Part I
Nine Months Later
The morning sun came to greet the land and awaken all to a new day. It was still early in the morning, many still trapped in the confines of their warm blankets and covers. He would too, be in such comfort, but his body had long grew accustomed to shorter hours of rest. It also was a benefit of having natural energy flowing through your body, but the brunette always kept that detail in the dark; nobody needed to know of his abilities and he wasn't one to blabber about his sources of power.
The young adult lazily pushed the toasty covers aside, only enough to allow him to slip out without disturbing the other person occupying the bed. It seemed that his body warmth was missed instantaneously, as the person hidden by the cotton layers whined and pulled the covers further towards themselves.
The brunette let a tiny smile sprout in his lips, moving in the slowly-lighting up room towards the bathroom for a quick wash-up. The man was quick with his morning hygiene, making short work of the tasks and exiting the room silently. He made his way to the kitchen and began his early routine, setting all his tools on the kitchen counter and beginning to make breakfast.
Right, almost forgot that my second year starts today. He mused while cranking the handle of a bean-crusher, manually extracting coffee powder to make the drink. He'd awakened early, so he might as well do things the old fashioned way. There was a certain rustic charm to it all, even with the modern equipment and prepared coffee powder close by.
He did the needed work with splendid efficiency, the countless hours of working as a barista/bartender had served him rather well for agility. Now days his line of work had less to do with coffee and snacks, but he found ways to put those in anyway. It was the small details that made things flow well, so he would always pay attention to those tiny details. His brewed pot of hot ambrosia ready, he moved on towards the meal. I'm feeling something filling for the day...guess Japanese is the way to go. The man opened the fridge and gathered the needed ingredients. Rice, Miso soup stock, a small assortment of vegetables and some fish. A traditional Japanese breakfast that was quick and easy to make. While he did that, the young adult was quick to also begin working on a meal for later in the day. Since I already have rice heating up...how about Omurice? He mused, picking up some eggs and getting to work.
Forty minutes later and a perfect set of breakfast lay on the kitchen table, a homemade lunch box on the counter ready for later. The man smiled proudly and crossed his arms over his somewhat defined chest, a jagged scar in his left flank being hidden from sight, overlooking his work almost as if he was a housewife (or househusband in this case). He also sensed a sneaky presence trying to get the jump on him, but he made no effort to move or get ready to face whoever it was. Her smell was something he would be able to recognize anywhere (no, having a good sniffer and good memory did not make him a pervert - even if he was one), thus the young adult simply waited until the girl made her move.
"Gotcha, nya~!" A weight suddenly settled upon his back, his body never flinching due to the unexpected passenger that clung to his back. Soft fabric brushed against his naked back, the brunette quickly placing his hands backwards to catch his prize. Soft and warm skin was his reward, the girl brushing her cheek against his neck and nuzzling into him almost like a cat...well, she was a cat, but that point was moot. "Breakfast smells good, Ise-chi. Better than anything I did last week for sure!"
Issei, or Ise for the closer ones, blew a raspberry at the comment of the catgirl. "It's nothing special, anyone with some practice can do it perfectly well." He said in a wise tone. It sure would look wise, if not for the fact that he was carrying the black-haired cat girl on his back with his hands firmly grasping at her thighs, inching ever closer to a bigger target. He felt the girl nuzzle further into his neck until she was pressing against his jaw, where she did a tiny nibble. There was a slight rustling sound as her fair skin rubbed against the bristling stubble that made up Issei's facial hair, the girl appreciating the feeling for a few seconds before she jumped off the brunette's back, much to his disappointment.
The girl sauntered to a seat, giving the man a small parting gift before she sat down, with the supple image of her panty-clad behind (the large white shirt being ridden up by a furry two-tipped tail) being burnt into Issei's retinas.
"Hurry up now, or you will be late." The black cat called out, doing a small prayer of thanks for the meal before digging in. "Urgh...Can't believe nyou're still going to school, Ise-chi!" She complained in a bored tone, her ears perking up as she ate some fish.
Issei rolled his eyes and took a seat by the cat girl's side, holding back his urge to smack her inviting ass. "Kuroka, we already talked about this. I'm finishing my studies and won't skip on this. No, we can't use memory-manipulation magic to put the idea on my parents' head!" He remarked before the idea was even put on the table. He wanted to do this in the normal way, even if experienced some boredom. These would be the golden years for him, the sort of experience that one could only go through one time and he wanted it to go the proper way. He had to have some semblance of normalcy in his life, if only to give his loving parents some of their love back.
Kuroka showed him her tongue, telling without words what she thought of his antique ideas. He took it in stride, laughing it off as he dug into his own meal.
Having eaten his fair share and taking another quick shower for the day, the brunette soon was heading out from his home. Having someone live with him meant that Issei had to have some true privacy, thus the young man sought a place for himself. It was a medium-sized apartment with two rooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room and a small balcony. Nothing luxurious or extravagant, but it certainly wasn't bad for a punk like himself. It was a mere 20-minute walk from his parent's home and 25 minutes away from school; it was a bargain that he accepted immediately. There was the slight detail that it was owned by the Gremory Corporation, but there had been nothing shady about the contract he signed when he rented the place out - believe him, he read the contract rather well - however, one could never be too careful. Besides, Hyoudou Issei was not a known figure out in the supernatural circles of the big shots.
The young man walked towards school grounds with a quiet gait, his footsteps only making noise as necessary. There were a few early birds that were walking with him, probably those with clubs or some other activity that required them early at school grounds. A few sent some greetings over to him, the brunette answering with a few nods of his own.
Issei crossed the barrier that surrounded the entirety of Kuoh Academy, the devil-based ward washing harmlessly over his frame and recognizing him as merely another student in the crowd. He was way past the point of worrying about medium-grade detecting wards, his skills in subterfuge and stealth allowing him to run undetected in his endeavors. The hidden sage wondered if the two protected princesses would ever manage to find him out, considering that "technically" he was a trespasser in their land, or so the devil law would call him as. The brunette cared little for the devils' laws, but he respected those that would allow him to go undercover for as long as possible.
In all honesty, it had been a miracle that Issei had managed to go this long without his identity being discovered, but he wasn't going to complain about it. It certainly made training – and most importantly his work – a breeze; the only people that knew who he was were sworn to secrecy, or were out for the time being.
I miss the Den…he mused in melancholy, eyes lowering to glance at the time in his utility watch. He had arrived quite early so still had time to fool around a bit; time that he used to place his bag at his seat before wandering the filling halls of the school building. His first year had a few hicks and bumps into the road, but he managed to make the most out of every situation, as did his friends. Matsuda and Motohama had evolved alongside him, influenced by his growth. As much as they tried to hide their true natures, the trio had been rather famous in their middle school years and thus, their fame eventually caught up to them at Kuoh.
At first it had been mere rumors from people that sort of recognized them, but weren't sure (their proper behavior a far cry from their earlier days of openly shouting nonsense). Them, gossip and rumor chasers began to dig up their not-so-hidden past and thus the truth came out that the trio had been open perverts before.
Matsuda and Motohama almost panicked when confronted by the members of their respective clubs about the rumors, but Issei came out on top as their guiding light. He had affirmed, much to the surprise of everyone (including his friends), that they had in fact been the troublesome youths that spouted open perversions for the four winds to hear; however, he remarked, that their past was just that, their past. And while it wouldn't change what they had already done, they had been marking efforts to be less grating and better themselves every day.
There were a few girls (and fewer boys) that objected and wished for their immediate retirement of their clubs. While Issei wouldn't be really affected by it in any way - considering he was part of the going-home club – his friends had come to reawaken their passion for their clubs, and the hidden Sekiryuutei would be a bad host and friend if he were to allow such thing to happen. Thus, he used his honed charisma and sweet-talking to reverse the situation back into the laps of those that wanted them gone and ostracized. He could still remember their "furious" faces when he cut their arguments into shreds.
"So you mean to tell me we cannot change for the better? Just because previously in our lives we were too open with our desires we deserve to lose the chance to pursue other things in life? Kuoh was supposed to be a place for betterment and pursue of knowledge, but if you say that we must always be punished for something that happened in the past – which we already paid our dues for – then I guess Kuoh is not the paradise I pictured." He remembered saying the piece, throwing in the usual spiel spouted by the rich majority of the girls and boys in their faces while also cleaning their slate of accusations. They were perverts, but they were now gentlemen perverts! It wouldn't do for petty people to spoil their chances at a harem!
It took a few days for the 'outraged' people that had cornered them to return with apologies, but it was oh-so-sweet to see them bow their heads down in shame, as while the trio had been troublesome perverts in middle school, their first year in high school had been flawless. Matsuda had been climbing the ranks of the track club with explosive speed, his drive unmatched by even the older members of the club. Motohama was also greatly appreciated in his own club, his photo shoots resembling those of professionals of the market and had allowed the budget of the photography club to be increased twice so far; an amazing amount of accomplishments for the so called perverts.
Issei wasn't that involved with any school activities or clubs (not for a lack of requests from those), but his involvement with the student council more than made up for anything that he might have missed for his lack of after-school activities. The Student Council – under the management of Shitori-Sempai – had a lot of say and sway over anything regarding the school, but that was to be expected when a devil princess of the remaining last pillars of original high-class devils was the head of it. Shitori (such lazy word play on Sitri) Sona was highly competent, but she, much like her fellow princess, was what one could call a frog in the well.
Issei let an amused smile paint his lips. His mind was coming back rather frequently to the devils, so the hidden Red Dragon Emperor wondered what had brought this about. It might be the glancing stares that he was receiving from Kiba Yuuto, young Gremory's knight and his most recent stalker. There had been a few people (common and supernatural) that had tried to gain information on him; none were successful, or that much insistent. The young devil was failing, much like those before him, but he was insistent in his effort to stealthily follow Issei and glimpse at his personal life.
The brunette was knowledgeable about the young Gremory heiress's circumstances, the marriage proposal to (in his opinion) pawn off the girl to the Phoenix family one of the most recent hot topics among the devil-kind. What she might want with him was unknown, but the spy kept his civilian appearance and was fooling his watcher for now. There was no way for the young Gremory to know anything about him, so she might only be following a gut instinct for now. The three major factions of the supernatural were rather lucky in such regards: angels, fallen and devils had such uncanny luck and sixth sense that it was no wonder that even when heavily crippled by the death of their major leaders (YHWM, the original Lucifer and leader of the fallen), the Christian powers were still in the forefront of the supernatural.
Issei did a few rounds around the school, greeting and making short conversations with those he met as he strung along his silent follower until it was almost time for classes. After the Hyoudou youngster lost the knight, he made his way to his class and sat at his place, waiting for the bell to announce the beginning of another school year. They would probably be directed to the auditorium and be made to listen for another long list of boring speeches, soon after then be dismissed back to their classes for a slow first day. A classical – if mundane – setup that he was eager to follow; many might call it boring and bothersome, but after the last months Issei had after his encounter with Cao Cao and his group of loonies, the Red Dragon Emperor was eager to merely sit back and relax a little while, even if only during school hours.
He glanced back at his watch, ten minutes remaining until the bell rang. He wasn't feeling like napping, so he pulled his phone to read a novel and pass the time. Or so he would, had a figure not suddenly sat atop his desk, forcing the teen to quickly pull his arms back, less his phone be smothered by the supple thighs belonging to Kiryuu Aika.
The self-proclaimed female pervert smirked at him, fixing her glasses back in place and haughtily laughing at him.
"Hyoudou! How I missed my pervy friend! I wanted to invite you to watch the new year fireworks with me, but you suddenly went travelling! What apology do you have for committing the sin of leaving me hanging?" The girl exclaimed, the other classmates around them shaking their heads in amusement at the girl's behavior. It was no secret that Hyoudou and Aika were friends, but many speculated if something more happened when no one was looking. Kiryuu was always coming towards Ise, and the brunette never outright brushed her off; he would slide around like some slimy eel, never attacking back yet never cutting the girl out. It was a comical thing that always made everyone in class laugh. Once in a while the male would retaliate, causing the girl to be left astonished and without answer Every! Single! Time!
This time I'll get you, Hyoudou! Aika's eyes bore into Ise, promising to embarrass him or something. To which he would respond with…
You are more than welcome to try! His loose and relaxed expression always told so, the teen waiting for the girl's advance. Sometimes I wonder if she enjoys squirming under me, he mused in his mind, balancing his head on his right hand and gifting a small, smirk back at the girl.
Their sing-a-song would continue until the bell rang, the rest of the students slowly flowing towards the auditorium for the speeches inbound. It would be better to pay attention to it, else someone from the Student Council would come about and lecture you about. Ise wasn't opposed to some chin wagging with the beauties from Sona's peerage, but he had no kink about being humiliated by a pretty onee-san with harsh words, that was more in Motohama's territory.
[DxD]
[DxD]
Part II
Even if he was nostalgic about returning to school, boring things would always be boring things, thus the Sekiryuutei had taken the time that otherwise would be wasted in listening to the headmaster's (particularly) boring speech and used it to do some small scale cultivation inside himself. It was nothing truly drastic or that would call attention to himself, he was merely taking in some sage energy from the area and letting it pass through him or, more specifically, he was letting it pass through the fragment of one of the weapons that now was housed in his soul.
Sage training with Kuroka had been more than a great experience, as it boosted his knowledge about the sage arts tremendously. It stood to no doubt that Kuroka was an S-class stray devil with a flee on-sight order for anyone that wasn't a high-class fighter. Yasaka was aware that Issei had found another master to train under (and owe no allegiance to anyone), but the Kyuubi from Kyoto was still in the dark as to whom had sunk their claws into her claim.
[Never would I have imagined that my essence would one day be fused inside the True Longinus. Partner, you truly are a dragon of the finest caliber!]
Ddraig's amused voice echoed inside Issei's head, the brunette showing no outwards response except a light quirking in his lips.
Who do you think you are dealing with, Ddraig?! The brunette sent the mental message with confidence, receiving a barking laughter back. Nah, talking big doesn't really suit me…It was a joint effort between us; I can't really picture taking on Cao Cao by myself.
[Too much humility spoils that fun of it, partner! Keh, take pride in your accomplishments for once! The dragon queen will enjoy a more confidant you, not a meek wyrmling!]
Now that is just a low blow! Not even Azazel called me that! Issei shot back, letting go of his focus on the sage energy to retort to his soul-bound dragon. The apex creature snorted, not bothering with words. Dragons were quite prideful and it didn't take much to set one into a rampage, which would mean much destruction for anyone involved. One such thing that was all but guaranteed to set a dragon off was mislabeling the dragon's line. Dragons stood at the top of the draconic line, while wyrms were barely considered of draconic descent; make no mistake, a wyrm would still be above the caliber of many creatures, but in the grand scheme of draconic life, they were the lowest of the low.
The brunette huffed at his soul partner while the dragon chuckled.
So, what do you think of our personal hoard? Issei asked curiously, mentally nudging at the weapons that laid dormant inside his soul.
Ddraig took in a deep breath and exhaled a curtain of smoke, the mental image that appeared inside Issei's head was that of an middle aged expert taking a smoke break while analyzing data.
[Well, each dragon enjoys hoarding different things; many collect riches in gold and silver, others enjoy the brilliant luster of gemstones and well-crafted arts, others indulge in maidens – feasting in their flesh one way or the other – and there are those that hoard specialties. I personally prefer to hoard my rest and food, although when I was alive my nest also had plenty of gold. Your hoard has to satisfy you, others opinions aren't much of our concern, but for me your hoard is quite magnificent. I doubt many can claim to have many things matching your treasure]
Issei was proud of it, since the items were quite rare and hard to acquire.
[However, I only have one gripe with it.] The dragon spoke, bringing Issei down from his cloud-9 state. [Why is it that you have so many Dragon-Slaying weapons?]
The brunette could only shrug his shoulders at the question. He wasn't really specifically looking for dragon-slayer weapons, but he seemed to be quite lucky when it came to such things. Ascalon was his preferred blade to use – only coming in second to his gauntlet-clad fist – yet, during his missions and side-ops the brunette spy lucked a bit when it came to information about said weapons, and maybe it was the lizard part of his brain (or gamer instincts), but the Hyoudou youngster could not go without collecting said weapons if he could. Maybe it was to deny future enemies of anything that could potentially harm him, or just his desire to hoard, but Issei had managed to gather quite the collection of dragon's bane weapons.
Not just dragon-slayers, mind you, but Ddraig was in the habit of saying that more than one dragon-slayer was one too-many.
[One would think to call you crazy to be housing such things inside your own soul, but thanks to Ascalon you have grown accustomed to the dragon-slayer attribute. It is quite funny now that I think about it, you have managed to be accepted as a wielder by Ascalon from the get-to; one could call you a natural swordsman for it, but you also were born with the Boosted Gear. It is quite the sequence of events, partner!] Ddraig amusedly spoke, the mental image of the red dragon's maw morphed into a smile was quite the sight. [How about next time you challenge yourself even further and instead of a another Dragon-Slayer, why don't you get a second God-Slayer? We have a piece of the True Longinus with us, how about next time we get something more...Hmmm...how about something Norse? Or maybe Egyptian?] It was clear that even Ddraig was getting excited with the prospect of weapon-hoarding, the two beginning to pool their knowledge together for their next hunt.
Time went by in much faster now than what he predicted, and with his mind busy in conversation with Ddraig, Issei allowed the tiniest sliver of his focus slacken. It wouldn't be enough for the devils to sense it (considering he was playing with natural energy), but among the bats was one person who could use such power. Said person was also in the auditorium, having had to listen to the boring speech too. However, the moment the person sensed said energy, she froze immediately in place. It was due to much effort (and one bent leg chair) that she held herself in check, her normally calm eyes not flitting about desperately trying to find the source of the power leak. Then, she found it, like one finds a small detail of a picture or painting, and suddenly a whole new image is displayed.
The person managed to hold on until all the speeches and introductions were done for the first day, her short legs robotically carrying her towards an old building far from the new school buildings.
She barely managed to reach the front door before she colapsed to her knees, drenched in sweat and panting wildly.
"...ko..." She heard someone call her name, but she was too distraught to pay attention. She tried to hold on to her consciousness; it was like she had just ran a marathon, however it was also like she had been sitting still for eternity. She managed to glance up, her sight a blurry mess as tears built around the corners of her eyes. Her throat was dry, and she dry-heaved.
The person in front of her was now worriedly trying to help her, but she still couldn't focus. It was too much akin to her...No! NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!
NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!NO! NO!
The world seemed to stop for her, only for it to return to normal almost as if nothing truly different had happened not a second later. Her sight cleared up somewhat, still blurry due to the tears.
"...Koneko?"
"buchou..." She managed to speak, her throat still dry and scratchy. Her legs were still weak and wobbly, so she stayed on the ground and kept trying to even out her breathing.
"...Koneko, what happened?"
The young white haired girl shivered, but still tried to speak. It was simple, just two words and her master would now. Yet she couldn't bring herself to speak. Not those words. Too hard...too painful...memories...pain...
"...buchou...chains...powerful...forceful...domination…fire..." Koneko managed to utter the words, each one heavier and heavier. The last one seemed to have sapped all the strength she had left, the petit girl whimpering and being carried by the next person to arrive, a tall buxom black haired girl.
"Ara ara, it seems that something strange happened to cute little Koneko-chan! Let's get you inside, I just bought a bag of your favorite treats, let's share it together!" The buxom girl with the melodious voice carried the petit white-haired one effortlessly in her arms. "Buchou, I'll take care of Koneko-chan, please go talk with Sona-kaichou. Whatever happened, it surely isn't something good. I've never seen this happen to her."
The buchou nodded solemnly, still somewhat shocked by this sudden turn of events. She would get to the bottom of this for sure, no one would harm her little kohai and family like this! She swore on her pride as Gremory!
[DxD]
[DxD]
"Ise, would you join the Student Countil (my peerage)?" Sona asked, eyes watching the brunette in front of her like a hawk.
The teen was sitting on a chair right in front of the young heiress, flanked by all the current members of the Sona's Student Council committee.
Dejavu much? He thought, sure that a conversation like this had happened before. Sona had taken him aside after the introduction ceremony was finished, bringing him to the Student Council office and finishing up by surrounding him with the members of her peerage, which had grown a bit. Ise wondered if the Sitri Heiress was in the habit of trying to find hidden talents, since he wasn't sensing much inside most of the girls were (Shinra-fukukaichou being the most prominent one in terms of magic), but he wasn't one to judge others; he wasn't much when he first started dipping his feet into the supernatural, only through his tenacity and efforts did Ise grow to amount to what he was today.
"Sona-kaichou, we already had this conversation before. I will not be a great addition to the Student Council members." Issei tried to lead with a definitive answer, but the glint in Sona's lenses told him that she would not accept any half-assed reasons for his refusal.
"Hyoudou-kun, I have observed both your behavior and that of your friends, to see if I would have to do corrective measures to deal with you three, yet you were the first one to push your friends to improvement. As the Student Council president, I'm not merely looking for the best, but I'm also looking for those that are willing to improve themselves, to never stop improving and searching for something greater. I believe you have that potential!" Sona stated, fixing an intense stare at the brunette sitting in front of her.
Ise felt honored by the compliments, Ddraig snorting amusedly in his head, but the teen was aware when someone was trying to sweeten a deal. Shallow compliments may work on the prideful, but the Sekiryuutei was far from a fool. Sona's intentions were good – of that he had no doubt – but the hidden Red Dragon Emperor wasn't willing to bow his head down to anyone. Having a "king" command and control him?
He gave Sona another smile. "Kaichou, I'm truly honored that you considered having me, but such fancy position doesn't really suit me. I'll help you out whenever I can, but unfortunately I'll have to decline your invitation." His answer made Sona heavily frown her brow.
He has no reason to refuse this invitation. It is a position worthy of his status in school, his intellect is high and the privileges of being under my command should be a boon for him; I'd be willing to even tolerate some of his more crass and hormonal acts, why is he refusing me? The high-class devil took a deep breath, troubled by the acts of this young man. Had he somehow received a better offer from someone? That shouldn't be possible, since Rias was still in her observational period and no other High-class devils had been around to contact him.
Was he aware of the supernatural? Maybe…Sona always had her doubts about him, since it was strange for someone like Issei to just be normal. He had this aura about him that spoke of confidence in himself; the way he could attract people to be around him, the way he acted. Everything about him spoke about something else in there, a hidden truth that few could glimpse if he didn't expose it himself. There was something more in him that Sona wanted to have.
"Hyoudou-kun…" Sona spoke before he could leave his seat, staring straight into his pupils. She activated a simple hypnoses spell in her eyes, the sort of thing that merely suggested instead of command. "Are you aware of the supernatural?" She decided to skip formalities and head straight for the prize. She had spent a year using subtlety, maybe it was time to go with the bold approach.
"Kaichou!" Her best friend, and queen, interjected. Sona sent a glance to the girl that quieted her down. She needed to know to truth about him.
Issei's smile strained the slightest bit. Was she truly trying to use a suggestion spell on him? The magic power barely brushed against his mind before it was annihilated by the sheer density of his own magic reserves. He could pretend to be under her spell, to answer a few questions and lead Sona (and her friend Rias) into another year of wild goose chases and clue-searching, but honestly…
…
…
…
Issei was a bit annoyed. Sure, he worked in secrecy, but sometimes you just wanted to let loose.
Thus, the hidden Red Dragon Emperor did just that. The careful hold over his power was released for a tiny bit, merely enough so that his magical reserves could be felt without being identified. The air inside the room became heavy, most of Sona's peerage passing out without having a clue as to what happened.
In just a second, the only ones conscious inside the room were Issei, Sona and Tsubaki. Of those three, the two females had wide eyes and tight expressions.
"Yeah, I know something about the supernatural." He stated with another warm smile, letting the pressure ease until it no longer could be felt. "I was hoping I didn't have to reveal myself like this, but oh well, the cat is out of the bag now." He said jokingly, the inner joke about cats bringing amusement to his soul partner.
Sona immediately created two magic circles around her hands, the offensive spells ready to blast high-pressurized water into him. Tsubaki was also quick to summon a naginata and point the bladed weapon towards him. Issei looked at the girls with a quirked brow, his expression questioning them.
"Calm down Sona-kaichou, I don't plan on hurting you or anything." He explained in his easy tone, making sure to keep his hands in display. He could deal with them and easily stroll out, but then he would have to deal with them later, with the possibility of Rias and her peerage also hunting him down. "I think I have enough rapport with you that my word can be considered trust-worthy, do I not?"
Sona narrowed her eyes, the magic circles around her hands spinning wildly as the magic power gathered and compressed, merely waiting to explode in a torrent of pressurized power. "Oh? Is that so? Then, do tell, Hyoudou-san, why take this long to communicate us about your particular situation? I certainly would have appreciated a warning from you a long while ago!" Some venom slipped into the calm tone of the girl; Ise just scratched the back of his neck like a child caught slipping a cookie away from the jar.
"You know how it is! Once you talk about your knowledge, suddenly everyone wants a piece, right? I mean, you didn't even know about my knowledge of the supernatural, yet you wanted me with your peerage." The casual manner which the brunette dropped the news made the devil heiress realize that he was in the know about many things.
Probably too many things. This was dangerous!
"Could you please dispel your magic? I like my face the way it is, being water-blasted would mess up my appeal. Don't you too think the same, Tsubaki-fukukaichou?" Issei joked about with the duo, his little game garnering little response from the women. "Sheesh, tough crowd today. Need to up my charm game." He retorted to himself, assuming a pensive pose, seemingly content on ignoring the danger of the magic and weapon pointed at him.
He is either a fool or very confident in his power. How could I miss this?! Sona berated herself mentally. However, before she (or Tsubaki for that matter) could do anything else, Issei had already risen from his seat. She never saw him move, but it was clear that he had done so. He had clearly done much more than just move, as the two high-power spells that she had readied dispelled without her prompt. Her magic had simply been broken apart by whatever Issei had done. Tsubaki's naginata was missing from her hands, the two girls too stunned to properly process what had happened.
"Well, if that was all, I'll be taking my leave. It was a pleasure to talk with you again, Sona-Kaichou! I hope we can chat again, next time though with less dangerous things pointed at my head. I'll leave this here!" Issei was already at the door, exiting their room and breaking the ward barrier that she had placed there without much effort. He leaned the naginata on the wall close to the door, his interest on the weapon a fleeting thing, much like the man now. "Thank you for letting me check your naginata, Tsubaki-fukukaichou! It's a nice, if a bit common, weapon. See you two around!" He closed the door and left the two stunned devils in place.
It took a few seconds for Tsubaki to spring into action, rushing out of the room to try and apprehend the brunette once more. Sona, on the other hand, sat back on her comfortable chair, finding that the leather seemed much less so now.
"Who are you, Hyoudou Issei?" The Sitri heiress threw the question to the air, sighing in frustration at the situation that she had clearly been unprepared to deal with. She had run a background check on him, and so far there was nothing out of common about him. Born out of common and human parents, with the probability of housing a sacred gear in soul; he was the sort of perfect candidate for the Evil Piece system, the reincarnation very much an attractive proposition had he been simply what she saw. Evidently, Hyoudou Issei was much more than a common man.
Sona sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. She left her seat to help her passed-out peerage from the ground. He could – at least – not have flared his aura like that. Sona complained, a weight settling in her stomach. As it luck that he was friendly? Or had he been planning something and her insistence had unearthed something that have had remained buried? An enemy spy? Or a bug planted by her family? The questions (and the possibilities) were too many, now that she had been alerted to the true (if only she knew) nature of the brunette
No, this is my territory! I need to know everything that goes on here, else… She would never admit to it, but the possibility of being forcefully married to some two-bit devil thug whose sole achievement was being born into an accomplished family did make her thoughts churn. This land that she shared ownership with Rias was a test from her family and the higher ups; a test that both of them could not fail. Sona's situation was more manageable, contrary to the corner that Rias had been backed into.
Sona would double her efforts to know who truly was Hyoudou Issei. Now she could not afford to let him run loose.
[DxD]
[DxD]
Rias had just managed to settle Koneko down to rest when a magic circle lit up on her desk. It was a personal communication spell that she had with Sona, for rapid relay of information. Normally her fellow heiress would never use it, unless something urgent had happened. Rias quickly sat on her chair and activated the circle, a small image of Sona appearing before her.
"Rias, we need to talk! Immediately!"
That got the Princess of Crimson Ruin's attention.
"Our mutual person of interest turned out to be someone much more important or dangerous than we thought. We may have to terminate him." Now that got Rias's attention for sure!
"Sona, please, explain what is going on!"
The following talk had Rias worried. Was Issei the cause of Koneko's earlier panic attack? If that was true, how and why?
"Tomorrow we shall have a small conversation with Hyoudou-kun! Conversation never hurt anyone, right?" Rias told Sona, hinding her hands under her mahogany table, less she show the mass of magic power that had accumulated on her hands. How dare you harm one of my family? Even if you are a little cute, punishment shall be served!