Okay, this chapter turned out better than I expected. (I think...) It's Issei and Raynare's first date, complete with more fluff than anyone person should ever consume. Enjoy!

Issei walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a black long sleeve button up and black pants. His hair was neater than normal, and he wore black dress shoes. As he stepped into his and Raynare's bedroom, his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Like what you see?" Raynare said, twirling around. Issei stared, unable to form words. Her beauty was stunning, and she left him breathless. She wore a long black dress, with black heels and a strap around her neck. The dress perfectly complemented her raven hair and violet eyes, and the combination blew Issei away.

Issei coughed, and looked away. "Y-yeah." Raynare huffed.

"Issei, you don't like it?" She said, teasing him. She could tell from a mile away he loved her outfit, but she wanted to mess with him.

"What?! N-no! I mean yes! I m-mean, I...ugh…" Issei stopped, putting his hands over his violently blushing face. He inhaled, and composed himself.

"Raynare, you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen." He said, looking her in the eyes. Raynare's plan to tease him backfired, as it was her turn to blush profusely. She turned away from him, and hid her face behind a small black purse that hadn't been in her hands a second ago.

"Wait, I can make it even better. Close your eyes." Issei asked. She looked back at him, and then did as instructed. She awaited him eagerly, not knowing what he'd do, but not really caring either. He could rip her out of the dress then and there, and she'd be fine with it.

Issei dug in his pocket for a second, and brought out what he wanted to give Raynare. Raynare felt Issei's hands touch her neck briefly, before she felt cold metal on her chest.

"Okay, you can look now." Issei said, stepping back. Raynare opened her eyes and looked down.

Around her neck, hanging from a bright silver chain, was a heart-shaped diamond with two silver angel wings forming a larger heart around the gem. She gasped.

"Issei, you didn't…" She breathed out, touching the precious necklace. A tear fell from her right eye, and she held the pendant tight in her hands.

"Raynare? Why are you crying? Do you not like it?" Issei's worried questions were silenced when Raynare threw herself around him, kissing him with all she had.

He was surprised for a moment, but soon returned the kiss. A few seconds later, Raynare pulled back. If they kept going, she'd do something that might interfere with their date.

"Where did you even get this? We've been together for the past several days, how did find the time?" Raynare asked Issei. She loved her new necklace, but she had no idea how he'd managed to acquire it.

"Well, while we were at the mall, I saw an advertisement for a 'guardian angel' necklace, and it was perfect for you. So, while you were staring really intensely at a dress, I slipped off and bought it. I'd been waiting for the perfect time to give it to you, and this seemed right." Issei explained. "Do you like it?" He asked.

Raynare cupped the necklace in her hands. She did like it, a lot. What she liked more, though, was that Issei had not only bought her the perfect necklace, but delivered it in what had to be the most romantic way possible. Could she even ask for a better boyfriend?

"Issei, I love it. I'll treasure it forever." She said, and Issei tightly hugged her.

"I'm glad. We should get going though, our reservations are for eight." Issei said, pulling back and gesturing towards a clock that read seven-thirty.

"Okay, but...how are we getting there? Raynare asked, curious. If he asked, she'd teleport them, but after what he'd done already, she was positive he had something planned.

Issei glanced at the clock. "I've got it covered. He should be here…now. Well, um...are you ready?" Issei asked, holding out his hand for Raynare to take. She took it, and he led the out of their room and down the building, into the lobby.

As Raynare and Issei crossed the floor to the building's exit, she glanced at Issei's face. His smile could've lit up a room, and she couldn't help but feel happy too.

Two weeks ago, she was a Fallen Angel assassin, tasked with killing Issei before he became a threat. Now, she was just a normal girl, who couldn't possibly stand to be without her first love. Issei was her first, too. She'd dated before, sure; that's a given, considering she was created hundreds of years ago; but she'd never found a guy she liked, and she'd certainly never fallen in love. She once dated a man for 4 months, but in all that time, he never managed to steal her heart.

Then, along comes Issei, who does it in less than a week. She'd never in her life felt the way she feels with him. He makes everything she does meaningful, and gives her life a bright shining light at the center. If he ever left or got taken from her, well...there'd be hell to pay, for someone. No, she'd never be proper without him again.

Issei was the same. If for any reason Raynare left, his life would be done. The way he felt about it, his life was already over, before she stepped in. He owed everything to her, and he'd spend the rest of his life giving her his all. She was the last thing he had, and even now with all his wealth and possessions, he'd never had anything that compared to his angel.

But, they weren't focused on that right now. At the moment, Issei was focused on showing Raynare the best night ever.

As Issei led Raynare outside, he tried not to grin too hard. After Yoshikage left earlier, Issei had gotten a text from the officer, about Yoshikage's other job. Officer Yoshikage of the Kuoh Police Department has moonlight job: as a limo driver.

Raynare stepped outside behind Issei, and she gasped. "Issei…a limo?!" She practically squealed.

Officer Yoshikage, dressed in a tux but still wearing his police hat, waved at them from the front seat of a long black limo.

Issei smiled back at her, and she hugged him for what had to be the tenth time in an hour, not that he'd ever get tired of it.

After they pulled apart, Issei opened a door at the rear of the limo, and gestured for Raynare to get inside. She composed herself, and entered the limousine.

The interior was extremely luxurious, with black leather seats all around and bright blue lights keeping it all lit. Raynare sat down at one side, and Issei got in after her, closing the door. Yoshikage looked in his mirror to make sure they were settled, and took off. He already knew where they were headed, as Issei had told him earlier.

Raynare laid her head on Issei's shoulders. "Issei, can you tell me now?" She asked, hoping he'd finally spill the beans.

"Nope. It's a secret." Raynare huffed. She appreciated that he didn't want to spoil the surprise for her, but she also wished that he'd tell her. "We'll be there soon, so don't worry about it." Issei said, smiling at her.

"Ugh! Fine~..."

"Leave me alone, dammit!" Matsuda yelled as he walked through the alleys next to his ramshackle house. The recipient of his yelling, a small black dog, whimpered sadly. Matsuda sighed and rubbed his temples. He liked dogs, he just didn't like that this one kept following him, no matter what.

Ever since he'd woken up at the base of a tree yesterday, he'd been followed by the dog. It had erie red eyes and responded to everything Matsuda said, like it was intelligent. The one thing it wouldn't respond to, though, was to stop following him. Matsuda had let it, at first, up until he'd woken up this morning to the dog sleeping at the foot of his bed. He hadn't even let the dog inside, and he was freaked out by the fact that it had just appeared in his house, so he tried to shoo the dog away. It wouldn't listen. It followed him all throughout his day, even at school. Though, no one else seemed to react to it, and Matsuda had started to wonder if he was going crazy.

So, he decided to spend some time in Kuoh town, and get some fresh air. It was just becoming dark outside, his favorite time of day. As he moved through alleyway after alleyway, his preferred method of travel, the dog kept following him. Matsuda wanted it to leave him alone, but he also didn't. He had no one left; his father, an abusive convict and his mother, dead. The dog, annoying as it was, was his only companion at the moment.

Matsuda stepped out of the alley, and onto a busy city street. People were everywhere, but no one seemed to react to Matsuda's animal friend. He looked down at the dog, who'd fallen a few steps behind.

"Just what the hell are you, huh?" Matsuda said, looking at the dog.

"Your greatest wish can come true!" A cheery voice caught Matsuda's attention, and a flyer was thrust into his face by a girl in a red dress with wild black hair. He took the flyer, more on instinct than anything, and shoved it into his pocket. He shoved past the rude girl, muttering to her about watching where she was going, and walked off down the street, dog in tow.

The limo pulled to a stop in the ritziest part of town, right in front of what was essentially a skyscraper. Raynare looked at the building, trying to figure out why they stopped. There were no visible signs or markings, other than several neon lights with no particular pattern.

Issei looked up at the building alongside Raynare. She turned to him. "Is this the place?" She asked, not quite sure.

"Yep. We've gotta go all the way to the roof, that's our stop." Issei said. Yoshikage got out of the car, and opened the door nearest Issei for him to get out. Issei exited the car, then turned and extended his hand for Raynare, like a gentleman. She took it gratefully, and got out of the limousine. They held hands as they walked through the building's double automatic doors. Issei waved at Yoshikage, who waved back and reentered the limo.

As they entered the building, Raynare was slightly confused. Right on entry, it looked like garbage. She looked forward with some apprehension, though she followed Issei without hesitation. He had a knowing smirk on his face as he led her through the decrepit building by hand, stepping over garbage and wrecked furniture on their path. They passed a desk with no one in it, and a stairwell with an 'out of order' sign over the broken door. How a stairwell was out of order, Raynare had no idea, but she was getting a bad vibe from the whole place.

"Don't worry." Issei said briefly, offering her a reassuring smile. She gripped his hand a little tighter and returned his statement with a nervous smile of her own.

They approached what looked like a broken down elevator, but Issei pressed the button next to it without an ounce of confusion or hesitation. 'He's been here before…' Raynare thought. Something was up, she guessed.

The elevator dinged once, and the door opened to reveal a lavish elevator with gilded white paneled walls and a white tile floor. Issei stepped on immediately, but Raynare walked on slowly, trying to figure out what was going on. After she entered the elevator and stood beside him, Issei pressed the only button the elevator had, a shining button that looked like a black gemstone, and they started to ascend quickly.

At this point, Raynare was understandably very confused. She'd shown up expecting a nice restaurant or something of that effect, and then they find a derelict skyscraper. Then, as if that wasn't confusing enough, they open probably the nicest elevator in the world. She had no clue what was happening.

"Confused yet?" Issei asked, sensing how tense she was.

"Uh, yeah. What in the world is this place?" She said, gesturing with her free hand.

"It's secret. Don't worry, I was confused my first time too."

"Issei, that sounds so sketchy."

"...I guess it does, doesn't it?"

"Just a bit."

The elevator came to a halt.

"Are you ready?" Issei asked, rubbing a circle on Raynare's hand. He looked giddy.

"I think so…" She said. His excitement was rubbing off on her, and despite not being aware of the situation, she was looking forward to what was on the other side of the elevator door.

"That's good." He said.

The door opened.

Raynare gasped, and Issei let out an excited laugh. "Welcome to Shangri-La!" He said cheesily.

On the other side of the door, was probably one of the nicest places Raynare had ever been.

On the roof of the building, there was a restaurant that catered to the richest of the rich. All around, there were padded leather seats, silk tablecloths, and waiters in fine clothes. People in suits and dresses conversed happily, and the sound of water flowing could be heard, coming from a large waterfall in the center of the roof. A string quartet played in one corner, and the music was soothing and upbeat. There were soft white lights, but the real light in the place came from the moon and stars, which were out in force.

Raynare realized what the nonsensical neon lights she'd seen earlier were for. From the angle on top of the roof, she could see the light reflected off a pond on the ground. The lights, in the water's reflection, spelled: Shangri-La. "Shangri-La? This is crazy…" She breathed out.

"Raynare~…hello, Raynare..." Issei snapped his fingers, and Raynare realized she'd been staring.

"Haha, sorry…" They stepped off of the elevator together, and were immediately approached by a waiter.

"Issei Hyoudou, table for two." Issei said, talking to the waiter.

The waiter nodded, and gestured for them to follow him. "Right this way, sir and madam."

Raynare followed close behind Issei as he himself followed the waiter. As they walked to a table, nearing the edge of the roof, several people waved to Issei. He waved back to all of them, and Raynare wondered how he knew them. She knew he was extremely shy, so these had to be people he'd known for a while for him to be so comfortable around them.

They stopped at a table right on the edge of the roof, looking out over the city. The waiter gestured to their table, set with candle and wine glasses and other fancy assortments. Issei pulled Raynare's chair out, and she sat down, thanking him. Issei sat down in his own seat, and pulled it in. The waiter left.

"Isn't he going to ask us what we want to drink?" Raynare asked, confused for the millionth time in the hour.

"Nope. They'll bring us water and some of the finest wine you've ever seen. You can request something else, but they probably only have stuff you've never heard of, like fancy imported sodas and things like that." Raynare nodded at Issei's explanation

"Wine is fine with me. It's probably my favorite drink." Raynare said, looking at the tall wine glasses on the table. There was four, total; two for each of them, one for red wine and the other for white wine. They also each had a smaller glass for water.

"I've never had it, since I'm underage. They don't really care here, but I've just never felt like drinking." Issei said.

Raynare faked a gasp. "Well, you've got to tonight! I can't believe you've never tried wine before! It's heavenly, no pun intended."

"Really? I-I'm not sure, I've never drank before...I don't want to get drunk and embarrass you or anything…" Issei said, nervous.

"Issei, you could never do anything to embarrass me. Well, that's not entirely true, but you couldn't do anything here to embarrass me, especially if it means getting drunk. Come on, you've gotta try some wine. You can't bring me to a place like this and expect me to drink alone, Issei. It's not polite." Raynare said, smirking. She played the 'it's not polite' card, knowing Issei would care about something like that.

"I g-guess you're right…okay. I'll try some after we eat, I promise." Issei was extremely nervous at the prospect of drinking. He'd never had any alcohol before, and he wasn't sure how he'd handle it. Issei always heard horrible stories of what happens to people when they get drunk, and he wasn't sure it was something he wanted to try, but if it meant making Raynare happy, he'd do it.

"Great! Now, what's good…?" Raynare said, picking up the menu on the table. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she saw the ridiculous prices of the things on the menu. Some people couldn't afford the things on it with a whole month's pay. "I-Issei, are you sure this is alright? I'm all for fancy food, but it's so expensive…"

Issei looked up at her from his own menu. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've got it covered. Order whatever you want, don't feel bad." He told her, and looked back down at his menu.

"Okay…" She said, still unsure. The food at Shangri-La was a lot of money.

The waiter came back about two minutes later. Raynare had begrudgingly decided on a meal, despite how expensive they were, and Issei wanted to try something he hadn't gotten before.

"I'll have the escargot, thanks." Issei said, and handed the man his menu. The waiter looked to Raynare.

Raynare hesitated. Her meal was not cheap, but when Issei looked at her expectantly, she ordered. "The Dragon Steak, please." She said. The waiter nodded, took her menu, and left.

Another waiter approached them, this time in slightly different, darker, clothes. He brought with him a cart filled with wine bottles, and a singular pitcher of water. The man had a large moustache, and dark hair. He had a large smile on his face. He stopped at their table with the cart, and cleared his throat. He nodded to Issei, who nodded back, and then picked up an ornate bottle of wine and looked at Raynare. He spoke with a thick french accent.

"Madame, zis is a special day, and for zat we brought you a special wine. From what monsieur Hyoudou has told us, it's your first date? Oui, a special day indeed. So, a red wine that tastes like love itself, no? For that, I give you this: the Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, 2012. A bottle younger than the both of you, yet just as beautiful."

The man poured two glasses of the wine for them, and set the bottle back on the cart. He reached for a second bottle, and held it up for them to see.

"Ah, and this wine is no slouch either, hm? Monsieur Hyoudou, no doubt you want a wine as delicious as your lady-friend, oui? Well, unfortunately no wine exists, but this is the closest we can come. I give you: the Lucien Le Moine Chevalier Montrachet, 2010. From my homeland of France, you will not find a better white wine."

(AN: I do NOT know how wine or wine prices work. I'm assuming these are both adequate wines. Do not quote me on this.)

The man poured them both glasses of the white wine, and then put the bottle back. Then, he poured them both a glass of water.

"Well, Monsieur and Madame, that is all I have for you right now. Should you have need of me, simply yell 'Pierre!' and I shall come running as fast as my legs will carry me. Till then, mes amis, I bid you…" The man, Pierre, bowed extravagantly to both of them. "...adieu." Pierre tipped his invisible hat, and left with the cart of wine.

"He was...interesting." Raynare said, looking at her now-full wine glasses.

"Oh yeah, that's Pierre for you. The man lives and breathes wine. He'll put on a show, no matter what, just to try and get someone to love wine as much as he does. He's a great guy." Issei said, nodding.

"How do you know these people? It seems like you're close with everyone in the place." Raynare asked Issei, curious.

"My family, my first family that is, brought me here a lot. My mother and father were both filthy rich treasure hunters, so we came here several times a year. Most of the people here all know each other, and those that don't are quickly introduced. Shangri-La has its own community, pretty much. I've known most of these people since childhood. If you've noticed, they're all looking at us." Raynare looked around at Issei's words, and surely enough, most of the other patrons in the restaurant were watching the two of them unashamedly. Two of them even yelled and gave Issei a thumbs up.

"They've never seen me bring a girl in here, so they're a little excited. Once they figure out you've gotten me to drink, they're gonna riot."

"Why's that?"

"They've all been trying to get me to drink for years, especially Pierre. I'm sure he was shocked."

"They want to see you drunk that badly?"

"My dad was a party all by himself when he got drunk, I guess they're hoping I'll be the same."

"I guess that makes sense."

"It's endearing, in a weird way."

As Raynare and Issei conversed, one of the men in the restaurant came up to their table. He was a large man, Nigerian in nationality, and wore a gold and green formal robe. He shook Issei's hand, and then started talking. He spoke with a thick accent in the deepest voice Raynare had ever heard.

"Issei, it's been too long. How have you been, my young friend?"

"I've been well, Abdalla. How about yourself?"

"If I was any better I could not stand it! If it pleases you and the lady, may I sit with you for a moment? I wish to converse with you."

Issei looked at Raynare, asking her a nonverbal question. She nodded quickly, not wanting to seem rude. It was kind of weird that he'd sit with them on a date, but she didn't want to be mean to one of Issei's friends. Issei gave him a thumbs up.

"I thank you." Abdalla pulled a chair from an empty table, and sat beside them.

"So, what's new? How are your kids?" Issei asked the man.

"Ah, they are fantastic. I could not ask for better children. Ah, but that's not what I wish to talk about. I do not want to intrude on your date, so let us keep things brief." Abdalla said, serious.

"Uh, alright. What is it?" Issei said. Abdalla put his hand on Issei's shoulder, like he was comforting an old friend.

"I wish to offer you my condolences on the death of your parents. They were my treasured friends and I have been very sad with them gone. I think I speak for everyone present when I say I am glad you are here. I would also like to say, I am very glad your step parents are gone." Abdalla spat the words, like he couldn't stand the taste of them in his mouth.

"Thank you, Abdalla. I'm glad to be back." Issei said, nodding his head to the man in thanks.

"Mm. Well, I will leave you to your date. I hope you will introduce her to us all soon."

"Count on it. Bye, Abdalla."

"Goodbye for now, Issei." Abdalla stood up, pat Issei on the back, and left the two of them.

"He was nice." Raynare said.

"Yeah, he's awesome. He was one of my dad's best friends." Issei said, solemn.

"So, if you had all these people, why did you have to live with those awful step parents? Couldn't someone here have taken you in?" Raynare asked. He seemed such good friends with the people here, couldn't someone have done something for him?

"I wish. No, my step parents secured rights to me before anyone here could've. If I'd had any blood relations to anyone here, it might happened, but almost everyone who frequents this place isn't native to Kuoh or even Japan. Abdalla's even from Nigeria." Issei explained.

"Still, it seems like someone here could've done something for you." Raynare said.

"Well, when I was about eleven, Abdalla tried to get custody of me, and there was a whole legal battle. My step parents were no pushovers, though, and they won. I guess after they disowned me, I could've taken up with someone here, but it hardly matters now." Issei said.

Raynare shook her head. There really hadn't been any way for Issei to get out of his step parent's clutches. A shame, really.

"Let's not worry about that, though. This is our first real date, so let's talk about something else." Issei said.

"Um, okay...tell me about yourself." Raynare said. She didn't know a whole lot about Issei, and wanted to learn more.

"There's not much to tell. I like reading, and learning, and playing guit- I mean, I like r-reading and learning. T-that's about it." Issei said, almost slipping up.

Raynare caught it. "What was that third thing, Issei? Did you just say you like playing guitar?" She said, a sly grin on her face.

He sighed. "Yes, I play a little guitar…"

"Why didn't you want to tell me? I'd love to see you play the guitar!" Raynare said excitedly.

"Because I'm not that good, and I was worried you would ask to see me play…" Issei said, looking down and rubbing his head.

"Don't let him lie to you, he's great!" "Yeah, that kid can play!" "He's awesome with a guitar!" Several voices yelled from across the restaurant. Issei looked up, embarrassed.

"You were all listening?! You guys need to mind your business!" Issei yelled, his face beet red. Raynare laughed.

"Someone get a guitar!" Another voice yelled, and several people including the staff started scrambling for a guitar. Issei sighed and put his hand in his hands.

"Oh man…now I've done it…" Issei said, sadly. He did not want to embarass himself in front of Raynare by messing up a song. She laughed.

"Issei, I'm sure you'll do great. I'm excited to see your...random performance." Raynare said. Issei sighed again. Pierre rushed up to Issei with a six-string acoustic guitar. Issei begrudgingly took the instrument, and fiddled with the tuning. He looked up to see the entire restaurant looking at him with gleeful expressions.

"Do I really have to do this?" Issei asked the crowd.

"YES!" They all yelled in response. He laughed nervously.

"I don't even know what to play…" He said, trailing off.

"Do the one about an angel!" Abdalla's voice rang out, far deeper than the rest of the voices. Issei blanched. 'Oh no. I wouldn't have taken this guitar if I knew I'd have to play that…' Issei thought.

"Uh...something else?" Issei said sheepishly. Raynare tilted her head, looking at him curiously.

"The one about an angel, Issei?" She asked.

"Play it, Issei!" "Play the angel song!" "Come on, don't be a scaredy-cat in front of your girl!" "Angel, Angel!" Even more people started yelling for Issei. He sighed for the final time, then took up the guitar. It was so quiet, you could've heard a pin drop. He licked his lips nervously and played a few notes, testing the guitar and it's tuning. Satisfied, he exhaled and started to play.

"I'm in love with an Angel...heaven forbid…"

Raynare gasped. She thought he'd just play something on the guitar, she hadn't expected him to sing too. And so well, at that. Not to mention, the song he was singing. He's in love with an angel? 'If only they knew…' Raynare thought. The patrons had no idea Issei was telling the truth as he sang.

"Made me a believer, with the touch of her skin…"

Raynare smiled. It was like he was singing the song for her, to her.

"I'd go to hell and back with you, stay lost in what we found..."

As Issei performed, Raynare found herself falling in love all over again. A couple verses later, she was ready to get married on the spot.

"I'm in love with an angel~ who's afraid of the light, her halo is broken~ but there's fight in her eyes..."

'Issei, this angel is in love with you too...don't you ever forget it.' Raynare thought to herself.

The song drew to a close, and Issei finished it off spectacularly. People started clapping, and the two guys that had given him a thumbs up earlier were hooting and hollering. Issei handed the guitar back to Pierre, who took it back where he'd gotten it, and waved to the crowd. Slowly, people stopped clapping and went back to their meals and drinks, everyone a little bit happier thanks to Issei. Issei sighed, and put his head in his hands.

"I was so nervous…" Issei said, looking back up at Raynare, who had a rather large smirk on her face.

"Issei, I love you too." She said.

"Wha-what? But, I didn't even say it…" Issei said, confused.

"Yes you did, you just sang a beautiful song about it." Raynare pointed out, a smile on her face.

Issei blushed. "O-oh. I guess I did, huh?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

A waiter with two trays came up to their table, finally bringing their food. In front of Issei, he sat a plate of escargot, a french dish made mostly of friend land snails. Yes, snails.

In front of Raynare, he put the biggest steak she'd ever seen. Her eyes widened and her mouth watered at the sight of it. They thanked the waiter, and he left.

Issei and Raynare started to eat, and the rest of the patrons left them alone.

"Will you go out with me?"

Matsuda's brow scrunched up in confusion. Some random blue haired girl in a different school's uniform had approached him out of nowhere and asked his name, then asked him out. Now, Matsuda wasn't intelligent, but he was smart enough to smell something fishy.

"Why should I?" Matsuda asked, wary. Something about the girl gave him a bad vibe, and the dog between his legs obviously didn't like her either. It was growling ferociously at her, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Well, I saw you, and you looked really cute, so I thought-"

"No, I'll pass. Go bother someone else." Matsuda said, shoving past the girl and continuing his walk. It was completely dark outside, and something about the night air felt wrong. Matsuda wanted to hurry home.

"Damn. Raynare was right, this is harder than it looks. Well, sorry kid." Matsuda turned around to see the girl transform. Right before his eyes, she turned more mature and taller, and her school uniform shifted into a very revealing red dress. Matsuda turned back around, and started to run. He knew something was off.

"You might've lived longer if you'd said yes." As he ran, he felt something hit him hard in the back. He staggered, and looked down to see a bright, glowing red spear jutting out of the center of his chest, just above his heart and between his shoulder blades. He coughed blood, and fell to his knees. The girl, who was obviously not just some girl at this point, sprouted two black feathered wings and took off into the air, not caring at all that she just murdered someone.

"You...bitch. All I wanted...was a normal life…" Matsuda said, falling foward on the ground. His face hit the concrete pavement, and his last thought was how sorry he was to leave the dog alone like he was. It reminded him of his father. But, instead of getting angry, Matsuda just felt numb. So numb, in fact, that he never noticed the flyer in his pocket glowing red.

Issei sat back in his chair and sighed. Raynare mimicked him, the both of them incredibly full from their meal.

"That was fantastic…" Raynare said slowly. She had the appetite of a supernatural creature, and despite both the size of the meal and her small-ish stature, she managed to eat the entire steak.

"I agree...but, I can't help but feel insulted that you like the taste of dragon so much. Should I be worried?" Issei joked, making Raynare laugh.

She put her finger to her chin, as if she was considering. "Hm...I'm not sure. I might like to eat you sometime." She said, putting a seductive edge into her voice. Issei coughed, not expecting her response, and began to blush furiously. "Now, if I remember right, I believe my boyfriend promised me he'd drink with me after our meal…? Is that right, Issei?" Raynare asked, twirling her glass of red wine in her hand.

Issei smiled nervously, and picked up his glass of red wine. "I did promise…" Issei said.

"Hey, everyone! Issei's drinking!" Someone yelled, and instantly all eyes were back on Issei. Issei sighed, and when Raynare took a sip, he knocked back the entire glass at once. Raynare's eyes went wide.

"I-Issei, when I said you should drink with me, I didn't mean all at once...you're supposed to savor wine…" Raynare said, shocked that he'd down an entire glass of wine in one go when he'd never even drank before.

"Really? Mom always said you should drink alcohol as fast as possible." Issei said, exhaling and putting his now-empty glass down. As soon as the glass touched the table, a yell went through the whole place. As soon as he entered, almost everyone in the restaurant had made bets on whether or not Issei would drink tonight, and now that he had, money was changing hands.

"Well, in other cases, yes, but not wine-" Raynare was cut off by an angry frenchman.

"Monsieur Hyoudou! If I see you drinking wine like that ever again, I will unleash upon you the fury of a thousand frenchmen!" Pierre said, yelling from across the floor and shaking his fist. As Pierre yelled, Issei started to blink rapidly and rub his eyes. He began to sway a little in his chair.

'No way...Is Issei drunk?' Raynare thought. The wine was some strong stuff, sure, but to be drunk off one glass?

"Right...my bad...Raynare, did you put somethin in my drink? I feel funny." Issei said, looking at his hands. [Dragons are extremely susceptible to alcohol, Issei. You should've shown a little restraint.] The stern voice of Ddraig spoke into his mind. 'Haha, oops.' Issei thought, laughing a little.

"No, but I think you'd better hand me that other glass…" Raynare said, reaching for Issei's white wine only to be stopped by her slightly drunk boyfriend.

"Nono, no, no. I gotta drink it all, like I promished." Raynare smirked at Issei's words.

"Alright, let's see it then, big shot. Down the other glass too." Raynare challenged him.

Issei grinned widely, excited by the prospect of a challenge. His normal timid persona was long gone, and he picked up the second glass without hesitation. "Fine then. Watsh this!" Issei drank the entire glass once again, albeit far slower this time. After he finished, he took the glass away from his mouth with an 'ahh' sound, and put it back on the table. Raynare gave a slow clap.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd really do it. How do you feel?" Raynare asked. Issei frowned, and narrowed his eyes.

"Fuzzy." He said after a few moments.

Raynare laughed out loud, and it sounded like heaven, even to the drunk Issei. He grinned widely, and followed her laugh with one of his own, though his had far more hiccups in it.

"Okay, Issei. Let's get you home before you cause permanent damage."

"No, no! I'm feelin another song!" Issei said, throwing his arms out. The patrons of the restaurant all yelled in unison. They were beyond excited to see how drunk Issei would unfold.

Pierre brought Issei the guitar back. Issei loudly twanged it. The restaurant- well, at this point, it was more of a fancy bar- the bar patrons all clapped, and yelled for Issei to play something good. He was more than happy to oblige.

Raynare laughed. It'd been a while since she'd partied, and she was a-ok with her date turning into a drunken party. Even if it would take several bottles of wine for her to get slightly buzzed, she was more than happy just to have fun with Issei.

And Issei was about to have some fun, too. He started to play the guitar, and his skills weren't nullified by the alcohol at all. Now, when he started to sing, that was another story.

"Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall…!"

Issei cracked his eyes, and immediately regret the decision. Even the slightest light burned, and his head started to pound. He groaned, and felt stirring beside him. His head swam.

"Raynare, is that you?" He asked, refusing to try opening his eyes again.

She giggled. "Yes, it's me. I guess you're a little hungover, huh? You went a tad bit crazy yesterday." She said, a happy tone in her voice.

"Ugh...I'm sorry for ruining our date…" Issei said, clutching his head.

"Ruin? Issei, that was the most fun I've had in years! You sure know how to show a girl a good time." She said, rubbing his back. She had thouroughly enjoyed drunk-Issei's antics, and she had especially enjoyed something he'd said when she'd tried to kiss him after they got home.

"No, no! I can't kish you, I've got a girlfriend!" Issei'd said. She'd become understandably irate, and asked him who she was.

"Her name is Raynare, and she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen...she'd get real sad if I kissed someone else, so I'm not gonna." She'd felt her heart pound at his words, and wanted to throw herself at him.

Even now, when he sat in bed nursing what was without a doubt the worst headache of his life, he made her heart flutter.

"That's good, then. Honestly, I can't remember anything past the first glass of wine." Issei said. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was sure if he tried to open them, he'd die.

"Well, all you need to know was that it was amazing. I'm very glad you decided to show me that place."

Issei sighed. "It's only natural I would, those guys are basically the only family I've got left, other than you of course." Issei said. He tried cracking his eyes again, only to recoil in pain. Raynare laughed at his discomfort.

"Here darling, let me help you with that." Raynare said. She put her hand on the back of his head, and a spell activated. Suddenly, Issei's hangover was gone and he felt top-notch, if a little tired.

He opened his eyes, and rubbed his face. "Wow, thanks! I feel a million times bett- why are you naked?!" Issei said, immediately shutting his eyes again. He'd looked to his angel to thank her, and realized she was entirely naked. She decided to mess with him.

"Why am I naked? Issei, do you not remember taking my first time?" She asked quietly, faking a blush.

Issei got a stern look on his face. "I didn't really do anything to you while I was drunk, did I? I wouldn't." Issei said, sounding like he abhorred the thought of it.

Raynare was a little confused. "Well, no, you didn't, but...would it really be that bad? You sound like the idea makes you sick."

"It does. If I'm going to...s-sleep with you, I want to do it right, y'know? Not drunk." Issei said, blushing a little and looking away. Raynare smiled and launched herself at him, hugging him and cooing about how he was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. He tried to shake her off, citing the need for them to 'get ready for school.' She didn't listen.

They weren't out of bed for another solid twenty minutes, despite Issei's protests.

Alright, I'm gonna answer some questions I'm sure I'll be getting, as well as some I probably won't get.

Q: Does Belial know anything about wine or fine dining? A: No! I've been to several fancy restaurants, but none like I described Shangri-La as. As for the wine, I googled 'most expensive red & white wines' and copied a couple of the results. Those are real wines, though I personally have no idea whether or not they're good. Oh well. Who cares, right?

Q: Why does this story have so many OC's? A: Well, since I'm not putting Issei in the center of the canon cast, I've got to use other characters to advance the plot. I've tried to keep the number semi limited by giving characters two different roles in the story (ex. Yoshikage being both a cop and a limo driver) but I'm definitely going to try and cut down on how many I use.

Q: Why does this chapter have so much Matsuda in it? A: Someone's gotta advance the plot, right? The Fallen Angel arc is still going on, so I need someone to take Issei's place. Who better than Matsuda? If you think that's bad, I actually originally planned for Matsuda to be the White Dragon Emperor. Be glad I didn't, he'd have been in the story quite a bit more if I had.

Q: Why did Belial feel the need to put that bit of singing in the story? A: I thought it was cute. Sue me.

Okay, here's the big one.

Q: If Issei had so many friends/allies at Shangri-La, why was he so alone/depressed? A: I kind of wrote myself into a hole with this one. Since I don't have any excuse to squeeze an explanation into the story, I'll explain here. Issei hasn't been able to go to Shangri-La since his parents died. As you may have noticed from Abdalla's words, this was the first time anyone there had seen him in a while. They were like a second family to him, but while he was underneath the thumb of his step-parents, he couldn't even so much as visit them. Abdalla did try to win custody of him, but a wealthy foreigner with no real connection to him would have a very hard time getting custody when he had a pre-existing family, even more so with his step-parent's resources. So, Issei was stuck. Hope that explains it.

Well, that's all. Leave a review if you liked it, send a pm if you didn't, all that good stuff. Till next time!