Chapter 4: The Crimson Ruin Princess

"Wake up, pal." A voice spoke. "You're not dead yet."

"Nice to see you too." I blinked—seeing that a rescue blanket was covering me—and raised a hand but found an IV there and so let my hand drop back onto the seat. The car interior light took a little adjusting, but I could slowly make out my rescuer, Motohama.

He was about to speak again, but I interrupted. "No, wait. I have to say this…" Putting on my best, most confused and melodramatic voice, I spoke with a dreamy quality. "Where… Where am I?"

"Like I said, not at death's doorstep, shockingly." He dryly responded, then reached into the glove compartment across for a small metal box. "That being said, I'd say you're at the Ass-Kicking World Finals, and you're first in line."

Having only, previously, been inside the Old Man's SUV, I was already pretty familiar with those big, mechanical monstrosities that you wouldn't be blamed for guessing were the prized possessions of at least one of the local soccer moms—you know, the one juggling up to four hyperactive kids and a six-pack of Fresca.

This beast, however, was a different breed altogether; from the custom leather seats, to the overwhelming, foreign control system surrounding the steering wheel.

"I certainly feel like it." I looked around and awkwardly chuckled, but felt a growing sense of agitation creep up my spine, like a death-row prisoner awaiting his eternal damnation.

"For a moment there, I really thought I was gonna die… that I was for sure a goner." I paused, but shook off the thought. "So, what are you? A student by trade, and then some kind of monster hunter in your free time?"

"Hmm, don't really have a title." Motohama replied as he opened the small case to reveal a disposable medical syringe and a tiny bottle of clear liquid. "Here, hold still for a second, this should help." He helped roll up my sleeve, then cautiously gave me a shot. "Thought, I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact you just used the term 'goner'."

"What?" I blinked. "Is that a bad thing?"

He shrugged before shoving the box away. "I guess not. All jokes aside, those two assholes back there—the ones who nearly spiked you like fresh kabob—they're powerful, mythical beings called fallen angels. And chances are that more are on their way, as we speak."

"Fallen angels?!" I shook my head "You're kidding me, right? Like from the Bible?!" I practically exclaimed, just as the heavy downpour, outside, suddenly drowned me out.

He frowned and eyed me for a moment.

"That can't be. There's no way… Sakura, she had wings… oh, God. She had wings…" I blinked, feeling sick. "My doctor… really stabbed me?"

But, I'm still here. I'm alive and breathing.

My thoughts were interrupted when something shuffled behind my seat. It was a bit cumbersome to turn around, but, in doing so, I was greeted by a pair of big, orange eyes. The massive dog whined and wagged his tail. I sighed out of relief and unclipped my seat belt, tossed the ruined cloth onto a large duffle in the cavernous backseat, and scratched behind the massive canine's ear.

"I hope you're not in trouble for helping me out as well, buddy—"

I stopped, just short of expressing my gratitude, as Motohama pulled out a handgun and aimed right for my liver; the realization that I wasn't in the clear yet, suddenly hit me like a truck.

"Now," my classmate's demeanor grew cold, "if life were perfect, I'd be home right now, flying through last year's Christmas stack of Raymond Chandler novels, while merrily attending to a glass of Suntory on the rocks." He raised the gun up to my chin. "Instead, I'm out here in my newly-fixed Challenger, debating what I should ultimately do with you."

He cocked the hammer and said, "Issei, you are going to tell me everything I don't know, otherwise I'm gonna put that healing factor of yours to the test with this .45 here."

"Healing factor?" I responded. "All right, let's talk, but do you mind putting the gun away? He didn't, but seemed to let up a bit and looked at me questioningly. "What? You mean to tell me, that despite everything, you've got zero clue as to why you're in this situation, currently?"

"Yeah. Honest."

"Bullshit. You caused quite the stir at school and now you're involved with devil clans and fallen angels. So, to keep it short, you're going to need a better answer than just an "I don't know."

The dog growled, and I cleared my throat. "Look. You experience things, right? Then they're over, and you still can't explain them. Winged monsters defying the law of conservation of energy, beings with supernatural abilities, I'm… I'm just some fucked-up kid with a boat-load of issues. It's like I've been thrust into some insane mirrored version of the real world." I shook my head, suddenly feeling sick. "I'm starting to think that the THC, from earlier today, did a real number on me."

"Oh, that so?" Motohama kept the gun pointed at me, but pulled down his shades, revealing a gravely puffed, violet ring around his right eye. "Cause the feeling's mutual."

I shook my head, surprised. "Woah, who did that to you?"

"I'll give you three guesses," he broke out into a chilly smile.

…!

"N-no, no, no." I stammered and instinctively raised my hands in a futile attempt to signify a look of innocence. "I definitely would have remembered clobbering you."

"Are you sure?" Motohama responded. "Because I sure as hell do." He leaned back in his seat; gaining some distance between us. "Matsuda offered you a little grass and the next thing we know, you spring on us like some kind of animal; I mean, you really kick the shit out of us. Matsuda, poor guy, didn't see it coming, so he was out cold. Me, on the other hand, well, I managed to work through the concussion and make an awkward scramble after you."

He motioned with his firearm, then said: "So, imagine my surprise, when I finally catch up to you, only to find you cuddled like a newborn, in the hands of the most dangerous girl in the whole of the prefecture." Just before finishing his sentence, his eyes, dark and wary, suddenly narrowed on me like a prosecutor putting the squeeze onto a defendant.

"Rias Gremory."

I froze; hearing the sound of her name, the letters seemingly wiping out the heavy drum of the rain, the short, precise breaths of the dog, and Motohama's own words. It was like suddenly falling through thin ice, crashing into the murky, dark waters below. So that was her, the girl with hair so crimson and vibrant that it was comparable to the dragon's fire in my dreams.

"Rias…" I spoke as my eyes trailed the splashes of water on the windshield. "Gremory…?"

Motohama cleared his throat, gun still aimed, and said: "She's a powerful devil, easily the strongest I've come across. Not that I've ever been crazy enough to actually engage her, mind you."

"An actual devil?" I shivered as I asked. "Like Satan?"

For a good minute Motohama refrained from instantly responding. Instead, he seemed to contemplate something, and then finally lowered his weapon. "Not exactly."

"So are we good? You're not just going to shoot me after all that, right?"

He shrugged. "Not really, but that'll do for now. Plus, you're not exactly melting to the bone from any of the Holy Water I gave you, so I assume you're likely still human, probably."

"Is… is that what you injected me with?!" I shouted, remembering the shot from a bit ago. "You put water in my veins?! So, you are trying to kill me!"

Motohama laughed. "Relax, man. You survived multiple, otherwise-fatal stabbings from a spear of light. I'm sure a little bit of blessed juice isn't gonna make you hypotonic anytime soon."

"And you're just assuming that I'm gonna be fine?" I grouchily replied.

"Well," he spoke with a smile as he put his glasses back on, "you look just fine, at the moment."

Suddenly, the low growl of the dog caught his attention.

"What?" I asked, glancing back.

Motohama glanced up at the rearview mirror. "Shit. We've got company."

Without warning, he twisted the keys hanging in the ignition and the powerful engine roared to life. I barely had a moment to grab my seatbelt, as he slammed the gear stick forward and simultaneously hit the gas, practically launching the Challenger airborne as we flew down the road.

"Hold tight," he grimaced, "this isn't gonna be a walk in the park."

Soon as he spoke, a bright light flashed by the window and the road suddenly exploded. Jagged, hot concrete flew through the air like freshly cooked popcorn; the bright orange tint of the dark rocks scattered across the windshield, sizzling in the rain like a puddle of heated oil in an iron skillet.

"What the—! What the fuck!" I screamed and instinctively covered my head.

The dog barked as Motohama bolted us for the nearest exit lane. As he drove manically, I spun around in my seat and saw them. Dark like the night sky, I could barely make them out in the midst of the storm as they flew after us. However, the glow of their weapons were enough to instill me with sheer terror.

"Fallen angels. I don't know how they got here so fast, but we're stuck with them! If one of those light spears hits anything important, we're fried!"

I remembered Sakura, and couldn't believe it. "Wait, I tanked one of those things?!"

He shot me a dirty look, but quickly focused back onto the road. "I'll bait and switch—give these assholes a run for their money; besides, if they catch us, I'm sure you can talk our way out of it."

"Oh, yeah, sure. No, that's just brilliant. And while we're at it, maybe we can politely ask that they don't pick our insides out with goddamn light spears!" I yelled, as I yanked out the IV.

He glanced at the speedometer and chuckled. "Maybe before we went past a hundred."

I reached out and clamped a hand on the dash.

Motohama waved in the rearview. "They're still gaining on us." He glanced at me, smiling just enough to tell me that I wasn't going to like what happens next. "They're game."

The Challenger became very light in the tires as we weaved on the road and leveled off, starting down the hill. The dog yelped with disapproval, but that did little to dissuade our over-the-top driver.

The speedometer was now tipping one hundred and thirty as he blithely steered the Dodge into the emergency lane to pass two semis running in tandem. "You holding up?"

I swallowed and tried to work up enough spit to speak. "No."

Rocketing past the trucks and the startled driver of a minivan, he tipped the wheel, and the muscle car leapt back into the open lane like an animal on the hunt. "Hot, damn!"

I turned to see if the fallen angels were still following, but so far they hadn't caught up, possibly slowed down by the eighteen-wheelers. "I don't see them!"

"Good. Hold up, I spotted the exit."

Slicing down the emergency lane, he decelerated and tripped the wheel just enough to get the rear end of the Challenger to break traction and begin a sickeningly slow slide to the right as the two back wheels attempted to catch up with the front.

I looked straight ahead at the intersection that was rapidly approaching, aware that the light was red and that traffic was streaming by in front of us.

Motohama casually countered the drift just enough to keep the Dodge in play and, slowing his speed, continued turning to the right, glancing up at the overpass where the fallen angels were likely to still be. "Gotcha."

A late night truck driver, pulling across the intersection, suddenly looked up the ramp in time to see us rapidly approaching sideways. He slammed on his breaks as Motohama threw the Dodge across the opposing lanes, beat out a sedan, and put his foot into the more than seven hundred horsepower, slinging us forward as he took the emergency lane again, shooting past more cars, then roaring back onto the road and weaving his way through the lanes of traffic.

I glanced out the side window, the light coming from the street lights compressed by the speed like the opening credits of a movie not formatted to real life. "Where does this road go?"

"Downtown."

"Anything else?"

"Just some residences and a park."

We leapt across a bridge and made a hard right, following the geometry of a curve not designed for a hundred miles an hour. "What'd we just blow over?" He suddenly asked.

"I don't know—we were going way too fast for me to read the sign."

He dipped his head forward, indicating the journey beyond. "They'll be ahead, and they'll be waiting for us at a cutoff, no doubt… Goddamnit!" He shouted. "We're gonna have to fight our way out of this one. Nobody just miraculously outruns fallen angels."

"Fallen angels, devils, just what in the hell is going on?!"

He pressured the brakes and broadsided through the turn onto a tiny road, landing us in some random neighborhood. "I'm really starting to regret tailing you from school and saving your skin, Issei. You really mean to tell me that you've got the attention of fallen angels, but have no clue as to why?"

"Look, dude, in case you haven't noticed," I tried my best to muster a mean glare, "I've been having a really lousy day—"

CRACK—!

We hit some bumps, and there was a deafening noise, but it was only when I saw through the massive hole punched in the interior panel of the car that I realized that we'd been hit with a spear.

I glanced at the front and could see that Motohama's eyes were wide as he looked at the damage to his car. I swallowed. "Are you hit?"

"No," his lips curled back into a scowl, "and I'd just as soon not be." Keeping his hands on the wheel, Motohama spun around to face the dog and sharply instructed for the mysterious duffle.

Immediately, the great canine meticulously used his jaws to gently unzip the dark bag, revealing what had to have been the scariest looking gun I'd ever seen.

"Issei, grab hold of the wheel!" Motohama ordered, while handling and sliding a blocky magazine into the oversized firearm.

"What… what is that?" I asked, gawking at the excessive weapon in his possession.

Motohama grinned, as excitement blazed in his eyes. "This here is an M82 .50 BMG. She's a recoil-operated, anti-material rifle system designed for making Swiss cheese out of entry vehicles and light armor. Though, I like using her as an anti-personnel system, if you get my drift." He savagely chuckled as he pulled back the bolt and began standing up from his seat.

"I-is that what you shot my parents' house with?!" I screamed back as I latched a hand on the wheel, hoping to God that I wouldn't accidentally throw us off the road.

"Yeah, well, someone needed to save your ass by shooting that—!" His retort was interrupted, just as a bolt of light shredded through the roof of the Dodge and speared through the epic weapon like a hot knife cutting through butter. Worse, the spear bore right through the control station as well.

"Oh shi—!"

The dashboard and windshield exploded, sending shards of glass, sparks, and debris everywhere. The dog yelped and was launched backwards alongside Motohama, while I took the blast head-on. My face and arm singed from the heat, but I managed to hold on tight to the wheel.

"Gah—!" I shouted, trying to shake off the feeling of impending doom.

Suddenly, one of the fallen angels descended upon us, another spear in hand; harshly landing onto the hood of the Dodge. Immediately, he glared at me through a messy slosh of dark hair, which did little for his flattened, bloodied expression. I gasped, as it dawned on me that I'd seen him before. He was one of Sakura's cronies, the stranger who earlier invaded my house.

"Well, Issei. You got any last words?" He snarled through an atrocious grin, as he brought back the spear in preparation to run me through.

"Your lines are corny. So, how about you just fuck off?"

He spun to face an injured Motohama, who lurched forward as he brought the .45 from under the car seat and leveled it at the surprised fallen angel. The spear of light grazed my neck as seven of Motohama's 230-grain rounds blew eleven inches into the fallen angel's chest at 835 feet per second, bouncing him off the car hard enough to launch him somewhere into the stormy darkness, leaving nothing behind but a trail of raven feathers.

"Nice shooting!" I triumphantly shouted.

The celebration was short lived, however, when one of the Dodge's front wheels exploded and tore off the vehicle's body. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but the car suddenly spun out of control, sending a series of brilliant sparks across the wet concrete road before smashing forcefully through a tall, dark gate.

With the force of a pro boxer, the airbags deployed, instantly knocking me off the wheel. The seatbelt cut into my shoulder and was all that held me tight as the vehicle continued its destructive journey onward, only coming to a sudden dead-stop when we struck something hard. I gasped for air, the pain all too agonized, and realized that water was pouring into the car.

At first, I thought it was the rain, but as my vision returned, I realized we had crashed into some sort of fountain. Then, it all clicked. The surrounding evergreen, shrubs, and sparse, man made pathways; we were in a park. Somehow, through all of that, we ended up in a goddamn park.

"Jeez, Issei." I spoke to myself. "It's just one thing after another with you…"

Suddenly, there was a crash of shattering glass and something grabbed me by the throat with a steel grip, pulling and then throwing me out the car. I hit the ground and felt my arm go out, as I slid across the wet grass like an uncontrollable yacht smashing through a wooden dock.

I could barely let out as much as wheeze, when a figure with wings flew over and suddenly lifted me off the ground, high above him.

WHOOMP—!

My body was thrown like a ragdoll. I bounced off the side of the Dodge, tumbling onto the asphalt and stopping just before someone's feet. I felt like I was dead, and the face above only further cemented that feeling.

"You should've been our sword, Issei." She spoke with anger. "Our champion."

Once my most trusted confidant, Sakura now stared down at me with an expression of pure disgust and contempt. Though her wings were damaged, that didn't stop her from displaying them with what felt like some sort of pride; it didn't stop any of them.

Fallen angels continued descending from the sky, some I even recognized. There were the "yellow jackets", the guards at the hospital. Nurses, doctors, and other staff members. The only people I'd known my whole life. All of which, every single one, were monsters.

I glared at Sakura, trembling with rage. "Why are you doing this to me?"

She said nothing, but continued to stare. Suddenly, one of the fallen angels grabbed me and forced my head down in a bow, making sure to hold my hands tightly behind my back so that I couldn't try anything. "Get off me!" I roared, but to no avail.

"Quiet." Her command cut me off, as she formed another spear of light. "Look at me."

Her acolyte did as he was told to, and pulled my head back up.

"This world is broken. Helpless to the whims and deceiving nature of the devils, only further perpetuated by the cowardly seraphs who sit atop a throne that rightfully belongs to us. Our greatest leaders fail to act, and only now do we have a real chance at salvation. To destroy our sworn enemies, and to finally make things right!" She proclaimed while pointing the searing weapon at me.

"For Lord Kokabiel."

I watched as she raised the spear and winced, waiting for the inevitable.

KA-BOOM—!

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the park, as a bright, crimson light took over the night sky. The shockwave was tremendous, and threw me back while simultaneously launching the surrounding fallen angels up into the sky. Suddenly in a fit of panic and terror, the fallen angels completely abandoned me, taking off for the sanctuary of the skies.

"What the…?" I watched in astonishment as someone slowly descended towards me, outlined by the red glow of a demonic-looking moon. Her hair was redder than the blood running down my cheek, and seemed to float midair alongside her body. She smiled as a pair of leathery wings, like a bat's, suddenly sprouted from her back. Strange, alien energy seemed to encase her, surrounding her like a forcefield. As she gently landed, patterned imagery suddenly appeared over the ground, outlining everything in a red, spinning circle.

I immediately recognized her.

How could I not?

She reached out and gently rubbed my cheek, the feeling sending a chill through me. "I thought you could use a little assistance there." She continued smiling sweetly. "Though, you are proving to be a fascinating boy, aren't you?"

"Please, save them." I gasped, pointing at the Dodge. "My friends. They're in that car. Please!"

She looked at the destroyed vehicle, then turned back around to me, smiling.

"Gladly. But from this moment forward, you will live your life for my sake."

Those were the last words I heard before finally passing out.

The words of a devil.

Rias Gremory.

"Good morning! Greetings, all. You're listening to Kuoh Radio, and your host, once again, is me, your friendly neighbor, Akito Suzuki. What a refreshing morning it is. The weather is perfect, and I have just the song, in mind, to start off the day. Here's Al Stewart's Year of the Cat; only the best music for your early mornings, here on Kuoh Radio…"

The sound of gentle piano and rhythmic guitar stirred me awake, as I forced myself up and let out a considerable yawn. Refreshed, but still feeling like I'd just gotten out of the Third Battle of Verdun, I lazily sat there in my bed, listening to the music coming from the radio on my window shelf.

"Weird…" I pondered aloud as I rubbed my eyes.

I'd experienced strange dreams before. Under psychiatric tending, there were points where my schizophrenia would skyrocket, leading to a complete withdrawal from reality, such as imagining the voice of a dragon or seeing things that weren't really there.

But yesterday was different, if it even happened…

The song on the radio tuned out as I looked down at my calloused hands, squeezing them together into balled fists. I'd never experienced such vivid nightmares before. Did I ever even go to school? There was just no way any of it could have been real, even if it had felt like it. The dragon bestowing power; Motohama and the dog saving me; the chase in the middle of the night; Doctor Sakura, herself, trying to kill me. It all had to have been a dream, or another one of my episodes.

But from this moment forward, you will live your life for my sake…

I shook my head. It didn't matter. I'd go to school and start over, simple, done…

My train of thought, however, quickly shifted into panic, as I noticed the clothes I wore last night were messily sprawled across the floor next to my bed.

"…Ngh…"

Mid-crisis, the sound of a silky, sultry voice suddenly caught my ear. I took in a breath, knowing full-well that the radio wasn't feminine, and shyly glanced to my side—the familiar scent of spring and fragrant fruit suddenly assaulting my senses, and reminding me of that first day of school…

"Zzz… Zzz…"

The crimson-haired angel from my dream was sleeping sound as a baby besides me, and she was completely, unapologetically naked. Her snow-white skin, fine and rich, dazzled like a sharply cut diamond underneath the rays of the morning sun. Her blood-red hair, spread out over the pillow like the enveloping Yangtze river, was nothing short of mesmerizing. I couldn't believe it. It was definitely her, the idol of my school. The center of my ongoing plight, the crux I couldn't seem to escape. The beautiful creature that'd saved my life, the one that Motohama had warned me about.

The most dangerous girl in the whole of the prefecture.

Rias Gremory was in bed with me.

"…Oh, fuck…"

Is this seriously happening? I tried to calm myself down, but reality was starting to kick in. Why was I in bed with Rias? What the hell had happened last night? Wasn't my house destroyed? Did Motohama and Matsuda figure out a way to get away? More importantly, what did I do?!

I gripped my head, trying to rack my brain around how all this could have happened. What had I done? How did we end up like this? I was so confused, I felt like my head was on the verge of exploding.

"Issei!" Someone shouted from downstairs. "Honey, it's time for school!"

Mom?! I almost screamed aloud.

"He's probably just getting up. C'mon, there's no need to rush him."

I could hear my foster parents talking downstairs, followed by the gentle sound of footsteps climbing up the staircase. They weren't slow and heavy, meaning they must have belonged to Mrs. Hyoudou! She was on her way up!

"Issei? Issei, are you up, honey?" She asked, outside my door.

Suddenly, I felt a shift in my bed. "Ngh… Is it morning?"

The breathtaking, alluring figure, still lying besides me, spoke in a sleepy manner. Ignoring my shocked expression, Rias raised her head to let out a soft, gentle yawn.

Click.

The door opened—and at the very same moment, Rias sat up in bed. My eyes immediately met my mom's.

"Good morning," Rias said, beaming.

My mom's gaze shifted from me to Rias. Her face was frozen with shock.

"…S-surprise…? I croaked and awkwardly shrugged. "Uh… we'll be ready in like five minutes, thanks…" I stiffly nodded. "How are you?"

She glanced back at me, before silently closing the door behind her. A second later, I could hear her footsteps thundering down the stairs.

All I could do was bury my face in my hands, as a heated debate began brewing downstairs. It was easy enough to imagine what sort of dialogue was going on between my foster parents. How could this have happened? They were definitely going to send me back to the hospital. There was no possible excuse, conceivable, that would be able to explain this situation logically.

"You have quite the lively family," Rias said as she nimbly rose from the bed to go retrieve her uniform. As she approached my desk, my eyes instinctively followed the sway of such a relaxed amble. How exactly could one describe such a thing of beauty? She was akin to a sculpture fashioned from the finest of clays, meticulously crafted with honed, mastered skill and technique—sheer, utter perfection. The words rambling within my thoughts weren't enough. She was just that amazing.

That being said, the awkwardness of just staring at her like an object was starting to really creep me out. So, I tried starting up a conversation: "Um… R-Rias?"

"Hmm, what?"

"You're naked," I murmured, shyly glancing away. "I can… sort of see everything…"

"Go ahead," Rias boldly replied with a malignant smile, as she changed into her uniform. Before I could take in her response, she suddenly asked. "How's your stomach, by the way?"

"Stomach?" I reached down to my abdomen, feeling another chill run up my spine.

"You were stabbed repeatedly yesterday, alongside a series of equally troubling injuries."

Her words instantly opened the floodgates to my memories from the previous day. I was sure that Sakura had gouged a hole right through me. And yet, here I was, alive and still in one piece. Logically, I shouldn't even be here, back home. Did that mean it was all a nightmare?

"Just so you know, it wasn't a dream," Rias spoke, as if reading my thoughts.

"Then," I shook my head, "why am I still alive…?"

She smiled. "I healed you. Or, more appropriately speaking, I helped. It was a mortal wound, but you're a hard nut to crack. I felt it at school, but to see it, in-person, was something to truly behold. Your self-healing traits are off the chart; that's what was keeping you alive, as you fought off your attackers. And, that, combined with my powers, is what ultimately saved you."

"You… saved me?"

Rias nodded. "I had to embrace you—naked—in order to use my magic to give you strength. It's an ability normally reserved for members of the same Familia, but I decided to make a special exception for you. And don't worry, as promised your allies are safe too."

"Special exception?" I responded, bewildered. None of this was making sense to me.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. This world is a beautiful thing; filled with more mystery than you could possibly begin to imagine." Rias drew close, dressed only in her underwear, and stroked my cheek with her slender fingers. It felt like electricity was running through my skin, as my face turned a bright red. It was only natural, being fawned over by such a beautiful woman.

"My name is Rias Gremory," said the crimson-haired girl. "I'm a devil."

I felt my eyes widen as she pulled me in closer.

"It's nice to meet you, Issei Hyoudou. Is just Issei all right?"

I wasn't sure how I didn't notice earlier, but her smile, beautiful as can be, certainly looked demonic now.

Just what on earth had I gotten myself into?