Shivering, Issei was very busy trying to delete the events that just occurred from his memories. Sitting on a bench in the middle of a nice, quiet park, the new devil stared blankly at the piece of paper in his hands.

His first contract...and it was a horror beyond belief.

"Wow, you look like you met Cthulu."

The voice startled him as he jumped and almost fell of the bench. Seeing the source of the voice, he let out a sigh of relief and stopped clutching the piece of paper to his chest.

Being a devil was meant to be a secret after all.

It was Sid, clad in a normal red hoodie, with said hood on, and blue jeans, drinking from a can of cola. He let out a satisfied breath after finishing it and threw it into the trash can. After that, he sat down next to the devil and leaned his right arm to the bench back.

"What happened?"

Issei sighed at the question and his body lost all tension as it slumped over like a puppet with no strings.

"First devil summoning..."

"Didn't go to well?" Sid asked with a slight wince, despite the smile on his face.

His pity only served to depress the boy more and the gloomy aura intensified.

"Here I was, ready to grant an awesome wish like the cool devil that I am..." Tears were streaming down his face as he looked his friend into the eyes, who visibly recoiled in shock. "And it turns out the summoner was a super muscular guy, total creep, who wanted to become a damn magical girl! While being dressed in said magical girl outfit! I mean, that is disgusting and impossible!"

As he cried and covered his face, from the horror he was forced to witness, the foreigner patted his back as he whistled in morbid amazement.

"Wow, when I said your bad luck is inhuman, I didn't mean it literal." He scratched his cheek. "Anyway, the wish isn't impossible, but..."

"Wait, he can become a magical girl?" Issei questioned with wide eyes, shock written all over his face. Sid bit his lips as he averted the gaze of the wielder of Boosted Gear.

"I know a guy who could grant that wish." He shook his head and sighed. "But you do not want him to interact with you. Shit always goes down where he appears."

This made the student click his tongue in frustration.

"Damn, here I thought I could grant his wish..." The previous hope out of his body, he slumped down again on the bench. "Prez is so going to be mad at me."

"Not your fault, so I don't think she will punish you." After a comforting smile, he stopped for a moment. Following that, he asked interested: "Speaking of which, how did it go?"

Remembering the moment, a big goofy grin appeared on his face and the devil put his arm around his seat neighbor.

"It was awesome!" He exclaimed and his face came closer to Sid's face, as he extends his other arm, as if he presented something to him. "Prez is such a nice person and they all welcomed me! Explained me a lot of stuff and they were very patient on top of that! Did you know that Akeno, Koneko and the damn handsome Kiba are also devils?"

"Yes."

The Red Dragon Emperor chuckled in a prideful manner and distanced himself from the young man.

"Knew it! Well, they are and-Wait, what?" Finally having processed his statement, Issei trailed off and gave him a look of confusion.

Said person just stared back, flatter than a paper.

"Did you think I wouldn't investigate Rias after you got my attention for her?" Smugly, he pointed at himself. "Magic. Anything else?"

Despite the downer, the student regained his happiness and gladly recounted the events with a girn:

"Well, she gave me a run down of all the factions and explained me how a devil works and all that." He paused for a moment, looking up as he tapped his chin. "Also, she made me show off Ddraig. She was surprised I already knew how to use him." A dry chuckle escaped him as he stared at his left arm. "The damn lizard was right about that Longinus stuff and how he was one of the strongest Sacred Gears."

"Is it really called Boosted Gear?" Sid asked in an equally dry tone. Issei nodded and the older one of the two groaned. "The name still sounds stupid."

"That's rich, coming from you," the future harem king stated with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. The Vietnamese man shrugged as a reply.

"Touche. So, anything else?"

The devil's forehead wrinkled a little, as he closed his eyes. After a while of mental strain, the young man shook his head-

"That's it. I didn't go back yet."

Which reminded Issei of his failure.

He slumped down on the bench again with a slight whine.

This time, Sid made no movement to cheer him up again, instead enjoying the silence, while ignoring the gloominess radiating from the teenager.

"By the way, a Fallen Angel wanted to kill you. Thought you were a Stray Devil."

The offhand comment surprised the devil, who tilted his head.

"Stray?" Then he processed the first part of his words.

Naturally, he jumped up from his seat and exclaimed in shock: "Wait, I got attacked?!"

"No, monkey boy kicked his ass and then I shanked him in the butt." A flat look is send at him. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, thanks," Issei replied as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He took a deep breath and sat down again. "So what is a stray?"

"Devils without a master. They often turn batshit insane and have to be put down like stray dogs. Hence the name stray."

"Huh..." the student slowly nodded impressed at the knowledge as he stared to the ground. This is followed by a frown when he turned back to his friend. "Got any info from the fallen who tried to kill me?"

A tired sigh was his response and Sid took the hood of his head, revealing his relatively tamed short hair.

"Not really. A loyal type and you know how I hate to force the matter. Can't be that important anyway. I mean, what could he know? A war starting conspiracy?"

He snorted at the thought of that and ran his hand though his hair. Issei nodded to that statement and sighed.

"Would have been too convenient, huh?"

"By the way...About Koneko..."

Hearing his hesitation, the devil gestured with his hand to go on. After scratching his head awkwardly, he muttered a 'whatever' and clasped his hands together.

"Keep an eye on her. Hell, better would be if you spend more time with her."

"Why are you interested in her?" Issei asked, but slowly a perverted grin appeared on his face, hoping this was the direction he was going for.

Was he getting approval from him to hit on her?!

The next words destroyed the hope of his acceptance as the older man lowered his head tiredly.

"She is her sister."

"Her?" The Sacred Gear user questioned with a raised eyebrow. Then, after searching his mind for people that could fit that vague label, his eyes widened. Immediately, he waved his hand in front of himself, disbelief all over his face. "Nononono, they look nothing alike!"

At his reaction, the foreigner snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, I know. It's really weird." Somberly, his small grin thinned. "Anyway...I'm very sure that she is her sister. She is traumatized because of what happened in the past and won't use senjutsu or youjutsu. She thinks it's too dangerous for anyone to use, including herself. Just try and...help her with that. Don't push it though."

That sounded...very bad. Issei frowned at that. He pecked the small girl as quiet, but that there was pain buried beneath the cold face…

It filled him with determination!

"Alright, I'll do my best!" He exclaimed as he stood up with a raised fist. Just as quickly, he turned back to Sid and pointed a finger at him with a serious expression. "But I get to touch her boobs."

"Which one?" Despite the question, the Vietnamese man had a look of dread on his face.

"What do I like?" Issei countered back and his friend palmed his face in frustration.

"On the one hand, good. We had the talk about pedophilia and lolicons already."He removed his hand and with a half open mouth, a face of disappointment is directed at the pervert. "On the other hand, dude. Not cool." He stopped for a moment and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Well, pretty sure she wouldn't mind. Hell, she would welcome it." Instantly, he lowered his arms again and glared at Issei when he crossed his arms. "Still, totally against the bro code."

To that, the devil nodded somberly...followed by a big goofy grin.

"Not if I ask for permission."

Frustrated, Sid shook his head as he stood up and semi seriously punched the Sacred Gear user on the shoulder.

"I would like to say you are going to hell for that, but I guess it isn't such a bad place."

For a short moment, they stared at each other. Naturally, they couldn't keep up the facade and burst out into chuckling, both holding the other on the shoulder.

But in a heartbeat, all amusement faded away from the foreigner face and Issei felt his clutch on his shoulder starting to intensify.

Surprisingly, it started to hurt.

"Seriously, not cool though."

Before he could reply though, a loud crash distracted the two men and both turned their head towards the source at the same time.

What they see made Issei blush in embarrassment, while Sid only raised his eyebrow exasperatedly.

"Wow, and I thought that would only happen in anime."

A young girl, blonde and dressed like a nun, crashed with her trolley bag and all its contents were scattered all over the place.

Including panties, like the one she was flashing them.

"Owie..."

The devil shook his head and walked towards the victim, trying to curb down his excitement and picked up the veil on the ground for her. Absentmindedly, he noticed that his friend picked up the rest of her stuff and sorted them into the trolley.

"Here you go."

"Ah, thank you very much!" The blonde girl bowed down with a bright smile. Issei only had one thought inside his head.

Cute.

"My name is Asia Argento! A pleasure to meet you!"

As she raised her head, a bright, warm light radiated from her body and the devil had to avert his eyes, the innocence making him feel dirty for just having perverted thoughts. Still, he gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. Quickly, he looked back and bowed slightly.

"I-Issei Hyoudou! Likewise!"

Asia giggled a little at his antics and the student blushed again at her cuteness.

Sadly, a male voice interrupted them in a bored tone, making Issei frown for a bit.

"Got your bag."

The two of them turn to Sid, who carried said object back to the nun and gestured for her to take it.

"Ah, thank you! You didn't have to!" Her smile got replaced by uncertainty when the Vietnamese man's blank look is the only thing she received. Quickly, she pulled out a little notebook and hesitantly read from it. "Oh, uhm...Ari...gatou?"

This exchange confused Issei and behind the nun, he switched between pointing at Sid and at Asia with a raised eyebrow. The former just groaned and muttered:

"Devils and their cheating devices..."

"What? What do you mean?" The devil asked and tried to confused the adorable stares the nun gave them, rotating her head every second.

"You are talking Italian to her. I forgot that devils can speak any language automatically." After letting out another sigh, he cleared his throat and extended his hand with a pleasant smile. "Obsidian Noir. Li-liking the...country so-so far?"

The way his sentence sounded so broken and uncertain cemented the impression in Issei, that Sid was speaking in a language, unfamiliar to him.

"It was a new experience." The Italian clasped her hand together in delight. "Your Italian is very good! I'm impressed!"

"Thank you," the Vietnamese stated with a small mouth twitch indicating a smile. During that exchange, the Japanese approached him from the side and leaned to his ear to whisper.

"Since when can you speak Italian?"

Sid in response only slightly opened the right half of his mouth to mutter back, smile still in place:

"I can't. I have someone translate to me right now. Don't talk too fast, okay?"

If Asia was confused by their exchange, she didn't show it as she looked towards the sky with shining eyes.

"God really watches over me...sending two nice people to me, who can speak Italian in Japan!" Because she lowered her head in small sadness, looking to the ground, ignoring the pained gasp from the student. The older man patted his back with amused pity. Asia continued on, blissfully unaware of the agony the devil was in,"If only I was more diligent with my studies..."

"I think you are doing just fine!" Issei exclaimed loudly and strained joy, as he tried to overcome the pain in his body from the G-word.

"What...brings yooouuu... here? S-seeing the sights?" Sid followed up, giving the male teenager a comforting pat on the back in order for him to catch a breath. In response, Asia shook her head.

"Oh no. I've been assigned to the local church here." She laughed sheepishly as she hit her own head playfully. "But I got lost, hehe."

"Well, there is one church I know of here. We can bring you there."

The wielder of Boosted Gear ignored the incredulity on Sid's face as he said that and felt his face flush again when the girl grabbed his hands in gratitude.

"Truly?!" Sparkling eyes drilled into his own. "God must have sent you to me in order to help! Bless him!"

And the happiness got replaced by pain.

Truly, the path of Issei Hyoudou was paved with misfortune.

While he wiped off the blood that he spat out and clutched his head in agony, he felt a pull from his left side and his older friend held him in a headlock.

He did not look happy.

"Dude, you are a devil. Church is the last place you wanna go!" Sid hissed at him, carefully eying Asia, who walked off to some crying child.

"Hey, I don't have to enter it!" The devil argued back, but grinned afterward. "Worst come to worst, you are there, right?"

That only caused the headlock starting to choke him a little. As he fidgeted in the body trap, the culprit sighed loudly and let him go. Issei rubbed his neck a little.

For someone who wasn't a devil, his friend really had a grab when he wanted to.

"You are lucky I don't have anything better to do..." Bored, he pointed over to the nun. "By the way, she has super powers."

"What?"

The wielder of Boosted Gear did a double take and indeed, Asia knelt in front of the crying boy with closed eyes. He was just quick enough to witness a small light vanish and the wound that was on the boy's knee was gone.

Issei turned back to Sid with a raised eyebrow as he pointed at the girl.

"Sacred Gear?" He received a nod as a response and the pervert hummed impressed. Lately, a lot happened that was supernatural in nature…

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

Issei frowned at the voice inside his head. Sid mirrored his expression.

"What? Ever since that time, you barely used me. I feel neglected!"

The two of them glanced at each other for a short moment. A short moment, that exchanged thousand words.

These words reached to a conclusion that only had three words.

Ignore the dragon.

"Don't just ignore me!"

That is exactly what they did.

Either way, the devil walked towards the nun, followed by his older friend, right after a woman, the mother of the boy, bowed in thanks and left with her child.

Leaving Asia in mild confusion, as she stared after the two people.

"That is weird…" She muttered quietly, but Issei and Sid still caught that sentence.

"What is?"

The devil's question startled the healer, who blushed a little in embarrassment for simply leaving the two men so suddenly. She scratched her cheek and looked back at the mother's distant back.

"That woman...she didn't seem bothered by my power. It's...new."

Her eyes are filled with melancholy and become misty like, as if memories of bad times resurfaced.

A cute girl like her should not look sad. That was what went through Issei's mind at the moment.

Therefore, a distraction was needed!

"People are more accepting of stuff around here. Mostly because of a... little messenger?"
Wiggling his eyebrows, he smirked at the Vietnamese, who returned it with a dry frown.

"Please, be more obvious. I beg you," Sid drawled sarcastically, but got spooked by Asia, who grabbed his hands in light speed.

"Mr. Noir, do you also have special powers?!"

Owlishly, said mister blinked at the sparkling face of the girl. Then, he slowly nodded, not sure how to phrase his words.

"Kind off." He bit his lips. "Help. Secret. Slow acceptance." A hesitant smile. "Good progress." He tilted his head. "Healer?"

The caveman speech perplexed the two teenagers, but after Asia connected the dots, comprehension dawned on her features.

"Yes. God has granted me this gift...Just like he did to you! Truly, he is a benevolent being."

While the devil gritted his teeth at another burst of pain, the adult laughed sheepishly as he averted his eyes, not wanting to correct her.

After that small exchange, the trio began to wander towards the church Asia searched for.

During that, Issei, well, didn't pray, but hoped that God wouldn't be mentioned anymore in the near future.

/

Luckily, his wish was granted, given that they could walk in relative comfortable silence. It didn't take long to reach the church and the two of them managed to convince Asia that they didn't have the time to enter the church, not telling her the fact that it might Issei.

The two men waved her goodbye, but the devil blushed lightly at her bright smile, stating that they should spend some time together again.

He would have loved to burn that beautiful moment inside his head…

If he were alone.

"Huh."

The nonchalant remark destroyed the bliss the Sacred Gear user felt and a frown appeared on his face.

"What?"

"That church...The fallen I killed. His presence is here," Sid stated as he scratched his chin, making an impressed noise. Not a 'I made an amazing discovery' impressed, but a 'the more you know' impressed.

Still, Issei paled exponentially.

"You mean-"

"The church is the base of your murderer? Probably," the foreigner finished his sentence and let out a sigh, as the devil tried to rush into the church, anger written all over his face.

Tried, because a strong grip on his arm stopped him. When the teenager turned around, a disapproving frown was in front of his face. "No, bad boy."

"But we have to save her!" The devil exclaimed, trying to escape his grasp and failing at it.

"We can't just run in, guns blazing! Who are we, Duke Nukem?!" Sid yelled back, after Issei stopped trying to escape.

The Japanese boy had no idea who Duke Nukem was, but he gestured with his arms in an agitating manner between the two of them.

"It worked the last time!"

"And it was fun!" Ddraig chimed in, making the adult frown at his left arm.

"Not talking to you, lizard!" He looked back up at Issei with crossed arms. "You do remember it sucked balls too, right?"

"Still don't get why. It was awesome," the dragon commented amused. His user on the other hand calmed down a little, but he still bit his lips, remembering just clearly what happened the last time.

Spiders still scared him when he saw them.

"Gotta agree with Sid here..." The fire reignited in his eyes. "But not with Asia! We are just going to leave her there? Alone?!"

"O-okay, chill first, alright?" After raising his hands in a placating manner, he began to pace around on the street. A while later, he turned back to Issei and took a calming breath. "Just...just talk with Rias first. She is your boss and you need to get her permission. Everything you do is reflected back at her." Sid pointed at himself with a frown. "You also know how I hate to do these last minute summons."

The devil gritted his teeth. It did not bode well with him, to ignore the threat in the old building. In the end, trust won over. He slowly exhaled his frustration out and nodded.

"But we are going to come back?"

The not-devil put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a small grin.

"Yes, we are." Amused, Sid snorted. "Besides, what can happen if we leave it alone for a day?