I am honestly surprised at how well received last chapter was. I was sure people were going to rage at me having Issei forgive the devils so easily (not that he really has yet) and call me out for being a bad writer at having all that animosity at the start of the story then getting rid of it. Surprisingly though, it didn't and I have to conclude either you all trust my judgement in writing and are in fact just waiting for more… or a lot of you gave up on this story… which given its stats doesn't seem to be the case. In that case, thank you and I look forward to giving you a new chapter.
P.S. Some of the people commenting on the sites they watch DxD on make me laugh. I saw one comment on this week's episode with someone suggesting Asia disappeared because she was going to become the new God. I laughed for 2 minutes straight and had such a hoarse throat after that. Really, the Light Novel is awesome, and more people should read it.
Enjoy.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the High School DxD anime/manga/light novel all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'Ddraig talking and Sacred Gear sounds'

"Ddraig thinking"

*expression*

Flashback

Chapter 16 – Good Things Come in Pairs

Issei leisurely walked to his destination, granted it wasn't his fault, but a conversation with a woman scorned, by her best friend no less, was not something you rushed to.

'*sigh* It'll be fine, Akeno no doubt knows Rias cares for her… although now she probably realises not entirely the same way she had thought, but it should still be fine… I think.' Muttered Issei thoughtfully before sighing heavily.

Issei knew exactly where Akeno was, he could feel her energy slowly climbing and rapidly dropping near the back of the gymnasium. No doubt, Akeno was angry with Rias, but what was more likely was she felt betrayed, as though she had been used as a throwaway piece.

"Hehe, it is funny that if this had happened last week, I would have jumped at the opportunity to spin this to my advantage." Thought Issei in amusement.

'Oh, so all that stuff you said in there was true? It wasn't just a ploy on your part.' Questioned Ddraig suddenly.

"Ah Ddraig, nice to hear from you again and to answer your question, no I was being honest. Michael and Koneko are both right, I need to let my blind hate go and not judge someone before getting to know them personally. Of course, it isn't going to be easy, almost ten years of blind hatred won't disappear overnight… but I can at least take the first steps towards changing." Issei answered, as he stepped off the grass and start to trudge through the gravel around the gymnasium, rocks crunching under his feet with each step.

'And what of your goal, have you changed your mind on that as well?' Questioned Ddraig curiously.

"Of course not Ddraig, I will still ensure that Dragons once again get the respect they deserve, but, maybe I won't resort to, hehe, draconian measures to achieve them." Chortled Issei.

'That pun you insist on using is not funny in the slightest.' Commented Ddraig dryly.

"Hmm, whatever you say, you might not care about it, but I find it amusing that people seem to think draconian seems to relate to dragons in some way… besides, what would you know about amusement, all you've done for the past couple hundred years or so is try and have your host beat the host of the White Dragon, before trying it again the next time you get implanted in a new host. Pretty boring and cyclical if you ask me." Commented Issei snidely, after which Ddraig huffed before going silent.

Issei stopped just before the corner of the gymnasium, knowing Akeno was just around the corner leaning against the wall.

'Did you know… before that time at the shrine?' Questioned Akeno quietly.

'I did.' Replied Issei.

'Is that why you asked me if I thought I was being manipulated by Rias, did you already know that she was?' Questioned Akeno sadly.

'Partially, I would have said the same thing even if she wasn't manipulating you, that is what I thought of all devils at the time… that it was the truth just so happened to be an unfortunate accident for you.' Answered Issei truthfully, as he leaned his back against the wall adjacent to Akeno and stared off into the sky.

'What am I supposed to do now, how am I supposed to act?' Akeno asked, her voice cracking as she spoke.

'Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm sure Rias wouldn't just let things sit, I'm sure she will try to earn your forgiveness, for a king, she sure doesn't act like one, which I suppose has its upsides and downsides. I suppose all I can really say is trust yourself, you're a smart woman and you'll know what to do.' Said Issei softly.

'Issei, if you don't hate fallen angels and you don't hate devils anymore either, can you answer the question I asked you before?' Asked Akeno tenderly.

'Have you got an answer to the question as well?' Asked Issei curiously.

'I do, do you?' Questioned Akeno.

'*sigh* I might, although it may not be the answer you want to hear right now.' Replied Issei solemnly.

'I thought so… Issei, can you do me a favour?' Asked Akeno timidly, surprising Issei.

'Uh, sure I suppose.' Replied Issei a little confused.

'Can you close your eyes and count down from five for me?' Akeno requested.

'I guess so.' Said Issei as he closed his eyes.

'Five.' Said Issei, as he heard Akeno shuffling near him.

'Four.' Said Issei, as he heard Akeno's dainty feet lightly crunch the gravel underneath them as she took a step.

'Three.' Issei continued as he felt Akeno was now standing in front of him.

'Two.' Issei intoned as he felt Akeno step closer to him, so that he could hear her breathing.

'One.' Issei uttered, as he felt Akeno cup his right cheek in her hand and softly caress it.

'Zero.' Issei finished as he opened his eyes, only to see Akeno lean in and claim his lips in a kiss that was full of desire, but also pure joy.

Issei reciprocated the kiss for a moment, before he felt Akeno move back slightly.

'Even if you aren't ready to say the words I want to hear now, I want you to hear mine. Issei, I want to stand by your side, forever.' Said Akeno, her violet orbs full of emotion.

Issei paused for a moment, letting the gravity of Akeno's words hit him, before bringing his right hand up and grasping Akeno's left which was still on his face, and smiled.

'I would like that too.' Replied Issei, as the two students smiled warmly at each other.

-line break-

The rest of the day proceeded without a great deal of drama, although it was worth noting that while Akeno returned to class, she avoided Rias' gaze. Issei, as expected, was confronted about him suddenly appearing with Koneko, which was put to rest when Issei slammed Motohama and Matsuda head's together, disorienting them and discouraging further discussion of the topic. As Issei walked home with Raynare and Asia, it was clear both wanted to say something.

As they finally entered Issei's home, the trio greeted Issei's parents before heading upstairs.

'Go ahead.' Said Issei tiredly as he sat down on his bed.

'Was that all true? What you said?' Asked Raynare seriously.

'Yes.' Replied Issei simply.

'Why?' Queried Raynare.

'*sigh* I guess I can tell you a little about it, especially since I did hide the fact that I was friendly with Azazel from you.' Said Issei, causing Raynare to frown slightly at the reminder.

'You see, some time ago, after Irina left, I was alone. Not too long after, I made a new friend, a supernatural friend. This friend of mine happened to be extremely powerful and intelligent, so much so that even now I have a hard time reconciling her appearance with her being.' Began Issei.

'Her?' Questioned Raynare curiously.

'Err, or him, it's complicated, for now, let's just say her, it will make things easier to explain.' Issei said awkwardly.

Raynare thought of making a comment on the strange information Issei had just given her, but ultimately decided to stay quiet for now in order to hear more of Issei's explanation.

'So basically, my friend had lots of connections, when I say lots, I mean a lot.' Said Issei, emphasising the large amount of people Ophis knew.

'So to learn and grow stronger, she took me to various places, sometimes even the underworld, sometimes other places in Japan, even occasionally other countries. During our trips, I would meet people, sometimes they were her followers and sometimes just random people when she let me explore freely. One time I happened across two Youkai, Nekoshou to be precise. They were rather reserved and cautious, but I ran into them a few times and eventually we were mildly amicable to each other.' Continued Issei.

'So am I to assume that the white-haired devil was one of these Nekoshou?' Questioned Raynare.

'Yes, I met Koneko and her sister, although at the time, Koneko went by a different name and I also used an alias since when I was with my friend, I met many dangerous people and didn't want them to find out my true identity for fear of my parent's lives. Of course, some figured it out easily since they had massive intelligence organisations, such as Azazel for one, but I'll get to Azazel later.' Said Issei, getting an understanding nod from Raynare.

'Well, when I would meet up with Koneko and her sister, they would tell me a little about their lives and I would do the same, one day I heard about Koneko's sister joining a peerage. The details behind this are not mine to share as I have no right to do so, but basically, I asked my friend about the king that Koneko's sister was serving under and let's just say he made me hate devils a great deal more. I met quite a few devils who I hated during these past ten years or so and this guy was some of the worst scum I ever had the unfortunate displeasure to meet. Long story short, I continued to watch Koneko and her sister for a couple of months and watch the devil's… rather sick actions, until one day, Koneko's sister cut him down, good riddance.' Finished Issei.

'I don't understand how that makes you change your view on devils, if anything you should hate them more.' Commented Raynare confused.

'You'd think so huh? Strangely it is because of what happened after that which changed my mind. More or less, it is because of what happened to Koneko after. I don't feel it is fair for me to say everything as this is Koneko's past and she has the right to keep it hidden but that, in addition to some advice I received recently is why my opinion on devils has changed.' Concluded Issei.

'Sounds a bit farfetched to me.' Raynare muttered disbelievingly.

'It sounds like Issei finally found the forgiveness of the Lord and has allowed his heart to be free from hate.' Commented Asia, who had been listening quietly until now.

'Freed my heart… from hate.' Muttered Issei softly, looking at the ground.

'Yes, with love, love for your friends and love for those you care about no matter what they are.' Continued Asia, with a beautiful smile on her face.

Issei laughed softly getting Raynare and Asia both to look at him. Issei softly patted Asia's head, before resting it on her shoulder briefly, before letting it fall to his side once again.

'Yeah, I guess you are right Asia, I really have.' Said Issei, smiling brightly as he gazed up fondly.

"I hope so, but I doubt it will be that easy." Lamented Issei internally, as he mentally sighed.

'But as for Azazel, well I met him purely by chance.' Said Issei cheerfully.

'Eh? You met the leader of the fallen angels by chance?' Questioned Raynare incredulously.

'Yeah, you see I was heading to a gaming convention and there was a competition. Winner gets a home entertainment system complete with every game in the Dragon Ball series and a console to play each game on, Game Boy, SNES, PlayStation, all of them. The rules were simple, one-on-one elimination battles, winner takes all. Basically, it came down to me against Azazel… lucky ass, he got a Kamehameha wave on me just before I could take him out with a Masenko, and he won the competition.' Explained Issei sourly.

'So you met the leader of the fallen angels; at a gaming convention.' Uttered a gobsmacked fallen angel.

'Yeah. What, were you expecting some long-winded tale of how I fought against his subordinates and gained his interest which led to him observing me for many years until approaching me?' Asked Issei amused.

'Well yeah kinda?' Replied Raynare sheepishly.

'Ha, sorry, Azazel is just one hell of a gamer, I mean the dude has probably had numerous… screw that, millions of women, I'm sure at some point he decided to interest himself with something else. I mean, sure, the guy loves examining Sacred Gears, but he has to do other stuff as well I mean.' Issei explained.

'Issei certainly knows lots of interesting people.' Commented Asia with a smile.

'Ah, if only you knew Asia, although not all of them were good, I did meet a lot of nice people throughout my life, like you two for example.' Issei said cheerfully.

Asia smiled, while Raynare stared at him in amusement.

'Really, I'm a nice person?' Asked Raynare sarcastically and thus was taken aback when Issei suddenly stood up from his bed and placed both his hands on Raynare's shoulders.

'Raynare, you are a good person, you have you flaws like anyone else, but to be perfectly honest, you are a much better person than you think you are, even better than I.' Said Issei firmly.

Raynare blinked in confusion at Issei's words.

'Issei, what do you mean?' Questioned Raynare in surprise.

Issei humourlessly chuckled before sitting back on his bed.

'Let's just say I never took any prisoners.' Declared Issei darkly.

Asia moved towards Issei and reassuringly placed her hand on his.

'Issei, you are not a bad person either, after all, you saved me even when you didn't have to.' Said Asia kindly.

'Also, despite your hate for devils, I've never seen you do anything harmful to anyone, well, save for laying the smack-down on those two perverts occasionally.' Added Raynare.

'Hmm, thanks you two, I guess I do have a tendency to be unnecessarily gloomy sometimes.' Said Issei quietly.

'It is only because you still haven't gotten laid yet.' Commented Raynare.

'Raynare what does "laid" mean?' Asked Asia innocently.

'Well you see Asia, when a man and a woman…' Begun Raynare, before Issei suddenly shot up from his bed and covered her mouth with his hand.

'Never mind Asia, I'll explain it to you later. Shouldn't you go and get started on your homework now though?' Said Issei amicably, as he kept a firm grip on the fallen angel next to him.

'Ok Issei, I'll see you later.' Said Asia, as she smiled and left the room.

Issei breathed a sigh of relief, before feeling something wet against his hand. Issei went to pull his hand away that was currently over the mouth of the fallen angel, before she quickly gripped it and stuck his index finger in her mouth and sucked on it forcefully while swirling her tongue around the digit, before letting it go with a soft popping sound.

'Just remember, if you do want to get laid; I could teach you quite a few things.' Said Raynare huskily, as she leaned towards Issei and licked his earlobe slightly.

'Oh, and trust me, I'm naughty, definitely not nice.' Whispered Raynare.

Issei froze for an instant, it had escaped his mind that Akeno wasn't the only one who would be capable of teasing him. He had for a moment forgotten than Raynare was, and in fact is, a fallen angel herself and could be very seductive herself if she wanted to.

Issei stiffly moved away from Raynare and headed towards his shower, closing the door behind him softly, before the sound of water running could be heard.

Raynare chuckled huskily.

"It is only a matter of time, soon I'll get what I want." Thought Raynare proudly, before heading to her room.

-line break-

It was the day before Parent's Day at school and Issei was sitting in the Club room, with Koneko and Ravel sitting either side of him. Asia was sitting opposite Issei on the other couch, while Rias was behind her desk. Kiba was standing just to the left of the desk, as he smiled and watched a rather unique conversation between the two fallen angels.

'Issei clearly likes me more, he groped me the first chance he got.' Defended Raynare, as she argued with Akeno over who Issei liked more.

'Ara, but Issei always blushes whenever he feels my chest, I doubt he did so when he groped you.' Quipped Akeno with a smile.

'I slept with him first, and he was shirtless.' Added Raynare.

'I was his first kiss.' Said Akeno triumphantly drawing the attention of the other female devils in the room.

'Really?' Questioned Rias curiously.

'Yes, right between you and little Raynare here when both of you were sleeping next to him.' Commented Akeno with a giggle.

Raynare blushed slightly and fidgeted.

'No you aren't, I kissed him weeks ago when he was sleeping.' Said Raynare, before covering her mouth with her left hand.

'Huh, I thought I felt something that time you asked to sleep with me during the Kokabiel debacle. Hmm, that makes me think though… did that happen before…' Said Issei, as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, before muttering the second part.

Raynare fought down her blush and quickly jabbed a finger a hair's breadth away from Akeno's face.

'HA! I win.' Declared Raynare triumphantly.

'I was his first kiss when he was awake though, I doubt kissing him when he is asleep counts.' Commented Akeno thoughtfully.

Raynare huffed before marching over to Issei and gripping his head between both her hands, before giving him an intense kiss, right in the middle of the room, causing Ravel and Asia both to gawk.

'There, I've kissed him twice now.' Said Raynare happily, after she broke the lip-lock.

'I already did so yesterday.' Quipped Akeno, causing Raynare to growl.

Raynare went to kiss Issei again, before he raised his hand slightly.

'Uh, not that I wouldn't mind another kiss, but would it help if I say that neither of you were my first kiss?' Asked Issei innocently.

Everyone gawked at this, even the normally stoic Koneko gawked slightly.

'Really?' Questioned Raynare in surprise.

'Yeah, I wasn't the one to initiate it, but I was conscious.' Recalled Issei with a fond smile.

'Seriously, who?' Questioned Raynare, as she scrutinised everyone in the room.

'It must have been Irina, right?' Commented Ravel analytically.

'You'd think so, but no, Irina left when we were both still really young and I didn't see her again until just recently. It was actually someone I met on my travels.' Answered Issei.

'Just how many people did you meet on your travels Issei?' Questioned Kiba curiously.

'Let's just say I would have been better off not knowing a good dozen, and that is if I am just getting rid of the worst people I met.' Responded Issei noncommittally.

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Raynare spoke up.

'So who was it?' Asked Raynare eagerly.

'Erm I'd rather not say.' Said Issei, as he turned away from Raynare's gaze.

'Oh my God, it was a boy, wasn't it?' Said Raynare, getting everyone in the room to wince, the devils at the use of the word God and Issei because of the accusation.

'No, it was a girl, most assuredly.' Said Issei flatly.

'Come on, give us a hint or something.' Raynare pleaded as everyone else merely watched in amusement.

'Eh I suppose one couldn't hurt… she had black hair.' Said Issei with a smirk.

'Really, that's the hint you give?' Questioned Rias listlessly.

'What? It is a perfectly good hint. It isn't my fault that there happen to be two black haired females in this room who like me and that about seventy percent of all women have dark hair.' Replied Issei mockingly.

'Well, in any case, it is only a matter of time before we find out, Akeno is rather persuasive.' Commented Kiba with a smile.

Akeno smirked and giggled lightly.

'Ha, fat chance, you can't get this secret out of me even if you tie me down and give me repeated electric shocks, and no that wasn't a suggestion, Akeno.' Said Issei dryly, looking pointedly at the resident sadist.

Akeno was undeterred and merely smirked.

'We'll see.' Declared Akeno ominously.