* AN: This story stub has not been beta-read.
* AN2: Issei's powers in this story were inspired by one of Magic the Gathering dragons, Cunning Breezedancer. I do not, however, believe that this alone is enough to make this story idea a crossover one.

This is a Highschool DxD story idea, and so it's rated M

Disclaimer: I DO_NOT own "Highschool DxD". No profit is being made.

Highschool DxD :: Arcane Dynamo

"It's good to finally be back home." Hyodou Issei breathed out as he stepped off the bus and onto the street he had spent his childhood on. And even though he had been away for a little over seven years, the place hardly changed. Sure, the trees have grown taller and the houses didn't look as new anymore, but…

Shaking his head, the young Magician put on his backpack and picked up his (Magical) staff before making his way to his parent's house. It looked just like he remembered it, down to a decorative plate bearing its number. Shaking his head again, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and rang the doorbell. For several long seconds there was only silence. Then Issei heard footsteps and a few moments later the door was swung open by his mother.

"Issei, is that you, son?" The woman spoke. "You really came back home? Oh my, you've grown up so much!" She blabbered as she wrapped her son in a tight hug. "Come in." She said after finally releasing him. Before he could make more than a step, Issei found himself in his father's embrace.

"Issei! It's been so long since we last saw you. You were just my cute little boy back then." He said excitedly. "And, behold, you're all but a grown man now!"

"I am a man." Issei grumbled under his breath, hoping that his mother wouldn't catch that. And, thankfully for him, she didn't. His father did, though. And the pride radiating from him was all but tangible to the young Magician.

"Gorou, that's enough." Issei's mother said. "Let Issei-chan come in already. The poor boy must be tired from his journey." While the said boy wasn't really tired - Magic came in real handy - he'd rather not stay in the doors of the house forever.

"Alright, alright." Gorou said as let Issei out of his embrace. "Welcome back, son."

"I'm home." Issei said as he finally stepped inside. Kicking off his shoes, he made his way upstairs and into his old room. On his way, he absentmindedly noted that the living room now had different armchairs and a new TV set. He distantly remembered his mother telling him about the renovation in one of the letters about two years ago, but he had been so busy getting ready to pass his Master's final tests that he didn't pay it much mind.

His room, however, had been preserved exactly like it had been seven years ago when he left with his Master to learn the trade. Not that his parents knew about the Supernatural or him being a wizard.

And he should be keeping it that way. Which made explaining what he had been doing for the past seven years rather problematic. Indeed, it would be hard to explain why he needed to journey the world without revealing that his Master was teaching him actual, real Magic in addition to more mundane subjects. Thus, no matter how much Issei loathed the thought, he'll have to hypnotize his parents into not examining his story too much.

Dropping his backpack and his staff in his room, the young Magician made his way back to the living room. His parents were already there, sitting on a sofa. In front of them, on a table there was a tray with three steaming cups of tea and some fresh bake.

Taking a seat in the armchair to his parents' side, Issei picked a small bun from the tray while inconspicuously placing them under a mild hypnosis so that they would avoid questions he didn't want them asking. Such as 'What exactly were you learning during all these years?'

"So… ?" He prompted after taking a bite from the bun.

"Well, Issei-chan..." His mother began. "You were pretty vague about your travels in your letters. Could you please tell us more about the places you've been to?" The teen wizard nodded.

"Sure." He said. "Our first stop was actually in Kyoto. You'd be surprised how little we actually know about our own history and culture… Next, my Master took me to Shao Lin. Our next stop was in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is a majestic place." Pausing for a moment as he recalled the time he had spent around the ancient Khmer temple, Issei continued: "After that we spent almost two years in India, mostly in Tamir Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, before moving over to Iran. Persepolis, to be precise. That's where the rest of my apprenticeship took place."

"Wow." His mother breathed out.

"Damn, you've seen like half of the world while traveling with your sensei." His father said. Then something occurred to him. "Wait, isn't Iran a kind-of dangerous place right now?" The young Magician shrugged: nowadays, mundane conflicts rarely had a noticeable impact on the Supernatural world.

"Not really." He said. "Anyway." He continued after taking a sip from his cup of tea. "Once I passed my Master's tests and graduated into a journeyman about a year and a half ago, I traveled about the world some more on my own. Well… not the world perhaps. I never actually left the Middle East - there is just so much to see and experience there." Issei paused for a moment. "I should have a few souvenirs for you in my backpack, but I kinda packed them too deep. I'll give them to you later." He said, before letting out a small laugh.

"Sure." His father said. "But can you at least tell us what those are?"

"Nope, not telling." Issei replied. "Let it be a surprise." In actuality, those 'souvenirs' were wards to protect the home from disaster and evil he had crafted with his own hands using the designs and techniques perfected throughout the centuries by the wizards of Middle East.

"Alright." His father said.

"Anyhow." The teen continued. "For a few months after my 'graduation', I stayed in Iran and explored its historical sites on my own. There still was a lot left for me to learn, even after all that time I've spent with my Master there. Then I traveled to Mesopotamia. You wouldn't believe the things you can see there!"

"Sounds like you've had lots of fun during your travels, Issei-chan." His mother said, causing the young wizard to fondly recall the times he had spent studying the ancient Magics and the people - and certain deities - he had met during his travels. "And while I don't doubt your sensei taught you well, do you actually have any certificates to show? You can't get a good job without one, you know?" Issei let out a small sigh under his breath. He didn't need any papers to work as a contract Magician in the Supernatural world, but he couldn't really tell his parents that.

"I guess not." He conceded. Magically forging his documents wasn't really feasible anymore now that a lot of information was stored digitally. Erasing stuff wasn't too difficult. Creating new and valid data on the other hand...

"Well, we should enroll you into a high school to properly complete your education then." His mother said. After a short pause, she continued: "I've heard that Kuoh Academy is now co-ed. And they've always had good teachers on the staff so, I suppose, we should try enrolling Issei-chan there, what do you think Gorou?" She asked her husband.

Issei himself was quite in favor of becoming a student there if he had to suffer through high school. For his own reasons, which didn't really have much to do with the elite status of the Academy. Instead, it was people currently attending that school that made him interested. Indeed, according to his sources, two prominent Devil heiresses - Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri - along with their Peerages, were students of the Kuoh Academy. He would really love to become a pact Magician for either of them: both Gremory and Sitri clans were rich, influential, had extensive private libraries and were known to be fair and generous with their underlings.

He wouldn't be joining their Peerages if he could help it, though.

Primarily because he was the chosen successor of Ūmu Nā'iru, the Roaring Weather Beast. And he had inherited more than just powers from the ancient Mesopotamian dragon. He now was a part-dragon himself - with some help from a certain goddess. And dragons do not submit to others easily. Thus, as a bearer of the dragon's heart and his will, the idea of joining a devil's Peerage did not sit well with Issei. Even if that would open more doors for him than being 'just' a pact Magician under the same devil.

"So, Issei-chan." His mother called him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Do you feel like you can pass the entrance exams into the Kuoh Academy? We can see about hiring a tutor to bring you up to speed if you need some recap… Or maybe look into other options for your high schooling." The young Magician shook his head.

"I should be fine, mom." He said. "My Master made sure I wasn't falling behind on my studies. I should be able to pass those exams." Indeed, his Master taught him a lot more than just Magic. Especially since the old man believed that sciences could be very helpful for a wizard, opening new and interesting ways to use spells. Or even providing inspiration to create new ones. So, yes, he made sure Issei studied Math, Physics, Chemistry, etc. along with his more arcane arts.

"Alright then." His mother said. After a short pause, she spoke again: "Anyway, can you tell us more about the interesting things you've seen on your journey?"

"Of course." The teen replied. And after taking another sip of his tea, he continued with his story.

~/ *** \~

A teenage redhead slid next to her friend-slash-rival as the two of them shared a 'room' in a private hammam the latter owned.

"Have you gone through the list of students joining the Academy this year, Sona-chan? Was there anyone of note?" Rias asked, all serious despite the relaxing atmosphere of the Turkish bath. There was a brief moment of silence, before the other girl replied.

"There is this guy transferring in, Issei Hyodou. According to my Queen, he is a Magician and not a weak one. She also said she could feel a dragon around him, though he doesn't appear to possess any Sacred Gear." Sona Sitri said. "He has been out of the country for the past few years, so I can't find much about him myself. And I don't really have a good excuse to involve my sister and have her dig up some information on him."

"Mhm…" Rias hummed. A Magician, especially one that was already powerful, would be a good addition to her Peerage. Hyodou-san's apparently-draconic nature could be an issue, though, as dragons were well known for not bowing down to others easily…

"I'm approaching him first. If he refuses my offer, you can try your luck." The Sitri clan heiress added firmly upon seeing the thoughts of her friend.

"Mou, Sona-chan…" Rias began.

"Rias." Sona said with a sigh. "You're my friend and all, but it's my Peerage and I who are doing all the scouting here. I believe I deserve a chance to speak to Hyodou-san first." The Gremory heiress pouted but didn't argue knowing that her friend was absolutely right. "If he refuses my offer, you can try your luck next."

"Alright, alright." Rias said.

~/ *** \~

Issei's first day at Kuoh Academy went pretty well, all things considered. He, of course, ended up drawing quite a bit of attention to himself simply because he was a transfer student joining the high school's third year. And because of how tanned he was compared to a normal Japanese person after spending several years under the hot Middle East sun.

He had also verified that both Gremory and Sitri heiresses indeed attended the academy with their Peerages. Since it was the first day of the new academic year, the Devils chose not to approach him yet. But they definitely had their eyes on him, so he expected at least one of the heiresses would approach him soon.

As for the academy itself… While he wasn't able to see whether the teachers there were really as great as his mother said they should be yet, the school was definitely a rich one. And was surrounded with some pretty damn impressive Magical barriers.

Plus, since it was made coed only recently, there were a lot more girls than boys here. Issei, of course, was perfectly fine with that. Pretty girls were gods' gift to mankind, after all, and he definitely wouldn't mind seeing them sans clothing. Nor would he mind more than just 'seeing'...

He just wasn't brazen about those desires, unlike those two shameless perverts in his class. C'mon, those two were discussing porn - and not even a high-quality one at that - openly and in the middle of a classroom.

Two days later, Issei had his first PE class. And the teenage Magician had to remind himself to hold back: as a part-dragon, he was stronger and faster than a normal human, and his stamina was off the charts. It wouldn't do for the Supernatural World to be revealed because of his athletic ability.

And as the class progressed, Issei couldn't help but sneak peeks at the girls. Their gym uniforms, of course, hid everything interesting from one's sight, but that didn't stop Issei's mind from conjuring some very enticing images of those girls, naked and with a thin sheen of sweat covering their toned bodies, making them glisten in sunlight.

He wasn't as discreet as he thought he was, though, and the perverted duo must have caught him staring. Issei could see no other reason why those two would approach him in the locker rooms after the class.

"Hey, new guy, Hyodou, right?" The bald teen said. "You're a pretty cool guy, and a fellow man of culture. Want to see something incredible?" And without waiting for Issei to answer, he continued: "Come to the Kendo Club building after the classes today, and we will show you the window into the promised land. There, you can see the girls in all of their glory as they..."

"Nah." Issei cut him off.

"Wait, what?" The baldy asked. "How can you not be interested in that? Are you a man or not?" The young Magician couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

"I am and I don't need to peep through a hole or whatever like a hopeless pervert." He said as he made his way out of the locker room, not paying any attention to the perverted duo's response. Or if they even said anything at all.

The next day, just as the lunch break passed its midpoint, Issei was approached by a white-haired girl with greenish-blue eyes. She also was a Devil, though she didn't appear to possess much raw power.

"Hyodou-san." The girl said. "The Student Council President wishes to speak with you. Do you have time?" The part-dragon teen glanced at the mostly-eaten sandwich in his hands.

"Sure, give a couple of minutes." The girl nodded and moved to stand by the classroom's door. Not one to make a lady wait (for too long), Issei did his best to quickly wolf down the rest of his lunch before drinking up his juice. Done with his meal, he walked up to the girl. "Alright, I'm ready," he said. "Lead the way… Uh…"

"Momo. Hanaki Momo." She introduced herself.

"A pleasure, Hanaki-san." Issei said as the two of them departed. A short walk later, they arrived at the Student Council's office, which occupied one of the smaller classrooms. Momo asked him to wait for a moment as she peeked inside to see whether the President was ready to see him.

"The President is ready to see you. Please come in, Hyodou-san." Momo said. Giving her a small nod, Issei opened the door and stepped inside. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Student Council's office looked perfectly normal with some paperwork spread over the tables. There also was a large whiteboard in the corner, showing a rough and noticeably work-in-progress outline for whichever school-wide event was coming up next.

The President herself was seated behind the central table and looked like she already needed a break from all that paperwork. And school hasn't been on even for a week yet! To her immediate left was her Queen and the Vice-President. Tsubaki Shinra, if Issei remembered her name right from the orientation.

"Good afternoon, Hyodou-san." The Sitri heiress said. "I hope you don't mind it that I've summoned you here on such short notice?" Issei shook his head while taking a closer 'look' at the people within the room. It appeared that everyone on the Student Council indeed was a Devil and likely a member of Sona's Peerage as well.

"Not at all, Sitri-san." He replied, using Sona's real clan-name.

"I see, you're already aware of who I really am, Hyodou-san." Sona said. "In this case, please remember to use my alias, Sona Shitori, if someone who isn't aware of me being a devil can overhear you."

"Certainly." Issei said with a nod.

"Let's get straight to the reason why I wanted to speak to you then." Sona continued. "I know you're a Magician, Hyodou-san, and if you have good skills I would like to make a pact with you." Issei couldn't help but smile inwardly upon hearing that.

"You don't want to add me to your Peerage?" He asked nevertheless.

"I can tell that my Queen was right and you have some quite strong draconic presence. I don't believe you would easily accept such an offer." The Sitri heiress explained. "And even if you were willing, I already have my Queen and both Bishops. The most I can use to reincarnate you is four Pawns."

"You're right. I'm a part-dragon." Issei replied. And as soon as he said that, the blond boy - Saji something-or-other - leveled a glare at him, one that was both curious and territorial at the same time. Surprised by such reaction, Issei extended his senses and quickly noticed that the guy possessed a draconic Sacred Gear. It didn't appear to have a full presence of a dragon, though, so it was likely one of Vritra's pieces. Feeling the urge to show who was the bigger 'baddie' here, he flared his own presence briefly, causing the Saji-guy to shrink back. "And indeed would prefer not to become a Devil. No offense." He finished as if nothing had just happened.

"That's ...unexpected." Sona said. "I'm pretty sure both of your parents are fully human and don't even possess Magic of their own."

"I sincerely hope you weren't spying on my family." The part-dragon teen said with sudden steel in his voice while releasing a not-unnoticeable amount of killing intent.

"No, I did not." The Sitri heiress said truthfully as she tried to placate him. "The names of your parents were on your admittance form, Hyodou-san. I merely traced their lineages from there." Issei let out a satisfied hum as he calmed down and recomposed himself. "I'm sorry." Sona said after a pause. "Anyway, I can't help but still be curious about how you are a part-dragon, Hyodou-san."

"The heart of an actual dragon was Magically fused with mine." Issei said. "And I've spread the transformation over to a few more organs since then."

"Which dragon was it, if you don't mind me asking?" Sona said.

"Ūmu Nā'iru, the Roaring Weather Beast of Mesopotamia." Unsurprisingly, none of the Devils in the room appeared to know who that was. Which wasn't exactly surprising all things considered. Thankfully, it didn't look like anyone here would be asking him to explain Ūmu Nā'iru in details, at least right now.

"I see..." The bespectacled Devil-girl said. "I suppose, you have the standard powers of a dragon, right?" Indeed, as varied as dragons from different corners of the world were, they all shared incredible strength, enhanced senses, tough skin or scales and more stamina than almost any other creature, Supernatural or not. Issei nodded.

"I'm nowhere near the levels of a true dragon but, yes, I do." Issei admitted. "Having a dragon's heart also gave my Magic a healthy boost." He added after a few moments. What he intentionally kept silent about was the special ability he had gained from Ūmu Nā'iru, which he had dubbed 'Arcane Dynamo'. It granted him a boost to strength, speed and toughness every time he spent his Magical energy on some spell. It was still a very powerful ability. Especially for a Magician like him.

"I see…" Sona said. "And about your Magic, what sorts of spells do you use?" She asked then.

"My primary element is air, though I can also use lightning and water." The part-dragon teen said. "I'm also good with augmentation spells, curses and protective wards."

"Sounds like you could fit well with my Peerage, Hyodou-san." Sona said. "And having investigated you a little bit, I can say that you're being truthful about your talent for warding at the very least."

"Thank you." Issei replied. "Now, I would like to ask you a couple of questions about what my duties as your pact Magician will be and what sort of compensation I can expect for my efforts?" He asked then.

"Well…" The Sitri heiress began. "Since you won't be a part of my Peerage, you won't have to do the contracts newly-reincarnated Devils normally do. Still, I'd be thankful if you do assist with jobs that require heavy spellcasting. Or Magic that my Peerage might not be proficient in but you are."

"If you mean having me place curses on people for money, then I will have to refuse." He said.

"Don't worry, I will not be asking something like that from you." Sona said. "I'm not accepting contracts for such jobs to begin with." The draconic Magician nodded, prompting the girl to continue: "My Peerage and I also maintain the protective barrier around the school and the off-site dormitories, and are sometimes called to deal with Stray Devils or other Supernatural threats in the area. I would like it if you assisted with those tasks."

"That I can do." Issei said.

"As for the compensation..." Sona continued. "It will, of course, depend on the amount of work you do for me. It is fair, is it not?" Issei nodded in agreement, though he wouldn't have said 'no' if he was offered a monthly stipend instead. "The payment can be made in money. Or, as the Sitri heiress, I can also grant you limited access to the clan's libraries or act as your voice or backer in the Underworld."

"Some money would be nice." The part-dragon teen agreed. "But I'm not particularly greedy about that right now. Magical knowledge, on the other hand… Can it be fifty-fifty for money and Magical knowledge?" He asked. Sona gave him a nod.

"That can be arranged for." She said. "If there is nothing else, let us write up a contract and begin your trial period."

And so Issei became a Pact Magician for Sona Sitri.

~/ *** \~

The past two weeks have been ...okay for Issei. The school was actually rather boring as he already knew a lot of stuff the teachers were trying to teach, and Sona didn't yet have much work for him to do. Thus far, the Sitri heiress had him inspect some of the wards protecting the school, which were impressive. They could, of course, still be brought down, but that would require either a very powerful being like a Super-Devil or a small army.

Issei had also had a couple of spars with Sona's Peerage. And, unless King herself stepped in, he could hold his own with little difficulty thanks to Arcane Dynamo. After her Peerage lost the first time, Sona even confessed that she wasn't sure she would've been able to reincarnate him at all as he definitely was worth more than just four Pawns. Hell, according to her he was probably worth more than an unmutated Queen. That certainly stroked Issei's ego, but he still wasn't interested in being reincarnated as a Devil.

He had also been properly introduced to Rias Gremory and her Peerage. The red-haired Devil looked rather upset that he was with Sitri-kaichou. Apparently Rias had had her sights on him as well. And seeing how her own Peerage appeared to have only three members - four if you count her Bishop, who was sealed away - he could understand why. Still, the deal offered by Sona was pretty great, so Issei wasn't interested in breaking his pact with her.

Anyway, right now it was a little past seven in the evening and Issei was on his way back home after picking some groceries his mother forgot to buy earlier today. Suddenly, as he entered a back alley to take a shortcut, he felt a Magical barrier rising. And a moment later he picked something moving behind his back.

Without wasting even a moment, he cast his strongest augmentation spell on himself and turned around. Just in time to see a busty dark-haired Fallen Angel girl in a revealing, BDSM-y outfit throw a light spear at him. It was neither powerful nor very fast though, so Issei was able to catch it with his free hand. The damn thing sizzled within his grip but did very little actual damage to his dragon scales-like skin.

"Wh-what? How?!" The Fallen Angel asked, shocked by the ease with which her attack was stopped. Her target was supposed to be just a feeble human consorting with Devils.

"That wasn't nice." Issei commented as he crushed the light spear, causing it to dissipate into harmless motes of light. Then he made a pulling motion and a moment later the Fallen Angel was struck by a lightning bolt that sent her crashing onto the ground. It didn't knock her out nor did it do any visible damage to her, but it still shocked her nastily and by the time she managed to get back to her feet, Issei already closed the distance.

"GRAH!" The girl screamed in rage as she forwent her Light Magic and simply lunged at him with murder in her eyes. "I'm going to kill you, bastard!" Unfortunately for her, Issei was a part-dragon and between the spells he had cast on himself and the boost Arcane Dynamo gave him he was many times stronger and faster than her. He easily caught her rather sloppy attack, stopping it dead in its tracks.

"Tempest Strike!" Issei intoned as a miniature funnel cloud covered in lightnings erupted from his hand, blasting the Fallen Angel across the street. The impact against a wall there nearly knocked her out, and a rope of liquid lightning that the teen Magician summoned to tie her up finished the job.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down after this brief fight, Issei reached for his phone and dialed his 'boss' up.

"Hyodou-san?" The Sitri heiress asked, surprised to receive a call from him. "Did something happen?"

"Did Gremory-san mention anything about Fallen Angels staying in the town?"

"Not that I remember." Sona replied. "What happened?" She asked again.

"One of them has just tried to kill me." Issei said, rather nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine." He reassured the Devil girl. There was a pause as Sona really couldn't come up with anything to say. "Do you have a number for one of Grigori's big shots?" The part-dragon teen asked next.

"Hm… Don't think so." The Sitri heiress replied. "I can probably reach out to my sister, but…" She said, actually not all that eager to give Serafall a call. As much as she loved her big sister, sometimes she was just too much…

"Nah, it's alright." Issei said. "I'll use my own contacts to get the number."

"If you are sure…" Sona said just before he hung up. Taking a moment to collect himself, the successor of Ūmu Nā'iru made another call.

"Good evening, Ishtar-hime." He greeted.

"Ise?" The Mesopotamian Goddess said. "You've been quiet for so long? Do you not miss me at all?" She asked.

"Sorry, sorry." Issei said. "I've been rather busy since coming back to my hometown." He made a short pause before continuing: "Anyway, can I ask you for a small favor?"

"What do you need, Ise?" Ishtar asked.

"Do you happen to have a number of some Grigori big name, preferably of one that operates in or near Japan?" The Goddess was silent for a few moments before replying.

"I have one for Azazel; you can't go higher than the Governor-General. And he should actually be in Japan right now." She said. "Why do you want to contact him, though?"

"A Fallen Angel has just attacked me, and there are supposed to be none of them here, at Kuoh. Either she has gone rogue, or someone within Grigori is playing a dangerous game. Someone needs to deal with this mess, and it will be better for everyone if it's Fallen Angels themselves and not another faction." Issei said.

"Wait! You were attacked?" Ishtar asked.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Issei reassured her. "But you're welcome to come over here and play a nurse for me anytime." After a moment, he continued: "Anyway, what about Azazel's number? Can you send it to me?"

"Sure, just give me a minute." The Goddess replied. "And I'm dropping by your home tonight. You better not be lying to me about being alright, Ise." And with that she hung up, likely so that she could send him a message with the Governor-General's number. Indeed, three minutes later he got an SMS with a phone number in it from Ishtar.

Quickly saving it, Issei glanced at the Fallen Angel that had attacked him. She was still unconscious and bound with his lightning ropes. Letting out a sigh, Issei dialed up the leader of Grigori. He had to wait for some thirty seconds before his call was answered.

"Hello, who's it?" A man's voice asked. "If this is one of those telemarketing shticks, I'm not interested and not buying anything."

"Good evening, Lord Azazel of Grigori." Issei greeted, instantly getting his attention. "I'm a Magician from Kuoh, and one of your birds has attacked me - when the Devil in charge of the area claims none should be there. I would like some answers." There was a pause before Azazel spoke:

"I'll be there in a minute, boy." He said. "Just answer me one question: who was it you got my number from?" Indeed, while he occasionally got random calls from humans trying to sell him some useless shit, only people reasonably high up there on the Supernatural power totem knew that this number belonged to him, the Governor-General of Grigori.

"Ishtar of Mesopotamian pantheon." Issei replied, actually catching Azazel by surprise. That particular pantheon, while immensely powerful four thousand years ago, has long since fallen into obscurity. They didn't really interact with the rest of the Supernatural world either. So, for a human Magician to be able to call upon one of them… Whoever this boy was, he was interesting, there was no question about it.

Issei sighed as Azazel ended the call. Hopefully, the Governor-General was actually truthful and someone from Grigori was coming to sort this mess out. Otherwise, he'll have to… His train of thoughts was interrupted when he felt a build-up of Magic behind him. Quickly turning around, he saw an explosion of black feathers as a Fallen Angel appeared seemingly out of thin air. He didn't have his wings out, but Issei could easily tell that he was incredibly powerful.

The Fallen Angel was a tall, lanky man dressed in a rather-simple brown kimono. He had a short beard and his hair was mostly black with some blonde on the front.

"So… You're the Magician that called me?" Azazel said before shifting his gaze towards the tied-up Fallen Angel girl. "Is that, what was her name… Raynare? Yeah, she's definitely not supposed to be there." He said as he walked up to now-named Raynare and picked her up, apparently completely unaffected by Issei's lightning rope still tying her up. "I'll deal with her, don't worry about that." He then returned his attention back to the part-dragon teen. "What's your name, boy?" He asked.

"Issei. Hyodou Issei." The said 'boy' introduced himself.

"Hyodou Issei, huh?" Azazel said. "You're an interesting one." And with that he teleported away, leaving behind another 'explosion' of black feathers.

~/ *** \~

As soon as Asia Argento arrived in Japan, she was greeted by the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And she also had an incredibly powerful, yet caring and gentle, holy aura. Like an Angel.

"Hello, little one." The woman spoke. "You must be Argento Asia. I will take you to your new home." The younger blonde nodded.

"O-Okay." As the two of them began walking away from the crowds, Asia decided to ask for her guide's name. "Uh… Excuse me, but what should I call you, miss?"

"I'm Gabriel." The woman replied.

"Like an Angel?" The Twilight Healing user asked.

"Indeed, child. Just like an Angel." Gabriel said and Asia could swear, a holy halo appeared above the woman's head for the briefest of moments. They continued walking for another couple of minutes, before Asia spoke again:

"Are you taking me to a church that will be my new home, miss?" She asked.

"No, child, not to a church." Gabriel replied. "Your new home will be Heaven."

"Heaven?" Asia said in complete surprise. "B-But I… I..."

"Hush, little one." The older blonde spoke. "You should have never been blamed for following Father's teaching that we should help those in need. A kind, compassionate and pure soul like you, child, belongs in Heaven. And if a way to do it existed, you would be made into an Angel yourself." Asia stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Gabriel as the woman once again had a holy halo above her head. And twelve pure snow-white wings behind her back. She wasn't named after an Angel. She was Angel Gabriel, one of the four Seraphs. "Come, child." The Angel said as she offered Asia her hand. "Let us depart to Heaven."

"Y-yes." Asia said, too shocked by this all, as she placed her own hand in Gabriel's. The Seraph smiled gently and a moment later, they disappeared in a beam of Holy Light.

~/ *** \~

"Sona-a-a!.." Clearly distraught Rias cried as she threw herself at her friend/rival in a way that totally wasn't befitting the heiress of the Gremory clan. "I need your help! I really need your help!"

"What happened, Rias?" Sona asked, doing her best to ignore the redhead's antics.

"That bastard, he's pushing for our marriage now. I believed he had agreed to give me time - time I could use to find a way out - and now he's pushing for it to happen as soon as possible." The Gremory heiress cried.

"I… I don't see how I can help you there in any way." The Sitri heiress said.

"Well… there was a big argument and some words have been said… Anyway, Raiser kind of agreed to call off our marriage if I can win a Rating Game against him. With the concession that, should I lose, we'll be wed within a week." Sona let out a sigh.

"And now you realize that you've been played, Your Peerage as it is right now just isn't a match for him. And even unsealing your Bishop isn't likely to change that." She concluded.

"Yes." Rias agreed. "But there has to be some way… I need your help, Sona." The said girl let out a sigh.

"Well… I think there might be something I can do to help you, though I can't guarantee anything." She finally said. "I'll talk to Hyodou-san, and if he agrees to it, I will suspend my pact with him and let you form one instead. As your Rating Game will not be an official one, you will be allowed to have your Pact Magician on the field. And because Raiser is arrogant and assured of his victory, he will let you do this."

"B-But." The Gremory heiress tried to object. "Hyodou-san is just a single Magician. Can he really make a difference here?"

"Rias." Sona said, a bit more firmly than she actually intended. Apparently she was getting quite protective of Issei even if he wasn't really a part of her Peerage. "Hyodou-san is a powerful Magician and a part-dragon. While my Peerage is not exactly combat-oriented, I want to believe that we aren't weak either. Yet, Hyodou-san can match us all - and I mean my entire Peerage, myself included.

"Is he really that strong?" Rias asked. The Sitri heiress nodded. "Please, please, can I have him help me against Raiser?" The red-haired Devil pleaded.

"As I said, I can't guarantee anything." Sona said. "I can talk to Hyodou-san, but it will ultimately be his decision if he agrees to form a temporary Pact with you."

"Still…"

"I'll talk to him if that's what you're asking." The bespectacled girl said.

"Thank you, Sona." Rias said.