Okay guys, just like I said last chapter, this chapter is probably gonna be longer than usual. It'll have a couple time skips contained within it and there will be more than one event that takes place.
Wonder how long this chapter will end up being.
-SCENE-
"Yellowfin Tuna! 53,000 Yen!"
A man was heard announcing prices on a certain item.
Sniff-sniff!
The little brown haired girl sniffled some mucus in the cold air.
"Maki, blow your nose. Here."
Prrrrr!
Maki blew her nose in the napkin given to her by her mother.
The Aikawa family was currently outside, in a large, loud, cold place. A fish market. But not just any fish market. The biggest and most famous fish in all of Japan, or maybe even the world. The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
"Haa! Haa!"
Issei huffed some hot air into his cold palms and rubbed them together. It might have been a mistake to not bring his gloves out with him today.
—It has been a few months since the incident involving the Fallen Angel, "Bal", in the forest. Issei has just turned 11, not too long ago. The Aikawa family was in Tokyo, on vacation for the summer. Ironically enough, today was actually a cold and cloudy day. Satoshi had suggested they visited the famous Tsukiji market as one of their stops. Satoshi enjoyed the art of fishing quite a bit. Growing up, his father had always taken him fishing. At those times, Issei's own father would also accompany them and developed a liking for fishing himself.
For that reason, Issei also wanted to visit the market. And with two against one, since Maki just wanted to be with Issei, Akane had no choice but to agree.
"Uwaaaaaah~ Look, Tou-chan! A big tuna!"
Maki was in amazement at the huge tuna laid out before them in lines. Issei only cracked his neck in a vacant manner.
It was a bit of a chilly morning. Oddly enough, Issei didn't feel very cold, outside of his hands. In fact, it feels like he doesn't feel very cold at all, very often. A couple months ago, Issei visited the doctors because they believed he had a fever. For some reason, his temperature was higher than normal. But when they visited the doctors, he was told that he didn't have any known ailments affecting his health in any way. He had no symptoms of a fever and only had a bit of a heightened temperature.
According to Ddraig, it is most likely an effect of the Boosted Gear. As Issei becomes stronger, the Boosted Gear starts to take an odd effect on him in certain ways. He's been growing a lot lately. He's already over 150 cm tall at only age 11. He was certainly going to end up being tall. It's almost like the power of the Gear somehow changes him physically. A physiological reaction to the constant exposure of power. Almost as if his body deemed it was "necessary"...
..What would end up happening to him?
[Partner.]
'Hm? What's up, Ddraig?'
[I feel something.]
Issei's nerves suddenly tensed. He darted his eyes around suspiciously. Not only that, but there was some hostility in his gaze.
'Where?'
[Calm down. This is a public area. It's densely populated. There are many walking around here. Nothing dangerous should take place, if whatever is around isn't reckless or insane.]
'That's not something I can rely on Ddraig.'
[Enough. Stay calm. When I told you I felt something, that was all I meant. It doesn't necessarily mean I feel "evil intent" or a dangerous existence. In fact, it is more of a "lack" of feeling than anything.]
'Lack of feeling?'
[Look behind you.]
Following Ddraig's suggestion, Issei peered over his shoulder. His eyes scanned the area around. All he saw were many booths with different types of seafood. Nothing suspicious.
'I don't—'
[—Wait, there.]
Issei stopped. His gaze was set on a bench between two booths. On there, sat a man in a yukata, eating some squid on a stick.
'..Him?'
[I believe so. You can feel the presences of the many people around you, correct?]
'Ah… Hold on…. Yeah I can. It's hard to pinpoint specific people because of how many there are, but I can. Why?'
[Try focusing on that man on the bench.]
'Alright…'
Issei closed his eyes and focused his mind on feeling the man's presence.
'That's weird. I can't really feel him..? It's almost like he isn't there…'
[A similar trick to the Devil's "elimination of presence", no?]
Issei's eyes snapped open.
—The man was smiling and waving at him.
(—?!)
'He noticed me!'
The man lifted his arm. He made a gesture towards Issei with his hand.
(Come closer)
'..?! He wants me to get closer!? Ddraig, what should I do?..'
[I do not know, partner. But there should be no serious threat to your safety in this place. If there is… At the very least, if you separate yourself from your family, you will die alone.]
Issei glanced to his family who were casually observing the fish.
'...Alright…. That's good enough...'
Issei minimized his presence and snuck away from his family. Hopefully they wouldn't notice. He walked towards the man on the bench and sat down beside him without looking at him. He felt a high tension in his nerves, despite not knowing what or who he was. Nor even how strong he was. He could most literally feel nothing from him. As if he wasn't really there...
"Ikayaki are good, huh? Japan really is the best. I should come here more often."
The man spoke casually, like any normal man. Issei took a glance at him. He was a tall, handsome, middle aged looking man with black hair and blond streaks. He was wearing a grey yukata despite the fact that it was cold out.
The man spoke to Issei as he took bites out of his grilled Ikayaki.
"Ah, here. You want one?"
The man pulled something out of his pocket. A lollipop. Issei raised a brow incredulously at it.
"Hm?... Aaaah. You probably don't want that, now that I think about it, do you? From looking at you, you seem to be in your 'preteen' ages. I guess you don't really care about lollipops anymore, huh. Plus, you're also "that" so I don't think you're interested."
The man put the lollipop back into the pocket of his yukata. He seemingly had absolutely no hostile or evil intent whatsoever...
'Ddraig. What the hell is this guy?..'
[I do not know, partner. I cannot feel what he is, despite being so close. Yet somehow, he seems familiar. This worries me.]
'Talk to me, Ddraig..'
[If he is "familiar" to me, then that means he is someone I recognize from when I was alive. If he is from that time, then that means he is powerful. If he is someone who is not human, but neither of us can sense him, then he is powerful nonetheless. Disguising one's true nature is almost impossible for most beings. Even if you become immensely powerful, it is extremely difficult to hide what you really are from experienced fighters. If he is able to disguise his true nature from both of us, then he is obscenely powerful.]
(—?!)
Issei felt a thick was of saliva being swallowed down his throat.
'Ddraig…. How powerful do you mean exactly?...'
[It is difficult to make an estimate when I don't know his full power, but somehow, your own instincts tell me that he has the capability to level many towns in this country.]
Issei felt an immeasurable weight plant him to the bench. It felt like the world went blue while his skin went pale as snow. It was a familiar feeling. Familiar to that of "that day". The day he saw, and felt, those "ominous figures", high up in the sky. Those 4 figures...
—This man was on their level.
"Ah, you've gone pale. Are you alright? Nothing's going to happen to you, you know?"
Issei snapped out of his terror and felt profuse sweat rolling down his forehead. He glanced up at the man, briefly.
—The man had a casual expression of curiosity as he looked down at Issei. His expression didn't have any negative implications at all. Somehow, it nearly eased Issei a bit. Similar to the situation with Bal. In fact...
'Ddraig... This guy kinda smells like "Bal"…. I think?'
[!.. Is that so! In that case, that would possibly make him a Cadre-Class Fallen Angel..]
[—?!]
Issei felt another chill. A "Cadre-Class" being. A league in which even the weakest of beings in it have the capability to cause serious destruction.
'Just my luck…'
[Somehow, I do not feel it is luck, partner.]
"Are those your family members?"
Issei was ripped out from his thoughts as the man pointed towards his family. He hesitantly nodded.
"I see. They look like nice folks. They're a bit "special", aren't they? Especially that man."
'...He can tell how they are?'
[Of course he can.]
"Mm. A nice little family. Good for you."
His tone was sincere, and possibly even a bit sullen.
"It's terrible that you had to go through something like "that" at such a young age. Truly, the hosts of the [Heavenly Dragons] are unfortunate ones. I wonder if you and "him" would relate to each other?"
'What the hell is he talking about, Ddraig?'
[He refers to the "White one" and myself. Though, I don't know what he means by the end.]
"You seem like you're happy here, huh. Hmm…"
The stranger went a bit quiet as he crossed his arms.
"I'm not saying this as a threat. But… You think you can protect them?"
The man asked Issei earnestly while looking through his eyes. Issei couldn't help but feel like every part of his entire being was being analyzed thoroughly— Deconstructed and reconstructed.
He felt the cold sweat run down his neck as he gulped. He couldn't speak. But—
'I will protect them..'
—Issei communicated without words. His determination burned like a fire in his eyes.
The man silently stared at him.
...
"Haah..."
He let out a quick, light sigh as he looked away from Issei.
"I see."
The man stood up and cracked his back.
"Alright~ that's all for me then. I suppose I'll get going. That [Shemhazai] will have my head if I don't return soon."
He lightly stretched his limbs.
'He's…. He's leaving?'
The man looked back.
"You're not bad for a kid. I'd say you're just a couple steps away from obtaining [Balance Breaker]. Not bad. But I'd say you're still behind "him". Well, you're human after all. Whatever. You're still young, so you won't have to worry about that for now. But, if you ever feel like you're lost, or don't know what to do with yourself, you can always just come to us. We'll be around. Be careful around the "other guys" too. I don't know if the guys "upstairs" are aware of you yet, but if they do find out about you, be careful. They have the most resentment and caution towards the Heavenly hosts, ironically enough. Take care, brat."
He ended his cryptic speech and started walking away. He waved back at Issei as he gained more and more distance.
"We'll definitely meet again. Someday. —Ah, maybe I'll send someone in the future. Try not to kill them please~!"
He randomly spoke to himself before calling back, disappearing into the crowd of people.
—In a moment's notice, the man, the Fallen Angel, was gone.
[..."Shemhazai"?... I have heard that name...?]
'What the hell…. Who was that guy? It felt like he knew everything about me….'
[It must have to do with the one named "Bal", from the past. He most certainly briefed his superiors on the case regarding you. Though, his superior didn't treat you suspiciously. Possibly because they have already deemed you not a threat. We are lucky. Though, we didn't meet him by chance.]
'He said we'll meet again…'
[I imagine, it is inevitable.]
"Nii-Nii?.."
Issei snapped his gaze from the crowded area, to his right. His family was standing there with concerned expressions.
"Ise-kun, are you alright? Would you like to head back?"
His aunt asked himconcer with worry. Issei shook himself off and smiled.
"Mm.. I'm alright... Just tired... Let's go."
Issei got off the bench and continued browsing around the market with his family.
—This would certainly not be the last time these two met.
The Cult
—A year after Issei's encounter with the Cadre-Class Fallen Angel.
Crunch, crunch!
A sickening crunch was heard at an abandoned construction site. It was the dead of night. The moon was the only light in the sky. In the construction site, sat a lone woman. A beautiful, purple haired woman with glasses, sat on her knees. She appeared to be sobbing uncontrollably.
Crunch!
—But that was wrong.
[Boost!]
"Hah!"
The woman's head whipped back with a gasp. A boy with a red gauntlet stood above her, his silhouette blocking the light of the moon behind him. Though, through the darkness of his form, there was a slight green glow in his eyes...
"A stray? Didn't know they did such deplorable things."
The woman fell back in shock. There was blood on her face and a lying dead man below her.
—She was eating him.
The boy paused before speaking again. As if he was addressing someone else entirely.
"..Yeah, obviously. We can't leave her alive."
"W-Who are you?!"
He didn't acknowledge her, but only pointed his gauntlet down at her face, with a glint in his eyes.
"Go back to hell."
A red ball formed in his palm.
[Shot!]
"..?! Please, wai—!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Sss…
The red beam of energy fired, and left was a small crater and smoke behind the woman's body. Her head was gone. The headless body fell back to the floor.
Thud!
Issei looked down to the dead man's body behind the woman's.
"She was bruised and crying. Some sort of revenge?"
[Possibly. He also may have fought back. Though, that wouldn't explain her tears. Your assumption may be more likely.]
"Well, I'm sure he didn't want to die."
As he looked over the dead man, he noticed which pieces of his body were missing. His stomach had been eaten away.
'...They didn't want to die…'
—The image of a severed hand—
—"No!"
Before his mind could go any further, Issei shook his head vigorously.
"No… Not now…"
Issei took a breath, preventing himself from spiraling into some sort of episode. He noticed the small detail of an odd looking cross around the man's neck. Compared to normal crosses, it looked unconventional and "white". It was made of something odd. Almost like it was made out of...bone(?)
—But soon, Issei's instincts picked up on something.
(—!)
'Ddraig..!'
[I feel it, partner. Approaching from the east.]
'Yeah...'
Issei quickly hid himself behind some large building pieces. There were multiple signatures approaching the site. Soon enough, multiple figures appeared in the sky and landed near the dead bodies. Issei cleared his thoughts and emotions of anything negative or positive, and calmly observed, essentially eliminating his presence.
'..Devils?'
[We may have alerted them of this position when you blasted the stray. They must have been searching for her already.]
The small group of Devils approached the bodies and began speaking to each other. Issei listened closely.
"It was killed."
"Who could have done it? A Sacred Gear user?"
"Who knows. Possibly even a fallen. It may have just had an unfortunate encounter with someone. Or something."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. Agares-sama should be pleased that it's dead."
"Too bad we didn't do it."
"But we did!"
"We… Haah…. Right, I see. We may as well take credit for it. Won't make a difference."
"Good thinking, you guys!"
The 3 Devils flew off after quickly dispatching of the 2 bodies.
'Those Devils…. Do you think they could have been related to the ones we met back then?'
[I'm not sure, partner. Unlike the others, these seemed to be "Low-Class" versions.]
'Because they're not strong?'
[Yes. They are quite weak compared to your current self. Though, they might put up a fight all together. Well, nevertheless, they were enough for the stray. Unfortunately for them, we got to it first.]
'..Yeah. Well, let's just hope that's our last "chance encounter" with another stray I have to hunt down and kill. I wouldn't want it to become a pattern.'
[It may be too late for that, partner.]
'..Sigh.. Yeah...'
[Shall we go?]
'Yeah, let's go.'
With that, Issei stood from his spot and returned home.
—A week since Issei killed the random stray.
"Slow!"
"Ah!"
Thud!
"..Uuu…"
A boy with caramel colored hair groaned while his back was to the floor, and his legs were in the air. An all too familiar position to Issei, the one who just flipped him over.
"Let's take a break, Narutobi."
Issei wiped his hands as he talked down at his long time friend, Narutobi.
"Okay…"
Issei gave Narutobi a hand to pick himself up on. He lifted himself while rubbing his lower back in pain.
—Issei and Narutobi were currently in the old playroom of Issei's house, which has now become more of an exercise room for him. Both of them were similarly dressed in Gi, but with different belts. Narutobi was in a white belt, while Issei was in a purple belt. The two boys were practicing Judo, which Narutobi has just begun learning.
Narutobi rubbed his neck awkwardly with a sad frown.
"Muu... You're amazing, Issei... You're so far ahead of me. To believe that you can handle 2 martial arts classes like Judo and Tai-chi at once…"
Issei sat down and randomly pulled out some martial arts book.
"3, actually. Though, this one is kind of self taught for me."
Issei said that as he began reading the book. It was a book about mastering Jujitsu. Narutobi sighed as he sat down beside him.
"How nice... To be so prodigious... I wish I was a genius…"
"It's about commitment, not natural talent. Also: you're good at school?"
"But that's not the kind of "good" I'm looking for.."
The reason Narutobi was practicing Judo was to become more 'manly'. Narutobi has never really been the physically strong or capable. But recently he'd been feeling that he is too effeminate and weak for his tastes. In truth, it was actually because there was a girl he liked that preferred masculine boys and he was not that. And of course the best person to ask about masculinity was the well known Hyoudou Issei who would dominate physical activities at school. Of course, Issei knew why he was asking him, but considering that he was his friend he didn't mind helping him in his efforts.
"Man... You're lucky, Issei... You're so handsome...and popular…. And tall…. And strong…. And smart…"
"Um, my grades are only above average? You're the one in all the advanced courses. Also, I'm only 156 centimetres."
"I'm 139…"
"Er... Yeah, but, I'm not very popular. It's just because I'm "that guy who saved that one kid from a serial killer", when I was young. It's pretty much worn off at this point, but at least everybody at school knows me 'cuz of that. Doesn't necessarily mean I'm popular, right?"
"But even so, Issei is still popular just because he is strong and handsome. Everyone in the sports teams wants you to play with them all the time because you always win. All the girls want to hang out with you because you are good looking and nice to them. It's so unfair that it hurts…"
"No, well, "handsome" is a bit... Um, I mean— By all accounts, I don't think you're bad looking, Narutobi. I think you can easily be considered handsome."
Narutobi shook his head in disagreement.
"No. Handsome is only for "manly" men. Girls do not think I am manly. They think I am "cute". They do not think of me as a man. I don't want them to think I am cute just because I am meek. I want to be considered handsome. Like Issei is. Because good looks alone isn't what makes you handsome. Being handsome is being good looking AND manly at the same time. It's basically just a cute guy who is manly."
"Ah... Is that so?"
Issei couldn't help but sweatdrop at his depressed friend's explanation of the logistics behind being called handsome.
"Well... I don't know much about that stuff, so I can't really say much on it. I didn't think there was so much criteria on things like that…"
"Of course! Why do you think there are girls at our school who say that certain people cannot confess to you unless they are rated a 7 or above!? The world of attraction is more complicated than you think, Issei!"
Narutobi spoke with enthusiasm, as if this was a subject he was passionate about.
"Making girls give up on me because they're not "pretty enough"?... That's pretty harsh…"
Narutobi crossed his arms.
"Of course. The world of young girls is harsh, Issei. They do not hold back. That is exactly why I must become manly! So I can be considered handsome and smart and strong, like Issei is! Then, there will be girls who confess to me!"
Narutobi finished it with stars in his eyes, to which Issei could only smile wryly at.
"That's some motivation. But I've only been confessed to once, you know?"
"Yes, but that girl was Akane-chan! She is extremely pretty, short haired, and is a part of the swim club! To think that you said "no" to her! How unbelievable!"
Issei sweatdropped again.
"No, well…. She has the same name as my auntie."
"But for such a ridiculous reason?! How horrible of you, Issei! That's so cruel!"
"Well, I mean, we're still friends, ya know? I still told her we could be friends, and we hang out to swim sometimes."
"That's even more horrible!"
"How?.."
"Muuuu! Horrible! Simply horrible! Issei really needs to learn how to interact with girls!"
"I seriously don't get it."
"Of course you don't! But even if you don't, girls will still flock to you! Aaaah! So unfaaaaair!"
"Well, I do have an unfair advantage. I'll admit that."
"One?! You have too many!"
Issei smiled bitterly.
'Ah, well, I was thinking of the Boosted Gear's influence…'
Issei cleared his throat.
"—Ahem. Well, I don't have any interest in girls right now. I'm more focused on my training above anything. Besides, the only girl I need is Maki."
Narutobi gave Issei a deadpan look this time.
"Sis-con…"
"Wha—?! Hey!... Do we really look like siblings?"
"The fact that you ask that so expectantly…. I guess I'm right, huh."
"Er…."
Narutobi sighed.
"So unfair…"
Narutobi slumped down depressedly and leaned his head against Issei's shoulder.
"Don't put your head on me. It's unmanly."
He removed himself.
"Yes sir…"
(—!)
Issei suddenly felt an odd feeling. Something he wasn't familiar with. But somehow it felt ominous.
Ding-Dong~
"Ah, someone's at the door."
Narutobi stood up curiously, but Issei stepped in front of him.
"Narutobi. Stay here."
"Huh? Why?"
"Do as I say."
"O-Okay.."
Issei walked out of the room while Narutobi stayed back. He went to answer the door.
'Ddraig. Boost.'
[Right.]
Issei hesitantly opened the door as some power flowed through him, discreetly.
Dakun…
"Hello, there. Do you have a moment to speak on your beliefs?"
When Issei opened the door, he was greeted by a man in priest's clothing, and a dark hat. The man had a bible in hand. But most importantly, there was an odd white looking cross on his chest. One that was not too unfamiliar...
"I'm sorry. But, I'm afraid that my family isn't home. I can't have strangers in my house without permission."
Issei was not lying. His aunt and uncle were currently out handling something related to insurance or other adult matters. Regardless, that wasn't the actual reason refused to let the man in. It was mainly because Narutobi was there. If he wasn't, Issei might have let the man in. If only to confirm his suspicions. He might even have expected to kill the man…
"Ah, is that so? Do you know when they will return home?"
Issei raised a brow suspiciously.
"No, I don't…"
The man's face was not so easily visible under his hat.
"I see. At the very least, can I ask you one question, boy?"
Issei answered hesitantly.
"...What?"
The man leaned down a bit, meeting Issei's level. The man's eyes became visible from under the cap.
"Do you believe in God?..."
—Issei stared up at him darkly. The man's eyes were filled with something evil... Issei decided to answer honestly.
"Yeah."
The man lifted himself up slowly, as if a bit relieved with the answer.
However—
"Fuck him."
—Just as Issei said that, he could see the man's eyes burn violently with momentary rage from under the cap.
….Silence…..
"Well…. That's too bad then."
At that point, Issei could no longer see the man's eyes. He simply stood tall and quiet at the door.
"..E-Excuse me…"
A meek voice came from behind the man. The man turned. It was Maki. She was back from school.
"Hello…"
The man smiled. He lifted his cap to Maki in a gentlemanly manner and turned to leave. Maki approached Issei as the man walked away.
"..Nii-Nii? Who was that?"
Issei did not answer, but merely pulled Maki lightly in, to hold her as he watched the man walk away.
"Welcome home."
Issei did not take his gaze off the man, even after he disappeared. Maki brightly smiled and snuggled into Issei's embrace, quickly forgetting the incident.
"I'm home..!"
The man was gone.
Issei entered the house with Maki.
"..Issei? Who was it? Can I come out now?"
Narutob voice spoke out from inside the exercise room.
"Ah, yeah. You can come out."
Narutobi peeked his head out of the room.
"Ah, hey, Maki-chan! You just got back home from school?"
At Narutobi's appearance, Maki hid herself behind Issei's back.
"..Mm…"
"Ehehehe…. I see."
Narutobi rubbed his neck awkwardly.
Maki was always a playful and sociable girl growing up. Or at least, that's what Issei thought. But as it turns out, Maki is quite shy around strangers. All his life, Issei believed Maki was a sociable, playful girl. But he did not realize that she was only like that around her family. He didn't know what she was like at school or with others, because he didn't go to school with her. He's older than her after all, so he is grades above her. He doesn't get to witness her interaction with others, besides other cousins and such. He just assumed that, because of how she was with him, she was definitely playful and outgoing. Turns out, that wasn't exactly the case.
"Ehehe~ Short haired girls are nice, huh."
Narutobi commented with a smile towards Maki. She only hid herself further behind Issei's back.
"Keep it up, Narutobi. I'll give you a good arm lock later."
Narutobi shrank in fear.
"Uu... I don't know how to get out of one of those?…"
"You're not supposed to."
"Hiii~…"
-DxD-
Ding-Ding — Ding-Dong~
A school bell rang throughout a certain middle school. The classic Japanese school bell. It was Issei's school. Students began standing from their seats and leaving their classrooms in a calm fashion. Issei was also walking out of school, alongside of his friend, Narutobi. The two were making their way home while casually speaking to each other, like usual. They ended up being caught up with by a girl with black, short hair.
"Ah, hey, wait up!"
The two turned at the voice. A familiar face. The girl took a light breath before looking at them, at Issei, with a blush on her face.
"Ah, Akane-chan!"
Narutobi greeted her with a smile, while Issei smiled a bit awkwardly at her appearance.
"Um, can I— Ahem. Can I walk home with you?"
Issei raised a brow while Narutobi snickered in the background.
"Um, yeah, I guess it's fi—"
Before Issei could finish, Narutobi pulled Issei into a huddle, with an arm over his shoulder. He gave Issei a thumbs up and whispered.
"Good luck, Issei!"
"Huh? What are you—"
Without clarifying, Narutobi suddenly ran away, before Issei could ask.
"Alright, see you guys latee~eeeer!"
Issei was left behind with the girl, Tsubomi Akane, dumbfounded. Tsubomi walked up next to him.
"Ah. Hey, Ak— I mean, Tsubomi."
"Hi…"
"...Well, let's go, I guess.."
"Y-Yeah.."
With that, the two walked home together with an awkward atmosphere. There wasn't much talking, besides some small talk. Issei only now realized that his experience with girls, outside of Maki, was almost non existent.
"So…. How's the swim club?"
"E-Eh? Ah, yes! Right... Um, well, we have regionals next week, so I've been training a lot for that. —Oh! Actually, um…. I was planning on asking you, but…. Do... W-Would you like to come and cheer for me?"
They stopped at a crossroad.
"Hm? Cheer for you? You mean, go watch your event?"
Tsubomi nodded meekly.
"Ah, well... Why not? I suppose I can. Just let me know when it is, I guess."
Tsubomi brightened up with a smile at Issei's agreement.
"Mm!"
Issei smiled curiously at her reaction. It sort of reminded him of Maki.
'Are all girls like this?'
Moooon….
[—?!]
Issei felt a light chill run down his neck. A familiar feeling of a subtle yet imminent danger. One he felt just recently. His nerves immediately heightened to the highest tension the moment he realized what direction that feeling was coming from.
"Tsubomi."
"E-Eh? What is it, Hyoudou-kun?"
Issei spoke with wide eyes and an overall hollow expression. But his expression held intense fear, and a ferocious killing intent, at the same time. His voice came out with a low, beast-like growl.
"Go home without me."
Tsubomi felt terrifying chills up her spine just from his tone. Issei immediately bolted off without waiting for a response from her.
That familiar feeling. The subtle one felt from a strange priest, just a few days ago.
—It was coming from the direction near his house.
[Partner! I think I understand why that man was giving you an "ominous" feeling. I believe he may be an "exorcist".]
'An exorcist?! What does that have to do with us?!'
[I do not know.]
—The presence then suddenly vanished.
'Wha—?! He disappeared?! Where is he?!'
[Let me focus on it.]
Issei continued running with all of the strength in his legs. It didn't take long for his house to reach his view. Issei halted outside of the gate of his home.
'He was somewhere nearby here..! Did he come by my home? Did he leave? Is he around?'
[I do not know. It's odd for him to have suddenly vanished. He was just a human after all. He may have some sort of metho— ?! HE IS IN YOUR HOME!]
[—?!]
SLAM!
The next moment, Issei had already burst through the door of his house. He ran straight to the living room, purely guided by instinct.
"BAA-SAN! MAKI!"
The moment he stepped in—
Creak…..
.
.
.
.
.
.
There stood the man.
On the floor, to the left of him, was the body of a woman.
In his arms, was the body of a young girl.
Both were unmoving.
.
.
.
.
《It's started.》 《Looks like it's started.》
.
.
.
.
.
.
[PARTNER! THE CHILD IS ALIVE!]
—SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCHHH!
Issei was throttled back into reality with a brutal screeching noise in his head. Yet, he could pay no mind to it. What was all the more poignant to him, was the red, blinding, fury burning through his entire being.
—"YOU BAAASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRDDDDDDDD!"
BRCCK!
The wooden floor beneath Issei's feet broke. Steam arose from his skin. Even the belt buckles on his school bag began to deform, as if they were slowly being melted. But, before he could make a move—
Zin!
The priest put a knife to the unconscious Maki's neck.
"Don't move."
—SCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCHH!
The piercing sound continued to scream in his head as Issei practically burned alive with rage. His face was contorted into a ferocious, inhuman snarl that even allowed saliva to drool out of his mouth. He didn't care to conceal his Boosted Gear, nor his unbelievable bloodlust.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL MURDER YOU! I'LL TEAR YOU APART! I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF! I'LL BURN YOU! I'LL EXTERMINATE YOU!— I'LL FUCKING EAT YOU ALIVE!"
Issei spat venomous breath at the priest, relentlessly. The killing intent he released was one so that it could be felt in the air. It could practically be tasted.
"Enough. You will follow me, quietly. Lest you wish to watch this child die."
Issei's teeth were on the verge of cracking under the pressure of his jaws.
"Come."
The priest did not remove the blade from Maki's neck as he turned to walk away. He was heading towards the back entrance.
[Partner. Stay calm. If you want to save her, then stay calm. Follow him. We will kill him. I assure you. But maintain your rationality. Once he releases the girl, you may let loose. Calm down. Do not lose yourself just yet.]
Issei struggled to keep himself sane. An unfathomable amount of Images and sounds clashed in his mind from sheer instability. Images of disaster. Sounds of terror. —Memories.
[Go, partner. We will kill him.]
Issei retained the little amount of rationality he had as he stepped forward. Walking forward, his eyes caught on to the body of his aunt.
("Ise-kun~ Maki-chan~ Dinneeeer~")
His gaze was stuck on her. It felt like her body was growing closer and closer in his vision. Like a fisheye lens. His heart pulsed loudly in his head. The closer her image grew, the more familiar images and sounds from the past flooded his mind. Until, the images and sounds of his aunt began to merge into something else. Someone else.
.
.
.
.
("Ise~! Honey! Dinner!")
—His mother.
...
Badump...
Badump— Badump! Badump! Badump! Badump! BADUMP!
—[She is alive, partner. She is hurt, but she is alive. The child is in danger. Hurry, partner.]
Another fraction of Issei's rationality returned to him. But, his proper sanity was still far from coming back.
—The priest, and Issei, finally exited the home through the back entrance, into the grassy backyard. The priest turned back to face Issei. Issei was silent, and his form was almost pitch black. There was something dark and red surrounding his body, while 2 red lights beamed through the shadow of his face. The thing his body was releasing - was a full fledged aura.
"I did not kill her. I won't kill them. They aren't worthless heretics like you. I just needed to use them, that's all. But I'm sure we can convert them. It won't be difficult. Especially for a child. Maybe just a few months. Of course, as much as it may bother us to forcibly convert them, as long as the Lord's forces are increased, that is all that matters. Soon enough, they'll be singing the Lord's praises, just as they should."
Issei remained silent. His ominous form stood completely still.
"Well, there is no point wasting time with the irredeemable. Then—"
The priest tossed Maki into the air.
Grab!
Issei immediately jumped into the air, catching Maki and landing on his feet. Somehow, the pressure of his landing cracked the ground below him.
ZIN!
The priest launched himself towards Issei with daggers in his hands, not caring to give Issei a chance even to put Maki down. He went to pierce Issei's head with his right hand, and—
Slice!
Plop..!
"Hm?"
..The priest looked down in front of himself in confusion, noticing that Issei was no longer in the same place. Rather, Issei was somehow closer to the house. Becoming even more confused when feeling a weightlessness on his right arm, he looked down to his right hand.
—It was gone. Looking behind himself, it was lying on the ground, separate from his body.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhh!"
The priest howled in pain as he fell to his knees. Issei held Maki gently, almost as if he wasn't even there.
"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry…. I'm so so sorry…"
He gently stroked Maki's hair while holding her close. The priest could only stare back at Issei in horror.
"It's okay…. I'll make this quick."
—Red eyes burned into the priest's soul.
ZIN!
Before the priest could react further, his entire right arm was ripped from his body and flew into the air.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!"
[His screams will alert others. Make this quick.]
The priest went to grab the dagger he dropped with his remaining left hand. He took it and stood to defend himself. But Issei had already jumped on him. Issei opened his mouth to show his sharp incisors—
BRCKGGLL!
—And bit down on his face.
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH—!"
Issei pulled back. With his jaws, the priest's nose and top lip were torn off from his face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!"
The priest fell to the ground while holding his face. Issei spat the flesh of the man out his mouth with disgust.
"Ptu!"
Even more than disgust, Issei felt a disgusting sense— of extreme satisfaction.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"
The priest writhed on the ground in pain, his back being turned. Then, something suddenly pierced through his back, and out of his stomach.
PIERCE!
"—GLLUHAAH!"
Blood spewed from the priest's mouth and belly as the thick, red gauntlet churned his insides, and subsequently ripped them out from his body.
PGGGGGGGLLLLLLLLLLL!
The priest's body dropped as his guts spilled out of his abdomen. His life was slowly leaving him. He would surely die soon, and he felt it closing in. He spoke with what little life was left in him, speaking between dying croaks - to the imposing figure of a small "monster" above him.
"Guuh! ...They—! They will find you! —Pugah!— ...My allies! They will find you! —Blargh!— And you will pay..! —Cough, cough!— Haah…"
The monstrous form which no longer seemed human, answered him without remorse.
"Wrong. I am the one who will find them. And I will kill them. Every single one of them."
The life slowly faded from the priest's eyes. But, before he could even die—
PIERCE!
His chest was pierced with a gauntlet that crushed his heart. He was not allowed to die by his own volition.
Sgggl…
Issei removed his gauntlet from the now lifeless body, blood dripping freely from it. He formed a red ball of energy and pointed it down at the body.
[Shot!]
Without hesitation, Issei destroyed the body.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!
The body disappeared with only that single blast, leaving only a crater behind.
[An explosion won't do well for secrecy.]
Issei did not respond. He did not care. He walked up to Maki and picked up her body.
'..Ddraig. None of them will survive. Not a single one.'
[Very well.]
Issei held onto Maki's body with red, burning eyes.
'...Not a single one..'
-DxD-
A few weeks passed since the events with the strange priest took place. Issei was now set on a hunt. Every night, he searched for "them". He searched for any number of "allies" the priest reportedly said existed. He searched all throughout the edges of his city.
Nothing. Not a single trace of them. Until today.
It happened right after he was returning from school one day. After the event with the priest, Issei was brought into the public eye once again. This time, it was because there was reportedly a "madman" who "broke into his home and attacked his family, right before suicide bombing himself in his backyard". The details were unreliable, but that was the only explanation they had. Though, the investigation was ongoing. Nevertheless, it worked perfectly for Issei. It seems like one of the priest's allies brought themselves out of the shadows after that. They must have known that it was Issei who killed him, because of his history and the fact that the priest disappeared there.
Perfect.
The current situation was that Issei was being followed on his way home. 2 people. Better than perfect, "the more, the merrier". Somewhere, deep inside himself, Issei felt a great satisfaction in realizing there was more than one.
—It would certainly allow him to kill more of them.
Issei led the two astray. He wasn't going anywhere near his home, of course. Far from it. He was bringing them near a familiar forest. It had become nostalgic place to him, at this point. He subconsciously relished the idea that he was murdering them in this "nostalgic place". He also noticed, that the moment he entered the forest, one of them separated from the other and took to the trees. They were planning to get the drop on Issei by staying ahead?
Good. It felt even more satisfying to think of crushing their hope when their little "plan" failed.
Finally, Issei made it to the familiar clearing he trained in regularly, in the past. Soon enough, a robed figure stepped out from the treeline behind him.
"I have found you, heretic."
The man removed his robes to reveal himself as another priest with an odd glowing weapon in hand. More importantly, he had the same bone cross on his chest.
"I will slay you here, in the name of the Lord! And, in the name of [Genesis]!"
"...Heh... So that's what you call yourselves…."
A cruel, dark smile slowly stretched apart Issei's cheeks.
"...Genesis…."
But, before Issei could do anything—
ZIN!
"Aaaaaaaaghhh!"
A blade made of an odd light stabbed into the priest's leg. He fell back and held his pierced knee in pain.
"It is I who has found you, heathen!"
Issei whipped his head around to the trees behind him, following the source of the voice. There was someone in robes, on top of a branch. The one that Issei had assumed was his ally. Yet, they were the one who threw the weapon. The person removed their robes, revealing their true form.
Foosh!
[—?!]
—The one who stood on the branch was a young girl with short, red hair, but not much older than Issei himself. She was dressed in odd, white battle attire, and on her belt rested a sword in sheath.
"You are finally mine, heathen! To brainwash and forcibly convert others to Christianity, and kill all of those who do not..! You will be brought to justice here! Heretic of [Genesis]!"
….
"...Hah?"
Issei was only able to make a confused sound as the girl jumped from the tree and landed in front of the priest. She unsheathed her sword without hesitation. It was a magnificent looking sword. She lifted it up and brought it down upon the priest, swiftly.
"Ah! Uaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh—!"
ZIN!
With one strike, the priest was dead. The girl lightly sighed in relief.
"Haa~ Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to rid the world of these heathens. I will do my best to save those who can be redeemed and send those who cannot, to you. Amen."
The girl finished her prayer while Issei stood there, silently, dumbfounded. Out of nowhere, another seemingly Christian exorcist appeared and stole his kill. And this one was not far from his age. No greater than maybe a couple years older. But more than that, her outfit felt obscene. All in all, Issei was completely lost.
"Ah, hello!"
The girl turned and greeted Issei randomly. She greeted him in Japanese. She seemed to bespeaking a different language just before. French, perhaps? The girl smiled at him, silently.
"...Uh…. Hi?..."
She merely continued smiling.
...
—Until she fell to her knees and dropped her sword.
"Haaaaa~! Lord! I have found someone who will communicate with me! Praise be! Amen!"
Issei still couldn't comprehend the situation very well. The girl suddenly shot up and smiled awkwardly.
"Um, excuse me, but…. Would you happen to know where the nearest church is?... Preferably a Catholic one... If possible?"
Issei cracked his head to the side.
"Hah?"
"Oh! Well, you see, I seem to have gotten lost on my way to my destination. I was stationed to a church here, and no longer had the means to contact them when I arrived…. And, I got lost…. So, um, teehee~"
She lightly "bonked" her own head while playfully sticking out her tongue in a cute gesture. To which, Issei still didn't understand.
"...Um…. Who are you?..."
"Oh!"
The girl suddenly gained a look of realization.
"Right!"
The girl picked up her sword and lifted it into the air. She then picked up one of her legs and spun around on the tippy toes of her other leg, like a ballerina.
"I am a devout Catholic who lives in the presence of Christ and his glory! I am the prodigious exorcist who is known, mostly, throughout all— *Whisper (of France) Whisper*— the lands! I am the ["Blade of Rouen"]! I am Marie Bellerose!"
She took a pose as she ended her announcement, proudly, and with a smile. Issei only remained silent.
…..
…..
…...
The girl's body began shaking from the struggle to hold her pose. Her smile looked to be twitching nervously.
"...Um…. Okay?….."
Thud!
—Once Issei said that, the girl immediately dropped back down to her knees with comically large tears in her eyes.
"Aaaaaaaah! Thank you, Loooord! I have finally found someone I can call an ally!"
….
"Ally?..."
That was the fateful day Issei met that girl, his friend— the girl named:
Marie.
End
Alright! Finally this is done! So, longer chapter than usual! As I said before, multiple things happening in one chapter instead of only being centered over one overall event.
So, did I get you? Did I scare you? Some of you didn't get worried when the Glasya-Labolas showed up, but how about now huh? You think I'll hold back? Who do you think I am? Ahahahahaha!
Anyway, got a few things that happened. First Issei ran into a familiar figure in the beginning. Just a little check up by one of the big guys. Wonder if he noticed the darkness within the determination of the child's eyes? After that, we got a random stray killing and some foreshadowing on the next part with some insight to Issei's psyche. Next, our boy Narutobi makes a return. Too bad Gudo didn't stay friends with them, but at least they're still friends. Then the fuckin priest. Issei lost it there huh. So many things were throwing his mind into disarray, practically the only thing keeping him aware was malice. He did not show mercy. Woof. And lastly, a new ally?! Just some random exorcist randomly came in and stole Issei's kill and then she suddenly declares them allies?! Maybe he shoulda killed her. Ah, in case you want a visual on what she looks like, go ahead and look up: Boudica from [Fate - Grand Order]. That should give you a key visual. The design is the same, but their characters aren't really alike nor are there stories. Just visually the same. Ah, also, she happens to be older than Issei by 2 years. But there'll be more to her in the next chapter.
So yeah, tell me what you guys thought. What does Issei's meeting with the Cadre-Class Fallen Angel mean for the future? Maki is actually a shy girl? Who are these priests that keep coming up? Are they part of a group? What is Genesis? What direction is Issei's psyche beginning to take? Who is Marie and why is she here?
And the most important question for the most attentive readers out there. There are a lot of undertones for a certain thing here since the beginning of the story. And I'm not talking about stuff like psychological cuz no shit, but what I mean is there is one certain action that has been highlighted throughout the story. And it has also been more prevalent in the latest chapters. What is this undertone? I'll give you a little hint. [The worst death]. But what is it? Find out. All you have to know is that it's important.
Read, Rate, Review go crazy.
Stay frosty.
P.S. Ah, I almost forgot, but there was a little reference to Tokyo Ghoul in there. The random stray who had purple hair and glasses was just Rize lmao rip in peace.
