Reviews:

Not a lot to say to some, except I do have fun seeing certain reactions.

bastidaswilliam2005: Thanks, the One Piece ones will take time, but eventually. I am having fun with DxD for now.

Reviewer: Thank you very much, here is a new chapter, hopefully the next one won't take as long. They don't bother me, lol, a good part of the reason I made this fic is to write a DxD Naruto crossover with Issei as a protagonist, we were in the need of one(and still need more really)

"It's a decent sword. I already wanted you to learn to fight with one anyway, so this is a good weapon to make use of. Having said that said, I don't think you'll be able to use it during Rating Games."

Kushina said, clearly pleased with the sword her Pawn had acquired. Her smile made Issei both happy and even more eager to make her proud. Ddraig did not fail to notice the obsession and dependence that his user was forming with the red-haired devil but decided not to interfere for the moment.

"Why not?"

The sekiryuutei asked curious and a little disappointed.

"Is very dangerous and way outside the standards of acceptable weapons in games."

Notably, Issei was disappointed with that. All the work to get that weapon and he can't even make use of it in the Rating Games.

Kushina didn't fail to notice his disappointment.

"Stop." She spoke, clapping her hands on Issei's cheeks and then squeezing and stretching them. "You did very well. Who cares if you can't use the sword in a stupid game? You can use it in literally any other situation! And you defeated that thing in a quick and practical manner, I'm proud!"

And that was all Issei needed to feel better.

"Hehe, thank you Kushina-sama."

He noticed his mistake as soon as he finished speaking.

"What did I say?"

She asked with her arms crossed and an unnecessarily serious expression.

"No use of expressions of superiority with you."

Kushina's serious expression is soon replaced by a huge smile.

"That's right. Now go take a shower and sleep while I go drink."

At least his master's actions brought a smile to his face.

And Kushina wasn't naive. She could see how Issei's dependence on her was slowly growing, as well as his apparent obsession with not letting her down or anything like that.

'We will deal with one thing at a time.'

She thought to herself as she looked for a bottle of any alcoholic beverage.

...

It didn't take long for them to get back to their normal routine for that week. However, there was a small detour that needed to be made.

Kushina had received a request, which was a simple way of saying order, from the superiors of the Devils Society. Apparently, there was a Stray, a demon who rebelled against their master, who was an expert in magic, particularly necromancy. At the moment he was near a small village in an isolated part of Europe, outside the Church's territory, making it the devil's problem.

Normally this would be a walk in the park for Kushina, but she had something to consider now.

"Ise-kun, I won't ask you to go with me or to do something. I know that for you, facing a Stray now can be too much, so it's up to you if you want to come with me or not."

The two were on the porch of the inn that Kushina had rented, it had only been a few minutes since she had been informed of the request.

Issei gulped and looked outside, seeing a small village in the distance, with people walking by, going about their day.

He looked at the people and the families, his eyes landing on a small family, with a mother, a father, and a son.

The brown-haired one felt something moving in him. Sadness, longing, but also...

"No..." He starts talking, and Kushina silently heard him. "I'm scared, and the thought of finding something like that…" Memories that he struggled to suppress threatened to return to his mind now." But, I don't want to let a bastard like him out there... please, let me do this, Kushina."

The redhead didn't know which decision was better, especially after looking into Issei's eyes...

...

When they had been told that it was a remote village, both master and servant still underestimated how remote it was. The locations whose concentration of humans exceeded the total of five were hours and hours away, and the smallest of cities was at least a full day away by car.

At least magic was very convenient.

They were outside the village, hidden behind some trees, though it wasn't necessary since a dense fog covered the region.

Issei at that moment finally felt the result of everything he had gone through in the last few days and his transformation into a devil, because he felt how bizarre the atmosphere around him was. Everything felt out of place, and at the same time, he couldn't put his finger on what was causing it.

"Should we talk to the locals?"

To Issei's question, Kushina shook her head.

"No, it's better to avoid contact. People in this type of place are especially superstitious. Besides, our goal is not here."

She spoke, looking somewhere beyond the village. Despite being able to see through the mist, Issei didn't understand where she was looking.

[Focus your senses, use your aura to enhance them.]

Ddraig's voice sounded in his head and Issei did as suggested, closing his eyes and concentrating on himself.

He used the draconic aura to understand what was in the direction Kushina was looking at.

It was when it hit him. It felt like a cold wind colliding against his body, resulting in a shiver running down his spine. A pile of negative feelings such as arrogance, fear, resentment, and despair was thick in the atmosphere. It was as if whatever was in that direction rejected not only positive feelings but also any living thing.

Issei didn't notice that he gulped instinctively, or the cold sweat that went down his forehead.

In his mind, there was only one thing.

The memories before his family was attacked. They were at the park, it was supposed to be just a picnic, his dad even had called him to go fishing after all this time. They were having fun, and then, that same feeling hit him. A prey that caught the predator's attention.

[Partner, take a deep breath. You are not there anymore, remember who you are with, what you are doing, and what you want. Come on, take it easy.]

Issei didn't notice the Boosted Gear suddenly appearing on his arm, nor did he notice that the Gear's green gem was glowing brightly. With Ddraig's reminder snapping him out of his thoughts, Issei did as advised, and the glow dimmed.

"Ise-kun, you should go back."

Kushina said, touching her Pawn's arm. There was gentleness and concern in her voice, but clearly, it was more than a suggestion but a direct order. If he couldn't afford it, she couldn't take him along, after all, there was a risk that he might accidentally screw things up.

Issei understood that, he knew that he wasn't in an ideal condition. However...

"Please... I need to try... if I mess up... any punishment is... I won't complain."

Despite the slightly hesitant words, Issei looked directly at his master, letting her understand through his eyes that making him back off now was not an option.

"Ok, but if things start to go wrong, I'll act."

She spoke after sighing. In the end, the redhead agreed for two reasons. The possibility of this bringing some peace to her Pawn, and because even if things started to go wrong she could easily handle everything.

Having finished their discussion, they moved through the trees.

The path was clear and the fog was not an issue. It didn't take them more than a few minutes to get to the source of the problem.

The target was a necromancer, so his location was somewhat obvious. The cemetery was a bit removed from the village, and the moment they laid eyes on it they confirmed Stray's presence.

This was only the second time Issei had run into one and now he knew he was much more prepared. Still, the scene around him gave him an itch.

All the tombs had been dug and different mounds of earth were visible on the ground.

There weren't a lot of them, maybe seven or ten. They were the rotting bodies of people. The flesh in the corpses varied in quantity, some still had a certain amount, even if very rotten, on their bones, while others were almost pure bone. Those that hadn't fully decayed still had parts of their organs sticking out, like one that had an eyeball hanging out of its socket, or another that had its guts sticking out, threatening to separate from its body at any moment.

Issei knew that if it weren't for the last few days, this scene would probably be too much for him, and even with his new experiences, he had to hold on to what was in his stomach.

Kushina had a look of disgust in her eyes, but it wasn't directed at the corpses. In fact, there was fury in the depths of her eyes caused by the scene in front of her.

Issei looked at his master noting the subtle change in her. He obviously understood that it had something to do with the scene in front of her, he just didn't understand why Kushina seemed, at least to his impression, so irritated by it.

There was no expression on the redhead's face. Sarcasm, teasing, irritation, contempt, nothing.

That scared the young dragon more than anything he could face.

Corpses walked back and forth carrying different things in their hands. Pieces of bodies, animal bones, and different types of plants. Everyone was taken those things to the center of the cemetery, which wasn't very big by the way, where there was a man sitting on a wooden chair, with a cauldron at his side and several books scattered on the ground around him.

His skin was as gray and his body was thin like a corpse. The flesh seemed to stick to his skeleton, leaving the bones as obvious as possible. Issei was sure he could count the number of the man's ribs just from where he was standing.

He had long white hair, but it was dirty and clearly unkept. His fingernails were long and sharp, his teeth looked like fangs, and his eyes were completely dark with no pupil or sclera.

'Was he human before?'

The question could not be avoided by the Sekiryuutei.

[It is not uncommon among more radical mages to experiment with themselves. This is especially usuaç with less orthodox magic users such as necromancy.]

Again Issei swallowed hard. Was this the kind of lunatic he would have to face? However, before he could feel any fear, a thought crossed his mind.

What if someone did that to mom and dad?

Again the Boosted Gear appeared on Issei's arm without him even having to call it out. In the corner of his eyes, this time he noticed the intense glow of the gem.

"I am going."

He announces it to Kushina without ceremony, as he walks to the entrance of the cemetery.

There were no gates, the only thing that separated the place from the rest of the forest were small stone walls. Issei just passed through the walls and in no time the corpses paid any attention to him.

"Velazar, for the crimes of killing a companion of your Peerage, do you surrender?"

The Stray looked up from the book in his hands for the first time. He didn't have any expression until he noticed what was on Issei's arm.

"Ohoooo, so the current Sekiryuutei became a devil? Fantastic, fantastic! And I was still lucky that he came after me? Interesting, interesting."

Velazar leaped to his feet, throwing the book aside. Since he didn't have pupils it wasn't possible to be sure, but Issei knew he was looking right at him.

[He's clearly not up there in his head. Considering he has no intentions of surrendering...]

'I know.'

Issei replied simply, raising his left arm. He ignored the cold feeling, which still bothered him, and took aim.

"Dragon Shot!"

The draconic aura concentrated on the tip of the Boosted Gear's index finger and was shot toward the necromancer.

Velazar didn't move, just watched the approaching blow with what Kushina thought was curiosity. Before reaching Stray, however, two corpses jumped in front of him.

The blow went through them, exploding the bodies, but still not stopping the attack. But they gave enough time for Velazar to pull away. Even with his frail-looking body, as a devil, he still had strength and speed beyond what a normal human could dream of.

"Impressive, impressive. Devil's body, dragon's strength, and powers. Show me more, more."

Contrary to what he said his voice sounded flat, the Stray was incapable of showing emotion.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! STAY STILL!"

Issei on the other hand had his emotions as raw as ever.

Even though those corpses were being controlled and had nothing to do with him, the same thought went through Issei's head.

What if someone did that to mom and dad?

"I will kill you!"

The Sekiryuutei's draconic aura jumped out, covering his body.

BOOST

"Knight!"

With the extra speed and short space of the graveyard, Issei was soon in front of the necromancer.

He raised his left arm, ready to punch the necromancer, who already had his palms open, with magic circles formed.

It was only thanks to his newly acquired experiences and his current speed that Issei was able to run backward and dodge the two sharp pieces of bone that flew toward him.

A dark green liquid oozed from the tips of the bones, the drops of which steamed out as soon as they touched the ground.

"Capable, capable. Even for a devil that would hurt."

Velazar spoke. He was satisfied with the fight he was getting.

'Ddraig?'

The sekiryuutei called to the dragon in his soul, to see if he had any explanation about those bones and the poison in them. The Red Dragon did not disappoint.

[Corpse Poison. Using magic to accumulate the negative feelings of the dead, and adding it to the natural liquids of decaying bodies, is somewhat troublesome.]

With Ddraig's explanation, Issei now understood the shiver down his spine he felt seeing those bones.

'Come on Sekiryuutei, impress me, impress me!"

Two different magic circles appeared in Velazar's hands, followed by six green flames, three on either side of the necromancer, forming in mid-air. They took shape, and for a brief moment, each of the flames showed a different face, before finishing up forming skulls.

'I know, don't let them touch me.'

[You are learning fast.]

Deciding it was best to stay as a Knight, Issei used his speed to dodge the poisoned bones and phantom flames.

BOOST

Ignoring the second announcement, the sekiryuutei thought of one thing.

"Why are you doing these things?"

He asked in visible frustration. Whenever he tried to approach the necromancer, bones or fire would force him to dodge.

Hearing the sekiryuutei's question, Velazar makes a thoughtful expression.

"Well, when you make an omelet you break eggs. I'm doing the same thing."

He spoke, shrugging casually.

Even Kushina frowned at that. To Issei, that seemed to spark something in him. The cold that he felt since he arrived started to decrease.

"You're playing with the bodies of people loved by others! You killed your comrade! Do you think this is breaking eggs?"

Every word came out through clenched teeth. His fists were clenched tightly together, his nails nearly ripping across his palm. Issei's draconic aura was amplified by his anger, and even the previously immobile corpses moved away from the sekiryuutei's direction.

"But of course, of course. I was suddenly curious to find out if there was any way to keep the Evil Pieces in the body after death. It didn't, but it was enlightening." He once again shrugged and continued. "And these bodies are helping me with my research. As I said sekiryuutei, you are worrying too much about some eggs, things are much simpler, simpler."

Something seemed to click in Issei's mind.

Since the death of his parents, he blamed himself. Part of that was a result of looking for a reason.

Why us? What could we have done? How could we avoid it?

Velazar's words made him understand. Sometimes things wouldn't have a reason, sometimes bad things would just happen.

Sometimes there were beings like the one in front of him.

Sparks ignited within the sekiryuutei. The Boosted Gear's glow intensified and then returned all the way to the gem, with a high temperature rising from it.

The surprise was evident in Kushina's eyes as she faced her Pawn, and the enemy necromancer shared the same feeling.

[Interesting.]

A flame shot out of the Boosted Gear's gem. Its color looked like a mix of Kushina's hair color with the Gear's original red. The fire spread, covering the Gear, then the arm and finally covering Issei's entire body.

Even from afar, the redhead felt the intensity of the flames.

'Ise-kun isn't using demonic power for this, but his draconic aura. I was right, he actually has more compatibility as a dragon than as a devil.'

BOOST

Following the third announcement, Issei moved toward the necromancer. The intense flames didn't seem to affect him negatively, on the contrary, he felt great.

Bones and ghostly flames moved to stop him, but before they could even touch his skin, the crimson flames spread and intensified. Both bones and phantom flames are engulfed by the sekiryuutei's flame, resulting in their destruction.

For the first time, Velazar widened his eyes in surprise. He tried to move to escape, but his body couldn't keep up with Issei's speed.

Issei's left fist, where the Sacred Gear is, went towards the necromancer's face, landing a full punch on the left cheek.

The burning sound was followed by the sound of breaking bones. Velazar's body flew for meters in the air before falling to the ground outside the graveyard, unconscious. If anyone tried to look at the body now, they would see a hole in the face, which still had smoke coming out of it from the burn.

He was dead.

The flames around Issei were slowly fading. He didn't even have time to go after Velazar's body when immense fatigue hit him. His eyes felt heavy, and his body clearly begged for rest.

He started to sway and would have fallen to the ground if Kushina hadn't hugged him.

"Great job Ise-kun! You can rest now."

He felt her running her hands through his hair. At that moment, Issei sure was satisfied.

I am a bit unsatisfied with how the fight went, but it is what it is. At least we have the Boosted Gear first power up. He didn't use the sword for reasons of he has no idea how to use one yet.

I didn't want to just kill his parents and get over with it, so I am trying to explore in that direction, it obviously won't be something solved from one chapter to anoter, but he will probably be alrigth by the time we get to canon.

Tsunade and Shizune are showing up next chapter.

Reviews are appreciated.