Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD. If I did, I would have at least tried to make the female characters have goals of their own. Is it a must that girls in harem manga/light novels have no other ambitions than to be by the side of the male lead? Just food for thought Mangakas.

"You know, sometimes, I actually kind of forget that I'm famous."

"Just smile and wave Issei-sama. Smile and wave."

Issei put on the best imitation of a smile that he could humanly muster, even as cameras and lights flashed in the night, with numerous wild comments, whispers and hushed conversations travelling through the air like a hawk descending on an unsuspecting lamb.

"Hyoudou Issei is here?"

"Oh my god, he actually showed up!"

"This is unprecedented – the Prodigy of the Orient makes a public appearance after so long!"

Issei could only feel his lower teeth grit against each other as a young man wielding a camera and taking pictures, and followed by a woman, barged into his vision, shoving a recorder into his mouth.

"Mr. Hyoudou! Mr. Hyoudou! Getty Lavender, Daily Petal. This is your first public appearance in over six years, not since the Osaka Incident. Tell us, what brought about the sudden decision to come to the Queen's Granddaughter's Sixteenth Birthday Bash?"

I didn't know there was a bloody party, and I came to mortify the Queen and all of England! Now get that bloody camera out of my face before I ruin your life with digitally created pornography of you and a goat!

"Ah, I suppose I felt the need to stretch my legs a bit. I treasure the Royal Family, and I would not miss the event for the world."

Idly, Issei wondered if he would get an Oscar nomination for the immaculate smile he had plastered on his face, and the fact that he had refrained himself from already doing something incredibly damning.

"That's quite lovely! But the people want to know, where has the Prodigy of the Orient been hiding all this time? What has he been up to, and what is next for the youngest billionaire in the – aaaah!"

Issei could only keep his face impassive, realizing it would be damning for him to smirk as he watched the woman's recorder short circuit and burn out in her hand, just as the hefty camera began to spark wildly.

"There they are!"

Of course, he did smirk, when the hapless woman was pinned to the ground by the security team, courtesy of an anonymous tip which suggested that there were dangerous terrorists seeking to enter the party disguised as reporters and paparazzi, and that the security should be on the lookout for any "malfunctions".

"Wait! This is a misunderstanding! I'm Getty Lavend- aaaaaaahhh!"

The sound of a Taser hitting flesh had never been so satisfying.

As such, Issei trotted into the Palace, whistling a low jaunty tune, with his spirits most definitely lifted.

There were different types of rich people, Issei noted. There existed the pretentious rich, the crazy rich, and the really crazy rich. The pretentious rich types were the one who found themselves in highbrow society, doing events like tea parties, and formal gatherings, where people were expected to show proper manners, etiquette, and where gossip travelled from lip to lip. These types, unfortunately often included Royalty, or at least, the Royal family and all its connected friends and acquaintances.

The crazy rich types were the ones who went out of their way to live the fullest life with their wealth. Private skiing, private yachting, or buying your private island and relaxing there for as long as you want. They spent their money, their way, however they wanted to spend it, and the lived life to the fullest.

Then, there existed the really crazy rich.

"Prince Amir just got here! In a golden Lamborghini! The wheels were plated with twenty-four carat diamonds!"

"Oh. My. God."

"I know!"

Issei leaned back on a wall as he watched the two girls rush off.

"Kiki."

"Yes Issei-sama?"

"Blow up Prince Amir's Lamborghini."

"… really Issei-sama?"

"Did I stutter?"

"… sigh."

The gathered festivities went wildly silent as there was a loud boom which shook the entire Palace. The chandeliers clinked against each other from the impact, and drinks and wines in glasses rippled from the resulting shockwave and impact.

There was a loud, anguished scream of "NOOOOOOOOOO!" which tore through the air.

The people in the palace where gathered dignitaries, representatives of individuals of power and prestige, and people who were expected to be selfless, altruistic leaders, so they did precisely what they would do whenever they, distinguished men and women as they were, heard a cry of anguish and sorrow.

They completely ignored it.

"Was that necessary Issei-sama?"

He shrugged, moving through the large hall as he made his way towards a table. "It made me feel better."

"At someone else's expense?"

"Oh, don't worry about Amir. He has twelve of those."

"That does not justify… wait… twelve? He has twelve golden, diamond-platted Lamborghinis?"

"Eleven now." Issei said, left eye twitching as he looked at the tiny morsels of food on his plate "He's just angry because he was planning on sleeping with the Princess in it. He has a weird thing for gold, princesses, and expensive cars."

"…Huh?"

Issei sighed. "Just because I feel that my heart is broken doesn't mean I'm any dumber, stupider, or needlessly more vindictive. Prince Amir is a certified playboy whose goal in life is to have sex with as many princesses as he can, but not marry them – essentially lessening her value in the eyes of any other suitor should the tryst be discovered."

His eyes then traced over to a window outside, where he could see a woman being pushed into a police car.

"Gertrude Lavender is Britain's very own real life version of Rita Skeeter. She spins stories and makes the words you say sound as worse as possible just to be able to sell more papers. She'll probably be released once they discover she's not a terrorist, but a day without bad news should be a good day indeed."

There was a relative amount of silence.

"I'm sorry Issei-sama, for thinking that you –"

"Oh, no, I am very capable of causing indescribable amounts of chaos and anarchy for kicks and giggles," Issei corrected, "But that doesn't mean I have to do it all the time. It would get really boring, really fast if there was no method to my madness."

"So the Harry Potter thing?"

A large smirk popped up on his face. "Now that, that was me pranking the entirety of England – and probably making sure that book sales for the franchise go up. It was a good series… I wish Harry would have been more proactive, and Dumbledore hadn't been as daft, but I liked it. It's probably one of the only stories in the world where you can do next to absolutely nothing, and still get the girl."

"You mean the ginger?"

Issei nodded, a sagely look appearing on his face. "Ah, Ronald Weasley, teach me your ways…"

Brrring!

Issei blinked, before sighing. "I was wondering when ka-san was going to call."

"Hey, squirt."

Issei coughed out the water he was drinking. "D-dad?"

Nomura Hyoudou hummed. "You know, I think it's unfair that you always address your mother with Japanese and address me with English. What, no love for your tou-san?"

Issei rolled his eyes. "It's more a matter of respect."

"Ouch. So my little Ise-chan doesn't respect his old man?"

"Ise-chan's old man doesn't respect himself."

"Oooh. I see, this is your Oedipus Complex acting out again isn't it?"

Issei couldn't help the way his cheeks went red. "I do not have an Oedipus Complex!"

"Hates his old man, but loves his mother, smiles like a loon whenever she rubs his head and leaps for her breasts as a means of comfort whenever he feels sad. Sounds familiar?"

"Everyone knows you can play with your mother's breasts, but not your father's testicles."

"Quoting African Proverbs isn't going to cut it this time Ise-chan. Should I be worried that you'll try to off me in my sleep?"

"Knowing you, I don't have to try. You'll probably either smother yourself with your own pillow or choke on your saliva."

"Ooh, it's a real treat when your sixteen year old jizz starts mouthing back at you."

Issei's cheeks darkened. "I've been in her deeper than you've ever been old man!"

"Are we talking about your mother, or your virginity?"

Issei resisted the urge to grab his hair.

"At least I'm not the one smooching off his son's income!"

"Oh, what's that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of someone calling me daddy."

"Gah! Alright old man, you win this round –"

"This round? What's the score again my boy?"

"As if I'd ever keep count –"

"132 to what, twenty?"

"It's Thirty! You know damn well it's thirty!"

"Aw, Ise-chan is so cute when he becomes Tsundere."

"Suck a cock old man."

"Funny, that's exactly what your mom did this morning."

"She's your wife!"

"Doesn't make it any less true."

Issei groaned, palming his face as he moved away from the area he was in, which had numerous people giving him extremely odd looks.

"So, did you call just to mentally scar me with the realization that ka-san performed fellatio, or is there something else you'd like to add?"

"Your mother's gone out to get some groceries, and she asked me, the responsible adult, to ensure that I remind you to use protection when with Irina… unless you're ready to have your own mouthy little squirt."

Issei rubbed his face a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Dad… Irina… didn't remember me."

"And?"

Issei growled. "What do you mean and? She didn't remember me! She looked me straight in the face and couldn't place who I was or any of the memories we spent together!"

"So?"

The scientist felt something in him snap. "So my entire trip has been wasted! So I won't get to be with her! So there's nothing else for me here!"

There was a relative amount of silence on the phone. Then, the silence ended with loud, voracious laughter, the type that could not be faked, and the type that people gave when they felt they had heard the funniest joke in existence.

"You think this is funny old man?"

The laughter continued, for a full minute, as Issei waited, stockpiling his anger.

"Oh gods, this isn't funny Ise-chan, it's hilarious!"

"What?" he hissed.

"With all your super smarts Issei, I almost forgot that you're still just a teenage boy underneath, no matter how much you try to hide it, or act otherwise."

"Have you been drinking again?"

"No." The voice came out sharp and devoid of all mirth. "Issei, so your childhood crush forgot who you were. That's sad, but not unexpected. I've seen you grow since you were little, and you're no longer the boy who used to try and con girls into showing him their panties. Do you think that Irina would still be the girl who ran up and down promising to marry you when you grew older?"

"No." he admitted "But at least, I thought she would remember me."

"And when she didn't remember, what did you do? No, don't tell me. I can already picture it. You ranted, whined, bitched, then apologized for the awkwardness, and then you turned tail and left. Am I right?"

Issei growled. "Well what else was I supposed to do?!"

"How about, first and foremost, getting to know her? Oh, I know, it's a completely daring and out-of-this-world idea. She's my crush, and she doesn't remember me, how could I possibly want to get to know who she is now? How could I dare entertain the idea of getting to know her anyway?"

Issei fell silent, before murmuring. "She said it was for the best… that she's not the same person she once was."

"And are you? Think of it Issei. What if she had remembered you? What would happen then? When she remembered the boy who was a pervert? The boy who did not have numerous Doctorate Degrees. The boy that was not a billionaire inventor. The boy that could not speak ninety-seven languages fluently. The boy that could not stand in front of a gathering of the world's greatest minds, and proceed to leave them feeling like retarded kindergartners. Tell me Issei, what would have happened when she looked at you, and thought of that boy. Would she feel disappointed, that you were not the same, or would she feel happy, that you had become something better?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

Issei let out a sigh as he dragged his hand across his face."I'm an idiot."

"No son. You're a teenager. Though those two things are not mutually exclusive, being a teenager means overthinking issues with girls and romance, and feeling like it's the end of the world if you like someone who doesn't like you back."

"I thought I was above all of that."

"No. No you're not." Nomura's let out an audible sigh. "I'll admit that I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours Issei, but I will say that no matter how smart you become or how smart you are, you are still as human as the rest of us. I just wish you would remember that."

Issei smiled. "I will – I promise."

"Alright. I've got to go, I think I can hear your mother coming in through the back door."

"… Thanks, for everything… tou-san."

The young genius could almost hear the mirth on the other side of the phone.

"Don't go getting all soft on me now you baby. You're probably just trying to lower my guard so you can elope with my wife."

Issei palmed his face hard enough for the smack to resound around him.

"… way to ruin a moment dad."

"Ah, that's the disgruntled son of mine I know and love. Stay frosty squirt."

Issei could only sigh once he heard the call disconnect, even as his lip managed to twitch, and he fought down the urge to break into a wild smile. Instead, he turned his attention back to the party and the gala, adjusting his attire to make it look the most presentable it could be, even though he stood out with his odd choice of a hoodie in what was basically a formal gathering.

Still, it was a seventeen thousand dollar hoodie, so he assumed people wouldn't mind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry –"

And of course, a woman just had to bump into him and spill wine all over the aforementioned seventeen thousand dollar hoodie. Had he been a more materialistic person, he would have immediately gone into a fit, but instead he let his gaze land on the form of the sleek, gorgeous gown which accentuated the young woman's curves and showed in her filled out br –

Issei's mind froze as he realized that he had seen these exact hip-waist-breast measurements before.

Then of course, his eyes flickered upwards, to clear blue eyes, blonde hair and a smile.

"Nope."

He immediately spun around.

"Nope."

His feet began to move.

"Nope."

His mind began whirling, when once more, he found himself unable to move. Frozen to the spot as he was, his muscles and joints locked in place as though he was embedded in ice, thick, heavy ice that refused to grant him passage and mobility.

Time slowed down as he took a deep breath, his mind raced, forward, backward and in every which direction.

Unknown means of stopping movement. External forms of movement are stopped, but all biological functions proceed as normal. Still capable of sweating, hence automatic functions are neither halted nor suspended with my in animation. Given range estimate: unknown, hypothesizes: line of sight. Given parameters of control: unknown, hypothesis: intense focus and concentration. Previous experiment concluded that generating laughter in the form of involuntary stimulation, functionally disables the ability. Thus… possible assumption suggests suitable distractions to subject's concentration will break hold.

Barely a second had passed before Issei's mind finished it's stream of thought.

"Dr. Hyoudou –"

"IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME!"

The large, loud cry easily drew numerous eyes, ears, and the young blonde girl found herself looking like a deer caught in headlights at the unexpected declaration.

"I AM SORRRY! I CANNOT ACCEPT YOUR DECLARATION OF LOVE!"

It worked, perhaps, almost too well, and Issei found his joints loose as he walked away from the scene, with Le Fay Pendragon left behind as a woman whose approaches had just been publicly scorned.

Once he was out of major views of sight, Issei bolted through the corridors as quickly as his legs could work.

"Damn it Kiki! Why didn't you tell me that she was here!"

"I am sorry Issei-sama, but Miss Pendragon does not show up on any cameras or security footage. Her presence also interferes with most of my basic mapping functionalities –"

Issei tsked. "Can't be seen on cameras. Can freeze people within her line of sight. Can interfere with technology and gadgets. If this woman ever decided to become a spy, terrorist or serial killer… people would be well and truly screwed."

"Coming from someone who can launch every nuke in the world at the push of a button?"

"Touché."

Issei made a sharp turn, diverting from one of the numerous hallways into what he knew was the cooking area, and he ignored the odd looks he got from the chefs and waiters as he proceeded to open the back door –

"That was not nice Hyoudou-sensei."

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!

Issei's staggered back, panting wildly from the numerous collections of mini-heart attacks he had experienced at the sight of the blonde woman, standing at his supposed escape route, her arms crossed and her face looking quite… intense.

"I had to make a few memory altering spells and some obliviations to get out of that mess."

Whatever Issei wanted to say was halted by the use of one word.

"Did you just say… Obliviation?"

Le Fay seemed to perk up. "Oh? Yes."

"As in… Harry Potter 'magic?'"

"Well, it's not necessarily from Harry Potter –"

Issei gave her the blandest stare in the world. "Harry Potter is real?"

"Well no, not that I know of… but the magic system and organization of spells in the Harry Potter world is real, or at least, to me. I'm the only one in the world who can use it."

"Bullshit."

Le Fay shrugged. "Leviosa."

There was no arguing, or denying, the sheer inexplicability of the fact that he was floating. He knew that there were no invisible wires or strings connected to him, and that there was no way the earth's gravity had suddenly decided to be selective and remove him from its hold.

And, according to the numerous, shell-shocked looks of the kitchen staff, he was not being placed under some illusion to believe that he was, in fact, floating in the air.

Le Fay, fortunately had the decency to look sheepish, as she waved her hand.

He came crashing down to the floor on his butt, wincing from the impact, and noticed that all the members of the kitchen staff had gained glassy-eyed expressions, which lasted for all of a second before they immediately went back to work, ignoring the odd duo that was most definitely not supposed to be there.

All at once, it made sense to Issei, as to why Kiki malfunctioned anytime Le Fay got near. Then, all at once, some other things made sense to him as well, and he rose from the ground, dusting his pants, as a confident smile immediately worked up unto his face.

"So this was why you were so angry when you discovered I was the one who made Harry Potter a terrorist. Makes sense."

Except, none of this makes sense. How does 'magic' exist? What IS 'magic' to begin with?

"You seem curious Hyoudou-sensei. Like you want answers…" she observed with a giggle, before frowning "So why do you keep running away from me?"

Because you are kind, ambitious and powerful… and that is a very scary combination.

"I have questions. So many questions."

How does magic work? What are its limitations? How does a magic from a fictional universe have a bearing in the real world? How do I get to heaven? Where IS heaven? What are angels and gods and devils like? Do people really burn for all eternity in hell? Are the people in heaven truly enjoying their tranquil peace?

He batted aside the barrage and shook his head. "But, I have a feeling that you're not the person I should be meeting for answers. You might provide me with the knowledge and information I seek… but in the long run, I might end up getting entangled into something that huge and dangerous… something that isn't worth the price of simply sating my curiosity."

Le Fay stared at him strangely for the longest time, before a tired, oh-so-tired, smile appeared on her face. "So, you're not even going to listen to my proposition before you turn it down?"

"Am I wrong in assuming that your proposition will be potentially dangerous and life-threatening on a grand scale?"

She sighed. "No. No you're not."

"Them my answer remains the same." He said.

There was a brief loft of silence.

"I really wish that you would simply accept Hyoudou-sensei. Not just for my sake… what would happen to you if you refuse… it will be entirely unpleasant."

The edge in her tone made Issei's entire body rigid. He was tense, and she as well could sense it.

He managed a scoff. "And you were wondering why I was running away from you?"

She smiled. "I suppose it makes sense now. And… for what it's worth, I am sorry."

RED FLAG! RED FLAG!

A weird hybrid of instinct and luck was the only thing that saved him, as he spiraled out of the way of… nothing, but instantly knew that he had dodged something, when an unwitting chef that had been behind him had immediately frozen in place, reminiscent of the manner that he was often rendered immobile.

"Le Fay – please, please don't do this. I'm usually a pacifist – I do not believe in violence to be the best course of action to resolve conflict… but when I do fight… I. am. Dangerous." He hissed out the last word with extreme stress.

"I think you're underestimating me if you believe I can be hurt by you Hyoudou-sensei."

No. No he wasn't. The issue however, was that she wouldn't believe him if he told her. He very much looked the part of a harmless sixteen year old civilian boy, one who had most likely never experienced any hardship or training – but with his mind and his inventions…

Oh, god his inventions –

He could end the world at a push of a finger or at the utterance of a few words.

What did that say about what he could do to people?

"Le Fay, you are a cute girl… a nice girl… I really, really don't want to hurt you –"

She punched him.

The entire world became a blur for Issei, as pain shot throughout his entire form, resonating most strongly from his jaw. His lips pooled with blood at the realization that the unexpected uppercut had caused him to bite into his tongue. The haze of pain pain pain, was immediately softened with the realization that he was airborne, flying, soaring through the skies, the Buckingham Palace below him looking like tiny specks of light.

His rational mind told him that a punch strong enough to send him this high into the air should have snapped his neck and killed him on contact. He hadn't felt himself breaking through any ceilings whilst being sent airborne, but he could not tell if it was merely because the pain was overwhelming and he had numbed himself towards it, or if Le Fay had pulled a teleporting uppercut.

How cool is that… bam and zap! Like ka-pow… oh, I think I may have a concussion… is there a doctor in the house… oh, wait, I'm a doctor… yay…

The non-concussed part of his mind, however, was riddled with questions. Had she gone to the palace because she realized he would be there, or had it been a mere coincidence?

Well, their first meeting hadn't been a coincidence, so there was no way this one was. That of course brought up more issues.

Why was Le Fay so vehemently after him? What made him a person of interest in the supernatural? Was he like a prophet of the endtimes or something similar?

He felt himself snag in midair, his ascension coming to an abrupt stop as something grabbed unto the hood of his hoodie, and kept him there.

He turned his attention upwards, finding the familiar blonde holding on to him, sitting on a flying broom.

"Oooh… ish that a nimbush four thoushand? Or shomething-ish… are we going to catsh a snitsh now?"

He could barely make out the words without blood pouring out of his mouth, and he smiled at the woman on the broom, who was just staring at him sadly.

"You have… nice legs… by the way."

She sighed. "I really wish we could have been friends Hyoudou-sensei. But, you're a wildcard in this world. You would become a powerhouse that the factions would pay attention to, sooner or later… especially when you unleash your Sacred Gear."

"Is that shupposed to be a fanshy name for my dick?"

She ignored him. "Arthur-ni-sama is going to change the world. He needs all the power he can get to do it… and I will help him, even if it means getting the blood of the innocent on my hands. I will do anything to accomplish his dream."

"Oh! A bird! A plane! No, it's Shuperman! Shuperman? More like Normal-Alien? Am I right? Right? Nerd-joke… ha ha."

She stared at him. "Most people are not this talkative when hit with my Confundus Uppercut."

"Maybe that's because I'm just pretending to be out of it so you'll unwittingly tell me the full details of whatever you have planned."

Her eyes widened.

"So… what exactly is a Sacred Gear, and what does it have to do with me?"

Le Fay would honestly admit that she had not been expecting him to be pretending to be concussed. Still, she held the advantage, all the cards were perfectly in her favor, and all she had to do was to wave her hand and cast a sleeping sp –

"TOO SLOW!"

He swung.

There was the fact that she was holding on to him, whilst sitting on a broom floating in the middle of the air, and she could bet her life on it that with all his knowledge of physics, the boy genius had not swung randomly. She found herself correct when she teetered off the broom, and suddenly free-falling through the air.

"Oh, so we really are in the sky! I thought I was just hallucinating this."

She grit her teeth. She needed him alive, so as to ensure Arthur-ni-sama's plan of extracting and transferring the Boosted Gear from the boy to himself, which was a plan that should only come out should the boy in question refuse to join them.

It was very much a 'join us or die' situation, because the allegiance of the Red Dragon Emperor was not something that could be left up to fate or chance, or his own decision. Had the Boosted Gear landed up with some naïve, young lad, then they would not have much to fear… but instead, it was in the possession of a young man who owned a tech empire, and was essentially considered the smartest and most ambitious teenager in the world.

He had accomplished impossible feats without the power of the Boosted Gear.

What would he do with it?

If the Devils sunk their claws into him… he would reach Ultimate-Class in weeks, and he would lead that race towards a revolution that would change the Underworld.

If the Angels got him, the Devils would become nervous, because he was a figure that tilted the balance, and there was no doubt that he would become the world's greatest Exorcist in days.

If the Fallen obtained him, they would have both the White and Red Dragon Emperors… needless to say, the other factions would see it as an arms race, and the outcome would be clear.

Hyoudou Issei, sweet and seemingly altruistic as he may be, was a political nightmare waiting to happen, regardless of what action he took. Neutrality was not even an option, because if he was not for a faction, it was to be assumed that he was immediately against them.

She and her brother were the only ones in the world who knew about him and his unawakened Sacred Gear. And the only reason she knew that he was the Red Dragon Emperor, was due to her numerous, painstaking hours of staring into crystal balls and using every magical trick under the sun to locate the soul of Y Ddraig Goch.

"Fun Fact: a fall from this height is the equivalent of crashing a car going over one hundred and twenty kilometers an hour into a solid concrete wall."

She cut her thoughts in half and latched unto his arm. Immediately after, there was a soft 'crack' which echoed in the air. She was already moving the very second she felt her feet connect with solid ground, though, she did not expect him to also be quite as ready, and not even looking winded or disturbed by the journey.

"Oh… so we just apparated didn't we? Huh. The books really oversell the whole 'squeezing through-a-tube' description. I can't feel a thing!"

Clearly, despite his claims as to faking his concussion, he most definitely wasn't faking his concussion. She could tell that relatively easily from how he stood to his feet and swayed a couple of times, and how his eyes didn't seem to be focused or latching unto anything.

"You brought us to a freight shipping dock? Brilliant! Almost every epic battle scene has to happen with tons and tons of empty freighters around to really increase the ambiance! You've really done your research Le Fay."

She hid the way that she grit her teeth behind her smile.

This… this felt so, so wrong. Issei hadn't hurt anybody, he hadn't done any harm, he was just someone innocent – and yet, simply because he had the potential to do great good or great evil, she was going to have to rip out his Sacred Gear and kill him.

Why didn't he accept?! It would be much, much easier if he just accepted! She didn't want to do this! She didn't want to have to kill him in such a way that would undoubtedly be immensely painful!

Even though she could imagine her brother with the Boosted Gear, and she knew, that with that sort of power, he would be capable of fighting The Demon himself, Sirzechs Lucifer, on equal ground. She knew, that with that power, not even Michael, or Azazel, or the entire congregations of heaven and hell would be capable of stopping him.

They would accomplish their dreams, and they would be happy, they would make sure everyone was happy…

But was it worth the cost?

"Tell me your story Le Fay." The question came out from the clearly concussed boy who was spitting blood out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Typical shonen battle rules apply. You have to tell me your backstory before we fight – the reason you've made the choices you've made, and how those choices put us on opposite sides. Come on, it'll be fun! I even promise not to attack until you finish!"

She shook her head and laughed. Was he really this cocky even when out of it? Did he believe he could fight her? That he could somehow manage to pose a threat to her?

"I've endured harsh physical training with my brother since I was four, Hyoudou-sensei. I don't really think there's much you can do to hurt me in a fight."

"Ah hah!" he exclaimed, "There, right there. The harsh physical training at such a young age. That's a good place to start with. Go on, tell me, what was the cause of that?"

Despite the surrealistic nature of the situation, she couldn't help but smile. "Is that really what you want your final discussion to be about? My life?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'd like to ask about the whole Sacred Gear thing, but I'm sure you're all clammed up and won't go into detail about it. I'd also like to ask why you want to kill me but don't want me to die –"

Her eyes widened once more.

"Oh, come on, that's pretty obvious. If you wanted me to die, you'd just have let me fall to my death, but you didn't – you saved my hide, and yet, you still want to kill me. Which means, you need to kill me in a specific way… a ritual perhaps?"

She kept her face vacant.

"Ah, so it is a ritual. A ritual involving my… Sacred Gear, as you called it. You said if I 'unleashed it', which means that it's something powerful or dangerous… and you want to take it for one reason or the other. And I'm guessing taking it will kill me."

He nodded his head sagely.

"Ah. So I'm guessing, I have some sort of inner power or weapon, one that's dangerous or powerful enough that you feel you need me as your ally, and one that would make me a nightmare should I be your enemy. So you tried to recruit me… but failing that, you need to eliminate me and take this power for yourself… or for your brother."

She tried to smile, to hide the fact that she was inwardly disturbed as to how quickly he had pieced together the truth from tiny snippets of her words and from observing her actions. Hyoudou Issei might not have been dangerous in the traditional sense of power and brute might, but good gods, his mind was terrifying.

"I think the time for talking is done Hyoudou-sensei."

She took in a deep breath, feeling the magic swirl underneath her skin and –

"I'll help you."

His three words threw her for a loop.

"W-what?"

He tilted his head.

"I said I'll help you. Help you out. Is there a problem with that?"

She struggled to find the words. "Yes! But – now – I mean –"

"Oh, your mind already willed itself to kill me and take whatever power I had. But, that was because I didn't have any allegiance to you then. But, if i'm on your side, Tell me, will you still kill me anyway, take away the power of an ally in order to further your goals? Why risk putting faith in a wildcard when you can have the winning hand? Is that what it is?"

That was exactly what it was. She knew it and he knew it too. The thought was already dancing in her mind, the realization that her brother with the power of the Boosted Gear, could be trusted and was more reliable Issei would be. She truly didn't know him, and all though she felt he was a good person at heart, she would pick her brother over him in a heartbeat.

Indecision and confusion welled up inside her, the conflict between doing what needed to be done and doing the right thing. There was no way to actually even confirm Issei's supposed loyalty and change of heart… wouldn't it be better, wiser even, to just take away his Sacred Gear and be done with it?

Wouldn't it be more merciful?

No! her mind roared back. That wasn't what she did, that was not how she did things. That wouldn't be fair to him and she wondered if she would ever be able to look at herself in the mirror if she did that.

"So… just like that… you'll join us? Accept my offer?"

"Did I stutter earlier?"

She frowned. "How can I be sure you'll keep your word?"

"I. Don't. Lie."

She remembered that, remembered him saying it, though she wasn't sure that he was being serious at the time.

"Even after… I just… tried to kill you?"

"You're not the first person to have tried. Assassins, terrorists, hippies, government agents, prison inmates and hit squads have all tried their luck and failed."

She stared at him.

"Being rich, famous and known to possess the abilities to build extraordinary things often puts you in the crosshairs of a lot of different people."

That was rather… informative.

"So, do you mind fixing me up? The concussion I got from your uppercut is just lessening, but it still hurts so bad."

Le Fay frowned, walking closer to the sitting boy to examine his injuries. "Well… this was rather… anticlimactic."

She knelt before him, placing her hand on his chin, only to freeze when his palm snapped out and caught her wrist.

"Um… What are you doing?"

He smiled. "Helping you."

She could not explain the weird sensation, nor could she put it into words the manner in which her lips met a certain warmth, and her mouth was overfilled with a strong, ineffable taste – one that was overridden with blood, even as his tongue explored her and grasped around her own.

Her eyes shot wide open and she thrust out her hand on instinct, sending the boy rolling away from her in a telekinetic blast.

"P-P-Pervert!"

Why would he – how dare he – that was her first –

Her fingers went up to her lips, trying to forget the sensation, yet failing horribly at it. Except, idly, she felt her lips go numb, and her fingers go numb, and then she felt her hand begin to also go numb, and realized that it was not just the shock of the surprise kiss that was causing it.

Issei stood, dusting his scuffled and bloodstained hoodie as he let out a smile, one that sent alarm bells ringing in her head.

"What – what did you –"

"I re-organized my body chemistry when I was younger to ensure maximum optimal functionality. I'm immune to illness, my food and metabolism digests and is distributed properly and efficiently, and likewise, it cut down on how long I need sleep. Naturally, it means my blood and body fluids are rather potent."

She shook in place, even as her breathing began to rapidly increase, and she felt her heart rate rise. "Potent?"

"Think of your body as an engine that runs on clean water. Nice, smooth and efficient, and it will do all you need with it. Now imagine you got the crazy idea, and decided that instead of clean water, you want to use coke and jet fuel."

Her eyes widened.

"Naturally your system isn't meant to handle that, so it is rejecting it… quite violently I might add."

She dropped to the floor, unable to hold the contents of her stomach as she retched, emptying out bile and blood unto the floor. In seconds, her skin rapidly turn pale blue, her teeth began to clatter violently, and everything in her vision began swimming, even as she could hear the heavy thumping of her heart which felt as though it would burst at any moment.

"Y-y-you said you would h-help me –"

"And I will. I'm going to make sure you don't go into an epileptic fit, or have a heart attack which are both very real possibilities. That counts as helping."

She scowled at him, with the little waning strength she had left. "Y-you said you don't lie –"

He stared. "I don't. I never said I would help you with whatever plan you had, or that I would join you. I just said I would help you, and I am solely responsible for what I say, and not what you interpret."

Her mind ran through their conversation, and realized, he hadn't. He had never agreed, he had never specified, and she had simply assumed that was the case.

"You –" she hurled, retching unto the floor, unable to complete the curse that she desperately wanted to use.

Perhaps, the most infuriating thing of it all, was the way he patted her back in what was supposed to be a comforting manner, and the fact that he was actually holding her hair back for her.

"There, there. Let it all out."

She didn't know whether to be horrified, degraded, or to feel lucky and patronized that he was even going this far for her. He could have easily have twisted his words to mean help put her out of her misery.

"Don't feel too bad, if this sucks for you, imagine how much it sucks for me. I'd have to create a serum that makes girls compatible with my overwhelming DNA whenever I want to smooch, and if a girl ever kisses me by mistake, she throws up and becomes sick. Doesn't exactly allure me to the ladies now, does it?"

Was he serious?

"YOU –"

And she hurled again.

"Though I don't think Angels would have that problem… because if they did, that would mean that angels have human DNA, which would be weird right? But, then again, I think it would be weirder to actually kiss an angel. Would that be counted as a sin on their part? I really don't know."

Oh gods, he was serious.

"I –"

Nope. More vomiting as he rubbed her back.

"I'm pretty sure you're thinking: why is this guy being so nice to me after he pretty much poisoned me after I pretty much sucker punched him and admitted to wanting to murder him."

She actually was thinking that.

"The thing is Le Fay… I want you to remember."

His eyes met hers and she froze at the vehemence in them.

"I don't value my life much, I know that. But, my mother, my father, they value me more than anything in the world, and I will not allow them to bury a child again. So remember this moment, when you think about wanting to kill me. Remember how I could have chosen to stab you in the skull or slit your throat as you vomited on the ground, a helpless mess. Remember how I could have placed my boot on your throat and feed you my blood until it damaged the layer of mucus surrounding your stomach and I watched as you began to digest yourself, screaming in agony. Remember… and remember very well, that you do not want to be on the wrong side of Hyoudou Issei, because if you are…"

He smiled.

"You'll beg for death."

The sheer killing intent that followed those words and that smile hit her like a physical wave, snapping her hair back and making her eyes go wide, as she sat in that manner, frozen, like a silhouette embedded in time and space.

Then, the pressure hit her stomach once more, and the sound of retching continued.

"… You hurled on my face on purpose didn't you."

His answer was another heave.

"… God damn it."