AN: *Silence* *Even more silence* Oh...Hi...um...I'm so so so sorry about the long wait for this. I've had some trouble writing this and i also got caught up in a little thing my friend and I are making so...But I did not forget about this! So here you all go; the first chapter in the second arch! And thank you for you patience.
Chapter 14: The Challenge and a Familiar Figure.
Issei looms out of the window of his class room. Starring at the numerous women running and playing games. But it wasn't just the women themselves; it was their jiggling breasts that he mainly paid attention to. He was smiling to himself until he saw one girl look right at him from down below.
'Crap.' He thought to himself as a short, but tough looking girl with white hair and hazel eyes looked at him, glaring. The feeling he felt from her glare sent shivers down his spine. Quickly, he turned he head and looked forward to the board, where the teacher was writing some question in chalk.
"Who remembers the lesson on the Protestant Reformation of last year's history course?" The older looking teacher asked. Multiple students raised their hands, and the teacher smiled. "Good, today's lesson will be a continuation of that unit. Now, please answer these questions in your notebooks the best you can. I wish to discuss the answer in half an hour. And please, Issei, actually do the work and stop staring out the window, I know you lived in Europe so you know the material and all, but it is unfair to the class." The teacher pushed up his glasses and Issei swore he saw the lenses shine in the light. Issei laughed to himself as he started to write. After a discussion with the class on the topic, the bell sounded, signaling for the class to end. "Oh and don't forget, class. The school's annual athletic week is next week so train with your clubs as hard as you can." The teacher said before walking out. Issei stood from his seat and walked over to Rias, who was politely chatting with Akeno. He smirked and stood with them, causing some commotion in the class room.
"So what are we going to be doing for the Sports Tournament, Prez?" Issei asked. The one in question looked to him with a sense of determination.
"I was hoping that we could skip club activities to work on training for this." She looked with fire in her eyes. "I'm not going to let Sona and her Student Council win this year!" She declared, causing all of the students in the class to cheer for her. Issei smiled weakly and looked at her in disbelieve at how she caused the class to become too hyped up without intention.
'A natural born leader.' Issei thought to himself. "Anyway, you said you wished for me run an errand this morning, but you forgot to tell me what it was." Rias looked to Issei with realization.
"Oh, sorry, Issei. I got so caught up with work I forgot to tell you." Rias looked up and then back to Issei. "I need you to stop by the Student Council Office and hand something to Sona during our Lunch period." Rias turned around, picked up her, and started to pull out a sealed folder. "Once you give it to her, I need to stay and watch her read it. And report back to me with what she says." Rias handed him the folder.
"Why? What's in this?" Issei asked. This caused Rias to smirk.
"It contains some of my usual paperwork and what not. As well as a little wager for her and her Student Council." Rias smiles and notices the next teacher walk inside the room. "We should get back to our seats, class is about to start up again." Rias, Akeno, and Issei all go back to their seats and wait for the day to pass.
Class ended and lunch started, instead of heading to his usual play to eat, Issei to the opposite side of the building to meet with the Student Council President in her office. Sona usually eats there during her lunch along with most of her peerage. Issei stood in from of the wooden door with a brass plaque with 'Student Council Office' engraved into it. With two knocks and a moment later, the door opened.
"Please come righ..." The one who opened the door fell short of their words at the sight of the one on the other side. The two glared at each other, one of fear and the other of determination.
"Saji! Stop blocking the door and let the person in!" Someone yelled. Saji jumped in fright and was dragged from the door, once gone, a new person stepped in Saji's place, a women with long black hair and blue glasses. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Hyoudou. Sorry for the delay." The women said. Issei laughed lightly.
"It's alright Tsubaki. And call me Issei, we are friends." Issei said, making the latter smiles and walk away, dragging Saji across the floor. Issei laughs to himself when he noticed that Saji was limp. Tsubaki walked over to her a chair and dropped Saji in it before walking to her desk and sitting down.
"So is there anything I can do for you, Issei?" She asked. Issei held out a folder.
"Prez requested I hand this to Sona directly. Is she in her office?" He looked to the door to his left.
"Yes she is; you can walk in there. She is only eating her lunch." This statement caused Saji to stir back to reality and curse on the inside. Not one had he had lunch with Sona, and now Issei is going to have a chat with her! This enraged Saji to the point of fire forming in his eyes. Issei shook the thought off and walked right in the room.
Once in, he found Sona sitting at a well made desk eating rice out of a bento box. She notices the second figure in her lonesome room and speaks. "How way I help you, Issei?" Sona out her chop sticks down. Issei held out the folder to her, to which she accepted and started to open.
"Prez told me to hand this to you." Issei took a seat at one of the chairs in front of the desk.
She looked at all the papers, everything was the usual paperwork, but on paper caught her attention the most. "Ah, so I see." She out the papers on her desk and looked to Issei. "Tell Rias that I accept her challenge. And the conditions are duly noted." She smirked. "Is that all?" She asked politely.
"That's all that Prez told me to do. But I would like to ask you a few questions before I leave." Issei held he hands to his chin as he put his elbows on the desk.
Sona looked to him in curiosity. What did he have to ask her? "You may ask."
"How did you get that information on me?" The question surprised her. "I know to church would rather destroy the information on me then to let it get handed to a Devil, and I know Heaven wouldn't have handed it to a Devil without it going through the Satans' hands. And it sounded like none of them even knew I existed. So how did you?" Issei eyes her carefully. Sona on the other hand sighed.
"I got it from Lord Gremory, Rias' father." Sona looked back to him. To which his eyes widened.
"So Rias' father knew...but he told Sirzechs he didn't know I'm an Angel." This fact surprised Sona as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"You being an Angel wasn't stated in the file. But it didn't say you were human either. Normally when the church or any of the factions make a file on someone, they state what form of being they are; Human, Fallen Angel, Devil, Angel and so on. And in your file, that whole line of text was blacked out. So I came to the conclusion that you weren't human, Devil, Fallen or anything of that sort because the church would never agree to have those races as church members. And if you were part of another faction or race outside of the Three Biblical Factions, the church wouldn't need to hide it. So the only logical conclusion I could come up with was that you were an Angel, and my guess was right. That was why when I visited the ORC when you fought Saji, that I brought my peerage with me. I felt your Holy aura at the church from the school building so I knew I was right. It was very faint, but I still felt it." Sona pushed up her glasses. Issei looked down thinking.
"Thanks." He smiled and looked to her. "You really are as clever and smart as they say." Issei laughs to himself as he finds a faint blush appear on her cheeks.
"Y-yes. Now please, I have work to do." Sona picks up some more papers to act like she is working. Issei stands and leaves, passing a distressed Saji on the way out. He looks back to her through the open door.
"We should play chess sometime."
Issei sat down on the sofa in the ORC club room next to Koneko. Ever since the battle with Riser, everyone in the peerage has become friendlier with each other. Rias sat at her desk and looked to her peerage. "Well, I think now is the best time as ever to take Issei and Asia to get there Familiars, don't you guys think?" The people besides the one mentioned looked to her and then to each other and nodded their heads in agreement.
"Familiar?" Asia asked as she looked to her master.
"Yes. A Familiar is like a pet, but they are bound to the Master until death and both the Master and Familiar gain a unique bond that lets them see and hear what the other does." Rias explained. Asia looked up with stars in her eyes as she imagined a pet she could play with and have fun. "Here, let us show you guys our Familiars." Rias snapped her finger and small bat like creature appeared from a puff of smoke. "This is my Familiar. You may not recognize her Issei, you have met her before." Rias smiled. Issei looked to the bat like creature. And then suddenly it started to glow red and take the shape of a human; to be more specific, a female. The one who gave him the flier before his date with Yuma.
"Ah. I thought it was weird when I saw that women hand me your flier, but I didn't see her here in the club. Sweet." Issei smiled, he then heard a little meow of a cat, so he and Asia turned to Koneko to find her holding a tiny kitten on her arms. Asia squeezed from the Familiars cuteness.
"Her name is Shiro..." Koneko said. Then a call of a bird and Yuuto stood with a bird on his arm.
"Nice bird." Issei commented. Issei then looked to Akeno, "What is your Familiar, Akeno?"
Akeno smiled a small little monster demon that looks like an Oni. He stared up at her and smiles. "Isn't her cute?" Akeno smiles and picks the little monster up and set him on her shoulder.
"Cool, when can we get one?" Issei asked.
"Three days. The Familiar Master only takes on peerage at a time and it's like luck, whoever gets there first get to get a Familiar, so we have to be fast." Rias smiled. "Familiars do more then be pets too, in Devil culture, they can help pass out fliers and sometimes do contracts of able to. So if you guys are about to get a familiar that can do that, it would be helpful. But in honesty, I think Asia will get a Familiar like Koneke's. Small and cute with a little surprise. And I think Issei could get something more. I hear rumors of a hydra living in the Familiar Forest." She looked to Issei with a smile. Issei looked to her in disbelief.
"I may be powerful, but not that powerful. But...I think I have an idea on what I want as my Familiar." Issei brings his hands to his chin.
"So you also wish to go to the Familiar Forest?" A voice said from the far side of the room. Shocking everyone, they quickly turned to find Sona and her Queen standing by the opened door.
"Ah, Sona! I'm glad you could make it." Rias greeted the newcomer and welcomed her inside. "I take it your brought your peerage too?"
"Of course. This is a matter that involves them too." Sona walked in with the rest of her peerage behind her.
Rias looks to the two males in her own peerage. "Issei, Yuuto, can you two go into the next room and get some chairs for everyone, and maybe a table or two." Both men nod and walk into the next room over, followed my Akeno, who went to go make some tea. Seeing this as an opportunity, Saji walks up to Asia and tries to hit on her and persuade her that Issei is nothing compared to him, and that he has gotten stronger. This of course caused Sona to try and retaliate, to save her pawn from the dragon, but it failed. As Saji was trying to make some moves on Asia, Issei walks up behind him and glares. Saji felt like something bad was going to happen and so he tensed up and turned his head around slowly. What he saw was the man that beat him to a pulp without even touching him, glaring at him with a creepy smile.
"Hello Saji." Issei said. "Care to move away from Asia. I would hate if something bad were to happen to her." This scared Saji, as Issei cared more about Asia getting hurt, than what Issei would do to him. Reacting, he quickly rushes behind his own master in an attempt to scare off the monster with a stronger being.
"Saji. Stop being a scared cat and get out from behind me." Sona ordered.
"Looks like your pawn is very lively, Sona." Rias complemented. Sona lowered her head and sighed. Issei stood next to Asia as everyone dispersed so Rias and Sona could talk. After discussing the matters of the visit to The Familiar Forest, they decided that a tennis match will decide which peerage will go.
"Alright, so next week, during the Tennis Matches, the winning team will get to go to The Familiar Forest." Rias said to the Devils in the room. They all nodded.
-Challenge Day-
"Prez, you can do it!" Issei a shouted from the side lines of the Tennis match that was being played out before him and the rest of the school. The combatants are Rias Gremory and Souna Shitori or Sona Sitri. Issei watched the match like everyone else, but inside his thoughts, he was lusting over Rias' body and outfit. 'Prez is wearing a tennis uniform! The thigh you can see from her mini-skirt is an amazing sight!' Both females were wearing the same uniform and were representing there senior class respectively. Half the audience was divided, one side of Rias and the other for Sona.
Both girls used magic in there hits to make game more difficult for the other, but after a very long match, match between the two ended in a draw for both of their rackets broke from the extensive force from the magic infused ball. So both Rias and Sona were rewarded with first place in the Tournament and thus won a lot of points for their class. But they weren't happy with the decision to end the match, as they needed a victor to decide the Familiar Forest visit.
It was later that day after the Tournament. The ORC, plus two were gathering in Issei's living room at his house. This caused Issei to get a little irritated as his eye brow twitched violently.
"Um, Prez. I understand that you like to come over and Asia lives here, but why is everyone else here? And Sona with Tsubaki?" Issei asked, rather annoyed. Rias looked at him with papers in her hand.
"Oh, sorry. I thought I told you. Well the Clubroom Building is being inspected and cleaned. So we are going to have the meeting here tonight. And as to why Sona is here, that because we needed to talk about how to settle our score." She looked to Sona.
"Yes. Well I thought I would be a good idea to do it in a dodge ball match. I watched the match you were playing in and I want to give you guys another shot, as Issei had to take a leave." She looked to Issei and looked down to his crouch. He still felt the pain as one of the girls in the opposing team accidentally hit him there and had to get Asia to heal him. Issei glared at her and swiftly covered his privates.
"That was not funny!" Issei yelled.
"My, my. Look at what I found." A sweet, but sadistic voice said. Everyone turned their attention to the tall, black haired Devil, who as standing by a bookshelf, holding open a picture book. Issei recognized the book and gulped. His childhood pictures. "Pictures of baby Issei."
Quicker than anyone could imagine, Rias got to her feet and was holding the book that was once in her Queen's hand. Her eyes widened and filled with stairs and sparkles as she flipped through the book, looking at her cute servant's younger-self.
"Child Issei. Child Issei. Child Issei." She repeated as she flipped through the book in a trance like state. Soon, everyone else got a good from the shelf and looked through it. Each gazing at the still memories of the man in front of them. He looked around; Rias was looking at him when he was a kid with Asia sitting next to her. Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki were looking at some when he was a baby. Koneko and Yuuto were looking through a box of pictures that contains a variety from his ages until the even he left for the church.
"Even you Yuuto?!" Issei yelled. This caused the blond to laugh.
"It's alright, Issei. Let me enjoy the pictures."
"Like hell!"
Suddenly, Yuuto's expression darker and he grew a sinister look in his once calm, joy filled eyes. "Hey Issei?" He said in a whisper. Issei calmed down and went closer to him.
"What is it?" As he sat next to the Knight, Yuuto held up a picture. The picture contained the image of two children, one with brown hair and brown eyes, and the other with light brown hair and purple eyes.
"Oh, I remember this. This is my childhood friend, Irina. She was in the story I told about what happened with my parents. She was my partner along with Freed." Issei smiled and laughed to himself. "Back then, I thought she was a boy. My world was turned upside down when I found out. So about this picture?" Yuuto pointed to the sword on the fireplace mantle. "The sword."
"It is a Holy Sword." Yuuto said with a hint of venom in his voice. Issei narrowed his eyes to the sword in particular. It was a sword used by prestigious priests within the church.
"What's your connection with this sword, Yuuto?" Issei asked carefully. But what his got in return was nothing more than an empty word.
"Nothing."
"Alright everyone." Rias said to the group in front of her. Everyone in the ORC was wearing gym uniforms, ready for the match between then and Sona's Student Council.
"Wait, Prez." Issei yelled out. "Before we begin, I want to hand these out to you guys." Issei reached in his bag and pulled out bandanas.
"You made these?" Asia asked, taking one and looking at it.
"Yup! I thought it would be nice for us. It shows that we are all a team." Issei smiled. Causing everyone else to take one, besides Yuuto. Who was staring off into space.
Gaining his attention, Yuuto snaps back into reality and takes one, saying thank you in return.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Rias yells as they all step out on the gym floor. Waiting for them, was the Student Council, with Sona in front of them.
"You ready, Rias?" Sona asked with a smirk.
"You bet!" Rias replied.
"All right," a voice called. On the side of the floor was one of Sona's peerage members, Sona's Bishop, Momo, who was refereeing the match. "Everyone get ready! Go!" She yelled out loudly. Both sides quickly scattered around there respective sides of the court, all Knight headed for the balls along with Queens and the Kings stayed back. No one decided to throw a ball yet as they were setting up to battle. All Rooks, Queens, and Kings now had balls in hand as the Knights stood by waiting to grab a loose ball at first sight, the Pawns stayed up front. The fist ball of thrown and all hell broke loose. Balls where flying fast and hard, though most were able to dodge and avoid the hard impact.
After about twenty minutes of playing, only 5 people were out. Asia and Akeno on the Gremory team, and Reya, Tomoe, and Ruruko on the Sitri team.
"AIM FOR ISSEI, SONA!" Saji shouted to his Master. Sona picked a ball up and started to spin while saying some enchantment to infuse the ball with a homing type of magic. As she let go, the ball flung at its target, Issei. Not owning what the enchantment was, Issei steps aside, but starts to move around once he notices the ball moving after him.
"Get it away from me!" She shouts as he runs around his team's side of the court. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the spectacle. One of the most powerful begins they have ever met was running away from a ball. As Issei squirms to get away, he makes a wrong turn and the ball smashes he's groin. "Aaaaahhhh-" he grabs his lower area and falls to his knees. The referee blows her whistle and calls for a momentary pause so Issei can leave the court. Rias supports him as she escorts him to Asia and Akeno.
"Asia, please take Issei to be healed." She asks. Akeno looks to her master with a sadistic smile on her face.
"My, my, Rias. Someone doesn't want to loose her chance at children now doesn't she." Akeno says in a laugh. Her teasing got the reaction she wanted as Rias' cheeks started to turn pink.
"It's not anything like that! I just fear for my servant's health! This was the second time today" She retorts flustered.
On the thee side of the gym, Sona's team giggles to themselves as Saji jumps with joy, thanking Sano for her 'wonderful' deed. Though the latter was glaring at Saji to settle down. But during the commotion Asia walked her patient to the boy's locker room for her healing session. She sets him on a bench in the middle of a few lockers and bends down in front of him. The scene makes Issei blush as his legs at spread apart and the girl moves forward so her head is in between his legs.
'Oh god. This is so hot!' Issei thinks to himself as she grabs his pants with a red face. "What?" He says quickly as he motions to keep his pants on. His sudden action surprises the healer as she blushes and looks down. Without speaking, Asia holds her hand out finding of her and her hands glow she heals Issei's manhood. Like usual, Asia sits in a prayer like formation.
"Please Lord, heal this kind soul." A female voice said, but it didn't come from Asia because she didn't flinch in pain, and it seems that only Issei heard it as Asia didn't make any motion of acknowledgment to the phrase. Issei looked around and found no one around, nothing out of the ordinary.
'Was that..' But the thought was interrupted by Asia moving her hands away and sighed. The two looked at each other for a bit before she stood up and looked away.
"Issei?" She asked in a shy tone.
"Yes, Asia?"
"Do you...what do you feel able me." This question surprised Issei.
"What do you mean? Is something wrong?"
"N-no. But...I'm a heretic...and you're an Angel...do you hate me?" She asked, determined to know the answer, but was drawn away when she noticed her friend's perplexed expression. She frowned and looked away again. She turned to the door, but was halted by a pair of arms wrapping around her body.
"Asia is Asia and I care of you." A soothing voice said. Asia eyes became teary as she turned around and helps her face in his chest.
"But I'm a heretic."
"No, you are Asia Argento, a Bishop of President Rias Gremory. You are my friend...and my family." Issei looked down to find Asia look up at him with widened eyes and tears forming.
"F-family. Issei!" She yells as she stands up and tackles him with a hug, crying in his chest. Issei is shocked by the sudden outburst of emotion, but stays silent and rubs his on her head in a soothing manor. The two stay like this, together.
"Issei!" Rias yelled, shocking the two, causing them to fall off the bench. She walks over to him with a huff and grabs his cheek. "I thought it was taking a while and I come in here to see you hugging Asia." She sighs in disappoint. "Anyway, the game is over, we won." Though she looks happy while saying this, her tone isn't one of pride or excitement. "Come on, we should go." She drags Issei out of the lockers.
*SLAP*
The sound of a slap is heard in the darkness outside of the school gates. Everyone turns to look at a red head looking at a blond with disappointment and he hand still in the air.
"I hope this brings you back to your senses, Yuuto." Rias exclaims. "You haven't been acting right all day. What's the matter?" In almost an instant, Rias' expression changes to that of concern.
"It's nothing. I'm sorry for troubling you." Yuuto replies in a fake smile. Everyone noticed it, but it was left with that and everyone went their separate ways. Koneko when to her house, Rias and Akeno went to talk with Sona, Issei and Asia start to head home, and Yuuto heard out to go...somewhere.
"Hey, Asia?" Issei looks over to the blond girl next to him.
"Yes?" She looks up to him cutely.
"No matter what, I'll protect you." He smiles making her to smile too. They both walk together until Issei suddenly stops.
"Issei? Is everything alright?" Asia asked.
"Why?" He says to himself as he suddenly grabs Asia's hand and rushes to his house with an eep. Once on his street, he finds two people standing outside of his house. Bother where wears large white robes with blue trim around edges. Panicking, he took Asia behind a bush to take cover.
"I thought you said this were his lived? Where are going to stay now?" One figure says in a female voice says.
"It is! The family name is on the gate! He probably isn't home." The other person said with a high pitch female voice. Both continue to bicker until they tense up and quiet themselves. Inaudible to the two behind the bushes the two females whisper.
"There are Devils nearby."
"Yeah, I feel them too. We should leave, I'm sure your friend will come back later, so we should too. I don't want to cause a conflict with the Devils now. Let's find the church around here."
"Yeah." As one starts to walk away, the other one looks back up to the house and then follows with a skip. Back to the Devils, Issei stands up after feeling the two have walked far enough away.
"Let's go, we should talk about this with Prez when she get home later." Issei grabs Asia's hand and they both head inside, Asia first, then Issei second. Before entering the door, he looks in the direction where the two figures walked and frowns sadly. "Irina."