Italics - Thoughts

Bold underlined - Spells/Sword Skills

[Bold] - Ddraig

[Ddraig] - Ddraig mental speech

[Issei] - Issei mental speech with Ddraig

Underlined - Timeskips/Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I do not own Highchool Dxd, Sword Art Online, or any of its characters. All rights belong to their creators.


Chapter 2:A new start

"I am Rias Gremory. The one next to me is the Red Dragon Emperor, also known as the Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei. And now, it's time for you to answer some questions."

"Mainly, who ARE you exactly, Strays?"


"Strays?"

Rias watched, on guard, as the black haired devil in-front of her gave a questioning face to her. "We aren't strays."

"Your aura says otherwise." Rias watched as the devil before her patted down his body, confusing her. "…What are you doing?"

"Looking for my wings or horns." Came the prompt reply. "Devils have them, right?"

"Not all devils have horns. Actually, we look more like humans. The only physical differences between us and human would be pointed ears and longer lifespans." Rias gave an explanation, having dispersed her sphere of Power of Destruction before she stopped. "Wait. Don't you know this already, Stray? Stop pretending otherwise!"


Kazuto was confused. So, so confused.

One minute, he was driving a bike. The next, he fought a strange, psychopathic cosplaying teenage boy with a literal light sword and a gun with rust pipes and metal fragments. Then, he found himself in a bed, alive and well. After which, a strange crimson red haired girl came in with a brown haired guy and started saying some rather strange things, like devils existing. At first, he thought she was messing with him.

*Pan*

The sudden appearance of leathery wings that sprouted from both his and Asuna's back, more accurately, the small of his back, surprised him. It also served the dual purpose of shocking the girl(Rias Gremory, his mind supplied) into silence.

[Boost!]

The new voice, along with the red light, prompted Kazuto to look back towards the doorway. The brown haired boy, Issei, if her recalled, now had a red gauntlet on his left arm. It looked similar to a dragon's(having defeated several dragon enemies in SAO and ALO, he could tell this was made to look like a dragon), with a green jewel embedded in the back of the hand. There were also two golden spikes extending from the middle of the forearm part of the gauntlet, reaching until the bottom half of the upper arm.

As Kazuto took note of the new appendage, two things happened. Issei had taken a defensive stance, and Asuna had started to stir.

"Kiri–" "Buchou!"

Kazuto took the sudden appearance of their new wings to be the trigger. Based on what he could tell from their first few minutes of contact, the two of them had become something more than human. Something that had caused Rias to mistake the both of them to be a 'Stray'. This passed through his mind, before he realized something: Issei had started to rush towards the still half-conscious Asuna, his gauntlet extended. Its sharp ends glinted in the pale light in the room they were in.

Seeing the ends glint with a malicious light, something snapped in Kazuto.


"GET AWAY FROM HER BASTARD!"

The sudden scream gave Issei a welcome distraction.

Issei had been on guard against the Strays that Koneko had brought in. She had just finished her contract in one of thee more secluded part of Kuoh when she noticed two different presences nearby. One devil, and one exorcist. Usually, Koneko would have just waited for Rias to come, or someone to help back her up. Kiba, Asia, even the 'perverted pervert' as Koneko called him. But she had recognized the aura of the exorcist. To that of one Free Sellzen.

Flashback

She decided to notify Rias of this new development before she rushed over to the devil's side, already fearing for the worst. Freed, as their past encounters had proven, was a crazy exorcist. He killed devils and humans alike, with no disregard for either one of their lives. Even if the human had been an innocent bystander, an ally or a person contracted to a devil. She may not be able to help the human that was contracting the devil, but she sure will try to save the devil. After all, having a devil being indebted to the Gremory clan was a plus.

When she arrived on the scene, she realized that the one devil she had sensed was actually two. One of their presences was so weak, it had been overshadowed by the flaring of the second devil's aura. Which was taking a sudden dive as well.

Eyes widening marginally, Koneko rushed into the abandoned church. In the back of her mind, she realized it was the same church that she had once heard the two exorcists lived in in their brief stay here in Kuoh, but all thoughts went out of her mind when she saw the condition of the two devils.

She did not recognize them from Sona's peerage, so that would have left two other options. They were either having a break in the Kuoh area, but that was unlikely: This was the territory of the Gremory clan, so no devil would try to sneak in without informing the heiress first. The other was

"…Strays…" Koneko muttered under her breath. She would have usually attacked and disposed of stay devils, but two facts made her move to save them instead.

No stray devils had been reported recently.

With the current condition of the devils, there was no way for them to have killed their master, or left him or her on purpose. They did not look strong enough.

"…Stay with me…"

Koneko went to work as she tried to keep the two devils alive. The female one was in a much better condition compared to the male one, despite the fact it had the weaker aura. The wounds on her thigh and shoulder were not bleeding much. The one on her hip, however, was a much different story.

Despite having been bandage as best as possible by the remains of a dress, it was leaking a steady stream of blood. Not so much that she would die if left alone, but a worrying amount had already accumulated under her body. What's more, she could smell that there was even more of the iron-scented blood near the boy. She worked quickly, using some of the remaining scraps of cloth that was once her clothes to plug up the wound. It would stem the blood flow, if only for a little while. Then she turned her attention to the case that had her worried.

The male devil was alive. Barely. His short ragged breaths were the only sounds in the empty church, making the seem even more pronounced. His left arm had been bent at an angle, showing that it was broken. His right leg, more specifically. his thigh, was leaking a small amount of blood, as was his shoulder, so she disregarded that, instead looking at the graver wounds.

His stomach looked like a piece of shredded meat. That was the only thing that Koneko could think of when she looked at it closely. His clothes had been ripped to shreds at the front, exposing his pale skin to the entire world. As well as the gruesome wound at his stomach.

A big gaping hole was where his liver would usually be. It was a fatal wound, but with Twilight Healing, it would be fine. Especially since she could see the remains of the shredded organs here and there inside the mess of his body. The only thing that had saved him was the still pipe. That was, until she had arrived, pulled it out, and used what she knew to slow the bleeding as much as possible.

A red glow illuminated the two devils, but Koneko paid it no mind. She already knew who was coming.

"Ara ara." Akeno looked over the two devils with her usual grin. "Who are these devils, Koneko-chan?"

"They seem to be strays, Akeno-senpai." Koneko did not stop her work. "But, they do not seem hostile. I think they were just unfortunate in meeting the crazed exorcist."

"I see." Rias stepped up. "Asia, if you would please."

"Ha-hai! Rias-oneesama!" Asia activated her Twilight Healing, the familiar green glow hovering over the chestnut-haired girl first for a few moments, just enough to stop the bleeding, before she turned her attention to the black haired male.

As the three females watched, the green glow worked on the shredded stomach and hole, slowly making the wound smaller and smaller, before it became discoloration. It was not fully healed, but it would have to do for now. There was just to many uncertainties at play.

When they got back to the club room, the first thing they did was put the two into a room, with Asia to heal them at until a certain point. Rias told Asia to only heal them until her stamina was up to half, or if the two devils were 75 percent healed. They did not know if the two were extremely dangerous, so Rias wanted to heal them until they were not in any life threatening situation.

They took turns checking on the duo, always in pairs. Kiba with Koneko, Rias with Issei, and Akeno with Xenovia.

Flashback end

When the wings suddenly sprouted from the just awoken devils, Issei had reflexively gone into a battle stance, and had attacked Asuna, who had just begun to stir. He could have stopped himself if he were more experienced, but a combination of being on edge after the attack by the Khaos Brigade, as well as the fact the two of them were unknown stray devils had caused him to jump the gun.

"GET AWAY FROM HER BASTARD!"

The sudden scream gave Issei a welcome distraction, and he was thankful for that.

That was, until he realised that the Stray had shot out from his bed, hand aimed for his throat.

[Partner!]Ddraig's voice gave a warning in his mind, but his hand was already moving.

[Boost!] Ddraig gave Issei another boost, allowing his left arm, which was moving for the brown-haired devil's body, to move fast enough to intercept the fist speeding towards his face.

With a dull sound, the fist had been redirected away from his face Yes! Thank the Maou that he managed to get me to aim for somewhere else! No, if I just– Issei's thoughts were disrupted when he saw the devil use the momentum from his first attack to slip below his guard. What?!

Cold fingers touched the exposed neck of Issei. The devil had managed to get behind the brown-haired devil, and placed his fingers on the exposed neck of Issei. Shit! I became a hostage that could be used against Buchou!

Issei knew the importance of each Evil Piece. And the Pawn was both the weakest and strongest Piece among the five different Pieces, excluding the King Piece. And as he had eight of the Pawn Pieces, he was eight times as valuable as a single Pawn. No, that was false. Issei knew that. After all, he also held the Longinus, Boosted Gear. The gear that was said to be able to take down a Maou. If he became a hostage...

[Boost!] Ddraig announced in a softer tone. It was not as loud as before, but it was still audible to the people in the room. The black haired devil made no actions despite hearing Ddraig boosting Issei. …Perhaps he does not know about Boosted Gear?

"!"

Rias Gremory moved to act, but the hoarse voice of the devil stopped her.

"Wait." He faced the crimson haired woman. "Tell this person to leave Asuna alone."

"Tell me why I should." Rias made no obvious movements, the Power of Destruction still wreathed in her hand.

"We might have gotten off the wrong foot." His black eyes stared down Rias's green-blue ones. "We did nothing wrong, yet we were attacked and nearly killed by a cosplaying crazy kid. Then, when we wake up, we find ourselves in a strange place, and then nearly attacked by a stranger. So, please excuse me for my actions, but I would rather not risk the life of my beloved here." He gave a quick glance to the girl, who had settled down slightly.

It seemed she had fallen unconscious once more. "We promise not to attack anyone unless it is in self defence." He added, still staring at the girl. A soft smile appeared on his face, and his grip on Issei loosened, ever so slightly.

Rias weighed the options in her mind. On one hand, they could be lying. She continued to stare down the devil. But on the other, if they do know who I am, they would not think of attacking me without being sure of avoiding their ensured death by my brother's hand.

"…Alright then." Rias finally answered after a few minutes, dispelling her Power of Destruction from her hand. "We would answer some questions. In return, you would answer some of ours. My name is Rias Gremory. What is your and this lady's name?"

She saw his eyes widen slightly, before they closed, seemingly in relief. "My name…its Kirito."


It took an hour or two, but everyone was finally off edge.

Well, not completely. Kiba, Xenovia, Koneko, Rias and Akeno were rather to act at a moment's notice. Issei, however, was shaken up. Rias reasoned it was due to being used as a hostage against her. But she would not hold it against him. She felt that it was not completely his fault after all. With the recent events, it would not be unreasonable to say that he Issei was the one most on edge. That name he gave us, Kirito. It sounds fake, but it seems that Issei knows it.

"So, devils exist."

The new voice drew Rias from her thoughts. Smiling she looked at the now awake chestnut-haired girl. Asuna, she was told.

"Yes. Anything related to the supernatural exists. Devils, Angels, Fallen angels. Even spirits and ghosts." She saw Asuna shiver slightly at the word 'ghost'.

"…I see…" The boy called Kirito took a sip from his cup of tea. Frowning slightly, he seemed to be deep in thought, before he opened his mouth to ask another question. "What is the difference between Stray devils and you? You kept calling us that. In fact, you still are."

"Stray devils are different from me in two ways." Rias took a sip of Akeno's freshly brewed tea before she responded. "Firstly, I am a pure blooded devil. There are not too many pure blooded devils nowadays, so you could say that we are rare to find. Stray devils, however, are reincarnated devils. Devils that were once a different species. Like the human race, or a more supernatural one, like the nekomata. Secondly, stray devils are devils which have killed their masters."

"Masters?"

"The devil that they once served. You could say they are their benefactor." Rias set down her cup of tea with a gentle *clink*. "the devils that reincarnate someone is usually a King. If you kill your King, your master, you are deemed a stray devil, and will be killed on sight."

"I see. Then, is that why you said that we are strays?"

"Yes. Now, I am reconsidering if I should regard you as stray devils." Rias gave them a once-over. "You give off the aura of a devil, yet you are not aware of the supernatural. So, you are either someone who was reincarnated, but was not told about it, you are lying about not knowing the supernatural side of the world, or you were born as a devil, but was not told about it."

"Well, not that it matters too much right now. Judging by your actions, either the first or third option is more accurate to your situation." Rias shrugged. "So, what were you doing in Kuoh? This is my territory, so you are currently trespassing."

"We came to help Suguha-san move her things." Asuna told the Gremory heiress their reason for them being here. "She is transferring to Kuoh Academy, and as she lives very far away, she decided it would be better to live in the Kuoh area, which would be faster to get to school."

Suguha? Maybe she is a reincarnated devil like them. She too might be unaware of it. "Transfer? Ah, yes. Sona did say that there was a new student transferring over. She wanted to come here for the kendo, yes?"

"Yeah." As Rias watched, Kirito leaned back against the couch, munching on a biscuit. "Sugu wanted to come here for the kendo. It is a Co-Ed school now, right?"

"That would be correct."

"Okay…Would there be a way for you to find out if we are reincarnated devils or if we were devils beforehand?" Kirito asked Rias.

"We will know in two days." Rias promptly answered the black haired teen, as if she had been expecting the topic to crop up. Well, I was going to mention to them to come back in three days time before they left. This would save some time and effort.

"Why two days specifically?" Asuna asked the crimson haired girl, setting down the tea cup she had been cradling beforehand.

Rias smiled in response. "The people who would be checking on you two are two very important figures in the Underworld. It just so happens that in two days, they would have time to check on you two."

"Got it." Kirito moved to stand, but sat back down again, confusing those present. "…Could we get a place to stay? My only mode of transportation is destroyed. Also, could you teach us about the supernatural things? As you can see, we are new to these things."

"Hmm…" Rias pretended to be in thought before she answered. "The housing we can settle with no issue. You can stay with us. It would double as a way for us to keep an eye on the two of you and ensure you do not cause any trouble. However, the other thing…that would cost you. After all, devils are not people who do things for free, you know?"

"Perhaps we can do a give and take type of exchange." Asuna spoke up. She had picked up her cup of tea, but made no move to drink it. "We can teach that girl and that boy," She nodded to Asia and Issei respectively. "Some moves to help them with, what was it that one of you said? Rating Games?"

"Indeed." Rias confirmed.

"I can teach the girl some defnsive skills with the sword." Asuna indicated to Kiba and Xenovia. "Both of them seem like swordsmen, but I have this feel that their style is not very suited to someone as petite and small as her. As for the boy…" she trailed off, looking at Kirito. Catching on, he picked up where she left off. "I can teach Hyodou-san some ways to fight against someone more skilled than him. It would not help much. But it would definitely give him an edge over that person for a few seconds." His black eyes glinted under the dim lighting. "A few seconds on the battlefield could mean the difference between life and death, after all."

This is beneficial to both of us. Rias pondered on it. And both of them, these two are rather perceptive and skilled, if what they have just said are anything to go by. Her eyes shifted to her two Knight. They could tell that Kiba and Xenovia were swordsmen, even though they do not have their weapons with them. She shifted her gaze back to the duo, who were at currently at ease, their bodies relaxed. And the moves Kirito pulled off earlier…if Asuna-san is anything like him, her teaching Asia would be useful, even if she is better at magic.

"Alright. It's a deal then, Asuna-san. Kirito-san." Rias agreed to the deal.

That was the first meeting of four individuals well known in their respective circles.

Kirigaya Kazuto, AKA Kirito. The Beater. The Black Swordsman. The dual-wielder. The Hero/Saviour of Aincard.

Asuna Yuuki. The Flash. Vice commander of the Knights of The Blood. The Berserker Healer.

Rias Gremory. The Crimson Haired Ruin Princess. The Princess of Destruction. Heiress to the Gremory Clan.

Hyoudou Issei. A part of the Perverted Trio. Wielder of the Longinus, Boosted Gear. The latest Red Dragon Emperor, the Sekiryuutei.

At that time, no one knew, but history was made.


A few minutes later...

Issei was walking back to his home. With a few more individuals.

The chestnut-haired girl, Asuna. And the black-haired boy, Kirito. And his beloved Buchou, Rias Gremory.

It did not take too long, but they managed to arrive at the 'house'.

"…Can this even be considered a house?"

"I know, right?" Issei turned back to look at the black haired teen. He had on a shocked face. "I was even more shocked, since my house was originally only two levels high. Now it is 6 stories high, with three levels underground. AND it was all done while I was still inside my old house, sleeping."

"…Devils sure can do some extraordinary things…"

..

..

The first floor: Guest rooms, living room, kitchen and Japanese-style rooms.

The second floor: Buchou's room, Asia's room, and Issei's room.

The third floor: Elder Hyoudou's room, study room and storeroom

The fourth floor: Akeno's, Xenoiva's and Koneko's room.

The fifth and sixth floor: Empty rooms. Planned to be used as guest rooms for now.

And not forgetting the lower levels…

Basement level 1: a huge spacious room. It could be used for a number of purposes, including as a movie theatre and a training space. It came equipped with a large indoor bath.

Basement level 2: An indoor pool, with the ability to alternate between warm and cold water. It seemed to be able to change the temperature of the water freely. (Possibly, also for training purposes. Kazuto thought to himself when he and Asuna were told of the layout. They were going to stay for a while, and would possibly come over to visit from time to time when they came to visit Sugu.)

Basement level 3: Library and storehouse.

Honestly, this was a large amount of information for the two to take in at once, seeing as they were once humans. Surprisingly, they were not freaking out too much, all things considered.

"So, which floor would you be taking? The first, fifth or sixth floor?" Rias asked the pair after she explained a brief layout of the entire 'house' (Issei was seriously thinking of just calling it a mini flat).

"…Perhaps the sixth floor." Asuna told the red haired girl, her hand intertwined with her boyfriends. "We would not want to disturb anyone when we do some experiments in our room." Kirito took over the explanations for his girlfriend when Rias gave a questioning glance. "We would like to experiment with our abilities. Also, we might spend a large amount of time in our rooms because of these experiments."

"I see…" Rias gave a suggestive grin. "Make sure you keep it quiet. After all, there are still adults here."

""Gremory-san!"" The couple blushed in embarrassment, their red faces a welcome change for the devils that were present.

..

..

..

Issei collapsed on his large bed in exhaustion.

He had done his usual training earlier in the morning, and also had trained a little bit more per Kirito's instructions.

He told me to do some more push ups and crunches. And the number seems reasonable at first. But then he told me to do it while Rias AND Asia were sitting on me for the push ups, while for the crunches, he attached some weights onto my arms! Issei felt like complaining, but knew it was to help him in the future. He washed up, then went to sleep.

[Partner.]Ddraig spoke in his mind, prompting him to open his eyes. Damn. I guess I can't sleep.

[Do you know that young one?]Ddraig took this chance to prob his host. He had sensed the shock in his host when he had heard the black-haired devil's name.

"Perhaps Ddraig." Issei spoke out loud. "…This feels weird. It sounds like I am talking to myself…"

[Then, I too shall speak out loud.] The Boosted Gear manifested itself on Issei's left arm. Its green jewel glinted under the light, making it appear as if Ddraig was looking at him when he spoke. Well, in a way, he was. [So, do you know that black haired one?]

"Not that well." Issei admitted to his partner. "But I have heard of him...What do you know of VR?"

[VR?] Ddraig sounded a little confused. [Do you mean that headgear that you had once two years ago?]

"Yeah. It means virtual reality." Issei answered Ddraig's question. "Back then, I had a game called ALO. It was based off the Norse Mythology. I quit the game not too long after, as the news said some really bad things about VR. Anyway, back when I started out, I heard something very interesting."

[I would assume it would be perverted?]

"I think you would like this Ddraig." Issei grinned to himself as he crashed onto his bed, staring at his new ceiling. "At the start of the game, you choose 1 of the 9 fairy races that were available. Each had different abilities. It was pretty popular because you had the ability to fly for a limited time. Anyway, there was this main quest everyone wanted to beat. The goal was to get to the top of the tree in the middle of the world."

[…So, how does this connect between the black-haired devil and his name?]

"His name…" Issei was musing, something that shocked Ddraig. He had seen his host make many expressions, most of them perverted. Never before had he seen his weakest and most perverted host make a face like now. "At that time, there were many factions and players. But a number of them stood out. One of them was the younger brother of a leader of one of the factions. He held a blade that could not be parried or blocked and was one of the best fighters in the game. Yet, he was defeated in one of the most spectacular PvP fights before the game was shut down, and eventually bought by another company."

[…] Ddragi kept quiet. He could fell his host's excitement from recounting his story.

"Many people thought that he was a cheater who used hacks. But the people who had watched that day all agreed on one thing: No hacks were involved. I was one of the players that saw what had occurred. I was a new player, trying to level up, when I saw the fight go down."

"What really drew me out of the forest area I was in was the sudden black mist that had covered the sun in the game. When I flew up in the game, I saw that there was a showdown between two players. I asked a nearby player later, but it seemed that this new player had managed to defeat one of the strongest players in the game. AND he had managed to do so while using dual blades. Not the short ones. Ones which are usually held with two hands. And Dual wielding was considered impossible in the game. Because you needed some actual skill to fight."

If Ddraig was impressed, he did not show it. Having gone through hundreds of hosts, he too knew the difficulty of dual wielding.

It was easy to act like you could dual wield. It was another thing to fight dual wielding, and a whole different level of difficult to fight proficiently while dual wielding. It varied, depending on the weapon, the difficulty of mastering the craft, but one of the most difficult ones would be dual wielding long swords.

You had to be so precise, and be strong enough, to be able to hold both blades and fight without either one hitting one another when fighting against another foe. In fact, this is one of the main reasons dual sword users used one long, one short blade: To reduce the chance of collision between both of swords to almost nil. It took skill to be able to dual wield long swords, and fight with it well. Well enough to overwhelm a foe.

"At the end of the battle, the pro player lost to the newer one. The last attack dealt by the new player…it caused a huge explosion of fire, and forced his remain light- the thing which allows him to be revived in the game- to crash into a cliff nearby, and force a part of it to be damaged."

[…If they are truly the same person…] Ddraig spoke in a slow tone, as if he were thinking aloud. [His teachings would be invaluable to you, my weakest host.]

"That is, IF he is the same person." Issei sighed in disappointment. "Most of the time, names in a game are fake names, or pseudonyms. Plus, the name 'Kirito' is very famous in the VR game community. He has made a number of appearances in a few games, even showing up in a science fiction game set in a post-apocalyptic earth. So, any gamer could have chosen to use that name."

[…This makes things a little difficult in searching for him, but it does not matter. The person who is training you does, however. Remember to listen to him, partner!]

"Stop sounding so cheerful, damn it!" Issei shouted back at his gauntlet. "You aren't the one who has to go through such gruelling training!"


Somewhere in the world...

A figure watched as it saw the figures of two devils being transported away.

"Hmm…looks some things don't go to plan…" It muttered to itself, before it closed the floating 'screen' in-front of it.

Walking away from the seat it had just risen from, it hummed slightly as it opened a box that had been placed on top of a cabinet.

Inside, only seven pieces remained.

Six pawns, and one queen.


AN

Yeah, I did it. I actually made Issei and Kazuto fight each other. Well, almost.

Right now, this is set after the meeting in Kuoh between the three factions, and before they go into the Underworld(DxD), and just after Ordinal Scale(SAO). So, if both of them were to fact to face right now, Issei would win if he had been boosted 8 times, while Kazuto would win, barely, if the holy sword is involved. Remember, Kazuto has experience fighting because of SAO's martial arts skills, plus Ordinal Scale.

If its against Asuna…hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Asuna would demolish Issei, after she gets a blanket to cover her body partially. Boosted or not boosted, cause of a certain Nekomata(Can't be bothered to recall Koneko's actual species.)

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and get ready for the next one! Anime is life!

This was updated to reflect changes in future chapters