Sooooo, I'll just go ahead and say that this chapter was insanely rushed. I don't really have the time to go through and read over every little detail/note I made, and the story suffers for it I know, but this is possibly the last time this year I'll have the time to work on and post this (my college is starting to head in the 'oh god work, work everywhere' part of the program) so I wanted to at least get this out. I'll possibly (most likely) have to go back in this chapter to fix somethings, but for now I'll leave this for everyone to enjoy.
note that through the chapter I mention 'two days', which I'd intended to keep one day but realized I'd already had them stay the night before. Herp a derp.
For reviews, lets seeee...
I had originally planned for that kind of scene to take place, the tender moment between Rias and Issei, but despite my best efforts I couldn't seem to create that kind of solid emotions between them at the time. And since I'm kinda sorta maybe aiming for this fic to be more than Issei romping through the girls I felt it was best to leave off since I couldn't make the emotional scene I wanted too.
This chapter holds a slightly better attempt than my previous ones, but it's still pretty lacking.
As for the lemons with Rias (or anyone for that matter), I'm thinking of putting them at the end of the chapters in a sort of 'extras' section. This has been something I've been trying to implement for awhile now, a means of putting in scenes that I can't seem to cover in the flow of the story. It's just I'm so pressed for time these days that I tend to leave out all the wonderful little scenes I have in my noggin and so I've yet to actually work on them/show off this feature. And at the rate I'm going, it's likely I'll end up shoving all the extra stuff into a chapter by it-self.
...annnddd this is all I'm answering. Everything else will just be shown/revealed/what have you as the fic moves on.
Though a thank you to the one reviewer who listed off the chars for potential peeraging. Had actually forgotten about some of those.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing I tell you. I iz paor.
So then, let the story begin...
LIFE 3
Part 1
It wasn't long before lunch time rolled around, and Issei soon found himself being dragged up to the roof by the crazed woman who'd declared her intention to marry him. The girl said she wanted an 'authentic love romance experience', and had proceeded to scare off all unwanted interference (students) the moment they set foot on the top floor.
Sitting on a bench on the now cleared roof-top, noon day sun scorching over them; the Saint looked to the babbling air-head that'd abducted him. She was sitting next to Issei, one arm loosely around his and the other using chop sticks frantically shove her lunch box contents into her mouth. Issei took a single glance down at his own lunch box, a hastily tossed together meal that he didn't particularly plan to finish.
Looking to the woman clinging to him, and the way her eye's lit up at the sight of food, he sighed and handed it off to her. Slurps, crunches and some more…questionable noises filled the air as she inhaled it, accompanied with the muffled babbling of the lunatic as she tried to explain her-self with a mouth full of food.
Truly, a year before this would have been an idea situation. Alone on the roof with a beautiful girl and sharing lunch with one another, with the girl madly in love (?) with him. But now that he'd become a demon, now that he was married with his own harem, and with how he could feel the holy power coming off of her just made things more complicated.
And some how this was going to be all his fault, so his wife was going to murder him.
"Swallow before you talk," The woman froze in place, cheeks reminiscent of a stuffed chipmunk, "and start from the beginning. I haven't understood a word you've said."
She blinked, and after a moment swallowed her food, "Like I've been saying, I'm a half-dragon exorcist super sentai-."
"No, I mean," Issei cut her off and headed right for the root of the problem, "I don't even know who you are."
The girl blinked, frown replacing the smile she held just moments before, "Huh? It's me Ise, Irina."
A silence filled the area, and Issei's question was greeted with a confused tilt of the woman's head.
"Th-," he finally started, voice shaking, teeth gritted "There's no way! Iri was a guy!"
"I was not!" Irina (?) denied hotly, "Just because I was a tom boy doesn't mean-"
"You speak of vile lies, woman!" Issei growled savagely. He didn't lose his temper with a lady, well, ever but this was different! This was the one thing he wouldn't let slide even in the face of a beautiful woman! "Iri was my bro! We made a pact of manliness! Of heroism and justice! We swore on the bro-code!"
That they would someday become the very heroes they worshiped, defenders of the weak and slayers of the wicked. That no child would have to go to bed afraid and no adult fearful for their families lives. That the very existence of evil would be eradicated by their hands!
The oath of men! Sworn in by the greatest victory poses and manliest of secret handshakes ever crafted!
"You're a girl! You could never be him!" He gave a final declaration, one of absolute certainty, to that which he saw as the imposter of his greatest friend.
"Uuuuugh!" Irina (?) roughed shoved him aside, lifting her-self off the seat and marching a few feet away from him. Turning on her heels, balled fists on her hips, she meet Issei's glare with one of her own. "Just sit there and watch!"
With a single, graceful move Irina (?) shot her hand into the air, shooting the other up to cross her arms into an 'X'. Then she pulled them down, and extended outwards, before bringing them back in as a traditional cross.
"Super Change! Oooooh!"
Part 2
"So let me get this straight," Rias said, leaning back into the couch and rubbing her temples, "Exorcists are not only prowling the campus, but attending it as students?"
It'd only been two days since she returned, and the Crimson Tempest was already dealing with walking hazards to devil kind. The churches had a hand in everyone's region, sure. That was something to be expected. But those were spies, informants, fragile men whose lives were easily replaced. The Exorcists were different. They were the strong arms of the church militia, the enforcers of their justice. A raw Exorcist could kill an inexperienced devil, and an elder Exorcist could…well…
They were a threat.
Sitting across from Rias in her occult room were her co-rulers, Sona Sitri and Queen Tsubaki Shinra, with Akeno sitting next to the Ultimate her-self. Behind her couch were Kiba and Koneko, meant to confirm for Rias whatever situation had befallen her school was indeed true. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sona, they were friends, it was just this was quickly escalating to the point of disbelief and she needed something to serve as a sort of sanity anchor.
On the table were the pictures of two 'infiltrators', one a blue haired girl running in Gym class and the other a brown-haired girl rubbing her head in frustration while looking over her notes. They were both, as luck would have it, beautiful. Rias frowned.
"The first is Xenovia," Sona started, holding a clip board. Her Queen was doubling through a stack of notes on the two, which Rias believed would eventually be sent as a report to Hell. "Unlike her companion, she doesn't have a shard of Excalibur. She wields a completed blade," Shinra tossed another picture onto the table, one of Xenovia dressed in the standard combat gear of the church, holding a blue bladed broad sword. Rias's breath turned sharp when she saw the blade.
"D-durandal?" She exchanged a glanced with Akeno. The sword of Roland, one of the four holy blades, was being wielded in their territory. Sona gave a solemn nod.
"Yes, and once more, she was raised by Griselda Quarta."
Well, that was certainly less of a shock than the first. Of course they'd only hand Durandal over to someone with significant training. Another photo was tossed onto the table, one of an assumed younger Xenovia weakly crawling away in tears from Griselda who loomed over her menacingly.
"Is it safe to assume she's the most threatening of the two?" Rias questioned. Sona and Tsubaki shared a look. Rias bit her lip. This wasn't going to end well.
"The others name is Irina Shidou," a photo of her consuming food in mass, empty plates stacked beside her, appeared as if by magic, "and while she doesn't wield a blade like Durandal, well…"
Taking a deep breath, Sona took a moment to collect her-self. Rias frowned and looked over her childhood friend. It was just minor vibrations, barely noticeable to even a Devil, but Rias could see it. Sitri was shaking.
Sona was scared. Sona never got scared.
"I'll be frank," she finally said, expression dire "Irina Shidou is the church Sekiryutei."
"P-pardon? I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. It almost sounded like you sa-"
"Irina Shidou," Sona said, stressing her words, stared directly into Rias eyes, "is the Sekiryutei."
Rias open and closed her mouth a few times, trying to process what she'd just been told. The Crimson Tempest looked back at her subordinates, and was awarded a grim nod from both her knight and Rook. Turning to look at Akeno once more, who shared a similar pale look to hers, the Crimson Tempest turned around in time to see another picture. One of Irina Shidou's hand and the faint green glow it possessed.
To others, it might have looked like a simple artifact or power. Rune magic was becoming more common in certain circles, and someone placing an empowering rune on them-selves wasn't out of the question. To Rias, heir of the Gremory family and privy to more secrets than she care to know, it was a distinct seal, elaborate rune design and a firm coloring.
There was no denying it. This girl held one of the Heavenly Dragons.
"There's more Rias," Sona continued, catching the Gremory's vague attention. Honestly, the more Sitri spoke the more the red head wished she'd just stayed in bed this morning with her newly broken in husband. "She's been looking for Issei-sama."
Rias snapped her eyes to Sona, "Excuse me?"
And as one, everyone but her retrieved a picture from their pockets, one of a smaller Issei sitting with a…boy? That was a boy right? They were playing with handhelds in oh her Maou why was there a Holy Sword there.
"It seems she knew him as a child." Sona stated, shrugging helplessly. As someone well versed in supernatural scenarios, in no small thanks to her own secret pleasure and hobby, Rias felt her head spin when it finally clicked what that meant.
Knew Issei as a child
Knew Issei
As a child
A Childhood friend
A holy soldier childhood friend who held one of the strongest sacred gears in the world, one that could challenge god himself and held a sword shard of one of the greatest banes of demon exist, that returned after separating from childhood. And she was gorgeous!
She was the very definition of 'main heroine'!
Irina Shidou had gone from a major threat to every imaginable nightmare Rias could conceive rolled into one pretty girl.
"I…I need to-why do you have one?!" Rias glared at Akeno who held her own copy of the picture.
"Irina was handing them out this morning!" She cheered, smiling, lacking any regret at having failed to inform her King of the picture hand out, "Isn't child Ise just ador~able?"
"Akeno," Rias hissed, temper flaring. There would be words with her over the need to hold out information. Oh yes.
Sona quirked an eyebrow, "She didn't just hand out pictures; she'd been making posters and putting them up on the walls. We've had her take them down by now but…Not only that, she's been frequenting his home." The heir of Sitri leveled a look at her childhood friend. "She really wants to meet him and, I quote, 'make him her bride.' "
Beat
"...Stalker," came the unprompted reply from Koneko. Kiba chose to simply scratch his cheek, not quite sure what to make of this situation.
Rias was usually a calm and collected woman. She could fence words with the best of men, kept her cool under the most stressful situations, be a dominating figure in demon politics if she cared. Yet she found her-self sitting here, leaning back and once more rubbing her temple.
"Kiba," Rias called for her knight's attention, voice stern. The bishounen gave her his undivided focus. "I don't care where he is or what he's doing," Rias's eyes narrowed dangerously, "bring Issei here. Now."
Before the man could move an inch, Ravel slammed the door open, and gave a frantic declaration of "We have a problem!"
Part 3
It was like a rising crescendo, arm's stretched, legs shifted, her body went through the forms. With every move she made, every step she took, Issei could feel something resonate within him. It was an understanding; one that slowly raised to the surface of his very being as the girl before him switched poses like it was second nature.
And before Issei knew it, he had joined her.
"Infinite power flows in my body! Saint Gold~!"
"Ever lasting justice flows in my heart! Saint Silver~!"
Their stances were perfect. Even after ten years apart, their bodies moved as one. Every kick, every strike, every cross and every stretch, the two worked together as if they'd never been separated a day in their lives.
The routine ended with them back to back, arms straight, eyes locked on the imaginary enemy before them.
"Puuuah!" Irina announced her fake background explosion.
"Psssuaaah!" Issei followed her lead, the background explosion leaving his mouth distinctly different.
They pushed off one another, synchronizing twirling in place. A pair of arms shot out to meet below the belt, smacking into one another, before the two spun in the opposite direction and arms meeting above their heads. All while making verbal explosions around them.
And with a final spin, they did not meet with arms, but hands, in what was undoubtedly the single manliest handshake ever conceived by seven year old minds.
This time, the two did not shout background explosions. No, for the only explosions they felt in this one moment was in their hearts.
Clenching Irina's hand, the two sharing a strong grip, the Saint stared into the eyes of his lost friend for the first time.
"…It's good to see you again, Iri." Issei relented, feeling a goofy smile tug on his lips. Irina, being acknowledged, smiled radiantly. Letting go of his hand, the twin-tailed girl practically threw her-self into his arms.
"Ise!" She'd nearly thrown the man off his feet with her near tackle, arms wrapped around his neck. "I've missed you soooo much~!" Issei wrapped his arms around her, half to hug his fellow comrade of justice, half to keep the girl from swinging off his neck like she'd seemed intent to do.
It was only then that Issei finally registered just how developed his childhood friend was.
"Oh Ise," Irina nuzzled her cheek into the nape of his neck, "now that I've finally found you we can be together and get married and have children and raise them in a nice house full of Christian love and, and!" The entire time she'd been pressing her nice and firm breasts against his chest, wiggling in his arms.
Any other time he'd be absolutely thrilled for such a beautiful girl declaring her need to be with him but, well, this was Iri. Iri was like a brother to him, even if she was a brother with a fairly nice bosom, and grew into some amazing curves, and…and…
Why Iri, why? Why couldn't you have just stayed a man!?
Lifting up her head and looking straight into his eyes, full of warmth and affection, Irina declared confidently "And I'll make you the happiest bride in the world!"
"Uhhh, Iri, about that…"
"Ddraig." A cool voice called out, and Irina froze in her tracks. Tilting his head to look behind her, Issei saw a new arrival standing on the roof entrance. Dressed in a form fitting black unitard and matching thigh-high boots, she wore a cloak over it as an extra layer.
She looked positively ridicules. Like a character out of an anime or something. "Oh look," Issei mumbled dryly, "my newest headache just showed up..."
She gave a passive look over the two. "You should have told her he's a devil."
[Hmm, I'd assumed she'd known Xenovia] Issei whipped his head around to try and catch whoever snuck up on him. His eye's circled around looking for the source of the voice. Eyes trailed down to the glow, green spot on Irina's hand. [Guess she was too busy being justice to notice]
Issei blinked, "Did your hand just talk?"
"Justice is serious business Ddraig!" She exclaimed, completely oblivious to her lovers (?) confusion. A spark of fire lit in her eyes. "A hero must never rest in the face of evil!"
[Even when that evils holding you in his arms, partner?]
"...Did your hand just backtalk?"
"Honestly." The newly identified Xenovia sighed, taking a step forward and letting her-self fall off her perch. Landing casually on the tiled roof, she gave another look over the area. "No one else is here?" It was here that Issei had finally seen what she'd been carrying. A large, wrapped up object as big as she was. He could just barely see it but the thing was shaking. Was it alive?
[Partner scared them off before she snuggled up to the demon brat]
"Perfect." Xenovia's eyes narrowed at them, or rather, the Saint. "Issei Hyodo." She called for his attention.
"Y-yes?"
"You're existence is distracting my partner," she lifted the object off her back by its strap, bringing it in front of her. Taking hold of its clasp with the other, Xenovia clicked it open. "As such, you are a threat to the mission. I will be ending you here."
Then she tore off the wrapping.
Part 4
If a student had bothered to look outside their classrooms at the moment, they'd have been greeted with the sight of the occult research club and the student council running down the hallways. They were quite audibly sprinting through the school and up stairs towards their destination: the confrontation between Issei and the church's dogs.
When Ravel had rushed into the Occult room and practically screamed that the Issei had been dragged off by one of the churches exorcists, Rias had flipped her-self over the couch and was out the door before anyone could register what happened. When it'd finally clicked she was gone, the mass of supernatural gave chase and soon she practically had a stampede on her heels.
Rias was moving as fast as humanly possible up the stairs to the roof. She'd have moved faster, or even better, simply fly to the roof. But she'd be doing so in the middle of the day, in a school full of innocents. Using flashy powers was like an unofficial invitation to the enemy that she didn't care for the masquerade held by the world's supernatural, and so they shouldn't either.
But honestly, that man of hers.
Not two days, two days, since they'd returned and he was already neck deep in another crisis. This time with a long lost half-dragon childhood friend turned holy soldier. Who was his stalker and hoped to turn him into her personal bride. No matter the cost she'd imagined.
Rias gritted her teeth. This was obviously all his fault. Yes. This was absolutely, 120% his fault. He was going to get an earful after she'd tossed the little tart over the side of the school roof.
Reaching the top of the stairs, and in bound towards the roof's entrance. Grabbing hold of the knob and flinging the door open, the Crimson Tempest ran out yelling "Issei!"
Part 5
Now gleaming in the midday sun was a blue sword with yellow edges…and it was shaking rather violently. Xenovia bent her knees, and made to bring the sword over to her side. But when the woman had tried to pull the sword into position, it didn't budge. All the sword did was shaking in place. The swordswoman gave the blade a curious expression.
During this time Irina had detached her-self from Issei and was standing in front of him protectively, "Stop it Xenovia!"
Xenovia spared a glance to Irina while giving the sword another tug and blade held its ground. Turning her focus back to the sword, she started increasing the strength behind her pulls. It reached the point where the blue haired girl had dug her heels into the tiles and was pulling at it with both hands, yet the blade refused to do little more than shake.
Issei glanced away from the sight of the exorcist desperately trying to get her blade to follow her command. Irina gave him a shrug when he looked to her for answers. "Wanna go back to eating?" She asked innocently, the tension of the situation lost.
"I will…the mission!..." Issei sent a pitting look over to the blue haired girl. She really was trying her best to get that thing to move. It was comical watching her trying to pry the thing from its position, but at this rate she was going to end up pulling something. Giving Irina an apologetic smile, he broke off from her and walked towards Xenovia.
"Hey, do you need some-oh." The moment he closed in, the sword budged from its position. Xenovia, frustrated as she was with her sword's stubbornness, gave a relieved sigh. Then she turned to Issei with a smirk. Lifting the sword up, slowly, she leveled the blade in front of her.
"Now, I shall lay god's judg-wha!?" Xenovia felt her-self jerk forward, than jerked again. She looked around frantically for the source, before laying eyes on the very blade in her hands. "It-it can't be-" Another jerk forward. Then it moved a bit to the left, then right. Almost like it was pointing at something
…or someone.
Xenovia looked up to find her sword pointed at the Devil's Saint. He moved a little to the left, it followed. He took a step back, it jerked. With each move the sword was getting increasingly strong with its pull, to the point where Xenovia had to grab hold of it's handle with both hands and once more grit her heels into the floor. She was just barely keeping the thing from flying right at him.
"Durandal! D-durandal!"Xenovia called out, hoping in vain to get back control over her sword. "H-h-heel! Heel boy!"
" 'Heel?' " Issei asked dryly.
"Silence! I will not tolerate-"
"Issei!" Barreling through the entrance to the roof was the Crimson Tempest. His wife was red face, breathing hard and looking all around agitated.
He was a dead man.
The surprise startled Xenovia and her grip slipped on Durandal's handle. Free of restriction, the sword almost had a malicious glint to it. The sword darted through the air, becoming a blue and golden blur. It passed the distance in an instant, aiming right for-
"ISSEI!"
Part 6
"I think its trying to hump your leg, Ise."
The Saint looked down at the lodged blade, flat side awkwardly attached to his thigh. It was wiggling in place, pleased with itself. It kinda sorta reminded Issei of an overly eager dog wagging its tail.
He was standing to the side of the Occult room with Irina, who'd spent the past half hour trying to pry the sword from his leg. When it was apparent that the blade would not move, she gave him a helpless shrug. On his other side was Ravel, who took a keen interest in the blade's makeup and had been trying to examine it since the moment they got to the room.
"Ravel," Issei called the girls name for the umpteenth time, "you're getting too close again."
"It's fine."
"It's not fine," Ravel proceeded to give the most adorable pout.
"I'm an immortal phoenix. It's fine."
"I don't care," Issei moved him-self away from the bird girl, who huffed. "You're not a Saint. Getting nicked by this thing is going to hurt you."
"It'll be fine~"
Issei leveled a look at the bishop. She bit her lip and clasped her hands together as if to beg. "Please, master? I only wish to inspect this holy blade so that I may gather insight on one of our enemy's greatest tools. And I'd hoped…" She let it hang a moment, before delivering the biggest puppy dog eyes he'd seen in his life, followed by lip quivering "…hoped to make you proud by doing so."
Issei leveled a look at her harder.
"…Tch. Fine. Spoiled sport." Ravel dropped her act, waving off her King. "I'll let it go." She narrowed her eyes, "For now."
The rest of the room had filled with bodies. On one of the couches sat the student council president and her queen, with Koneko and Kiba standing behind them. By her-self on the other couch was Xenovia, sipping a warm cup of tea. At her desk was the Tempest King, her queen standing beside her at the ready.
"While I'd been hoping to avoid…interacting…with the demons of this area," Xenovia lifted her cup to Issei's general direction, "I'd never expected something like this to happen. You said he was a 'Saint?' "
"Yes," Rias had her hands clasped on the desk, her back straight. She met the exorcist's stoic expression with a cool stare. The biggest threat this girl possessed, her greatest tool, was currently attached to her Husband's limb. If she'd been alone, Rias could have said with confidence that this woman posed no threat at all…but she wasn't. Rias caught another glimpse of the dragon-bearer out of the corner of her eye, who was all too happy to chat it up with Issei while her partner handled the business. "Issei is a holy demon. The light does not bother him."
"Hmm," Xenovia contemplated, or at least sounded as such. She hadn't let her expression slip since they'd started moving Issei back to the Occult room. It was a pretty good poker face, honestly.
"Aha?" Irina perked up, giving her attention back to the discussion "So does that make Ise a good guy?"
"A…good guy?" Sona asked from her seat, honestly confused.
"You know," Irina answered, "a good guy, like a super hero." She then gave Sona a look that practically said 'it's just common sense'.
Rias coughed, hoping to get everyone's attention. "That's not important."
"It's totally important!" Irina yelled, eye's burning, "I won't be able to marry him if he's not a good guy!"
"Ahh, Iri, about that-"
"You wouldn't be able to marry him regardless." And before Irina could get another word out of her mouth, Rias dropped the bomb on her, "He's already taken."
"Eh?" Irina looked between Rias and Issei, her face slowly falling into panic and despair, "Eh, eh?"
And then Rias smiled. It was a devilish smile. One that was entirely too sweet, backed by a hidden cruelty, and carrying a hint of victory. Reaching into her skirts pocket, the devil pulled a piece of jewelry out and lifted it up into the air triumphantly.
It was a ring, lovingly crafted silver with a finely encrusted ruby at its tip.
Slipping it onto her ring finger, Rias terrible smile only grew, approaching maniacal. Holding her hand up to show her proof of marriage, and in a way ownership, Rias placed her other hand on her cheek reminisce of her Queen's habit. "I guess you've spent all your time here for nothing~." She nigh sing-songed.
"I-I…" Irina just sort of stared in disbelief, before looking over to Issei. He'd pulled out his own ring, an exact copy, and slipped it onto his own finger.
"Aha, sorry Iri," He scratched his cheek sheepishly, "I was going to tell you but, well, Xenovia showed up and…"
When the revelation finally clicked, she'd felt tears well up in her eyes. "I-I, Issssseeeee…." She wailed mournfully. Clinging to the Saint, the half-dragon practically clawed at his chest. "That's not fair Issssseee," a few tears slipped down, "you were supposed to be my briiidddeeee~."
All the Saint could do was sigh and pat the crying girl on the head. His efforts were rewarded with sob filled hiccups and a wet shirt.
"Ara, ara Irina-chan." Akeno started up. The moment she spoke, Issei froze. "It's not 'bride'."
"Huh?" Irina turned just enough to look at the Queen "Its not?"
"No, sweetie," Akeno gave her own, genuine smile. The kind of smile she gave when she was about to pull something. "It's 'waifu'." As one, the husband and wife made a choking noise. The rest were left with questionable quirks of the brow or general confusion.
"W-waifu?" Irina sniffled, "W-waifu…" she rolled foreign word on her tongue, giving it a few repeats, each one stronger than the last.
"Mhmm!" Akeno placed a hand on her cheek, another sign of mischief. Issei sent the priestess a glare in hopes she'd lay off. She completely ignored it, "It's like a bride but better. And you can even have them while married."
"R-really?!"
"Oi, oi oi, Senpai! Can it! Quit corrupting her!" It'd finally occurred to Issei exactly what she was trying to do, and he'd have none of that! Not with his best friend!
"Yes!" Akeno gave it the final push, ignoring her masters warning, "Isn't it great, Irina-chan? Now all you need to do is become his-"
"Isssseeeeee~ Issssssseeeeeee~" Irina droned, her tone significantly happier than before. She'd clawed her way up his chest, her teary face right up next to his. Their noses were practically touching, and her eye's glittered with hope, "be my waiiiifffuuuu~"
Beat.
"Well," Akeno broke through the silence, slightly miffed, "I suppose that works too."
"Akeno," Rias did not hiss or growl at her subordinate and friend. No, she merely applied a healthy dose of a free palm to her face. Sona was quick to follow her friend into the palming, with Kiba on their heels. Xenovia, entirely too used to her partners antics for her own good, simply sat and drank her tea in peace.
Part 7
The night had been beautiful, a starry sky accompanied with the pale light of the moon. The temperature outside had felt good, and the breeze, while a bit chilled, nice.
It was something Issei would have liked to share with his wife, sitting out on the terrace, holding her close. It wasn't often that he got to spend time with her, and he'd been looking forward to enjoying to an evening with just the two of them.
But instead, he'd managed to get a holy sword stuck to him like a super charged magnet, and a wife standing across from him with a tearful expression.
She was wearing night lingerie, frilled and colored with a lovely white. While it covered her breasts, it became more transparent as it went down, splitting to reveal her abdomen. To cover her lower modesty, Rias wore a matching pair of frilled panties. She was eying him, arms crossed underneath and subtly lifting up her bountiful chest. It was the same little piece she wore on their first night together, and the Crimson Tempest had admitted to taking a liking to the piece of sleepwear. Issei absolutely loved it.
He'd love nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and carry her off to bed, but…
The Saint rubbed the back of his head, "Yes?" He finally inquired, hoping to get to the point. His teary wife continued to eye him in silence, half mournful, half agitated.
"I-it's…" Rias mouth quivered as she tried to work her sentence, voice shaky. "It's not fair."
"Oh come on Rias-"
"It's not fair!" The Crimson Tempest pointed a finger at her husband, "That thing!" as if on que, Durandal happily wiggled behind him. It'd taken some time after the meeting to adjust the thing, but they'd managed to make carrying it around more comfortable. "It's getting in our way!"
It'd taken, through the combined herding skills of Sona and Kiba to keep everyone behaved, a few hours to deal with the meeting. Mostly on how to handle the exorcists' sudden lack of epic holy sword and how that was going to affect their mission, which was to his dismay about re-obtaining other stolen holy swords.
Issei had by that point of the meeting heroically offered to take one of the team and sit this crisis out on the account that his sudden super attraction with holy sword could turn him into a holy pincushion. Rias whole-heartedly agreed. He wouldn't be allowed to go to school, of course, even if the majority of its body were contractors now he was still carrying a very much sharp blade to his back. If it wasn't the danger involved it was the fact that he now couldn't sit in a class chair because of the thing.
Asia had been informed at first convenience, and while she wasn't happy about it, or being left out of the meeting for that matter, she understood the situation.
So after an evening of dealing with the sword, and his peerage, and the exorcists, Issei now found himself confronted with his distraught wife when he went upstairs to check on the girls.
"I know Rias, I know." Issei would very much like to be comforting Rias, but even she, an Ultimate, was at risk with the sword on his back.
"Two days, Issei! I've had you for two days!" Rias voice was quite shaky, as the Crimson Tempest balled her other hand into a fist. "I've been waiting all year for this and-"
"I know," Issei cut her off, stressing his words "…I have too."
Rias sniffled, cheeks stained with a few tears. She looked away from him with a 'hmph', apparently uncaring for her husband's response. If he had to make an assumption, she was here to try and vent some frustration over…well, everything. It was entirely too childish for his sweet and mature wife, issei would admit. He'd also admit that his wife had been forced through a stressful year and a half. If it wasn't a group of fallen attacking her lands, it was Raiser starting up his mess. Then there was Issei's 'ascension' to being a Devil's Saint and what followed after that…
Two days ago, after a little over a year of marriage, Issei Hyodo Gremory got to hold his wife for the first time.
No 'breaks', no 'classes', nothing as some kind of filter that let them see one another…but never connect.
Now that they were in the human world, living together without any hindrance from demon society or him having to spend all day training or dealing with her crazed brother or just everything about the supernatural world that seemed hell bent on keeping the two of them together, this was supposed to be their time.
And now he had a holy sword magnetized to his back and had to keep his wife at arms length.
Again.
And it was so god damned frustrating.
"Hey, Rias," He started softly, reaching for the huffing red head. He'd, in the past year, whether it be due to natural causes or supernatural phenomena, had experienced a bit of a growth spurt despite his lack of nutrition. So when he took hold of his wife's chin and gently guided her face to his, he'd had to tilt it up a bit to reach his. "Look at me."
She was reluctant at first, eyes watery, probably feeling a bit shameful for her actions, but with some coaxing Issei was awarded with the sight of his wife's beautiful emerald eyes. They sparkled in a way he'd never seen before, anxiety, disappointment…hope.
Then he kissed her.
It was the only thing he could think of. She couldn't touch him like she wanted too, potential death looming over her and all. But if he was careful, he could touch her, and that was something he wanted to express. Standing on the second floor, pale light shinning through the window on the couple, Issei shared a treasured kiss with the woman he cared for more than anyone else in the world. Rias was more than happy to return his gesture with fervor.
"Mmm~" She hummed appreciatively. Rias had placed two hands on his chest, clutching his shirt as she eagerly plunged her tongue as far into her husband's mouth as possible. Issei had almost broken off at that, but decided touching his front was fine. The sword was on his back, after all.
That was his rationalization for wanting to continue the really, really good kiss he was sharing with her.
So when he finally did pull away, the mournful mewl his wife released was a fine expression of how they both felt. Rias looked up at her husband with a dreamy face and softly called his name. Issei reached up to brush away a few strands of hair before placing a kiss on her forehead.
"I promise," Issei started, smiling affectionately, "I'll make this up to you." It wasn't really his fault, per say, he was just as much a victim as she was. But the Saint was a man damnet. He was going to make his wife smile again.
"…Okay." She acknowledged meekly, lacking the energy and fury she had earlier. Giving him a final, longing look the demoness broke off from her husband and shuffled her way back to her door. Pleased that he'd managed to calm Rias down, Issei had turned to make his way back down to the living room. He was, err, forced to sleep downstairs In the large room with the demon butler who slept on the couch. It make for an...interesting...experience.
"Oh, and Issei?" The Saint turned back to see what his wife needed, and felt his jaw slack a bit.
Standing at the door to the girls shared room, one hand on the knob, the Crimson tempest gave him a heavy-lidded look over her shoulder. Her emerald eye's narrowed into smoldering gaze and her lips pulled into a sultry smirk. The demoness's free hand traced itself up her body, starting at her flared hips, making way up her lingerie-accented curves and finishing at her lips. She gave her fingers a teasing lick. "When this is over…" Her voice, once cracked from her tearful display, had dropped into a smoky purr.
"I'll be sure to squeeze you dry, okay~?"
To his credit, Issei had tried to say something to his wife, something cool and manly to answer Rias's womanly charms. What actually happened was that the flabbergasted Saint could only flap his lips. Rias let out a sweet laugh at her husband's expression and gave him a final, amorous look. "Good night, my darling Ise." And then with a gentle pull of the knob, she'd slipped the door open and sauntered into the room. The way Rias rolled her hips as she went probably wasn't needed.
But was most definitely appreciated.
LIFE 3
I have no beta and I must scream.
Seriously, these things are so full with grammatical and spelling errors that I just can't seem to catch, and other online checkers can't seem to catch, that I really need someone whose willing to look over these things. So if anyone's willing to be a good sport and help with the editing (or could push me in the right direction to getting a beta) I'd appreciate it if you could send me a PM.
So how bout dem waifus.
This scene with Rias and Issei, close to what I originally wanted with the last chapter but not quite hitting the right note. It's certainly a leap in ability for me, and was fun to write. Also let me give Issei and Rias some much needed interaction (we all remember this is a IsseixRias fic right?)
I'm being so mean to Xenovia. First she gets a partner whose utterly obsessed with some devil and JUSHTISH and now she's lost her sword. Poor baby. But things will look up for her eventually. Maybe. Possibly.
Ravel's interest in the holy sword stems from my vague memory on the ares demon her family is based off of, and them being connected to science or something (if I had more time, I'd go into a more in depth examination). So her interest in the sword is entirely academic. And not because it was nearly strapped to Issei's bottom at the time. Noooo, sir.
Oh look, Koneko got to speak for the first time. Atta girl. Maybe someday we can get you some real dialogue and action in the story.
Sona and her Queen pay a visit too, though the poor queen doesn't seem to get many lines (or none at all, I forget). Hopefully we can change that at some point.
Why yes, Akeno is aware of your waifus! She knows al~l about them.
...And that's about it. Til next time fic reader.