Cannon. We've finally reached it. A quick little transition into cannon will play at the beginning, and then finally, we'll be there baby. You'll be able to tell when we've gotten to cannon by the labeling of the transitions.
Sorry that the stories are being updated out of order. I'll get to Red Dragon Of Stupidity after this. I just had an uncontrollable burst of inspiration to get this one out, so here. It's very long.
The Lone Dragon Emperor will now begin his long journey into the world of the supernatural properly. No more hiding in the shadows. The world will know of his existence, for the most part.
Get yourselves ready. This is certainly one of the best chapters of this story, perhaps the best chapter right beside last chapter with Marie. This chapter is a great ensemble of emotions and tones. A true masterpiece among chapters of my stories.
If you are at all invested with this story then I have to warn you, you will most certainly cry.
-SCENE-
Hyoudou Issei, age 14 (15 in 3 weeks). Two and a half weeks since the destruction of Genesis. Two and a half weeks since the death of Marie Bellerose.
Clang…
"How is it, Maki-chan?"
"...Mm... It's good, Mama.."
The Aikawa household. It was a quiet day inside. The only sounds that were present were the light clanging of utensils and some meager exchanges between family members. For the most part, there wasn't any noise. Most of the family members ate silently.
It was not always like this. It did used to be a more lively household. It did used to have a lighter atmosphere. That was when there was a certain presence that kept the mood bright.
Maki used to believe that she was just as easily capable of accomplishing such a thing, it was her specialty. Yet somehow, there did not seem to be a substantial amount of light in the home.
"...Ise-kun."
Akane called to one of the two children across the table from them, sitting beside Maki. The one who was remaining completely still. The one who would only gaze down at his dinner with dead, empty, hollow eyes. Hyoudou Issei.
"...You will be entering High school soon….. Have you decided which one to attend?..."
It was summer time. Issei's last term of school had ended. His last term as a junior high student. He would now be entering his first year as a high school student.
He did not respond to his aunt's question.
"...Would you at least attend the opening ceremony for whichever one you enter?..."
The reason she asked this was because Issei did not attend his own graduation from junior high. In fact, he did not attend his last two weeks. He did not leave his home for those two weeks. Satoshi ended up having to do receive Issei's certificate from the school himself. He has gotten visits from his friends, Narutobi and Tsubomi, but he refused to see them.
Again, he did not respond to his aunt's question.
"...You should at least eat, sweetheart…."
The food on his plate was untouched. They weren't sure when was the last time they had seen him eat. It worried them dearly. If only they had known the truth, that Issei hadn't eaten food in 3 days, they would be infinitely more concerned. At the very least, Issei's body was one that did not seem to be affected at all, despite this fact. Almost as if his body's natural processes were being influenced by something they didn't know of.
He remained silent, not answering his aunt's question once again. However—
Rrr…
With a small screech of his chair, he stood from his seat and walked away from the dinner table. Akane sighed. Issei stepped out from the kitchen, passed the living area, and stepped out into the hall near the entrance of the house. He began walking up the staircase without hesitation. He did not realize that someone had followed him and was now standing at the bottom of the staircase.
"Issei-kun."
He stopped. The voice of his uncle.
"..I want you to be honest, Issei-kun."
He stood completely still at the middle of the staircase. Satoshi asked grimly.
"...Marie-chan. She never 'returned home', did she?..."
It went dead silent. Not a single sound made throughout the house. Not even the sound of breathing. A deafening silence that only made the subtle screeching in their ears seem even louder and more noticeable than ever before.
….
Issei continued his trek upstairs without making a sound. Unfortunately, that was all the answer Satoshi needed as closed his eyes in grim respect.
"...Papa?.."
He opened his eyes to see his daughter beside him. It seemed like she wanted to head up the stairs. Satoshi sighed and bent down on one knee to look up at her. He held onto her arms gently.
"Maki…. I am…"
He sighed heavily. There was nothing he could do.
"I'm sorry for being a failure of a father…"
"...Papa…"
He pet her head softly.
"I leave it up to you…."
Maki nodded her head sadly. Satoshi released his grip and Maki slowly made her way up the stairs.
—Inside of Hyoudou Issei's room, he was standing at his personal desk with something small in his hands. He looked down at it with his left eye, because his right eye was shut. It was a tick he had developed over a year ago, ever since he had lost his eye. For some reason, it had subconsciously become impossible to hold it open whenever something deeply affected him. Whenever something affected his heart.
Dakun…
He flinched slightly as the door to his room opened. Maki entered and approached him carefully from behind.
"...Nii-Nii…"
He did not make a sound or movement. Maki could very well see the item he held in his palm. A necklace.
"...I love you, Nii-Nii…"
As per what had become usual, he did not respond. Maki's lip quivered just a bit.
Slide…
Slowly, Issei felt her arms wrap softly around his waist. She laid her head against his back.
"...I cry about her too, sometimes…"
Issei's right eye twitched, despite being shut.
"...I loved her….. She was nice...and pretty….and kind….and smart….and reliable….. I loved my onee-san.."
Issei's right hand gripped onto his desk, while his left hand tightened its hold on the necklace.
"...we were friends….and rivals….and partners…. Because we both took care of you…."
Issei's grip on his desk increased substantially at the sound of the word that tortured him.
"...We were family…... I loved my onee-san…."
Her grip around his waist tightened as he began shaking.
"...And even though she said we were "rivals"….. Even though we were both fighting for Nii-Nii….. Even though I said I wanted to win…."
Maki's body also began shaking as her grip tightened. Soon enough, Issei felt a wet spot form on the back of his shirt.
"...This isn't how I wanted to 'win'!..."
—Crack!
Issei's desk cracked under his grip. Droplets of water fell lightly onto the necklace held in his palm.
"..I love you, Nii-Nii!... And I... I wasn't the only one!... That's why—!... Please—!... Please live!... Please—! Please find happiness!... For me!... For us!... For your Mama and Papa!... For that girl!... Please—! Please live!"
Crack!
A piece of his desk broke off into his palm as his legs gradually lost their strength. His body slowly brought itself down to his knees as Maki maintained her grip.
They sat there together on their knees. Weeping silently.
-DxD-
"...Hey, little ones…."
The sound of crickets rang through the night. Issei stood before a certain grave site with a necklace in hand. 13 small graves with a large golden cross ahead of them.
The children from the factory. Only 13 of them. Which means that she was not buried alongside of them. Her body was most likely transported back to France.
[...Partner. We have spoken of it before, haven't we? This conversation, it is one we have had many times.]
Issei's grip on the necklace tightened.
"...Yeah."
[Then you understand. We must go, partner. You have unlocked Balance Breaker. Your family— they are no longer safe. They can no longer be safe. Not so long as you continue to remain with them. That is why— you must go. We must go. We can no longer allow our presence to remain near them. Not anymore. Not with this power. There can be no more hiding with this. They will find you. And that is why you told me once, hadn't you? What was it that you said to me?]
("I'd rather they find me alone.")
"...Yeah. I know…"
[In that case, do you have a certain place in mind?]
Issei squeezed the necklace.
"...Home."
—A small voice called out from behind him.
"Um, hello?"
Issei turned around. A little white haired girl with a basket of flowers in her hands. A student from the Catholic school.
"Who are you, mister?"
She tilted her head innocently. Issei couldn't help but smile just a bit. He pet her head. Then, he simply walked off without a word.
"M-Mister? Where are you going?"
He began to walk off the campus casually, fully capable of eliminating his presence at his current power level.
'...It looks like good people from the church….are the rare ones….'
[Ironic, isn't it?]
'Cruel irony…..but at the very least..'
He looked back to the grave site before stopping in front of the wall to the campus. The little girl laid the basket down near the graves and prayed.
'..The children are the only ones you can be sure are good…'
[And yet, they are the most common of victims.]
—A memory flashed through Issei's mind.
("Why Lord? Why must it always be the children?")
He looked up to the night sky silently.
….
"Yeah…"
He hopped over the 3 meter high wall with little effort. He began his long walk silently towards his home.
[Partner. What do you plan to do once we've left this place?]
He slowly placed the necklace around his neck.
("...Please live!")
Hatred. Grudge. Revenge. Issei had no target for these. The Nightwalker was gone. Zealous was gone. Genesis was gone. He had no sort of direction for pointing any of his possible animosity towards. He had nothing like that left. Nor did he care for it, not anymore. But at the very least he know one thing.
They will come for him one day. Whoever or whatever they may be. They will come. They may even find him by chance.
"...I will.."
So be it. If they will find him, then he will face them. Alone. Just as he should be. But until then, there is a home he must protect. An empty one. One that will only be inhabited by him. His parents home. He will wait for them there. They will come, and he will be ready when they do. But at the very least, until then—
("I love you, Nii-Nii.")
"...live…"
"That's why, I want to return home and live on my own from now on."
Issei announced it to his family at breakfast the next morning. From the point of entering High school and onward, he plans to return to his hometown of Kuoh, and live alone.
It went without saying, his family was shocked to hear his news. His aunt displaying her shock and concern through her expression. His uncle was the one with more of an expression of calculation over concern. Meanwhile, his cousin—
"What?!"
Maki slammed her hands down on the table as she stood in shock.
"No! No! Nii-Nii can't go! Why would he go?!"
Issei answered her without breaking his gaze. He and Satoshi were looking right into each other's eyes.
"I've already told you why, Maki. My home is where my parents are, in Kuoh. That place is my home. They left that house to me either way. It is my home."
"But—! But—! That was for when Nii-Nii was all grown up! For when he becomes an adult!"
"That's why I'm choosing to be independent now. It is my home. I will take care of it from now on, on my own."
"Nii-Nii lives here! Nii-Nii's home is here! He has to stay!"
"I will not."
Maki's face scrunched up in frustration.
"Then—! Then—! Then I will move with Nii-Nii! I will live there with Nii-Nii as well!"
"No, Maki. If you did that, then it would be pointless. I will go there alone. Just the way it should be."
Tears began to build up at the sides of Maki's eyes.
"No! Don't say that! Nii-Nii is not meant to be alone! Nii-Nii should be with his family! Nii-Nii should be with those who love him! Nii-Nii should stay home! Where he belongs!"
Issei smiled bitterly.
"...That's my point, Maki…"
A tear rolled down her face.
"No! No! No! I will not let Nii-Nii be alone! Never! I won't let you go! No matter what!"
Issei began to feel a pain in his chest.
"Enough, Maki…. Let me talk with Oji-san.."
"I won't! I won't let you! I always will be with Nii-Nii! Because we made a promise!"
"Maki."
"Because we both loved you! Me and that girl! We made that promise to each other! So if one of us can't take care of you, then the other will! That's why—!"
"Enough!"
"..!"
Maki was silenced by his painful shout. Issei held his head down with a shadow cast over his eyes. He never shouted at Maki. Only whenever it was something that concerned her safety, a detail Satoshi was well aware of. Maki sat back down into her chair with tears falling from her eyes. After a short while of silence, Issei brought his gaze back up to his uncle.
"Oji-san…. I will be going. You understand it, don't you?"
Issei stared deeply into Satoshi's eyes. Satoshi could see the many emotions trapped deep within him. Too many that were too complex for him to possibly ever comprehend, even with his intelligence. Emotions that could only be created through experience. There was no way he could understand. Not without living it. Whatever events that could have possibly transpired in his life to warrant such eyes, he imagined that there things he did not see. How? When? What? Where? He didn't know. It didn't even matter. Because either way, he would still not be able to understand it. Not without living it.
"...Yes, I understand, Issei-kun…"
Maki's eyes widened in fear and Akane's nerves tensed.
"...But if I were to let you go this soon….. No, I'm afraid I cannot."
"Wha—?"
Issei was taken aback by his uncle's answer.
"Why? What do you—"
"As you are now, I cannot let it be."
Issei became confused.
"..As I am?..."
Satoshi looked deep into Issei's eyes. He could feel his gaze reaching to his very soul.
"What will happen to you, once you are alone?"
"Eh?"
Issei's right eye twitched subtly.
'What will….happen to me?..'
Issei envisioned it. Being alone. No one by his side. It felt familiar. Nostalgic almost. Alone in the darkness. Not a single place or person to look to.
An image came into his mind. A well. Being trapped at the bottom of a dark well. He could feel an immense weight holding him down. The only light that peered through was the light at the entrance, much to high to ever reach. Perhaps there was a time when he could reach it. When he could see a certain person waiting up there for him at the entrance, only a short distance away. Yet now, the fall seemed to grow so substantially since then. There didn't seem to be a single person waiting for him out there.
In that dark place. There in the nothingness, what would become of him?
("Écaille~!")
No light around. No escape.
("Nii-Nii~!")
Alone.
….
Issei's body began shivering lightly. Despite fighting against it with all of his will power, he could not stop it.
Even though he knew what he had to do, he could not bear the thought of it. Being alone. Not as he was now. Because he no longer had any strength left.
'..."Not as you are now"…..'
Issei smiled bitterly. Even so—
"It...doesn't matter. Because no matter what, I won't be staying here anymore…"
Satoshi narrowed his eyes with a solemn expression.
"...What will it take for us to get you to stay?"
"Nothing. I won't stay."
Satoshi shook his head.
"You misunderstand. What will it take for you to stay— just a while longer?"
Issei raised a brow in confusion.
"What?"
Satoshi bore his gaze into Issei's eyes once more.
"I said it before. As you are now, I cannot let you go. But I can see it in your eyes. I know I cannot stop you. That's why, at the very least, I want for you to stay until there is a point in which you can finally find an answer to my earlier question."
"...Stay until I find an answer…"
("What will happen to you, once you're alone?")
"Do you understand, Issei-kun? I'm asking you what it would take to keep you here until you're properly capable of taking care of yourself. As you are now, being alone is the last thing that you need."
Issei opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His subconscious was fighting him. He knew the right decision would be to simply leave as soon as he can, but for some reason his inner conflict caused him to hesitate. A deep seeded fear.
[Partner. I am afraid to say it, but now that it has been made apparent, I believe he may be right.]
'..What?..'
[It seems that you are not ready. Your mind is too weak as it is now. Your determination is fickle. You are, in every way that is not physical, too weak. This is not a shocking thing. After what has transpired only less than a month ago, I do not blame you. However, it still seems that you would not be able to withstand the situation of being independent. Not as you are now. I do not know what will happen to you either. Though, if I were to presume, you would most likely fall to madness.]
(Madness.)
…
"...How much longer is a while, Oji-san?"
Maki had a bit of light shine in her eyes. Satoshi placed a hand under his chin.
"..Hmm... One year, I believe."
"What?!"
Issei yelled out in shock. He had expected a much shorter time span.
"Well, if I am being honest with you Issei-kun, then that is around the time I would estimate. I do not want to underestimate you, in fact, for any other person it would take many years to process….whatever it is that you have. However, I believe that the very least amount of time you need for yourself, would be somewhere around a year."
"...A year...that is… No, that's impossible..."
Once again, Maki began to feel fearful. Satoshi held a hand up silently to calm her.
"What would it take to make it possible?"
Issei's right eye twitched harshly as he stared down his uncle with a conflicted expression. Issei turned his head away. He could no longer stand to see his Satoshi's somber, but comforting gaze.
'...One year…. Ddraig….we can't do that…..can we?'
[Mm…. Well….. Perhaps….]
'How?... How would we even accomplish it?'
[...Perhaps….. Perhaps if we were to conceal your presence in a long term sense. Whenever you conceal your presence, it was always deliberate, but perhaps if we were to make it into habit through daily concealment training. If we were to make it possible to have your presence concealed automatically, without the need for conscious thought, then perhaps it would be possible.]
'..Concealing my presence every second of every day? Wouldn't that be too difficult?'
[That is precisely why I say it would be best to do it through habit. If you were to make it a subconscious habit, then perhaps you could walk through anywhere without being noticed, without even having to think for it. But as I said, it would take a great amount of focus training. I don't doubt your skill at all, but it depends on your determination as well. You have the skill, so long as you're determined I wholeheartedly believe it should be possible. The problem is that this is not a long term solution. No matter how strong you are, so long as there exists a being stronger, they can find you. Mayhaps not the weaker ones, but the stronger ones most certainly. So, being here for one year may be possible indeed. Being here for many years, you would surely be found at some point.]
'...So it's possible….but, what if something happens by chance? Genesis was by chance….What if one day I'm not around and something happens?'
[In that case, it would be wisest to take preventive measures. For example, how to prevent the scenario in which you aren't around to protect them. How you would solve that problem?]
'I would have to be around them 24/7. Or at least as much as I physically can.'
[The biggest obstacle to that would be those educational institutes you attend daily, correct?]
'Yeah. Baa-san stays home, Maki goes to school, and Oji-san goes to work. They're all split up.'
[Then what would be the best way to keep them together as much as possible?]
….!
Issei had a thought after a few seconds. He looked up to Satoshi.
"...You'll do something to keep me here?.."
Satoshi nodded calmly while Maki nodded vigorously despite not being asked.
"As much as we can."
"I'll do anything!"
Issei hesitated before speaking.
"...In that case, I'd like to be tutored privately at home from now on. I won't be going to public school this year."
'That puts me with Baa-san every day. That's one...'
Satoshi nodded.
"That's fine. You're academically capable enough for something like that. I believe that you can do that."
'...Okay...then…'
"I also want Maki to be homeschooled from now on as well."
(—!)
That was the request that shocked the parents a bit. Though Maki was completely non hesitant to agree.
"I'll do it! Papa! Let me do it!"
Akane questioned softly.
"..Ise-kun...to ask that…. That is about Maki-chan, not you.…. Don't you think it's a bit much—"
Satoshi placed a hand on Akane's shoulder to ease her. He asked seriously.
"Is that something that's necessary?"
Issei nodded.
"It's fine, Papa! I'm okay with it! I don't care about going out to school! If I'm with Nii-Nii, then it doesn't matter!"
Satoshi placed a hand over his mouth in contemplation. He began to consider Issei's mental state. After a few seconds, he asked sympathetically.
"...You "need" her here...with you?..."
Issei nodded hesitantly.
"...Yeah.."
"I'll be here! I'll be here everyday with Nii-Nii! I don't care!"
After a short minute of contemplation, Satoshi nodded his head.
"I see... Well...if it's Issei-kun who is beside her, then I'm sure she'll be able to excel in her studies. So long as you help her."
"Of course."
Satoshi sighed lightly.
"Alright. Anything else?"
Issei thought silently to himself.
'I can't do anything about Satoshi's job. That's not something I can interfere with. Well, if Satoshi knew he would understand. Even though he doesn't. At the very least, if I can protect Baa-san and Maki….but...'
Issei shook his head.
"Just... Whenever you're not working….stay here at home, with us…"
Satoshi couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Alright."
Issei leaned back into his chair with a sigh.
"...Okay. I'll stay. Just for a while."
Satoshi breathed a light sigh of relief. Akane looked a bit troubled. Maki happily embraced Issei.
"Yes! I'll be with you everyday, Nii-Nii! I'll do everything I can for you! And I'll make sure to convince you to take me with you!"
Issei smiled bitterly.
"Heh….Alright."
'That's not happening, Maki...'
He stroked her head softly.
'Ddraig. What will we do about training the Balance Breaker?'
[Hm. Training will certainly attract attention. Any spikes in your power, let alone even activating the Balance Breaker may cause something to come looking for you. However, neglecting your training for Balance Breaker would be infinitely worse in my own opinion. In that case, the best times to train would most likely be around the same times you did previously in the past. Inconspicuous times at night at a far away place. The forest you are familiar with will not do. It is too close and is easily pintpointable. Are there any mountain ranges you can find?]
'Yeah, I think I can find them.'
[Do you remember how to fly?]
'Yeah, I think I can recreate the feeling.'
[In that case, we will train in the mountains. Find a range far from this place. We will fly there to train on certain nights. That area will be your training place for the Balance Breaker. Understood?]
'Yes.'
[Very well. Then prepare yourself, boy. From today forth you will be training to reach the levels higher than High-Class Devils and other powerful beings. When you are not training, you will be protecting your family to the best of your ability with your awareness. More than that, you still will be focus training everyday so that you may become proficient enough in concealing your presence to the point that it is habit. So even if you are hiding your presence from the world, you will be growing slowly in the shadows.]
'Yeah….I know.'
One year. Only one year. How quickly one year could pass him, he would see for himself.
Home.
Hyoudou Issei, age 16. One year since the [Complete Balance Breaker incident]. One year since the destruction of Genesis. One year since the death of Marie Bellerose.
"Most of your stuff has already been taken there. Do you have the money I gave you?"
"Yes, I have it, Oji-san."
Issei placed an envelope with money into his bag. This was the day he was leaving the Aikawa household. He was ready to depart for Kuoh. His hometown. The majority of his belongings had already been transported to his old house. He only carried a bag with the essentials including the money he would need for everything. The most important two items he carried himself were a long sheathed item wrapped in cloth on his back - and a necklace around his neck.
The ones who stood before him, together at the entrance of the home, were his family. Not only his family, but his good friends, Narutobi and Tsubomi as well. Narutobi stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile.
"You better make sure to keep in touch, man! I'm not gonna go letting you forget about me anytime soon! You got that!?"
Issei smiled softly.
"Yeah."
Narutobi. His best friend. The timid boy who always wanted to become manlier. The timid boy who succeeded in becoming manlier, even if just a bit. The one who succeeded in gaining confidence and even ended becoming a popular kid. Yet despite his new cliques and reputation, he refused to stop being friends with Hyoudou Issei, no matter how odd it made him look to hang out with such an intimidating person. Even when he no longer attended school publicly, that only made it seemingly easier for Narutobi to spend time with his self-proclaimed best friend. At the very least, it was no longer "self-proclaimed".
They brought each other into a hug.
"I'll see you around, Aniki (bro)."
"Yeah. See you around, Naruto."
"Haha! Shut up!"
They let each other go and smiled. Narutobi stepped back. Tsubomi was the next to step forward. She placed a finger on Issei's broad chest with a stern expression.
"You better call me, you got that? I won't have any excuses like "oh, I forgot", or anything stupid like that, got it? You can remember your morning exercises, then you can damn well remember to call me in the mornings, right?"
"Ehehehe. Yeah, sure."
Akane Tsubomi. His best female friend. She had always had a crush on Issei. She made it quite apparent with all of her actions and words. Even though Issei rejected her initially, she did not give up in pursuing him. She continued being friends with him and developing her feelings even further, much to Issei's (alleged) dismay. In the end, Issei was truly glad to have met her.
Her stern expression shifted to a more sullen one. She looked up at him sadly and spoke with an almost pleading tone.
"Call me, please…. I still want to hear your voice. Call me when good things happen….and when bad things happen. I want to hear about them. And call me whenever you come back to visit. Seriously, call then. I won't forgive you if you don't….. I still want to be able to see you…"
Issei smiled and pet her head.
"Yeah, I got it."
"I told you not to treat me like a kid, didn't I? I'm older than you by a couple months. Brat."
Despite her comments she did not resist the head petting at all. Issei ceased his petting.
"Please. Call me whenever. Okay?"
"Yeah. Same to you."
"Promise?"
She held out her pinky. Issei wrapped his own around hers.
"Yeah. Promise."
She smiled bitterly.
"You always forget your promises."
"Yeah, that's true. That's why I have you around to remember them, right?"
A tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it with a smile.
"Yeah. That's why, I'm going to call you until you hate me."
Issei smirked smugly.
"Hah! Good luck with that."
"What? You think I can't do it? I can get on your nerves just by looking at you. What makes you think I can't do it, huh?"
"Ugh. Why do you have to make everything a competition, Ms. Olympics? What an annoying swim athlete. You're a true gorilla woman."
"This is coming from the literal gorilla man?"
"Who, me? No way. I'm nowhere near as hairy as you."
"Who you calling hairy? You want me to take off my clothes and show it to you?"
"Gross. No way. I've already seen enough from your swim meets. I don't need those nightmares again."
"Why you!"
She playfully punched his arm as they both laughed. Issei brought her into a hug.
"I promise."
She smiled sadly and hugged him back.
"Okay.."
They separated. Tsubomi returned to her spot next to the family. Within a second, Maki bolted straight into Issei's embrace.
"...Is it really not possible to ask for one last time, to please take me with you?.."
Issei held her gently.
"I'm sorry, Maki."
Her grip on him tightened.
Maki. His beloved little cousin. His most precious existence in all of the world. His father was Satoshi's first cousin, which would then genetically make Issei and Satoshi second cousins-once removed. This would make his child, Maki, Issei's third cousin. So, in terms of blood relation, the connection was thin. Even so, such a thing did not matter to either of them. She was still Issei's beloved baby cousin. She was still his family. And Issei loved her with all of his heart. That's why he feels now in his heart, that this is the best decision. Now he has the strength and determination to be on his own. Because dying alone was not something that scared him anymore, instead the thought brought him peace.
Even without him his family would live on, peacefully. That's how it should be. That's how it always should have been. He should've been the only one to die from the start. That's why, now, he'll make sure that if he dies - he dies alone.
The way it should be.
"I love you, Maki."
"I love you more, Nii-Nii."
"I love you most."
"We will always come to visit you, all the time. Even if I have to walk over there, I will visit you. So please, please, take care, Nii-Nii."
"Yeah. I know. You too."
He stroked her hair gently.
'I wonder if the day will come…'
He kissed her head lovingly.
'...when I won't be there to greet you…'
They let go of each other slowly. They intertwined their fingers and held onto each other's hands. Issei leaned down and Maki lifted herself on her tippy toes a bit. Their noses touched softly.
—A memory from years ago flashed through Issei's mind.
("Look, Maki. You see that? Did you know that certain animals give each other kisses by rubbing noses and stuff. It's cute huh?")
("Nii-Nii! I want animal kisses!")
("No, well, we're humans.")
("Mmmm! I! want! animal! Kisses!")
("Ahahaha, geez, okay okay. Stop fussing.")
Their noses rubbed softly against each other. Tears fell freely from Maki's closed eyes.
"I love you, Nii-Nii…"
A lone tear fell from Issei's right eye.
"Yeah... I love you too.."
They finally separated, only letting go of each other's hands when their distance increased beyond arm's length. Maki went to her parents side. They both smiled at Issei sweetly.
"Please take care of yourself, Ise-kun. We love you."
"Yeah, I know. I love you too, Baa-san."
"We'll visit as soon as we can alright? Make sure to take care of the house while you're there, yeah buddy?"
"Yeah, I've got it. Thanks, Oji-san."
An unfimilar car arrived in front of the house. A man stepped out from the driver's side.
"Yo, Satoshi! Long time no see! This your kid?"
"Yeah, that's him!"
"Alright! Hop in kid!"
The man sat back into his car. One of Satoshi's good friends. His family is on there way to visit Kuoh as well, so they were willing to take Issei along and drop him off at his home. Issei turned back to his family, one last time.
"Bye, everyone. I love you all."
The group waved at him collectively.
"We love you too, Ise-kun."
Issei turned and walked out to the gate of his yard. He waved back one last time. He walked to the car as they waved back. The driver of the car greeted him as he entered and sat beside two girls of similar ages.
"Hey, kid! Good to meetcha! You must be Issei!"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, Issei. Buckle up. Next stop is Kuoh."
Issei looked out the window to see the group waving at him.
The moment the car began to drive off—
"Bye-bye, Nii-Nii!"
Maki ran up to the gate and began waving goodbye to him.
—Tears streamed freely from her eyes.
"Bye-bye! Bye-bye! Bye-bye!"
Issei smiled, but he could hold back from crying no longer.
"Bye-bye, Maki! Bye-bye!"
"Bye-bye, Nii-Nii! Bye-bye!"
Even though he was smiling, the tears ran quickly down Issei's cheeks. The home— his home, gradually faded off into the distance.
'I love you.'
-Hyoudou-
A car slowly came to a stop in a suburban neighbourhood. Right in front of the gate of a certain yard.
"Is this your place, kid?"
"...Yes."
"Alright then! In that case, it's real close by. We're just around the corner so don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything."
"...Thank you."
"Nah, don't mention it. If it's for Satoshi's boy, then it's fine. Besides, my girls could use some company while they're here. They ain't very social, you see."
"Tou-chan!"
"What? It's the truth!"
Issei opened the door to the vehicle and stepped out.
"..Thank you."
"Nah, don't sweat it kid. We'll be around, in case you need something, just holler."
"...Yeah.."
He shut the door and turned around. The sound of the car driving off was the last sound he heard as the world went silent. Right before his very eyes, a familiar place, a nostalgic scene.
—The place formerly known - as the Hyoudou Household.
…
It was a cloudy day.
("You like rainy days, partner?")
("Yeah. Oyaji always preferred rainy days after all.")
Marie Bellerose died on a cloudy day.
…..
He slowly walked all the way up to the door, in what felt like slow motion. He stopped in front of it. The paint from those many years ago, painted on by his father, was left untouched.
He slowly raised his arm and took hold of the doorknob. He placed his key into the keyhole and unlocked the door.
Dakun…
With that, he slowly opened the door.
Creak….
The door creaked fully open—
"Ise! Where have you been!? You're late for dinner again, young man!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
—The house - had no one inside.
….
Drip….
Small droplets of water fell to the floor beneath his feet as he slowly took his first step in. His foot descended upon the ground.
Pomf…
—What placed itself down on the floor - were the small white shoes of a little boy.
"...I'm….home…"
He announced himself to receive no response.
…..
He walked through the hall after removing his shoes. His shoes were the only ones at the entrance.
He entered through to the main living area. His eyes landed on the couch—
"Oh, Ise, my boy. Come, sit here. Watch some sports with me. I'm sure you'll be interested in this one, I just know it."
—An empty sofa.
…
He walked past the living area into the dining area.
"Ise! Stop playing with your food! Stop calling meatballs 'Oppai'!"
—An empty dining area, accompanied by an empty kitchen.
…..
He walked past the dining area into the hall leading to a certain room. He halted in his tracks.
The playroom.
Peeking out from the corner of the playroom he could see something running along the ground slowly.
—Blood.
…
He slowly made his way up to the room. He peered his head around the corner.
—An empty and clean playroom.
However….
"...I'm home…"
What used to be a playroom - was now a room with a shrine in it. Dedicated to two people with photos in it. Above the photos was a small sign. It read:
"Mum…. Pops…."
《Hyoudou》
…
Thud!
Within a mere moment, the boy had fallen to his knees before the shrine and knelt his head before it.
"...I'm home…."
The spot he had knelt in - he could see it right under him. The spot right under his belly.
—A severed hand once rested in that spot.
….
How much time has passed with him kneeling before the shrine, it is not certain. He slowly brought himself back up to his feet. He made his way out from the room and turned to the staircase.
"Ise! No running up the stairs! Knock it off!"
…
Pom pom pom...
He made his way up unhurriedly. His soft steps were the only sounds that echoed through the quiet house. Once he reached the second floor, he was at a crossroads. To the left, the room of a young boy who had yet to wake up from his terrible nightmare. Right, the room of a peaceful, loving couple, without a care in the world.
The moment he opened one of those doors…. Reality would—
...
He stepped towards the room to the right. With a great deal of hesitation, he slowly raised his hand to grab hold of the doorknob.
Dakun…
With one rotation, he opened it fully—
"Hm? What's wrong, sweety? Did you have a bad dream?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tears silently landed onto the carpet below.
"Yeah…"
The room—
"I did…"
—was completely empty.
….
….
….
The door was slowly pulled shut.
"...Good night….. Kaa-chan, Oyaji…"
The boy let go of the handle, and slowly walked to the room across the hall. The room of a young boy. He wrapped his hand around the cold doorknob and turned it.
Dakun…
The door opened slowly.
"What game do you wanna play, Rin?"
—Empty.
The boy had finally woken up from his dream— only to live the never-ending nightmare.
…
Thud!
The boy's bag was tossed to the side as he stepped in. The room, like the rest of the house, was clean and tidy. Every year, twice a year, Satoshi would request for cleaning services to keep the house in orderly condition. The more logical decision would have been to have the house cleared and the furniture stored, considering that no one lived in it. However, despite being a very logical man, Satoshi could not accomplish this. For some reason, he could not bring himself to do it. He had rather the house be maintained under his supervision until the day his "nephew" became an adult and finally moved in. Almost as if he didn't have the heart to do anything else.
The boy stepped in front of the large mirror propped up against the wall of his closet.
—What stared him back in the face - was nothing but a child.
Crack!
Without even a movement, the mirror seemingly cracked. The origin point of the crack sat right over his right eye. The image cracked to reveal, not a child, but rather— the dark silhouette of a monster.
—But in reality, the reflection was nothing more - than a broken man.
…..
The boy walked to the bed and dropped himself onto it, ignoring the freshly packaged uniform lying on top of the bedside drawer. He curled his body up onto the bed and took a familiar position. The fetal position.
His hand wrapped tightly around the item hanging from his neck as he removed the sheathed item from his back and laid it beside him. His grip on the necklace tightened as he maintained his gaze on the sheathed item. The sword.
"...We're home…. Marie…"
His slowly shut - and the boy slowly drifted off to sleep.
-The Red Dragon Emperor-
…..
…..
"Ise~! Time for school!"
….
The boy slowly opened his eyes. He was in a familiar room. His childhood bedroom.
"...Ddraig?..."
[I am here, Partner.]
Ddraig's response, along with his cracked reflection on the mirror across the room, confirmed it.
—It was not all just a dream.
"..."
He slowly lifted himself up. A sheathed sword lay beside him on the bed. Looking outside the window he could tell it was early morning. He reached into the beg lying against his bed and pulled out an alarm clock. He placed it above his bed. The place he used to have it in as a child.
(7:22 AM)
Issei realized it upon seeing the time.
"Ah."
It was already the next morning. That means that he must had slept around 20 hours straight. To believe that emotional exhaustion could have such an effect. Truthfully, it should not have surprised him. After all, he had gone the same period of time just lying awake somewhere. Though at that time, he had a body in his arms.
"...Time for school."
He stood from his bed and picked up the package on his bedside drawer. The tag on the package read: [Kuoh Academy]. Kuoh Academy. A prestigious school with a higher ratio of female students to male students. The reason for this was because it had only recently become a Coed institution a few years back. Issei did not care for such details, he merely chose it because it happened to the most prestigious in the town and the distance from his home was feasible enough.
He removed the packaging and brought the fresh uniform out. He decided to waste as little time as possible and brought out an undershirt from his bag. If what his uncle says is true, then his clothes should be in one of the boxes sitting beside his closet, but he'd rather not waste time searching. He was already late as it is. The first period had started. Not to mention, he was late to term in general. The school year had already started a month ago. He would surely stand out transferring in now. How troublesome, though he only blames himself. He simply could not bring himself to leave Maki just yet at the time.
Issei pulled out a red shirt.
"...Red.."
Red had always been Issei's favorite color growing up. It was funny that the Boosted Gear was red as well. If he was being honest, he would assume that it most likely had something to do with that, subconsciously.
Besides…
("What is it, Écaille? Hm? My hair is getting longer you say? Is that so? In that case, I will have it cut tomorrow. Hm, why you ask? Well, you have always said that you prefer short hair. Eh? No wait! That doesn't mean I will be doing it for you! It just means—well…..ehehehe..")
"...Yeah. Red is fine."
Issei began changing out from his normal clothing and into his uniform.
"It's still fall so I guess that includes this blazer?"
Issei finished changing once he donned his blazer. The uniform was quite form fitting. Though that may be due to Issei's broad physique, but at the very least it was comfortable. He pulled the necklace that sat underneath his shirt and let it hang freely in the open. It was something he never took off at this point, even if it made some question whether he was a Christian or not. He would prefer to leave it in the open air. He didn't consciously understand why.
—The truth was because he wanted her to "see" the world with him.
For that reason, he left his dress shirt and and blazer unbuttoned.
"Alright. That's it, I guess."
He was finished changing. He wasn't sure how it happened, but his mirror ended up broken. He picked up his phone and walked to the bathroom.
Tka!
He snapped a photo of himself in front of the mirror.
"That should be good."
He sent it to a few people. His aunt had told him to "send photos in his uniform", after all. He went back into his room to quickly retrieve his bag. He received a response from someone very shortly after.
(Maki: [You look so handsome, Nii-Nii! Have fun on your first day! I love you!])
He smiled. Though he received another message almost immediately.
(Maki: [Stay away from those hungry women! Nii-Nii is not allowed to have a girlfriend before Maki or Tsubomi-oneechan! On second thought, no girlfriend! Nii-Nii is mine!])
"Heh."
He couldn't help but smile sweetly. He sent his own message back while making his way downstairs.
(Sent: [Yes, Ma'am.])
He stopped when he reached the staircase. He looked down the hallway leading to the play— shrine room. He walked to the shrine room and stood ahead of the shrine.
"...How do I look?.."
…...
The house was silent. He smiled sadly.
"...Wish me luck…"
He exited and briskly made his way to the entrance of the house. His shoes were the only ones waiting at the entrance. He placed them on and opened the door. He looked back one last time with a bitter smile.
"...I'm off.."
With that, he shut the door to his empty home and made his way to the academy.
"Next is a right and…"
Issei read the directions on his map to the school while making a turn at a corner. It had only been a 7 minute walk and he was closing in on the school. Perhaps it was because he would jump trees and atop houses in certain areas to decrease the distance as much as possible.
[Partner….do you feel it?]
Issei placed his map in his brown school bag hanging on his right shoulder. He would no longer need it.
'Yeah. I feel them.'
He no longer needed the directions once he could feel the small flickers of presence off in the distance, as he closed in on his destination. His expression became dark, and his right eye shut.
'Devils.'
—Before he knew it, he had reached the large, open entrance to the school.
(Kuoh Academy)
That's what the sign above the gated entrance read.
'You think they can feel me?'
[Ha. Preposterous. With an existence such as yourself, who can eliminate his presence even during his slumber, there is simply no possibility of it. Our training was never for naught.]
'I see…'
Issei's left hand slowly wrapped around the necklace.
'...What should we do, partner?'
[We are the Sekiryuutei. We will not hide any longer. This place is your home is it not? Make your dominion known. We are the Dragon of Domination. Establish your dominance.]
"Heh."
Issei smirked.
'You know something funny, Ddraig?...'
He slowly opened his previously shut right eye. His grip on his necklace tightened.
'..I wasn't even asking you.'
—A glowing red eye made itself visible through his contact lens.
…OOOOHHHHMMMMMM!..
[—?!]
Certain students from differing grades, throughout the school, suddenly stood from their seats as chills were sent down their spines.
"Eh? Gremory-san? Where are you going? Do you need to be excused— Eh? Shitori-san as well? Where you students going?"
In only the short span of a minute, a large of group of students were running together in the new school building.
"Did you feel it, Sona?"
"Yes. I could not have ignored it."
"Buchou!"
"Yuuto, Akeno, Koneko. Follow closely."
"Yes!"
"Kaichou, what is going on?"
"No time. All of you, follow."
They soon exited the new school building together.
"There. Near the fountain."
One of them pointed towards the school's nicely designed, stone water fountain. They could see a figure standing in front of it.
"Stay behind us."
"Yes, Buchou."
"Sona, will you let me do the talking?"
"Yes, this is your territory after all."
The group began to approach the figure.
[They're here.]
'Yeah...'
Issei could hear many footsteps suddenly come to a halt a few meters behind him.
"What business do you have here?"
He heard the voice of a young girl call out to him. He did not answer. Instead, he slowly turned around to face the group.
—Chills
They could feel the chills run down their backs. The figure faced them with a dark shadow cast over his face. The only part of him that was visible through the darkness were his eyes. Most noticeably - one red glowing right eye.
But just for one moment, his hostility suddenly vanished upon laying eyes on one of them.
"M...Mari—"
—WRONG.
His mind abruptly halted. A soft wind blew through the woman's red flowing hair. That color was not red— it was Crimson.
The face of a certain young girl overlapped with the woman's own. Yet they were not the same. The soft wind blew through the hair once more.
"That hair…."
He spoke aloud with widened eyes. Two memories began to clash together through his head. Memories of a tragic day and the memories of a day long forgotten. The dots began to connect in his mind. The pieces fell together in place.
That hair. It was present on both of those days. Once, a little girl who bore it, standing in the clearing of a foggy forest.
Then, that day, high up in the night's sky. Glistening in the moonlight. Four figures floating together. One of which had hair that flowed in the night's breeze.
The very same hair of the person who stood before him.
"...Kk…"
His mouth made a small sound.
Slowly, his teeth grinded into an beast like snarl - and his glowing red eyes pierced through their souls.
They froze. An oppressing atmosphere like no other shot off from the body of the man. Like a dark blanket, it dimmed the light of the world around them into a dark red hue.
Hovering behind his form, they could see—
"...Gremory!.."
—A giant Dragon's eye staring them down.
CHILLS!
An overwhelming pressure was blasted off from the body of the man, or in their minds - from the large eye of the beast.
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHMMMMMM!
A few of the younger, weaker ones stumbled backwards and fell onto their backs. With such an overbearing aura, it felt impossible to stand. It felt impossible to speak. It felt impossible to breath.
The very best they could manage was to freeze like prey - beneath the gaze of a monster.
"..A.."
The one with crimson hair could only utter a sound. It was as if the gigantic, monstrous eye was so close - she could see her own reflection within it.
However—
"Eh?"
The pressure suddenly alleviated.
….
Before their minds could fully process that they were free from the beast's metaphorical grasp, they were caught by the sight of what seemed to be a normal boy. A boy with a confused expression.
"...You're…"
The one with crimson hair followed his confused gaze. It led to the person right behind her. A woman with long black hair tied into a ponytail.
"...alive?…."
The boy looked at the ponytailed woman with a confused gaze, but spoke in a soft tone. She took a step back.
"...Who…"
He averted his gaze with what looked to be contemplation. The one with crimson hair saw a chance to speak now that the pressure had finally alleviated.
"...W...Who are you?..."
—But the pressure returned the moment she spoke, along with the dark glare.
"..Devils.."
They could feel their skin crawl with his venomous words. It was as if they were standing in the presence of something they could not fight. In fact, it was every instinct in their bodies that compelled them to have the desire to flee. Despite that, they stood their ground with trembling bodies.
In all of her hesitation, gathering all of her courage, the crimson haired woman spoke once again.
"...W..What are you?..."
His glowing eyes burned through her soul. His gaze slowly shifted to the woman behind her.
As the seconds passed like minutes, his glare gradually began to lessen. Though the glare was still there to an extent, there seemed to be a small light in his eyes. The crimson haired woman asked him hesitantly, hoping to finally receive an answer.
"...D...Do you know her?.."
His gaze shifted back to the crimson haired woman, but it had become a chillingly hollow expression, devoid of emotion.
'...Ddraig….'
[Gremory. Hm, yes, it's familiar. I certainly do recall a similar name from my past. Judging from their power alone, two of them are certainly High-Class Devils. Not to mention, our encounter from a few years back, this finally confirms it.]
'What should we do?'
[It is up to you, partner. You have surely established your dominance well enough. You've instilled it within their beings. They cannot defy you. Not without the expectation of death invading their mind, at least. What we do next - is all up to you.]
For one short moment of the seemingly endless silence, his eyes shifted to the black haired woman, then quickly returned the crimson haired one. Finally, rather than hearing the bellow of a beast, they would hear the low voice of a man speak.
"...This place is my home.."
He lifted his arm up near his chest - and a quick bright flash of red blinded their vision.
"..My question is…"
Shiin!
What appeared on his arm—
"What are Devils doing in my home?"
—A red gauntlet with a green jewel.
—(The Red Dragon Emperor.)
The realization had finally set in. They were face to face with the one and only, current host, of the Welsh Dragon Emperor.
"...S...Sekir...yuutei…"
The crimson haired woman could only mutter out those words. There were truly no rational thoughts present in their minds. It was as if their instincts were easily overpowering their thought processes. They could only feel.
Feel the prickling on their skin. Feel the overpowering existence hovering above their heads. Feel the immense pressure planting their bodies firmly against the ground. Feel the burning heat against their open eyes. Feel the twitching of their bodies which refused to move. Feel the dryness of their mouths. And most of all - feel the innate desire to retreat.
...Shin...
An almost silent, tiny sound was made from the palms of the crimson haired woman. When she glanced down to it she could faintly see the light from a small glowing circle. A distress signal. One she had activated unconsciously. One that would only signal a certain person.
"..Oi.."
Her body turned as stiff as stone at the sound of a voice in her ear. Her gaze slowly shifted back upwards.
"What are you doing?"
—The tall, dark form was staring her down in the face.
[—?!]
"R-RIAS!"
The woman behind her suddenly moved - but his gaze snapped to her direction.
"—!"
She froze in place.
—The black and white images of her death flashed through her mind.
OOOOOHHHMMMMM….
The pressure that had continuously held down their beings, slowly but surely, began to gradually lessen. Second by second, which felt like years past, the overwhelming presence began to lift. They could feel their lungs take in miniscule amounts of oxygen. The sweat drops running down their foreheads no longer evaporated the moment they appeared. Their tongues began producing saliva once again.
"...Devils…"
His gaze returned itself down to the crimson haired woman near his chest. His form no longer held the same unbelievable presence to it as before. However, his cold gaze continued to hold mortifying darkness deep in his eyes.
"I am still awaiting your answer, Devil."
The low voice demanded of her. Yet, she could not speak.
"...V….Very well."
The one who had stepped up carefully beside her was a black haired woman with glasses. She maintained a stoic expression, but her hands were trembling.
"...Let us open a dialogue…"
His gaze peered through the lens of her glasses and felt its way into her soul. For the first time in her life, it had felt as if she was the one whose being was exposed to the world - and scrutinized thoroughly.
…..
The unbearable silence remained for what was but a few short seconds. Once they passed—
"Walk."
He stepped back and placed his hands in his pockets.
"I will follow."
…..
"...Very well."
The short haired woman with glasses turned on her heel.
"...This way."
The moment she turned she pulled on the arm of the woman beside her and whispered.
"Walk, Rias."
With the delay of a few seconds, the crimson haired woman seemed to snap out of her shock. But she could still not speak. She turned on her heel slowly and began to walk forward with her companion.
"...Let's go."
That was all the woman with glasses said before the entire group began to move slowly.
Once they were a meter away, he finally took a step forward, and followed.
[What will you do, partner?]
'I want an answer.'
The group slowly made their way into a different section of the large academy. There looked to be what was a small forest within it. As they entered the forest, the woman with glasses whispered to her companion.
"...Rias. Snap out of it. You must calm yourself. You are the protector of this territory. You said you would take responsibility did you not?"
"..."
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"...Y…..Yes….. I know…... I know..."
"...Good…... Is it possible to contact Sirzechs-sama?..."
She felt sweat run down the back of her neck, refusing to glance back, like the rest of her group.
"...N... I do not know….. It….. He noticed….. I am.."
She was too afraid to try again.
"...In that case….we are on our own…"
The woman with glasses finished grimly as they stopped in front of a,decrepit, Victorian style building. A silence permeated through the air once more.
"Here?"
He asked from behind them.
"...No."
The glasses woman very subtly tugged at her companion's sleeves with her fingers.
"...Inside."
The group slowly stepped forward, this time with the redhead leading them up to the building. She opened the door.
"You go in first."
He said (commanded) that plainly upon noticing their hesitation. The woman with glasses nodded her head and stepped inside. The crimson haired woman followed. After that, the entire group slowly filed in. He walked forward once they had all entered and began to follow. The sounds of the creaking wooden floors and stairs seemed so much more apparent compared to the dozens of times before. It gave them the impression that something monstrous was closely following begin them in the darkness. They did not look back once.
They passed only a few doors. One of which was locked and taped with what looked like seals. He could certainly feel something from behind it.
Finally, the group reached a room with double doors. They stopped collectively.
"...This is it."
The glasses woman spoke before her companion opened the doors.
—A dimly lit room with Victorian era design. The only light in the room was the peek of sunlight through the curtains of a window. Two sofas with a coffee table in between them. A desk sat ahead of the sofas. There was another entrance to the right side of the room seemingly leading to a separate area.
The group slowly filed in. A few of them went to light the candles that sat in different spots. Dim candle light colored the room in a orange or yellowish tint. The large majority of the group walked up and stood beside either side of the desk in front. The crimson haired woman stopped behind the desk and stood there with a cautious expression.
Creak...
The man— The Sekiryuutei, slowly stepped forward to stand in front of the coffee table between the two sofas. He stared down at the woman standing behind the desk, across the room from him.
A long silence sat uncomfortably in the air.
…..
"Answer my question, Devil."
The Sekiryuutei spoke. The crimson haired woman swallowed a gulp of saliva and announced herself.
"...I am Rias Gremory….. The heir to the Gremory clan and overseer of this territory.."
The Sekiryuutei raised a brow through his glare.
"Territory?"
She nodded hesitantly.
"...That's right….this town...is my territory…"
At that moment—
"Hah?"
—The Sekiryuutei displayed an expression of disgust as an ominous aura slowly creeped off his form.
"Your territory?"
—CHILLS
She used every ounce of her will power to speak.
"...T...This town….is under my...jurisdiction…"
"Jurisdiction?"
"..A.."
She hesitated.
"...Under my...protection…"
A few seconds passed until she could finally feel the pressure alleviate enough for her to breathe properly. The Sekiryuutei kept his cold gaze locked on her.
"Explain."
She hesitated before speaking.
"W…..Who are you?.."
He growled in irritation.
"Answer me."
Her body flinched harshly. Any sort of authority she held was instantly decimated.
"...T….There are times….when a High-Class family...may take ownership over certain lands…"
The Sekiryuutei's right eye twitched. Only then did it become apparent that the eye was no longer that of a human. It had been replaced by a green reptilian eye.
"Ownership?"
He growled in a low tone.
"What gives you the right?"
"—?!"
The crimson haired woman, now known as Rias Gremory, felt chills run down her back. The sharp, green reptilian eye held her in a cold stare. In every way it gave her the impression of belonging to a cold-blooded existence. She truly felt the impression of being a small prey locked in the sights of a large predator. There were even red scales surrounding the small area around the eye and its eyelid. Though the most disturbing detail, that went largely unnoticed, was most certainly the fact that the eye would blink with what looked like two different eyelids while making a small wet sound. It perfectly resembled the eye of a Dragon.
Rias Gremory had no answer.
"...I….I don't…"
The Sekiryuutei clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Tch!"
'Hmph. It's looking like our impression of Devil's being greedy, entitled rats isn't that far off.'
He thought that in annoyance and disgust. His eyes slowly glossed over every person in the room. Students of varying ages/grades. First years, second years, and third years. The strongest ones seemed to be the third years. Though, a majority of them were of similar power levels.
'Weak.'
They were weak compared to him. Looking at it objectively, the strongest individual was seemingly the Gremory Devil. Even then she was hardly half of his base strength, from a very generous estimate. For High-Class Devils, he felt underwhelmed in their presence. All together is the only instance they would pose any threat, and even then, he would surely obliterate them the moment his armor formed around his body. As it was, there was no fair comparison. He simply in another league altogether.
'Hmph. What low standards for "High-Class" beings.'
[Those of High societies are most likely to refrain from honing their skills. They are born with natural talent, and for that reason, commonly neglect any sort of proper training. They squander their potentials. Fools.]
Issei's eyes scanned the room once more. Until they landed on a certain woman with a ponytail. She flinched upon realizing his gaze. Rias took notice. There did not seem to be hostility in his eyes. Swallowing her unease, she took the opportunity for dialogue.
"...Do you know her?"
His hollow gaze shifted back to Rias. He glanced once more at the woman before averting his gaze elsewhere.
"No."
Though she did not question it, she did not believe his answer. With hesitation, she gestured to her companion.
"...Her name is Akeno…"
He did not respond, nor did he look to them.
"...Akeno—"
"—Himejima."
(—?!)
"It was Himejima….wasn't it?"
He said that while looking to the woman from the corner of his eye. Despite denying it before, he certainly recognized her. The girl from that day in the forest. The girl who was wrapped in a net. The one the Fallen Angel known as "Bal" was after.
The girl widened her eyes with what seemed to be a mixture of confusion and fear. It was obvious that she didn't recognize him. They never met.
"...You do know her…"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"No. Not really…."
"...How do you know of her name?"
He scoffed.
"The same way I know yours."
"Eh?"
She furrowed her brows in confusion.
"...W...What do you mean?"
For reasons unknown even to himself, a dark smirk stretched the side of his mouth as his gaze returned to her.
"Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. Rias Gremory. Himejima. Those are the three who left the forest that day. Right?..."
[—?!]
The two girls could feel intense chills run through every part of their bodies. A certain memory from the past flashed through their minds. A memory that no such person was present in. Yet he was there.
"...Y...You were there….you were watching…"
"Hmph. Not on my own."
"...Then….that thing I felt, that day….that was you.."
He scoffed at her reaction, as if irritated. One of her hands slowly hid itself behind her back as a small glowing circle appeared on it. Even without seeing the light, the Sekiryuutei lost his smirk and almost glared at her.
"I can feel it, Devil."
The circle immediately dissipated from her palm. She swallowed the lump caught in her throat.
"..Wh….Who are you?..."
This time, the smirk that appeared on his face was a bit smug. He lifted his arms and gestured to his uniform.
"Can't you tell by looking? I'm the new transfer student. Hyoudou Issei."
"...T...Transfer student..."
Rias furrowed her brows, believing it to possibly be some sort of rouse. But then another woman spoke in a low voice.
"...That name…"
The woman with glasses narrowed her eyes.
"...It matches the profile of the one who registered for transfer just recently... No, not only that. If I were to compare you to the photo provided with the file, it would certainly match as well... It seems that I didn't recognize you because of my shock. So you are the transfer student…."
Issei smirked smugly in her direction.
"Hoh. Considering that you have access to all of that info... You must be the student council President. I see. I couldn't have known since you weren't wearing your sash. "Souna Shitori", if I remember what it said on the paper. —No. Purebred Devils like you are born in a different dimension, aren't they? In that case, it wouldn't make sense for you to have such a "Japanese sounding" name. Most likely an alias then. Heh. Looks like that makes you the naïve one then, [Gremory]."
He finished by pointing at Rias condescendingly. They could only feel sweat run down their foreheads in response to his keen deduction skills. When living to keep secrets from someone as intelligent and observational as Satoshi, such skills will naturally develop over time.
Rias asked with hesitation.
"...What is it that you want?"
"Hah?"
He made a sound of irritated confusion while continuing to point at Rias.
"That's my line. A bunch of Devils like you— what do plan to do with my home?"
He asked with venom in his tone. They furrowed their brows in confusion.
"...I'm afraid I don't—"
However, before Rias could speak, the one called "Souna" stepped forward and spoke in a tone that was less cautious than before.
"Wait. Excuse me, Hyoudou Issei. If I may, I believe that a misunderstanding has taken place."
Issei raised a brow in annoyance.
"Hah?"
"You are correct in what you say. My true name is [Sona Sitri], not "Souna Shitori". That was merely an alias. You are also correct in your assumption of us being Devils. However, I believe there seems to be some sort of misunderstanding between our sides. Though we may be Devils, we bear no ill will or malicious intent towards this town or any who may reside in it. We are nothing more than the overseers to this place. Isn't that right, Rias?"
She turned her gaze to Rias beside her. Rias blinked multiple times before realizing the situation.
"... Yes..! Yes, that's right! That's right! We have no evil intentions towards this place whatsoever! This town, as well as this school, they are our home! Just as much as any other inhabitant that resides within this territory, I think of this place as my home! I am the overseer to this territory and for that reason I aim to protect it, not to bring any harm to it or any one of its inhabitants..! That is the truth..."
She spoke honestly with her hand over her chest. It went dead silent the moment she finished speaking.
….
….
….
Issei merely stood there with a shadow cast over his eyes. He made not a single sound. Not even a sound of breathing.
'...'
[It is up to you, partner. The only thing I can tell you is: there are no falsehoods in their words.]
…..
…..
They could only feel their nerves tense as the unnerving silence drew on. A sudden voice caused them to flinch slightly.
"..Protect from what?..."
He spoke in a low voice. The shadow over his eyes had yet to uncover his expression.
"..W-What?"
"You said 'protect'. Protect it from what?.."
Rias realized his question.
"...O-Oh! W-Well, that is— from any sort of outside or inside threat, of course…"
"...Threat?"
"Y-Yes. For example, Heaven or Grigori. Or, any other sort of group or individuals that could possibly pose a danger to this territory, or it's people.."
Issei's eyes narrowed. His hollow expression was finally clear to see.
"Heaven? Grigori?... Angels and Fallen Angels."
"Yes…. So you know of those as well."
"Ha!"
He gave a loud laugh that startled them a bit, before smiling darkly.
"...I know all of you too well."
'...Of humans, I know too much...'
The woman who identified herself as Sona Sitri asked him.
"Sekiryuutei, if I may ask, do you happen to be affiliated with the church?"
Rias eyes landed on the necklace hanging around his chest. It had gone unnoticed because his presence had overpowered practically any sort of feeling that could have emanated from it.
"Kkeh—!"
Issei made a beast like snarl that sounded like a snort of the purest disgust. It perfectly matched his utterly repulsed expression.
"Don't place me in the same bunch as those fucking repugnant, maggot-ridden pests."
(—!)
They were taken aback by his response. Not only did he exude a sense of disgust and rage like never before, but it wasn't even directed at them. They didn't feel as fearful of it because their instincts knew it was not directed towards them. It was almost as if he was looking at something else entirely. Surely, if that much animosity had been directed at them, they would have already assumed they were going to die.
All of that aside, they couldn't help find a small sense of comfort in his passionate disagreement. Rias spoke a bit more calmly.
"..I-Is that so? In that case, would you happen to be associated with Grigori then?.."
Issei scoffed at her question, though there was an obvious lack of any sort of negativity towards it.
"No."
Out of all the responses, that had seemed to be the least hostile. He holds not a shred of animosity towards Fallen Angels.
"I'm not associated with any sides. I'm on my own."
(—!)
That was something that grasped their attention. He was not affiliated with any sides. In other words, he was a free Sekiryuutei. This either did not bode well, because of his chance of rampaging, or it was the best possible outcome there could be. Nevertheless, they had to play their cards right and choose their words carefully.
"..Is that so? I see. So perhaps you are just a Christian then?"
Issei scoffed once more at Rias's question.
"Hmph. Yeah right….. I wouldn't believe in such a worthless God."
From this point on, Rias seemed to gain a bit of her confidence back as an almost unnoticable, relieved smile grew on her lips.
"..Really? Then, may I ask, why is it that you wear that cross?"
The room went silent.
…
Issei's hand slowly lifted to hold the necklace.
"...This is.."
His right eye shut as he lowered his gaze. Their eyes widened when looking upon his expression.
"...A momento…"
—A pained look of sorrow. His pout resembled that of a sad, innocent child.
….
"...I...I see…"
Rias cleared her throat before speaking calmly.
"..In that case, may I ask why you have come to this town, or even this school in particular? Have you come to seek refuge?"
Issei released his grip on the necklace and returned to his prior, no nonsense attitude. His right eye subtly opened back up.
"...This place is my hometown. I lived here long ago when I was a child. I just moved back here yesterday. That's all."
"Oh.. I see. So that's how it is. In that case, that would mean that you had no idea that we were here?"
"Obviously not."
"I see..."
Rias held a hand up to her mouth in contemplation. This was a good outcome. Feeling fortunate, she seemed to regain her confidence a bit. For that reason, she was able to proceed with a hopefully positive interaction. She nodded her head and smiled kindly at Issei.
"I see. Well, in that case: Welcome back, Issei."
—Issei's mind came to a halt. The dead silence from before had abruptly returned.
…..
…..
…..
…..
Drip…
"Are?"
Issei lifted his hand up to his right eye in confusion. There was something leaking from it.
"Wha..?"
He looked at the wetness of his fingers and rubbed it in between them, as if it was some foreign substance, with a confused expression.
—The source of his tears became apparent to him with the flash of an image. A distorted image. As if two images were converging into one. Two different colors of hair. Two different pairs of eyes. Yet two similar smiles. These images overlapped each other.
Two women with sweet smiles turned to greet him from two different kitchens in memory. Two women he loved so dearly.
—His mother, and his love.
("Welcome back, Ise/Écaille!")
…..
"...Excuse me, Sekiryuutei."
He was snapped from his vision with a call. His attention directed itself to the woman standing at her desk.
"..Forgive me if I overstepped boundaries. I should not have referred to you so casually."
She placed her hand over chest apologetically. Issei remained still for a few seconds.
"...Ah."
He wiped the right side of his face.
"No…. It's nothing."
A short silence hung in the air on both sides. Rias spoke calmly. The previous atmospheres of darkness and death seemingly disappeared.
"...Then if I were to sum things up, Sekiryuutei-dono — The reason you came here, was simply to live in secret?"
Issei placed his hands in his pockets and averted his gaze.
"...I just came home….to live peacefully."
A soft smile gradually grew on Rias's face.
"That is what we wish for as well... We simply desire to live peacefully and protect the peace and security of this territory..."
Issei's hair sat over his eyes, masking his expression.
"...You lot…"
He paused before speaking again.
"...You don't plan to use this town for your own 'purposes'?..."
Rias placed a hand over her heart and replied earnestly.
"I swear on my life and my pride as a member of the Gremory family, I will never have any intention of causing any sort of disaster or mistreatment upon this town or any of its inhabitants. I vowed to protect this territory and all of those who reside within it - and that is the only objective I have to complete."
The long, seemingly endless silence returned, one last time.
….
"I see…"
Issei averted his gaze, though his expression was still not visible in the shadows of his face.
"...In that case….. I suppose we aren't enemies then…"
Rias nerves finally fully relaxed themselves. She smiled kindly.
"Yes. That's right…"
"...I see."
Issei promptly turned his back to them.
"...In that case, I have no business here."
He took a step forward to walk out, but was halted by Rias's call.
"Ah, wait!"
"...What?"
"Would you mind coming here again tomorrow?"
"Hah?"
He turned back with a confused expression.
"For what?"
"Yes, well, even though we have cleared things up between us, I believe there's still some talking we should do. If we are going to coexist peacefully then it's best that we don't let any more misunderstandings take place, right? That being said, I also have a proposition."
Issei narrowed his eyes.
"...What sort of proposition?"
"I would like to ask you to join our club."
….
"Hah?"
Issei didn't properly process the seemingly random line.
"...Join...your club?"
"Yes..! You see, I and a few of my servants here, are a part of what is known as the [Occult Research Club]. In truth, this club is nothing more than a front so that we may carry on with our supernatural activities in secrecy, but that's why I'd like to ask you to join. Considering that you are also an, how should I say, "extraordinary existence" much like us, I think it's best if you are to associate with us in that manner. Besides, as overseer of this territory I believe it would do well to keep you under my supervision. No offense to you, of course. You can just as well think of it as keeping an eye on us too. So, do you agree to my proposition?"
Issei stared at her silently. He turned his back to her.
"...I'll come back in two days. Don't label me as part of your club."
"I see. Very well."
Issei began walking out without a word more. Or at least, until he reached the doors to the entrance.
"...Akeno Himejima."
Issei called out without turning. The girl flinched at the sudden call of her name.
"...Judging from the feeling you give off…..you aren't just a Devil, are you?…."
Her eyes widened before she lowered her head. Her fists clenched tightly. She did not answer.
"...That day…..at that time…..were you human?"
No answer.
…...
Dakun.
Issei grabbed the door handle and clicked it open.
"I see."
He opened one of the doors and stepped out.
"...It's good that you're alright…"
The door shut behind him.
…...
"..Huu…"
Rias exhaled lightly. She turned to her allies.
"It looks like it's over."
With that, a large portion of the group let out a collective heavy sigh of relief and relaxed their bodies. It made them sound as if they'd been holding their breaths for hours.
"Aaaaah, thank goodness, I thought we were going to die~"
"Uuu... My head hurts."
"I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"Can I please lie down, Kaichou? I'm very dizzy."
The group of students began lounging and gathering themselves after the feeling of pressure released from their bodies. Sona asked her colleague.
"What do you think, Rias?"
"What do I think? Well…"
She looked to the entrance he exited from.
"...He does not seem to be 'evil'."
Her gaze landed on the ground from which he previously stood. Small wet spots were present on the dark oak wood floors. Droplets of water.
"Is that what you believe?"
Her gaze switched to Akeno, who had quickly entered the adjacent room to retrieve tea for everyone.
"...No. He is not."
-I know you-
It was hours later. Issei's first day of school was over. An eventful day. Surely, he would never forget it.
[Hours earlier]:
"I'm Hyoudou Issei. Hope we can get along."
Issei introduced himself to his classroom blankly after writing his name on the board. The teacher smiled at his introduction.
"Alright. Good to meet you, Hyoudou-kun. We'll save questions for after class, since you're late."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh no, no, no. Don't apologize, it's alright. Now, you can sit…."
A few of the students began whispering to each other as the teacher scanned the room. A couple of them switched seats without the teacher noticing, leaving an empty seat somewhere in the middle.
"Sensei, there's a free seat here."
"Oh, I see it. You can sit there, Hyoudou-kun."
Issei sat down without objection. The teacher quickly continued the lessons after he was seated. Once the class period was over, his desk was surrounded by several students.
"Hey, hey, Hyoudou-kun. Um, did you just move here, Hyoudou-kun?"
Despite their needless gathering he didn't have any problem with answering their questions casually.
"Mm. Well, this was my hometown when I was young, but I moved away after I was 6. I only came back yesterday."
Another blonde boy asked him curiously.
"Why'd you move away dude?"
Issei's expression changed to one of sadness as his right eye shut tightly. He averted his gaze.
"...I moved in with my cousins after the [Kuoh disaster]...I...didn't have parents anymore..."
"Ah."
The atmosphere around him became a little awkward after his response. One of the female students standing beside the desk smacked the blonde boy in the head with a book while whispering "Idiot!".
"Don't worry, Hyoudou-kun. There's a lot of people who know your pain. I have a friend who lost her mom during the earthquake too. Her living room collapsed apparently. It was really heartbreaking to hear about. So, you're not alone."
The word earthquake resonated in Issei's mind after the pink haired girl had said it. That's right. None of the people involved with that incident have their memories except for Issei. He was lucky to be able to hide from the Devils until they left, but everyone else doesn't know the truth. Though they said he wasn't alone, he truly felt like he was.
"What type of girls do you like?!"
A random bald-headed student asked that, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. A few of the girls began tossing things at him.
"Ew! Go away pervert!"
"Don't try to twist Hyoudou-kun into learning your perverted ways!"
"Ah, hold on. I don't think you should be throwing things at him. At the very least, there's no reason to hurt him."
Issei voiced his opinion, much to the disagreement of the women.
"You don't get it yet, Hyoudou-kun, but these guys are bad news! They're always peeping on girls and doing perverted things!"
"Ah, hey! Stop trying to give us a bad name to the new kid! At least let him make a judgement for himself!"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Issei attempted to damage control the situation.
"Please calm down. If we can't talk then there's no way we can understand each other. At least let me talk to him myself."
"Ha! You heard him! See this is a sensible guy! I'm Matsuda by the way!"
"Matsuda. I'm Issei."
Issei shook hands with Matsuda while ignoring the cries of the girls around him.
"So what was your question?"
"What type of girls do you like?!"
"Oh."
Issei hadn't expected such an odd question, but he answered nonetheless.
"Um, any?"
The boy named Matsuda shook his head.
"No, no, no, no! Come now! We are men! It can't possibly be that simple! Surely you have a preference!"
"Preference?"
—The image of a girl wielding a sword elegantly flashed through his mind.
"...Ah. I suppose. Well, in that case, sporty girls, I guess? I like girls who have a good amount of energy and can channel that energy into something productive, like sports. I think I like those types. Also, preferably with short hair."
At that moment, it had suddenly become grossly apparent to Issei exactly how many girls he'd met in his life that are the cause of those preferences.
"Oh? Are you flirting with me, Hyoudou-kun?"
The pink haired girl asked while holding her chin up with her palm, against the desk.
"Hm? Do you play sports, um…"
"Katase. Yeah, I happen to be one of the Kendo club's captains."
"Ah, is that so, Katase-san?"
"Katase is fine. Can I call you 'Issei-kun'?"
"Sure, that's fine. So you're a Kendo captain, huh? That's cool. I am actually a martial artist myself. I've also trained in proper swordsmanship. European style, or whatever it's called."
"Really..! You mean real swordsmanship? Wow. What martial arts have you studied?"
"A few. Judo was my first. After that I did Tai Chi, Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, and some kickboxing."
"Wow! That's a lot! You must be quite the master then."
"Well, overall, I'd say that I have way more physical strength than skill. Though I have reached the rank of [2nd Dan] in Judo, which is considered a master in some ways. Ah, a black belt, in layman's terms."
"Wow, you are really sound like quite the impressive guy. You ever think about joining any clubs?"
"Mm. Not really. I don't think there are any I'm currently interested in, but the Kendo club sounds intriguing."
"Really? In that case, you should come check out the club sometime. My co captain and I would be happy to show you around."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
Another random girl with glasses and unkempt braided hair interrupted the conversation. Her glasses gleaned eerily.
"Hello, Aika Kiryuu, nice to meet you~ Say, Hyoudou-kun. Judging from your words, you don't have a girlfriend, do you?"
Her question seemed to gather the attention of those gathered and even a few of the students just minding their own business.
"Ah, a girlfriend? No, I—"
("Écaille! Let's go on a daaate~!")
…
"Heh."
Issei smirked.
"I'm afraid that my baby cousin told me she is going to marry me when we get older, so apparently, I am not allowed to have one."
A few of the girls giggled.
"Aw, how cute~ what's her name? Oh, do you have a picture?"
Issei brought out his phone. His wallpaper was Maki's smiling face. She changed it a month ago without his permission. He doesn't have the desire to change it. Nevertheless, he decided it was best if he brought up a picture of her when she was ten years old instead.
"Here. Her name is Maki. She's called me 'Nii-Nii' ever since she was little."
"Aaaaawwww~ she's so cuuuute~!"
"I just wanna squeeze her puffy little cheeks~!"
Issei looked at the picture lovingly.
"Yeah….. Me too."
The girl known as Aika Kiryuu asked him while adjusting her glasses.
"Say, Hyoudou-kun. Your face actually looks quite familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?"
Issei smiled awkwardly.
"Ah…. Well, there was once in the past when I got a lot of press for helping out a missing kid who had been abducted, when I was younger."
"Eh?"
She fixed her glasses once more.
"Wait…. You mean to say that you are that one kid who saved another boy from a serial killer and met the prime minister?"
"Ah…. Well, yes…"
The room went silent.
"...Um.."
Until the class shouted in unison.
[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?!]
[Partner.]
—Issei was suddenly ripped from his memories of the school day.
'Hm? What is it, Ddraig?'
[You asked me to remind you to purchase some "groceries" upon your return.]
"Ah."
He realized that he was already more than halfway to his house.
'Well, back to the convenience store.'
Din-Dun~
"Welcome~"
Issei entered the convenience store and began shopping for any essentials. Milk, eggs, rice packs, some ham, etc. Practically anything to cook into decent meals until he went properly shopping on the weekend. It was already early night by this time.
Issei browsed around in the cold section. His eye caught on to a couple familiar items. The first was an odd looking ice cream jar with green ice cream on it. A gelato ice cream. His father always loved gelato ice cream. He preferred products with low or no amounts of dairy to them thanks to his minor lactose intolerance. The other item that Issei's eye caught onto was a strawberry flavored milk. His mother loved to drink those after a bath. For some reason, Issei's right eye twitched when he laid eyes upon it. As if the item held some even more important significance subconsciously. He smiled sweetly.
'Heh….everywhere I go...you're always around me...huh. Mum, pops…'
He opened the freezer door and reached inside to grab the strawberry milk.
Slide.
—But as he reached for it, someone had already swiped the item away.
"Oh! Oh! I love this flavor! Can I take it?"
Issei turned.
Marie held the strawberry milk up next to her face and smiled brightly.
"Strawberry flavor was always my favorite!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
[Partner.]
—There was no one there.
…
Din-Dun~
"Thank you for shopping here~"
Issei walked out of the convenience store with his bag in hand. Completely silent. A few items, including a strawberry milk, were sitting in his bag.
He stopped in front of a stoplight and waited for his time to walk, despite the fact that there didn't seem to be any drivers around.
"Yes, yes. I'm on my way, Otou-san. I'm close now."
A young girl near his age stopped beside him while speaking over the phone. He ignored her conversation and got lost in his own thoughts.
"Yes, right now I'm—"
After a few seconds of abrupt silence, he felt a stare land on him. He thought it was best to ignore it.
"...It can't be…"
He decided he couldn't ignore it when he felt a hand grip onto his elbow. He looked down to the girl.
"Can I help yo—"
His mind came to a grinding halt.
"That face... It's you!... It has to be!"
The girl was looking up at him with shock. Soon enough, tears began to build at the edges of her eyes.
"...It's you! It's you! Do you remember me?! That day—! That day during the earthquake! You— You—!"
The image flashed in his mind. Pink shirt. Short brown hair. Blue eyes. A rabbit plushie in her right hand. Covered in blood.
"—You saved my life!"
—The girl he saved from the Nightwalker.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Drip..
Tears ran down the Issei's cheeks. A feeling of a long awaited relief washed over him.
"...You're...alive.."
Even from the distance, it could be seen that a young boy and a young girl were hugging across the street from a convenience shop.
Ding-Dong~
A doorbell rang through a random house. A man relaxing at a Kotatsu with what looked to be 2 daughters and a son spoke.
"Naomi. That's your sister, Haruka. Go get the door for her."
"Ugh. Why do I always have to get it? We might as well just leave it unlocked."
One of the girls stood and walked to the entrance of her house. She opened the door to see her sister.
"Tou-san said you're late."
She was surprised to see a tall young man standing beside her sister.
"Who is this?"
The girl with short, light brown hair gestured to the man beside her.
"This is…."
She smiled gently.
"...My hero.."
"...Hah?"
Her sister raised a confused brow.
"What? Did you fall in love or something? Tou-saaaaan! Haruka has a boyfrieeeeend! And he's an older guy tooooo!"
"Whaaaaaaat?!"
"...Haruka….you mean to say that...this boy is…"
Issei stood before the family sitting at the Kotatsu with the girl named Haruka standing beside him. Haruka gestured to him with a gentle tone.
"..That's right, Tou-san…. This is the boy who saved me that day. The one that I told you about. I told you he was real, didn't I?"
Issei bowed with the deepest respect.
"I am Hyoudou Issei. I…."
—The image of a severed woman's head came into his mind.
"...I am...so glad you are all okay…."
It was silent. For some reason, he could feel a great shame overcome him. Almost as if he believed he was responsible for something he wasn't. But—
"Thank you."
He was brought into an embrace by the man before him.
"You saved my daughter's life. Thank you, with all of my heart."
….
Issei fought back the powerful urge to weep. His body trembled in response to his struggle.
"...I'm sorry…."
The father patted his back before releasing him. Issei's gaze was suddenly drawn to something ahead of him. Standing at the left of the flat screen television the family was previously watching - was a shrine. A shrine dedicated to one woman. A woman who resembled the children.
"That's…."
The father followed his gaze.
"...Ah, yes…. My wife…"
Issei asked hesitantly.
"...May I pay my respects?"
"Of course.."
Issei slowly approached the shrine and knelt before it. He bowed his head fully, until his forehead touched the floor. The greatest respect he could pay. And for some reason, he found himself apologizing.
"...I'm sorry…. I'm sorry.."
The father knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his back.
"You have nothing to apologize for. You saved my— our daughter's life. She would have been truly happy to meet you."
"...I couldn't save her…"
"You were just a child. No one could have expected you to. Even just saving my daughter alone is an amazing thing. We couldn't be more grateful. All of us."
Issei lifted his head. He could not rid the image of her severed head from his mind as he stared at her photo.
"...Wait. If you say that, then…could it be that you were present in her last moments..?!"
"Eh?"
Issei noticed the family around gain a certain light in their eyes. He had unknowingly dug himself into a hole with his words. The father pleaded of him hopefully.
"W-What happened?! Did she have any parting words?! What did she say?! Please tell us!"
…
After a short silence, Issei averted his gaze and shut his right eye.
"...A...At that time…. I was already holding onto little Haruka-chan….. She….. She reached out for her…. The only thing she said was….'I love you'..."
Issei felt an unbearable shame wash over his being. He lied. He lied right through his teeth, just so he could comfort them. He felt like true scum. Haruka held onto her face as she began crying. Her siblings silently shed tears as well. The father simply nodded his head understandingly.
"...I see…. Yes, I see….. Thank you….. Thank you so much.."
Issei lowered his head shamefully.
'..Scum..'
"Thank you. Thank you for telling us….. I'm sorry you had to witness it. No child should have to see such things."
—The entirety of Issei's life flashed before his eyes when he said that.
"...Heh."
He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"...My parents... I found them as well…"
Issei turned his bitter smile towards Haruka's father.
"...I didn't make it on time…"
(—?!)
They realized the implication. The father looked at him sympathetically and patted his back lightly. But Haruka began crying.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!— It's—! It's my fault! If you it wasn't for me—! You would—!"
[—!]
"NO!"
Issei suddenly whipped around and shouted.
"No! You're wrong! It's not your fault!"
"But—! But—! If it wasn't for me—! Your parents would—!"
"No! Don't say it! It's not true! It's not your fault! None of it is!"
—Every memory from that day clashed together violently in his mind .
"Not a single thing..!"
Haruka's father placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That's right. None of what happened was anyone's fault. This was something that was not caused by anyone. That's why, no one should blame anyone. We should just be thankful for whatever we still have. Right?"
'...Blame...'
—The color of crimson seeped into the back of his mind.
Haruka wiped her tears.
"Yes…. Thank you for saving me…"
Issei lowered his head.
"...Thank you…"
He lifted his head back up with a painful smile and tears running from his eyes.
"Thank you for being alright!"
Haruka's father stroked his head gently. Issei could feel just a bit of the loneliness in his heart from the past day wash away.
[—]
"Amazing! Not only were you the boy who saved our little sis, but you were also that hero boy who was on television a few years back! You truly are a hero, Hyoudou-san!"
One of Haruka's older sisters said that with astonishment after Issei revealed the detail of his past. They were sitting together and eating snacks at the Kotatsu. Haruka's father sat on one side with his son, Haruka's two sisters sat together on another, and Issei sat on the side facing the tv with Haruka (inexplicably) sitting beside him. Issei rubbed the back of his neck with a smile.
"No, well, I wouldn't say "hero"... Hehehe."
"Are you kidding?! You literally saved two kids while you were a kid yourself! Twice! That's twice! One of them was from a collapsing ceiling and one of them was from a damn serial killer! There's no way that's not amazing! You shouldn't have just met the prime minister, you should have a statue built in your honor!"
"Ehehehe…"
Issei could only laugh awkwardly at the other sister's response. They seemed to be twins. They were also the oldest with Haruka being the middle child and the son being the youngest. Judging from his current age, the son must have been a mere baby when the incident took place. Haruka's father smiled and took a sip of his sake. His face seemed a bit red from drinking.
"Yes, I agree. It certainly is unbelievable. And yet it's all true. Ah~ Yes, with this I can finally feel at ease. If it's someone like Hyoudou-kun taking care of my daughter, then I can surely rest easy as a parent."
"O-O-Outo-san!"
Haruka shouted at her father with a strong blush. Issei merely laughed.
—For the first time in what felt like hundreds of years, yet was only even a day, Issei felt truly happy.
-DxD-
"Mmm…"
Issei cracked his neck as he crossed a bridge. His second school day ended without incident, thankfully. There were still many curious students bombarding him with questions, but he didn't mind for the most part. The odd boys known as the "Perverted duo" were quite persistent with their inappropriate questions however. And tomorrow, he'll have to visit the Devils, as promised.
"A-A-Ano!"
"Hm?"
Issei stopped at the sound of a voice behind him. He turned his head back.
"A-A-Are you Hyoudou Issei?"
He was met with an unfamiliar young girl in a uniform he didn't recognize. However…
"Ah."
Issei turned fully to face her.
"Um…"
He rubbed the back of his neck lazily.
"What do you want, Fallen Angel?"
"...W-What?"
End
This chapter truly made me cry multiple times. If you thought it was hard to read it, imagine having to immerse yourself within the characters in order to write it properly. Jesus fucking Christ. I lost my father when I was young, but I can't imagine what it's like for people who have lost both fucking parents. Fuck. My heart goes out to all of those people. I hope you're alright.
Anyway, this does take place a tiny bit before cannon does initially. Cannon storyline takes place a few months into the second year of Issei's, well, second year. He is actually 16 when the series starts out. We know that because it's confirmed that his birthday is somewhere in early April and Volume 5 takes place during the summer, which means that Issei's birthday had already passed him that time, AND Issei states himself during the summer that the Raiser incident took place "a few months back" THEREFORE, this timeline is accurate. It's just that it takes place a couple months before initial cannon. Maybe only like a month and a half before then. That doesn't mean that things won't take place like in Cannon, as made obvious by the cliffhanger!
So yes, Issei is back home now. I did say last time that the story would be lighter but I'm not sure what many of you thought when I meant that. You see, the prologue was always meant to be the darkest and most fucked up parts of the story. It's exactly what ties Issei's personality together. Looking back at it now, it honestly feels beautifully crafted, not to toot my own horn or anything. It's just that everything feels so nicely connected. I honestly think this will turn out to be the most interesting story of its kind because most, if not all, stories like this just gloss or skip Issei's past entirely. But I feel so much more satisfied and accomplished seeing it all tie together in a beautiful, fucked up bow.
Ah, also, got you with a curveball there didn't I? I bet you weren't expecting this Haruka character now were you? From the beginning it was planned. Why did you think I gave such a detailed description of her in the first chapter? Hell, even one of the students in Issei's class referenced her. As for her appearance, I thought that [Mimura Kanako] from [Idolmaster] was a good choice. But with blue eyes.
Lastly, I told you Marie would have a significant importance with Issei's character. So much of it. If this didn't prove it, I don't know what will.
So yeah, tell me what you guys thought.
Did you feel emotions during this chapter? What do you think of Issei's character at this point? What did you think of Issei's first encounter with the Devils? Did it go anything like you thought it would? Is Issei a monster, a man, or just a child? What will happen between Issei and the Devils from this point forward? Did you ever expect for the little girl (Haruka) to make an appearance? What part did you enjoy best about this masterpiece of a chapter (in my honest opinion)? And most importantly, what the Hell do you think is gonna happen next?
Read, Rate, Review go crazy.
Stay frosty.
[P.S. It's 8AM and I haven't slept the whole night. I usually upload these chapters at 6AM with no sleep. The things I do for my passion of writing. I am actually probably going to die lol.]
