AN: Guess what? I'm alive and I'm back. To those of you who have been waiting for DRE, I apologize for the delay. I was caught up with some personal issues and I lost my motivation to do pretty much anything. To my fans who have been following me since I started the original series, thank you for sticking with me for so long. Your support truly means a lot to me, and to any newcomers, thank you for taking the time to read these stories.

-xXx-

A dream. I'm lost in an endless dream; watching memories rewind in double time in front of me like an old VCR. My memories? I don't know. It's all so fleeting. Each time I try to grasp out at one of them it disappears into the aether.

Who am I?

I don't know.

I don't know anything.

My mind is a jumbled mess of meaningless pictures. Faces with no name, and voices with no sound permeate my consciousness.

No. Not quite. At the forefront of it all stands a single name.

Asia.

For some reason just the sound of her name draws out a feeling of wanting to protect her from within the deepest reaches my heart.

She's important to me.

I can't say why, though.

Slipping away. I'm slipping away.

Who am I?

Who is she?

I don't know.

Why don't I know?

Who… am I?

-xXx-

I crack open an eye before immediately hissing and shielding it from the sun streaming through my window and onto my face.

That's strange. I never really disliked the sun before so why did I react like that? In fact, it almost kind of hurts in a way.

Groaning, I roll onto my side and fumble blindly with my alarm clock as it continues to spout out classic yandere lines. After successfully managing to turn it off, I try to sit up only to find that something's restraining me.

Actually, why am I naked? I always wear pyjamas when I go to sleep.

Wait. Now that I think about it, what did I even do yesterday?

Why can't I remember?

A sharp pain stabs through my head as I try to recall yesterday's events.

Did I get into some kind of accident? Then why am I in my own room instead of the hospital?

Looking to my side, I notice a small tuft of red hair poking out from underneath my sheets accompanied by a pair of milky white arms snaking out and holding onto me.

Don't tell me… That shade of crimson can only belong to one person.

Why am I naked in bed with one of the idols of our school?!

"Mmrf…"

She lets out a soft moan before I suddenly find myself being pulled into her body. My heartbeat quickens and blood rushes to my face as I feel two mounds of soft flesh press into my modest chest. Every time I breathe in, I smell the faint scent of peaches drifting from her hair. That's the same kind of shampoo I use.

Why is this happening?!

No. Panicking won't do me any good. I could have passed out yesterday and Gremory-senpai decided to take me home to nurse me, and the reason she's naked is probably because that's how she usually sleeps. Yes. That has to be the reason. She is a foreign girl so her method of doing things is probably different from Japanese conventions.

Maybe I should try waking her up.

"Um… Excuse me, Gremory-senpai?" I whisper.

The girl stirs, mumbling something incoherent, and pulls my face into her chest.

So soft… They're like fluffy marshmallows…

Wait, no! That doesn't matter right now!

"Gremory-senpai," I repeat slightly louder.

Still no good.

"Gremory-senpai, wake up!"

"Mm… What..?"

Finally!

The redhead blinks rapidly and rubs her eyes before her gaze falls on me, still stuck between her cleavage.

"Hyoudou-san?" She mumbles wearily.

"Gremory-senpai, can you let me go? It's getting hard to breathe," I say into her abundant chest.

"Oh, my apologies!"

As she lets me go, a complicated mixture of disappointment and relief washes over me.

"Um, thank you, senpai…"

Great. This is awkward. What should I say now?

Luckily, it was Gremory-senpai that broke the silence for me.

"How are you feeling, Hyoudou-san? Do you have any aches or pains anywhere?" She asks with a kind smile.

So I did get into some kind of accident yesterday?

I perform a quick check of my body, but find nothing that seems out of place. In fact, I feel strangely vigorous.

Shaking my head, I answer, "No. I don't think so. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to me yesterday? I don't quite remember…"

Gremory-senpai's eyes widened in surprise at that.

"You don't remember a thing?" She asks.

"No. Sorry."

"I see…" Senpai appears to think for a moment before returning her attention back to me. "Well, in that case I will explain later after classes today. Do you mind coming to my clubroom?"

"Ah, no. I don't mind, I guess, but why not now?"

"Because we will be late for school."

Eh?

"Aaaaaaahhhh! We're gonna be late!"

I didn't think that so much time had passed!

Leaping out of bed, I dash over to my dresser and hastily pull out a plain pair of white panties and a sports bra. Meanwhile, Gremory-senpai had discarded my blanket and was now stretching with her arms above her head, giving me an eyeful of her curvaceous body. My eyes unconsciously drift towards her naked form no matter how hard I try to tear my gaze away and I find myself staring at her.

I snap out of my trance after I hear my mother's voice call out from outside my room. "Saya-chan, are you up?"

Oh crap!

"I-I'm fine, mama!" I call back to her. "Don't worry! I'll be out soon, so don't come in!"

"Is everything okay? Why can't I come in?"

Why couldn't she have just left it at that?!

"Um… Because… I-I'm still putting my clothes on!"

"Oh come now. I'm your mother. I've seen you without clothes plenty of times. I'm coming in."

No no no no no no no no!

Leaving my bra half on and with my panties hanging off on leg, I stumble towards the door in a desperate attempt to close it, but I'm too late. It's already opening.

Ah… It's over.

I meet my dear mother's eyes as her gaze shifts from me to Gremory-senpai still sitting on my bed completely naked.

"Hello, mother," Gremory-senpai says with a pleasant smile. "I am Rias Gremory. It is a pleasure to meet you."

My mother doesn't respond for a few moments. Instead, she simply nods stiffly before leaving my room and shutting the door behind her.

Dear mother. Please forgive me for causing this misunderstanding. I just hope you haven't forsaken your daughter before I get a chance to explain to you.

-xXx-

"Haaaaaahhh…" I heave a sigh as I let my face hit my desk with a loud thud.

Hello desk. You'll always be there to comfort me with your cool, smooth surface.

"Woah. That was a mighty fine sigh there, Sayachi," I hear Kiryuu say from beside me. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, but things will be really awkward back at home now…" I mumble.

"Oh? Does this have anything to do with Gremory-senpai walking to school with you today?"

Ugh… Just remembering what happened this morning is making me embarrassed. Needless to say, after my dear mother witnessed the sight of Gremory-senpai naked in bed things were awkward around the breakfast table. Luckily, Gremory-senpai was able to diffuse the situation with her natural charisma and some quick thinking excuses.

And now the school is chock full of rumours surrounding my relationship with the crimson haired beauty.

Groaning, I try to bury my face further into my desk, albeit unsuccessfully.

"Come on! Tell me the deets, Sayachi! I'm your best friend aren't I?" Kiryuu urges.

"Well nothing really happened. I asked Gremory-senpai for some private tutoring and we ended up sleeping in the same bed, but that's about it."

Yeah. That was what she said to my mom to defuse the situation.

"Eeeehh? That's really it? There's gotta be more, right?"

Should I tell her the rest? If I properly explain things here then hopefully Kiryuu can get the word out.

"My mom walked in on us this morning and got the wrong idea…"

"Haha! What's with that? What? Were you two naked or something?"

I felt my face turn red at Kiryuu's guess, and nod.

"Wait, seriously?"

I nod again.

"Woah… Yeah. I probably would've gotten the wrong idea, too. You sure you didn't, you know, do it?"

"Unless she drugged me then took advantage of me, then I'm pretty sure we didn't"

"Hm, nah. I can't really imagine Gremory-senpai being the type of person who would do that."

"Right, right?"

Though that still doesn't alleviate any of the embarrassment I felt this morning.

"Oh! Hey, Sayachi, check it! The Prince is here!"

The Prince? That'd be Kiba-san.

Turning my head, I see the tomboyish girl standing at the doorway looking around the classroom for something, or somebody, as girls faun over her and guys stare her down with envy.

Our eyes meet and her smile widens before she begins elegantly stepping through the crowd of fangirls towards me.

Oh no. I hope she doesn't hate me for running away from her that one time. I mean… How else am I supposed to react when she suddenly just pins me on the wall and tries to kiss me? In hindsight, I probably should've just said no. Why didn't I just do that?

"Eh? What? Hey, Sayachi, she's coming over here!" Kiryuu whisper shouts into my ear.

"Hyoudou-san, it's nice to see you again," the Prince greets. "I have been tasked with escorting you to the clubroom by Gremory-senpai."

So when she said she'd send someone to pick me up, she meant Kiba Yumi? Couldn't she have picked someone less conspicuous? Not to mention this is going to be awkward as heck.

"Alright. Let's go," I say as nonchalantly as possible while getting out of my seat and slinging my bag over my shoulder.

I, along with a massive throng of fans, follow Kiba-san as she exits the classroom and leads the way out of the main building to the old school building. Strangely enough as we got closer to the old wooden building, less and less of the Prince's fan club followed us until it was only the two of us left. Entering the building, I felt a sense of déjà vu as I continue to trail along behind Kiba-san as we walk through the fairly well maintained building until we finally reach a set of heavy, oak double doors.

"Buchou," Kiba-san announces with a knock. "I have brought Hyoudou-san."

A muffled answer comes from within the clubroom, and Kiba-san opens the door before stepping aside, motioning for me to step inside.

Well here goes nothing.

I walk past the Prince and into the Victorian-themed room.

There's that feeling déjà vu again. I don't think I've ever been here and yet I feel like I've seen it before.

"Hyoudou-san," Gremory-senpai greets from behind a table sitting at the end of the room. "I'm glad that you could come here. Please, take a seat anywhere you'd like."

Let's see… The small white-haired girl sitting on one of the velvet couches eating sweets is Toujou Koneko, the school mascot, and the girl with black hair tied into a ponytail with an orange ribbon is Himejima Akeno. Then who's the foreign girl with blonde hair?

She catches my gaze, smiles and waves shyly at me

Do I know her?

Yes. I do.

But from where?

Ugh!

A sharp pain coursed through my head as I make my way over and sit down next to the blonde girl.

"Alright. Let's start with this; Hyoudou-san, can you tell me what is the last thing you remember?" Gremory-senpai asks as she leans forward on her desk.

The last thing I remember…

"Um… I think I headed back home yesterday right after class ended, but stopped by a grocery store to stock up on some things…" I mumble as I try to piece together yesterday's events. "Sorry. That's about it."

"Hm, I see."

Silence falls over the clubroom, save for the constant crunch of Toujou-san munching on her cookies.

"Gremory-senpai?"

Hearing my voice, the redhead perks up. "Ah, forgive me, Hyoudou-san. I was simply lost in thought for a moment. You're sure you don't remember anything else?"

I shake my head. "Nothing."

A strange mixture of disappointment and relief appears on Gremory-senpai's face for a split second before it's replaced by a good natured smile.

"Thank you, Hyoudou-san. Now, allow me to explain what happened to you yesterday," Gremory-senpai says. "To put it succinctly, you died yesterday."

I… Died?

"Ahahaha! S-Sorry, sorry," I somehow manage to choke out through my laughing fit. "I know you guys are the Occult Research Club, but that's going a little too far isn't it? Lemme guess, I died in some kind of accident and you guys revived me as some kind of demon through some black magic ritual, and now I have to do your bidding, right?"

Gremory-senpai gives an amused smile and nods. "You're not too far off with that guess."

Seriously?

The crimson-haired girl gets out of her seat and walks around the table so I can see her entire body before suddenly a pair of bat-like wings sprout out from her lower back. At the same time, the others all in the room also had the same wings pop out of nowhere.

"The truth is, Hyoudou-san, is that we are all Devils and you have become one as well," she states as she spreads her arms. "Welcome to the Occult Research Club."

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my lower back accompanied by the sound of a pair of wings unfurling.

This isn't real.

This can't be real.

That's right. I must be dreaming. This entire day has been strange.

None of this is real. In a couple of moments, I'll wake up in my bed in my room.

"Um… Saya-san?"

I crack open an eye and see the blonde girl standing in front of me, nervously shifting around in front of me.

"I heard from Buchou-san," she says timidly. "Um, you may not remember, but you saved me yesterday."

Saved her? What does she mean by that?

Again! Another headache.

Did I really end up getting killed yesterday?

Every time I try to remember something, my head feels like it's being split open.

Is my memory all scrambled because I died?

[Girl. The blonde girl is telling you the truth.]

A voice?! There's a voice inside my head?! Furthermore it sounds like an old man!

[I'm just going to ignore that old man part. More importantly, try holding out your left arm. Imagine that you're wearing a gauntlet.]

Great. I get told I'm dead by a bunch of Devils who just so happen to be the most popular people in my school and now there's some random voice in my head telling me what to do.

Am I going crazy?

The voice in my head sighs.

[Just do it.]

Despite all my misgivings about the current situation, I end up raising my left arm in front of me and visualize a scaled red gauntlet, reminiscent of a dragon's claw.

Huh. Strange. No idea why that came to mind.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light envelops the room and the same red gauntlet I envisioned encases my left arm. I hold it above me to inspect it; turning it back and forth underneath the light.

[Good. Now just play along and listen to the Gremory. She won't tell you the whole story, so I'll fill you in later when we're alone. Another thing, keep it a secret that you can communicate with me.]

Before I could think up of a reply to the man's orders, the gauntlet disappears without a trace from my arm.

"That was your Sacred Gear," Gremory-senpai comments in surprise. "It's a divine tool created and gifted to humans. From the looks of things you possess the Boosted Gear which is a Longinus class Sacred Gear."

Ugh. What's with all of these terms?

Seemingly noticing the confused expression I have, Gremory-senpai rests a hand on my shoulder.

"My apologies. This must be a lot of information to take in right now. Why don't you go home and rest for today?" She suggests.

"Right. sounds like a good idea," I mumble while shaking my head. I still can't believe that any of this is happening.

My feet entangle themselves with a mind of their own as I stumble out of the room trying to ignore the splitting headache invading my skull.

[Good. Glad you got out of there. Couldn't stand that redhead's attitude anymore.]

I nearly leap out of my skin after hearing the old man's voice inside of my head again just as I step past the school gates.

[Haha! Sorry about that, kid. Anyways I guess I should explain what's going on here, huh.]

An explanation would be helpful. Yes. That would be very much appreciated thank you very much.

[Well, you died and got brought back to life by the redhead.]

And..? You just summarized what Gremory-senpai already told me.

[I know. I'm getting to that. Yeesh. Youngsters these days have no patience. Getting back on track, you got killed by Fallen Angels trying to protect that blonde girl.]

Alright… So Devils and Fallen Angels?

[Yes. Angels also exist, of course, but that's not important right now. What is important is that redhead is keeping quite a few secrets from you.]

Secrets? I did get that feeling from her during the meeting.

[Your memory loss from getting killed isn't something she expected, but she's more than happy to take advantage of that. I only woke up yesterday so I'm not too sure about a lot of the details, but I can tell you that she's had her eye on you for quite a while now after looking into your memories.]

Wait. You can see my memories? Can't you do something about that then?

[Sorry kid, but I think you're better off not remembering those things for a while. This'll give you a chance to live your life properly, or at the very least as close to it as possible while being a Devil.]

Live my life properly? What's that supposed to mean? Why are you keeping secrets from me too?!

[Sorry, but it's for your own good.]

You said you'd tell me everything!

No reply comes from the man as I walk the rest of the way home in silence mulling over all the information that was presented to me.

That night, I lay in bed tossing and turning trying to make sense of anything. Eventually I did fall asleep only to be plagued by nightmares I couldn't remember the contents of after the sun had risen.

-xXx-

"I know this may seem sudden, but we'll be assigning you a job starting today."

A few days had passed since I learned that I had been reincarnated as a Devil. The mysterious voice in my head didn't appear again so I couldn't ask any more questions, but I had more than enough work coming from Gremory-senpai. Not like it matters much anyway. I had spent the last couple of nights cramming so much information about the magical underworld, with a little bit of the overworld included, that I doubt I would've been able to ask the voice about anything that wasn't covered in the textbooks I received.

To summarize everything up, the magical world is comprised of mainly three factions: The Angels whom rule from Heaven and respond to God's will, the Fallen Angels whom are Angels that have sinned and have fallen out of God's favour, and the Devils whom reside in the Underworld that follow a sort of caste nobility system. A long time ago the three faction warred against each other until ultimately they came to a stalemate or else they'd risk mutual extinction of all their races. At that point a ceasefire was called and an era of shaky peace came to be. The Devil's adopted a system called Peerages where the noble families would resurrect members of the other races and turn them into Devils in order to bolster their numbers. This also served as a way for the nobles to assert their power over each other in bids called Rating Games where Peerages would be pit against each other.

To delve deeper into the Peerage system, it's based loosely on chess where the members of a Peerage are linked to chess pieces. Each piece has their advantages and disadvantages. The King is the head of the Peerage, in other words the Devil that reincarnates others. The Pawn is the weakest piece boasting a small boost in ability to those who are given it. However, Pawns are the most abundant piece and they can Promote their strength to a portion of a different piece's when fighting inside what is considered enemy territory. Next are Knights who boast tremendous speed, there are Rooks who receive a huge boost to their physical strength, and Bishops that get an increase in their magic abilities. Finally there's the Queen that receives all the gifts of the previous three classes. Apparently Gremory-senpai resurrected me as a Pawn with all eight of her pieces. The number of pieces one uses when resurrecting someone supposedly coincides with how strong the King and the target is. Meanwhile, as the what pieces the other members of the Occult Research club are, Himejima-senpai is the Queen, Kiba-san is a Knight, Toujou-san is a Rook, and Asia-chan is a Bishop. Gremory-senpai also mentioned having another Bishop but he's a shut-in that refuses to come out of his room.

To be honest, I'm surprised I remembered all of that in such a short time. Maybe the threat of a punishment if I didn't pass the quiz Gremory-senpai gave me was all the motivation I needed to get through it.

In any case, today I had gone to the club room immediately after classes as per Gremory-senpai's orders when I was greeted by a messenger bag filled to the brim with papers being shoved into my face.

"This is a bit sudden, but I think you two are ready for you first job now. You are to distribute these flyers throughout town with Asia's help."

Asia; the demure blonde girl that transferred into my class as well as the girl I supposedly saved. For the last couple of days she had been following me around like a lost puppy. Don't get me wrong. It was cute and all with those big doe-like eyes of hers, but I had no idea how to react to her. Needless to say, all sorts of rumours began spreading throughout the class and as a result the whole school as to my relationship with her.

The aforementioned girl nodded eagerly with determination at Gremory-senpai's order.

Ugh. Delivering flyers all around the city, huh. Kuoh isn't actually that large but it still sounds like a huge pain.

Speaking of huge pains, my induction into the Occult Research club, headed by the two most famous girls in our school, didn't go unnoticed either. Surprisingly enough the joint journalism alliance comprised of the Photography club, the News club, and the Broadcasting club didn't seem to pursue the issue as fervently as I expected.

"U-Uhm, let's do our best together, Saya-san!" Asia exclaims while pumping her fists in front of her.

Kuu..!

She's just too cute! That earnesty and pure-hearted innocence is almost too much for my heart to handle.

Clearing my throat, I take the bag and sling it over my shoulder.

"Alright, got it Buchou."

Gremory-senpai nodded absentmindedly at my response before turning to stare out the window, her brows furrowing slightly in displeasure.

Is there something out there?

Before I could question her about it, she quickly returns her gaze and smiles.

"Right. I'll be counting on you two."

That was strange… She doesn't normally space out like that does she? I've only been here for a few days but even I can tell she has something weighing on her mind.

Well it's probably a personal problem that an outsider like me shouldn't meddle in. She has the other members of the club to confide in, after all.

Leaving the club room, Asia and I head towards our home to retrieve a bicycle.

Right. She's started living together with me as well. It was a pretty big shock when she showed up at the front door with Gremory-senpai after school. After coming up with some excuses about Asia being a distant cousin of hers and how the Gremory household was undergoing some renovations at the moment, my parents were more than happy to welcome Asia into the house. I can't say it hasn't been nice, though. I'm an only child so having Asia around is like having a little sister even though we're around the same age.

"So, Asia, how are you finding school so far?" I ask, trying to start a conversation.

"Ah! It's really fun! Everyone's been really nice to me," she answers excitedly before her voice trails off almost to a whisper. "A-And um… I get to be with you, Saya-san…"

The slender arms wrapped around my waist tighten their grip as I feel Asia press herself into my back.

We continued like that chatting about the things Asia's learned and the friends she made, delivering the rest of the flyers by the time the sun went down before returning home.

"We're back!" I announce as I step into the house and take off my shoes.

My mother pokes her head out from the dining room, ladle in hand, with her favourite apron on.

"Welcome back, you two! Dinner's almost already so go ahead and get comfortable."

Asia giggles excitedly before turning to face me. "Okaa-san's food is always so good. It's much better than what I had back at the church."

Grinning, I pat her head. "Right? Her curry is to die for."

Taking off our shoes, we make our way into the dining room, following the delicious scent of freshly cooked fish and steamed rice.

I'm still troubled over my memory loss, but seeing Asia's pure, angel-like smile lifts the burden on my heart a little.

-xXx-

Letting out a small sigh, I shut the door to my room behind my back after bidding Asia good night.

Not bothering to put on pyjamas, I flop face first into my bed.

So I'm a Devil… Even now that I've had a few nights to sleep on it, I still can hardly believe it. Everything about the supernatural world that's right beneath our noses that Buchou has taught me… It just seems so unreal.

That and I wish everyone would stop being so secretive with me. Even when I try to ask Asia about what happened, she'd just shake her head and say she didn't remember much. I can tell she's telling the truth, though.

With my mind racing, I collapse face first onto my bed and slowly drift away to sleep.

"This is for the best."

Who's there?

I crack open my eyes to find myself suddenly standing in a vast, open field.

Is this a dream?

No. This feels too real to be a dream. I can feel everything from the breeze against my skin to the grass under my feet. Hell there's even a floral scent drifting across the field.

"There's no need to remember."

The voice seems to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"This is a chance for us to leave our past."

From nowhere, a reflection of myself materializes in front of me accompanied by a dog with light brown fur with a white cloth tied around its neck.

"Live. Find happiness. Do what I couldn't do. When the time comes, you will remember."

What? What do you mean?! Who are you?!

"I am you. We are one. I am the one that shut away your memories."

My memories? Just how much did I forget?!

"You'll find out eventually, and when that time comes, you will have to make a decision."

A dark vignette encloses around my vision as cracks begin spreading all across this false world.

"I'll be waiting."

My other self sends me a strained smile, split in half by the fissures that had all but surrounded us.

Everything shatters.

I fall.

Shards of glass drift down past me into the endless abyss.

Shards of memories.

Just as I felt as if I had gained something, I had lost something irreplaceable.

Ah… When will this dream of mine end?

-xXx-

-Stat Sheet-

Master: Rias

Evil Piece: Pawn x8

Name: Saya Hyoudou

Titles: The Dimensional Ruler

Sex: Female

Race: Reincarnated Devil

Height: 5'5" (167cm)

Alignment: Neutral Good

Parameters:

Strength: D++

Endurance: C+

Agility: C++

Magic: E-

Luck: A

Weapons: Varied

Skills:

Battle Continuation: A - Makes it possible to fight even with deadly wounds and stay alive unless a fatal blow is received.

Charisma: C- - Slightly boosts the morale and abilities of nearby allies.

Disengage: B - The ability to safely break away from combat.

Eye of the Mind (False): C – A natural talent to foresee danger via an innate sixth sense.

Pioneer of the Stars: EX - A unique skill given to heroes who became turning points in history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" are turned into "events that can be realized".

Abilities:

Boosted Gear: EX - A Sacred Gear that holds the ancient dragon Ddraig. It has the ability to double the user's strength every ten seconds as long as the user's body can handle the strain.

Relationship Progress:

Rias Gremory: Rank 1

Akeno Himejima: Rank 1

Yumi Kiba: Rank 1

Koneko Toujou: Rank 1

Asia Argento: Rank 3