AN: It's been a few days. No worries, we aren't dropping this (at least, I haven't heard that we are).

Canon is here, so the snowball of what happens because of that will be fast approaching. I hope you enjoy.

Reviews are a nice way of giving motivation for the next chapter btw.


Waking up and knowing that somebody his age was in the house was an odd sensation, Issei decided. Certainly more odd due to the person's gender, but odd nonetheless. Growing up, he had occasionally had Matsuda or Motohama over for a night or two, but more often than not it was him staying at one of their homes. Of course, it was odd in large part due to the thousand-year old Dragon that now permanently resided between his elbow and thumb, but beggars and Red Dragon Emperors couldn't be choosers, Issei thought to himself.

Sighing to himself as he stood up, the broad-shouldered young man made his way over to the bathroom. It was a Saturday, so there wasn't any school to contend with for another two days, which was good, as it gave him time to collect himself after the big revelation last night gave him.

Truly, it was mind boggling to think that there was more to this world than Issei could even dream of. So, with that thought in mind, Issei sought to prepare himself.

Staring at his arm, Issei said internally, "Ddraig, let's put your words to the test."

The Boosted Gear flared up, the green gem in the middle of the back of the hand shined with a particular light. "Boy, you're going to wish you didn't say that."

(-)

BOOST, BOOST, BOOST, BOOST, BOOST, EXPLOSION, RESET!

"Gah-" Issei cried out, bile pooling in his mouth.

"Your body may be stronger than a normal human's, but it still has a limit. A feeble one at that," Ddraig bellowed out.

"Ise, are you alright? Do you need to rest?" Asia asked, worriedly.

"Nah, I'm just getting started! You can take a rest if you need to. I dragged you out here fairly early, so you must still be tired," Issei said.

"No, Uwaaah," Asia tried denying before yawning, "I'm not tired!"

"If she says she's not tired, then her determination shouldn't be denied, Ise," Sai said, relaxing his body as he waited for Issei to resume the spar.

"Fine, she can do what she wants then," Issei said, "Anyway, how did your gym even get this good, Sai? It seems too convenient that we can go all out with no trouble."

"Well," Sai said with a sweatdrop, "It's not like it's foolproof. I didn't have much time to put together a proper home gym, so I asked for my peerage to provide some… provisions so I could do my thing without being bothered. Perhaps the magic in the walls is more powerful than I give it credit for."

"It just sounds like you don't know anything about what the magic really does here," Issei deadpanned.

"Ha! That might be it! I know some things about magic, but it's not my specialty, breaking bones is."

"That sounds like you're missing out on some power that you could use," Issei muttered, "Anyway, Ddraig, what's the point of all this?"

"You don't have a handle on your power yet," Ddraig assessed. "You merely haven't seen just how many abilities are at your fingertips. I wish to break down your body from the ground up to better suit the Boosted Gear, but to do that, you must first know what you can do and what your real limit is," Ddraig said menacingly. "Now BOOST again!"

"Don't hold back, Ise!" Sai said as he entered his fighting stance.

"You're going to regret saying that!" Issei said as the green gem on the Boosted Gear brilliantly brightened up.

(-)

"D-Did I get kicked out of the workout room by Sai of all people?" Issei asked. He was in disbelief as he walked.

"I-I was the one who asked Sairaorg-san to kick you out," Asia said, lagging behind in step at her words.

"Hmm, you wanted to perhaps spend some time with me then?" Issei asked, matching Asia's pace.

Asia's face could be mistaken for a tea kettle with how much steam was visible from Asia's blush. "N-N-No! That was not my intention. I just thought that you might need a break. Y-You were working really hard after all!" Asia said.

"Ah," Issei muttered, "Well, I guess I was due a break. And hey, I get to spend some personal time with you. That's fun, right?"

Asia's silence to the question made Issei look back over at her to find that she had overheated. 'Huh, I guess I teased her too hard. Maybe I can make it up to her with lunch. She was really excited to eat out with me last time,' Issei thought. Leading her over to a ramen stand, he greeted the owner saying, "Hey, Mr. Agawa. Seems like business is moving slowly. The lunch rush hasn't come in yet?" The area was a little quiet right now, so Issei opted to make some inoffensive small talk.

"You're a little early, y'know. Anyway, get to your order, you're holding up the line!" Mr. Agawa barked out good naturedly.

Issei laughed, "Alright, alright! I want two shoyu dishes. Normal noodles all the way through except for with the 2nd order. I'd like those noodles to be softer. Medium portions for both thank you very much."

"Hmph, and I bet you want your usual sides to go along with it, right? Is your second order for her?" Mr. Agawa asked, gesturing towards Asia.

"That's right. She's a friend of mine who's going to be staying in Japan for a while. She already enjoyed the meal at Mr. Koshikawa's, so I thought I'd send her to the real stuff!"

"Hmph, that may be the most artificial compliment I've ever been given. I'll have to make you really mean your words by satisfying your stomach then!" Mr. Agawa said, turning back and getting to work on making their meals with a few part-timers in the back.

Asia shivered a bit out of surprise when she suddenly felt Issei's hot breath over her ears. "Mr. Agawa and Mr. Koshikawa have a bit of a rivalry when it comes to their shops despite how different they are in setup. I hope you don't mind the meal being ramen again, but I thought you'd like another shot at them."

"Eep!" Asia squealed. "I-I don't mind. I hope to get better at using chopsticks!" Asia said, determined.

"Alright, here's your bowls," Mr. Agawa said, looking away with no further comments.

Issei, noticing this, took a look at Asia's bowl to find a surplus of quality sides inserted into the bowl, even more than what he ordered. 'He sure is a softie despite how he looks,' Issei thought. "Itadakimasu," Issei muttered before slurping on his noodles. Asia clumsily followed in suit, doing a little better than last time.

'You should go back to the devil boy's gym directly after this if you wish to make any tangible progress today,' Ddraig internally warned.

'I could make some progress today? That's earlier than I'd expect. I'd praise your training methods if it didn't result in so much aches and pains.' Issei responded, butthurt about how much more it hurt to do supernatural training over the previous hellish human workouts he did. 'Ah, I forgot to tell you Ddraig. I can't do much more training today. I have work today.'

'Well quit then!' Ddraig bellowed, 'You only have so much time until your identity is going to be known to every threat out there! Do you really wanna take that chance of your safety being disrupted because you slacked around for some menial pay?'

'Maybe you have a point,' Issei sighed, 'but, for right now, I just gotta do what I gotta do. Besides, there's someone I want to get some advice from.'

'You should be more cautious. There's no telling how many people are already aware of you. From what you've told me, those devils might already have suspicions.' Ddraig almost sounded like a scolding parent rather than a super-powered dragon stronger than Issei could even fathom.

'So, this is gap moe, huh. I was never really into it when Matsuda talked about it,' Issei thought.

'What was that!' Ddraig roared.

'Nothing. Anyway, don't worry so much about the devils. Sai can back us up if need be and from what I've sensed, he's by far the strongest devil in our vicinity.' Issei finished the thought by finishing off his noodles with a loud burp. "That was some good stuff. How's yours, Asia?"

"I-it's soo good!" Asia replied with sparkling eyes. "I really liked all the cute additions that decorated the noodles. Although I wasn't familiar with the food itself, it was one of the best things I've ever eaten!"

"Ho, ho. That's high praise," Issei commented. "Ya hear that Mr. Agawa? Your finishing touches were really appreciated!"

"Bwa, shut up and get outta here already. And don't come back unless you pay for more," Mr. Agawa said, his eyes not directly looking particularly at Issei or Asia.

'His wife must tease him a lot,' Issei thought. Slamming the pay on the table, Issei said, "Yeah, of course! I'll bring a whole party next time. Be sure to accommodate us then! Keep the change."

Issei led Asia, who was still in a euphoric state over a filled stomach, over to a nearby bench that was next to a small playground for kids. While Asia rested her feet, Issei stretched his back, feeling his straining as he decompressed back to his stance. "So, how about we hit up the arcade for a bit? We can kill time for about an hour before we head back to Sai's place for a bit. At that point, I'll have to head to work. You can head home then. Does that sound good?"

Asia looked embarrassed as her euphoric state dissipated, "U-uh, that's good. I just wanted you to have a larger break from training than just a small time for water. Y-you don't have to go this far, Ise."

"Why not," Issei said, holding out a hand to lift her up, "that's what friends are for."

Asia kept one arm close to her chest as her other hand hesitantly grabbed Issei's hand, "I guess I'm just not used to that yet, haha."

Pulling her up, Asia stumbled into Issei's arms accidently. "You should get used to it then. I won't allow anything less," Issei said with a smile. When he looked down for just a moment, the megawatt smile that had overtaken Asia's face was so pure, Issei could feel his heart cramping up for just a moment.

'Is… Is that a normal thing for humans?' Ddraig asked, his tone quite obviously concerned. Issei just grunted in response, choosing to say nothing and instead bask in the embrace for just a few moments longer.

The walk to the arcade was fairly long for the two teens, one bone-tired and the other simply unfamiliar with the layout of Kuoh. What would have normally taken Issei fifteen minutes took the pair almost forty-five, the blonde and brunet strolling leisurely through the peaceful streets of the small city, stopping at multiple major junctures for Issei to point out various landmarks and other useful information for his new roommate.

When Issei and Asia finally arrived, the cuter one of the two was enamored with the impressive selection of games to choose from.

"W-where do we even start?" Asia asked, her eyes swirling as she was overwhelmed.

"Hm, how about the dance machine? You'll get to witness my sweet moves and I'll even teach you some if you want."

"B-but what if I fall or something?"

"Well…" Issei said, stretching out the word with a sly grin on his face. "Then I guess I'll catch you. Simple."

"Oh," Asia said, a blush overtaking her face, "Let's try it then."

After paying the appropriate amount of money, Issei and Asia were standing next to each other ready to start. The song Issei selected was a bombastic disco song with slow and flamboyant gestures that Issei thought would be easy to follow along.

Once the music began, Isse's feet began to move in a practiced rhythm. Asia on the other hand, while sloppy at first, began to pick up some energy.

Issei couldn't help but smirk as he looked over at the careful movements of Asia while he easily registered the required inputs. While Issei didn't dance often, he was skilled enough to play the game. Playing alone wouldn't be all that fun, but with Asia, Issei figured he could dance all day.

Asia even started to cheer herself on with a continuous chant of "Fight," as she moved to the beat.

The song's climax began to speed up as Issei and Asia moved faster and faster to match the movements. Issei wasn't breaking a sweat, but Asia was very clearly slowing down. As the song began to wrap up, Asia tried to move her leg behind her, but she tripped over herself.

But her body didn't meet the ground.

Surprise came over Asia as she felt the warm embrace of Issei, gently holding her up from falling.

"Why're you so surprised? Didn't I tell you that I'd catch you if you fell?"

Asia nodded with a small blush quickly getting darker.

"Oh, look. 99.9% accuracy. Tch, I was one off." Issei said, looking at his score.

"Oh, I hope that wasn't because of me!"

"It wasn't," Issei said, reassuring her by ruffling her hair, "I- uh made a mistake when I was checking on you earlier. I didn't think that one mistake would come back to bite me though!"

"O-oh, that's good. Uwah, not that you made a mistake but-"

"I know what you mean, Asia. No worries. These games are here for us to enjoy, some stress about. Now did you have fun?"

Asia nodded with a determined gaze, "Of course! It was hard at first, but it felt so satisfying when I could predict the movements with the song."

"Well maybe we have a dancing queen on our hands," Issei teased, "Anyway, let's try out some other games. There's lots more to check out!"

Issei guided her to one of his personal favorite games, the traditional fighting games. With Asia on one arcade console and Issei on the other side, Issei attempted to teach Asia a few easy inputs to combo attacks.

"Don't forget to follow up with pressing A after following through with the down-right opener. You need more than just the directions to attack, Asia." Issei said, taking it easy while allowing her to figure the controls out.

"It-it's so much to remember! How do you do it, Ise?" Her excitement was very contagious.

"I've put a lot of time into these games. I'd be worried if I couldn't remember a few things."

"Why did you switch to that one pretty lady who kicks for all her moves?" Her question was because of Issei's earlier character choices. He usually enjoys playing the few muscular men fighters who tend to play with powerful slow moves. If anyone asked him why, the answer would be because they're just his style of intimidation.

Although, Issei does play other characters sometimes for the obvious benefits. "She's just nicer to look at."

"A-ah," Asia stuttered. Although Issei couldn't see her, it's easy for him to imagine her face brightening up in red. "You like long legs then?"

'That was a random question.' Issei thought. Answering, he said, "I like a lot of things. Your eyes are kind of my type for instance."

Issei instantly saw the effects of his teasing because the character Asia was controlling was stuttering all over the place .

"I-I wa-."

"Ah, I won."

Issei quickly took Asia to a seat to rest. After a few snacks, Issei checked the time to find that it had been a little while and their time at the arcade would soon come to an end.

"I want to try one last thing," Issei said, taking Asia along to a certain corner of the store. The corner where most arcade goers wasted all their money that is.

"Woah, those animals are so cute!" Asia said, admiring the stuffed animals behind the glass. "What is this game?"

"The claw machine. An incredibly unfair game that aims to make us waste our time."

"Oh, really? Then how are you going to beat it?"

"With a few tricks that I've honed over the years." Issei was particularly cryptic in his tone, eliciting anticipation to swell in Asia.

Inserting a few coins, Issei guided the claw over to a fat plush of a yellow rat mascot to a pretty popular series.

"There!" Issei called out, eyeing a loose tag that was there, probably because of an arcade worker's negligence.

The claw lowered and with one hook, one of the claws threaded the needle and hooked the tag.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Asia clapped her hands together in celebration.

"Those are the easy tricks. It's common for some tags or any loose parts to be the best capture target. The real challenge begins now!"

Issei's claw zeroed in on a pink galaxy destroyer hidden under the guise of a cute face. It had nothing on it ensuring its capture but Issei already knew how he'd do it.

Steadying the claw a little beyond the middle of the plush, Issei lowered the claw onto the plush. The claws, although rigged with its sensitivity, had a special quirk. At a certain angle, capturing onto the big part of the figure ensured that the claw's grip, even if loosened, didn't drop the item.

Asia let out a big gasp as Issei inevitably handed the plush to her. "He's so cute! Are you sure I can have both of them?"

"Of course, I got them for you. It's good that you like them both. It'll be a nice souvenir for you to keep until we go next time."

Excitement lit up Asia's face even more, "I can't wait until we visit next time. The arcade is so much fun with you, Ise!"

The pure happiness Asia showed in her smile caught Issei somewhat off guard. "We'll have to go again then," Issei said.

'I hope that day will come soon. Although I have to train hard with Ddraig's guidance, these moments are what I'm fighting for. I just hope they never come to an end,' Issei thought with a content smile.

The two passed through various machines at the arcade, whittling down the tokens they had purchased from the front desk. By the time they needed to head back to Sai's, the young Red Dragon Emperor had won Asia a staggering total of six plush toys, four candy bars, and a fluffy hat, the latter of which he had very happily placed on the blonde's head.

"Alright Asia, I have to head back to the gym now. Are you sure you'll be alright at my house for the rest of the day? The spell still working and everything?" Issei asked, not entirely able to keep the worry out of his tone at keeping his cute friend happy and safe, given the insanity of the last few days.

Asia gave a beaming smile in response, nodding resolutely. "Y-you've done more than enough as it is! I'll be totally fine, and I'll see you when you get back right?" The blonde looked up at him, all bright blue eyes and innocent hope. Issei's heart cramped again.

"This really doesn't feel like it's healthy," Ddraig helpfully supplied; he was, as usual, summarily ignored.

After a long hug and a goodbye better reserved for 20th century men leaving their wives to go fight in wars, a goodbye that almost assuredly gave every man, woman and child in a 50 foot radius an insulin deficiency, the two separated, Asia walking to the bus station that would take her almost directly to the Hyoudou residence's doorstep. Issei took off at a brisk jog, the trees and scenery of suburban Kuoh fading by in a rush of greys and greens as the brunet teen made his way towards his friend's apartment.

In a few minutes, he had reached the front door, knocking sharply on the white wood. "Special delivery for tall, buff and addicted to weights," the teen announced, chuckling quietly to himself as Sai's sullen face greeted him on the other side.

"Just get your ass in here and get to training." The older teen replied, not entirely able to keep the grin off of his own face after a moment. It was these moments that Issei felt most comfortable; even with a world of nightmares and monsters come to life, even with said nightmares and monsters apparently gunning directly for him and his friends, it was training that he knew; it was training that he understood.

The two didn't speak much for the rest of the night. Their camaraderie was one of actions, not words; a terse grunt as Issei pushed through the final repetition of a set conveyed far more than any eloquence he didn't happen to possess possibly could. Ddraig's advice was a clear help, the timeless dragon chiming in to offer words of encouragement as Issei powered through his exercises.

"Take a minute and rest, Ise." Sai announced, Issei rising up in one smooth motion as he re-racked the barbell. "I've got an idea here."

"Oh?" Issei asked, a wry grin threatening to overtake his face. "That can't be healthy for you." He joked, only barely avoiding Sai's response: a half-empty water bottle chucked towards his head at speeds akin to a minor league pitcher.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up at poor old Sai, not like he's scooped your ass out of the fire a million times by now." Sai replied with ease, rising to his full height and looking towards his younger friend.

"Here's what I'm thinking. So far, you've been passively using your Sacred Gear's abilities when you needed to get that last rep out, or when you felt like you had no energy left but wanted to finish a workout. That's great because it acclimates your body to what it feels like to be Boosted, and I'm sure that it's a huge reason why you can handle five or six boosts right off the bat."

"Is that good?" Issei asked, a rather befuddled look on his face. Five or six boosts was great when fighting a human like that creepy Priest he had killed the other day, but Issei had seen how Sai moved. Five or six wasn't going to cut it against something like that.

"Oh absolutely," Sai responded. "If you weren't the fitness freak that you are, hell, if you hadn't built yourself up day after day the way you have, I'd be surprised if your body could handle two or three boosts. No offense man, but humans are fragile."

Issei wanted to say something in response, but ultimately Sai was correct. At the end of the day, even an Olympian athlete at their peak would crumple like wet paper before the average Supernatural fighter. "So, what's the solution here?" Issei asked.

"It's a lot of the same principle as everything else we use in the gym: progressive overload. Right now, your body can handle five Boosts for a few seconds before Ddraig activates Explosion and then goes into Reset, where you won't be able to do much at all. That's going from zero to five in fifty seconds."

Issei nodded, following along so far. He didn't have much control over the rate at which he Boosted; it seemed to be a flat ten seconds regardless. Similarly, he simply didn't have the bodily vitality or endurance to contain more than five or six boosts before Ddraig had to 'open the gates' and release the stored energy.

"Think of what you've been doing as strength training." Sai continued, gesturing animatedly with his arms as he went into a full-blown fitness rant. "You're going up in difficulty as fast as possible, trying to build up to the heaviest weight you can manage and then go up. Let's try something closer to hypertrophy training instead."

"As you already know, lean muscle mass and strength are correlated, but they're not as strictly causative as most people think. Sure, if you're huge then you're likely strong, and if you're strong then you've got a fair bit of lean muscle mass, but plenty of bodybuilders are significantly heavier than powerlifters, and plenty of powerlifters have much heavier one rep maxes than most bodybuilders. Let's stop training you like a powerlifter, because you don't have the fundamentals for it: your body simply can't handle that heavy 'weight,' so to speak. Let's train you like a bodybuilder, and get your body up to the point where five or six Boosts is a breeze."

Issei's mind was racing a mile a minute. "So what's the plan here?" He asked.

Sai didn't respond, or rather, he didn't respond with words. Instead, Issei found himself shooting to his feet, stumbling backwards in shock as he narrowly avoided a swipe from the larger man. "Simple!" Sai roared out, rocketing forward and grabbing his friend in one smooth motion, a single bound taking the two down the stairs and into Sai's basement gym with a thunderous crash.

"You get one boost, and we're gonna see how long you can hold it fighting against me."

Issei simply groaned, settling into a crouch, arms splayed out and forwards in a wrestler's stance. A Dragon's work was never done, it seemed.

(-)

"I said I was sorry!"

Issei clicked his tongue in annoyance, before wincing yet again, even that small motion bringing forward yet another wave of nausea to the brunet teen.

"You can take your sorries and shove 'em up your ass, Sai. Next time you want to pull some shit like this, I'm bringing a Bible, a Talmud, AND a Quran with me."

The cause of the rather surly response was a goose-egg sized lump on the back of Issei's head, courtesy of a particularly enthusiastic hammer fist. The two had been darting around each other for over an hour, Sai obviously holding himself back so that he was only a little faster and stronger than Issei. The young Red Dragon Emperor had to learn to fight in poor conditions, outmatched, outnumbered or any other calamity that could and most certainly would befall him.

They simply didn't have the luxury of time, and Issei needed to be able to stand on his own two feet sooner rather than later, else a Supernatural threat would surely end his life.

Issei had held up the single Boost for the entire time. At first, it had been laborious beyond belief, actively and consciously choosing not to Boost diverting his attention away from the fight. Sai had quickly disabused him of that notion, laying into the brunet with staggering punches and kicks, at one point shoulder-checking him down to the ground and driving the wind from his lungs.

When Issei got back up, he sprung forward, howling with rage as he wrapped his arms around Sai's knees and lifted up in one smooth motion, attempting to suplex the older Devil. The Bael didn't let him get away with it so easily, driving two chops into the crook of Issei's elbows to numb the limb and loosen his grip. In a real fight, he would have surely followed it up with a knee to the face or any number of attacks, but Issei needed to fight for as long as possible, not as hard as possible.

By the thirty-minute mark, the two were drenched in sweat, Issei idly wiping his lip with the back of his hand, a thin line of blood seeping down with a steady pitter-patter onto his shirt. 'Mom's not going to be happy with this,' the teen thought to himself, jumping backwards as Sai rocketed forward yet again to engage in hand-to-hand.

By the time the hour had finished, Issei was seated on a bed of ice-packs, bundled in more of them and holding one in each hand. His entire body hurt, a soreness that felt like it wouldn't ever fade.

"You working tonight?" Sai asked, grabbing a handful of the ice-packs from behind Issei and swapping them out with a practiced air. Issei grunted in affirmation, leaning forward with a hiss as he gingerly came up to his feet.

"Ah, shit. Here, it's not true healing, but this might help." Sai said, flicking a small green-tinged ball of energy from his finger at Issei. When the formless mass connected, Issei pulled in a startled breath, his whole body thrumming with energy.

"What was that?" He asked. Sai chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Like I said, it's not true healing magic; I've always been a failure with that sort of thing. This is a mixture of Touki and Devil Magic. I'm not really healing you, but I am lessening the muscular soreness and encouraging your body to produce more proteolytic enzymes for the next hour or so. It'll keep you on your feet long enough to work your shift and get to bed, anyways."

Issei grinned, thanking his friend as he tenderly walked out the door. It was time to head to work.

(-)

Upon arriving, Issei's guard was immediately up. Someone or something had an almost suffocating presence with power that rolled off the area.

"This power, I've felt it before!" Ddraig contemplated.

"What the hell is something like this doing here?" Issei asked. His mind raced as he contemplated being in the position to save his boss and the other customers. Clearly, this was not the place for them to be.

Before Issei could do anything though, the boss said, "Hey, Issei, Mr. Zaz was asking about you. He's over by that first boat." The boss pointed in a casual gesture.

'This is not the time!' Issei internally said. Really, what is this power?

"Issei," Ddraig called.

"What partner? Do you know who is releasing this power?"

"Maybe," the dragon said, "It's coming from this 'Mr. Zaz' fellow. That's the only being I can sense in that immediate area and that's where the power is coming from. I don't know how such a being could have such strength. I'll need some time if I'm going to identify the identity of this 'Mr. Zaz'."

'Could it be that Zaz is an enemy?' Issei contemplated. As he recalled his past interactions with Zaz, Issei came to one conclusion. 'No, I've known him for too long as a weak human for him to wait until I've awakened my sacred gear. I don't believe that I've been deceived this entire time.'

With this in mind, Issei approached the middle-aged looking man. "Hey, there's something we need to talk about."

Zaz turned to meet Issei's eyes and in that instant, it felt as if the older man was looking past him. His face seemed to darken as his head looked down before his head suddenly jerked upright.

"Ah, I see. That's how it is. You've finally awoken your sacred gear!"

"Ehhh?" was all that Issei could express as he didn't know how to process Zaz's greeting.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Y Ddraig Goch."

"I told you your identity was going to be revealed," Ddraig muttered.

"You know Ddraig?" Issei questioned.

"That's the most probable explanation, isn't it? Unfortunately, it'd only be half correct. I know Ddraig mostly by reputation and I'd assume the same about me."

"Ah, now I remember! He's a leader of one of the factions. He's-

"Azazel, that's the name that Ddraig should be providing to you right now, right?" the man in question smirked.

"You're the leader of the fallen angels? The very same Fallen Angels that kidnapped Asia?" Issei's guard was raised again as he connected the dots of what Zaz's true identity meant.

"The girl with the Twilight Healing Sacred Gear? That was an unfortunate event to occur. As the leader of the Fallen Angels, I apologize for their actions." His broad bow surprised Issei.

"So, that wasn't something authorized by the Fallen Angel faction?"

"Of course not," Azazel answered firmly. A smirk came on to his face as he asked, "How about we chat about this over some fishing?"

Issei allowed himself to go along with Azazel's antics and so the two went out on the boat and continued their conversation.

"So, if you didn't authorize that attack, that means you've got some problems of your own to deal with," Issei commented.

"Indeed. It's been an issue that's been cropping up recently. I don't know who is orchestrating this dissent but I intend to find out and stop them."

"Then what are you doing here? If you have time to fish with a teenager in school, it doesn't seem as if you're too busy. Your subordinates must hate you," Issei commented.

A tick mark could be observed to have appeared on Azazel's forehead as he made his rebuttal. "You're not just any old teenager though, are you? You're the Red Dragon Emperor of this generation! You have a lot of growing influence and your strength means a new wave of change is coming. Growing rapport with you is an important mission!"

"Oh yeah, about that," Issei muttered, "How long have you known about my Sacred Gear?"

"Eh? The entire time of course," Azazel deadpanned, "You're kind of late to the party. Just because you've been training with that Bael boy doesn't mean you're in on the ins and outs of the supernatural world."

Issei facepalmed as Ddraig provided an explanation, "Azazel is a known Sacred Gear researcher who has experimented with several over the years. It's likely he could tell just at one glance at you, even if the gear itself was dormant inside."

"I hate you sometimes, Azazel," Issei grunted.

The twelve-winged fallen just laughed, "Hey, I didn't mean to find the new Red Dragon Emperor, it just sorta happened! Our interests also just happened to align, so I thought it wouldn't be so bad to see what you were all about!"

Issei nodded along, pretending to follow along. "And?"

"And what?" Azazel asked, the smug expression not leaving his face for even a moment.

"And what's your opinion, you shitty old man!" Issei retorted, his bluster not managing to faze the Fallen Angel in the slightest.

"Well…" Azazel stretched out the word, looking entirely too self-satisfied for Issei's liking. Just as the brunet was about to lose his patience and shove the old coot off the boat, Azazel spoke. "You've got potential, that's for damned sure."

Azazel's tone was severe, quiet but all too serious. This wasn't Issei's fishing buddy, the eccentric old chain-smoker that liked to make small talk with him at work. This was Azazel, Governor-General of the Grigori, a being that had existed long before Issei, Sairaorg, or any living creature in Kuoh; he was one that would, in all likelihood, exist long after.

"This training that you do with the Bael boy, it's good. A solid start, certainly a step above most humans I've come across. You're new to all of this, obviously, but you've seemed to take everything as a challenge or a lesson to be learned so far in the time I've known you. I don't really see why you'd stop with that attitude now. So, what's my opinion?" Azazel spoke to the teen, looking him straight in the eyes.

"My opinion is that you're a bone-headed idiot, but you're just the kind of bone-headed idiot that's going to do great things!" He exclaimed, a deceptively strong grasp pulling Issei in for an entirely unexpected noogie that had the brunet flailing and cursing.

"Oi, get off! That's not funny Zaz!" Issei managed to slip free after a frankly humiliating ten seconds, popping up in a motion that almost tipped the boat as he pointed at the Fallen.

"I'm trying to take this seriously, you know? I have people to keep safe here." Issei's voice was firm, his resolve readily apparent to the much older man.

"You know, that name of yours, it's pretty fitting. A bit ironic, you don't think?" Azazel responded, lazily pulling out a cigarette and lighting it now that the intense moment had passed.

"My name? What's my name got to do with anything?" Issei asked, pulling back with a slight grimace to avoid the errant cloud of tobacco smoke blowing his way.

"Well, your parents named you Honest, and your last name means Soldier. Getting stronger? Training hard? Hell, even taking in that Twilight Healing girl, my mistakes on that aside. Everything you've done for as long as I've known you has been to improve yourself in service to a higher calling. How can I not find it ironic, the sincere soldier gearing up for a battle he knows nothing about. It's damn near poetic, you idiot boy."

Issei just stood there, his face screwing up as he tried to take in what the Fallen had said. For a moment, it felt like he would say something, but as the seconds stretched well into a minute, the brunet was silent.

The Red Dragon Emperor squared his shoulders, his chest held high as he looked directly at Azazel. "Can you help me?"

Azazel grinned, flicking the butt of his cigarette straight up. As the inch of filter flipped end over end, the Grigori Governor snapped his fingers, a burst of sparks incinerating the paper in a flash. "Oh sure, why not? First, I need to go have a little chat with my wayward crows, eh? Get some things straightened out."