DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HIGH-SCHOOL DXD OR ANYTHING LICENSED BY THE DISTRIBUTOR.
NON PERVERTED ISSEI
The sound of the door slamming echoed in Issei's head for hours.
Rias had stormed out, followed by the rest of the ORC.
"You're ridiculous Issei!"
"How could you be so blind to how she feels?"
"That's just cold Issei."
These words played on repeat in his mind while he walked through the park late that night. What did he do? Did they not understand what HE felt, what HE needed, how hurt HE was?
He wrestled with the thoughts that went through his mind, trying to come to terms with what just happened. He sat down on a park bench when his left hand began to glow.
"Partner?" Ddraig called
But Issei was deaf to the world around him as his thoughts got louder and louder, and soon he was spiraling. Spiraling down to one thought that had haunted him since he became a devil. The one betrayal that had ruined him.
Raynare.
Issei began to scream in his mind, 'I TRUSTED HER AND SHE FUCKING KILLED ME! EVERYTHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE WAS A LIE AND THIS IS WHAT I GET?! REINCARNATED INTO THIS LIFE AGAINST MY WILL BY SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T CARE ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT MY FEELINGS!'
"PARTNER!!" But Ddraig fell on deaf ears.
'WHY DO THEY EXPECT ME TO GET SO CLOSE TO THEM AND ACCEPT THEM IF THEY ARE JUST GOING TO KILL ME TOO?!? HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT?! WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO..' Issei's thoughts were cut off when a burst of pain suddenly pulsed in his head. He fell to the ground in pain, this was worse than anything he had dealt with before. The countless light spears, fights with Vali, Loki, and Riser, nothing compared to this pain. He began to lose consciousness, plagued by the image of the first betrayal. The pain moved down towards his chest; towards the area where his evil pieces were placed into his body.
The pain began to get sharper as Issei screamed into the air. Before Issei could lose consciousness, Ddraig caught his attention,
"ISSEI, your evil pieces are reacting to your negative emotions. They are becoming corrupt, if we don't eject them now you will die. No resurrections this time."
Issei began to wheeze as the pain quickly spread, he asked weakly, "How do I get them out?"
Ddraig responded, "I can force them out if I overwhelm your body with enough of my power. Only there is a rather troubling issue, the amount of power that I need to give would destroy your human body. You would need to become something else."
"What does that mean?!?" Issei pleaded as he clutched his chest
"It means I need to make you a dragon."
Where there would normally be silence, the air was filled with Issei's howls of agony. He couldn't hear himself speak, but the only person he trusted anymore could save him. He managed to speak a weak "yes" before fading out of consciousness completely.
-2 hours earlier-
Rias slammed the door as she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore.
'How could he be so naive?? Are my feelings not obvious?'
The encounter replayed in her head as she teleported back to Issei's house and buried her head into a pillow. She stayed like this for a while before Akeno and Asia teleported into her room to comfort her while Koneko, Kiba, Xenovia, and Gasper waited in the living room. A general sense of disbelief filled the room. How could Issei not know how Rias felt? She made it obvious ever since he saved her from Riser yet, he seemed so distant from her as if he was completely neglecting her emotions. The Gremory's were famous for being loving of their servants but Issei surely understood that Rias was head over heels for him right?
Akeno held Rias as she bawled into her hands, "I'm sorry Rias, I know you love him and if he doesn't want you then he's letting something great go."
Asia piled on, "Yeah! Issei is so naive Rias but I'm sure he'll come around! I know he can be distant at times but he loves you. He just doesn't know how to express it."
Asia saying this to make her feel better didn't really help but Rias appreciated the effort.
"I know he's an airhead" Rias said between sobs, "but no one can be that ignorant of someone else."
Another half hour passed of their consoling, and Rias started to feel a little better when Asia said something that brought the world down around her.
"I'm worried about Issei though, when we left he had a glazed look over his face. I haven't seen him like that since Raynare."
That's when it clicked. Rias's mind began spiraling when she realized what was wrong. Raynare, the fallen angel that had betrayed Issei all those months ago. The reason he can't express his feelings isn't because they aren't there, but because of her. The damage was never erased, the wound never healed, he was broken. Rias tried so hard to get him to love her that she hadn't realized that he already did but couldn't allow himself to get to close. He was scared that he would get betrayed again by the people he loved.
But before Rias could put her thoughts into action an explosion of energy was felt by all the devils in the house. The power felt familiar but was full of agony and rage. Kiba burst through the door of Rias' room, not worrying about knocking.
"Rias that's Issei! He could be in trouble we have to go!"
Akeno hastily put together a teleportation circle and the ORC teleported to the location of the burst of power but upon arrival found nothing but a scorched landscape with 8 cracked pawns in the middle of the crater.
-1 week later-
Issei was gone.
Every resource the devils had to find him had been wasted as there was no trace of where he disappeared too. It was believed that the Red Dragon Emperor had either been attacked and killed, or taken advantage of in his week state and captured by the enemy. Either way, the Three Great Powers had no way of solving what happened to him.
Azazel was beside himself knowing that his favorite and most promising pupil was gone.
Michael had grown to care for the child and saw him as a capable warrior. He aided anyway he could to find him but to no avail.
Sirzechs was infuriated that someone would have the audacity to do this to her baby sisters favorite servant and someone who he considered a friend.
The entire supernatural world felt the impact of his absence as every mythology had begun to gather and discuss the vanishing of the Dragon of Domination. Some blamed the Vanishing Dragon, some the Chaos Brigade, but all came to the conclusion that he was irreplaceable. Someone as powerful as the Red Dragon no longer on their side put everyone in jeopardy. He may not have been as strong as the leaders of the Three Great Factions yet, but there was no doubt that he could've gotten there.
Worst of all was his friends. The people who he meant the world too had lost their best friend, confidante, and even soulmate. Their mourning was felt by everyone but no one grieved more than Rias. She had locked herself away since the day of the incident, blaming herself for what happened to him.
'Why did I let this happen?' She thought as she laid in the fetal position on the bed of Issei's room,gripping his pillow for dear life. The world had stopped for her. Everything she cared about had disappeared. The man she loved was gone and no amount of crying could bring him back. She stayed shut in for days, hoping that if she didn't leave that he would come walking through the door, hoping that he was still alive. Hoping that he would come running right into her arms, but why would he.
She had hurt and betrayed him. She was the reason that he was in the park in the first place. She was the reason he was vulnerable, she was the reason he was hurt.
After a week went by, she didn't know what to do with herself. Her dependence on him left her with nothing. Akeno and Asia tried their best to comfort her but to no avail as they were also grieving. They missed him too and they couldn't hide it.
Akeno buried herself into contracts and tried to work the pain away, but nothing filled the hole in her heart. Issei, who was once her rock, had vanished without a trace leaving her with a sense of unfulfilled wanting.
Asia had lost her first friend and the one man she truly loved. It felt like a part of her was ripped out that could never be replaced.
Koneko lost the first man she trusted. Sure he was a little rough around the edges but he protected her and made her feel like she could be herself around him.
Kiba lost a brother in arms and his best friend. No one understood him like he did.
Xenovia lost her comrade and the man who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Gasper lost his mentor and the man who he looked up to the most.
Irina lost her childhood friend and the one person who she could confidently say always had her back.
The entire group was like this since the day of the incident. While Kiba was strong enough to search for a few days, he eventually crumbled like everyone else.
--
Issei awoke in a bedroom that he didn't recognize. The curtains on the windows were drawn but through the gap they left between was a small ray of light that shined on the corner of the room. He took a second to collect himself. Where was he? What happened to him? These thoughts clouded his head when suddenly a voice broke his concentration.
"Welcome Issei, it's about time you woke up. There's much we need to discuss."
Issei looked up into the face of the last person he wanted to see. Vali.