NMHA Ch. 45 - The Great Game Begins

A/N -

We're here, folks. It's at this point that we finally get to the 'canonical start' of DxD, and I want to thank each and every one of you who have managed to get this far.

I'll add a few notes here, just to make sure everyone's fully aware that the differences specified here are intentional. This is all true, at least at the start of the canon for this story:

The 'start' of canon starts in approximately 2016, twenty-one years following Lunarunn's reincarnation and eight years after the original start.

The canonical main cast are also about three years older; instead of being 14-17, they're 17-20. This places them more in the 'young adult' age range and means that certain... well-developed characters are of a better age to actually have such proportions. I'm looking at you accusingly, not-so-wee miss waifu.

Koneko is actually older than Rias by about two years, but is still placed in a younger class due to her six-year coma stunting her growth.

Rias and Sona never had to contend with marriage contracts thanks to a certain someone being made to take up all the air in the room back when they were being discussed.

Akeno's mother is still alive.

Kiba and Gasper are not part of Rias's Peerage.

Asia left the church under different circumstances, and as such has had a home in Kuoh for years. She and Issei have been friends for a majority of that time.

It was a beautiful morning in Kuoh. A bright sky interspersed by fluffy clouds, a warm day offset by a pleasant breeze, and an ambiance of peace that one could fall asleep to with little difficulty.

At least, until it was pierced by the shrieks of young women, followed by the shouts of three young men.

"What are you two doing?! Run!"

"We can't leave just yet! We haven't had the whole course!"

"Motohama, are you stupid?! They saw you and they're already on their way out, if we don't leave now then we're all dead!"

"Just another second, I need this!"

"Screw that, I'm not getting expelled just after I worked my butt off to get in!"

"Hey! W-what are you doing Issei!? You bastard, just because you're satisfied doesn't mean we can't take our fill!"

"Issei! Damn it, get your prudish hands off me!"

"Hell no I'm not a prude, you two are a menace!"

"You hypocritical shit, you'd be doing the exact same thing if your girlfriend was in there!"

"She's not my girlfriend, why does everyone keep saying that?!"

"Then you won't mind if I cop a feel next time we cross paths?"

"Do that and I'll string your guts across the hall!"

"Get them!"

"-ohshititskatase outta the way!"

A young man in a buzzcut sprinted to a hallway corner, slipping briefly before speeding ahead, fleeing as though the hounds of hell were chasing him, leaving other students staring after him. They turned away, but also made sure that they weren't in the way of the ensuing mayhem.

Such was the fate of the Perverted Trio, to be isolated from their peers.

"Wha- Matsuda, you coward!"

Two more followed the fleeing Matsuda; a bespectacled young man with black hair, and a casually-dressed one with brown hair, both with panicked expressions as they ran from the angry horde of girls.

"Yeah, you two sure changed your tune quick didn't you!?" the brunet barked, glancing behind and yelping as he ducked beneath a shinai thrown at his head like a spear. The hurled weapon bounced off the wall, leaving a marked dent in it.

The bespectacled teen glared at the one running next to him. "Shut the fuck up Issei! The sight of their bodies was worth it!"

"Was it now!?" he half-drawled, half-shouted back, glancing over to an open window before diving out of it, thanking the stars that they'd been on the first floor.

"Wh- you bastard!"

"The pigs scattered, you three after the one that took the window!"

"Yes, team captain!"

Hearing that, Issei decided to keep following the old adage that discretion was the better part of valor and continued to sprint, panting heavily until something caught his foot and sent him sprawling.

He scrambled to get back to his feet, before freezing like a deer in the headlights as he recognized the cause.

"...You went peeking again, didn't you Ise-kun?"

'Oh no.'

"Ah..." he held up his hands in placation, smiling even as he broke into a cold sweat. "Motohama and Matsuda pulled me into it. They wouldn't take no for an answer, and- no, please! No! Not the ear! Ow!"

The blonde that had softly, but firmly, grabbed Issei's ear gave it another tug, eliciting a yip from the brunet. "Then you should know better than to let your profane urges run wild."

"I was only there as long as I was to keep them from going too far!'

She pouted. "But you watched too, didn't you?"

Tears started streaming down Issei's face. "...I'm a warm-blooded male, aren't I? How could I not?"

Clearly that was the wrong thing to say, as by the time the three girls from the Kendo Club caught up, they found Issei in the dogeza position in front of the blonde, shivering in place as she belted out rapid-fire admonishments at a pace that made even their heads spin.

The three exchanged glances at each other, before one of them walked up to the blonde. "Uh... are we even needed here, Yaegeki-san?"

Asia Yaegeki blinked, cutting off her taking Issei to task so she could speak with the Kendo Club girl. "I think I have it well taken-care of, Tamaki-san. Thank you, though, and I'm so sorry for his misbehavior."

Her foot shifted, nudging Issei's head briefly, and as if on command the brunet turned.

"I'm sorry I found you all too beautiful to look away from!" he cried out from his new position at the feet of the Kendo Club girls.

"That... I'm not sure how to take that," Tamaki deadpanned, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Ise..." Asia could only lift a hand to her face. "Do you think you three could let bygones be bygones?"

"I thought I heard something about him not wanting to get expelled so soon and pulling the other two pervs away. We'll... ugh," Tamaki sighed, rubbing the side of her head. "I can't speak for Katase-taichou. I think she'll agree not to raise any fuss about it though, or bring it up with the Student Council - at least as far as you go anyway - as long as you promise not to peek again."

Issei shivered, as though a bullet had narrowly, narrowly, missed.

The blonde smiled. "Thank you, Tamaki-san. Can you tell Katase-san that Ise and I will clean up the dojo for the next week?"

Said pervert twitched, looking up at Asia. "Wait, I'm coming too?"

"If you're truly sorry, it won't just be said through words, right Ise?" The innocent smile his friend gave him wobbled ever so slightly, and any resistance the brunet had to the idea crumbled in moments.

He grimaced, nodding once. "R-right."

The girl to Tamaki's right gestured with her hand and made whip cracking sounds, eliciting giggles from both Tamaki and the third Kendo Club member.

"Alright. She'll definitely agree in that case, as long as the pervert doesn't try anything else going forward. Come on you two, let's go fill her in."

As the three left Asia and Issei, one standing and one bowed on the campus grass, the former gave a soft exhale as she knelt next to him.

"It hasn't even been a week since the semester started, Ise-kun. How do you let Matsuda-san and Motohama-san drag you around like that so easily?"

"...It really was me trying to keep them from going too far at first, honest!" he responded, getting into a sitting position. "I... did get carried away, though."

"At least everything ended peacefully, though," the former nun smiled.

Then a girlish scream rent the air.

Issei knew that scream was no girl, as he climbed back to his feet.

As did Asia, who stared in the direction that one or both of the remaining Perverted Trio were caught. "Should I...?"

"...They probably deserve it." Never mind the fact that Issei knew full well that could - and perhaps should - have been him as well.

"I should go and find Kiryuu-san," Asia bit her lower lip. "That way we can at least help them to the infirmary."

"On the plus side, maybe they'll be too scared for their packages to try that again?" the brunet offered.

Asia giggled, and stepped back to rap Issei on the arm. "Don't say things like that Ise-kun, that's messed up!"

"So am I, but somehow we're still friends," the young man grinned briefly, before it softened into a smile. "Seriously though. Thanks for vouching for me."

She tipped her head to the side briefly in response. "Everyone deserves a chance to be better. I know you've been trying."

"See you tomorrow, then?"

"See you tonight," Asia pouted. "Don't forget that we signed up for volunteer work to make up for your lapse in judgment."

"Erk." Issei grimaced again. "R-right. I'll be there, promise."

She nodded, giving him a brief hug before hurrying off to find arguably the only other girl in Kuoh Academy that would give the Perverted Trio - as Matsuda, Motohama, and Issei had quickly become known as - the time of day.

The brunet watched her go until Asia entered the doors back into the school building, slipping his hands in his pockets as he turned around and stared at the sky, relief washing over him at escaping the fate that Matsuda and Motohama had met, but also a sense of trepidation.

"...That... could have gone much better."

'At least it's just the start of the semester. Even if our notoriety's followed us to Kuoh, I can still shake it off, right? This is meant to be a new beginning...'

The rustle of the wind met Issei's thoughts.

He groaned and lifted a hand to his face.

'Just my luck that those two actually managed to make it in as well.'

"..."

Issei blinked, gaze shifting down from the sky to the forest line.

Had someone been watching him?

"He's perceptive."

"No shit he's perceptive, but that girl's even worse! If I hadn't backed off she'd have spotted me, her ability to sense magic is up there with the magicians!"

"Settle down you two. This isn't a hopeless scenario. We've certainly dealt with worse, haven't we?"

"Can it, tits-for-brains, that's exactly the problem! We've dealt with worse but we can't exactly go with plans A, B, or anything all the way down to X!"

"Why not Y or Z then, jailbait?"

A fourth person, a male, sighed. "Lord Kokabiel gave us explicit orders to not kill any humans. Perhaps we could get away with murder, but even then doing so in Devil territory is asking for punishment. We'd be hung to dry."

"So what, we just... pull back, and call it a loss? That's cowardice talking."

"That's reason speaking, Raynare. I want to fulfill Lord Kokabiel's mission as best as possible too, but part and parcel of that mission is to do so discreetly."

Dark hair and violet eyes gazed out over where the Hyoudou brat had once been standing, glimmering.

"I'm not giving up just yet. I may even have an idea."

"Uuuuooooohhhh!"

Truly, it was a man's dream! A man's ever-present desire, to become something more than they once were! To grow, to develop, and evolve into an even greater form of masculinity!

Such was he, the immaculate fool, the man to make others laugh with his dreams and ideals, that he would become something greater than a mere fool. For you see, his was no ordinary destiny, for he was to become the demon king of-

"What are you doing, Ise?"

"Ah, er, nothing!" He set the mop back down and continued to slide it across the floor. "

"Just... messing around!"

"You were thinking of something perverted again, weren't you Ise-kun?"

"The Demon King of Oppai shall not be contained!" he blurted out in rapid-fire, almost musically - like a poor impression of kabuki - before clapping a hand to his mouth.

Asia just blinked at him, a faint flush suffusing her cheeks before shaking her head and continuing to sweep ahead of Ise's mop. "If he wants to get out, then he needs to get back to work."

"Truly, this prison is a powerful and cruel one," Issei bemoaned, even as he got back to mopping up the dojo floors. "I could be doing other things!"

"It is a self-inflicted punishment, Ise-kun. Maybe you'll know better than to go peeking again next time."

Issei heard Asia flush slightly and mutter something beneath her breath, but he couldn't hear what exactly.

"...Sorry, what was that?"

"Eep!" The blush intensified as Asia stood ramrod straight. "N-nothing, Ise-kun!"

He lifted a brow, then shook his head as he continued his work, now lost in more thoughtful musings.

She seemed to get like that quite a lot recently. That something would come up that has her all flustered and embarrassed.

He wasn't sure what, exactly, it was that Asia kept getting red-faced over, but for some reason he found he didn't mind seeing her like that.

It was cute.

"Ah... Ise-kun." He perked back up, hearing Asia speak to him. "Speaking of your dreams..."

"Eh? You mean my goal-dreams or my sleep-dreams?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to go down that second one, or if I ever will be," Asia giggled. "No, I meant your goals. You still haven't given up that dream of becoming a harem king, have you?"

Issei blinked, a grin rising to his face with a pump of his arm. "Of course not! Just because I'm an ostracized pervert doesn't mean I won't still aim for the ultimate goal of any man!"

"W-well... what if I mentioned that I knew someone who was interested in you?"

That brought the brunet up short. "You mean like... that kind of interest?"

"Um. Yeah." Asia poked her fingers together, pursing her lips..

"So... I guess, what do you mean by that? It almost sounds like trying for the one I'd have to give up the other?"

"You... are aware that harems never work out the way the stories would have it, right...?"

"Ah." Issei leaned on the mop. "Yeah, I'm aware."

"Then why would you try for one anyway?"

"Maybe it's just... the wrong place, or the wrong people, at the wrong time?" He lifted a hand to run through his hair. "I'm not saying I'd be any different, necessarily, but... I feel like I have to give it a shot."

"Why?" Asia repeated herself, turning around to stare at him meaningfully. "Why would one person not be enough for you?"

Issei opened his mouth, then closed it, looking down in thought.

"I..."

That was a good question, actually.

How could he put it? Even now, it was... a little silly.

Yet, it still meant a lot to him, so how was he supposed to just... out and say it?

Before he could come up with a good answer, someone else interjected.

"Ah, my apologies. I wasn't aware that there were others currently in the dojo."

Issei turned around, and upon seeing the speaker he scowled. "Oi, what do you want, handsome bastard?"

Blue eyes closed in a pleasant smile, lifting a hand apologetically. "I came to train. Normally the dojo is empty by this point, so I like to drop in and do some discreet practice."

"You're a swordsman, Isaiah-san?" Asia asked, with a tilt of her head.

He let out a light laugh. "Something of the sort. Please though, don't tell the other students; just getting an agreement out of the Kendo Club to not spread my little secret took far too much time and effort to begin with."

Issei cut in before his friend could accept the request outright. "And what's in it for us?"

"Well, I could try teaching you a bit," he offered, walking over to one of the shinai racks and picking up two, holding one out for Issei. "Since you two are here, I certainly wouldn't be against showing you how to handle a sword."

One of his eyes closed, his smile turning more teasing. "That is why I heard you and the other two stooges getting chased by the Kendo club, right?"

"Grk...!" Issei clutched his chest, staggering back as though he had been hit. "Damn bastard... why you gotta aim below the belt!"

Isaiah just chuckled and tossed Issei one of the shinai, the brown-haired young man's hand snaking out to grab it almost instinctively, grasping the hilt before bringing it in front of him.

"...Good reflexes," the blond commented, lifting a brow as he settled into his own ready position. "And not a bad first attempt at an actual stance."

"I may have watched enough anime to emulate the basics," Issei drawled, glancing to the side with a grin.

"Don't let it go to your head; There's a big difference between that and this. Allow me to demonstrate."

Issei blinked and Isaiah was directly in front of him, training sword to the side for what appeared to be a sweeping blow. His body moved on its own, bringing his own shinai to bear... only to find the butt of Isaiah's weapon slamming painfully into Issei's hand, causing him to let out a yelp of pain and drop his shinai. Before it could even clatter to the ground the blond's hand caught the hilt, driving that blade's butt into Issei's gut.

The brunet crumpled to the ground, fighting for breath as his eyes met with the business end of one training blade in front of his nose, the other in Isaiah's other hand and held off to the side.

"Dead." Isaiah smiled. "Again, you've got good reflexes, but you've never actually been in a fight before, have you?"

"Guh..." said brunet wheezed, even as Asia stepped forward.

"Ise-kun!"

"Please hang on just a moment, Asia-san," Isaiah lifted his hand to gesture for her to stop. Indeed, Issei was already struggling back to his feet, and even if his body was shaking, his eyes burned steadily.

"You... talk like you've been in fights before..."

"I have," Isaiah admitted without a hint of shame. "It's a rough world out there. You never know what might threaten you or yours."

Asia paused, remaining in place as she glanced between Issei and Isaiah, biting the bottom of her lip. "Is that why you learned the sword, Isaiah-san?"

"Something like that," the blond swordsman demurred. "Certainly, it's why I train now."

He stole a look between Asia and Issei, before letting out a sigh. "I heard you two talking about your little... dream, Issei-san. You talk big, especially when it comes to being a 'harem king' as you put it."

That got the blond a glare. "And what of it?"

"I... really don't mean to pry, but do you really think you can achieve that as you are now?" Isaiah gestured to him. "You're hated throughout the school, you don't seem like the wisest person given your predilection to perversion, and most of all... you're weak."

Asia's brow furrowed, and Issei's head dipped.

"Isaiah-san... there's no need to be rude."

"Ah, my apologies. I don't mean to insult you, Issei-san," the other student's hand lifted apologetically. "I'm just stating the facts. You talk a lot of talk, but how do you mean to reach your dreams if you don't put in the effort? If you're expecting everything to fall into your lap, you're not gonna get anywhere."

He tossed Issei the shinai again, which the brunet caught easily once more, a flick of his eyes the only indication of his notice before they met the ground once more. "So let me ask again for good measure: how are you going to achieve your dream as you are now?"

"...What the hell do you know, handsome bastard?" Issei growled.

"I know enough." Isaiah slowly squared his stance once again. "I've had to shed my fair share of blood, sweat, and tears to get to where I stand now... and even then, my patron's suffered worse. I'd say he and I are both stronger for it."

The blond tilted his head. "If you're looking to become a king, the first thing you need to do is become strong. Otherwise, how can you ever protect that which you claim as yours?"

Asia glanced between Isaiah and Issei, eyes widening as Issei finally looked back up, gaze sharp and fierce, biting her lip as she recognized that look.

Issei rolled his jaw. "You talk a lot of shit, handsome bastard."

"Am I wrong?"

Issei's response was to break into a charge, closing the distance between the two.

Their shinais met, and the brunet grit his teeth, pushing forward to throw Isaiah off balance, a harsh shove of the shinai causing Isaiah to take a single step back.

That single step, in Issei's mind, was enough, and he struck again with all the relentlessness of a hunter bearing down on its prey. His own practice blade, though he clearly lacked any sort of skill, made for an effective bludgeon nonetheless. Even if Isaiah kept blocking, if Issei kept advancing, kept him on the back foot-

"Dead."

One of Issei's downward swings connected with only air, the blond smoothly sidestepping the strikes by sweeping past the brunet, the butt of his shinai once again meeting Issei's skin, this time right between his shoulder blades. Something caught his foot as Issei staggered forward, an outstretched leg turning a stagger into an outright fall, slamming head-first into the wall.

"There are three types of strength, Issei," Isaiah intoned, over Asia's panicked yelp as Issei slid down to the ground clutching his head. "Strength of body, strength of mind, and strength of spirit. Mindless aggression is none of them; the only thing it will earn you is embarrassment and defeat."

"I-Isaiah-san, isn't this going a bit... far?"

He turned his head and stared at Asia quizzically. "...No? If you need to learn how to do something, what better way to do so than through the school of hard knocks? It's like with exercise; you can't build muscles without tearing them first."

Indeed, even after an impact with the wall that made Issei's head spin, the brunet rose back to his feet, holding his shinai at the ready.

"Again."

Isaiah smiled, readying himself for another round.

"Gladly."

"...So, how are you gonna do this now, Raynare?"

"I'll think of something else."

"Sure, as if trying to seduce the brat as a 'transfer student' was going to go anywhere with that girl by his side, and it's clear she's got the hots for him."

"Why don't you quit projecting your own insecurities on the rest of us? Not all of us only cater to a specific demographic, little miss loli."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Kalawarner!"

"Both of you, quiet or leave! I'm thinking!"

A beat passed.

"We've got another to work with, right? Why don't we put him to use?"

A pair of sharp amber eyes watched from the corner of one of the dojo's windows, gazing intently on the two young men, one of whom was quite clearly trouncing the other in the impromptu training session between them.

It had become something of a pastime for her, to watch from a distance. These two in particular were... interesting. One of them had still found his way to Kuoh despite having vanished into thin air, and the other... had found another member of their group far earlier than anticipated?

She was intrigued. She could almost see how the earlier meeting between the blonde and the brunet had done Issei so much good. He was still irredeemably perverted, but that wasn't so much a shield now as it was in her visions. Or were they memories?

Technically they were both at this point, but the white-haired girl still had to wonder about their origin. That was beside the point, however.

She knew a lot about shields, and that outward pervertedness wasn't the same as it had been before.

Even seeing the three now, lifted her spirits.

"...You're still kind, Kiba-kun." Koneko's lips twitched upward as she murmured to herself. "And you're still headstrong as ever, pervert."

She paused, blinking as she glanced down at her phone, checking the time.

"Ah, forgot, Kuroka-nee is visiting."

With that she turned and scurried off.

"Same time next week?"

"...Yeah. You'd better not be late, damn handsome."

Isaiah just chuckled and waved as Issei and Asia - mostly Asia - left the cleaned dojo, leaving the swordsman to his singular practice.

"For a blond bastard, he's not all that bad."

Asia just pouted and pinched Issei's cheek.

"Ow. You know I don't mean anything like that to you, right?"

"Then consider it a message from the other blondes of the world," the young woman huffed, shifting Issei's arm so she could better help him remain on his feet. "Why did you overdo it, Ise-kun?"

Issei sighed, closing one eye and staring at the ground.

"He's right."

"Eh?"

"The blond bastard," the brunet elaborated. "Compared to him or you, or your old man, I'm pretty pathetic."

"You're not-" Issei interrupted his friend by slipping out of Asia's grip.

"Hey, there's no need to mince words for my sake." He grinned self-deprecatingly, spreading his arms as he struggled to stay on his feet. "I know who I am. I'm some punk with a dumb dream and an outspoken taste in oppai. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but compared to the likes of you or them, I just... have so little going for me, in comparison."

He gestured to her. "Like, you have that Sacred Gear thing, right? Whenever I end up getting banged up too much you whip it out, and bam, I'm good as new? And I got the distinct impression that Isaiah was going way easy on me; I could see it in his eyes."

Emerald met sapphire. "Maybe it's dumb, but he's right. If I'm going to achieve my dreams, then I can't just let you protect me all the time. I have to figure out how to help in my own, basic human way, right?"

Asia couldn't exactly give him an answer he was looking for. "...I could heal you now, if you want."

The brunet smiled wryly. "Then what's the point? I won't get tougher if I heal from every little bruise I take."

"But your parents-!"

"Will be proud after they hear that I got into a fight for your sake. It's true, after all, just not the way they'll take it," Issei chuckled, before wincing and holding a hand to his side. "Ergh, wow, I didn't know shinais could smart that much-"

In the middle of his grimace, Issei missed the way Asia's face lit up red.

"Ise-kun... you're such a dummy..."

"Hey! Nothing wrong with that, you know!" his grimace widened as more laughter threatened to escape him. "Just promise that you won't leave me behind, alright?"

"Never!" she gasped, as though the very question offended her. "Never, ever, ever, Ise-kun!"

Issei smiled, warmth flooding through his chest at her assurances.

As they continued through the forest, Asia slowed down, a furrowed brow adorning her face as something occurred to her.

"Uh, Ise-kun?"

The perverted student paused, glancing back at Asia confusedly. "Eh?"

"Is it just me, or did the wildlife get awfully quiet?"

Someone cut in.

"Probably because of me, but good catch! Like I've got here! A couple of lovebirds, making their way down an old trail in the evening? How convenient!"

The two turned, one in confusion and the other in shock, with widening eyes.

"Are you...?" Issei trailed off.

"Am I...?" the white-haired man echoed, a wide, crazed grin on his face. "Am I what, exactly? You're gonna have to speak up, sonny. I can't hear you over the girly's shaking."

Issei's gaze shifted to the girl next to him, and indeed she was visibly shaking, eyes widened and trembling as she beheld their visitor.

"...What did you do to her?" the brunet demanded, whirling back on the guy before them.

"Me? Absolutely nothing at all." The robed man started walking to one side, swinging a cylinder tapering off into a ring on one side in a circle on one finger. "I've never harmed a hair on her pretty little head. Now her dad, on the other hand...? Well, he and I have unfinished business."

'Is this someone that Masaomi-ji fought against in one of his and Asia's missions?'

Issei gulped, and stepped forward, placing an arm in front of Asia in a gesture of protectiveness. "In case you didn't notice, you're not exactly going the right way to the church."

"Oh, I know. I already visited the place. Pity nobody was there, though; would have been fun to stain those 'hollowed' halls red."

The cylinder smacked against the white-haired man's hand, and immediately the other end extended into a beam, a gentle hum indicating the danger behind it. The very sound set Issei's nerves on edge, yet...

He gawked at it. "Is... is that a lightsaber?"

"Something like that. It's a pity these things are always yellow or blue though; I think a red one would be more fitting for me. Or maybe a purple one, because why can't I have one when that one guy did?!"

"Ise-kun..." Asia's brow creased, slipping something metallic back into her bag. "My phone's not getting any reception. We need to run."

"You won't get away, y'know." The white-haired man lifted his sword arm in a shrug. "I'll catch you waaaaaay before you get anywhere safe. By all means though, run for your God-given lives, make this a bit more interesting for me!"

Issei stole a glance back at Asia, her face pale but no longer shaking.

He gulped, returned his eyes on the white-haired man threatening them, and made a choice.

"You go ahead."

"What?"

"I'll try and hold him off."

"Wh- no, if you do, Freed will kill you!"

"If I don't, we're both dead anyway. Better one of us than both, yeah?" His own hands started shaking as he voiced his thoughts, but Issei found himself feeling unusually tranquil given the circumstances. "You've looked after me all these years; it's only fair that I return the favor."

"Aww... how cute," the madman, Freed if Issei heard correctly, mocked with a coo. "And you think an ordinary brat like you has any chance against a genetically-enhanced soldier of God like me?"

'Soldier of God...? What is he talking about?'

But now wasn't the time to think; it was the time to act.

"I won't know until I try, right?" Issei swallowed hard, before thrusting an arm back and shoving it into Asia's chest, forcing her back with a yelp. "Go! Get out of here!"

"Ise-kun!"

With no further fanfare, he sprinted at Freed, paying no further heed to his friend's cries.

"Well then, Ise-kun, let's play!"

'This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea, this is a bad idea!' his mind, his body, his very instinctual desire to live screamed at him as he ran at the lightsaber-wielding madman with nothing more than a bookbag and his fists.

'Shut UP!' Issei screamed back, spinning around and slipping his bag from his back, swinging it at the guy who had accosted them in the woods.

"Heh. You really wanna die that much, huh punk?" Freed had a wide grin on his face as he bent backward beneath the bookbag, feet flipping up as he somersaulted backward. Issei went sprawling as they connected with his chest, flying briefly and landing heavily on the ground, backpack a ways away.

It was then that Issei remembered that he was a bruised, battered mess from his 'training' with Isaiah already, as he took way too long for the madman to not cut him down before he stood back up.

Yet, oddly enough, Freed let him, standing in place while picking his teeth.

He was glad to have the opportunity, but the very action of the white-haired swordsman dismissing him outright set the brunet's blood to boiling.

He rushed in again with a wordless yell, cut short by a boot that planted itself in his gut and stopped him cold, vision graying out as he slumped over the leg Freed had kicked up at him.

"Man..." He even had the gall to sound disappointed. "You got fire, but absolutely zero skill or power. I was hoping for someone a little stronger to play with before I put you down and went after your whore, but this? You're boring me, and that's just sad."

"Don't... call her that..." he grunted, the rage for Asia's sake cutting through the dull pain, allowing him to grab Freed's leg.

"Bitch, make me. Not that you can anyway. Seriously, what were you thinking?" The grin on Freed's face widened as Issei pulled, throwing him aside.

He recovered smoothly, landing on his feet a few meters away. "Or were you just rushing at me in a fit of machismo-minded sacrifice? What, did you think that she was fast enough to outrun me, even if she had a head-start?"

Issei grit his teeth.

"Y'know, the fact that I haven't already cut you down should be pretty telling of how outmatched you both are in just about every way." The white-haired man pulled out something shiny and waggled it, freezing the student in place when he recognized what it was. "Or if I was feeling merciful I'd just put a shot from this little puppy in your head and be on my merry way."

He shrugged again, grin widening. "Eh, fuck it, I'll even give you the option since you did have the balls to throw yourself at me like that. So, what'll it be? The slow painful death hoping for help that'll never come, or the quick and... er, relatively painless one?"

The brunet just lifted his fists, shaking though they were and cold sweat adorning his brow..

The toothy grin widened even more, further lending to the mad glint that shone in his hand. "Not buying the load of bull I was selling you, huh? Fair enough; you're gonna die screaming either way."

He pointed the barrel Issei's way, and as the finger began to pull the trigger, the world slowed down.

'Fuck. I thought maybe I could get the lightsaber from him, but that...?'

'So what, you're gonna just lay down and die?'

'Hell no, but what the fuck am I supposed to do against a maniac with a gun?'

"Standing still's not gonna help, whelp! Move!"

Something seemed to click in Issei's mind at that moment, and he dove to the side, a white-hot bolt of something boring into a nearby tree, passing through the space where Issei's torso had just been.

"Hooh?" Freed's brow rose. "Guess you're still better than most of the sheep I kill, usually they freeze up the moment I pull out this puppy."

Issei chose not to give said maniac any more words, rushing back in. He knew that in the face of a gun and no other option but to fight, he needed to get as close as possible so he could try and get the gun out of the assailant's hands.

Question was, how? Freed also had that lightsaber thing of his in the other hand, and if he got too close...

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Issei grit his teeth and pushed himself.

'Shit, no time for doing things halfway. I gotta commit, or else I really will die!'

"Good thinking, whelp. Now what else do you need?"

He needed to be faster. Fast enough to grab Freed's hands before he brought his arms to bear against Issei again. Strong enough to work those weapons out of his hands. Tough enough to be able to take a bullet or a cut in doing so.

But he wasn't any of those things. He was just a human, and unlike Masaomi or Asia... he was... he had nothing special.

"Fool! You fail to realize what you have within you even now?!"

...This wasn't just a part of him that cracked and was trying to keep the rest of him sane in a situation that he was certainly going to be killed in, was it?

"I take offense to being part of your irredeemable psyche."

'Which is what a cracked part of me would totally say.'

"...I'm not going to justify that with an answer," the voice in Issei's head huffed. "Listen up, whelp! You may not be strong, you may not be smart, and you may not be charismatic-"

'Gee, thanks.'

"-but you do have two things going for you: a great strength of will, and an even greater will to live!" the voice continued unabashed. "So tell me, what do you want!?"

'...To survive.'

"Wrong answer! What do you want!?"

'I want to see Asia again...!'

"Better, but still not good enough whelp! What do you want!?"

This time, Issei threw everything he had behind his declaration.

"I want to live!"

Boost!

The world shifted. Everything suddenly moved slower. Freed's smile started to fall, but only at a fraction - half? - of the speed that it should have. Even the bolt of light that streaked his way from the fired gun seemed slower in comparison.

Still blazingly fast, but at least now he could shift far enough that it only grazed his leg instead.

'Fuck, that burns!'

But he didn't let even his stagger stop him, turning the brief loss of control over his leg into a crouch, before pushing out with both, stretching out two arms; one bare, another covered in a red gauntlet, reaching out for the gun...

Reset!

Then that gauntleted arm drifted away, and the world snapped back to normal, Issei crashing against the ground as something heavy and hard landed on his face. He heard a sigh from that growly voice in his head.

"...Hmph. A pity."

"Oh, damn! I didn't know that you had a Sacred Gear on you! Hoo wee, this thing looks badass as hell!"

The heavy weight on Issei's head lifted, revealing Freed holding a... red gauntleted... arm.

Issei's eyes widened, and flicked down to his left arm... or rather...

Where it should have been.

Then the pain hit.

Someone started screaming, a hand clapping onto and clutching at the stump where his arm used to be.

Wait. Wait, that was him, wasn't it?

It was hard to tell, everything was so fuzzy.

Who was he again?

Why was he screaming?

Oh, right. He'd gotten his arm cut off.

Oh.

Yeah, right now he didn't want to think too much.

...Yeah... passing out sounded good.

"Tch. For a battered brat, he was taking hits pretty well 'till I took off this pretty little thing." Freed held up Issei's suddenly-armored arm, waggling it in place until he noticed the emerald gleam.

"Oi, whatever shitty creature lives in this thing. Wanna work with me? Pretty sure it'd be a hell of a lot more fun than living in the brat here, or having to go through reincarnation again. Glint twice if you agree."

As if in response, the Sacred Gear vanished, leaving a bare arm with a cauterized wound where it had once connected to the rest of its owner's body.

"Tch. Whatever. Pretty sure they'd be pleased if I stripped you from the brat either way. At least I was trying to be polite about it."

Freed's eyes flicked to where the bint Asia had run off.

By this point he could still catch her before she managed to tattle on him to her daddy... but he'd have to leave the brat behind to move fast enough.

This was Devil territory, though. Who knew what might find Issei and make off with valuable prey if he left the brat behind?

He'd have done so without a second thought before the brat whipped out a Sacred Gear, but the fact that he did changed the dynamic.

"...Twilight Healing would have been great to have," he mused aloud, "but Boosted Gear's a Longinus for a reason."

Ah well. At least he had a good excuse for not being able to get the healing Sacred Gear.

As he hoisted the unconscious Issei over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Freed noticed the bushes shifting.

"...Oi. Whoever's there, get out or else you're the one who'll get spread across the trail instead."

There was silence. Then, someone stepped out.

"Oh? And who are you supposed to be?"

No answer.

He scoffed. "...Consider yourself lucky. I certainly wouldn't mind having my fun with a sexy thing like you, but I have a sacrifice to deliver. Unless you're planning to try and slow me down so that fuckstick Masaomi comes swooping in to save the day."

"I'm not going to fight you."

"Good. Then I'll be on my way."

"I agree."

Freed took a few steps forward, then noticed that after a strange glint of light the world was very, very wrong.

For one, he couldn't feel anything beneath his neck.

For another, the world was contorting around him.

As something hard collided against his head, Freed could only wonder what the hell just happened.

Then he realized when he saw his arm drop to the side, the deactivated light blade spilling from the hand.

"...Oh. Fuck."

Then everything went black.

"...Be on your way now, Sellzen."

As Issei was cradled in the bridal hold by thinner, softer arms, his severed limb resting atop his chest, the newcomer stepped away from Freed Sellzen's decapitated corpse, flicking between the arm and the place where the arm should be with a worried frown.

There were many things this individual could do. Reattaching a severed arm... was not one of them. Not someone else's.

At least, not without help.

His savior's head turned to the way that she knew aid would be.

"So you're here too, huh?" the woman asked, voice a murmur meant only for herself.

Eyes turned back to Issei's unconscious form.

"You really are a trouble magnet, eh? I guess the more things change, the more they remain the same. C'mon, let's get your arm put back on."

So they started walking, leaving behind the body of a madman stopped cold in his tracks.

It wasn't long before they were met by someone else.

Long black hair and a face that had developed faint age lines, Issei's current chaperone had to admit that Masaomi had grown up well, even if he hadn't given up the hairdo.

But now the brunette's hair was longer. She silently marked that as a point in her favor, with a brief flash of amusement.

He recognized her too, especially since, at least physically, she hadn't seemed to age a day. His blade was at the ready, and he gazed at her with a combination of surprise, relief, and a little bit of suspicion.

"...Luna? What are you doing here? I thought you were back in California?"

Sapphire eyes gleamed as Lunarunn Bael's eyes crinkled, lips quirking upward.

"Saving a dumbass from a homicidal maniac. Where's Asia? Issei lost his arm and I'll need her help to get it back on. I can explain afterward."

The suspicion lessened, though not entirely, and he gave a single nod as his eyes flicked to the boy whose separated arm was resting cradled to his chest. "Freed?"

A lifted brow. "You've dealt with him before?"

"A couple times, but I could never finish the job. He's slippery."

Luna closed her eyes and huffed. She was sure that Freed's tenacity had stuck in Masaomi Yaegeki's craw.

"Well, consider the job finished. Now, let's get this kid some medical attention, yeah?"

The freelance exorcist's own holy blade disappeared under his robes, his suspicion fading entirely by this point. With a jut of his head in the direction he had come from, Masaomi turned to hurry off, followed by a Devil on prismatic wings.

"So Freed's dead. Got anything to say about that, Raynare?"

"Good riddance. I know Lord Kokabiel's all for protecting humans, but Freed was a rabid dog. You know that, Dohnaseek."

"...I cannot argue the point, but there's a big difference between pointing that rabid dog in a good direction and putting it down."

"Hey, how was I supposed to know he'd be decapitated? Not my fault unforeseen circumstances got him snuffed."

"..."

"Kalawarner, is something wrong?"

"I get the feeling that we're missing something important here. Were there any signs of a fight?"

"Nothing so high-powered as a fight between a rogue exorcist and the town's presiding one," Raynare grumbled.

"An assassin, then?" Mittelt asked aloud.

"Maybe. But it still doesn't sit right with me."

"Then we'll have to investigate further," Dohnaseek cut in. "Assuming Lord Kokabiel doesn't have us assigned elsewhere for this failure to achieve any objectives. For now, we should return and explain our lack of opportunity to do the work expected of us."

That got a growl and a pair of feet stomping away.

"Kh...!"

"Raynare, what are you doing!?"

"I'm not gonna call it quits just yet! I'm gonna go do something about it."

"...We're heading back without you," Dohnaseek warned.

"Fine! See if I care, I'm not going back until I can tell Kokabiel that I completed the mission! With or without you!"

"Your funeral, bitch."

Raynare offered Mittelt a one-fingered salute to that, arm held behind her as she stormed off.

Kalawarner just sighed.

"Always the stubborn one."

A/N -

So here we are, folks. Welcome to canon! Or, canon as it stands under the 20 years of Luna and a slightly forwarded time period. As you can see, things are quite different.

That being said, much like Luna said, though many things change, many do remain the same. Issei remains a perverted hardhead, Koneko remains an outside observer, Isaiah remains a bro, and Freed remains a psychotic bastard. At least he's a headless psychotic bastard now.

How will things change? Well for one, Issei's been aware of, if not fully introduced to, the supernatural world until now, and for another he's not being shoved into the whole thing as the Pawn of a desperate Rias Gremory. Those differences will have a major effect on their dynamic, but you'll have to keep reading to see how that unfolds, much like with the rest of the story.

No beta this time, unfortunately. Hopefully the quality remains at least as good as before!

Tempura Wizard out.