'Honestly... She knows how dangerous it can become if we are seen together.' Issei thought to himself.
[The one that makes the bed should lie in it.]
'Well at least it seems that Raynare is able to keep her side of things.'
[Only for you I imagine, she can get what she desires with other means regardless of your involvement.]
Putting a hand on the door knob he replied. 'Either way, we need her on our side.' Before he could turn the knob he felt it. A barrier was put up around his home, and three should be friendly signatures entered one of them weaker then they were the last time he saw them. For the first time since coming to this place he felt fear. With his sword manifesting at his side his eyes turned a pale blue. 'Why is she...' but before he could complete that thought a familiar feminine voice called out to him.
"I was walking home from school, a pretty average day at that, and to my surprise I saw my friend's newest pawn communing with a nun and the angel that should have killed him. But that shouldn't be right? I mean who in their right mind would do that." The emotionless voice of Sona Sitri came from behind. Turning around Issei saw Sona coming up the walkway,
'Dammit.'
[Be on your guard. The other one is hidden.]
'Petra, find the two other girls... And make sure the blonde one is safe.' He thought inwardly. 'Right away.' A shadow separated from his, quickly disappearing into the bushes, he turned to Sona before speaking. "I don't know what you are talking about Shitori-senpai."
"Please Hyoudou-kun, At least come up with a lie." Sona said unimpressed.
Issei's mannerisms did not change, in fact he seemed totally unbothered by the whole situation. The only sign of his mental state changing was his eye color. Figuring the side effect of Sarinna's power was still only known to a select few he responded to Sona. "Sorry senpai, but what is this about?" Reading her body language he moved a little closer.
The signs of irritation began to show themselves on Sona's face, and Issei responded by taking a few steps back. "I don't know what game you are playing, but I guess I have to play along... If I am wrong about this... Who were the girls you were with this afternoon?" She asked with her patience at its limit.
The matter seemingly didn't change, Issei deciding to take the opportunity to communicate with Petra. She had found the other two girls, said blonde was worse for wear but will survive. Issei, confirming this, resumed his conversation with Sona. "I'm not playing any games, but it seems that you have someone under my protection, and she seems to be injured." Issei said with no emotion. "So let's do this," Petra appeared at Issei's side mid-sentence, "I won't touch your queen if you hand over my friend, and you'll get what you want from me. Whether you like the answers or not." After finishing he noticed the expression on Sona's face
[I hope you know what you are doing, partner.]
Sona was surprised. Not at Issei's ultimatum but what was at his side. What caught her eye was Petra in her lion form. The first king's familiar had a new master, and that new master was a pawn of Rias Gremory, her friend. She thought back and then she saw a club submission form submitted for him by the Kendo club advisor, Sirzechs' strongest pawn. She looked at Issei with the thought of 'Who are you?' coming to her. In this situation she would be foolish to act without all the information available, making up her mind to take up Issei's "proposal". Quickly recovering from her shock she spoke. "That's fair, I want you to report to the Student Council office before school tomorrow and we will see what you have been up to." She then telepathically communicates with her queen. A black-haired girl in glasses appeared behind Sona holding Mittelt hostage with her wrist bound together by a spell. "So do we hav-'' before she could finish Issei disappeared from sight.
Reappearing next to Mittelt he first put a hand to her wrists having the binding spell shatter, surprising the queen holding her hostage. "Thank you Issei-sama, I'm sorry to cause you trouble."
"This one is my fault, not yours Mittelt." Issei said while Petra stood protectively in between them and the Sitri peerage. "You should get going though, I'm sure that Asia will heal you." He then sent an order to Petra, 'make sure she gets back to the church safely.' Doing so Petra faded into Mittelt's shadow. The act came to a surprise to everyone outside of the familiar and master.
'Don't worry Mistress Mittelt, I will make sure you return safely.'
"Are you sure Issei-sama? I mean you will be outnumbered now. I can still be of use."
Issei turned his back to her, staring down Sona and her queen. "You don't have to worry. Even if we couldn't work things out." A blue aura surrounded him. "I am simply not that weak. I still have my Kage." His said with a layered voice, he then placed a hand over his katana, at the same time the barrier disappeared. "Should probably get going, and if she asks, tell Yuu-chan I took care of it." When he finished a wall of ice formed separating the two sides from each other. The Sitri queen moved to intercept Issei but was stopped by Sona, blocking her movement with an arm and a slow shake of her head. "Go now." Doing as Issei commended Mittelt left. After a few moments and not feeling the fallen angel in the immediate area the wall of ice evaporated creating a thick white mist.
"Interesting, so I take it she doesn't know anything either. Going by your little act." Sona said with a quizzical look. "Tsubaki we are leaving." She began walking away with Tsubaki, but before she left his sight she looked back at him over her thick framed glasses. "I hope you are not sitting on the fence with this conflict, you should know Hyoudou, history is not too kind to the ones who play for both sides."
Not letting it show, Issei was taken aback by the girl's wording. Though he took a couple seconds to respond, he did reassure her of where his loyalties lie... For now. "Don't worry senpai, everything that I have done is in Rias-senpai's best interest." Issei said with a genuine smile.
Being convinced by Issei's apparent declaration she said her final goodbyes and both girls left the property.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Issei walked up to the front door of his home, opening it. Looking around the entrance he saw that his mother's shoes were still missing from the shoe rack. 'Good she's not home yet.' He then closed the door behind him locking it, after removing his shoes he headed up to his room. Getting a similar feeling he drew the katana. Opening the door to his room he was greeted by an embrace from Raynare. The Katana dematerialising Issei spoke. "Not that I don't mind the welcome, but why are you here?"
Raynare looked up at him with a grim expression, something he did not expect to see. "Remember when I said we were doing your plan for now."
"Yes?"
"Well... That's before Mittelt and... Especially... You came back with injuries." She paused for a second, her embrace tightening, after a few brief moments she let go. "Are you sure you have things handled? We can do things differently, you have me... You have me now. And Kokabiel is nothing. I can take care of him, and we can stop Azazel together, so let me help..." She spoke nearly in tears. 'I am not going to watch you die.'
Issei did not know how to respond to her, he had thought that he was in for the future by himself, that he would have no one he could trust. Now he had Akeno, and even Raynare seemed like a person he could trust eventually. If this was three years ago, if this was the Issei that was fresh from the betrayal, he wouldn't be here in this situation. 'When did this happen? When did it come to this? When did you become someone so important?' He thought to himself. 'Is that so wrong? Didn't you want her to feel this way for you once upon a time? We have sacrificed way too much , don't you think? We deserve at least this.' Before he knew what he was doing he had cupped the disguised angel's face in his hands, touching foreheads he spoke. "Believe me... I want to. I want you to be there, but..." He paused looking her in the eyes. "I must be an idiot to trust you, but I do, and you have to trust that I know what I am doing." He finished the two separating from each other.
"Isn't this just fate's cruelty?"
Raynare thought back to the "dream" she had. 'Why?' she thought to herself.
"I doubt you could have done anything about this in the end."
Her eyes began to water. 'This bullshit again.'
"This is what you wanted isn't it? To live and feel as you do... As they do, to be something you are not. That's not you is it?"
Raynare felt a myriad of emotions as he spoke, and she only felt this for him, which was something she had not felt in a long time. That bothered her, it bothered her terribly. "Fine." She said lowering her head after he finished.
"Hmm?"
"I will trust you." She tilted her head upwards to look him in the eyes. Her expression was one of someone who was not pleased with the circumstances. "But..." She paused for a quick second. "But... Let me stay here once in a while..." Again she paused, not completing her thoughts. "Starting tonight." She said, 'Please.' She begged in her head.
"All of this anger, sadness, and pain. The chains that are keeping you here, at this moment. You can save him from this suffering. Just as he has done for you."
'Please.'
"I don-" Issei was cut off.
The disguised angel had her lips collide with Issei's, Raynare looked at him with desperation in her eyes. A faint sense of recognition came across Issei's features before closing his eyes. Seeing this Raynare let out a content sigh before closing hers, the whole affair devolving into a modest make out session. As the two kissed they somehow wind-up on Issei's bed, stopping to catch their breaths. Raynare was the first to speak. "Please..." She paused to steal a kiss. "I need this, I need to be with yo-" This time Issei stole a kiss. She slightly maneuvered herself so she was straddling him. "I will not try anything... So let me stay..." Raynare barely choked out. "I need you." She finished her voice coming as a whisper.
'Isn't this just perfect.' Issei pulled her into an embrace, now both lying on their sides. His face had a serious expression as the words came out. "It's fine... I'm sure that it's okay for you to be here." he chuckled before continuing. "Mom would be pissed at me, if I turned you away. She really likes you." Raynare responds by returning the display of affection. The two of them stayed that way until Issei fell asleep.
The next morning Issei woke up to his mother kneeling next to his bed with an amused grin and holding a Somali cat to her chest. "I hope that this doesn't mean I should be expecting a grandchild anytime soon." She said with malice, her expression not changing. Getting up she gently placed the cat on the ground feeling it rub up against her leg affectionately. Now turning her attention to a red-faced Issei Reiko tilted her head. She then pointed to the cat. "For now I'm only going to accept the cat you got without my permission."
Issei looked at the cat with noticeable surprise. He got up slowly to sit at the edge of the bed. "Petra?" he questioned. As if to physically acknowledge him the cat hopped up on to the bed coming to sit on his lap. 'Yes, Master?' the cat responded.
With a raised eyebrow Reiko looked at the cat getting comfortable under Issei's touch, and Issei's smile when Petra licked his face. "Petra huh? Interesting name." Reiko commented.
"She was the one who picked it." Issei said petting Petra.
After a few moments of watching Issei interacting with the cat, Reiko now with a smile on her face decided to leave the room in an effort to not wake Yuuma up. When she opened the door Petra perked up and hopped off the teen's lap coming to a stop right before Reiko. "What? You want to come with me?" She asked Petra, all she got was a quick nyan in response. Petra then moved closer to Reiko getting picked up by her. Turning to Issei she spoke again. "You should wake Yuuma-chan up and get ready for school." She said before retreating from the room.
After Reiko left the room with Petra in tow Issei felt Raynare's arms wrap around him, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder. "Bout time the intruders left." Raynare said in a sultry voice.
"Great... I thought you weren't going to try anything."
"Come on, we are lovers."
"Not an excuse."
"But you are open to it."
"Mmhmm." Issei replied, getting up from the bed. He then walked to his closet then his dresser getting his uniform. "I'm going to get ready for school, what are you going to do?"
Raynare giggled before walking over to Issei. "Don't know, maybe I am going to hang out here for a little while." She said ruffling through his dresser. "You are probably being watched, and since they are most likely high school students means that I can leave soon after you do." Raynare found Issei's pajama pants. As she was just in her underwear, she wore the pants and a plain white t-shirt. Twirling around giving issei an eye full before speaking. "What do you think, don't I look good in my Hyoudou Issei cosplay?"
The boy whose clothes she was wearing just snorted before exiting the room.
(...)
Issei opened his eyes back in the room where he last saw Sarinna, getting his bearings as he looked around. Although the fantasy feel of the space remained the same he felt more at home. He did not know how to describe the feeling, but this bedroom felt like it was his. That this room belonged to him and he hadn't seen it in a long time. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room with the grandfather clock behind him and the bed he was lying on the last time he was here in front of him. There he saw her, a vision of a dark-skin woman with long jet black hair and emerald eyes in a red see-through nightgown over top a slender build. Calling her beautiful which was something Issei would be willing to do seemed... Unnatural here as if the familiarity he felt from her stopped him from doing so.
The woman smiled at him before a red and gold bracelet appeared on her left wrist, the action mimicked by him activating the Boosted Gear. The woman seemed to be excited by this development, giving Issei a large smile which he returned, not knowing why he did. Six black wings sprouted from her covering her upper half in a pseudo cocoon, a halo of smoke appeared over top of her head. This time Issei couldn't respond with his own actions which deeply saddened them both. The woman got off the bed and made her way to where Issei was as he stood and met her half way. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into an embrace. "It is quite alright if you can't use our power yet, you don't remember and we have always developed at our own pace. Everything you have to learn will come naturally. I will always be here to lend a hand, and you have Sam with you as well as our Shadow so don't think any less of yourself... Our pride in our strengths was always our best quality." Punctuating her words with a kiss to the forehead, Issei closed his eyes in response.
Opening his eyes again, his head using Sarinna's lap as a pillow, again forced to take stock of his surroundings. That woman he saw was gone, feeling that the Boosted Gear was still activated. He brought his left arm to his face, but the usual gauntlet was gone. In its place was the red and gold bracelet and a gold band with a green gem on his ring finger and a white band on his index finger. He focused on the ring on his index a white cloth wrapped itself around his left hand straight to the elbow. A grin came across his face when he felt Raynare nearby. He turned his attention to the gold band on his ring finger a white bone-like scale-mail gauntlet replaced the white cloth. A yelp of surprise came from above him. Sarinna had a look of shock on her face. Issei looked around the room and it was covered in ice. Before he could ask Sarinna uttered something in a different language he shouldn't be able to understand. "Soul Barrier... minun Juggernaut Drive. Sinulla on vahvempi, rakas Wielder." Sarinna said, hugging his head.
"En tiedä, jos minulla olisi, mutta pidän aina lupaukseni sinulle. Keisarinna." Issei replied, earning a delighted squeal from the girl.
"Make sure you do, I can't wait until you get to the point of using me to my fullest extent, my dear Issei."
(...)
Now at school Issei stared at an arm band with the word 'Deputy' on it as he made his way to his class, thanks to Sona he was the talk of the school. Issei heard the same chatter that took place when he became a member of the ORC. The total disgust in his apparent popularity, he tried his best to ignore the verbal abuse. A familiar male voice could be heard, it was Sanada Hideki, one of his friends. Hideki was not alone, he felt Mei with him. The thought of those two together made Issei anxious. Deciding to stay out of sight he used Sarinna's power to hide his presence.
"-ou should be with someone who cares for you, I hope you know that Issei has a girlfriend. I wouldn't treat you like that. Yamamoto-san I really like you... P-Please go out with me." Hideki finished, despite his stuttering he was perfectly calm.
Both Issei and Mei had the same thought, 'Bullshit.' Mei was not in the best mood, not only did the Student Council's announcement anger her beyond belief, but now one of the closest friends to the person she fell for is using a confession as an excuse to hide his own perversion. Her mind ran wild, she balled her fist and lowered her head. "Sanada-san..." His name coming out barely audible.
'Isn't this what we promised our shadow that we would not allow.'
"Yes, Yamamoto-san!"
The excitement in his voice did not improve the situation. That however did not deter her from what she was about to say. "You're Ise's friend right?" She asked in a blank tone.
"Issei?" The girl nodded. "Yes, I am... Why do you ask?" Hideki finished, his optimism vanishing.
Mei began walking towards him. "Then I will not tell him that I caught you spying on me while I was changing, as long as y-" A chill went down her spine as Issei's presence returned. He had walked past her and came to a stop beside Hideki putting his left hand on his shoulder.
"We need to talk, I'm busy after school... but soon." Issei said devoid of emotion.
Mei noticed that there was something off as Issei's voice sounded different and the fact he had pale blue eyes added to that. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the same person she knew, but. Then she realised what she just said, if he had heard any of the conversation with Hideki then that explained the feeling she was getting from him. It was the same whenever Makoto got angry and tried to protect her. 'Wait', she thought to herself , 'Ise is like Mako.' The thought sent a feeling of euphoria through her body, a faint blush appearing on her face. The object of her affection began to walk away when a hand tugged his sleeve. "Let's walk to class together, Ise." She offered him a bright smile which was returned.
Hideki watched as the two teens leave in disbelief, he then felt a hand tap his shoulder turning around to see a short petite brunette with thick-framed glasses and braided twin tails. "What do you want flat chest?" Hideki said with a growl.
The girl blinked then gave him a sly grin. "Hey don't take your rejection out on me, I'm not the one who got my perve on and confessed to my friend's girl."
"But you... "
"I only gave you information and the Volleyball Club's schedule, you are the one who acted on it." She said matter-of-factly. "Besides, let this be a lesson. Perv Number 3" She said, rubbing her thumb against her index finger. "If you want to stalk someone, get your information straight... Now the 20,000 yen you owe me." She gestured for him to hand the money over.
Hideki clenched his fist. "I don't have it right now, Sano..."
"How much do you have?"
"12,000."
"I will take half, and treat me to some lunch okay..." She said as Hideki opened his wallet. She took 5,000 and began to leave before turning around. "Oh, next time you require my services you are paying double." As she said that Hideki raised a fist to strike, but before he could Sano grabbed an arm band with the words 'Disciplinary Committee' on it. "I wouldn't do that if I was you. Do you know how much dirt we have on you three? I can make the rest of your time here a living hell... But you are getting off easy because you are my favorite customer." She said putting the arm band back in her school bag. Leaving him behind she spoke one more time. "See you at lunch Hicchan!" Sano said in a sing-song voice.
[Was that necessary Aika, I almost feel bad for the poor pervert. Not that you are any better.]
'Hey, I have to keep the money flow going. It's not like Azz gives me much of an allowance. A girl needs to live, you know.' She thought walked by a staircase brimming with supernatural energy causing her to grimace. 'Think of it as hazard pay, the idiot chose the wrong girl to have feelings for. So do you think Hyoudou is the red one?'
[Yes, he definitely is... But something was off. He felt like you. Which is odd for a devil's servant, especially one of his strength.]
'Like me huh. Well that makes things more complicated.'
[So what do you want to do? Are you going to tell Azazel about this?]
Aika stopped in front of Class 2F smirking. 'Nephilim are extremely rare, the fact that there are seven of us in Kuoh including Himejima-senpai is a miracle, and it might cause Azz to act before we are ready. And if that monstrous energy that they were attempting to hide is anything to go by, then right now we are on the wrong side of this.' She thought, opening the door and entering the classroom.
Back at the staircase Makoto was hiding underneath in the fetal position covering a pair of animal ears with hands featuring longer fingernails, and a black halo could be seen floating over her head. She was muttering the same phrases over and over again. "Calm down... Calm down... Calm down... Issei is with her... Calm down..." Makoto whispered through prominent canines.
Meanwhile Issei was walking through the hallway with Mei happily chatting, Issei's eyes had returned to normal much to the relief of the pair. From what Mei heard from Makoto, supernatural beings like them needed to stay hidden even from other beings. Shaking her head she asked Issei a question. "So the Student Council huh? How did that happen? I was surprised when Shitori-senpai announced that you were joining."
Issei chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really my decision... Shitori-senpai and Gremory-senpai have weird concepts for punishments."
"Wait, are you in trouble?" Mei asked in genuine concern. "You haven't done anything, is there anything I can do?" She asked, coming to a stop in front of him.
"No, no, no. I just know too much, and it's something that senpai doesn't want to be public knowledge."
Mei putting two and two together came to the conclusion that the members of the student council were all supernatural so she decided to drop the subject. Coming to the class she opened the door for Issei. "There you go, sir..." She said mischievously, but before he could decline Mei added one more thing. "Pervs first." earning a laugh, but what he retorted with made her face bright red.
Issei paused but quickly came up with an idea. He grabbed her hand bowing before kissing it. "Thank you, but someone of your beauty should be the first to enter."
A/N: 2022-01-18 Typo and grammatical errors