the Vermillion Priestess watching over us, Ikkun."

"..." If there was anyone other than Akeno who could make Suzaku feel embarrassed, it would be Irina.

"Still giving 'cool' nicknames to people, huh."

"Whatdyoumeanbythat!" Irina rapidfired the words, looking deeply offended at her childhood friend. "It sounds super cool!"

"You sure you weren't hit in the head? Cringe isn't cool, you know?"

"WH— how is that cringe!? It's true!"

"Whatever you say. Chuuni."

"Wh— I'm not a chuuni! We live in actual fantasy land here— hey don't walk away while I'm still talking to you! Hey! I will really kick your butt, Hyoudou!"

As Irina went after Issei who had skimmed out the door, Rias couldn't help but laugh at their sibling-like bond.

"All things considered, I'm glad they didn't change," Rias hummed. "Well… not drastically, anyway..."

"Mm~ youth. How adorable," Akeno tittered. "How come you never chase me around like that, Suzaku-nee?"

Suzaku lightly blushed. "...Don't be silly."

"But you were never silly. I'd like to see it once. You'd say the same, right? Rias?"

"I do, actually. I'm willing to pay to see that."

"Rias-sama, please don't fuel my cousin's malignant intent… the ones already there don't need company."

Their girly giggling was interrupted by a sigh which took their attention. They saw Murayama staring out at the door longingly.

"...Must be nice huh…"

Akeno widened her eyes and dropped her smile. "Oh my… could it be?"

Her Pawn was infatuated by the Dragon? How? Why? "We seem to have a lot more to talk about, Yukimura."

Murayama snapped out of it. "H-huh?"

On the couch, still sitting, all around happy to be surrounded by nice people, Asia smiled to herself, reminding herself to thank her Heavenly Father for everything once she wasn't around the Devils. She'd hate to harm them because of her faith.

Next to her, Koneko's amber eyes had been staring at her for quite a while. Specifically at her shoulder-length blonde hair.

"We should give her a haircut too, Senpai," Koneko suggested, causing the exiled sister to flinch.

"Hm? Ah yes, of course. Let's leave now then. Hold the fort while we're away, Suzaku."

break

Issei slept easily that night. Raynare didn't want to talk to him or anyone for that matter, and so he left her alone.

But his sleep was cut short as he watched his wives and children butchered before him.

"You did this to them."

He woke up. Not with a gasp or an abrupt sitting up or body drenched in sweat. There was a flinch, at most. He simply opened his eyes, stared emptily at the darkened ceiling of the dorm room, and exhaled a sigh.

Same shit again. Great. Apparently he didn't exhaust himself enough to not dream. He wasn't a Dragon yet. He needed sleep. And if it kept being interrupted dead in the night because of some ridiculous bad dream trying to make him feel guilty of his decision, then he might have to buy some sleeping pills.

Issei sat up then, and glanced around. Raynare's blanket rose and fell slowly, rhythmically. She was fast asleep.

He checked his phone on the bedside table, which was uncharged, and promptly plugged it as he checked the time. One o'clock.

His eyes found the black and gold container resting next to his wallet.

...Well...might as well.

Sliding his foot to his fluffy rabbit-eared slippers courtesy of Rias Gremory, quietly, he crept outside his dorm room. The flooring, though made of wooden panels, didn't creak. Devil Magic, he guessed. Or carpenter's glue. Or a very meticulous designing and carpentering. One or the other.

As he walked down the dark hallway made eerier due to it being a school, and schools at night were just creepier, he learned he wasn't the only one up.

Suzaku was gazing outside an opened window. Her eyes closed. A cool night breeze made her dark hair dance, flowing down to her waist. A picturesque beauty that was effortlessly enchanting. Her dignified, distant air seemed to agree to make her even more unapproachable.

The old Issei would probably freeze on the spot, but this Issei was… not as easily enchanted by beauty alone. The Goddesses were beautiful, but their souls were rotten.

Boobs, thighs and asses might be the 'holy trinity', but soul was more important to him.

Still, he was able to appreciate them. A treat for his tired eyes, to put simply.

Her red eyes burned like cinders in the dark as she spotted him. A lit cigarette in hand.

"Hyoudou? You're awake?"

"Sleepwalking, sadly," he replied nonchalantly as he perched on the other end of the window. A person could fit in the gap between them.

"You shouldn't smoke here," she scolded lightly.

"Why not? The smoke doesn't smell and doesn't stick to the walls. Its ashes go poof in contact with the wind," he reasoned. "If this is any ordinary cancer stick, I wouldn't have smoked it."

"..." Suzaku seemed to want to say something, but she killed the words before they could exit her lips. Sighing noiselessly instead.

Striking a conversation with a beautiful girl is difficult. But when he had little to no care about appearance, it became as simple as cracking open a skull of a Chimera.

"What about you, Senpai? What you doing out here? Brooding?"

She looked at him. It was a stare, but just a bit more intense than a simple stare but not too intense to be considered as a glare.

"Initially I was planning to enjoy an alone time."

"Oooh…scathing. Shooing me away eh?" he laughed playfully, "I'm sorry, Senpai. I see people wanting to be alone and I just can't help but pick on them. But I'll be polite. Can I stay here while I burn my lungs?"

"..." Suzaku paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Well. You just did," he pointed out with a crack of an amused smile.

She sighed. He was the first smartass she encountered and possibly had to deal with on a daily basis - which was why she stayed in the first place; to get accustomed to him. While she appreciated the non-special treatment, she didn't know the appropriate approach for sarcastic people like him.

So she went for the most direct.

"Why do you smoke?"

Because these rolls of minimized cancer were the only thing he could carry and find pretty much in every nook of the world he had to rescue. Because this was the only thing that remained from Azazel when he and Vali broke through Trihexa's seal. Because he got addicted to its taste and loved the sensation, and that it helped to clear his head. Because it was an effective way to break the ice to some people, or the perfect excuse to walk off and do his own thing. A whole new level of relaxation and alertness at the same time. It relaxed his muscles, and it let him step out and took a tiny moment for himself.

Because it was his own mini ritual to remember the deceased. A toxic reminder that he was saving the world for them.

And after a while, though he didn't notice it as much, it became a habit on top of addiction.

He looked at her, the real answer brewing in his head, begging to be let out so they could get people to pity him. Instead all he said to her were sentences delivered dryly.

"So I feel less average. Add more depth to my character. To look cool."

"...I don't believe a single word you said."

"Well you called my lies then."

"Why do you smoke, Hyoudou?" she pressed again.

"No emotional traumas here," he convinced, lying as naturally as he walked. "Sometimes, people just smoke because they want to. I'm guessing you probably know about my past. It's dull, but enviable by dudes that aren't so lucky." Not that he believed in luck. Just an appropriate figure of speech.

His childhood was nothing inspiring. The worst traumatic event he had was when his mother discovered his porn stash. Still, he was born in a good family. A family Vali wanted. The Devil who lived for the fight even told him he wanted to try trading lives with him. To which Issei promptly told him to fuck off because in no hell he'd want Rizevim as a grandparent.

Suzaku would be lying to say she wasn't envious of it too.

She once had it, after all.

She and Akeno had it all.

But all was taken away as easily as the vile wretches ordered for the death of Shuri Himejima. Throwing them away like they would a stone. So casual and thoughtless. No remorse. Just plain, unadulterated, unreasonable hatred towards the Fallen Angel.

Still, she appeared concerned and unconvinced. "...Is it because of your friend? Shidou-san?"

"Irina? No. Her decision to be a Devil. Not my place to moan about it." More to that, if he started to pummel himself with guilt for every major change of the past, then he wouldn't be here. Likely hanging somewhere in the woods.

The tampering Gods were the ones to blame.

"...I see… If that's the case then... I'm sorry if I pried too much."

Issei shrugged, telling her not to mind it. She apologized, at least.

"Rias-sama would appreciate it if you can convince Raynare-san to wear…" she paused, searching for a word. "...less divulging attire."

He snorted. "Why? Because she looks like a slut?"

The prude Suzaku was taken aback. "I-I… that's not the way I would put it…"

"No? She does look like one though," Issei mused. The thin trail of grey haze coiled in the cold air. "It's almost like she intended to be seen like one. Strange that, huh."

That put her into a pensive pondering. "...But…why would she?"

"She has a distracting body and isn't against using it or flaunting it," he briefed. "Like a peacock, except, y'know. She's a woman. Humans tend to fall and make agreements with Fallen Angels that way. Well… the female Fallens, at least. The male dress themselves sharply instead, because who'd want to see the Governor in a gimp suit?"

'...What's a gimp suit?' was the question lingering in her head that Suzaku wisely avoided asking. She assumed it was something vulgar.

Akeno would confirm it if she wasn't asleep.

"How long have you been working with Azazel-dono, Hyoudou-san?"

"Enough for him to tell me things."

A vague reply… he hadn't told everything he knew to the Devils. But Suzaku supposed it was understandable and perfectly within reason. They knew each other for several days, and time was needed to build trust.

The grey smoke twirled skyward as if the wisps were dance partners of ancient myth. They had their own way of revealing the air, making an artistry of its swirls and flow.

"He told me things like the Fallen Angel's mindset that everyone's a whore."

"...? I don't think I quite follow…"

"He's got a point, actually. Whores sell their bodies for money. We just sell different parts of ourselves for something different." He inhaled the smoke seeping out his lips, puffing them out from his mouth. He could see the surprise flitting in her sunset red eyes. "The less coarse term is called having a job or duty, I guess."

"...And what of the people who do enjoy their job? Teachers who like to teach?"

"It's not a matter of enjoyment. Teachers trade their knowledge for money. The good teachers at least…"

Suzaku appeared conflicted. Wanting to rectify his statement. "That's not the same…"

"Fair point, I'll raise another; what of those who don't and secretly wish a truck would run them over but can't because their parents/friends/partner would be gutted? No one works as hard as an ugly stripper."

That threw her off. Both the statement and the term. Her lips moved for an inch, attempting to speak but stopping as Suzaku processed that statement, and saw the dark truth behind it. No one had ever been born equal or given equal opportunities or results, unfortunately.

She and her cousin were the living proof. All of Rias' Servants were. The driving force that made her King who she was today. Rias knew she couldn't get rid of all the miseries in the world, be it Earth or Hell. Empathy was running low on both ends, and one world perceived empathy as a weakness. But at the very least, Rias believed she had the resources and the will to help better those around her. Suzaku could see that in her the moment she reunited with Akeno, and found her able to smile.

Nobody could change the past… but their future was for the present to shape.

"...Though it isn't inaccurate, morbid as you have put it; any particular reason behind your cynical worldview?"

"Probably spent too much time on the internet reading depressing news. Might be because I thought about where I'd be if I'm not who I am."

That, and he had seen people working in retails. Noticed the dark circles under their eyes and how their eyes would scream for help whenever they had to serve that one customer. Both Motohama and Matsuda would tell stories of their workplace hell, and how a clean inbox on Saturday was like receiving a gift from heaven, where then 20 new mails would bitchslap them in the face during Sunday.

In his meager spare times, people-watching while smoking a pack was a rather cheap and available activity when he was needed every ten minutes in a different realm. He still thought being a normal human to be the closest worst nightmare, because he would be constantly surrounded by people and had no power or the evil capacity to push them down the stairwell.

"You're still young, Hyoudou," the Himejima encouraged him, slightly scolding. Very much like a mother scolding her child who just said some bad things. "We both are. Cynicisms aren't for us. Being completely naive and thinking the world is a paradise is a completely different thing, however..."

He agreed with her wholly. He didn't want to be this cynical bastard. It stressed him out most of the time. Wore him down more than it should. But after every shit he had seen, every sacrifice he made, the time forever lost being away from his own friends and family because he had to mingle with some world-ending assholes, some things were just harder to turn a blind eye to.

Issei wouldn't mind if his consciousness reverted to his 17 year old one. Where he had little to no care for the outcome of his life and others around him. So fucking blissfully blind unless it was something related to tits. He changed a lot in the first year as a Devil and then the following year where he became a hero.

He enjoyed it at first. Becoming the hero! What great pride! What an honor, how exciting. Yada yada yada. But the remaining four years had steadily degraded him into this… pragmatic son of a bitch who had problems sympathizing and empathizing with others he couldn't give a shit about.

'You must be very proud of yourself!'

No. He didn't. Not one split second. He loathed what he was forced to become. He hated his decisions, no matter how necessary as it was to save himself and his future and those he loved. Having to constantly expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised when things actually didn't go wrong. Not even right. Just normal, the way they should. When normalcy became a rarity to be grateful of, he found it hard to not lose his sanity.

Besides, he always vented via clubbing a God's face with their ripped hand, or stabbing a Dragon with its own broken horn. He found the irony and humiliation they felt to be poetically cathartic. Nothing could ugly cry as ugly as an Evil Dragon or a God that had been so thoroughly disgraced and properly beaten.

But none of those have happened here yet… nor do they have to. This time it will be different. No matter the cost.

"Cynicism is basically realism taken too far," he said instead. "Cynics often claim they're realists when they aren't. They brood and mope and do nothing."

"I'll take that as a way for you to deny my admittedly shallow allegation."

"I'm not denying it, I'm challenging it. The way you picture yourself in your head is different from how others see you, right?"

That was… a heavy thought delivered in such a lighthearted manner that Suzaku had to pause for a few moments, experiencing her first identity crisis in the middle of the night, with the bright moonlight shining down half their faces, casting a shadow on their other half.

"Well? What do you think? Am I a cynic or a realist or something else? Though I often feel 'cynical' is a term of abuse hurled at people who are judged to be insufficiently 'positive' by people who believe negativity is the only real cause of all the world's bad stuff."

"Though it's easy to see how someone can be too cynical or not cynical enough. Either extreme of the spectrums aren't… suggestable, in the world we live in. Or any world, for that matter."

"So. A realist is what you are."

"Rationalist, I'd prefer."

"Do you believe in justice?"

Suzaku lowered her thin eyebrows. "...? Of course."

He laughed. An amused snigger. "And I thought rationalists base their actions on reason and knowledge rather than a belief or fiction. Fantasy."

"But they do," Suzaku replied. "And fantasy? Justice isn't fantasy."

"Is it? Then take the entire universe and ground it to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve. Find one atom of Justice or one molecule of Mercy. Or draw it on a whiteboard like you'd draw up numbers or letters."

Justice, mercy, honor, duty. Other beliefs that aren't religion, but kept everything together. The 'little lies' that made humans, human. It applied to Devils, Fallen Angels, Vampires, Angels… so their society kept functioning.

Sadly they didn't matter as much for Gods. They cared only about their own standpoint. They decide their own fantasies and believe in it.

Suzaku was silent, deep in her thoughtful pondering. Never had she expected to have nighttime chatter about ideologies with the person who peek at the girls' changing room on a daily basis, tolerated only because of his unique potential.

Reality is stranger than fiction indeed…

"...If so, then what do you call someone who believes in those fantasies?"

"Human," he said, casting another cloud of haze. "Or humane, I guess, for the 'not-human'."

"I…see…" she raised her eyes to meet his. They were like dark chocolate in the dim light. "Do you believe in justice then?"

"Nope. No justice. Just us." He was rationally cynical, after all.

All realists are.

"...Then I think I'll need time to decide," she finally muttered. She stared at him with concern, but also with a renewed look of respect. Awe, almost. For some reason - a reason she couldn't really pick out from her conscience - she also felt oddly sad for him, with a hint of confusion mixed in.

Even though he was a year younger than her, Suzaku knew enough to tell there were reasons behind the way he saw the world. Behind his smokes and this unexpected side of his.

"...I… forgive me if I offend you by asking this; but are you…alright? Hyoudou-san?" she asked gently, "I don't mean to be rude… but if you do need help on something..."

He scoffed a sharp laugh, sounding like a cough. "It's fine. I have my help. This,-" he lifted the burning white roll resting between his middle finger and index finger. "-and a shitload of alcohol."

"There are far healthier alternatives—"

"They won't kill me, don't worry. This cigarette brand is special. Won't cause cancer. And I have a strong liver. For alcohol." He patted the upper middle part of his belly, just below his ribcage, where his new Dragonified liver currently nestled. "Though it'll still mess up your vocal chord, but… then again, I never was a great singer."

There had never been any specifics regarding which human part he could surrender to Ddraig. Each just needed a bit of time to adapt working inside a majorly human body.

"...As long as it's in moderation, I suppose it's fine... Do it excessively and it'll lead to addiction and depression at the worst." A bit late for that. Not that she knew. "I've heard of talented young Devils sent on a downward spiral after a crushing defeat of a Rating Game, Hyoudou-san. I can ask Rias—"

"You're worried," he cut her off again, looking older by the moment. Deep down a bit annoyed but pushed it down under his neutral face. "It's in your nature to worry about others, and that's great. Nosey as you are."

He chuckled, and Suzaku felt a bit of a relief, though did feel a bit guilty for pushing her boundaries on someone she just met for a day despite observing him for years. Not to mention he was like a completely different person compared to the pervert whose notoriety was known throughout the entire school. As if she was talking to someone more… mature than her. More experienced.

But how was that possible? He'd never snuck out during the night since the last two years. Rather, he'd stay at his friends' house and that was it. Never got into a fight -received plenty of deserved beatings, however-, and generally a law abiding citizen with a concerning addiction towards eroticism - all of which had disappeared or phasing out of the blue.

He continued, braking her suspicion train. "But I'm not a piece of furniture some repairman with a degree can magically fix, Himejima. Words won't help. Comforting or encouraging. They'll make me laugh, sure, but that's it."

Yes he had dents in him. Some parts bent. Probably some holes too. He knew. But he could work just fine. Perhaps it was that stupid 'man'-side of him that was forcing him to pretend everything was fine.

"If you're worried and want to lend it to someone who could use it; Raynare's here. Now that girl is a shipwreck of emotions compared to me. Mostly anger and angst, but fires are fire, and could use some patting down before it spreads."

Suzaku sighed softly in a yielding manner. "I don't suppose she's easy to approach."

"She's stubborn. You just have to be more stubborn if you want to get your point across," he said. "And you talk like you're any easier."

"..." she blushed, smiling sadly. "I...realize that I'm not nearly as approachable as Rias-sama or Akeno… but I appreciate when others do approach me."

"Even if they're a disgusting, vile smoker?"

She breathed a gentle laughter. "Even if they do smoke."

"Well then maybe that's not entirely a bad thing. Just because you're quote — unquote 'unapproachable'," he did the air quotes, fingering the air, "doesn't mean you shouldn't approach people. I think they might be impressed, actually, if you come to them. The students would probably screech like they're meeting a celebrity."

"...I'd rather be seen and treated as their fellow students than anything…"

"Life can be hard even when being so unaverage, is it?" Issei cackled, coughing out smoke. "—egh, dammit…" He then cleared his throat, dismissing Suzaku's look of concern and the slight 'I told you so' hidden underneath. "Then again, not exactly my place as the most notorious kid in school to say stuff about your diva status."

"...You have friends. Many of them. Even in spite of your… erm… reputation."

"Probably because I'm seen as a normal guy who creeps them out time to time. They probably found it funny, eventually. But you? You're like a princess to us common people. They see you as like… like an ascended goddess or something like that. You, Akeno, and Rias. What do they call you again…? The Three Great Onee-samas?"

Suzaku exhaled a faint sigh. "...Two."

"Mm? What's your moniker again?"

"I… don't recall." She tried to not to, rather. She didn't need to feel any more distant. "But I'm certain Shidou-san might know."

"Well, then again you are a Devil, Suzaku," her first name slipped too naturally to his tongue, and he didn't realize it yet. "It's not entirely a bad thing to not make too deep of a connection with regular humans. The Devils around you adore you, I can tell that much just by staying here for a day. You're like their reliable big sister, sort of. Aside from Raynare, for obvious reasons."

"...Perhaps you're right," a small smile lifted the edge of her lips. "Neither Rias-sama or Akeno ever let anyone grow too close to them as well."

"See? Just live out your school life. 'Enjoy it while it lasts' kind of thinking."

He noted her stare as more than a simple stare. Kind of one of those stares of disbelief.

A trail of dark grey smokes danced between them. "Must be weird seeing this side of me, eh?"

"For the most part," she admitted.

"You'll get used to it. I'm well-intentioned. For the most part."

"...And should I be worried about your less well-intentioned intentions?"

" 'course not," Issei huffed a quiet breath of air. "You know where I stand and what I want from all of this. Those aren't secrets."

"That you seek for peace… along with the Governor…" she completed. "Still… why? I mean, why drag yourself into all of this? You could've hidden yourself away like you have."

He raised an eyebrow. "And continue to waste away my days by being a plague on society?"

"Ah… right… I'm sorry..." muttered Suzaku, feeling silly for forgetting such a fact. Rias had mentioned he was here because he was done 'sleeping'. "If you don't have the Boosted Gear but are still aware of this side of the world, what would you have done?"

Issei didn't even need to think. "Irina's here. I'll do the same for her."

And for her too, of course, as well as all of his future girls he might not get. But romancing them wasn't and shouldn't be his top priority. They weren't objects made to be objectives.

More so as they weren't exactly the same, safe for Akeno and hopefully Asia.

Rias was mature. More composed and evidently less self-conceited. Irina and Suzaku weren't meant to be here in the first place. Koneko had boobs - and though her sass was still appreciated, he couldn't tell or ask what happened to her and Kuroka during the past. He couldn't even determine if Kuroka was alright and not rotting in a jail cell somewhere in the Underworld.

He worried for them. He just shouldn't show it. Not now.

They were unique. Always have been to him, and he'd like to get to know them all over again, even if it meant he could fuck up his desired future with them as his brides.

He'd avoid that kind of ending, of course, but he wasn't the one to decide how or when or who their heart belonged to. It was them who chose him, not him who decided.

"...I see…" Suzaku spoke in a hushed tone. "...I must say you're an interesting person, Hyoudou-san. And I don't think you're a cynic since you do things for others. I don't know what you've gone through for you to… be who you are now, but I'd like you to know Rias-sama and I value your effort highly. This 'peace' you talk of… I hope it won't be too far away."

Issei lowered his eyes, staring at her arms clutching the wooden sill of the opened window. He hoped so too.

And to think that was still the first step… Kokabiel and his moronic goal, Cao Cao and his band of morons, Rizevim and his band of evil morons, Nyx and her posse of godly morons...

As he stared out the window, Suzaku caught herself staring at him in wonder. Not amazement, but just curiosity. She wanted to know him more. To understand him better. Why? Maybe so she could feel better about herself for previously labelling him as, well, as a nobody.

"Do you mind?"

"Ah… yes, I'm sorry—"

"No, not that," he snickered. "You said you often stay up late. You mind if we do this again?"

Suzaku slanted her head. "...Do what, exactly?"

"Talk, you silly."

"Oh…" A light tinge of red crept up her cheeks. "W-well… I have no place to refuse, so..."

"What're you on about? Of course you can not talk to people when you don't want to."

"I hate to offend anyone when it's avoidable..."

"E~h?" he hummed in a playful tone. "Are you a people pleaser, Himejima-senpai?"

"N-no, I—"

"Before you please everyone, you should pleasure yourself first," he muttered, then making a face. "Huh. Might've gotten some parts wrong there, but you get what I mean."

The blush in her cheeks reddened. "...It's not that I want to please everyone… I just… rather not offend you. P-people who talk to me, I mean," she quickly corrected herself.

'Gabriel's sanctified tits— was she ever this adorable?' "I get what you mean," he said, shaking his head with a smirk, burning the now useless cigarette butt as it had nothing to filter. "I'm just teasing."

"..." she blinked, then frowned to herself. "Akeno may yet have finally met her match."

"Really? Does she like to tease people?"

"Excessively, might I add."

"Huh," Issei nodded plainly. Tell him about it. Akeno was the most proactive seducer compared to the rest, even before she actually did fall for him. Ever the slyest and will-take-advantage-of-their-moments-without-feeling-reserved-to-the-others kind of girl. Well, at least until Kuroka entered the picture...

Gods he hated how dumb and dense he was then. He wondered how they could have possibly put up with his denseness that rivaled a black hole.

"You look like twins," he said. "Are you?"

"No, I'm her cousin."

"Huh… you really look alike."

"Only from appearance, I'm afraid."

"Hm? Does she speak like you as well?"

"...? What do you mean?"

"You know. Like there's an invisible wall between us. Or is that just me?

Suzaku looked shocked for a moment. Nobody had addressed her distant formality this direct. "...I...see…"

"Was that rude? Sorry if that was rude." He knew if he didn't go for this approach and just waited for her to lower her walls, he'd just be like everyone else that might've tried to talk to her.

"No. Not at all," she shook her head, looking introspective for a flash. "Akeno was raised in a normal family."

"Unlike you then, is what you're saying."

"...I wouldn't say mine isn't normal, but… they're simply more… sophisticated compared to most."

His widened his eyes. "Uwah— am I talking to some kind of a royal right now? I mean, Rias is obvious, but you as well, Senpai?"

She smiled. "I'd thought you'd heard about what happened in the past considering you knew Azazel-dono quite well."

"He told me about Rias, honestly. That she's Satan Lucifer's sister and is more readily cordial compared to Sona Sitri."

Suzaku blinked, remembering. "Ah… you are going to meet with her tomorrow, no?"

"Me and Azazel will," he nodded. At least they got Rias to back them up from Sona's suspicions. Why couldn't Serafall be the younger sister instead… And the fact that Suzaku didn't correct him or say that Sona was friendly already told him that she didn't change.

"Sona-sama might be strict, but she does it for the Devils, Hyoudou-san. I assure you she will come to terms."

"Well. I hope so," muttered Issei. He then dug out a pack from his shorts' pocket, and towed out another white cylinder. Suzaku kept on staring as the cinders burned, probably stemming from a morbid fascination towards someone who was doing things she wouldn't do.

Her head tilted in slight wonder as he blew out rings of smoke, watching them dissipate as they travelled slowly through the air.

"I'd ask about what happened to you and Akeno, but you suddenly look sad, so..."

Sad? But wasn't she smiling then?

"And now you look surprised again."

How could he read her better than Akeno already?

"Was it… obvious? Am I obvious?"

"Obvious? Hm? Are you trying to mask your emotions or something?" he asked her with a casual look, toying with the hand-sized black box with golden stripes containing his unhealthy coping mechanism packaged in finger-length cylindrical rolls of tobacco and nicotine. "Doesn't it tire you out after a while?"

"...You get used to it," she muttered. "Won't you already know? You've hid this side of yours for so long from all of us."

"That what you think?" Issei leaned his side against the window sill. "That I was… faking it all?"

"...Weren't you?"

" 'course not. I planned on enjoying my 'normal' time before I will eventually get roped into this end of the world." He blew the smog outside the window. "It's over. I enjoyed it."

"Over?"

"Yeah, it's over," he sipped his smoke. "What, you don't think I'll stay in school, do you? I've gotta work out this stick bod." He clapped on his chest, creating weak pathetic thuds. "Look at me… I'm literally skin and bones, with tiny bits of meat. A starving lion would look at me and think I'm a walking tree."

The analogy got her to titter and smile, but it was quickly wiped away. "You plan on abandoning your education, Hyoudou-san?"

"Not education, normalcy. I've had my share of it. For seventeen years, actually. Wait, eighteen."

And to be perfectly honest, none of the things he studied in school or university mattered one bit in his future. And as if he'd spent another four years studying and reliving those moments again. He could do much more than just sitting and listening and waiting for break time and the bell signifying the end of the school day.

But he wouldn't be so banal and say it straight to her. On top of disguising themselves in human society, these Devils went to school for the sake of experiencing what is considered 'normal', after everything they had been put through.

"...Then… What of your friends?"

"They're better off not knowing me," parting ways with the M&M would be a punch in the gut, no doubt… but he couldn't drag either of them into this again. Maybe in the future, when nobody would want to use them as hostages.

"Are you… are you going to make yourself disappear from their life? What will your parents say...?"

"Nothing. Azazel bought them tickets to wander around the world. Take a break from their job. A long break. They should be leaving tomorrow. The Bahamas, Bali, Hawaii… all the places they wanted to go but couldn't because of me. And money," he chuckled. Money. The source and solution to many problems. "The Grigori will keep them safe and away from any supernatural mess."

For someone whose parents had shunned her, Suzaku felt deeply saddened by his decision, but she tried to not show too much of it through her expression. "You don't you think you are making unnecessary sacrifices? ...What about Irina-san?"

On the opposite. This was necessary. So necessary that he couldn't even joke about it.

"She agreed to it," he said with a warm, mocking kind of grin. "This ain't a permanent goodbye, Himejima. No need to be so dramatic."

Was she being dramatic? But that's not important here. "Earlier you told me to enjoy it while it lasts, then why don't you? You still have a year in here, Hyoudou-san."

"I did enjoy it. It did last. But I'm getting too emotionally invested a bit too quickly, sadly," he said, partly untrue. He cared for the Devils, not his schoolmates except the M&M and Aika Kiryuu. She was just a female version of him. "So I'm cutting away all the strings before it gets too complicated."

Suzaku frowned. He found it funny that when she smiled, her smile didn't reach her eyes. But when she frowned, her eyes became saddened as well.

"Besides, I'm working with Azazel. Can't do stuff with him when I have to do stuff in school, can I," he said, all to alleviate her concern, or at least distract her by bringing the Governor into the conversation. "

Which worked wonderfully. "...I can't help but wonder what else you are hiding from us."

"Just all the stuff that is of Grigori's concern. Sorry to say but he's a faction leader. It's not like you Devils aren't hiding anything from him either now, aye? Being wise in what to show and what not to show, that sort of thing."

"W-well… I suppose you're right... I am in no position to stop you either. You understand what you are doing, much as I've gathered. Though I do wonder where you learn to protect yourself, Hyoudou-san. I mean during our assault… I saw you dispatched a Fallen Angel with ease."

"C'mon now. You don't think I practiced before?" In this timeline? That'd be a complete lie.

"...Indeed… I admit Rias-sama has only observed you for two years. We've no tracks of what you've done in the past fifteen years."

"Hn? Are you admitting you've all been watching me this entire year? Gee, Senpai, you can at least be discreet if you're gonna stalk me."

The rosey cheeks appeared again. "M-mere observation… And I say that because I feel you must know… So it won't cloud your trust when you suddenly learn of it."

"Just those reasons? Damn. I thought I finally got myself a stalker. And a pretty one at that," he added. "Though that ain't much of a compliment since all stalkers are… not exactly pretty..."

"Ah… There you are~"

His previous statement was immediately defied by the Night itself, who had finally found the end of one specific thread of fate. It wasn't Suzaku's voice who gave him such a disjointed reply. It wasn't even a reply, just a statement.

The two sharply turned their heads to look outside the window, and saw the moon had been completely covered by darkness. Not clouds, but darkness. As though an eclipse occurred during a full moon, as a figure levitated down the air, carrying a thick blackness behind her.

Issei remembered her. Long hair dark as the night. Misleading childish face on the body of a young adult. Black and white gothic lolita jumper skirt… even he remembered her gloating chuckle in the back of his mind.

How could he ever forget the whoring piece of domino who tumbled and caused the chainreaction of pissed off Gods wanting a piece of him?

Suzaku immediately went to high alert, breaking away from the window where Issei still stood, unmoving, undisturbed, and unimpressed. Though that was just what was visible on the outside. A calm sea hiding the terrible monster hidden beneath its depth, already devising ways to bring the Goddess of the Night to heel, and drag her into the depths where he could finish her off for good.

'Nyx…' His scathing thought awakened the slumbering Ddraig, who jumped and instantly linked their thoughts.

{Partner?}

'Drakey boy… What do you think about my entire body?'

{...Partner? You can't mean…}

'Oh I do.'

To be continued...

Finally, after 9 fookin chapturs. Suzaku slides in

And Nyx jumped the gun, because it'll be boring to wait for 15 chapters just to bring her in. Why not now when she can fuck shit up and mess with his whole... made up backstory.

On an unrelated note, it really fucking sucks when 99% of your problems in life that cause you to lose sleep are from not having enough money to fix them

I don't have that problem anymore, but my close friends do, and knowing they're struggling just makes me feel like shit. Well why don't you help them? I am, you dipshit.

Now i feel like im stuck in a loop. Kinda just want to pitch a tent beside a lake and never go back, probably get mauled by a bear or sumthin. I think this is leaking to my stories too, hence the actual reason for my break.

But anyway. Stay frosty