Chapter 9: Final Days.
Issei stands in the gym with dummies around him, each wearing a different set of clothing. 'It worked with the potatoes, so it has to work with these.' He thought.
Issei puts up his hand and slashes the air in a downward diagonal and a gust of force rushes from his hand and towards the dummies and the clothes on them shift and move, but stay in one piece.
"Damn!" He readies himself again. "Maybe I'm not focusing it enough." He slashes the air, same thing happened.
[What are you trying to do, partner?]
"You're in my head.." He slashes again, "You figure it out!" Once more, nothing happened.
[Hmmmm, the ladies won't like what you're trying to achieve.]
"I don't care!" He stands and yells into the room while holding his left arm up. "The enemy of man is clothes! Hiding what we truly want! Boobs!" He lowers his hand and readies once more.
"If I can't rip the clothes off every woman and look at their glorious boobs, then there is no meaning for me to become the Harem King!" He slices the air and a huge gust of force heads to the clothes. Small rips and tears form on the clothes.
Issei stands look at the clothes. A large small starts to form on his face.
"IT WORKED! YAHOO!" He jumps into the air and falls back down and runs to the clothes and looks at the tears.
[Well...]
"I'm almost there! I just need to focus more, then all their clothes will tear off of their bodies and their bodies will be shown to me to look at!" Issei smiles, imagining clothing being ripped and off by a mysterious force and the reactions on the faces of the women. And the boobs.
"Oh the glorious boobs!" He yells to himself.
"Oh my, oh my. Such a lustful technique."
Issei straightens up and turns around slowly, to find Akeno leaning on the wall and he hands behind her.
"W-what are you doing here?" Issei asks, backing away.
"Watching. And waiting." She starts to walk to him.
Issei's back hits the wall. "Waiting for what?"
"Oh, I need to ask of you few things, but that can wait a little longer." She jumps on Issei, making him fall on the ground and Akeno on top of him.
Issei opens his eyes and a smiling Akeno. She sits up and straddles him. He doesn't try to move.
"Now. I need you to explain something for me." She says seriously.
"What?"
Akeno puts her hand into her pocket and pulls out a large black feather. Issei's eyes widen.
'Damn!'
"Do you know what this is?" Akeno's tone isn't as cheery and happy as it usually is. It harsh and firm.
"I-it's a feather painted black." He answers.
She grabs the color of his shirt and pulls his body up and then pushes hi back down.
"Don't lie to me! Do you know what this is?!"
"It's a Fallen's feather."
"What is it doing here?!"
"I don't know!"
She does it again.
"What is it doing here?!"
"You wouldn't believe me if I tell you!"
Akeno's eyes widen. She let's go if his shirt. "I might if you tell me."
"It's-it's from one of my...friends." Issei looks to the side.
"Friends? You have friends that are Fallen Angels." Akeno slid off of him.
"Yes. You may not believe so, but not all Fallen Angels are evil and power hungry."
Akeno stiffens up and she looks at Issei in disbelief.
"That feather could have come from any of them, which one? I don't know. I've told them not to use the gym cuz we, as in the Devils are using it for them moment." Issei stands up and offers his hand to her.
"Oh...what do you feel about them in general?" She takes his hand and stands.
"I really don't mind them. As I said. Not all Fallen Angels are bad. I'm my going to hate a race of people for one person or a group of people's actions. Me being a Devil and having Fallen Angel friends support that." Issei takes a breath and smiles.
"Say you or anyone of the ORC is a Fallen Angel. And a Fallen Angel killed my parents. I wouldn't hate you." Issei's smile widens.
Akeno's looks at Issei as then suddenly hugs him.
'I knew it.' "Wha-why are you hugging me?" Issei acts shocked.
Akeno leans back and smiles. "N-no reason. You're a very kind person." She let's go of Issei and backs away. "Do whatever it takes to defend Rias and beat Riser."
"Yeah. She gave me a third life. I'd gladly die for here."
Akeno get a little sad. "Good, train hard, but not too hard. Who know what I might do if I see you sleeping with a shirt off." She licks her fingers.
Issei shivers. "Yeah."
Akeno starts to walk out of the room. "You know, Rias was the only person to take me in after an incident that left me alone and hurt. Take care of her, please." She whispers before leaving the room.
Issei turns back to the dummies. 'I hope Asia won't be mad. I never thought my new power could do anything like this so I had to borrow some.'
Asia looks at the clothes that Issei just walked in with. The clothes that she had let him borrow last night were torn a bit, but still in tacked.
"What did you do? You said you were going to practice something." She asks.
"I was testing a new technique and I they got damaged on the process. I'm sorry." Issei hands the clothes to her. 'I wish they were torn and ripped to shreds.' Issei looks down saddened.
'What's wrong with Issei?' "What's wrong?"
Issei looks back up. "Oh, sorry. It was nothing. The technique I was practicing isn't working how I want it to."
"Oh, well I hope you get it. I'd like to see you use it one day." Asia gives an innocent smile.
'I hope so to, Asia. I hope so too.' Issei smiles and images Asia's clothes being ripped from her body.
"Well, if you need help mending the cloths I can help."
Asia looks at Issei. "You know how to sew?"
"Yeah, I learned in the church. They teach you weird things."
"Oh. That's right. You were in the church...hey Issei?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you help me?" Asia looks up at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you said that you were high up in the church, so I thought that maybe you knew of me and how I was band from the church, so I thought that you found me because you were looking for me. But I might be over thing things. Sorry to bother you." Asia was about to run and leave, but Issei grabs her arm. She froze.
"You are right. I did know of you. I actually wanted to see and visit the proclaimed Holy Priestess. But I was unable to. Soon I found about how helped a Devil and were accused to be witch. I argued with the church that it wasn't an act of heresy and you using god's gift to help others."
Asia stood frozen.
"God gave you your gift to help others. Even though you are a Devil, god would still be happy that you are using his gift to you to help others." Issei let go of her arm and Asia spins around and hugs him tightly and cries on his chest.
"You didn't do anything wrong Asia. You only did what was right." Issei rubs the back of her head. They stay like this for a while.
Soon, Asia leans back and dries her eyes. "Thank you, Issei. Thank you so much." She looks up at Issei and blushes to see his smile.
"I don't need thanks. You are a good person Asia. No matter what anyone says." Asia hugs him again. She closes her eyes and leans on him. She soon starts to fall asleep listening to the sound of his heart.
Issei picks her up and carries her to her bed and sets her down. "You matter what Asia. They'll never take the pure light behind your eyes."
Issei stands and walks out of the room, closing the door slowly to not make any noise.
"You did a good thing." Issei freezes and turns around slowly to see Koneko and Yuuto behind him.
"How long?" He asks.
"We saw you carrying the bundle ripped of clothes. So from the beginning." Yuuto says.
"Oh. Well..."
"..You did good for a pervert." Koneko turns and leaves.
"Is she always like that?" Issei looks to Yuuto.
"She's had a rough past. As do well all. But more importantly. Is what you said true?"
"Yeah. I found about the event and tried to see if I could do anything, but the judgment was already past and everything I said what though back at me in the name of God. Bullshit. God didn't want people to hate each other or get hurt."
"Hmm. The church doesn't do what it's supposed to do?"
"No it does. But they also abuse that blessing of God like gun. It should only be used for good. Not for dangerous intent. There was a project that the church approved, but the lead scientist abused he power and tortured the subjects. The project failed and killed all them."
Yuuto's eyes wide and he teeth starts to grind.
"I was personal sent to kill the man and save any subjects. But he was gone and there were no survivors. That's when I started questioning the church. It was the fight with the Exorcist and Asia's incident that made me leave the church. As an Angel I know what they are supposed to do that they don't. They take things to seriously and abuse the blessing."
Yuuto looks into Issei's eyes and find the hurt and anger as he said those words. He tried to calm down before talking.
"It's ok. You're no longer with the church so now you can fight them as a Devil." Yuuto starts to walk off.
"And who knows, maybe you'll find him and some survivors." Yuuto turns the corner and walks off.
Issei smiles and walks in the opposite direction. 'I already found one.'
Issei walks back to his room and lies down on his bed. He looks up to the ceiling.
"I need a bath."
Issei walks back outside...slowly. He looks to his left and right and in front of him to make sure that no one is in the outside both.
"No one. Good." Issei steps I the water and sits on a rock in the open. 'Not going to make the mistake of going behind a rock.'
He closes his eyes and starts to relax.
Soon after, the door to the bath opens and someone walks into the bath.
"It's occupied." Issei says, trying to warn the figure that he was here first so they didn't yell, scream and hit him,
"Oh Issei. I didn't know you were here." Issei opens one eye to see Rias standing with a towel covering her waist but leaving everything else out in the open.
Issei scrambles and tries to hide his face and lower area.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Rias climbs into the bath and opens a book.
Relaxing, but still looking way. "Oh ok."
"This is actually a good time to talk with you." Rias flips though her book.
Issei turns around and looks at her. Her skin looks soft and smooth and her hair gently flows in the water. But what he was looking at most of that her breasts that were floating a little bit I the water. He caught a few glimpse of her nipple. He then looks at her face and finds she's wearing glasses.
"Um...if you don't me asking, do you have poor eyesight?"
"Oh these?" Rias pulls the glasses off her head, "No, they're just glass in frames. But I use them to help me think." She puts them back on.
"Oh. What are you thinking about?" Issei almost forgets that they're both naked. 'She is so relaxed, it's like she doesn't care that were naked...maybe...'
"Hey, Prez?" Issei blushes.
"Yes?" She looks up at him for her book.
"Are you always this open with everyone? I can see why with the girls, but with me and Yuuto? Have you done this with anyone else to make to so relaxed?" Issei asks casually.
Rias looks at him with a blush and drop her book into the water. "NO! I'm not someone who shows her body to anyone, just certain people! And Yuuto isn't one of them!" Rias widens her eyes. 'Why am I so relaxed in front of him...we haven't been together that long and he's a pervert.' Rias blinks.
"Sorry, sorry. Calm down. I didn't mean it like that. It just you seem so calm when anyone else would hit me if I saw them naked." Issei raises his hands.
Rias sits back down with a thud. "Well anyway I was looking for you and I wanted to talk to you about the game."
Issei gets serious. "Yeah, what do you want to talk about, prez?"
"It's about Riser. Actually, no, it's about WHO he is, his name."
"You mean Phoenix...the immortal bird."
"Yes. I'm guessing you know about that family's ability."
"Yes I do. It's one of the most dangerous abilities. It gives the person parcel immortality and can regenerate any body part and organ." Issei puts his hand under his chin.
"Correct. Though there are ways to kill a Phoenix, we can't use them in this fight. Death is part of the risk in Rating Games, but the rules rule out any of the objects that are needed to kill a Phoenix. It was also part that he was chooses to be my fiancée for this reason."
"I do know a way to beat one down."
Rias looks at him shocked. "How?!"
"The second way to beat any man. If you can't beat his strength, beat his mind. Even of his body is immortal, his stamina, sanity and will aren't. If we can break him mentally, then the size, strength or immortality doesn't matter." Issei smiles.
Rias looks at Issei. 'I would never think about that.'
"Well, it's just a thought. I don't know very much about that type of stuff. But I do have a question thought." Issei leans forward. "Why do you hate Riser so much? I mean, yeah he is a burnt chicken dick, but do you have any other reason?"
Rias look to the side.
"My name. Rias 'Gremory'"
Issei thinks for a second. "I don't understand.
"I am a Devil from the House of Gremory. Rias 'Gremory' that name will follow me."
"Oh, I get it. People don't see you as Rias. But as a Gremory. They don't think about you as a person, but just your name."
"Correct. Riser wants me for me name. That's why I love living here in the human world. Almost no one knows about the Devils and such, so they know me as Rias Gremory. Not Rias of Gremory."
"Oh...do you hate your name?"
Rias shifts her body. "No I don't. I'm proud to be a Gremory. But I wish people would see me, as me. I wish that the person who loves me, loves me for being me. Not like Riser who only wants my name. It's a small dream, but I want to cherish it." Rias picks up her book.
Issei leans back and puts his hands behind his head. "Well...I see you as you."
"What?" Rias looks at him again.
"I see you as you. Yes I do know about you are a Gremory and your statues as a Devil. But I couldn't care less. I'm an Angel myself, the natural enemy of a Devil. And here I am. I see you as you. The kind, smart and 'bountiful' girl that resurrected me from the dead and gave me my third life after I was being too stupid."
[Ha]
"I only care about what that person means to me. Not what their name or family means. To me, you are my Prez."
Rias stares at him with red cheeks, a large smile and a tear about to fall. "Well, I'll get going for now. Thanks for the talk." Rias gets up and leaves quickly.
"I did I say something wrong?" Issei said to himself, watching Rias's smooth naked body get out of the water and into the house.
Rias leans up against the wall that separates the bath and the changing room. 'Why...why do I feel this way...am I...falling in love?'