Asia watched worriedly as they lay Issei down on one of the couches of the ORC's clubroom, absently tugging on the long coat Rias had created for her to help her hide her near nudity. "Is Ise-san going to be alright, Bell-san?" She asked anxiously.
The reason for her question was obvious, as the scarred young man was still pretty much insensate. He'd mostly given up trying to walk on his own by the time they'd teleported to the clubroom, and he occasionally attempted to speak, but his words were slurred and mostly incomprehensible.
Bell had settled down on the couch's arm beside Issei's head, gently stroking his hair with a soft look on her face. She looked up at Asia when the question was asked, smiling reassuringly. "He'll be fine, Asia. He isn't in any danger. He just went beyond his current limits when he granted Salvation. It's his most powerful ability, and the cost is steep." Seeing the look on the former nun's face she quickly got up and flew over to her, giving her a gentle hug. "Don't feel bad. Boss wouldn't have used it if he hadn't wanted to, or believed you really deserved it. I'm sure he'll just be happy you're alright once he's recovered."
Rias made her way over to them after giving instructions to Kiba to head over to Sona and report what had happened. This was too big a situation to not at least inform her fellow ruler of Kuoh. "How long do you think he'll be in this state?" She asked the high pixie as Koneko took a seat on the other couch and began munching on some mochi while Akeno busied herself with preparing everyone some tea to help them come down from the excitement of the recent activities.
Bell pulled away from Asia with a small smile, wiping away the tears that were gathering in the blonde's eyes before turning to Rias. "Honestly? I'm not sure. He hasn't granted Salvation very often. It's very rare for him to come across someone that meets the criteria for it. And it's been a while since the last time. I'd say he'll be mostly back to normal after a good night's sleep. Probably still low in energy, but otherwise fine."
Rias nodded in understanding before moving to take a seat behind her desk, sitting down with a sigh before smiling gratefully at her Queen as a cup of tea was set in front of her. She closed her eyes as she took a sip, letting herself relax. Then, after setting the cup down, she glanced at Asia before glancing down at her hand. Experimentally curling her fingers she could almost imagine she could still feel the warm, soothing energy that had suffused her when Issei had saved Asia. She felt a deep, terrible longing for a moment as she remembered how she'd felt. It was the most profound thing she'd ever experienced, as though for a single moment she knew that everything would be alright, that she'd never be hurt again, that there would always be someone watching over her, protecting her. That no matter what, she'd be okay.
She let out a long, shuddering breath, letting the memory go, no matter how much she didn't want to. Instead she focused on the source of the feeling, who had apparently fallen asleep. "Bell-san?"
Bell made her way over to Rias with her appropriately sized cup of tea in hand, settling down on the devil's desk. "Yes?"
"What exactly was that?" The redhead asked, slightly subdued. "Is Hyoudou-kun associated with the heavens?" She couldn't imagine that he would be, if only because if he was then Salvation would have injured her and her peerage rather than empower them, if not killed them outright, but the question had to be asked. Whatever the power Issei had wielded was, it could only really be called Holy. Which made the effect it'd had on the devils even more baffling.
Bell took a sip of tea as she considered how exactly to word her response. "No, Rias. We are not affiliated with the Abrahamic God or his angels. In fact…" She glanced at Asia, unsure of how the devout girl would take her next words. "...for the longest time, we were their enemies."
Asia turned to look at Bell, surprised by what she'd said, before she turned her attention back to Issei, who she was sitting beside. To the fairy's relief, Asia, though obviously surprised, ran her fingers soothingly through the boy's brown hair, her opinion of him apparently unaffected. It made Bell smile, as it reinforced her boss's actions.
"Really?" Rias asked, surprised. "May I ask why?" Her brow furrowed. "Are they the ones that hurt and scarred Hyoudou-kun so much?" She didn't think so, if only because it wasn't their usual style, no matter what her personal prejudices might say. Any angel that tortured a human like that, especially for no reason, would invariably fall.
Bell shook her head. "I'm sorry, Gremory-san, but I've probably said too much already. It's up to Boss if he wants to tell you more." She let out a sigh before taking another sip of tea. "I can assure you, though, that we aren't going to bring any trouble from them down on your heads."
Akeno frowned minutely as she took a seat next to Koneko, studying Issei as Asia continued to look after her saviour. "How can you be sure?" The former nephilim asked.
Bell smirked a bit wryly. "Trust me, they don't even know enough to worry about us at the moment."
Rias studied the diminutive woman for a few moments before sighing. "If you say so." Then she turned her attention to Asia. "I know this is all happening quickly for you, Argento-san, but have you considered what you're going to do now?"
"For the immediate future she's staying with me and Boss." Bell said firmly.
Rias nodded in acquiescence. "Understandable. What about long term, however?" She asked, turning her attention back to the ex-nun. "I'd be happy to work with Sona to get you enrolled into Kuoh, if you'd like."
Asia smiled slightly, nodding. "I… I think I'd like that. Beyond that, though…" She bit her look before looking back down at Issei. "Can I wait to discuss things with Ise-san, though? To see if he has any ideas?"
Rias nodded. "Of course. And I know it isn't as necessary now, but please keep in mind that joining my peerage is always an option, if you need it."
Asia smiled gratefully, nodding.
After a few minutes of silence as everyone let the tension of the last hour leave them Bell set her cup aside and hopped off Rias's desk. "We should probably get Boss home so he can rest in his own bed." She glanced over at the red headed devil. "Any chance you could help me with that? I can't exactly carry him alone. Plus, his parents might be home, and they shouldn't see him like this. It'd worry them too much."
Rias nodded as she got up, Akeno and Koneko doing the same. "Of course." She said, already preparing herself to modify the Hyoudous' memories if necessary. Bell was right, after all. After everything that had happened with Issei's disappearance, letting them see their son in such a state wouldn't be good for them.
Thankfully the elder Hyoudous still weren't home when they teleported over, so before long Issei was sleeping soundly in his bed, looking like he'd simply decided to go to bed early.
As Rias made to leave the young man's room she turned to gaze at him as he slept. It was hard to believe that he'd wielded so much power so recently when he was asleep, being fussed over by Bell and Asia, but Rias would never forget the experience.
"Sleep well…" She said softly before leaving, preparing herself to report the recent events to her brother.
Issei gazed around at the familiar landscape with a small smile, finding it soothing despite its oddness.
To his right lay a land of marble and stone temples, a great, neverending complex beautiful enough to take the breath away, perpetually clad in bright, unceasing light. But much like the materials that made up the buildings, the light was cold and never changing, the entire place seeming more like a photograph, yet somehow even more lifeless.
To his left was a land being beset by a constant, unending storm of a kind to make the greatest hurricane the earth had ever seen seem tame. The winds howled, lightning flashed, and even meteors crashed against the bare, red earth, constantly forming and destroying craters and spires of rock. Nothing there stayed the same for more than a few seconds, the fury of the elements eternally reshaping everything they touched.
Issei stood on the long stretch of land that separated these two opposites, itself reaching eternally towards the horizon. Soft green grass tickled his bare feet, and trees and other greenery dotted the landscape, giving it a picturesque, tranquil feeling thanks to the warm sunlight that bathed down on it. Glancing behind him he found a winding road paved with large marble stones that ended at his feet, each one with words etched into their surface.
Slightly to the side of the road lay an enormous red dragon, eyes closed and breathing even as he slept. The smile on Issei's lips grew slightly as he saw Ddraig well on the road to recovery. Hopefully he would wake soon.
Deciding that he'd wasted enough time he turned to the marble paving stone that was resting to the side of the road, ready to be set in place to continue the construction. The young man picked it up with his scarred hands, grunting with effort. He was stronger than a normal human, but these stones were not simple marble. He looked down at the writing on the top, as he always did, and smiled at what it said.
'I want to be a ballerina.'
With great, almost reverent, care, he set the stone in its place in the road, adding to the path, lengthening it, if only slightly. Standing back up he turned to where the stone had been resting, utterly unsurprised to find another just like it in its place. Picking this one up he read what it said, 'I want to travel the world', before doing the same with it as he had the previous, adding another stone to the road.
So the work continued, Issei diligently picking up and placing stones ('I want to build rockets', 'I want to be a doctor, 'I want to marry Andrea'), building the path stone by stone, continuing his self imposed task with a smile on his face.
It was an unending, back breaking duty he'd willingly taken on, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Issei's eyes opened when the morning light hit his eyes. He wearily brought a hand up to his aching head, massaging it lightly. He felt as weak as a newborn kitten, and his head was pounding incessantly.
Sitting up in bed took more effort than he liked, but he was eventually able to manage it. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that his bladder was rather insistently asking to speak to the manager, he'd have stayed in bed for another eternity or two.
It was as his feet landed on his carpet that Bell came through the window. "I see you're awake, Boss." She said, hands on her hips and eyebrow raised. "You should be in bed still."
"Bathroom." He grunted as he forced himself to his feet, his voice a bit raspy from dryness. His legs immediately wobbled and he almost fell on his face if not for the high pixie darting forward to pull him upright again. "Thanks."
Bell shook her head in mild exasperation. "Alright, let's get you to the bathroom so you can take a leak, but then it's right back to bed for you, mister."
"Yes ma'am." Issei said, smiling wryly as he slowly made his way to the door.
He'd just closed the door behind himself to keep his parents from seeing Bell when he heard his mother's voice as she ascended the stairs. "Ise?" When Hyoudou Miki caught sight of her son she frowned, eyes tightening in concern. "I see Asia-chan wasn't lying when she said you were sick." She made her way over to him, resting the back of her hand against his forehead. "You look awful. You should be in bed."
Feeling a bit exasperated now by the continual delays in getting his bladder to stop complaining, but definitely not willing to show so to his concerned mother, he gave her a small, tired smile. "I need to go to the bathroom, kaa-san. I didn't feel like wetting the bed."
"Well do so quickly and then head back to bed." Miki said with a smile that didn't hide her concern. "I'll call the school to let them know you'll be staying home again, then I'll bring you some breakfast to help you regain your strength."
Issei gave his mother a quick hug in thanks before moving as quickly as he could to do so.
A few minutes later a much relieved Issei was about to reenter his room when Asia poked her head out of the guest room she'd been provided. "Ise-san!" She rushed over to him, bare feet padding on the carpeted floor. "How are you feeling?" She asked anxiously, looking up at him with large, worried eyes.
"I'm fine, Asia." He said with a soft smile as he opened the door, carefully walking in, still feeling exceptionally weak. His difficulty didn't go unnoticed, if the look on Asia's face was anything to go by. "How are you? Are you feeling alright? I don't remember too much after I used Salvation." He grunted when he nearly stumbled, Asia quickly moving to help him along with Bell, who had been sitting on his desk and playing with her phone.
"I'm alright, Ise-san." The nun said as she helped him settle on his bed, the young man laying back down with a sigh of relief. "I've never felt this physically good before in my life, actually." She said, a small, grateful smile on her face.
Issei smiled and reached over to pat her hand. "I'm glad." He then glanced over at Bell. "Anything important happen after I used Salvation? It's all kinda blurry." He asked his second in command.
"Gremory-san killed Raynare, so we won't have to worry about her. We did check to see if we could find Freed, but apparently I didn't hit him hard enough, cause he wasn't wherever he landed after he went flying." She sighed lightly. "I can already tell he's going to be one of those pain in the ass cockroaches that will just keep popping back up until he's stomped on hard enough."
Issei let out a sigh of his own. "Like we haven't had enough of those already." Then he closed his eyes and relaxed for a few moments before turning his gaze back to Asia. "So, what now?"
The blonde took a seat on the bed, looking troubled. "I… don't know. Gremory-san says I can still join her peerage. I've never lived without the help of the Church, so when I was cast out I didn't know what to do. I had hoped I'd be able to continue helping people when the fallen offered me a hand, but…" She sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes before clasping her hands together. "Oh Lord, please give me a sign of what I'm supposed to do now. I just… I need some guidance."
Issei gazed at Asia with soft eyes, a sad smile on his lips. Sitting back up with some difficulty he wrapped his arms around the girl, pulling her close and resting his chin on top of her head as she continued to sniffle. "Be it as a human, a devil, a vampire, or anything else in this strange world of ours, I'll be by your side, Asia." He squeezed her with as much force as he could at the moment, which wasn't actually that much. "Stay with me for as long as you want. I'll do everything I can to help you reach whatever your goals are."
Asia hesitantly wrapped her arms around his bare torso, resting her head on his chest. "Thank you, Ise-san. I've been truly blessed to have met you."
"I could say the same." He said with a smile as he held her.
Bell smiled, pleased by the interaction. She'd worried for a while that Issei had been irreparably damaged by the events that occurred before he was found in that alley, but this helped reassure her. It looked like he was healing.
When the door began to open the fairy quickly darted into the closet, hiding herself as Issei's mother walked in with a tray full of simple foods for her son. The woman paused for a moment when she caught sight of the two teens holding each other, a delighted smile crossing her face before her eyes narrowed. "I trust you aren't doing anything inappropriate, Ise." She said sternly.
Asia turned to the elder Hyoudou as Issei let her go, eyes innocent. "Ise-san helping me." She said in halting Japanese. "Ise-san is good."
Miki smiled warmly at the nun. "I'm glad." Then she brought the food over to her son. "Here you go, Ise. Eat up and then get some rest. You definitely need it."
With a smile Issei did so, allowing himself to relax again as he enjoyed his mother's cooking, satisfied that, at least for the moment, there was nothing to worry about.
Hours later, at about the time school should be letting out, Hyoudou Miki was relaxing after a day of housework by watching a drama on television. She'd left caring for her son in Asia's hands, the girl eager to do anything she could to help. As far as the woman was aware, her son should be asleep at the moment in order to recover more quickly.
A commercial break had just begun when there was a knock on the door. Assuming it was Matsuda and Motohama, Miki got up to open the door for them. She was surprised into near speechlessness when she instead found two gorgeous girls in Kuoh Academy uniforms on her doorstep.
"Hello Hyoudou-san." The red haired one said with a bow. "I am Gremory Rias, and this is Himejima Akeno. We came to check on your son and deliver his homework."
Miki managed to reboot her brain and smile. "Thank you very much. Please, come in." She stepped aside to let the girls in. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you come? I was not aware my son had any female friends."
"Hyoudou-kun helped us out with a small situation not too long ago, so we've taken an interest in him." The yamato nadeshiko of the two said as they took their shoes off. "We're also here on behalf of Kuoh's kaichou in order to discuss enrolling Argento-san into school."
Satisfied with that explanation the Hyoudou matriarch allowed them to head upstairs.
After knocking on the door to Issei's room, Rias and Akeno walked in to find Asia sitting at Issei's desk while trying to read a manga, tongue sticking adorably out of her mouth as Bell helped her out. Said fairy looked up when they entered. "Hey girls! What can we help you with?"
"We came mostly to check on Hyoudou-kun." Rias said as Akeno closed the door and used some magic to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "Though we were hoping to discuss a few other things as well."
"I'm better." The apparently sleeping Issei said from the bed, shifting slightly and opening his eyes to look at the girls. "Should be able to go to school tomorrow, I think, though I still won't be at a hundred percent."
"That's good." Rias said with a smile as she set the homework down on the desk. "You had us worried for a moment."
"Thanks for the concern, senpai." He said with a smile.
Rias briefly considered asking about Salvation, but in the end decided not to. She doubted he'd answer. Instead she turned to Asia. "I've spoken to Sona about enrolling you into Kuoh, Asia. She's willing to do so, but she worries that the language barrier might be an issue."
Asia nodded in understanding. "Yes, I'm not very good at Japanese yet."
"I can help with that." Issei assured her. "All we have to do is teach you the same skill that allows me to speak Italian, and then you'll be able to speak any language you want."
Asia beamed happily. "Thank you so much, Ise-san! That sounds amazing!"
"What about long term?" Akeno asked as she perused some of the porn openly on display on Issei's shelves with a smile on her face. "Asia-chan needs a permanent place to stay."
"I'll be discussing having her live with us with my parents." Issei said firmly. "We can turn the guest room she's staying in into a permanent room."
Rias nodded slowly. "If you're certain it would be alright, Hyoudou-kun. I can put her up, otherwise. I have more than enough space."
"I'm certain. I'd feel better if I had her close by where I can watch over her." Issei said, making the nun blush happily.
"Very well then." Rias said. "Please don't hesitate to say so if you need financial help to support her, however. I'm more than willing to assist."
Issei smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Gremory-senpai. That's much appreciated."
Rias nodded before beginning to make her way to the door. She paused, however, before looking over at Asia. "Asia, I do want to ask if you've given any thought to joining my peerage. It would allow me to give you more direct protection and assistance, and it would make any other fallen, or anybody from the Church, think twice about coming after you again."
Asia turned to look at Issei, hesitant. He gave her a gentle smile. "It's your choice, Asia."
Asia thought about it for a minute or so as the others waited patiently before turning to Rias with a smile. "Thank you very much, but I think I'll be alright remaining human for now."
Rias nodded, not letting her disappointment show. She may genuinely want what was best for Asia, but that didn't change the fact that losing out on a powerful healer wasn't disappointing. "Of course. The offer will be open for as long as I have space in my peerage, if you ever change your mind."
"Thank you!" Asia chirped happily.
With some final goodbyes the two devils left. As the door closed and Asia turned back to her manga Bell turned to Issei with a mischievous smile on her face. "I guess you have a nun in your collection now."
As Asia looked at the fairy with confusion Issei rolled his eyes with a smile of his own before laying his head back down and trying to go back to sleep.
Yay! Finite!
So, latest chapter is done. Not much action, but that's not surprising. This was mostly about the immediate aftermath of the fight, and a bit of an explanation as to why Issei got so messed up when he used Salvation. That will be expanded upon later.
A few people have mentioned that Issei seems a lot weaker than he was in my original. There is a reason for that, but it's also partly because he's having his subordinate, Bell, do the grunt work, and the one big thing he did was TOO big. So he looks weak by comparison. You'll see hints at Issei's true capabilities in the future, but he won't be going all out against, say, Riser. He doesn't need to.
There were some hints about Issei in this chapter, but I don't expect many people, if any, to figure them out. Feel free to chime in with your guesses, though!
The biggest thing about this chapter is the fact that, at least for now, Asia is going to remain human. And don't take that 'for now' I just said as an absolute indicator that it'll happen in the future. I'm leaving myself open to the possibility due to several reasons, but the likelihood isn't that high at the moment. I'd say about 30/70.
The next chapter will be a bit of slice of life before we dive back into canon, I think. The chapter after that, I think, should go into the training in preparation for the rating game against Riser.
I don't think I have anything further to add, so I'll go ahead and give you all my usual reminders:
The first is that you can have a say in what I write when you donate to my Pat A Ron. Every dollar donated equals a vote in my monthly poll, and now I've made it so that the votes for the things that don't win in a given month roll over into the next, which is why some fics that haven't gotten much love for a while have been updated recently. So if you want to donate and see your favorite stories of mine updated more often, go to Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. The current poll closes on March 2nd.
The next two reminders are more important to me, however. First is that my best friend has a Pat A Ron for their original fiction. Donate any amount you want and get access to some objectively excellent writing (far better than mine, if I'm being completely honest). Their first story, which is a supernatural steampunk detective thriller that I very much enjoy called 'The Curious Investigations of Mister Jonathan Scott', is currently at 18 chapters, the first of which is free, so you can see what his style is like. So if you like, say, The Dresden Files, but want it more steampunk, this is for you. And they've now started another story that will be updated while they build up more Jonathan Scott chapters, this one being a cyberpunk (the genre, not the game) story called 'Tales of Luminous City', the first chapter of which is now also free. You can find their stuff by searching for Grimm Tales in Pat A Ron.
I would appreciate it a lot if you could help them out, as unlike me they've had employment trouble due to some disabilities, which this pandemic hasn't helped.
Second, my sister has also begun a Pat A Ron. She recently got her Bachelor's in Digital Animation. She's trying to make her own series to post on Youtube, but needs money, so she's making art and plans on accepting commissions. She primarily does tokusatsu themed fanart (Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Power Rangers, etc.), and she plans to let people have a say in what she makes, much like I do. That's at Pat A Ron dotcom /linduarte. (Oh no, now you know my last name! The horror!)
Please keep in mind though that we've been made aware of a bug with the site that makes it seem like you can't donate less than $5. If you don't want to donate that much, to any of us, just put a zero before the number you want to donate, such as 03. That should get you going.
Thank you all for the support, even through the dry spells I've gone through. I promise to try to improve. Till next time!