BOLD - ISSEI SPEAKING

Chapter 10 - Reveal and Resolve

Issei's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sweating or scared, he was just surprised. "How did you…" Issei started.

"Between the barrier, your rage, your confidence that you were going to kill everything, it was pretty obvious you aren't exactly normal, or any normal human mage," Ray hammered.

Issei glanced down at the floor with a somber look. "If I tell you… you'll hate me. Just like the rest of them…" Issei started once again.

"Aren't you the one who rejected me?" Ray once again interjected.

Issei's down expression became much brighter due to Ray's openness. But he was still reluctant to show her, due to… well… his past, and the fact that he's in the top 5 strongest beings in history.

He knew he'd have to tell Ray at some point, but this was an awkward way to find out.

"I know a place where we could get some coffee and curry. It's in a residential backstreets area not too far from here. We'll talk about it there." Issei stated.

Issei was reluctant to pull out his wings because he hadn't ever pulled them out while he was in the human realm since his fight with Vali, but he figured, why not. He then concentrated on his wings and tried making them come out while not releasing any of his energy.

A pair of draconic wings sprouted from Issei's back. They had a deep gold frame and glistening metallic wings. They emanated light, illuminating the dark streets outside of Issei's house.

In reality, he could make an infinite number of wings, but he decided to just stick with one large pair, just for the elegance.

"So pretty…" Raynare murmured, not even realizing what those wings were.

"Wait… ARE THOSE DRAGON WINGS!?" She screamed. She wasn't scared or nervous. Just surprised.

"Well, you said you wanted to know who I am. Well, this is me… I guess." Issei responded with a warm smile, his cheeks turning a light pink.

Raynare had an internal monologue regarding Issei,

'He's not a sacred gear user… So… he hasn't inherited Ddraig, Albion, or anyone else's power, so he must a pure-blooded dragon. HE'S A PURE-BLOODED DRAGON? Dragons are known to be filled with pride and confidence, right? So… why is Issei so reserved and quiet. Wait… Issei's like this because of his past. Because he had nobody, so he grew quiet so people wouldn't yell at him or hurt him… In power, I think he's equal to me, so I don't think I need to protect him that much… but I do need to protect his mind, and bring his confidence back.'

Ray's goal was set. She knew what she had to do and she knew what her duty was. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know how powerful Issei actually was… Not even close.

"They're beautiful Issei. Also, you're a dragon. No?" Ray asked.

Issei figured she pretty much knew he was a dragon, so he responded, "Yes. My name is Issei, drop the Hyodou. I… well… am a dragon" Issei responded.

"Well, I knew something was strange about you. I guess I was worried for nothing. Seems you and I have similar magic power, so I'm not too worried about you getting into trouble." Ray retorted, absolutely clueless about the situation.

"Well… uh… something like that. Let's go to the cafe before it closes! We'll talk it out there. I know the owner, he'll let us use the attic to talk, while he gives us some curry to sink our teeth into. The curry will be free, I kind of saved the owner's life when a bunch of looters came in…" Issei relayed as Raynare sprouted her 8 opal Fallen Angel Wings.

"So pretty…" Issei nearly drooled. To him, Ray's wings were perfect. They looked warm and cozy but had this sharp elegance. They really made his jaw drop.

"Stop drooling, silly. Let's go…" She started, leaving her sentence unfinished. In her mind, she continued, '...before the cops come.'

"Follow me! If you can." Issei snarked with a cocky smirk.

Issei crushed the ground, launching himself into the midnight sky, with a glimmering trail of gold following him.

"Wow… so pretty…" Raynare muttered, completely awestruck.

Her awestruck expression dissipated as it changed into a cocky one. 'No way am I letting him beat me!' She thought.

She kicked off the ground, flapping her fallen angel wings to attempt to keep up with him. Issei was just floating in the sky, waiting for her.

"What took you so long?" Issei snarked. "Wow, thought you were like, a total scaredy-cat, not some confident dragon" Ray retorted. "Well, maybe not around the woman I love," he snarked.

She blushed. "Do- don't say shit like that!" she cried as she began trying to cover her cheeks to hide her blush. Issei laughed

"Let me carry you there. It'll be faster, and it'd be bad if other factions saw us… especially flying together."

Ray's blush became a whole lot more intense. "You- you want to carry me?" Ray muttered. She didn't even notice Issei mention the other factions.

She wasn't getting flustered at what Issei said, more or less the idea of Issei carrying her like a damsel in distress.

Issei, without warning, swooped her off her feet… or her wings in this case.

Ray's intense blush became a dark violet. "Well, let's go!" Issei asserted as he looked down at Raynare. When he noticed Ray was blushing, he started blushing too.

He was carrying a girl… He was carrying a girl! HE WAS CARRYING A GIRL! It was just his luck that this girl was prettier than pretty much every girl he'd ever met. The only ones he met that tied with her were the girl he saw looking at him while he was eating lunch, the school beauty, Akeno Himejima, and the student council vice president.

But to Issei, it didn't matter. Ray was his everything… holding her melted his heart. He wanted to savor it, but he was also starving.

Issei's blush disappeared, as a cocky smile replaced it. "Been a while since I've done this." Issei burst through the air, moving at blinding speeds. Raynare couldn't move half this fast. He didn't turn into light or manipulate time. This was just his normal base speed.

He accelerated beyond the sound barrier, which created a sonic boom. 'Oops. Hope nobody heard that.'

Raynare's hair was flailing in the air as she closed her eyes, grasping onto Issei for dear life.

'I'm gonna mess with her a lil bit' Issei thought. Without slowing down, he decided to do tricks in the air.

He was doing flips, corkscrews, figure 8s, everything he could to mess with Ray. It was fun for him though.

Ray started screaming. "iSseEsSeiI! SLLoOwwW DoWowWn!" She yelled, but the flailing of her face in the air made it difficult to say anything.

'That's enough… I'm starving' Issei thought as he changed trajectory and bolted in a straight line.

He then suddenly stopped, creating a large gust of air. Well, he broke the sound barrier, no question there would be some sort of whiplash. He looked down to see a slum-ish backstreet. It was clean and quiet, but nowhere near ideal. It had a small laundromat, a small movie theater, a clinic, a grocery store, a couple of shops, a bathing house, and a curry house.

Issei retracted his wings, slamming into the ground, dusting up the area around him. Nobody saw him, as it was really late. "Issei… never do that again… I think I'm gonna pu-" she started, but she fought her way out of Issei's hands and ran for a trashcan.

She emptied her lunch, then returned to Issei. "Never do that again. I'm serious." "...Sorry…"

"Let's go to the curry house, it should be right around this corner!" Issei asserted. "Sure… I'm still a bit woozy though." Issei then put his arm under her arm and helped her out. With the streetlights and the moon being their only source of light, Issei walked with Ray around a corner. They were greeted with a warm-looking hole-in-the-wall. It had a red, white wide-striped tent above the door. It had some text stating "Cafe Leblanc".

(AN: Persona 5 reference?!)

There were a lot of plants laid on the porch and on the windowsill, it was apparent the owner cared a lot for the place. Issei then grasped the cold metal door handle and pushed it open.

He was greeted with a warm-looking cafe. The cafe was decorated with dark warm browns and reds. There were a couple of booths on the left side and a counter on the right. The cafe was empty, except an old man was standing behind the counter.

"Oh, Issei. What a surprise. I was just about to close up shop, but I'll leave it open a bit longer for you." the cafe owner initiated.

The cafe owner was a middle-aged man. He had slicked-back black/gray hair with a receding hairline. He had opal gray eyes and a flared-out chin-strap beard. He was wearing a pale pink dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves with bright tan khakis and a black apron with a white pinstripe design.

"Long time no see, Sakura-san. Um… Meet my girlfriend, Ra-Yuma chan," Issei responded as he gave a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you Sakura-san," Ray added.

"Hoooo boy Issei. You got yourself a good one! Well, let me know what you want so I can cook it up for you!"

Ray and Issei looked at each other and started laughing. They couldn't imagine someone seeing their relationship and saying 'Hoo Boy'.

"Girls like sweets nowadays, no? So, 2 Currys, one regular, one Nikutama style, 2 black coffees, and one sponge cake please." Issei politely asked.

Ray blushed.

"Well, aren't you giving your lady a treat? Once I'm done, I'll leave the cafe to you 2, sound good?" Sojiro snarked.

"Actually, yeah, that would be nice. Thanks, Sojiro!"

"Alright, let me get started!"

Issei and Ray both sat down parallel to each other at a booth.

Sounds of pots clattering and aromas of fresh herbs filled the room. Ray and Issei started drooling.

"Ok… tell me. Who are-" "SHHHHH" Issei interjected with a slightly aggravated look on his face. "We'll talk about it when Sakura-san leaves. In the meantime, let's just talk about our first date, and what you want to do." Issei quietly whispered so Sojiro wouldn't hear.

"Alright… well… I like shopping, I like sweets, and I love expensive stuff." Issei burst out laughing. "Well, let's say I'm broke." Issei huffed in the middle of his laugh.

Ray blushed.

"Well, spending time with you anywhere is good enough for me…" Ray whispered.

Issei blushed.

"Your food's ready!" Sakura-san exclaimed as he brought 2 bowls over to Issei and Ray.

"Damn, already!?"

"Who ordered the Nikutama?"

"That'd be me. The regular is for Yuma."

"Your coffee and cake are ready. They're on the counter, so pick it up when you're ready. I'll go into the attic and take a call."

"Thanks Sakura-san! How much will it be!"

"Free. After what you did for me, it's the least I could do."

"You sure?"

"Yep"

Sakura walked upstairs, leaving the couple alone.

"Alright, fess up. Who are you." Ray asked. Her light and excited demeanor vanished.

'Shit… I guess this is it.' Issei thought.

"Well, eat up first. When I tell you, you might pass out. I'm also hungry.'"

"You really don't want to talk about this? Fine, I'll eat." Ray responded, beginning to get pissed.

The curry had a savory salty aroma that was really making Issei hungry, so he just went at it. Both of them were gorging down the curry.

"Wow… that was some good curry. Don't forget about your dessert!"

"Ugh, just tell me already!" Ray yelled in an agressive, pissed tone. She looked at the spongecake, and her aggressive face became a soft one. It seems cake really is a girl's kryptonite.

Ray's elated expression while eating the cake made Issei feel more relaxed. Issei was sipping on his coffee while Ray was downing the slice of thick, fluffy spongecake. Ray completely forgot about Issei for a second. For a fallen girl, she was a sucker for angel foods.

The cake vanished within 30 seconds.

"Ok. I drank my coffee, I ate my curry, and I ate that spongecake. Who are you!" Ray started.

Flashbacks of Great Red and Ophis popped in Issei's head.

Memories of them teaching him how to breath fire, how to do cool flying tricks, and them watching him fight Kokabiel.

'I'm done running. That's all I've done. Ray has done so much for me, so I have to tell her. Say it. Say it right.'

Issei sighed. An exhausted, causal expression rode on his face.

"So… you've heard of Great Red and Ophis, right?" Issei asked, already knowing her answer.

"Wait… what do they have to do with this?" Ray asked, as she started to sweat. Apparently the names of Issei's parents were enough to startle anyone.

"So you've heard that Ophis went missing from the Khaos Brigade for about 6 years, right?" Issei asked, once again, rhetorically.

"Yeah…"

"..."

"W-wait."

Ray's mind caught on fire. She couldn't process what he was saying. She had a rough idea of what Issei was going to say, but this is the exact opposite. She couldn't even think straight just at the name of them.

"Well, Mom and Pop were getting in on." Issei laughed out, trying to make it as casual as he possibly could.

"Wha-" Ray started sweating. It started to make sense. That's what terrified her.

"Ophis went missing for a little under 6 years. Issei was abandoned at age 5, right? So 9 months to give birth to a baby, and 5 years to raise it, and Issei is a dragon… MOM AND POP? Wait… no… It's impossible…"

"YOU'RE THE SON OF GREAT RED AND OPHIS!" Ray roared.

"Shhhh! Sakura-san is still upstairs you know…"

Ray got up, her instincts were telling her to flee, but she tripped.

"You oka-"

She forced herself up and exclaimed,

"Why! Why are you here! Wait… there was a disturbance about 9 years a go… The energy felt familiar, kind of like Great Red and Ophis, but it felt a bit different. It happened at same time Vali was killed… wait…"

"YOU KILLED VALI!?"

"I told you… quiet down. You see why I didn't want to tell you? Now you think of me as some sort of monster. Just like the rest of them."

"No! I- I- i…."

"You're the first person I've actually told that to by the way. It's because I trust you."

"Issei, you crazy son of a bitch. I… love you no matter who you are. Even if you were the devil's son, I'd be right here. But seriously, what the fuck."

"I want to make a sort of big entrance in the underworld, but I'm going to wait a bit. I'm a peace guy, I don't like war. Tannin is the closest thing I have to a father right now…"

"Issei." Raynare had a realization. Even though Issei was, by definition, a monster, he was still Issei. He was still abandoned, twice. He was still a broken man.

"Guess I chose a strong boyfriend, huh." Ray laughed out.

"That's the Ray I know. Welcome back."

They both started laughing.

Mr. Sakura walked down the stairs.

"I heard screaming, I heard laughing, and I heard forks and plates." You guys really are a loud crowd, even if it's just the 2 of you. Well, I got to close up shop now. Thanks Issei for dropping by, I'll always be indebted to you."

"No problem Sakura-san. If you have any problems, don't forget to call me up!"

Issei and Ray walked out of the cafe, shutting the glass paneled door and entering the moonlight.

"So what now?"

"You're living with me now silly, let's go!"

Occult Research Club Room

"That barrier was from that kid you had your eye on. Seems he's no ordinary kid. I got teleported out with everyone else, but I remember, after the barrier came down, a shooting star came from where Issei's house is. I went back to Issei's house to find an ambulance and 1 body bag being carried out of the home. That's my report, buchou". The white-haired girl asserted.

"Well, logically speaking, someone with that level of a barrier has the power of a high class devil. I'll be sure to use everything in my power to get him in my peerage. Everything." The Crimson Haired Beauty replied.

CHAPTER END

I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I said I got finals, and I meant it. School ends for me on thursday. I honestly fluffed this chapter up. I'm trying to build Ray and Issei as characters, so that's why. I hope it was a good chapter!

I've been mad stressed lately, and getting this out was really hard, but I'd do anything for y'all, so here you go!

Rias x Issei is going to be a weird one. I have a rough idea in my head of how it's going to go.

Also, thank all of you for the reviews. They mean so much to me, you don't even know! Also 210+ Followers! Am I Dreaming? I sure hope not because damn! Thanks guys!

To all of you P5 fans, I hope that Leblanc scene made you happy. It sure made me happy!

Aight, I'll see you on the other side of finals!